One Night Won't Change Our Lives
Loud music was pounding through the Great Hall of Hogwarts. Loud music that would have woken up everyone within twenty yards, but no one was sleeping. Every student from the Ravenclaw, Gryffindor, and Hufflepuff houses even some from Slytherin and almost all the Professors were celebrating. Celebrating the defeat of Lord Voldemort at the hands of Harry Potter. It had been years in the making, since Voldemort returned at the end of Harry's fourth year, and now it had happened. Mere hours ago Harry had fulfilled his destiny and killed Voldemort. He'd even managed to survive the ordeal without any major injuries.
So know Harry was sitting at the party; at a table that was off to the side of the room. He wasn't able think of a good enough excuse to skip the party, which was being held in his honor, so now he was just trying to stay off people's radar as much as possible. Harry wasn't being very talkative, he wasn't dancing, and he wasn't eating any of the food provided. He was just sitting quietly, wishing everyone would get tired and leave.
"You alright Harry?" One of his best friends, Ron Weasley asked. Harry just shrugged and nodded his head in an unconvincing way. Harry's other best friend Hermione Granger took a seat next to him and put her hand supportively on his knee.
"You guys go enjoy the party - I'll be fine." Ron looked to Hermione, she encouraged him to leave.
"Luna's waiting for you, go dance, I'll sit with Harry for a while."
"Alright," Ron said disappearing onto the dance floor to find his girlfriend.
"You don't have to sit with me Hermione, I'm a big boy I can take care of myself." Harry said turning his back to her and looking blankly at the people around them.
"I know that Harry, everyone here knows that, we're all here because you can take care of yourself and the rest of us. I just thought you might want to talk to somebody."
"Wouldn't you rather be out dancing?" He said bitterly raising his arm towards the dance floor.
"I don't feel much like celebrating." Hermione said leaning her head onto his shoulder.
"Well that makes two of us."
"Come on Harry talk to me." Hermione said grabbing his arm and forcing him to face her. She looked desperately into his eyes. "I'm your friend Harry you can talk to me and you need to talk to someone. You can't just let what you're feeling go unsaid."
"Alright," Harry said after a pause, he really did want to talk to someone and Hermione, having gone through most things right along with him, would be likely to understand how he was feeling. "But not here."
"Let's go to the Room of Requirements, it'll be quite there." Hermione said standing up and taking Harry's hand. As they left almost everyone tried to stop Harry, get him to tell them again what had happened, but Hermione pushed them all aside. She didn't care that she was being rude.
"So we just need a place to talk?" Hermione asked casually as they reached the seventh floor. Harry nodded and they both walked three times in front of a patch of wall and watched as a door appeared. Behind the door was the room they had been thinking of. Just a simple room with a sitting area, a place for them to talk.
"So Harry how are you doing with all this?" Hermione asked sitting down on the couch. Harry didn't want to sit instead he walked back and forth across the room, but she thought that was fine. If he needed to pace to talk to her that was fine.
"I'm fine I guess, as I fine as a murderer can be."
"Harry don't call yourself that. You are not a murderer; you did what you had to do so that all of us could live in safety."
"I killed someone! I know it was only Voldemort and I keep reminding myself that he killed my parents and is the reason Cedric, Sirius, your parents, and so may other people are dead, but that doesn't make it any easier."
"Harry..."
"I don't know how I'm going to live with this."
"You'll take it one day at a time; it's the only way to live with something like this."
"I just feel so wrong. Killing him didn't bring anyone back."
"No, but it saved so many lives..."
"Don't give me that savior of the world crap. I don't want to be anyone's savior Hermione."
"But Harry if you didn't kill him no one would have been able to stop him, that's what the..."
"I know what the prophecy said Hermione. I've been living with that for two years. That doesn't mean I have to like it. I just want to be normal Hermione. I want to have parents, a real family. I want to have a normal relationship with a girl. Do you realize that the only person I've ever kissed was Cho Chang? Not to mention the other things I should have experienced by my age. But I couldn't, oh no, that would far too much to ask because at anytime a raving lunatic could kill me."
"So this isn't really about killing him? This is about the things you've missed out on because of what was expected of you."
"It's about both." Harry said stopping his pacing and pressing his face up against one of the windows.
"Harry," Hermione said softly coming up behind him and putting a supportive hand on his back.
"I just feel so old, but I feel so young at the same time. There's just so much of life I've never experienced, but I feel like I've done everything everyone has ever expected of me. Ever will expect of me. I don't know where my life is supposed to go now. I've fulfilled my destiny, there's nothing else for me." Hermione didn't know what to say to any of that. Harry had missed out on a lot in the past two years, before that even. He had missed out on important things since he was a baby and his parents had been killed. Without thinking Hermione wrapped her arms around Harry and rested her head on his back. She wanted to comfort him, let him know she would always be there.
"Hermione," Harry said softly touching her arms lightly.
"Harry?"
"I don't want to ask you what I'm thinking." Harry said moving her arms from around her waist and turning around to face her.
"What are you thinking?" He wrapped her in his arms, pushing her against his chest, but didn't say anything.
"It's just that I..."
"It's just that you?"
"I've never..."
"You've never?"
"Been with anyone and I know it's a weird time so just forget it."
"You want me to be your first?" Hermione asked gently looking up into his eyes.
"You don't have to, it's a dumb idea." Harry said looking away from her. She didn't think it was a stupid idea, if that's what he wanted, if that's what it would take to make him feel better she was willing to do it for him.
Hermione turned his head towards her and with one hand on either side of his face leaned up and kissed him. Harry was taken by surprise, but didn't fight it. His lips parted inviting her tongue to join his. She accepted his invitation and deepened the kiss. His hands slide under her shirt as he tried to pull her closer to him. Hermione was the first to brake the kiss; taking short and staggered breaths she pulled her shirt up over her head, thinking that was what he was trying to do, and went back to kissing him. Harry's hands roamed her back as Hermione pulled at his belt buckle and undid his pants.
"We don't have to do this." Harry breathed when there lips broke apart again.
"I want to do this for you Harry." Hermione said pushing his shirt up and throwing it to the floor with her. "Besides one night won't change our lives." Harry nodded and kissed her again while guiding her towards the couch. She laid down at an angle, her back resting on the arm rest. Harry stripped out of his reaming cloths and pulled down her jeans before joining her. The couch must have widened because suddenly there was more then enough room for both of them. Harry seemed very nervous as he pulled Hermione's underwear down her legs, but Hermione understood. She had been nervous her first time too.
"Let me help you," Hermione said as Harry struggled to undo her bra. Harry's face reddened slightly in embarrassment, but Hermione assured him it was alright. She gasped slightly as Harry entered her.
"Did I hurt you?" Harry asked nervously.
"No," Hermione moaned, "no Harry that was - was a good noise. Don't stop." Harry smiled at her as he moved again and she moaned loudly.
"Oh, Harry - Harry." Hermione called sometime later as Harry threw her into climax.
"That - that was amazing." Harry said breathlessly. Hermione smiled at him as she wrapped his arm around his back and pulled him down so he was lying on top of her. "Thank you Hermione."
"You're welcome Harry; you know I'd give you anything I could."
They fell asleep that way, but in the morning Hermione woke up alone with a blanket covering her. She looked around for Harry, but didn't find him. Instead she found a note addressed to her on a pile of her fresh cloths.
Hermione,
You made me feel amazing last night, made me realize there were still things out there for me to experience. Thank you Hermione, you really are my best friend. Please don't get upset because I not there, don't feel like I used you - I just thought it would be easier if I wasn't there. Ginny got those cloths for you, I didn't tell her what happened - she guessed.
I'll see you at breakfast Harry
Hermione smiled at his note, he was so cute. She wasn't upset because he'd left - he was right it would have been awkward since as far as she was concerned what happened the night before was a one time thing. She loved Harry as a friend and was willing to be his first for him, but that was as far as it went, she just didn't have those feelings for him. Harry was down at breakfast waiting for her. Apparently he had already eaten and was waiting to talk to her.
"Don't worry Harry I don't feel like you used me. I was a willing participant." Hermione whispered in his ear before she sat down.
"You mean it?" He asked almost in disbelief.
"I mean it Harry."
"I still want to be your friend, that won't be to weird will it?"
"Oh come on Harry, you can't get rid of me that easily. Like I said last night one night won't change our lives or our friendship."
AN: It's sad when characters are so naive, oh well she'll learn. ; ) Please let me know what you think by leaving a review. Thanks.
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