Disclaimer: I don't own anything. The wonderful world of Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling.
A/N: This is my first fanfic...ever! I hope you all like it!
It was nearly midnight while Harry lie in his bed unable to sleep. Most of the nights had been like this
one...restless. Every night he would stay up thinking about Sirius, remembering him. He would lie in his bed every
night thinking about the future. Would he even have a future? And if he did, would there be any reason to have one if
everyone he cared about died? While he was desperately trying to push these thoughts from his mind for the billionth
time, he had been listening to the frightening snores of Ron all night.
"Ron, shut up!" he muttered. Finally he decided he might at least get some peace and quiet if he went down to the common room. He pulled his blanket over his shoulders and made his out the boys' dormitory. As he approached the bottom of the stairs he heard something. Someone was crying. He peered around the corner to see who it was and to his surprise he saw Hermione sitting on the sofa with her face buried in her hands, tears dripping from her fingertips. His breath became shallow seeing her like this. What's wrong with her? He thought to himself. Slowly he walk towards her. He was now standing right beside her. She must not have even noticed him come in, for she hadn't even looked up. His heart shattered as he watched her sob into her hands.
"Hermione?" he said tentatively.
She looked up startled. "Harry!" she gasped. The tears running down her face were being illuminated by the
blazing fire in front of her. She quickly looked away and started wiping her face with her sleeves.
"W - What are you doing down here?"
"Couldn't sleep." Harry said quietly. "Hermione, what's wrong?"
"Nothing Harry. I'm just - I - I..." she managed before letting her head fall to her hands and began crying even harder than before. Harry wanted to know what was wrong. Dropping his blanket to the floor, he knelt down in front of her and grabbed her hand.
"Hermione, please tell me what's wrong. You can talk to me you know."
"I know Harry. It's just I - I...it's nothing. It's stupid really."
"Hermione it can't be stupid. Nothing you say or think is ever stupid. And I've never seen you cry like this before. It has to be something important. Just tell me please. Maybe I can help." His eyes were boring into her tear filled ones pleading for an answer. He knew something had to be wrong. Hermione never got this upset.
"Harry, I -," she began.
"What?" he asked anxiously.
"Harry, I know this is going to sound so selfish but, I can't stop thinking about it. I just can't get it out of my head." Hermione said, sounding very tired and weak. "I know you don't like talking about it and I understand. And it's really not like you don't have enough to deal with, without me getting upset. But it's just been so hard to accept. And I know it has to have been even harder for you to accept -"
"The Prophecy." Harry said quietly gazing at her. She quickly met his eye. He didn't look angry. On the contrary he looked quite calm.
"Harry I - "
"Hermione it's fine." he said quietly. "I've thought a lot about it and I guess I
just didn't know it really upset anyone else, that's all." Hermione looked at him in shock. Thinking back,
the night Harry told Ron and Hermione about the Prophecy was such a blur. All he could remember was being hugged
fiercely by Hermione and that was the end of it.
"Harry, how could you think that?" she shrieked.
"I don't know," he replied. "I mean I'm the one who has to kill Voldemort or be
killed by him. If I die - "
"But you won't!" Hermione sobbed.
"How do you know that Hermione?" Harry asked, still with a quiet voice. "How does anyone know that? It's in the Prophecy...either him or me. I just have to accept the fact that he could kill me."
"No!" Hermione said getting to her feet. Harry stood up with her. Her voice was growing even more shaky and she looked as if she were about to fall over.
"Hermione - "
"Harry, you won't die! Y-You CAN'T die!" she sobbed. She took one step forward and lost
her balance, falling towards Harry. Harry caught her in his arms and sat down with her on the sofa. She wrapped her
arms around him and was now soaking his T-shirt with tears. "Harry, you just can't die." she said pulling
away from him. She was looking straight into his eyes with such seriousness and such emotion, Harry thought he might
start crying too. He quickly looked away trying to avoid her eyes. But it seemed Hermione wouldn't have it. She
reached up and grabbed the sides of his face with her hands. There was no choice now, he had to look.
"Harry listen to me. You - have - got - to - kill - him." she said through clenched teeth. "He has to die...for everything he's done. For everything he's put everyone through. For everything he's put you through. Harry, I promise you, I will do everything I can to help you. You won't have to do this alone-"
"But I do!" Harry said now standing. "I do have to do it alone. This fight is between him and me! And
you can't come!"
"But, Harry - "she protested.
"I won't watch anyone I care about get hurt anymore. Or worse die! I've already lost Sirius. If I lost you or Ron or even both of you...what would I have left? I've already put you in enough danger these past few years. You going into battle and getting hurt...again - it's just - it's not a risk I'm willing to take!"
"But it's a risk I've already taken Harry!" Hermione said looking up at him dispairingly. Then she got to her feet and looked him straight in the eye. "You don't seem to understand that we all have taken risks at our own will!"
"But Hermione, you - "
"Harry, I just - I...I can't lose you. I WON'T lose you." Hermione was now trembling from head to toe with a sad, fearful look on her face. They stood staring at each other in silence for what seemed like eternity. Hermione was crying fiercely. Harry didn't know what to think. He couldn't believe that she cared so much. The stupid Prophecy had upset her more than it did him. Suddenly he noticed himself being brought into the deepest hug. He felt all of his bottled-up emotion spill out into tears. He held onto her and didn't want to let go. "Hermione...I don't -", he started fighting through the tears. "I don't w-want to d-die."
"Shh...I know Harry." she said through her own sobs, hugging tightly. "I know. You won't. Harry, you aren't going to do this alone. There are so many people who are with you, who love you. I'm with you - I love you." she said holding him tight.
At these words he held her even closer. She loved him? No one, besides his parents and Sirus he would have guessed, had ever told him they loved him. Slowly pulling away, he looked deep into her big brown eyes. Then he whispered, "I love you too, Hermione."
"Really?" she asked trembling.
Not breaking the connection between their eyes, he leaned closer to her, their noses almost touching. "Yes", he said breathlessly. Her eyes were so beautiful. Without any hesitation, he brought his hand up to her face and cupped her cheek, brushing away the tears from her eyes with his thumb. He sat there holding her face in his hands for a moment. He had wondered how he never noticed just how beautiful she was. They were both staring into each other's eyes, knowing without words what was about to happen. Reading one another's eyes, they both leaned in at the same time. Their lips met so softly, so naturally. He felt every part of him awaken as he kissed her. He couldn't believe this was happening.
They broke apart for a brief moment to look at each other and both managed smiles through their tears. They leaned in again, their lips met and they were kissing within their own world. His hand was still on her face moving its way to the back of her neck and the other was around her waist. Hermione's hands had found their way around his back and into his hair. Their kisses seemed so natural, like they had done it so many times before. While they kissed it seemed as if every worry they had confessed to one another just moments ago were disappearing. The time just seemed to fly by into the wee hours of the morning. As they broke apart, Hermione placed her hands on his face. She leaned her forehead against his, still crying in happiness. He reached up and placed his hand on the small hand that was cradling his face. He held it there, entwining his fingers with hers, then brought it down to his lips and kissed it softly. Hermione smiled and spoke first.
"That was...exactly how I imagined it would be." she said with a grin on her face. He smiled at her.
"Hermione," he whispered. "When - I mean, how long have you - loved - "
"For a while Harry." Hermione said. "I've always loved you. I just never really noticed I felt that kind of love until 4th year I suppose. I mean you had to face Voldemort all on your own. I was just terrified afterwards. I never wanted to lose you."
"How about you? I mean, When did - or - " she asked anxiously.
"Hermione." Harry said imediately. "You know I've always cared for you right?" She nodded. "Well, like you, I did feel something, I'm not sure when. Maybe every so often I thought about it, but I sort of got the impression that Ron fancied you. And even with all the bickering you both did, I thought that you might fancy him back. So I just sort of tried to push you to the back of my mind. It wasn't really until last year that I didn't have the strength to suppress my feelings for you." Tears began to swell up in his eyes. "Hermione, I thought you had died. In the Department of Mysteries. I thought I'd lost you. I thought I'd never get to tell you how I really felt." he said, drooping his head and staring at the floor, avoiding her tearful gaze.
"Harry, I'm not going anywhere." she said pulling his face back to her gaze. "And even if something does happen...I know now how you feel. You know how I feel."
"Yes, but still...I can't lose you either Hermione." Harry said.
"Well then we'll just have to take care of each other, now won't we?" she said with a grin. He nodded and gave her a sweet kiss on the lips. "I love you." he said pulling away.
"I love you too, Harry." she said smiling.
Hermione began to shiver. With a small grin on his face, Harry picked up the blanket he had brought down from his dormitory off of the floor, sat down on the sofa and motioned for Hermione to curl up next to him. She quickly hurried towards him and cuddled up next to him, lying her head on his chest and wrapping her arms around him and across his stomach. As he wrapped the blanket around the both of them, Hermione let out a little giggle.
"What?" Harry asked looking down at her grinning.
"You thought I fancied Ron?" Hermione asked turning her head towards him. She was laughing.
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