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Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters; they all belong to J.K Rowlings and Warner Brothers. Although I wish I did lol.
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A/N: Hey again! Didn't make you guys wait long this time. This chapter was so far my favorite one to write in fact. I finished it at 3 o'clock in the morning lol. But enough about that. Thank you so much for all the great reviews; you don't know how much it means to me to hear all the great response. Once again this is a Harry/Hermione pairing so if you don't like it don't read it. Reminder anything in bold text is the characters in the future speaking directly to the readers, they're the narrators. Anything is normal text is the present so that includes most of the story. There aren't anymore italics but that is past tense. So basically this is only in bold and normal text. Again thank you for the reviews and I hope you enjoy! Please review at the end.
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Eternal Rhapsody
Chapter Two: Awakening
Chapter 3/5
By: Sapphire Rose (aka Lily Flower)
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"Who will tell whether one happy moment of love or the joy of breathing or walking on a bright morning and smelling the fresh air, is not worth all the suffering and effort which life implies."
Erich Fromm
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Sometimes you can spend your whole life asleep. And I don't mean the kind of sleep you get at night. What I mean by sleep is completely oblivious to everything around you and everything that goes on. And there are those moments when you finally wake up and everything becomes clear. Those moments are the kind that can change the course of your life. I know that's how I felt that night with Hermione. Everything seemed to fit perfectly and it all made sense somehow.
I still get chills when I think about her. For some reason I've fallen so hard for her I can't get back up… and I wouldn't want to. But now I'm straying from the actual story. My mind tends to run away with me when I think of her. After having lunch with Hermione I went back to training. Of course it didn't help that my mind was other places during the whole session. This was really smart of me, because while my mind was elsewhere, my classmates were continually throwing hexes at me. Let's just say one was a little too close for comfort. As you can guess I couldn't wait till training ended for the day.
Everything I had tried to keep in I couldn't. Instead of my feelings growing weaker they only became stronger so it was time to do something about it. That was going to be the night my life would change forever. I don't think either of us expected where that night would lead.
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'Finally home…'
Harry walked in the door after a long day of training. The lights were off so he figured no one else was there. This was a relief because it would give him time to get everything set up. But for now all he wanted to do was plop down on the couch and relax for a few minutes. The living room was just to his left so he sat down on the nearest couch.
Once he started to relax his mind traveled back to the afternoon he spent with Hermione. For some reason he couldn't get her off his mind. Normally the thoughts would go away but tonight they didn't. She had looked so beautiful in her office. Hermione had a way of making any outfit look magnificence on her. How could a mere smile capture his heart and take his breath away?
It seemed like only yesterday when they both attended Hogwarts. It had only been three years since they graduated. It was amazing how time had flown by. Hermione had always been on his mind and he could never shake her. If his mind was already captivated by her what would happen to him if he started dating Hermione? He knew someday he would like to start a family and get married. But he wasn't going to rush things. First he had to get the girl, so to speak. He saw Hermione in every aspect of his life - past, present, and future. The last thing he needed was to scare her off.
Somewhere within the house a clock chimed the hour. This caused Harry to stare down at his watch and notice it was only six o'clock; looks like it was another long day at the office for Hermione. A loud yawn escaped his lips as he realized how tired he was. Harry figured he would be able to take a quick nap before he went to work on his surprise. He wouldn't be asleep long; he just needed a quick nap. And so he closed his eyes and fell fast asleep.
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Who would ever have expected me to fall for the Harry Potter. I always thought I was just some bookworm, a muggle born witch that didn't belong in the wizarding world. I remember everything about that afternoon so vividly, part of me just wanted to forget about work and spend the day with Harry. But that wasn't possible so I had to settle for just an evening.
I remember being so confused and conflicted in that moment. There I was having lunch with Harry and it seemed as though there were constant butterflies in my stomach. Why would I feel butterflies when I was around my best friend? No logical reason made any sense to me then. For the first time I was at a loss of knowledge. I had never felt this way towards anyone, not even to Ron. Harry was very special to me and I didn't want to lose him. He saved my life and yet I owe him everything and nothing all at once. I'm not sure if that makes sense but that's the way it feels.
Harry had a way to make the smallest gesture into something special. Everything he did and everything about him was always done out of kindness. There wasn't one selfish bone in his body. He gave everything of himself and expected nothing; that was just the kind of person he was. This was just one of the many reasons he meant so much to me and no one could ever replace him. The only problem was figuring out what to tell Harry and how to tell him.
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The lights on level five in the Ministry building were all out except for one office. Hard at work Hermione read through stacks of papers. Her superiors thought it would be funny to pile as much work as they could on her desk while she was out. So she locked herself in her office refusing to let anyone else see her for the rest of the day. She probably shouldn't have gone out to lunch with Harry but it was well worth it. She couldn't wait to get home and see what Harry was making for dinner. He could be so sweet at times when he wanted to be.
She stared at the clock sitting on her desk, it was almost seven. Sometimes she didn't mind working overtime. No one was around to pile paperwork on her desk, there was peace and quiet. She was able to get a lot done when everyone was out of her hair. Today was the exceptional; all she wanted to do was go home to unwind. There was no point in staying if she couldn't concentrate on her work. She just had to get out of this office as soon as possible.
Quickly she organized the papers on her desk so she could leave. She turned off the light in her office and checked the rest of the floor to make sure no one else was there. She didn't want to accidentally lock someone in over night. Hermione walked up to the elevator and stepped in as it reached her floor. She waited patiently as the elevator stopped at the lobby, then got off. There was a lone security guard at the door and she gave him a polite smile.
"Goodnight Ian."
"Have a pleasant evening Ms. Granger."
She left the Ministry building and was hit with a chilling wind. Even though spring was almost upon them it was still too cold for a lighter cloak. She thought of apparating home but stopped herself. Her mind was far too distracted at the moment and she didn't want to chance splinching herself. So instead she took to walking, her apartment wasn't that far away anyway.
So many thoughts clouded her mind at the moment she didn't know where to begin. And quite honestly she wasn't up to deciphering them either. While her mind was distracted she arrived home from a days work. She dropped all her things at the front of the door. The first thing to hit her was the wonderful smell of someone cooking.
Harry heard the door open and close from the kitchen. Hermione must be home so he began to place the food on the dinning room table; perfect timing in his mind. All that was left was to light the candles which he had easily done with his wand. He went back in the kitchen to retrieve the last two plates.
Hermione walked down the hallway and made the second left into the dinning room. The sight that had fallen upon he eyes was breath-taking. No words could escape her lips. Harry had set the table, laid out the food and for decoration added a vase with red roses and candles. When she was coming home she didn't expect all this. She expected him to cook yes, but to go out of his way to make it special? At that moment Harry walked in from the kitchen and placed the last two dished of food on the table. She noticed his trademark smile on his and couldn't help smiling back.
"Your dinner is served madam."
Harry said impersonating a waiter, adding a deep graceful bow. She couldn't help the tiny laugh that escaped her lips. Harry pulled out her chair and she sat down. Out nowhere he pulled a single, beautiful red rose from his back.
"A lovely rose for a beautiful woman."
She took the rose shyly and tried to hide the blush that formed on her cheeks.
"Harry you didn't have to do all this for just me."
"Yes I did, you deserve something special so I decided to take matters into my own hands this time."
"Well I must say you're doing a splendid job at it, the food smells wonderful."
"Why thank you. Care for some red wine?"
"Of course…"
She held up her glass as he began to pour the wine in her glass then his own. He took a seat beside her.
"Well we're not going to stare at the food all night so let's eat."
"You would think it's my birthday they way you're carrying on."
"Well I don't always need a reason to spoil you."
"You most certainly don't. I love everything you've done and I couldn't ask for more."
"Well we'll just have to see about that later. Now eat it before it gets cold."
"Alright…"
The dinner was absolutely perfect, nothing could sour Hermione's mood. Not even the amount of work that would be waiting for her tomorrow. Her eyes fell on Harry and she couldn't help the smile on her lips. They were half way through dinner when they heard the front door open and close hastily. Catching their curiosity their gazes turned towards the hallway. Ron walked passed them not even noticing their presence. Most likely because his lips were busy at the moment with some girl. They watched as Ron fumbled with his doorknob and finally locked himself in his room with the mysterious girl.
"That has to be the third girl this month alone."
Hermione said shaking her head at the mere thought.
"I believe your right, the least he could do was to be somewhat decent until he got to his room."
"Having a girl all over him like that is decent in his vocabulary."
"Too right you are Ms. Granger."
"Well I'm always right; you should know this by now Mr. Potter."
Harry looked in her eyes searching for something. He knew Hermione and Ron used to be very close. But he wasn't sure exactly what their relationship consisted of. He just wanted to make sure she was alright.
"Did that scene bother you? Because I know you used to date Ron."
"Honestly no, I used to think it would but it doesn't. I'm perfectly fine with it. But thanks for the concern."
Harry just nodded and went back to eating his food.
"So Harry what about you, how's your relationship life going?"
"Alright guess nothing much too really talk about."
"Well have you been dating anyone lately?"
"I've dated a few different girls here and there, but nothing too serious to be honest. But they aren't what I'm really looking for or want."
"Well what are you looking for?"
"Well…I,"
In the distance there were loud moans followed by groans coming from the hall. Which Harry and Hermione assumed came from Ron's room.
"After seven years at Hogwarts you think he would ever remember to cast a silencing charm by now."
"Well you know as well as I do he doesn't think that far ahead."
"I think I'm going to put a permanent one on myself."
"I'm just about done eating want to help me clear the table and do the dishes?"
"Of course I don't mind just leave the wine on the table."
Harry and Hermione collected the dishes on the table and placed them on the counter. True it would have been easier to clean it up by magic but both of them were brought up my muggle families so they did it by hand. Hermione washed and Harry took to drying. When they were finished they put the dishes away and blew out the candles in the dinning room. Harry grabbed the wine and glasses and led them into the living room. The fireplace was burning bright and the room was warm.
Hermione took a seat in front of the fireplace and Harry followed her. He handed her a full glass of wine and took a sip of his own. He wasn't sure if it was the wine but at that instant Harry thought Hermione never looked more exquisite. The firelight played against her golden brown locks making it look like it was glowing. At that moment there wasn't anything he could say to explain how he felt. Part of him felt as though he couldn't breathe for fear he'd lose it all. He wasn't going to make a move until Hermione realized that they belonged together, tonight proved that. All these years Hermione never caught on to how he really felt about her. But deep down he was always connected to her in some way that was for certain. That may be considered weakness but he didn't care.
It felt as if he was waiting on the edge of his chair for her move but at the same time he dreaded her answer. Every moment that passed his heart fell deeper in love with Hermione. She never realized the effect she had on over him. She had the power to control everything about him. He remembered the countless amounts of times he watched her walk into a room. He would freeze in place and all he could do was watch her every move. All he knew was that his heart lied with her and no one else.
It seemed as if he waited all his life to reach this point. Where the only thing left to do was to finally tell Hermione his feelings. He would no longer hide them. It was time to do something about it. He wanted nothing more than to be with her. He waited a lifetime so far and that was the truth. Harry didn't realize his thoughts had drifted so far from the present moment so he finally looked back up at Hermione after taking another sip from his glass.
"I'm so glad tomorrow is Friday I don't think I can stand another day of training."
"Tell me about it, I'm about to strangle my superiors."
"Well we wouldn't want our Mistress of Magic getting her hands dirty now would we?"
"I'm not even close to that yet, I still have to put a few more years into the Ministry.""Well I'm sure you'll have no trouble getting in office with the great Harry Potter by your side."
"And what makes you so great?"
"My undeniable charm and my way with the lady's, that's what."
"Yeah right, in your dreams."
Hermione couldn't help but laugh, Harry just had a boyish appeal that couldn't be ignored. He would never change and quite frankly she didn't want him to.
"And what's so funny about that?"
"Oh nothing…"
"Really now, then I'd have to say you've had too much to drink."
But that didn't stop him from pouring each of them another glass of wine.
"Unlike you or Ron I don't get drunk."
"Right Hermione…"
Harry and Hermione spoke late into the night and it was almost midnight when Harry looked at his watch. He couldn't believe how many topics they discussed - everything from school days to work. It was moments like this Harry would treasure for the rest of his days and he never wanted this night to end. No matter what happened between them this moment, this night would remain perfect for all eternity. By now the bottle was empty and the glasses were put aside.
"So Harry earlier at dinner you mentioned something about not finding the right girl? I would think any girl would want to date you."
"Well yes they do but I'm picky. I just haven't been able to find that right one you know, the kind that stands out from all others."
"Then what are you looking for?"
"Someone that's kind, someone that's compassionate to all things, someone that will love me for who I am and not my name."
"Does this girl even exist?"
"Yes."
"Who?"
Who knows what made him say the next thing that escaped his lips. He could later blame it on the wine, or the different emotions hitting him all at once, or how perfect she looked right there but never the less the answer came.
"You…"
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That's how it happened; I couldn't believe my ears at that moment. Here was Harry professing his feeling for me. I couldn't have been more shocked. Once the shock passed the excitement hit. All I wanted to do was pounce on him right then and there. It was so hard to stay seated but I had to hear him out. One thing was for certain Harry and I finally found our way to each other. We were finally awake.
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A/N: Well there it is, hoped you liked it! I'm planning the rest of the next chapter so I'll get it out soon. Now the story will get interesting and all will unfold. There are only two more chapters to write and I'm going to miss this story when it's finished. I may write a sequel, I may not. It depends really but we'll see when I'm finished. Anyway now that you've finished reading please take the time to review. Special thanks once again go to my boyfriend, my friends and of course the readers for without you I wouldn't continue to write. Thanks again for reading!
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