Chapter Nineteen
"'Mione, you need to wake up just for a minute." Harry said softly, shaking Hermione's shoulders.
"Hmm?" She mumbled sleepily.
"Harry?"
"Yes. Come on `Mione, once you change out of your dress you can go back to sleep." He coaxed her. She opened her eyes and looked at him in confusion as she took in her surroundings.
"I don't remember getting back to the hotel."
"That's because you fell asleep on a sofa at the reception and I carried you back here." He said with a grin.
"Oh Harry! You should have woken me up!"
"Well, I wanted you to get some sleep, it was only when I got back here I realised you wouldn't want to sleep in your dress, so I'd have to wake you up anyway." He admitted. She smiled sleepily at him as he handed her her pyjamas.
"Thanks." She said quietly, taking them from him and heading to the bathroom to change.
When she returned to the bedroom she smiled to see Harry asleep across the middle of the bed. She pulled off his shoes and loosened his tie before slipping it over his head. He smiled in his sleep and Hermione laughed lightly at him, before pulling the covers over him and climbing in beside her best friend. Harry instinctively moved closer to her, resting his head on her shoulder, his arm reaching around her stomach, his hand resting on her hip. Hermione breathed deeply and moved closer to him so they lay curled up against one another. She brushed her lips over his forehead and with closed eyes softly whispered.
"I love you."
Harry's eyes opened though he lay still. She loved him? She loved him! He resisted the urge to hug her tightly and plant kisses all over her face. She hadn't meant him to hear that, but now he could definitely step up his plans without scaring her off. He closed his eyes and fell asleep curled up next to Hermione, and feeling happier than he'd ever felt.
Harry woke up to an empty bed, the sound of water running letting him know that Hermione was in the shower. He got up as he heard a familiar knock at the door.
"Hey Ron." He called out as he walked over and opened the door.
"Hey mate. Where's Hermione?" Ron asked sitting down on the edge of the bed.
"Bathroom." Harry said gesturing to the closed door behind him.
"And why are you grinning so scarily widely this morning?" Ron asked his friend with a smirk.
"She loves me." Harry said simply.
"How do you know?" Ron asked excitedly.
"She thought I was asleep last night and she whispered it…I pretended I didn't hear." Harry said guiltily.
Ron nodded his head.
"So you know…now what are you going to do about it?"
Neither Harry nor Ron noticed the sound of water from the bathroom had now stopped.
"I'm not sure. I'm completely in love with her…but this has to be perfect…"
Hermione froze, her hand on the doorknob. Harry was in love?
"What's the plan then?"
"I have no idea…I mean this is Hermione we're talking about…I guess I'll just take things gradually, she and Jack only just broke up - I don't want to push her into anything." Harry said thoughtfully.
Hermione gasped. He loved her! A huge grin spread across her face, and she sank down to sit on the edge of the bathtub. Typical Harry though, he was being so considerate of her…maybe she'd have to take matters into her own hands…and have a little fun in the process. She grinned wickedly and stood, making lots of noise alerting the boys that she'd be coming out of the bathroom in a moment. She looked up and feigned surprise to see Ron in their room.
"Hey Ron. What's everyone up to today?" She asked, pretending not to notice the wink Ron sent Harry's way, nor the blush creeping up Harry's cheeks.
Hermione put her plan into action gradually over the next few days, upping the flirting between herself and Harry, though in a way that would have him doubting whether she really was flirting, or whether he was imagining it. She'd always been comfortable holding hands with both Harry and Ron, but now she subtly stroked his hand with her thumb as they held hands. When they hugged, she lingered just a tiny bit longer than usual, and after just two days she was rewarded by his continuous glances in her direction. She grinned to herself on Tuesday morning as she heard Ron and Harry having a whispered conversation in the kitchen as she walked out to meet them for breakfast.
"She's driving me crazy Ron!"
Ron laughed and Hermione could just imagine the death glare Harry was giving him.
"It's your own fault mate. You're the one who's so determined to take this slowly. I'm sure it's all in your head anyway. There's no way Hermione deliberately stroked your thigh when we were watching that movie! You're just sexually frustrated." Ron laughed.
"Ron!" Harry exclaimed and the following sound let Hermione know that Harry just thrown something at their best friend. She clapped a hand over her mouth to stop them hearing her laughter and then deliberately closed her bedroom door loudly. Their hushed conversation ended abruptly and Hermione grinned wickedly when she remembered what she was wearing to breakfast. Well, it had been a warm night, and she often wore her pyjamas to breakfast, so what if this particular pair of pyjama shorts were very short, and that the simple vest top was a little low cut. This was going to be fun…
It was official, Hermione was trying to torture him. His jaw had dropped when she'd walked into the kitchen twenty minutes before wearing the smallest pair of pyjamas he'd ever seen, and looking amazing in them. She'd then suddenly needed to get some jam from the top shelf of the cupboard, reaching up and giving Harry a tantalising view of her back and upper thighs exposed as she reached upwards. Even Ron choked a little on his morning tea as he followed Harry's transfixed gaze.
Hermione smiled to herself as she leant forward to grab a piece of toast from the plate next to Harry, as his eyes were drawn to her cleavage. She had to resist the urge to giggle as he absent-mindedly put syrup in his tea and sugar on his pancakes. She widened her eyes innocently as he spat a sip of tea back into his mug.
"Everything ok Harry? You're looking a bit flushed?"
Ron snorted into his mug and received a sardonic glance from Harry. Hermione stood her toast in her hand and waved to her two best friends as she left the kitchen.
"I'm off to get dressed. Are we still on for dinner tonight for Laurie's birthday?" She asked the two. Harry nodded silently and Ron held back a laugh.
Hermione shut her bedroom door behind her and collapsed onto her bed in fits of giggles.