One Last Hope

Colin Creevey followed closely behind Harry through the dark deserted corridors of Hogwarts, snapping his camera very rapidly as he always did, with the hopes of getting a perfect shot. Harry recognized the all too familiar sound and turned to face him with a dull, blank expression on his face.

"Colin, what are you doing?" Harry asked dully, dreading the obvious answer to that question. Though lately, this had been happening far too often.

Colin looked at him with hopeful eyes.

"Could I possibly get a picture of your face and not your back? I have enough of those." Colin paused a second in disappointment, then his face lit up again. "Please, Harry? Just one?"

Harry rolled his eyes a bit and stared at him. He soon turned away, bored, and continued to make his way down the deserted corridor with Colin trailing right at his heels.

"No Colin. The answer's been the same for the past week. Now quit following me. I'm already late for practice." Harry answered dully, swiftly turning around to turn the corner. Colin stopped and thought for a moment. His eyes then lit up much like a child's would on Christmas morning, as he picked up his pace and tried to keep up with Harry.

"You're on your way to practice? That's perfect! Can I come? I want to take some fresh pictures for the Daily Prophet! Please, Harry? Please?" Colin spit out all in one breath.

Harry stopped dead in his tracks and slowly turned to face him.

"Did you just say the Daily Prophet?" Harry asked with clenched teeth in an disbelieving tone.

Colin blushed at what he just said and grimaced a bit, plastering a hopeful smile all across his child-like face.

"Harry, I--I'm doing a story on your last Quidditch match ever and I need pictures! Please, Harry! I won't do anything stupid, promise!" Colin rushed the words out of his mouth, clearly feeling the piercing look Harry had on his face.

Harry pursed his lips, peaking a fit of frustration.

"Colin, for the last time no. The last thing I need is my face plastered all over the Daily Prophet. I've worked too hard to stay out of it, and with everything that happened last year....just no. Forget it." Harry said with a clenched jaw, his fists whitening more as they tightened.

Harry turned around again, and began to walk toward the great oak doors. For a few short and blissful moments, the only sound in that empty corridor was that of Harry's tapping shoes on the hard stone as he walked. Just as painfully expected, another set of footsteps echoed behind him and quickly gained speed. Harry finally blasted through the oak doors and outside into the fresh air, and in the distance he heard faint shouts issuing from Colin.

"See you at practice Harry! Hermione Granger said she...."

His voice trailed off. Harry took in a deep breath and felt his stomach tense up.

"Hermione." Harry whispered to himself in deep emotion as he let out a deep sigh.

Hermione stood in the Head Girl dorm, opposite Harry's dorm for Head Boy, waiting for something exciting to happen. Lately, Ginny had been pestering her about exams and yearned to gain the knowledge Hermione had. Lavender and Parvati also pestered her, but not about exams; but a totallly different subject entirely. They were all in their seventh year now, all but Ginny who was in her sixth. The end of the year was fast approaching, leaving much of the students either excited or witdrawn and the ending year.

Hermione was at her dresser, turning over an old dust-collected picture frame that remained face-down recently, for the last month or two. The picture contained her own smiling face and figure, standing in the middle with Harry and Ron as they all wrapped their arms around each other. They had always been so carefree in those early days when they first became friends, battling a basilisk or three-headed dog here and there, but making it out with only minor cuts and bruises. But everything changed dramatically just the past summer, when all three of them nearly lost each other and their lives.

Everything would have been fine, but somehow they found themselves in a very bad situation. Hermione had ended up in the worst predicament, but miraculously, they managed to fight their way through the oncoming line of threatening death-eaters, and the greatly feared Voldemort himself.

That dark, rainy September night of the previous year was still a thick haze to Hermione. Everything happened so fast and she still wasn't quite sure of what had really happened. Somehow that night resulted in her taking on and experiencing very vivid nightmares of what she did, in fact, remember. However, after the long and tiring fight of trying to save her two best friends Harry and Ron, the nightmares didn't take effect until after she woke from her week long sleep in the infirmary at Hogwarts. Not to mention, Hermione managed to save herself with great difficulty. It's possible that it wasn't her own free will that saved her, but it could have been something else, or someone else. Still, it was accomplished.

Nothing has been quite the same since. Almost suddenly, Hermione grew distant from Ron after the ordeal, both counting their losses and coming out short of the gains. Ron became very sensitive for the same reasons Harry did, but he quickly shut himself off from nearly everyone. But eventually Hermione grew even more distant from Harry than with Ron. An argument had erupted not too long ago between them and Harry was left still blaming himself for nearly getting Hermione killed. Harry and Hermione were always able to sort out their differences, but this time that was untrue. They never resolved the conflict and as a result, it remained left untouched from that day on. That one horrible argument nearly tore apart their friendship, but still they clung to the embers and tried to save what was left. It was automatic, as the air that flowed in and out of their lungs. Yes they were still friends, but not as close and much more sensitive to their own feelings than the other person's.

Hermione shuddered a bit and came out of her blank trance, staring blankly at the upturned picture she held in her hands. She longed so badly to have the care-free days back in her life but most importantly, the two guys she had become best friends with almost from day one. But soon it would all be over. No more Hogwarts exams to worry about, or even the action-packed Quidditch games she had grown to love. And certainly no more worrying over another unresolved fight. Hermione could finally get past this, but not without the help of her friends, whom she didn't think still cared.

This very Friday, just three days away, would be the Quidditch match to end all others. A full day of games was in order and the winning house would take the cup, along with being ingrained and glorified in Hogwarts history forever.

Hermione glanced down once more at the picture, and delicately placed it back on the dresser, facing up instead of down. The area around her eyes began to tingle and Hermione could feel the start of a new wave of tears. The door busted open and Ginny entered, appearing quite flustered. She flew onto Hermione's bed, seating herself into a comfortable position and looking at Hermione with an intense gaze.

"Hermione! " Ginny said out of breath.

Hermione sucked back her emotions and wiped her face free of any evidence as she turned to face Ginny.

"I've got---are you alright?" Ginny said suddenly, seeing the stressed look on Hermione's face.

"I'm fine. Now what's going on?" Hermione said softly, trying again to suck in her intense feelings as they kept surfacing.

"Right, well you're not going to like this one bit. Sit down. Hermione I'm serious, sit down."

Hermione hesitantly had a seat on her bed next to Ginny.

"Alright, well I just found out that Colin is doing a story on Harry for the Daily Prophet. He's been pestering him for pictures and everything."

Hermione thought about it for a minute as the realization sunk in.

"Wait, how do you know all this?" Hermione asked out of concern. Ginny faked a smile.

"I ran into Harry on his way to practice. He sounded stressed out."

Hermione paused again, thinking everything over.

"I think he's worried about something, Hermione. He's worried about you." Ginny said softly. Hermione snapped her head up to look into her friendly eyes.

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked, noticing that prickly feeling in her eyes all over again.

"Harry asked if you were being bothered by Colin. He mentioned your name when he was stalking Harry earlier. He tried to tell me he would personally go after him if he was bothering you, but he couldn't finish his sentence."

Hermione fluttered her eyes a bit, trying not to let them blink closed all the way as tears welled up.

"He's...he's worried about me?" Hermione said in a tone between being excited and worried at the same time. Ginny nodded.

"There's hope yet, Hermione. Did you honestly think there would be this distance between you forever?"

Hermione sighed and added a little nod.

"I guess I did, and still do. It's just a bit strange, you know," Hermione began, slamming her mouth shut as she felt overwhelmed with emotion. "Never once have me and Harry been so miffed at each other. No offense to Ron because I love him to death, but I'm on better terms with him. That scares me. Me and Harry were always able to work things out."

Ginny gave her a sympathetic pouty face and hugged her gently.

"Now what's all this that you're freaking out about? You know why he's doing this, don't you?" Ginny asked. Hermione pulled away and looked Ginny in the eyes. Ginny bit her bottom lip and choked back a smile. Hermione tried to understand what she was saying, but was beat to it by a question nagging at her.

"Wait a minute, what's really the problem, Gin? You were distraught when you came in here. There's more, I know it."

Ginny bit her bottom lip and let her posture slouch quite a bit.

"Rita Skeeter's come back."

"How do you know?"

"Percy's been keeping an eye on her for Harry. He just sent me an owl."

Hermione's expression fell to extreme horror. She stood up and clutched her hair in her two fists as she began to pace the room. She was muttering things to herself; things only she could hear. Ginny's eyes traveled rapidly from side to side at seeing Hermione in such distress. A few long minutes passed, ending in Hermione's hair being a bit ruffled from the excitement. Suddenly her dull face dissipated and she had the look of a plan in progress. She was determined.

Harry sat in the Quidditch prep room, dressing in his uniform. The team was shouting random things at each other, pumping themselves up for the big game which would be starting in only a matter of minutes. Harry still sat there on the bench, pulling on his dark leather gloves in total silence as he flexed his fingers to fit perfectly around his gloves. The room was beginning to feel crowded, with all the chattering team mates. He kept to himself for most of the time in the room until he found himself repeating the words Ron had said to him earlier that morning.

It was a strange way to start off a Quidditch game day. Harry got out of bed and showered quickly, not wanting to be late for breakfast, again. The head boy and girl dorms remained quiet, even on Hermione’s end. Harry gathered his things off his bed and quickly shoved on his shoes. A quick look over his room, and he shut the door behind him as he made his way quietly down to their common room. It was deserted, as expected. Harry tiptoed across the stone floor saw that Hermione was making her way down her set of stairs. Harry stood at the bottom, trying not to look like he was waiting for her. He turned away slowly and started walking.

Hermione passed him, ruffling her hair and tightening her robe stiffly, “Morning Harry,” she whispered as naturally as she could.

Harry turned around and looked at her, “Morning,” he answered back in and obligated tone

Hermione continued to make her way across the common room. Harry turned and watched her leave through the portrait hole. Ron came in and smiled at Hermione as she made her way out.

“Harry, you’re awake,” Ron said excitingly.

“Yeah I’ve been awake a while. You ready for the big day? We’ll be spending nearly all of it on the pitch you know.”

Ron bit his bottom lip and strode closer to Harry in a demanding way.

“Harry we need to talk. I’m going to say this because I’m your best friend and I think it’s time you heard it,” he said, sitting himself in an oversized chair.

Harry made a confused face and stood there for a minute. Seeing that Ron was serious, Harry sat on a sofa angled toward the chair Ron was in. Harry leaned with his elbows on his knees and stared at him.

“Harry, we need to discuss the Hermione issue. I think it’s time you swallowed your pride and made up with her. She’s your friend too and she’s hurting…”

Ron’s voice faded from Harry’s mind as he was interrupted by his team mates shuffling out of the room. Harry jumped back to his senses and got up from the bench he was sitting on.

“Hermione, you can do this. We’ve gone over it a million times and we all think you’re ready,” Ginny said soothingly as Hermione paced about her room. Lavender and Parvati sat on her bed with Ginny, their heads turning with each directional change Hermione made in her steps. She stopped and looked at them.

“I don’t know if I can do it,” she said finally, the feeling of intimidation running through her at full speed.

“Hermione, you have to settle this sometime,” Lavender said. Parvati and Ginny nodded and stood up to give her a hug for encouragement.

Hermione took a deep breath and confidently threw her robe on. “You’re right. I can’t keep doing this. I can’t just leave here knowing I could have done something.”

The girls squealed with delight and followed her as Hermione walked with confidence out of her room and into the Hogwarts corridors. Hermione’s pace quickened and she broke out in a run.

“Faster Hermione! You want to get in there before the game starts,” Ginny called from behind her as she grew farther and farther away. Hermione turned her head around with a smile on her face as she kept running.

“Save me a seat and I’ll tell you how it goes!”

Hermione ran and ran with all her might and burst through the oak doors.

In the prep room, Harry quickly located his things and grabbed his broom. When he approached the back door that led out onto the pitch, there was a light knocking noise on the main door, followed by the creaking sound of it opening. Harry stopped and put his things down to go see what was going on.

“Come on guys! I told you I would be ou—“ Harry started as he made his way through the rows of lockers.

His heart rate sped up at seeing the last person he would ever expect. Hermione. He suddenly lost feeling in the tips of his fingers and forgot how to move his feet. He just stood there staring at her as she hesitantly moved closer. Harry stumbled back out of surprise and still just looked at her with a blank expression on his face. She stopped and looked at the ground, playing with her fingers. Then she finally looked up.

“Harry, I’m sorry,” she said sweetly and meaning every word. Harry’s eyes wandered to hers as he stood there in shock. Hermione looked shaken up by the whole situation but slowly stepped closer.

The door swung open again and someone stepped through. It was professor Mcgonagall.

“Mr. Potter, we need you to go—“ she stopped as she rounded the corner and saw Harry and Hermione standing there with strange looks on their faces. “You have fifteen minutes. Be out there by then.” Harry nodded and she left.

Hermione turned her head back to face Harry, still feeling awkward that she was even within breathing distance of him.

“Harry, just let me say something before I…get to the point where I just can’t do this.”

Harry nodded slowly, keeping his mouth shut to allow her to continue.

“I don’t know why you insist on avoiding me, but that hurts. It hurts me badly. I don’t want to give up on you, but I’m giving this one last shot, hoping you’ll change your mind and want to still be my friend. We don’t have much time left.”

She walked over to the bench Harry had been sitting on and had a seat. Harry turned to face her as she slowly settled herself down. He folded his arms uncomfortably and watched her with much interest. The way she brushed her hair out of her eyes and blinked with her fluttering lashes, made him automatically feel like the fool he had been. Then she looked up into his eyes, with a deep pleading look in hers.

“Harry please. Can’t we just put this past us?”

“Hermione,” he began.

Hearing her own name coming out of his mouth made her melt inside. She wanted so much just to run into his arms and hug him, never letting him go.

“Look, I want to get past this too, but I’m afraid of putting you in that danger again. And it’s not just that. There’s something else.”

Hermione forced a fake smile and stood up quickly, walking hesitantly to the door and opening it. She turned around slowly, looking at Harry standing all by himself in the big room. She tried to smile and started to push her way out, afraid of what might happen if she stayed. Harry inched closer to her and sped up as the door shut all the way.

“Hermione wait.” He called out in a loud voice. Harry slammed himself against the door and opened it quickly, deciding to go after her. She was running at top speed, already half way to the stands and it was too late. Harry walked back into the prep room slowly and picked up his broom.

He opened the back door that led onto the pitch with the rest of his team, slamming the door hard behind him and stalking off to sit by Ron, who had a strange look on his face at hearing the slamming door.

Ron watched cautiously as Harry headed toward him, grumbling things under his breath as he did so. Judging by the hard slam of the door and the way he was intensely gripping his broomstick, something was definitely on his mind. Harry stared him down, as if trying to tell him what had just happened.

Harry plopped down frustratingly on the bench next to Ron and his other team mates, waiting for the cue to get out into the stadium. Harry stared blankly at the ground, hanging his head low as he loosely hung onto his broomstick. Ron chuckled a bit at him.

“Get your zipper stuck again? You know, Harry, there’s a simple solution for—“

Harry snapped his head up and stared intensely at him, never moving his mouth to utter a single word. Ron shook his head.

“Something tells me it wasn’t your zipper that did you in this time,” he said smoothly, trying to be the comedian that he always tried to be.

Harry let out a heavy sigh and rolled his eyes at him, clenching his teeth to keep his mouth shut so he wouldn’t say anything snotty to his best friend.

“Harry, what is it,” Ron asked soothingly as he placed a hand on his shoulder to encourage his words that clearly wanted to spew out of his mouth.

Harry flopped his head back down and put his head in his hands. He mumbled something but Ron couldn’t understand him.

“What was that?”

“Hermione,” Harry said a bit louder. Ron blinked in thought for a moment.

“Okay…what about her?”

“She came in to talk to me a little bit ago.” Harry’s head was still in his hands and he never looked at Ron to see the expression on his face.

“Oh. OH! Harry! What did she say,” he jumped around with his words, suddenly anxious as to what they talked about. Harry looked sideways a bit, never changing his expression, but looking long enough to see Ron turn on the bench and fling his legs around…one on each side. “What happened,” he questioned a little more calmly. Harry sat up straight then pulled himself slowly to his feet to let out a deep sigh.

He leaned himself lazily against his broom with his hands, cupping the end of it for support. Ron tried his best to read his body language and facial expressions. He looked miserable.

“Harry you look like you’ve been thrown out the window. What happened in there?”

Harry took a deep breath and looked his friend honestly in the eyes.

“I’ve done it this time Ron. She hates me,” he said slow and quiet. Ron’s eyes jerked open further to stare at him in complete confusion. A moment later he softened and raised one eyebrow.

“Harry, did she actually say that to you,” he asked in a skeptical tone. Harry just looked at him and then let his eyes wander around.

He stood up a bit straighter as he looked into the stands. Ron followed his gaze and a slight smile spread onto his face. Hermione was sitting in the stands next to Lavender and Parvati. They were on each side of her and appeared to be soothing her. Ron stepped closer to be next to Harry and he looked closer. Harry was also in a trance.

Hermione had her head on Lavender’s shoulder and looked quite withdrawn, no expression on her face. She just stared at the grassy field below.

Ron locked his eyes on Hermione still and turned his head toward Harry, breaking that gaze only to look at Harry’s face to hopefully understand what’s going through his mind.

“Harry, answer my question. Did she or didn’t she tell you she hated you?”

Harry turned his head toward him and saw that his eye brows were raised in such a way it was like he was challenging him. Harry’s face softened and he looked at the ground.

“No. Not in so many words. I can just feel it,” he started, then snapped his eyes back up to Ron’s. he was listening intensely, thinking about every word that came out of Harry’s mouth. “I mean, when we were talking in there…I don’t know, I just had this intense feeling. Then she gave me the strangest look and left before I could say anything more.”

Ron nodded his head slowly then moved back to the bench to sit down. They still had a few minutes until they had to fly out into the stadium and it was the perfect time to have a talk—er actually knock some sense into Harry.

Ron sighed a bit and Harry came to sit on the bench next to him.

“What,” he asked, sounding between being totally clueless and defensive, noticing Ron was thinking up something. Ron looked up and grinned but rolled his eyes.

“Harry, we need to have a serious one on one talk, you and me.”

Harry nodded reluctantly but couldn’t imagine what he would say. Ron took that as a cue to continue.

“How many times have you told Hermione to lay off you?”

Harry just looked at him. “Plenty of times, but she doesn’t get it.”

“Okay—and how many times has she lashed out at you, telling you that nothing was your fault?”

Harry rolled his eyes dreadfully, not wanting to answer the question. “More times than I can count,” he answered in a low drawl. Ron grinned at the expression of total frustration on Harry’s face.

“Right. Harry she doesn’t hate you. It’s obvious she doesn’t or she would let you blame yourself for nearly getting her killed, which you didn’t do. You know and I know just as well that there was a lot going on. We couldn’t possibly keep an eye on each other the entire time. That’s what she’s been trying to tell you. Why do you fight it?”

Harry stood up quickly and walked forward, keeping his back to him. Ron stood up also and joined Harry, who was staring at the stands again at a much more cheerful Hermione. She was laughing now and having a good time talking with Lavender and Parvati. Harry’s eyes were glued on her. Ron looked over and stared, waiting for him to notice he was being watched. Nothing happened. He never once broke his gaze on Hermione. A tiny smile appeared in his lips. Ron saw what he was doing and it dawned on him. Ron folded his arms, feeling a hunch coming on. Harry didn’t notice.

“Harry,” he started.

“Yeah,” he answered quietly, still watching Hermione closely as he held his broom out to his side.

“Tell me something. This is a simple question; yes or no.”

Harry turned his head and shrugged, that smile no longer on his face. “Alright,” he answered simply and turned his attention back to Hermione, not knowing what he was doing was so obvious.

“Harry, are you pushing Hermione away because you love her,” Ron asked, feeling the corners of his mouth twitch as he asked the question. He knew the answer but wanted it straight from Harry’s mouth.

“’Course I love her. She’s been our friend for a long time.”

Ron shook his head. “That’s not what I meant. Are you doing this because you’re in love with her?”

Ron kept his eyebrows raised and smiled when Harry turned his head abruptly, having a look on his face that could turn someone inside out from laughter.

“Well?”

Harry blushed and looked at the ground. “What makes you say that?”

Ron laughed softly to himself as he looked back up into the stands. “By the way you were just looking at her. I’ve seen that look before, but not since you had that huge crush on Cho a couple years ago. But the look in your eyes just now was much more intense than any other time you would look at Cho.”

Harry looked at him, but tried to avoid his eyes. Suddenly he stared Ron straight in those eyes he wanted to avoid. His face was tense and he looked serious again.

“Ron, what do I do?”

Ron smiled and allowed the reason for Harry’s torment to sink in: He was in love with their best friend.

The team scattered and suddenly it was time for the game to begin. Harry took a deep breath and looked around frantically. Ron put a hand on his shoulder as they lead the team line. “Let’s just get through this game, what do you say?”

Harry smiled at him and was relieved that he wasn’t going to give him a hard time about Hermione, knowing what he knows now. Harry glanced out at the stands and spotted Hermione again. This time he didn’t smile. He let out a heavy, meaningful sigh as he and his team took off to the middle of the field on their brooms.

The end of the final game was drawing near. Harry wasn’t concentrating all that well during the last three games. Gryffindor had won two out of the three and Slytherin had taken the other one, and was on their way to victory for this one; meaning, they would be tied.

The wind whipped through his hair as he tried to concentrate hard on locating the snitch. For a while he hovered in the same spot, gazing around at the space around him. For a moment, Harry’s eyes drifted over to where Hermione sat. She had Lavender and Parvati on each side of her, both appearing to be wrapped up in an intense conversation with each other and ignoring the fact that Hermione was right in between them. Again, Harry noticed Hermione’s all too calm behavior as she gazed slowly but aimlessly around the stadium. She was totally avoiding him all together.

A split second later, Hermione turned her head and her eyes locked with Harry’s. He couldn’t help but see the pleading look in her eyes. Right at that very moment, he wanted to go up to her and apologize for how stupid he’s been the past couple of months. Just then, a flash of gold blurred his vision and Harry became aware of the world around him once again.

He darted off in the direction of the snitch, closely followed by Draco Malfoy. Time seemed to stand still as the two seekers raced side by side for the one thing to end the game.

Malfoy was gaining speed and began to pass Harry, who seemed to be straining mentally to keep up. Harry felt something tug at him, triggering a new found strength within him to catch up.

Hermione stretched her upper body over the wall in front of her, to get a better look at what was going on. Malfoy and Harry were neck-in-neck, bumping each other out of the way slightly to pick up speed. Hermione bit her bottom lip and closed her eyes tight as everything seemed to blur together in slow motion. With that, she opened her eyes, hoping everything was all over. Harry and Malfoy flew right past her, chasing the snitch, still in slow motion as she concentrated.

The same went for Harry. Effort for reaching the snitch was intense, and grew more so at the fact of Malfoy just whispers away from him. Harry clung to the thoughts crowding his mind and clenched his eyes as he leaned further forward on his broom.

In a matter of seconds, it was all over in a blur.

“Harry Potter has caught the snitch!” a voice rang throughout the entire stadium.

Harry had indeed caught the snitch, and not a moment too soon. He held the shimmering gold sphere in his hand while he tried to steady himself on his broom as he continued to speed around the stadium, waving at all the Gryffindor supporters. Being so excited, he or the rest of his team mates weren’t paying much attention and collided into each other softly, tumbling to the ground. It was an uproar. The team started laughing and enjoying themselves, with Harry dead in the center as they all praised him for winning Gryffindor the house cup. Pretty soon the stands started emptying and people crowded onto the field.

Harry pulled on the grass, slithering on his stomach out from under the crowd of people; using his elbows as leverage to free himself of the chaos. No one had noticed he slipped out. They went on with their cheering, enjoying themselves to the fullest. There he stood in an open space on the grass, brushing himself of the grass and dirt from being pinned to the ground by his team. What a day. Harry won the house cup for Gryffindor, feeling quite satisfied at beating Malfoy for the last time in school. School! It would be ending soon. Harry circled in his spot and located his broom on the grass. He took a few steps and bent down to pick up his broom.

Harry did all this unknowingly, under Hermione’s watchful eye.

Hermione was still up in the stands with Lavender and Parvati as half the stadium was emptied onto the grass. She rested her hands on the ledge of the guard wall, looking down at everything taking place.

Harry was feeling the adrenaline rush in him still. He stopped and felt the snitch in his hand. It was fluttering lightly but didn’t try to get away. Harry watched it in the palm of his hand and clasped his fingers tightly around it. A few short moments later, Harry let his eyes wander around the stadium, then up to meet Hermione’s questioning face.

She almost seemed ashamed to be smiling down at him. After all, he had blown her off all these months, not wanting to have a serious conversation. Feeling like you don’t have the right to be happy with your best friend is a horrible feeling. She wasn’t even sure if she was his best friend anymore.

Harry stared up at her, trying to figure out what it was he saw in the expression on her face. He felt his stomach knot up a bit at remembering the small talk they had before his game and how he blew her off…yet again. Harry bit his bottom lip and mounted his broom without thinking.

Hermione was talking with Lavender and Parvati, turning to leave with them. But then she heard a familiar voice.

“Hermione.”

Hermione turned around and saw Harry hovering not far from where she had been standing. He had a calm expression on his face, making Hermione feel all funny again, much like she did before she talked to him before the game.

“Yes?” she asked in a business-like tone, not being so sure as to what this encounter would reveal.

So sorry this took me so friggin' long to update! I got caught up in Pacific Dawn and couldn't tear myself away long enough to write this! Anyway, I had the original ending ready to go like a few weeks ago, but I hated it so much I decided to re-write it. So here it is and I hope you enjoy it.

Oh, and check out my site: http://s3.invisionfree.com/MichieFiles

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Her words stung him flat, like the feeling of falling from a high place,into a body of water--stomach first. He blinked, not sure exactly what to say next. Her tone seemed so empty, but deep at the same time. But only one thing came to his mind.

"Can we talk? It's important," he said slow and calm.

Hermione tried not to give him the satisfaction of her being in a better mood by his words. After all, this talk could bring on something even more terrible than anything that happened in the past couple of months. Still, something encouraged her, making her feel peace for once since they began this escapade of unwavering arguments with one another.

"Harry, whatever it is, just please, spare me the hurt and distress of another possible fight."

There came that stinging sensation all over again. Harry was so close to her. He stared up at her, not wanting to blink for fear she might flee the scene when his eyes flipped open again. He wanted the same thing as her, to be best friends like they always were. Only now, things were different, and hopefully about to change. His feelings for her were beginning to make sense in his head as he watched her through his crystal green eyes. Deep down he knew she felt the same things he was feeling, but how to reach her would be the hard part. She has been so mad at him, with good reason.

"Look, I'm sorry." Harry clenched his jaw closed, trying to hold everything else back that he was feeling.

Hermione's eyes felt suddenly hot hearing those words from her best friend's mouth. She was sad, for all the time they missed spending with each other, but happy all at the same time. At least now, they can try to pick up the missing pieces and work on getting things back to normal again, as they once were.

"Harry--" she whispered in response. If she spoke any louder, it would be her undoing. Now it was hard to speak at all, trying to hold back the emotions from pouring out for all to see.

He managed a slight smile of relief, gritting his jaw, feeling total remorse for the way he behaved.

She still just looked down at him as they silently agreed to never let anything come between them again. Without much thought to it, Hermione found herself leaning forward over the railing.

Harry instinctively matched her movements and before they knew it, both of them were in a lip lock, in front of a massive bunch of people.

Hermione framed Harry's face with her hands and ran them softly up and down as the two of them pressed their foreheads together in exchanging adoring glances. Parvati and Lavender looked on, snickering to each other, while Colin Creevey snapped the camera wildly at them. The flash knocked something back into Hermione's senses.

Hermione blinked, and felt the floor beneath her, as real as anything else she saw with quick eyes around her. She divested herself of her day-dreaming, and mindful plotting, and stepped up to the guard railing. Harry stared at her with deep questioning in his eyes. “Are you alright? You blanked out for a minute there.”

She looked at him with embarrassment behind her eyes, feeling awfully brainless for letting her mind wander, and at the worst possible time. With a clenched jaw she stared at him, never blinking. She pointed her head behind her and, “Meet me on the ground,” she choked out before turning swiftly around to walk down the steps to the safety of the grass.

A few short proceedings later, Hermione exited the stairs to find Harry standing directly in front of her, holding his broom in his hand.

“I could have brought you down here on my broom, you know.”

Hermione folded her arms uncomfortably, feeling all thoughts escape her mind as she tried to say something back. “You know how terrified I am of flying,” she said quietly with not much certainty in her words, and the inability to look him in the eyes. She started to walk forward, leaving Harry a little bit behind her. Now, she was in control, showing just how irritated she was at him.

Harry jumped to a pace and caught up with her. “Are you going to talk to me, or just give me vague answers until I drive you to complete madness?”

Hermione stopped and turned to look at him. His face was tense, serious. Sure she felt awful for doing this, but it was a first reaction after being discarded the way she was just before the game started. “Harry, if you have something to say to me, just say it,” she answered petulantly.

He looked at her, still very seriously, then around at the crowd gathering on the field. With a quick step, he grabbed her arm and pulled her gently across the field, and into the changing room, neither of them saying a word. Hermione's face was enough to tell she was still confused, but it didn't matter at this point. All Harry's teammates were too busy celebrating their victory to be rushing in to change out of their uniforms any time soon. Hermione stepped in after him, confused, as he shut and locked the door behind them.

Gently, Harry leaned his broomstick against the wall, while leaning against it himself. His stare made Hermione uncomfortable at first, but she then softened with realizing he really wanted to talk.

The features in her face lightened, and she no longer held that tense, angry look she had just moments ago. “Harry, what is it?” Her voice came smooth, yet strong.

Harry sighed and left the comfort of the wall he was leaning on, to sit down on the bench beside Hermione. He straddled it, and reached out for Hermione's hand, tapping the bench in front of him with his other hand.

She hesitantly moved forward, clutching Harry's hand in hers as he gently pulled her to sit down.

She lowered herself slowly into the same position as Harry, but facing him head on. “What's this about, Harry?”

He grinned at her, for the first time in a long time. “Shh. Give me a chance to start, alright?”

Hermione nodded understandingly and waited for him to begin with his speech, or whatever it was he was going to say.

“Hermione, I'm sorry, for every mean thing I've said to you or about you over the last few months.”

She sat still for a moment and took his words in. Almost instantly, he reached out and took her hands in his and stared down at them, lightly stroking his fingers over hers. She stared meaningfully at him as he did this. “I'm sorry too, Harry.” Her eyes started to feel warm, and grew to feel iron-hot all of a sudden. Tears brimmed in her eyes, finding little strength to hold them back. A star-like tear raced down her face, finally escaping the prison-hold of her eyes.

After all their time apart, he came to realize something: how much he missed her. And now she was on the verge of breaking down into nothing. She was mumbling something he couldn't hear quite clearly. “What was that,” he asked softly, still holding her hands as she sobbed quietly.

She looked up and sniffed back her emotions, trying not to look at him until she got herself under control. Moments passed in complete silence, and Harry waited for her patiently, not taking his eyes off her. He reached up and smoothed away the lingering tears from her face with such gentleness.

Hermione turned her eyes to him, feeling his hand on her face. “I missed you Harry,” she muttered louder this time.

He smiled brighter this time, and felt an impulsive want in his stomach. In a swift flash, Harry closed the gap between them and kissed her. After a few slight motions with his mouth, he pulled back to observe her reaction.

She sucked in a breath and just stared at him for a bit. He had a different expression on his face, one she couldn't read. But she liked it, and knew it was a good one. Slowly, her own expression turned into a smile, matched with a shine in her eyes no one would recognize. Hermione slouched a bit in her spot and ran her cool, soft fingers, up his arms to his shoulders.

Harry watcher with a close eye trying to figure her out. She seemed amused, yet curious. Her body moved in closer and she gently pressed herself into him, latching her arms around his neck in a soft, yet craved for, hug.

The two of them stayed like that for quite some time. Harry clung to her, hiding his face in her hair down on her neck. Hermione breathed deeply, feeling her nerves calm from a few month's worth of stress. It all melted away.

Instinctively, both of them pulled away from each other. Hermione slid back on the bench a bit as Harry inched into her. She found herself on her back with Harry looming over her. Once again, he closed the gap between them and leaned down to kiss her, still holding himself up with his arms. That soon changed as Hermione pulled him down completely on top of her. He found a comfortable spot for both him and her and stayed like that. He wrapped his arms around her back, to keep her head off the hard metal bench. Her hands ran through his silk-black hair, slipping through her fingers like satin threads.

Hermione challenged him by parting her lips a bit. Without hesitation, he met her challenge and tasted the sweetness of her mouth for the first time. She had a hint of peppermint to her, and it was definitely a good thing.

For a while, they explored each other, both by mouth, by touch, and in an emotional aspect. Harry had brought the two of them up to a comfortable sitting position, with Hermione on his lap and her legs hanging off the back of the bench.

They finally stopped their exploration of each other and took some time to manage in a few words. Well, Hermione did anyway.

“Don't you think we should slow down and talk about this,” she asked dazedly as Harry continued to trail kisses down her jaw line and onto the sensitive spots on her neck. She shivered.

“What else is there to say?” he said, stopping his assault on her soft skin for a few brief moments. “I've been in love with you for as long as I can remember, so I've said all I need to say.”

Hermione froze like a popsicle in the arctic. Harry's words raced through her mind, and he was back to kissing her neck and occasionally, the corner of her mouth. She was simply stunned. No two ways about it. Then she managed the strength and will to push him away.

“What? Did I say that wrong,” he asked with a soft voice and a smile.

He brought his forehead to hers and rested it there as he looked at her. “I,” he paused to give her a light kiss on her left cheek. “..love..,” another kiss on her other cheek, “…you.” He finished off, kissing her soft lips.

Hermione smiled into his kiss and watched him when he pulled away.

“What,” he asked seriously, and cluelessly.

She smiled some more and kissed his forehead. “Oh nothing. I just realized the reason we had been at each other's throats the way we were, was because of unresolved feelings toward each other.”

Harry's eyes lit up before her. “You mean—“

Hermione nodded. “I feel exactly the same way about you,” she finished with a smile.

Harry leaned in and kissed her desperately, with an extreme amount of passion.

Just then, there was a loud slam against the door. Harry pulled away and smiled. Moments later, the door flew open after someone muttering alohomora.

It was Ron. Clearly he had been looking for Harry, and began to panic after seeing no sign of him.

“Harry! We've been looking all over for—oh. Hi Hermione! Harry, listen, we're all going out tonight and—“

Harry stared at him with a smile, waiting for it to come clear to him who was attached around his waist. Ron's expression changed drastically.

“Did I interrupt something? Because I can come back later and—“ He started to step backwards slowly before Harry put a hand out to him, gesturing for him to come back. “Alright, are you two going to tell me what I missed?”

Hermione smiled brightly. “No,” she teased. “Too many details to fill you in on. Obviously you can see where we're at now. Clearly we're getting along just fine.”

“Oh. So, Harry, you coming with us?” Ron asked anxiously, waving off the little situation.

Harry looked at Hermione for a few long moments, then back at Ron. “No.”

“No? Harry have you gone mad? You're the one that won the cup for us, you have to come!”

Harry shook his head at Ron. “Ron, you guys will be fine without me. Besides, I have something else to celebrate instead of another victory over Slytherin. That's old boring news.”

Ron sighed and gave Hermione the pleading look.

“Oh don't look at me! You heard the man, now go have fun Ron!”

He sighed some more and dragged his broom behind him as he exited the changing room.

Harry stood up, still holding Hermione firmly around his waist. She jumped down and linked arms with him, resting her head on his shoulder as they walked out of the dark lonely room together. Both of them felt it just then. This was the start of something new, and the pain and frustration was finally over. It was all over.