Mornings at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry had become one thing that Harry Potter could count on to be normal and follow a specific routine. He would start the day late due to lack of sleep and rush to the Great Hall for breakfast where his best friend, Hermione Granger, would inevitably slide a plate filled with his favorite food to him. His other best friend, Ron Weasley, stumbled in a few minutes later ready to fall asleep once again but instead found something to argue with Hermione about. Today was no exception as the usual flutter of hundreds of wings from hooting of owls rained from above.
Hermione received a letter from her parents along with the day's copy of the Daily Prophet, Ron a pink envelope with Luna's calligraphic handwriting and a tin of fudge from his mother, but Harry, however, never had post unless it was from Hagrid inviting him for a spot of tea.
This day, however, a tawny barn owl landed in front of him carrying a small, elongated box. Harry reread the name to make sure there wasn't a mistake before he untied the small parcel.
"I don't get mail." He said confusedly as he looked to his two best friends.
"Open it, Harry." Ron said with a smile. "Let's see what you've got! Is there a note?"
Hermione glanced up from her paper to watch as Harry deftly untied the string that held the box closed and removed the cover. Under a delicate piece of tissue, he found a new gold watch.
"A watch?" He asked quizzically as he pulled it from its packaging. "I've been meaning to get one but haven't had the opportunity ..."
"May I see it?" Ron reached for the timepiece. He looked it over and smiled at the quality. "This is a nice watch, Harry." He said handing it back. "It's even water proof!"
Harry turned the watch over in his hand and spun it around. "There's an inscription ... 'My love for you will last longer than what this measures' ..." He looked at Ron in confusion then turned to Hermione who had resumed reading her paper.
"You've got a secret admirer?" Ron asked with a grin. He turned in his chair and saw Cho Chang watching them intently. Her eyes went wide when she realized that Ron had spotted her and turned her attention to her plate. "I don't know if this is a good idea ..." He said after a moment. "What if Cho sent it to you?"
"You honestly think that she wants to get back together with Harry?" Hermione said nonplussed from behind her paper. "No offense, Harry, but you made your feelings obvious when we got back to school."
Harry nodded and looked down the table to where Ginny was sitting. Ron had hinted that despite the news she was over him, Ginny still carried a torch for The-Boy-Who-Lived. Their eyes met for a moment and Ginny smiled at him before returning to her conversation with Colin Creevey.
Ginny couldn't afford something like this ... Harry thought as he returned the watch to its box.
"Aren't you going to wear it, mate?" Ron asked with a grin while grabbing his books.
"Not right now." Harry said quietly. "I don't need Professor Trelawney to predict it to be the death of me ..."
Hermione snorted, folded her paper, and put it away. "I wouldn't worry too much about her predictions, Harry." She said with a scowl. "Divination is such a wooly science anyway." She patted him on the arm and smiled. "See you in defense."
Classes crawled at a snail's pace that day. A malfunctioning time-turner wasn't to blame; it was Harry's inability to keep from peeking at the watch every few minutes. There was no note and the inscription kept him wondering.
Who could love me that much? He thought to himself. Time, a watch measures time ... Harry went through a mental list of girls and eliminated several possibilities until he was left with three: Ginny, Cho, and Hermione.
He dropped Cho from the list immediately. After their disastrous date he knew they wouldn't work out. Ginny was more a sister to him and she couldn't afford such an extravagant gift.
Harry's heart skipped a beat as he considered his best friend. He'd realized that he wanted to get to know her romantically when she woke up in the hospital wing after the fight at the Department of Mysteries but he'd kept those feelings to himself.
He chanced a glance at her. She was bowed over a long piece of parchment, scribbling furiously. He found himself scanning her face, tracing the contours of her lips, nose, and cheeks but invariably returned to her pursed, soft lips as everything fell into place.
Hermione's parents were dentists so she could probably afford this gift. She knew his old watch had quit working when it was waterlogged at the lake. They spent all their free time together, used a time-turner to save Sirius, and He wanted to spend more time with her.
A strand of her hair broke loose from its place behind her ear and Harry subconsciously swept it back into place. She jumped at the contact and smiled nervously at him.
His heart was beating furiously and he became lightheaded as their eyes met. Without realizing what he was doing, Harry had leaned forward and kissed her squarely on the lips. She didn't respond to his forwardness and his heart sank as he pulled away. He didn't get far before her books and scroll slid to the floor forgotten while her arms slid around his neck and she returned his affections. They broke their contact a few, heart-stopping moments later.
"Thank you for the watch, Hermione." He said in a raspy voice.
She smiled at him mischievously. "It took you long enough." She replied simply and after a moment of laughter, they attempted to correct the awkwardness of their first kiss.
A/N: The kiss happened in the Gryffindor common room, btw ;) Not in class.