I love you...

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter and any of the characters mentioned hereafter. They belong to the incredible JK Rowling. I am not making a single cent out of this. I wish I did, and was.

[A/N: I dedicate this to Angst. Without it, Life would be very boring, and I would not be what I am today if it weren't for Angst.... anyway - I was watching HBO, and I saw a scene go by. It was Ben Affleck saying this to a girl, "I love you… and not in a friendly way" or something. I haven't seen that movie, but it immediately said H/Hr to me. I'm pretty sure it won't be similar to that movie. I just "borrowed" what Ben said. So here goes: ]

I love you...

Harry was confused. There was no other way to describe the way he was feeling. Well, maybe "hungry" because he hadn't eaten the whole day, but that was still connected to his feeling confused. How could he be so stupid? It was there all along, and he never knew. He never knew until now.

He should have, though. There was something about how he always felt calm in her presence. It said a lot, really. Then there was the fact that he always noticed little things about how she looked. She would come back from the library with stacks of spell books, tired eyes, and scrolls of homework done. Most people would just notice these things. Yet Harry would notice something extra, like the happy glint in her eyes that she had acquired a little more knowledge than before she had left for the library.

Her eyes… They were something, alright. He always found himself staring into them whenever they talked. Through them, she could not lie. Through them, the emptiness disappeared into a disarray of emotions.

It never occurred to him what the little things meant.

'Harry! There you are!' He heard someone say. A bushy-haired, brown-eyed, concerned-looking someone. 'I've been looking for you everywhere! We all have.'
He avoided her eyes, for fear of getting lost in them again.
'You've found me,' he said, attempting to smile.
'What's wrong? You skipped breakfast, lunch and dinner! And you weren't there to play wizard chess with Ron! It's a Saturday, you always play wizard chess with Ron on Saturdays.' She said this all very fast.
'Nothing's wrong. I've just been… thinking.'
'About?'

Rats. He couldn't do it. He couldn't avoid her eyes any longer. Merlin, they were beautiful.

'Stuff,' he managed to utter.
'What kinds of stuff?'
'A problem I have.'
'Can I help?'

Did she want to know everything? Who does that?

She did.

His silence seemed to give her a sign not to ask further.
'Hmmm… well, from the looks of it, you've been straining your head to think about this… problem of yours… and whenever I had a problem, I always feel like I could use a hug. A really long, tight, and meaningful hug. Do you want one?' she offered with a smile, and opened arms.

He couldn't fight the urge to hold her in his arms, and he wasn't going to. He walked a few steps to her, and she pulled him into a hug. He buried his face into her shoulder, feeling a few strands of her hair tickle his cheek. He hugged her ever so tightly, and did not want to let go. He could feel her hand stroking his messy hair so gently and lovingly that if he did let go, he would not know what to do.

But he had to let go.

'There, all better?' she asked, smiling thoughtfully.
He smiled back.
'Yes. Thank you.'

'Come on back to the common room. Ron's worried he's done something wrong again,' she said, suppressing a laugh.
'You go on ahead first… I'll be right behind you.'

She looked at him uncertainly, but smiled and said, 'Okay. Don't be long.'

Harry watched her walk up the stairs. He remembered his problem again, the one that had him thinking the whole day, and skipping meals. He had to get it out, even if she wasn't there to hear it.

'I love you, Hermione… and not in a friendly way.

*The End*

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