Unofficial Portkey Archive

Response to a challenge set by Nelli08

Either Harry or Hermione must be insecure about kissing.

The other must help.

Chapter 1

"Hurry up mate I wanna go." Ron told Harry anxiously.

"Go then I'll be a while yet, I wanna get this finished." Harry said pointing to an essay he was working on in the Gryffindor common room.

"Right, hurry up though!"

"Do you need me to hold the broom up for you or something?" Harry smiled.

"No! It's just a pleasant day and flying's more fun when you're around."

"Orhhhhh, Ron mate, I'm touched. I'll finish this and then meet you outside, come here and give me a hug before you go though." Harry held out it arms to a very red Ron Weasley.

"Shut it!" Ron picked up his broom and trudged out of the portrait hole still flushing a deep crimson.

Harry was sat at a table in the corner of the room, his back to the window, he smirked as Ron left and he could see Hermione shaking silently with laughter on the couch.

"What are you laughing at, Granger?" Hermione turned around to face Harry, with a broad smile.

"I love it when you do that" She beamed at him.

"Do what?"

"Make him all awkward, it's funny."

"That's rather sadistic, Have you been hanging around with Malfoy?" he asked her before lowering his head back down to his work, oblivious to the tongue she had stuck out at him.

***

Twenty minutes later Harry had finished his essay and headed up to his dorm room to change into something more suitable for flying and to retrieve his firebolt. He came back down into the common room in muggle clothes, a pair of worn blue jeans that sported rips and holes in them and a tight black t-shirt. He made his way over to the couch where Hermione was sitting, or rather sprawling, he shifted her legs aside so he could sit down and started to re-lace his old trainers. Hermione huffed and sat up to make room for him pulling her legs up to her chest on the couch.

"Don't sulk, Hermione it doesn't suit you." Harry told her casting a cheeky grin.

"Of all the bloody seats in the room, you wanna come and shift me out of my rather comfy positioning, bleeding typical!" She returned just as mischievously.

"Well I get a kick out of pissing you off" he chuckled not taking his eyes away from his trainers.

"Hurry up and bugger off, Ron will be missing you dearly!" Harry rolled his eyes at Hermione and shook his head slightly. "You wouldn't want to miss such a romantic opportunity to fly with your best friend now would you?" she carried on.

"Just coz you don't understand the art of flying, doesn't mean we can't bask in its glory."

"Whatever." she sneered at him.

"Nice come back, you have been hanging around with Malfoy. She kicked him playfully with her foot.

"Piss off - I just don't get why you guys get so much out of flying, that's all."

"Well that's coz you're too chicken to get your arse on a broom and fly."

"I am not! I'll have you know I fly perfectly well, I just don't see the `glory' in it as you put it." Harry mused to himself trying to find a way to describe it to her. After a couple of minutes of pondering he slipped on his newly laced trainers and turned towards her.

"It's that thing that you love so much that your stomach just turns in knots cause your so excited about doing it." he paused thinking about it before he continued, Hermione watching him with interest. "Like if you're with someone who you really like and they brush your hand or something, your stomach jolts right?" He asked her.

"Yeah, I guess so."

"Well it gives me a feeling similar to that, it gets intense and extreme and your head and stomach go wild and you just feel like you're totally free. Like the way your stomach goes when you kiss someone you really like, for me it's a form of the butterflies…I can't really explain it, do you get me?"

"Kind of." Hermione blushed and turned her attention to the other side of the room. "I've never really had that kind of experience though." she spoke in a quiet voice her head still turned from him. Harry still sat on the end of the couch furrowing his brow.

"What do you mean?" He asked a smile playing across him lips. Hermione didn't answer him, so he moved along the couch sitting on the edge with her legs behind him; he moved his head in her view so she had nowhere to look. She gave up and answered him.

"You know what I mean." she said with a blush.

"No actually I don't. I have no idea what you're talking about." She shook her head at him and decided to make herself clearer.

"I've never had that kind of experience that would relate to the feeling you have when you fly." she spoke slowly and quietly looking straight at him. Harry processed the words slowly realising what she meant.

"Hermione….you mean…you've never…." She just shook her head to answer his question. Harry thought about it more, they were in the sixth year of Hogwarts and Hermione was definitely not unattractive by any means. He couldn't seam to accept what she had told him as they truth.

"I don't believe you." he said irrefutably.

"You don't have too! But why would i admit to something so…embarrassing." she reddened again and started to become restless, playing with the hem of her shirt and avoiding eye contact with Harry, she couldn't believe she had just told him something so awkward.

"Hey." he took her hand in his "It's not embarrassing, maybe the right guy hasn't come along, it's nothing to be ashamed of…….Wait a minute." he stopped mid-sentence "Forth year, what about Krum, you and him had your little thing going on, Hermione you must have."

"Krum? - Yeah right, nothing happened, I've told you that countless times!"

"Yeah - but I never believed you! I thought you were bound to at least get a snog or something." Harry grinned as Hermione rolled her eyes again.

"Nope, nothing, I'm a 16 year old witch who's never been kissed, it's pathetic." she told him matter-of-factly, he smiled sincerely to her.

"It's not pathetic; don't be stupid, you've just got to wait for the right guy to come along."

"I keep waiting, but he never turns up." she whispered so quietly that Harry could only just make out the words. He stared at her with an intense expression; he could tell that this whole situation made her forlorn; he wanted Hermione to know what this simple act felt like, so with that in mind he moved closer to her, gently turning her head towards him and began to close the gap between them. Hermione looked at him with wide eyes a worried expression printed on her face.

"What are you doing?" she asked him hurriedly. He wasn't taken back by this, he knew she would ask, instead he lightly brushed her hair to the side with his fingers and continued.

"You like to learn thing right?" he asked rhetorically in a husky voice inches away from her lips "just relax."

Harry didn't pretend to be `all knowing' when it came to kissing, but he knew he had more experience than Hermione, he wanted her first kiss to be comfortable, and more than anything he couldn't shake the feeling that he wanted her first kiss to be with him.

He gently brushed his lips with hers, testing for a reaction, he figured if Hermione was uncomfortable with this she could push him away, but she didn't so he pressed his lips against hers lightly. He slowly began to move his lips against hers tenderly, it took a few seconds but she began to respond. Harry put an arm over her body and rested his hand on her waist his other hand stroking her hair slightly before deepening the kiss. Hermione became a little more confident and Harry could feel that intense feeling of butterflies in his stomach, he could only imagine how she felt. After a few moments Harry pulled back slightly, his hands still holding Hermione. He once again looked for a reaction, he really didn't want Hermione to get uncomfortable and the last thing he wanted was to ruin their friendship. There was no sign of this uncomfortable feeling however and Hermione just looked into his emerald eyes, Harry couldn't quite place the look that she was giving him, but it was certainly making the feeling in his stomach worse.

He leaned in once again capturing her lips; he brushed his tongue against her bottom lip, asking for permission to which Hermione respond without much hesitance.

"Mmm..slowly…" Harry spoke against her lips, as their tongues began to become familiar with the others, Harry moved delicately within Hermione's mouth, savouring every last moment of this experience.

A short time later Harry pulled back much to Hermione's displeasure even if she didn't let it show. He let the corner of his mouth hitch up into a small smile as he caressed her lips with his fingers.

"Now I really don't believe you." He spoke hoarsely with swollen lips.

"What?" Hermione asked confused.

"You must have done that before." he smiled slightly embarrassed despite the fact that he had instigated the whole situation.

"I can assure you, I have never felt anything like that before." Harry smiled down on Hermione that feeling returning to him stomach once again, he was sure that if he had been standing up his legs would have given way.

"Neither have I actually." he smiled at her reassuringly. "He freed his arm from her waist and looked at his watch and frowned slightly "I better go...Ron…he'll be wondering..." Harry stood up reluctantly and picked up his firebolt from the end of the couch, making his way to the portrait hole.

"Harry?" He turned to face her before he left "Thank You" she told him the colour returning to her checks.

"Anytime."

He left Hermione in the empty common room where she sighed contently, smiling to herself.

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