Cave Rave

[noonelaughed]

It seems like it's been forever since Chris has been to a real, proper blowout. There aren't exactly any clubs on the island for this sort of thing, and the last time Chris had any kind of party in his own hut, it'd taken him fuckin' ages to properly sort out the damage. As it was, he was still finding brownie crumbs and other people's coats when

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[honestlyrubbish]

With all of the noise and din, Hermione had needed to duck out of the party. Only for a moment. Only for a few minutes. Things had been perfect before she left, Harry only sipping lightly from the alcoholic punch, and nibbling on a brownie in a way that Hermione couldn't bring herself to chastise. If things were going to continue at such a pace for the rest of the evening, Hermione was beginning to hope that she'd have both of the boys home in relatively high spirits, without needing to help them keep from tripping on everything in sight. She'd even been optimistic.

But when she returned and finally worked her way to Harry in the crowd, she found him... bobbing his head. For a couple of seconds, she tried to follow the movement out of reflex, nodding her own up and down, before she shook it and reached out to try to gently coax the brownie Harry held in his hand away.

"I think... you may have had enough," she said quietly, offering a smile.

[seek_to_end]

"I only had one!" Harry argued, his face falling into an absurd pout at the slightest (really, non-existent) provocation. He didn't fight Hermione's hand though, giving up the brownie like a little boy who knew he had done wrong and was only sad about having his sweetie taken away, not angry. Fighting with Hermione was the last thing he wanted to do then.

"If we're not eating, we're dancing!" he decreed, lifting up both arms so quickly the alcohol sloshed from his cup and spilled down his arm. "Dance, dance, dance!"

[honestlyrubbish]

"Well, first it's only one," Hermione said patiently, glad that Harry relinquished the brownie quickly enough, and placing it to the side, "and then it's only two, then three, and all too soon you lose count. Remember what happened at Mardi Gras, Harry; I just want you to be a bit more careful. Actually, I thought that you were going to stay sober altogether, but..."

She pressed her lips together with a soft sigh and a shrug, resigned, though not at all irritated. As much as she hated to admit it, there was something about the boys while inebriated that was rather charming in its own way.

Until Harry's arms shot in the air, Hermione's gaze following out of instinct as she watched him... stumble about. She blinked bemusedly, trying to spot the 'dance' in the movement, and largely failing. She raised both hands to about shoulder level, expression slightly pinched. "Dance, dance, dance?"

[seek_to_end]

"Dance, dance, dance!" Harry echoed again as he swooped forward. His arms dropped and by some miracle managed to align with Hermione's so that Harry could catch her hands in his warm, crumb-smeared palms. Instinct directed him from there to place one of Hermione's hands on his shoulder and one of his at the small of her back.

The music was all wrong for it. It bounced and popped and thumped and all Harry could do was sway. Something welled up in his chest, something he wasn't in his right mind enough to identify or give credence to. So spun Hermione around once, twice and pulled her closer so he could ignore that ache inside of him in lieu of his best friend's presence.

[honestlyrubbish]

Harry and Hermione hadn't really danced much, over the years. There had been the preparation for the Yule Ball, of course, back in fourth year, Harry needing as much guidance as possible before the actual event, being one of eight students who were meant to lead the group. She'd provided it up to a point, recognizing the necessity of it and wanting very much for Harry to keep himself from looking the fool in any situation- signs of weakness, no matter how trivial, only stood a chance of making things worse for him in the long run. But this didn't feel like the structured dance of the Yule Ball, instead intimate enough that Hermione could practically see the walls of the tend being raised about them. Brow furrowed, she leaned in until her chin rested on Harry's shoulder, the two of them making it through a half-turn before Harry had her moving again, twirling about

[seek_to_end]

Harry's smile came out broad and well-pleased, only enhanced by the drugs, not placed there solely through their whims. His hands rested somewhere high on her waist, leading them through a movement that had very little to do with the music blasting around them.

"Is she? That's great. I am, too," Harry said. The smile faded a touch though -- only a touch -- as he continued. "I'm scared though, too. I did rubbish with Cho. What if it's rubbish with Kate, too?"

[honestlyrubbish]

Her reactions were slightly slowed by the mismatch between their dancing and the beat of the music, but for once Hermione didn't mind the chaos terribly, only reacting with a nervous giggle as she tried to keep up with Harry's whims. She even missed his words, between the speakers blasting about them, the unordered tangle of bodies and arms flailing about, a few coming too close for comfort as Hermione stepped closer to Harry, shooting a shocked look over her shoulder, dissolving into another laugh.

"Erm," she stammered, turning back to Harry, belatedly trying to piece his words together. "Oh, Cho- Harry, I really don't think you have to worry about a date with Kate being half as difficult as it was with Cho. Remember, you've had two whole years to come to understand yourself better as a person, which certainly helps a date. I'd know." She bobbed her head, thinking of Ron.

[seek_to_end]

"But you've known Ron for ages," Harry argued, babbling his way along his own scattered thoughts and stringing them together haphazardly with a certain brand of chemically enhanced logic. "And you know you because you know everything. And you know Ron because of the same and like him even though he messes nearly everything up when it comes to you. So you know each other and you're good with each other but I don't know about me. Ever. I know I miss magic and home and I want to cry sometimes because of everything and I don't want Kate to think I'm just this weepy idiot or some ridiculous hero. But I think she kind of likes me as me and I'm not sure who that is if it doesn't come with, you know, everything."

He sighed heavily, a resigned sort of thing rather than a sad one, feeling better for having said all that but only marginally, as he hadn't felt bad before and while saying it. "At least Kate doesn't cry when I kiss her. But I miss Ginny," he said, practically an afterthought.

[honestlyrubbish]

In spite of the fact that Hermione had absolutely no more reason to believe that Harry would suddenly be able to process everything she had to say, she still found herself carefully weaving through the tangled thoughts he'd just thrown her way, replying to each in turn. "Trust me, knowing someone for ages doesn't... automatically mean that the date will go well. And there have been so many times when I could hardly recognize myself, Harry, especially where dating is concerned," she sighed, shaking her head fondly as she looped her arm in his, vaguely leading them to a quieter space in the caverns. "I do recommend that you try not to cry during the date, as- well, you've been on the other side of that before, and it doesn't make for a pleasant experience. But when it comes to you having these feelings, or Merlin forbid, being overwhelmed at times, I don't think Kate will mind that at all. It makes a person more relatable, more human. You don't have to be the Chosen One twenty-four seven, nor do you have to be just any other boy. All

[seek_to_end]

He let himself be led easily enough. As much as he loved the sounds and the colors right now, they were there even in the quieter spaces, more subdued but just as lovely. He watched everyone else dance as Hermione spoke, hearing her words but his gaze jumping here, there and everywhere until it finally landed on his shoes as well.

"I like Kate," Harry said with simple surety. "And I miss Ginny. It's like... sometimes they're not connected. Like Billy being gay. I just don't think about one thing when I'm dealing with the other." He drew in a deep breath and exhaled out all his tension, just like that. "It's just sad sometimes."

[honestlyrubbish]

It wasn't a decision that Hermione could make for Harry, one way or another. Whenever she tried to imagine fancying someone other than Ron, her mind fell short- and she imagined that was how it was supposed to be, now that they were dating at last, now that the pieces had finally fallen together in a way that felt right. But at the same time, she didn't want to assume that Harry's situation with Ginny was precisely the same. Didn't want to bar Harry from anything that could offer him happiness, even if it didn't last in the long run. If there was anything about Harry's reaction to the island that had differed strikingly from Hermione's own, it was his ability to enjoy even the fleeting joys.

"Well, Ginny isn't... here, though I suppose she could turn up in time," Hermione considered, her voice lowered. "Ultimately, though, if Kate makes you happy, I don't see anything wrong with that. Though at some point, if Ginny continues to weigh so heavily on your mind, you may need to talk to Kate about it."

[seek_to_end]

Harry snorted. "That'll be fun," he said. But for all the sarcasm heavy on those words, he found himself laughing genuinely.

Thank Merlin for drugs. He probably had more to say, but he forgot it in the rain of laughter. He wasn't even entirely sure what he was laughing about after a moment either, but he knew there had been a lot of words said. Too many words for a party.

[honestlyrubbish]

Hermione rolled her eyes in turn, noting the sarcasm in the words, if not necessarily in Harry's tone. She still wasn't entirely sure whether or not to be glad for the fact that the drugs had addled Harry's mind enough that he could laugh over their predicament, but at the least in the short term, it seemed to make things easier in their own right. Staring at Harry for a couple seconds longer, she shook her head lightly, dropping a hand to his shoulder and briefly leaning her head in affectionately, before patting him on the back.

"Well, not everything can be as fun for you as this party," she reasoned, quirking her brow. "Certainly not while I'm around. Indulging now and again is... I just don't want this to become a regular pastime, alright?"

[seek_to_end]

"Hermioneee," he said, drawing her name out in what was supposed to be a fondly chastising way but probably came out sounding whiny. Harry had already forgotten the bulk of their conversation; not entirely, but for the moment it was safely out of his mind. He wanted to get back into the rhythm of the music instead of standing still.

"Let's just have fun now. You can worry all you want tomorrow."