the day we connected // drarry

day 20 - dancing

When Harry and Hermione walked through the doors of the Great Hall, nearly everyone who was already in the room stopped what they were doing and looked up. Many of the younger students gasped and whispered to each other as Harry and Hermione made their way over to where Ron, Ginny, Parvati, Neville, Luna, Dean and Seamus were standing.

"Hey," Harry said, smiling at his friends. He was happy to see Luna, whom he had not spent time with for several weeks.

"Hermione," Ginny's jaw had dropped. "You look..."

"...beautiful!" Luna gasped, finishing Ginny's sentences. Hermione blushed and thanked them. Harry moved to Ron's side and turned so that he was looking across the dance floor.

Draco and Pansy had followed in Harry and Hermione's shadow. They were slightly irritated that they didn't get as much attention as they would prefer, but soaked up and glowed in the bit that they did receive. They peeled away from Harry and Hermione and walked around to the other side of the dance floor, where Pansy, Blaise and a handful of other Slytherins were standing and watching the rest of the room glumly.

Draco looked across the empty dance floor at Harry, who was stood with his friends. He wished he could be standing there with him rather than putting on an act and being Pansy's date instead.

The ball started a few minutes later after McGonagall strode into the hall wearing expensive-looking robes of a magnificent emerald. She made her way over to the teacher's table and nodded to the band - an arrangement of orchestral instruments - and soft, mellow music began to play.

Nobody moved, however. Nobody seemed to want to be the first on the dance floor. After a few moments of people looking around, clasping their partner's hand, Hermione rolled her eyes, grabbed Harry's hand and pulled him onto the raised platform. He took her left hand in his right and put his left hand a few inches below her armpit. She put her free hand on his upper arm, and they were off.

Not long after they had started waltzing around the floor, laughing with each other and feeling everyone's eyes on them, other couples joined in. Neville and Luna - who were not dating, contrary to popular belief - were among these couples, and passed by Harry and Hermione, also laughing and not quite getting the steps right.

Draco watched Harry and Hermione gliding around, his expression bitter. Pansy watched them too, glaring at Harry and wishing she were the one being led around the dance floor.

Ron eventually remembered he had not come alone that night and asked Parvati to dance. She graciously accepted and then it was Dean, Seamus and Ginny watching from the side. Ginny waited patiently for one of the boys to ask her if she wanted to dance.

"D'you want to dance?" she heard Dean say at last and gasped a 'yes', choosing not to think about their history. She turned her head and her face fell as she realised Dean had not been asking her, but Seamus. She watched him lead Seamus up onto the platform; watched the other students cheer at them; watched the other Gryffindors grin at them and give them the thumbs-up. She sank into the chair and rested her chin on her hand, her eyes following her friends as they danced and laughed together.

A few minutes passed, and then Luna caught sight of Ginny alone at the table. She tugged on Neville's sleeve and the pair walked off the dance floor to their friend.

"Come with us," said Luna, holding out her hand.

"No, no, don't worry about me," Ginny replied. "I'm fine."

Neville rolled his eyes and took Ginny's hand, pulling her out of her chair. "You don't have a choice," he grinned. Luna took her other hand and soon enough the three of them were dancing together.