The excitement in the air was palpable as Harry waited for Hermione to return from her trip downstairs. His nerves were on edge as he thought of the events that had transpired thus far and the exciting possibilities that lay ahead. The nerves were not a symptom of a fear of rejection, far from it. They sprung from his absolute confidence that Hermione returned his feelings for her and she was as ready and willing as he was to get things started. Her kiss on his cheek had confirmed it.
When you stand minutes away from realizing your greatest wish in life it tends to make you want to speed up the process a bit. If the events of the evening had been a book he would have flipped ahead by now to get to the good parts. But all he could do was wait and pray that she didn't get caught, thereby delaying the finale to the dance they had been performing since he returned. The waiting reminded him of the Muggle television shows he had seen that would end at the most exciting part, only to be followed by those infuriating words, "To Be Continued." He hated cliffhangers then and he most certainly hated them now. "Enough of this 'let's see how the evening goes' rubbish, it's time to get the ball rolling," he thought as he anxiously waited. As he heard her footsteps through the open door he silently exulted at his change of fortune in the past five days.
As she quietly pulled the invisibility cloak off, their eyes met and an understanding was reached. It was time and they both knew it. Hermione shot a nervous smile Harry's way and began to speak. "Harry I-"
Her words were interrupted by Harry. "Hermione, lock the door."
"Why?"
Just like he had done the last time he had made such a request, Harry shot a smile to speed along his request. But the smile was different this time. Instead of the mischief and up-to-no-good quality of the prior request, this smile exuded warmth and tenderness. The words he spoke were the same but their breadth was magnified. "Just lock the door and you'll find out."
She locked the door and quietly sat next to Harry on his bed, offering up one of the bottles she had brought back. Her analytical side demanded to be heard. The confusion she had been experiencing needed to be resolved as soon as possible.
"Harry, what we've been doing tonight…I mean…I think I know what we've been doing…but…what do you think we've been doing?"
The words came so easily. He didn't have to think as he set down the bottle and began to speak. "Well let me tell you what I've been doing. Since the moment you came up those steps in Professor Dumbledore's office I've been allowing myself to act the way I've wanted to for so long that I…well I can't remember when I didn't want to act that way. My feelings run so much deeper than friendship for you but I just couldn't say anything until this horrible thing was over. Well now it really is over and I've let myself say and do what I've wanted…and now that I've started I can't stop, and I don't want to. I just want to keep doing it more and more because it feels so perfect. I told myself not to rush anything tonight but I can't help it. It just feels too…good. Does that sound about right?"
Hermione couldn't answer. The outpouring of emotions she had experienced on his return hit her in full force once again. In Dumbledore's office she cried out of sheer joy that the fears of his leaving and never returning were finally over. This time she cried as all her remaining fears were permanently extricated…the fears that told her he didn't feel the same way as she did. She reveled in those tears and the release they provided. His finger on her chin as he tenderly lifted her gaze caused her to shudder. As she looked into those eyes she found her voice.
"Oh Harry, you couldn't have said it more perfectly if you'd tried. I'm sorry I'm crying but I've waited and hoped for this day for so long I can't believe it's finally happening. I honestly don't know what I would have done if something had-"
The finger that had previously been on her chin was now placed on her lips to quiet her.
"Remember what I said to Ginny downstairs? From this point on the same applies to you. No more tears tonight, okay? And no more talk about what could have happened because it didn't. I meant what I said earlier. I'm not going anywhere…ever."
His hand moved as he cupped her cheek tenderly. Hermione tilted her head toward his hand as if willing the touch to be stronger, more intense. She closed her eyes and let that feeling and his words envelop her. That one word he added to his prior statement of the evening said more than any other combination of words could. Ever…as in forever.
The tears turned to joy and then laughter as she opened her eyes to the face she could never grow tired of seeing. "Damn you, Harry Potter!"
"What?"
"You did it again didn't you?"
"What?"
"Said exactly the right thing at exactly the right time."
He smiled and gently wiped a stray tear from her face. "I promise I'll stop if you let me have just one more go at it. All right?
She nodded and gazed into his eyes, wondering how he could possible say anything more perfect than his last words.
"I love you, Hermione. I think I've loved you for years but I was too thick to realize it. The last two hours…sitting up here with you…have made every horrible thing I've had to go through to get to this point worth it. You were worth it."
"He did it again," she thought as he smiled and slowly closed the distance between them. This was it…the kiss she'd waited for her entire life. She had silently worried that if this moment ever did happen that it would be a disappointment. She'd thought and dreamed about it so often she feared it could never meet the unreachable expectations that she'd imagined. Hermione had been partially correct. It didn't meet her expectations, it exceeded them tenfold. It was impossible to imagine feeling this good…this right. She felt herself pushing him down as she leaned on top of him, pushing her lips against his as if she wanted to consume every part of him. "If I'd known it was going to feel this good I would have never been able to keep my hands off of him for so long," she thought as she hungrily attacked Harry.
As the minutes passed and the passion increased, other areas began to be explored as well. Hermione grasped at the only remaining thread of self-control she still maintained and pulled back from Harry, who let out a groan.
His pained voice startled Hermione who feared she had hurt him when she pulled back so quickly. "Harry, I'm so sorry, did I hurt your leg?"
He let out a defeated laugh and eased her fears. "Only the leg Ron was referring to earlier. You really are quite a tease you know."
Hermione smiled and leaned down for another kiss before making Harry Potter a very happy young man. "Well if you're going to take that tone with me maybe I shouldn't tell you why I thought we should stop…for now."
She said the magic words as Harry bolted up and waited for her to continue. He kissed her hand gently and spoke. "You better have some pretty good reasons because I was enjoying myself immensely."
"Well for one if we had gone much further I don't think I could have stopped myself. I imagine Ron is going to come looking for us soon and I do not want that interruption."
"Secondly, you have a lot of people downstairs, including Ron and Ginny, who've been waiting to see you since you left. As much as I'd like to keep you to myself all night it doesn't seem right."
Harry looked at her as if he was letting her reasons soak in and then spoke. "Very valid points Miss Granger but if that's all you have I must say I'm not convinced."
As his words ended he leaned forward to commence their activities, only to be stopped by Hermione's hands gently stopping him.
"Now, now Harry you must listen to all my points before coming to any conclusions. If I may continue?"
Harry nodded his head and smiled, clearly enjoying the conversation.
"I am a school Prefect. And as a Prefect I am afforded certain privileges. One of which being a private bedroom with a password that only I know. I think this would be an excellent place to resume our activities later this evening."
She could see the wheels turning as Harry processed what she had just told him. As with most of the things she had been saying and doing that night, it had not been planned. She, like Harry, had been speaking and acting with her heart and not her head. The results thus far had been splendid and there was no reason to stop. She had no idea how far they would go later that night but she was most definitely not afraid of whatever was going to happen.
"Hermione, are you saying what I think your saying?"
She leaned in for another kiss. "I guess you'll just have to stay sober enough to find out now won't you?"
As he reached over to the table to grab his bottle he smiled and began to speak. "Well you've gone and done it haven't you?"
"What's that?"
"Ruined the rest of my bloody evening. I'll be counting the minutes until the party's over so we can continue what we started."
He took a drink of the ale and made a slight face. "Besides I don't think you'll have to worry about my sobriety too much tonight. I've never drank anything like this before so I was planning on taking it slow."
Hermione was confused. Harry, Ron and the twins had made many late night visits to Hogsmeade last year and she knew that they weren't drinking butterbeer. "But what about those times you went out with Ron, George and Fred? Honestly you were so loud when you came back I could hear you from my room."
The tense expression Harry used to wear constantly on his face returned briefly. "You heard them, Hermione. I never drank when I went with them…in case something happened."
He didn't have to elaborate. She knew he was talking about the thing that had robbed Harry of his childhood and adolescence. He had been afraid to lose any type of control in case Voldemort came back. This was the one subject she had hoped to avoid that evening and she did her best to change the subject. She grabbed her bottle, took a drink and made the exact expression Harry had after his first taste. "Well it looks like were both virgins then."
Her words had done the trick as she saw Harry's eyes grow wide and a slight tinge grow on his cheeks. She held up her bottle and continued. "I meant the alcohol you stupid git. I know you may find this very hard to believe but I've never had any either."
Harry smiled at her words and caressed her face once again. "Well I guess we'll have to lose our virginity together Hermione…the drinking I mean."
He lifted his bottle and waited for Hermione to do the same. "To losing our virginity!"
She smiled at his toast and drew him into another deep kiss, then repeated it back to him in a whisper. "To losing our virginity…."
After several seconds it was Harry's turn to pull away. "I think we better go downstairs now Hermione. I don't think I could stay up here much longer and control myself."
As they made their way across the room Harry pulled on her hand to stop. "There's one more thing I need to say to you. Something I should have said to you a long time ago."
"Thank you. Your friendship and support have been the greatest gift I could have ever received. Everyone has been congratulating me and patting me on the back but I know it wasn't just me. I would have never survived everything I have without you."
She saw his eyes begin to well up as he bowed his head and paused. "Thank you…thank you for giving me a reason to go on when I didn't want to. You saved me Hermione…you saved me."
Her heart melted as Hermione watched Harry break down. It dawned on her that she had never seen him cry. Through every traumatic event he suffered he steadfastly refused to give in to the tears…until now. She held him as he sobbed and intermittently spoke the words again and again.
"Thank you."
She stroked his hair and let him cry until he had no tears left. As the tears subsided she drew him into another kiss. She broke away and softy replied to his words.
"I love you Harry…you're welcome."