Unofficial Portkey Archive

"Move your arse Potter; you can't nick the whole couch."

"Ermm…what?"

"Move over, I'd like to sit down too if that's alright," Ron said as he literally pushed Harry's legs over to the other side of the couch.

"Sorry, I fell asleep," Harry yawned as he pulled himself up into a sitting position to one side of the couch.

"Nice deduction Holmes," Dean laughed as he threw himself into an armchair by the fire.

"Who's Holmes?" Ron asked puzzled.

"Never mind!" Harry smiled. "Hey what time is it?" he asked looking around.

"Don't even think about dinner mate; you missed it, it's just gone ten." Harry frowned as his stomach growled, he wished he had gone to dinner now but after his incident with Hermione the couch had seemed much more alluring.

"Serves you right anyway, you shouldn't have run off like a nancyboy," said Seamus, with a smirk.

"I didn't run like a nancyboy at all, I erm just remembered I had to do something," Harry said pathetically.

"Yeah, run away from Hermione," Dean laughed.

"Shut up, she might hear you," Harry said looking over his shoulder making sure she hadn't overheard.

"Relax she isn't here, she's on late night prefect duty," Ron said throwing a cushion at Harry. "Why did you leave anyway?"

"Coz you jerks were all laughing at me."

"That's no reason to pansy out, you should have seen Hermione, she looked like she'd just failed a test or something," Seamus said, laughing.

"Plus we weren't laughing Harry, we were smiling," Ron said knocking his friend lightly on the shoulder.

"The difference being?"

"That we weren't laughing at you, we were smiling because we thought you were planning on making some sort of move."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked, slightly confused.

"I mean, we all think it's about time you did something about this erm, thing with Hermione." Ron answered. "I mean it's pretty darn obvious how you feel about her, even I can tell and that's saying something."

"So you're saying I should tell Hermione?"

"Yeah, tell her how you feel." Dean chimed in. Harry shifted uncomfortably in his seat; just thought of admitting to Hermione how he felt made his stomach lurch. What if she didn't feel the same? What if she was repulsed? What if she laughed?

Noticing that Harry was squirming Ron offered him encouragement, "Don't worry about what she'll say mate, I'm more than sure she wants you too." Harry stared at Ron with wide eyes.

"W-What do I say?" he asked timidly, he had absolutely no idea how to go about confronting Hermione. He had been nervous in the past telling other girls he liked them, never mind telling his best friend that he thought he might be in love with her.

"Just be honest, tell her how you feel. Tell her she's smart and pretty and all that other stuff girls like to hear." said Dean.

"How is it that you've got a girlfriend?" Seamus asked Dean, to which he responded with a sneer. Harry paled, this was going to be harder than he could have ever imagined and he was getting tense already. "Harry? Are you with us mate?" He heard the words echo in his mind as he snapped back to attention.

"Tell her she's pretty," he said in a dreamy tone as if he was making a mental check list.

"Don't tell her unless you mean it though, she'll see right through you will Hermione," Ron said shaking his head.

"You do think she's pretty don't you?" asked Seamus. Harry sat with wide eyes, he didn't want to answer this question, they'd laugh at him for sure.

"No," he said shaking his head. The boys looked at him with confused expressions, Harry nervously looked down to his hands and with a roll of the eyes he said, "She's not just pretty, she's beautiful."

"You're not even dating yet and you're already whipped!" Ron shouted as they boys laughed. "She's beautiful," he repeated mimicking Harry.

"Will you lot shut up," Harry said standing up and walking over to the window. "I can't help it."

"Sorry Harry," Ron smiled as he stood up and walked towards him by the window, "you just amused us there for a second. Look next time you see her just tell her, what've got to lose?"

"Erm my dignity, her respect, her friendship, her trust……" Harry began to count off on his fingers.

"Okay, okay maybe you have got something to lose but you'd regret it if you didn't say anything and you never know what might happen. Plus like I said, I don't think she's gonna turn you down, in fact I think she's rather taken to you." Ron said, with a wink.

"Are you sure that you're okay with this Ron?" Harry asked quietly to his best friend.

"Don't worry about it mate; there was a time when I wished Hermione had looked at me like she looks at you, but its all in the past. Plus I think she'd drive me crazy," Ron grinned as he clapped Harry on the back.

"Oy Ron, you owe me a game of wizard's chess." Neville called, as he entered through the portrait hole, he left to play leaving Harry stood staring out of the window, breathing deeply.

"It's okay you can do this," he told himself, "Tomorrow, you can do this tomorrow," he closed his eyes and concentrated on something soothing to calm him down. "Hey guys, I'm gonna go and get some food from the kitchens, my stomach's trying to eat me from the inside." Harry left the common room with a wave and headed towards the kitchens all the while thinking about what he could possibly say to Hermione.

***

"I don't get why he acted so strange around me, is it something I did?" Hermione asked Ginny as they walked the corridors of the castle.

"No I don't think so. Like I said, he was acting weird all afternoon," Ginny answered.

"Why though, why was he acting weird and why would that make him run away from us like that?" she asked as her friend turned her gaze away, "Ginny what's going on, please tell me."

"Hermione, as far as I'm aware nothing is going on," Ginny hated lying to her friend but had been sworn to secrecy by Ron and the rest of the Gryffindor boys. "Look Hermione I've got to get back up to the tower, talk tomorrow though okay?"

"Yeah sure," she answered dejectedly. "Stupid bloody Cho Chang, I'm dying for some sleep after spending the night in that stupid cupboard and she's got me doing the night shift, typical."

"Life's a bitch," Ginny smiled reassuringly, "It'll be okay sweetie, I'll see ya in the morning," she smiled with a wave as she turned and headed back to the tower. Hermione continued to walk as she thought about the days events; she had a whole other wing of the castle to search before she could go to bed. She was brought out of her thoughts by the sound of footsteps along an adjacent corridor; she quickened her pace so she would see who the footsteps belonged too.

"Oh bloody hell!" Harry breathed as he passed the opening of the corridor and she walked out briskly. "You scared the life out of me Hermione," he breathed, his heart beating at an incredible speed. He couldn't decide whether it was because he had just been startled or because he was face to face with Hermione who was smiling broadly and cheekily at him.

"Should have been concentrated on where you were walking," she grinned at him.

"Does scaring the life out of people excite you?"

"No I just think at has more of an effect on rule breakers if I jump out at them; I think it's more dramatic that way."

"You're a loon," he smirked at her.

"So what if I am? You love me all the same," her smile wavered slightly as Harry paled at her words. Quick say something. "You know you're not supposed to be out at this time of night Harry, where are you off to?"

"Oh, erm to the kitchens, I'm really hungry," he said pointing off into the direction he was heading.

"That's because you skipped dinner," Hermione said very much like the know-it-all little girl he had encountered in the first year. She turned and started to walk off down the corridor.

"That's because I was avoiding you," Hermione stopped dead in her tracks and turned to face him, her mouth hanging open slightly.

"You were what?" she asked quietly, Harry could sense the hurt in her voice.

Oh please tell me I didn't say that aloud. "What?" he said with a blank expression.

"Y-You just said you were avoiding me," she replied shakily. Harry stiffened and stared at her, unable to form words.

"Did I?"

"Yes you did!" she said, her voice rising slightly. "Were you?" she asked staring at him forcefully, "Harry answer me."

"Yeah I was," he whispered his head hung low, "But it's not…."

"Oh that's bloody lovely, my own best friend avoiding me!! Am I that annoying to be around?"

"No Hermione, that's not it," he said putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Let go Harry, I'm leaving, I'm sure you don't want be around me," she said pitifully as she turned and walked back in the opposite direction.

"Hermione don't be like that," Harry pleaded as he set out after her, "Let me explain it's not how it sounds."

"Fine explain," she said as she swung around to face him, her lips pursed and hands placed firmly on her hips. Harry gulped at her dangerous stare.

"Well you see when we were out in the courtyard before…"

"Oh tell me this isn't over that macho display before?" she interrupted.

"What? No of course not," Harry said shaking his head, "are you going to let me explain?"

"Carry on."

"Anyway, out there before, I gave you that hug remember? Well anyway when I was holding you I totally forgot where I was and all I could think about was you and me and how great it felt like when you were in my arms and then it all went quiet," he stopped and took a deep breath, he was so incredibly nervous. "When I looked up everyone was staring at us Hermione and I got panicky because they were all laughing at me about last night in that cupboard and how I should have done something, made a move, they were laughing at me all afternoon and then I could tell that Seamus told everyone that I had feelings for you so when I looked up and they were all laughing I got really embarrassed and I kind of ran away," Harry clutched at his side taking more deep breaths, he hadn't been able to stop the words flowing from his mouth.

Hermione stood staring at him; she was taken aback by his whole outburst and was processing what he had said.

"Wait, did you just say you had feelings for me?"

Harry bobbed his head, tracing his words in his head, "Erm yeah I think I did," he said as he ran his hands through his hair. She didn't say anything, her mouth kept opening and shutting but no words came out. The silence was piercing through Harry like a knife, he started to pace around, his hands still in his hair, he started to shake and his hands were clamming up.

"Way to go Harry! Could have got her flowers, or chocolates or at least told her you liked her like a normal person would do, but no you have to rave on like a lunatic," he scolded himself under his breath.

"Harry…."

"What?"

"I..I……" Hermione trailed off, tilting her head.

"What?" he asked shaken, "Say something!"

"I'm thinking," she said quietly. Harry stared at her with wide eyes, ready to turn around and run as far as he possibly could in the other direction.

"Oh…about what?" he asked. She lifted her hand up and pointed to the wall behind Harry, he turned around to look before turning back to face her with an anxious look. "You're thinking about the wall?" he asked incredulously.

"I'm wondering whether it would be proper of me to push you against it and kiss you," she whispered bashfully.

Harry gulped as his stomach dropped, did she just say?

"Well Harry? Would that be proper of me?" she asked as she walking towards him slowly.

"Well," he answered his voice cracking like he was hitting puberty, "I think that'd be just fine." His eyes were darting around over her as she came closer and closer. She grinned slyly as she approached placing her hands on his chest and pushing him back gently, her lips meeting his in a hard passionate kiss. Harry being in the nervous state he was found it hard to control his legs and so collapsed back against the wall as he encircled her waist with his arms. He kissed her as hungrily as she kissed him.

"Wow!" he said as they broke apart, "Did that just happen?" he asked with a smile. Hermione nodded as she bit her lip.

"Sorry, I couldn't control myself, I've dreamed about hearing you say that to me so many times and when you did it was surreal, I just lost it," she said, as she laughed. "That wasn't very proper of me at all."

"Oh bugger being proper," Harry grinned as he gently brought his hands up to Hermione cheeks and caressed them slightly, "I'm sorry I told you like that, I hadn't planned on doing, it just came out like verbal diarrhoea."

"Ew, way to go and spoil the mood Harry," Hermione laughed as she stepped back from him.

"Sorry, I'm such a dolt, I don't know what it is, I just can't seem to control myself around you. You have the strangest effects on me Hermione." he spoke softly, meeting her deep chocolate eyes with his. She beamed from ear to ear before moving back towards him, they shared a soft and lingering kiss, his hands finding a home in her hair, hers fitting snugly around his neck.

"I'm falling for you Hermione," Harry whispered as he leant his forehead against hers.

"And why may I ask has it taken you so long to realise that?" she grinned mischievously.

"I guess it took being stuck in a cupboard with you to realise."

"Harry!" Hermione laughed against him. He clutched her tightly to him, breathing in everything Hermione, he smiled brightly when she pulled back and looked into his eyes, he could see longing there he had never noticed before. "I fell for you years ago Harry," she whispered before kissing him once again.

A/N: Okay guys, there is going to be an epilogue after this chapter and that's about it. I'm off to the South of France on pilgrimage for 9 days so I'll update when I get back. X NilreM X

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