a/n: Thank you, reviewers - you guys really make my day. Without further ado, here's chapter 7 - some humour, quite a bit of fluff, and of course, more story. Enjoy!
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chapter 7: i love yogurt?
Harry sat stock still at the kitchen table as if he had been Petrified. He vaguely registered that his mouth was hanging open and he was staring at the now closed back door. He managed to close his mouth and stand up with only a little bit of trouble. Harry moved towards the door at a snail's pace, desperately trying not to draw attention to himself and the fact that he was leaving. He had just extended a hand towards the door when, naturally, things had to go wrong for Harry.
"Harry, dear, it's late - where are you heading out to?" Mrs. Weasley's voice called from the table.
He jumped and spun around to look at the table. At least fifteen curious faces were now turned towards him; some were smiling, some just staring. Harry saw Fred and George exchange a glance and smirk at one another before returning their attention to him. He felt himself blush and knew he must look like an idiot, just standing their gaping at everyone. What was he supposed to say? He certainly could not tell them the truth and blurt out, 'I'm just going out to meet a girl for a snog - oh, and that girl happens to be my best friend. Yeah, Hermione, she's the one.' Somehow he thought that might not go down so well. Harry's brain worked frantically in search of a reasonable excuse. At last, something plausible and simple surfaced; he decided to just go with it and hope for the best.
"I'm feeling very full after your excellent cooking, Mrs. Weasley, so I fancied I'd take a short walk around the garden," he said quite calmly considering he had rarely been more nervous in his entire life. Harry hoped his compliment would throw her off a bit and maybe she'd let him escape. His brain and body were both screaming, "GET OUTSIDE!" and he could feel his hand that was now resting on the doorframe twitching.
Mrs. Weasley seemed to be considering his reasoning while Fred and George continued to smirk. Tonks leaned over and whispered something to Ginny. She shook her head with a grin on her face before whispering something back to Tonks, who promptly blushed and stared at Harry.
Finally, Molly shot Fred and George a look and said, "As long as you have your wand and you don't stray too far away from the house, you should be fine, dear."
Harry breathed a sigh of relief and quickly exited the kitchen. The cool night air felt good against his burning face. He stood still a moment to allow his eyes to adjust to the moonlight, and then set off down the hill towards the tree by the creek. While Harry hoped and wished that Hermione was waiting for him so they could promptly snog each other senseless, a tiny part inside wondered if she had called him out just to talk about what had happened in the lounge. He knew Hermione tended to analyze every little detail of something, why should their kiss be any different? "Because it was a kiss, that's why, you idiot," he thought as he continued to walk. A short while later he found himself at the tree where he, Hermione, and Ron had sat together. Harry searched the darkness for Hermione, but there was no sign of her nearby. Just as he was starting to panic, he felt a hand on his shoulder and whipped around to find himself staring right at her.
"Why'd you have to sneak up on me? You had me worried like no other when you weren't waiting by the tree," he said as he tried to regain his composure.
Hermione raised an eyebrow and said, "I told you to meet me by the creek - you're the one who assumed I meant the tree, Harry. Besides, you worry too much; I can handle myself just fine."
"I didn't mean it like that," Harry stated quickly, "it's just I worry about you, and after all that's happened to-" he was cut off as Hermione leaned up and kissed him forcefully. Harry was surprised at first, but it was definitely a pleasant surprise. Once again he thought his heart would explode in his chest as he kissed her back with just as much passion. His head was spinning out of control and he didn't mind it one bit. He wrapped his arms around her back and pulled her as close as humanly possible, most likely crushing a few of his ribs in the process - but he didn't mind that either.
Harry was just about to deepen the kiss when Hermione got there before him. He gasped as her tongue slid into his mouth and met his. Never had he kissed like this before - he wished so badly that he had never gone through that awful experience with Cho, and that this was his first kiss. Absolutely everything about this moment was perfect - his and Hermione's mouths fused, her hands in his hair, his hands wrapped tightly around her back, all underneath the night sky.
He felt her push him away, and wondered what on earth would make her want to stop this. Had he done something wrong? Was he really a bad kisser after all? However, all worries were erased from Harry's mind as she smirked and pushed him down onto the grass before practically jumping him. He grinned into her lips as their kissing continued, even most passionate than before. Hermione's hands moved up and down his t-shirt twice before she broke their kiss momentarily to pull it off over his head. As they continued kissing, her hands went back to his chest and he jumped at the contact. His skin literally felt as though it was burning up wherever she touched him, so he decided to give her some of her own medicine. He promptly slipped his hands underneath her own tank top and moved them up and down her back. She gasped and pulled away, and Harry thought he had gone too fast. It turned out he was very wrong, and he knew it when she pulled off her shirt, nearly ripping it in the process. Harry decided to try something he had heard Dean talking about before; he flipped her over so he was on top before he kissed her neck experimentally a couple of times. When she gasped and whispered his name, Harry made a quick mental note to thank Dean profusely the next time he saw him.
They continued to kiss like that, never letting go of one another. After over an hour, Hermione - who had incidentally flipped Harry over again so she was on top - rolled off of him and laid by his side in the grass breathing heavily. He looked over at her to see her lying there watching the stars with a smile on her face and her arms crossed under her head. Harry grinned and turned to watch the stars himself. Hermione shifted so she was lying with her head on his chest. Her eyes looked up into his as if asking permission to stay like that. Harry smiled warmly and nodded before looking back at the sky. Out of the corner of his eye he saw her smile before she closed her eyes. No words needed to be spoken between them - they both knew they had not only crossed but demolished the line between friendship and more, and that it was fine by them.
Harry continued to stare into space as he relived the events of the last hour with a continual grin imprinted on his face; Hermione simply lied with her eyes closed and a small smile playing on her lips. They stayed that way for another hour before Hermione suggested they return to the house so as not to worry Mrs. Weasley or anyone else. Harry reluctantly agreed, stood up, and then helped her to her feet. The two of them pulled on their shirts before walking hand in hand up the hill towards The Burrow. They separated when the kitchen door was reached and looked into each other's eyes like before. Harry wanted to tell her he loved her so badly, but he was scared it might put her off. "Oh, to hell with it," he thought.
He cleared his throat nervously and said, "Hermione, I" he broke off as his voice cracked. Once again he cleared his throat before continuing, "I love yo…gurt."
"Oh. My. God. I love yogurt?! What the hell am I thinking?" he thought as he feigned a coughing fit. Hermione looked at him with a questioning face, and he shrugged. He was saved from having to explain his apparent passion for yogurt when the door abruptly opened.
They were bathed in the bright light from the kitchen as Ron poked his head outside and said, "There you are! Bloody hell, you had mum in a right state!"
Hermione gave Harry one last questioning look before winking and walking past Ron into the kitchen. Harry turned to see Ron with a curious look on his face. "Probably wondering why I was coughing like an idiot while standing out here with Hermione," Harry thought as he nodded to him and walked inside. He saw Hermione hugging Ginny and saying good night, and he walked over to them. Ginny smiled at him and left the room.
"I'm going to bed now, Harry. See you in the morning," Hermione said. She stood on her toes to give him a kiss on the cheek as she always did. After kissing him she added in a whisper, "I think we're going to have to start taking walks every night." She smiled, said a quick good night to Ron, and left for her bedroom. Harry stood there with a goofy grin on his face - he definitely wanted to take more "walks" like that with Hermione.
"I'm heading up to bed too, coming, Harry?" Ron asked, stifling a yawn.
"Yeah, let's go." And with one final look out the window towards the night sky, Harry followed Ron out of the kitchen and upstairs to their bedroom.
Ron fell asleep right away, but Harry lay awake in bed unable to sleep. He fought the urge to sneak into Ginny's room and wake up Hermione, although it was a very tempting idea. He tried to will himself to sleep, but every time he closed his eyes images of Hermione popped up and he couldn't help but feel overwhelmed by the urge to have her in his arms and touch her again. He climbed out of bed and silently paced the room, thinking it might help to clear his mind - and then it hit him - Occlumency. That was the whole point of Occlumency really, clearing one's mind. Harry got back into his bed and shut his eyes, trying very hard to concentrate on nothing in particular and clear all thoughts out of his mind. It proved quite effective, and Harry found himself drifting off to sleep.
He awoke rather early the next morning; the sunlight was filtering into the small bedroom through the window behind his bed. Harry scratched his neck and sat up in bed; what he say lying on the ground shocked him.
There was a small container of yogurt with a note attached to it. Harry scrambled out of bed and snatched the note up. Hastily putting on his glasses, he read it to himself:
'I love yogurt too. -Hermione.'
Harry fought the urge to burst out laughing as he remembered what he said last night. He had backed out of telling her how he felt at the very last moment and ended up sounding like a complete idiot. "At least she found it amusing," he thought with an inward laugh. He folded her note and placed it under his pillow for safekeeping, and placed the yogurt on Ron's desk.
Ron had obviously already left for Romania with his family - Harry found a small scrap of parchment addressed to him explaining the trip along with a hasty good bye. He smiled, happy knowing Ron would have a good holiday with his family. Harry wondered if Fred and George were paying for part or even this entire trip - their business was a huge success, and the Weasleys were quite poor. That used to be such a touchy subject with Ron, but over the years and with all the trouble in the wizarding world it had faded into the background along with many other petty issues.
Harry quickly cleared his mind - he didn't want to start the day off by thinking about the troubles of the world. He grabbed a change of clothes and headed for the bathroom to take a shower before breakfast. After cleaning up, Harry took some extra time to check his appearance in the small mirror that hung on the wall. He knew he was being stupid - Hermione wasn't a shallow girl and wouldn't care about whether or not his hair was tamed or what he wore. However, he wanted to look good for her since she always looked great. Harry couldn't help but wonder if her big "makeover" was just for him. He pulled himself out of his thoughts and away from the mirror to go downstairs for some breakfast.
The kitchen was absolutely empty when Harry arrived and his face fell. He had been hoping to meet Hermione in here - maybe even for a quick snog before anyone else came in for breakfast. He tried to remember who was all present at The Burrow, besides himself, since the Weasleys were gone. There was Hermione of course, and also Tonks; who's current assignment was to watch and protect Harry and Hermione. An old Auror Harry didn't know was staying in the attic, guarding headquarters and reporting to Dumbledore. Other members of the Order regularly came and went, but no one else resided at the house, at least no one Harry was aware of. Just as he was wondering if he and Hermione would be able to have some time alone, the subject of his thoughts walked into the kitchen.
"Morning, did you have a good sleep?" she asked with a smile.
"A good sleep, and a brilliant morning - I liked your note," Harry replied with a smile of his own.
She gave a small laugh before saying, "Well, I do like yogurt too, although I don't know if I'd go around proclaiming my love for it." Hermione grinned as Harry blushed and moved towards the sink for a glass of water.
He drank his water slowly, watching her move about the kitchen making toast for the two of them. When she was finished she set a large plate of toast on the table, sat down, and began to eat at lightning speed. Harry sat down next to her and gave her a quizzical look. She merely shrugged and offered no explanation as she continued to eat. He grabbed a few slices of toast for himself and tucked in. They ate in a comfortable silence, both wondering how they'd spend their day. Harry could think of quite a few things he wanted to do; he cast a furtive glance over at Hermione as he wondered if she was thinking along the same lines as him.
A large tawny owl flew in through the open window near the sink. It circled the room once before dropping a letter onto the table right in between Harry and Hermione. The owl gave a quiet hoot and left through the same window it had entered. Harry could see that the letter was addressed to him and Hermione, and he reached for it at the exact same time she did.
"You take it," they both said in unison. They laughed and Hermione pushed the letter towards Harry, nodding as she did.
He opened it quickly and read aloud, "Mr. Potter and Miss Granger, I hope everything is well with the both of you as you read this. I have arranged for your training to begin tomorrow afternoon; Remus Lupin, Nymphadora Tonks and Alastor Moody will all oversee the training and instruct you along the way. They will meet you at The Burrow tomorrow at precisely noon; from there you will head to a designated area for your first session. Once again I stress the importance of this training, and ask that the both of you put forth your best effort. Stay safe, Albus Dumbledore."
Harry looked up as he finished reading; he set the letter on the table and sighed. In truth, he didn't know what to make of this "training program" Dumbledore had arranged for them. He was happy, however, to hear that Lupin, Tonks and Moody would be his instructors - all three were certainly qualified for the task, and Harry was especially fond of Lupin.
"Well," he said as he watched Hermione reread the letter, "at least we have a day to ourselves before the work begins."
She looked up from the letter and smiled. "I suppose we do, although to be honest, I'm a bit nervous about this training business." She shook her head and returned to the letter before continuing, "but everything will be fine - Professor Lupin, Tonks and Professor Moody are all great wizards - they'll teach us well."
Harry nodded enthusiastically, hoping he looked confident so Hermione wouldn't be nervous about it. He had hoped to have a talk with her sometime during the day about last night's events, and he wanted her to be calm and relaxed. He stood up and offered her his hand.
"Shall we go for a walk, then?"
Hermione folded the letter, placed it on the table, and nodded before taking his extended hand. The two walked out of the kitchen and into the fresh morning light.