Unofficial Portkey Archive

Sleepless in the Burrow-Chapter 5

Harry awoke with a start. He was drenched in sweat. He looked over at Ron sawing logs like a lumberjack. He didn't know why he awoke so suddenly, but the pounding in his ears and chest made him feel uneasy. He grabbed a towel and headed for the loo to splash some cold water on his face. He looked at the pocket watch for the time. When his hand touched it, the face glowed. He stopped to look at it closely. He saw Pappy talking to him. He could see the pouch of Hermione's letters to him laying way in the background.

Just as he spied the letters, a picture of Hermione came clear with tears in her eyes, she didn't seem like she was sobbing. She just looked so sad and under such strain. He stood for a moment saddened by the picture his heartache worsened again. He could sense her turmoil that he'd not seen before. She blotted the tears from her eyes and the picture faded.

Harry sat back down. He never really paid attention to the watch when he took the watch out of his pocket or undid the chain before. The lights in the room had always been on. So he'd not seen its glowing nature in the dark. He was shaken by what he saw he didn't remember what time it was. He looked again, this time it was Hermione laughing with him after their kiss. He put his head in his hands. `Now the watch will haunt me, too' he thought. It was 2:30 AM and he must get up at 6:30 AM. He knew he'd never get back to sleep unless he walked for a few minutes and splashed cold water on his face to cool the sweat poring from his face and neck just as he'd planned just moments earlier.

As he stepped out the door, his heart jumped out of his chest and bounced right through the ceiling. He saw Hermione headed down the stairs just past the loo. He felt shaky and more out of control than he'd ever felt, including the session he'd had in the loo two painfully long weeks before. She was wearing the same pajamas as the night in the attic. The moonlight cast a shadow that made them look snow white in contrast to the rest of the hall and staircase.

Harry rushed to the loo, splashed the water on his face and ran back with the towel to his and Ron's room. He grabbed the watch and dove under the bed to find the music box and figurine. He had the chills. She was going to tell him who it was that she fancied or he was going to keep her awake until dawn. He grabbed his wand just in case. Then he thought, `If I need it to defend myself, she'd win anyway. First, she's better and I love her too much to hurt her.' He put it away.

He gave a quick glance at Ron as he quietly shut the door. He raced toward the staircase. As he reached it, he saw her sitting out on the picnic table with her feet on the bench seat.

He quickly crossed the kitchen and walked out the door being sure to close it quietly. He crossed the yard as quiet as a panther on the prowl. As he got closer, she heard a noise. "Who's there?" Her wand was at the ready. He should have known. She looked at him apathetically and turned back toward the fields and the shadows of the full moon saying, "Oh, it's only you." Her voice sounded throaty and choked up.

He approached slowly. "Can I talk to you?" he asked. "Are you okay?"

"No, go away. Leave me alone." Hermione was crying. He knew that sound. He'd only heard it a couple of times. She was always so strong. She could still here him coming closer. "I've asked you to leave me be as nicely as I can. Go away. Or I will."

"Hermione, please listen." He begged. "I have something for you that has been yours since I arrived." As he continued to get closer, he expected her to run away.

"Oh, what's that? Another tongue lashing about how wicked I treat boys." Hermione cried even harder. "Are going to tell me how I messed up my life?" With that her crying stopped for an instant and as she'd promised she was going at a full run towards the fields.

He watched for only a second in disbelief and when he realized it had to be now, he yelled at her. "Hermione, you can't get away from me that easily. I'll catch you if I have to run to London or beyond. You better know I will." She kept running. She had a good fifteen yard head start on him.

He closed slowly at first while Hermione fed off the adrenaline and then more quickly. He realized that she couldn't run any faster or further when her oxygen supply ran low from crying. His tears had started a hundred yards before and he tried to avoid the same debilitating effect. He wanted her to hear him speak his heart.

Finally as the gap grew to almost nothing, he put his arms out and wrapped her up in them. He let his precious gift drop safely to the thick grass below. So he could restrain her without hurting her. The other hand was open firmly planted on her waist. He hugged Hermione about the waist. She was strong and determined as she dragged him four or five as he slowed her down.

"Stop your running Hermione! I just want to talk to you. I have to tell you something or I'll hate myself forever." She struggled beating his arms with her fists.

"Let me go, Harry. I'm warning you." She couldn't be less cooperative as her voice cracked with emotion, but he wouldn't take that for an answer. She would get away too far.

"No, Hermione. I'm not going to be afraid of being hurt anymore." Harry began. "Hermione, I bought these for you. These were yours since I arrived along with every letter, Get Well card, Thank You card, Birthday card, class note, or drawing you have ever given me."

He turned her toward him and continued, "See these tears, because I see yours. I think we're both miserable. Mine are for you. Mine are about you. My loss of your friendship and love to another would devastate me. Hermione, love is a strong and overly used word for people our age, but I can say it to you. I love you. Not I like you. Not I care for you. I love you, Hermione Granger."

Hermione started to speak but Harry would have none of it. "Sh." He said. "Let me finish. I'm on a roll and I have no idea what I'm going to say, but it will be from my heart." He spoke breathlessly from the run and relaxed his grip on her. He wiped the tear from her cheek.

"Hermione, you've become part of me the last six years. You are the reason I wake some mornings. And also the reason I don't just storm out after Voldemort seeking vengeance for Sirius, my Mum and my Dad. You are the reason my heart beats everyday. Just listen to it now. You be able to hear it from there." His voice cracked as another tear came to his eye as he tried to take another deep breath. Hermione wiped it from his cheek.

"I want to relive the birthday kiss, a hundred times, a hundred times…but I'm afraid I may not have you…." Hermione's finger went to his lips slowing his talking. She took his hands and kissed him lightly on the cheek as she motioned for him to kneel down in the grass in front of her.

Hermione's face was streaked with tears, yet a sanguine smile grew slowly on her beautiful face. "I didn't how much I loved you until we kissed. I knew no more than the man in the moon until then. When I gave you that birthday kiss, you touched me so deeply that the giddy almost sixteen year old girl you see right here wants that forever. But it's you Harry Potter. You could be robbed from me at any instant by death. I couldn't take the chance. Not that easily I couldn't. I fear losing you, Harry."

"But..," Harry interrupted.

"It's my turn wizard boy," Hermione scolded. "I thought my first true love would be alive forever, either in person as my husband or as a fantasy never to be lived. I'd marry him or we'd just drift apart like any other two people do sometimes. Our kiss made the drifting apart unacceptable, but as I went to bed…death seemed too much of a real possibility." She tried not to cry, but it wasn't in her to stop herself. "I don't….(sob)…want to lose the bravest and kindest person I know." She cried but miraculously maintained a semblance of a smile.

"I'm not going anywhere," Harry said. "Not without you." He leaned in and kissed her forehead.

Hermione snorted as she stopped crying to laugh a bit. "Oh, great! You'll take me with you when you die."

Her mood improved a little with the thought of Harry trying to comfort her and talking about not leaving her behind. "So should we arrange side-by-side headstones tomorrow or do we just put it in our wills." In a morbidly ironic twist, they were talking about being buried together. They sat across from each other looking into one another's eyes for a few moments.

Harry failed to see the humor, but he loved to see her smiling again. "I'm not doing anything stupid to get myself killed. So, do whatever you want with the grave thing."

"Shut up and kiss me, Harry, before I change my mind and hex you into next week for making me run so far." Hermione winked and grabbed him around the neck pulling him down toward her as she leaned back and unfolded her legs.

Harry could feel the late summer chill, but there was no chill between them. The package he'd let fall softly to the ground was pushed aside. He placed his left arm just under her right shoulder to ease down on top to her right side. He felt her under him and felt the instant growth of his manhood as he touched her. He could but barely control his passion, `One step at a time, Potter' he thought. He lightly brushed her lips with his and they gradually deepened their kiss. Harry wanted to touch her so badly. He wanted to savor the moment and be right there with his Hermione now. He put his hand on her hip and slowly caressed her thigh and bum as he moved from her lips to gently kissing her eyelids, earlobes, and neck. They would pause for a second and smile, say something silly and start again. This continued for more than a half-an hour in the open field beside The Burrow.

He felt the urge to start moving his hands under her bed clothes, but gratefully, Hermione stopped him as he placed his hand on her bare belly. His hand would circle her navel, the pattern widen each time. Finally, she gently took his wrist as his hand explored the inside of the waistband of her panties. "Let's walk back to the picnic table." She said slightly out of breath as she smiled.

Harry looked a little panicked. "Harry, you didn't do anything wrong. We're going down a long path, in a bad spot out there. I felt your passion grow and well…you know." Harry knew very well what she meant. He was so aroused they had nearly begun things he and she both knew would have been trouble.

"Hermione, hold on just a second." He'd nearly forgotten his gift. He held her hand as he reached down and picked up the package with the music box and figurine. He looked at the watch and showed her. "Look," he said enthusiastically. Briefly, the picture was Pappy with a smile. Then slowly the misty quality of the watch revealed the brilliant image of Hermione and Harry the day he arrived at the Burrow.

"Was that Pappy?" Hermione asked.

"Yes, that was him." Harry proudly said as he looked to his left hand holding the present.

"Are you going to show me what you bought for…whoever it is?" She poked him in the ribs and smiled.

"I'll show you when we get to the picnic table. I have a question first. Are you going to tell me who the git you fancied was?" Harry said impatiently.

"Oh, you know him. He writes these letters where he almost says he likes me, but never quite says it. He treats me with such love and respect. He's about your height. He has black hair and green eyes. Oh, Did I mention wears glasses and has this scar…?" Hermione laughed and Harry just looked at her.

"Do you mean there was no one?" Harry looked hurt.

"I was going to go on without anyone, until I found out for sure that you didn't love me?" A sudden tear came to Hermione's eye. "You are a silly jealous, nitwit Harry Potter." She kissed him on the cheek.

"So, did you and Ginny have another plan cooked up?" Harry was being a bit snotty and didn't like himself for it, but he felt slightly deceived.

"You said you'd gotten the package for someone and you didn't want to give up the secret." Hermione revealed. So, I assumed you fancied someone else at school."

She continued. "I was going to tell you the day after we kissed that I loved you. But I had this dream where you died and I saw myself grieving alone because there was already some one you loved there for you. The dream you had about Wormtail gave me nightmares, too. I just decided to say nothing, because I couldn't talk to you without crying. Ginny said I should have told you." Hermione said as she blushed. She realized how stupid they'd both been after their greeting, the flirting and the kiss.

"I'm sorry for bursting out in such a hurtful tone too about writing to boyfriends and such. But you've seen me like that before when passion consumes me. I don't ever want to do that again unless it's for a positive reason." Harry honestly wished he could control that behavior with Hermione.

"Well, we're here." Harry said. It was 4:15 AM as he looked at his pocket watch with a smiling Hermione emblazoned on its face. "I saw this the first night at Pappy's." He handed her the box. "I'm sorry, no card." He smiled sheepishly.

Hermione slowly opened the box. She looked first at the little paper wrapped roll on the side and opened it. She smiled as she realized the resemblance. She looked at Harry with a sigh and smile. "It's beautiful." She finally realized how much Harry had put into getting this for her.

She tore the paper from the box. As each delicate carving and the pearls revealed themselves, she opened the protective paper wrap more slowly and with greater patience. Finally, she saw the entire music box. She was positive it had cost Harry a fortune. She looked at him and kissed him on the cheek and then the lips. "I forgot. I can do that now. It's beautiful too."

"Open it, sweetheart," whispered Harry as he looked into her eyes.

She opened it and listened to the sounds of the most beautiful song she'd ever heard. She knew it. "How did you know this was my favorite song as a child?" She set it down and hugged Harry and kissed him again. They listened until the key had unwound.

Harry was surprised but did his best to remain calm. "I knew you loved piano. So I thought you'd like this. I didn't know it was your favorite though."

"Harry, it's `Claire de Lune'. It was written in the 19^th century by Debussy. I heard that when I was a child. My mum played it on the piano for me." Hermione looked so happy. Harry could do nothing but smile as she wound the box again. She pulled him down to sit on the bench seat with their backs to the table. She sat on his lap and laid her head on his shoulder and he put his arm around her. They listened to the music box as they looked out into the fields showered with the glowing moonlight.

_____________________________________________________________________

Charlie was surprised but not shocked to see Harry and Hermione out by the shed asleep sitting at the picnic bench. It looked uncomfortable. He'd remembered when he was young and in love. He shook his head and woke them up.

"You two had better be glad that I'm a muggle farmer at heart and up at the crack of dawn." Harry and Hermione woke with a shocked look at Charlie standing in front of them in coveralls. It was just beginning to get lighter as morning struggled against the night.

"Charlie, don't say anything to Ron." Harry said.

"Or, Ginny." Hermione said. "She'll say I told you so." Hermione smiled at Harry and Charlie.

"So, mister `I don't know what you're talking about. She's like our sister.' I may not appear to be the smartest wizard…playing with dragons and all…but I can figure out when a bloke is in love or not.

You'd better apologize for lying now or I'll make a big deal about it in the car on the way to Kings Cross Station. Now, get out here both of you."

Charlie laughed as Hermione jumped down off Harry's lap running toward the house. Harry tried to follow. "I wasn't kidding Potter. Apology, I want one right now."

Harry stopped and turned to Charlie. "I'm sorry for lying to you." Charlie was laughing so hard inside he could hardly hold a straight face.

"Don't mention it," Charlie chided. He looked at the two of them as they scampered for the door. `What a pair those two will make…one powerful wizard in the making and one already brilliant witch…look out Hogwarts,' he thought.

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