a/n: I appreciate the reviews I've received so far - thanks everyone! To quickly answer a couple of questions: Yes, Harry is going to have a talk with Remus about his summer, why the location of the Order changed, etc. Right now I'm just focusing on getting Hermione into the picture.
shaz124: Good point about the CONSTANT VIGILANCE!, it's just something I forgot to put in there - I was pretty much trying to get Harry out of the Dursleys' house and into the action at The Burrow as soon as possible. Thanks for pointing it out though.
Finally, chapter 4 will be the last of the "short chapters." I plan on writing much longer chapters, so be patient please.
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Chapter 3: the epiphany
Once again Harry woke up to find Ron was already out of bed, but this time there was no cold sweat covering his body. He hadn't had any nightmares for once, and realized with a shock that he was going to see Hermione soon. Harry rushed into the shower and furiously cleaned himself with his favourite soap, the one Hermione had once told him "smelled really, really nice." He stepped out of the shower and went to dress in Ron's room. Harry took his time in picking out what he wore, a strange thing for him to do. He finally settled on a vintage white Gryffindor t shirt and another pair of khaki shorts, just like the ones he had worn yesterday. Harry was trying to comb down his hair when he realized what he was doing.
"I never even bother to look at what I'm wearing, and now I'm attempting to tame my hair?" he thought to himself, while putting down the comb and tying up his trainers. Harry shook his head, stood up, and confidently walked out of the room and downstairs. When he reached the kitchen, Harry received the shock of his summer so far.
Hermione was talking with Ginny in the corner of the kitchen, and Ron was sitting at the table staring at her with a dumb look on his face. However, Harry couldn't blame him - Hermione had changed, and not in a little way.
The first thing Harry noticed was her hair. It was no longer bushy and wild, but instead wavy with curls, and definitely sleek looking. It reminded him of how she looked at the Yule Ball their fourth year, except now it was up in a ponytail with a few curls hanging loose. He saw she was wearing a bit of make up too - nothing too wild for Hermione, but it had a nice effect on her eyes.
She had a good tan going for her as well, "Must be from her holiday in the south of France," he thought while continuing to stare at her.
What shocked Harry the most however was what she was wearing. Perhaps what she wasn't wearing is a better way of putting it. Hermione had on what the Muggles called a "wife beater" tank top, and it looked as though it was at least two sizes too small for her.
"Maybe it's old. Maybe she forgot a lot of her clothes. Maybe she has nothing else to wear. Maybe I should shut up and enjoy the view."
She was wearing a pair of short Gryffindor red shorts with the words 'Lion Pride' across the behind. Harry blushed furiously when he realized he had just 'read Hermione's arse.'
All thoughts of Sirius and sadness were pushed out of his mind when he saw Hermione. In fact, absolutely all of his thoughts were pushed out of his mind, leaving it completely blank and him standing there gawking at her like a 12 year old fanboy. In a pause of her conversation with Ginny, Hermione looked over in his direction and squealed out a high-pitch, "Harry!"
Before he could even stop staring at her like an idiot, she had bounded up to him and caught him in one of her trademark bone-crushing hugs. Harry just managed to gather enough of his senses to hug her back, and felt extremely disappointed when she let go of him and stepped back to look him over.
"It's so good to see you again Harry! You look rather skinny, but still really good! I hope the Dursleys treated you well, if they didn't, so help me, I will have a word with them I see them! Well at least you're here now, I'm sure Mrs. Weasley has been feeding you right. Have you been sleeping? Had an okay summer? Harry? Are you paying attention?"
At the sound of his name Harry mentally shook himself. He realized he had been staring at her the entire time but not hearing a word she said.
"Yeah…you look really…er…good too, Hermione. It's great to see you again," he managed to stammer out, and before he knew what he was doing he had swooped down and kissed her on the cheek.
"What was that, Potter? Making a move on your best friend now?" Harry thought furiously to himself as he watched Hermione blush then thank him.
Harry looked anywhere in the room but at Hermione and his eyes fell on Ron's bemused expression and Ginny's broad grin. He still didn't see what was so funny about the whole situation.
"Why don't we go outside down by the creek, it's getting pretty hot in here."
Hermione's voice shook Harry out of his thoughts. He nodded at her, and walked straight out of the kitchen into the back garden. Harry could feel Hermione and Ron's presence behind him as he walked down the slight hill towards the sound of running water. The trio reached the creek after a few short minutes and all sat down under a big apple tree.
The continued to chat about their summers, Hermione's trip to France, the upcoming school year, and whatever else came to mind for quite a long time. Ron decided to go back to The Burrow to get the group Butterbeers, as it was rather hot outside - even in the shade of the tree. He soon returned with a whole case of Butterbeer, and the three friends happily drank in silence, until Hermione decided to lie down with her head in Harry's lap.
Harry choked on his Butterbeer, and had a coughing fit that would rival a person with tuberculosis. Hermione moved to get up but he shook his head and put a hand on her shoulder, signaling for her to stay. She shrugged and flashed Harry a smile that had he not been sitting already, would have brought him straight to the ground with his now weak knees. He turned to see Ron smirking at him, and Harry was forcibly reminded of the look Ron wore when he had spilled water on himself after waving to Cho at the Quidditch World Cup.
"Ah, Cho," Harry thought somewhat bitterly, "couldn't care less about the girl and her sneak-like 'friends' to be honest." However he couldn't deny that deep down, he still wanted a girl to kiss and be with, someone who understands him and accepts him as 'Just Harry.'
BAM. It was as if he had been knocked in the head by a Bludger, everything suddenly fell into place. Hermione. She had been there all along, supporting him, worrying for him, caring for him. And now she was literally right under his nose. He couldn't believe he had missed this. For five years now, the girl he wanted and needed more than any other had been right there. Harry looked down at her; she had her eyes closed and a small smile on her lips. He realized that not only was this girl fiercely loyal, intelligent, supportive, and caring, but she was gorgeous. Hermione really had come a long way from that little 11 year old bushy-haired girl he had first met on the train, that was for sure. As he continued to stare at her face in awe, he tried to count all the times she had helped him - studying for tests, checking his homework, teaching him spells and jinxes for the Triwizard Tournament, following him into the Department of Mysteries that fateful night...there were just too many instances to count.
Harry had been so lost in thought that he failed to notice Hermione's now open eyes watching him for the past few minutes with a questioning look on her face. He realized with a jolt that he had been caught staring, and immediately blushed a fierce red.
"I er...have to go...get some more Butterbeer," he stammered, and promptly stood up.
He turned to look at Ron, who was staring at him with a bemused expression plastered on his face.
"I'll be right back."
As he walked back up to the house, he distinctly heard Ron say, "But there's a whole case of Butterbeer right here." Harry silently cursed himself for being a terrible liar, and trudged into the thankfully empty kitchen.