"Wake up!"
Harry felt himself being shaken. With some effort he opened an eye and saw a red headed prat trying to wake him up entirely too early. He was glad he wasn't sharing a room with him this time.
"Go away Ron," Harry protested. "It's too bloody early."
"Harry, it's time for breakfast. If you don't wake up, I'll eat yours." Ron paused, starring at him, then continued. "It's good to see that you finally got some sleep, but it's nearly nine and I'm starving."
Harry heard Ron walk out of the room and close the door. He sat up in the bed and looked around. 'Almost nine', he thought. 'I haven't slept in this late in months.' As he got dressed Harry thought about the dream with Hermione. It seemed so real, yet it also felt like being in one of those cheap romance novels that Aunt Petunia read all the time. What ever it was, he hadn't felt this good, despite his initial interruption, for a long time and he was going to enjoy it. With a smile he was sure was going to be glued to his face for at least half the morning he laced up his shoes and headed downstairs towards the wonderful smells of breakfast coming from the kitchen.
He stepped into the kitchen at Grimmauld Place, only to be greeted by several curious faces. Ginny and Hermione stopped whispering to each other, Ron put down his fork and even Mrs. Weasley stopped dishing out food to look up at Harry. The silly grin slipped off his face.
In the corner of the kitchen he glimpsed the stack of his still unopened birthday presents from the 'party' last week. He inwardly groaned, remembering how much of a prick he had been to all of them. He had been enjoying wallowing in his guilt and grief. At the time he didn't mind if he caused them to feel a fraction of the pain he was. Everyone had been acting awkward around him since then. He had been trying to rectify the situation because the guilt was eating him inside, but things were still tense.
"Did you sleep well dear?" asked Molly seeming to want to break the tension that was building in the silence.
"For the first time in a long time, yeah," said Harry as he sat down and began to fill his plate.
"So no more, um... nightmares Harry?" Hermione asked with concern in her voice.
"Actually, I did have one last night. Then I used one of Snape's suggestions. Imagine my surprise when it worked, and I had a very, uh... pleasant dream." Harry blushed slightly at the last bit, but buried his face into his food to hide it.
"So what was this great dream about Harry?" Ron managed to ask between mouthfuls of eggs.
Harry thought steam must have been coming out of his ears, with as hot as they suddenly got. "Nothing really important. Just some, um... personal stuff," Harry managed to get out before he filled his mouth with sausage so he wouldn't have to say anymore.
Harry stared hard at his plate while he heard Ginny trying to stifle a giggle and Ron nearly choke to keep himself from laughing.
"That's alright, Harry dear. You don't have to say anymore," Mrs. Weasley said in her comforting motherly voice. When Harry looked up at her, she seemed to have a knowing smile on her face.
"It's perfectly natural," Hermione said from behind her copy of The Daily Prophet. "Everyone has those kind of dreams. Right RON?"
Harry noticed Ron's face go pale at that last comment. He felt that smile creep back onto his face from earlier that morning, knowing that Hermione must have heard of some of Ron's recent dreams involving Ron, Luna and a bathtub full of pumpkin gelatin.
"So, what's on today's agenda?" Ron squeaked, obviously trying to change the subject.
"Homework," answered Hermione quickly. Ron rolled his eyes at the prospect.
"I think I'll actually enjoy that today," said Harry as he went back to his breakfast with the smile firmly glued back on his face.
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Harry put down his quill after scratching the last few words of McGonagall's summer assignment "The Benefits of Transfiguration versus Conjuring." He sat on the floor of the sitting room and rubbed his writing hand to relieve some of the discomfort. He looked up at Hermione, who was smiling at him. That smile pushed all thoughts of hand cramps out of his mind. 'Why can't I just admit to her how I feel?' he thought. 'Because she might not feel the same way, and even if she did, I don't need to make her a bigger target for Voldermort to use against me,' he reluctantly thought.
"I'm proud of you Harry," Hermione said. "You didn't complain once about the essay, unlike some people." She glared at Ron as she said this.
"Yeah, well I realized that studying isn't that bad." When it's with you. Hermione gave him a big smile at that. 'Those smiles are what make it all worth it,' he thought as he lazily lost himself in her face when she leaned over to help Ron finish his barely started essay.
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"Very good Potter," Snape said with annoyance and frustration in his voice after Harry had successfully blocked his fourth attempt. "It seems you are capable of learning after all."
Harry just stood there smiling, knowing it annoyed Snape further. He had just realized that Snape's lack of instruction was probably so he could torment and torture Harry outside of his Potions class and to make him fell superior to Harry, and by extension his father.
"Now I want you to not only block my attack, but give me a false memory. Think you can do that Potter?" Snape snarled at Harry.
"I've got just the one for you, Professor," Harry said with a smirk.
"Legilimens!"
Harry could feel Snape pushing at his mind. With the warmth and glow of his memory of his study sessions with Hermione wrapped around his mind he felt and was protected. He mentally opened the tiniest of holes in its fabric and pushed the most humiliating imagery he could muster through it.
Snape was dressed in a long flowery green dress with a large hat decorated with a vulture perched atop his greasy head. He was leaning over, snogging a goblin with a full white beard and mouth of sharp, yellowed teeth. Both of them in a boat floating into the entrance to the "Tunnel of Love."
Harry was brought back to reality as Professor Snape furiously screamed, "That is ENOUGH Potter! We're finished for tonight!" Snape rushed around the room, quickly collecting his things before storming out of the room, slamming the door behind him, leaving Harry standing there with the biggest grin on his face.
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As Harry was getting into bed he noticed that he wasn't as tired as he normally was after Snape's Occulmency lessons. He put his hands behind his head and happily closed his eyes, letting his thoughts wander to that wonderful bushy headed girl with those beautiful chocolate brown eyes.
He loved those eyes. He loved more than those eyes he thought. Her smile, he loved that too. Actually there were so many things to love about Hermione that he couldn't list them all. He loved her. He sighed deeply as her realized she would probably never know. Despite being a Gryffindor, he didn't feel that he would ever have enough courage to tell her.
Well that wouldn't prevent him from enjoying any dreams of her. Determined to surrender to whatever happened last night, he once again let himself fall into those deep cinnamon pools as a feeling of warmth enveloped him.
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The first ray of morning sun hit him in the eyes. He braved to open one and was greeted by a beautiful sunrise through an open window and the sounds of waves crashing nearby. He lifted his head and looked around. He found himself in a small tropical hut, with the woman of his dreams lying face down, naked besides him on the bed. The smell of ocean air mixed with her vanilla scented shampoo as he leaned to touch her exposed back. Her skin was soft and smooth beneath his fingers. She stirred slightly as his hand slowly moved up and down her spine. He brushed her hair away from her neck and gently kissed the newly exposed skin. He now understood her "tasting good" comment. It was a taste that was both familiar and exotic. She began to moan softly as he eagerly planted kisses along her neck and shoulders. Without hesitation or thought he bent lower and began nibbling at her earlobe, which elicited a very aroused moan.
She rolled onto her back and stared up into his eyes. A smile slowly crept over her face. She reached up and pulled him into her, kissing him hard and passionately on the mouth. He could feel her bare chest pressed into his, her fingers running through his hair. Her tongue darted into his mouth where it battled with his own. His hands slid down her sides caressing every silky inch of skin along the way, only stopping when he could reach no further without breaking their kiss. She pulled away from him, gently tugging at his bottom lip with hers and looked deep into his eyes, still holding his head with her hands.
"A girl could get used to waking up like this," she said.
He smiled wryly as his hands went automatically to her now exposed chest, with his eyes quickly following. In his hands were the two things he had secretly lusted after. He seemed to know what he was doing, as his manipulation of her flesh caused her to throw back her head, close her eyes, and bite her lips as sounds of pleasure emanated from her. He deftly moved his mouth to the sensitive nubbin in the middle of her heaving breasts. As he took one into his mouth a loud gasp escaped her lips, soon followed by low groans that verged on the edge of animalistic growls.
Harry continued his minstrations on her other breast, switching between them as desire consumed him. He enjoyed this very much, but something was nagging him from the back of his mind. When he paused to catch his breath, he looked up at her beautiful face. A playful pout appeared on her face.
"Why did you stop?" she teasingly asked.
He felt he had to confess his feelings to her, even it was just in this fantasy. He had to force himself to ask, "You know that I love you, right?"
She seemed shocked by this, as her smile had faded. "Of course I do. We wouldn't be here if I didn't," she said obviously trying to comfort him.
"Even if it seems silly, I still feel that I have to tell you... I love you Hermione. I have always loved you, even if I didn't realize it. I just hope you know how much." He had to fight to get it all out, yet it still seemed insufficient.
"I think I've got an idea," she said. Her smile had returned.
"I enjoy doing the simplest little things with you." He planted soft kisses down her chest before he continued. "Like just watching you while you study... or sleep."
"Then prove it to me," she said as she grabbed his head and pushed him further down her body. "And get back to work Mr. Potter."
The words tumbled out of his smiling mouth, "Yes Mrs. Potter."