"I love you too, Harry." Hermione said quietly.
"Hermione?" Harry asked quietly, gently nudging her shoulder.
"I'm right here, Harry, why are you doing that?"
"Hermione, wake up. The movie's over ..."
Hermione's eyes fluttered open sleepily. "What?"
Harry was sitting next to her on the couch with a very red face. "You fell asleep half-way through the movie ..." He said quietly.
Was that all a dream?
Hermione looked around in confusion. "I was sleeping? How did we get to my house?"
Harry sighed and massaged his temples. "It's the end of the summer, Hermione, you invited us to come over for movies and snacks." He said quietly. He glared at Ron. "Could you please turn the blasted TV down a notch? My headache is getting worse."
Ron looked back with an apologetic smile and hit the volume control on the remote. The TV boomed with sound and Ron fought frantically to figure out how to reverse what he'd just done.
"Give me that, Ron." Dean said testily and yanked the remote from the frustrated Weasley. Within moments, the TV was within acceptable limits and Harry sighed in relief.
Hermione looked at him in concern. "Headache? Is it your scar?"
Harry shook his head and winced. "No, just a really bad film. If we ever do this again, Ron is not in charge of choosing the entertainment."
"Hey, the movie said it was about Aurors! I thought it would be fun to watch wizards in a science fiction movie!" Ron retorted.
"Ron, this was The Brain from Planet Arous!" Seamus said sarcastically. "You do know how to spell Aurors, right?"
Ron scowled at his friend. "Of course I do!" He spat back.
Dean shook his head in amusement. "I second Harry's request, Ron doesn't choose the film again."
If looks could kill, Dean and Seamus would be twitching on the floor at Ron's glare. "Fine. You choose the movies from now on, see if I care." He growled irritably and crossed his arms over his chest in a huff.
"Is he still upset that we didn't like the movie?" Ginny asked from the hallway. She put a hand on Harry's shoulder and smiled gently at him.
Hermione immediately stiffened and her anger began to bubble up from somewhere deep in the pit of her stomach. She looked dangerously at Ginny who suddenly took a step back.
"Hermione? Are you ok?" She asked in shock.
Hermione looked at Harry and saw his confusion as well and fought down the feelings she had building in her. "S-Sorry." She said quietly. "J-just disoriented from a dream ..."
"Here's the ibuprofen, Harry." Ginny said evenly, looking at Hermione as if her friend were going to leap at her and scratch her eyes out.
Harry smiled at her and popped the tablets in his mouth, followed by a healthy swig from his water bottle. He looked at Hermione with concern and leaned towards her. "Are you ok? You looked rather confused when you woke up and then this ... What's going on?"
Hermione blushed and looked at her hands. "I-I guess I just had the strangest dream ... but it felt real." Hermione stammered.
Ron stood and stretched. "I am so tired." He said through a yawn as he glanced at the clock. "Hey, Gin, we don't have much time left, better catch the Floo home."
Ginny looked from Harry and sighed when she saw what time it was. "Mum's going to kill us if we get home too late ..." She left the room and returned a few minutes later with a bag full of leftovers and soda bottles. "Ron, could you get the Floo going? I'll get this stuff put away."
Harry stood and gave Ginny a quick hug that caused Hermione to see red. She tried to shake the feeling away but the smile on Ginny's face pushed her a little too far. "Hey, why don't I help you with those bags, Ginny?" Hermione said quickly. Harry had already let the blushing girl go and she looked curiously at her.
"I-I've got them, Hermione." She said taken aback.
Hermione smiled a little too sweetly and snatched up one of the bags. "Nonsense." She said with a wave of her free hand. "It's only a bag, and I want to see you off."
Ginny nodded slowly and glanced confusedly at Harry.
Harry shrugged in reply and walked with Ron to gather the rest of the things.
"Are you sure you're ok, Hermione?" Ginny asked quietly.
Hermione flushed red and looked at Ginny fiercely. "Do you still have a crush on Harry?" She asked bluntly.
Ginny was back on her heels. "What?" She looked around quickly and then looked Hermione square in the eyes. "I wouldn't do anything to get in your way, Hermione!" Ginny said as her face flushed red. "I know you wanted to talk to him about that tonight!"
Hermione blushed. "What?"
"Don't tell me you've forgotten? That's not like you!" Ginny said quietly as she pulled her to the side. "Where have you been all summer? Your head must have been in the clouds or something ..."
Hermione looked at Ginny in pure bewilderment. "But I was abroad with my parents all summer ..." She said slowly. She thought hard and something fell into place.
Ginny and Hermione were huddled in Ginny's bed giggling like they were nine and reading their first romance novel. Hermione was showing off her new dress robes that she had gotten specifically so that she and Harry would match for the Valentine's Day Ball the next year at Hogwarts.
"He's actually got the forest green that complements this?" Ginny said with sparkling eyes. She was holding the soft material in her hands and a wide smile spread across her face. "This dress is so beautiful, Hermione."
Hermione laughed and pulled out the matching shoes to go with it. "I couldn't resist picking these up too. There's a charm put on them to keep Harry from stepping on my feet, if he asks me to go that is." She looked to the dress with a far away look in her eyes.
"Hermione, he's going to die when he sees you in this!" Ginny giggled loudly. She looked to her friend and put a comforting hand on her shoulder and gave her a sympathetic look. "Are you still planning on telling him at your place?" She asked quietly.
Hermione blushed and nodded. She felt the fear she'd been hiding since she realized how much she liked him settle in her stomach and Ginny saw it behind her eyes. "I hope he feels the same way." Hermione said as she gulped involuntarily.
"He will!" Ginny said with a reassuring smile. "He does, I'm sure of it ... That's the reason I stopped pining after him, I have absolutely no chance against you, Hermione." She said with a wan smile. "But if you don't hurry and tell him, I might just swoop in and steal him away from you!"
Hermione felt a pang of jealousy grip her heart but she hid it with a laugh. "Oh, don't bet on it, missy!" She said with half-mock anger. "No way am I going to let you lay your hands on him!"
Ginny joined in the laughter and passed the dress back to Hermione. "Better get this in your trunk before he sees it." Hermione couldn't help but see the dreamy look that entered Ginny's eyes.
I wouldn't put it past her to try ... She thought angrily and caught herself before she went too far along that path. Ginny's the sister I never had ... She wouldn't do that, would she?
Hermione packed the dress away and looked back at her yawning friend.
Ginny snapped her fingers in front of Hermione's face. "Hey, Hermione ... Did you fall back asleep?"
Hermione snapped to and nodded slowly. "Wait ... No, I just got lost in thought, Gin." She stammered.
"Ok ... Well, I've got to go." She said sadly. "Tell me how it went in the morning, ok?" She whispered quietly and pulled Hermione into a tight hug. She pulled back with a smile and waved. With a flash of green flame, Ginny Weasley was on her way to the Burrow.
Hermione felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her from behind and lift her into a bear hug. "RON!" She squealed in surprise.
Ron laughed and set the squirming girl back on the floor. "Well you were talking to Ginny so intensely, I didn't have time for a proper goodbye." He said with a wink. Hermione visibly cringed and Ron howled with laughter. "Well, that was downright rude!" He said with a grin.
Hermione elbowed him with a scowl on her face but burst into laughter and pulled him into a hug. "I'll see you tomorrow, ok?"
"Sure thing, Hermione." Ron said with a smile and a return hug. "See you on the Express!" With a wave of his hand, he stepped into the green flames and disappeared like his sister.
"Hey, Seamus, Dean!" Harry called to the family room. "You've only got a few more minutes before the Floo is disconnected!"
Seamus was the first out to the formal living room and sighed. "Well, off to school again." He said with a handshake from Harry. "See you on the train tomorrow ... Oh, and definitely no Ron picking movies next time ..."
Hermione laughed as she hugged him. "It was that bad?"
"You don't know the half of it." Dean said with a grimace on his face. "I mean floating brains that take people over? Get real!" He laughed and said his goodbyes as Seamus stepped into the fireplace and was instantly on his way home. Dean followed closely afterwards with a wave he was soon gone as well.
"Can we clean up in a little bit?" Harry asked quietly. He began to rub the sides of his head gingerly. "This headache is really killing me."
Hermione smiled and led him back to the family room and guided him down to the sofa next to her. The BBC was on the TV and Hermione turned the volume down to a more comfortable level for Harry.
Harry sighed. "Thanks." He said quietly.
Hermione smiled and leaned back into the soft couch. Her gaze drifted slowly to the boy sitting next to her and she felt her heart flutter when he looked up at her suddenly.
"Hey, do you mind if I lay my head on your shoulder? Just for a little bit?" Harry asked quietly. He'd pulled his glasses off and was pinching the bridge of his nose.
Hermione smiled softly. "Sure, let me just get the lights, they're probably wracking your brain right now ..." She pulled out another remote and hit the dimmer switch and the lights in the room dropped to near darkness. The only light that was really affecting them was the flickering images on the TV and the streetlight streaming in from the corner.
Harry sighed contentedly and gently laid his head on her shoulder. Hermione wrapped an arm around his and held on to him as he snaked an arm around her waist.
"So what was this about a dream?" He asked quietly next to her.
Hermione's shoulders drooped a little as she tried to recall everything. She told him about the Department of Mystery's brain controlling Ginny, who in turn controlled him and the dreams she woke up from within her dream ... She shook her head quietly when he described the scenes from the movie that matched what she'd gone through.
"I think you shouldn't sleep while bad movies are playing ..." Harry said with a smile. "They say that you'll incorporate the movie into your dreams ... I guess that's true."
Hermione giggled quietly. "I hope I can count on you to help me out with that ..."
Harry nodded. "I have to admit, though, you've got a pretty vivid imagination to come up with some of that stuff, Hermione." He said with a soft chuckle. "The poison tipped fingernails was pretty unbelievable ..." Hermione pinched his arm playfully. "Hey!" He hit a tickle spot that he knew he could easily reach and she squealed.
"Not fair!" She said after getting his hand under control. "You know I don't like that!"
"Especially when I'm not ticklish." He said cheekily.
She laughed. "Oh, we'll see how you feel after I get a tickling hex on you!"
Harry tightened his grip on her and smiled. "Ok, ok, no need to resort to magic!" He said with a laugh. "Knowing my luck, I'd be the one to get fined with underage use of magic!"
Hermione grinned. "Then let that be a lesson to you for tickling me!"
"Touché, Miss Granger!" He said cheekily.
Harry sat up to Hermione's disappointment and turned towards her. "Now what is it that you wanted to talk to me about?" His face and tone were serious and Hermione blushed profusely.
I'd almost forgotten ... She chastised herself.
Hermione turned to face him and looked to her hands which were fidgeting nervously in her lap. She concentrated on her particular nervous tick of picking at her fingernails when Harry took her hands in his.
"You're nervous, what's wrong?"
Her heart had jumped when he'd taken her hands and she was surprised at how warm his were. She followed his body from his hands to his arms, then to his broad chest and shoulders. She finally settled upon his face and looked him in the eyes.
"Harry ... I ..."
Her eyes snapped wide open when his lips met hers. Within seconds, her heart beat to a deafening roar in her ears, a small country's worth of butterflies were released in her stomach, and she felt a warm, tingling sensation cover her body causing her skin to ripple and turn to gooseflesh. She started to close her eyes and kiss him back but he'd already pulled away. She opened her eyes and saw him looking back at her with his magnificent green eyes and she felt as if her soul were bared to him at that moment.
"I hope I made the right choice." He said quietly. "I ... um ... overheard what you said in your sleep."
Hermione froze. "I don't talk in my sleep."
Harry nodded. "Alright, I'm sorry for listening in on your dream." He said with a slightly lopsided grin.
She blushed but cleared her throat. "Wait a minute ..."
He just kissed me!
She looked at him as her eyes went wide again. "Are you telling me ...?"
Harry nodded.
"You feel the same way ..."
Harry nodded again.
Hermione blushed. "D-Do you think we're ready to take this further?"
Harry kissed her again and this time she kissed him back. She was less shocked this time but the feelings only intensified once she realized that Harry shared her feelings for him. They broke apart breathlessly and he pulled her into a tight hug.
"Now, what was all this with Ginny?" He asked with a smile.
Hermione blushed again and pulled away, just enough so she could look him in the eyes without craning her neck. She smiled weakly and relayed the parts of the dream she'd left out about how jealous she'd gotten during the whole ordeal. Harry smiled comfortingly and pulled her back to him.
"She doesn't hold a candle to you, Hermione. I told you everything as soon as I got to Grimmauld Place ... There's no way I would have been so open with her." He explained quietly. "I hope you realize that she's a sister to me ..."
Hermione smiled into his chest at the confession and she sighed in relief. "I do now." She said cheekily. "And don't you dare! I'll keep my promise with that hex!"
Harry immediately moved his hands back to their previous position and stammered an excuse. "I was just shifting, honest." She could hear the smile in his voice and the jealousy that she had harbored towards Ginny eased away.
"I'm sorry I was jealous, Harry." Hermione said after a few minutes in his warm embrace.
He kissed the top of her head and laughed. "That's ok." He said with a grin. "I just hope that you don't learn to hate love like you did in your dream ..."
Hermione grinned. "Well, don't make me jealous again!" She said with a laugh.
A/N: Well, there's the surprise in Surprise! I slipped in the challenge: Harry leans on Hermione, Based on a true event by Witch of the Web! Sneaky, sneaky. A little fluff, a little angst (ok, a lot of angst) and a lot of confused readers when the DoM brains came into play ... Heh oh, and SURPRISE! This is now the real end of this fic. I hope you all enjoyed it and I'm sorry if I disappointed anyone with the previous plot ... Dreams are the stuff of legend ...