`The words have lost all meaning', Harry thought to himself as he tried desperately to stay awake during History of Magic. Usually he'd have his head on the desk, fast asleep, as Ron did at the moment, but the last two nights he'd been plagued with nightmares and had woken the rest of the boys with his anguished shouts. He shook his head slightly to try and erase the images of his nightmares from his mind. Well, it was time to give up on even attempting to listen to Professor Binns or to take notes; it just wouldn't do for the Boy-Who-lived to die of boredom in a class on the goblin rebellions of 1635…
Ron let out a snort in his sleep causing Harry to snigger as Ron returned to his usual quiet snoring. Harry glanced up and saw Hermione was also glancing across at Ron with an amused smile on her face. Harry caught her eyes and grinned. Hermione leant closer to him and whispered, "I don't know what you're laughing at Harry - you twitch in your sleep- it's hilarious - Binns actually thought you were raising your hand to ask a question last week." She winked at him and Harry laughed quietly.
"How did you get me out of that one?" He asked curiously.
"Had to pretend I was incredibly interested in the precise location of goblin battle - once he'd talked about that for ten minutes he'd forgotten all about it."
"Thanks `Mione. What would I do without you?"
She smiled at him before turning back to her notes and jotting down some dates from the blackboard.
Harry decided to try staring out the window for a while, but all he could see was a few trees, making him wish he were outside rather than in the stuffy classroom. He looked around the room and saw that other than he and Hermione only two other students were actually awake, both Ravenclaw girls he'd seen Hermione chatting to on occasion. Harry focused his gaze on Hermione, and studied her face; now so different at age 17 than it had been when they first met. Her hair in delicate curls was piled loosely on top of her head, held in place by a spare quill, he was contemplating just how it stayed in place when she slid a piece of parchment across the desk towards him. He looked down and read it with surprise.
`Do I have ink on my face again?'
Harry glanced at her before picking up his quill to reply.
`No. Why?'
`You were staring at me'
`Sorry! Was wondering how you get your hair to stay like that'
`You're odd sometimes Harry. (It's a sticking charm on the quill) It's rather nice to have someone to chat to in History, you and Ron are usually passed out together. For that matter, why aren't you asleep today? Even I'm bored of goblin rebellions…'
Harry paused for a moment before replying.
`Nightmares'
`Is he...?'
`No, Just normal nightmares, but I've been shouting in my sleep - woke the boys up the last two night, thought I should avoid doing that in class.'
`Ok. Are you alright? It's been a while since they've been so bad.'
`Yeah I'm ok. Really `Mione. My mind's just torturing me a bit, showing me the worst possible things I can imagine.'
`I'll get you some dreamless sleep potion for tonight if you'd like. Is there nothing you can do to stop the nightmares, preventing what's happening in them?'
`No - that's the problem. I can usually cope but this is something that would destroy me if I tried to stop it, and would rip me to pieces if it happened.'
`You're being unusually cryptic today Harry. Has Dumbledore told you something new?'
`No, you know everything. It's just a realisation I've come to. Something I've really known for quite some time but hadn't wanted to admit.'
`Well now I'm intrigued. Are you going to tell me or do I have to tickle you?'
Harry smiled as he read Hermione's last comment.
`It's not something I wanted to tell you on paper, but maybe this is the best way. At least this way I can really think about what I want to say and not just blurt it out, saying something stupid. I've always been able to tell you anything, and I trust you more than anyone else in the world - it's just taken me a long time to realise what you mean to me. The worst thing Riddle could possibly do is to take you away from me. You're the most important person in my life and that's why my nightmares are so awful. It's not even that he has taken you, it's that he realises how to get to me - I hear him plotting, going over hundreds of ways to destroy me - destroy you. And there's nothing I can do. You're as protected as you can be right now. The only thing that could help would by distancing myself from you, or by one of us leaving Hogwarts. But I'm too selfish - I need you too much. I'm sorry.'
Harry watched as Hermione's eyes flew over the parchment, taking in what he was telling her.
`You don't get a choice to be selfish Harry; I'm not going anywhere. I refuse to. I've always known the dangers.
`Thanks `Mione. But - the danger is greater than ever now.'
`Why now?'
Harry looked at the parchment and then looked up to meet his best friends eyes, which were shining with unshed tears. This was something that definitely shouldn't be said on parchment. Hermione looked away from him, down at her notes, and Harry made the decision, leaning closer to her, he placed a hand in the small of her back and softly whispered in her ear.
"Because I'm in love with you."
Hermione's head whipped around to look at him, finding his face right in front of her, their noses only an inch apart. She smiled at him shyly and Harry smiled back nervously. Hermione looked away first, picking up her quill again before looking up at Professor Binns who had just turned to draw a complicated diagram on the board. Harry followed her gaze and picked up his quill with a sigh which froze in his throat as Hermione placed a hand on each side of his face, pulled him towards her and kissed him squarely on the mouth. Harry gazed at her in shock as she pulled away before he had a chance to react. She winked at him and returned to her notes just as Professor Binns turned around to face the class once more. Harry blinked and grinned to himself, shaking his head slightly in amazement, unable to react now that Binns was facing them again.
The bell finally rang and Ron awoke with a start, toppling on his stool. He rushed off with a wave to get to his next class on time across the castle whilst Harry and Hermione walked the short distance to the dungeons in companionable silence. As they neared the Potions classroom Harry seized his opportunity, and grabbing Hermione's wrist he pulled her into a dark alcove, placing his hands on either side of her face and kissing her.
They were several minutes late for Potions as Professor Snape was keen to point out by deducting 10 points from Gryffindor for being late, and 10 points for running in the castle due to their flushed faces. Hermione blushed and Harry held in a laugh as they took their places by their cauldrons. When Hermione leant over her cauldron towards Harry and whispered "I love you too by the way", Snape gave the pair of them detention and was confused by the huge grins on their faces as he sentenced them a night of scrubbing cauldron bottoms without magic.
The End
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