It was raining when the talent show was put on, a makeshift stage transfigured out of one of the lecture halls in the east wing of Hogwarts. Dumbledore was happily announcing all the contestants and their relevant talents, from Seamus's magical creature calls to Professor Flitwick's bouncing dog, while the audience full of students watched with a mixture of bemusement, giggling, and eye-rolling.
Harry had opted to study, something Hermione quite seriously doubted he was actually doing; he had become more withdrawn lately, after Cho had broken up with him, retreating to his studies but more often just lying around the boys' bedroom, staring at the ceiling. Or so Ron had told her; she tried to spare as much attention for Harry as she could, but it was something of a strain these days when he seemed to want nothing to do with anyone.
She and Ron were in one of the rear seats, Ron's arm drawn around her shoulders and one of her texts in her lap. She'd watch the stage for a few moments, shaking her head at the strange things her classmates came up with, then turn her head back to her book, quietly flipping a page when there was a scattering of applause.
Hermione didn't even notice Ron playing with the ends of her hair until he tugged at it a bit to get her attention. "C'mon, 'Mione, let's get out of here," he said with a grin. "Somehow I don't think Millicent Bulstrode's hula-hooping is interesting you this evening."
She smiled gratefully back, and they pulled their things together, slipping silently out of the room. Ron's hand caught hers as they walked through the empty halls open on the courtyard, taking the long way to get back to the Gryffindor rooms. The sound of rain rang off the walls, amplifying the white noise so that it seemed as though they were in the downpour instead of looking out at it.
Ron pulled her bag off her shoulder and tugged her to the edge of the hallway, and they sat down, their feet just at the waterline. The courtyards were grey and hazy in the rain, the grass a verdant green even in the night. The fountain spilled over slightly with the excess water from the rain, making rivulets outward over the sidewalks.
When she leaned in to his shoulder, he welcomed her easily; late nights like these caught them outside of their bickering, and they abandoned snappish tones and sarcasm for the comfortable silence they'd only recently discovered they had. It was hard being around Harry once their fighting became only for show. He'd look on sadly as they argued about trifle for dessert over pudding, or when to start their homework. It was as if he knew they weren't sharing this with him, and none of them knew how to fill a blank spot that just seemed to spring up one day.
She moved forward, resting her head on his bent knee, slouching a bit. His big hand rubbed at her back, lifting and resettling her hair. They watched the rain for a good hour or so, counting raindrops and speaking through sighs and wordless glances. Nothing was ever easy, it seemed, even when Hogwarts was relaxed enough for Dumbledore to dance nimbly about a dormouse for all of the students to see.
words © SA. characters, show, and people not mine. no infringement is intended.