Finding Answers

dream_boat

Rating: NC17
Genres: Romance
Relationships: Harry & Hermione
Book: Harry & Hermione, Books 1 - 5
Published: 28/02/2005
Last Updated: 28/02/2005
Status: completed

Hermione is looking for the answers to save Harry from a looming prophecy. Little does she know she doesn't have to look far. [ATTN: My first sordid attempt at NC17, let this sway you how it may. You have been warned!]

Chapters

1. Chapter 1

2. Chapter 2

3. Chapter 3

4. Chapter 4

1. Chapter 1

NOTE: JK ROWLING owns all of the characters in this story.

I never do that updating stuff…you know…the `leave them hanging' stuff. I simply can't. So I never post stories until I'm done with them. However, this time I might withhold the final chapter until I'm sure the reviewers are satisfied with the progress of the story so far. Mostly because this is my first NC-17. I've said before I'm not good with the smut, so I've never published it. Therefore I'm quite nervous about the reviews I'll get when that final chapter is posted. All I can ask is…please, be gentle! I'm fragile! ;) *WINK

Also: If you're looking for absolutely raunchy sex, you shant find it here. Sorry.

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She sat huddled out by the lake with a book propped up in her nimble fingers. She had lost count of the number of books she had read lately. Constantly searching for an answer. Needing, aching, and hurting to find some morsel of enlightenment.

Since the day Harry had told her about the prophecy, Hermione had been ruthless in her quest for understanding. She needed to figure it out. For him.

She had read every book in the Library with `Prophecy' in the title and moved on to books about `Powers You Didn't Even Know You Had!' But there was nothing. She was becoming desperate. The fact that the Library was failing her for the first time was excruciating. It brought the dire circumstances to an even bolder resolution.

The Library had helped her to solve so many of their previous adventures. But this time it was failing. This gave her a horrible sense of `growing up.' She suddenly felt like Wendy in Peter Pan; forced to let go of the youth that she had been holding onto for so long.

A breeze picked up and whipped her cloak out around her. She shivered and turned to look towards the castle, many of the students were returning to the warm confines of its walls. She shook with cold again but returned to reading.

Harry. I must focus.

“There you are!”

“Hey,” she said, without looking up from her book.

“You must be freezing! Come on, let's go inside.”

“No thanks, Ron. I'm busy.”

“You can be busy inside then. Come on.”

Reluctantly, she took his outstretched hand and lifted herself up. They strode toward the castle, clutching their robes about them. The wind sent Hermione's hair whirling through the air. Finally they were through the front doors and Ron spoke again.

“How are you feeling, Hermione?”

“Fine. Why?”

“You've been so…s-so distant I guess. Maybe you should take a break or…”

“Take a break? Take a break!” Ron's eyes flew toward the floor, his ears reddening. “Don't you understand, Ron? Don't you get it!? Harry could die! Don't you care?” She was screaming and she knew people were looking at them, but she didn't pay them any attention.

“Hermione..I-I just thought…”

“You thought wrong! Leave me alone!”

With that, she was headed up the stairs toward Gryffindor Tower, leaving Ron looking exasperated behind her.

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Hermione sat in the common room until late that night. She had checked out another pile of books from the library and was now engrossed in one of them before the crackling fireplace. The truth was that she just couldn't focus on the book. No matter how hard she tried she couldn't keep her mind off of Harry.

Hermione knew that she was being distant with both of her best friends. However, she was nothing compared to Harry. He had become so introverted since the end of last year, when Sirius…passed through the veil. Sirius' death had taken its toll on Harry, but Hermione suspected the prophecy was weighing much more heavily on his shoulders these days. The fate of the Wizarding world was in his hands. That was not something to be easily coped with.

She had tried her hardest to break him out of his shell, but all of her attempts had been unsuccessful.

“Hermione…?” She snapped the book shut with a thud and twisted her neck around to see who had snuck up on her. It was Harry. His hair was splayed everywhere and his eyes were filled with sleep. He was still wearing his pajamas, which were all rumpled and wrinkly. Hermione had to force herself not to giggle, he looked so incredibly cute.

“Harry, what are you doing up?”

“I could ask you the same,” he said with a yawn as he plopped himself down next to her on the squishy couch. She watched him rubbing his eyes for a few moments and then said, “Reading…of course.”

“Sure. Yeah.”

“Is something the matter?”

“No. Well….of course, yeah. There's always something wrong…”

“Do you want to…talk?”

“Not really.” His eyes remained focused on the fireplace. The flames had gone out, but the coals still burned red-hot. Hermione had been watching the same process for the past months in Harry's eyes…the light slowly fading.

“I don't think I've heard this many words come out of your mouth for the past three months, Harry.”

“I know.” His eyes darkened but remained averted. They sat in silence for what seemed like an eternity. Silences that were once easy and comfortable between the two of them were now awkward and unnerving. “Hermione,” he spoke softly, startling her from her reverie.

“Yes?” His mouthed moved but nothing came out. Hermione could tell he was searching for the words to say what he wanted. “It's alright Harry; we don't have to talk about anything if you don't want to.”

“It's not that. I was just wondering…hoping really, well…never mind.”

“Never mind? Did you want to ask me something?” Suddenly he was standing and walking toward the stairs.

“No. Nothing. It's nothing. Good-night, Hermione.”

“Good-night, Harry.”

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Hermione awoke the next morning in a cloud of confusion. Harry had obviously wanted to say or ask something…but he had been so hesitant. Not scared really, but nervous.

The day went on like every other day. There were regular classes and then training with Harry. Dumbledore had thought it wise for both she and Ron to train alongside Harry for the coming war. Nobody had heard anything for weeks; they were all waiting on edge for the next attack.

“Good. Again,” roared Snape. Hermione thrust her wand forward and blasted a pillow to smithereens. “Alright then, that's enough for today.” The trio slumped down on the floor, exhausted from their exertion. Snape left and the room was filled with the sounds of their labored breathing. Abruptly, Ron was on his feet and heading for the door.

“Right, well, I'm off to see Luna before curfew. See you guys later.” And without a backward glance, he disappeared. Hermione sat beside Harry, leaning back on her elbows. He turned to look at her, sweat trickling down his brow, and smiled. Hermione couldn't remember if he'd smiled since returning to school this year, but she smiled back anyway and tried not to show her surprise.

“Wanna raid the kitchens?” he winked.

“Harry…?”

“Oh come on, I'm starving! Leave it to Snape to work us clear through dinner.” Hermione was shocked. Not only was Harry smiling and conversing with her, but was suggesting they continue doing so over a plate of cold chicken.

“Sure,” she smiled.

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((((I like short chapters…what can I say?))))

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2. Chapter 2

NOTE: Those of you waiting for a lighter tune to the story, here's a bit more cheerfulness. Those of you waiting for the nitty-gritty…patience.

Also: I love peanut butter…

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“…and the snake just slithered off out of the zoo.” Hermione shook with laughter. Picturing Dudley inside a snake terrarium caused her to practically propel pumpkin juice out of her nose, it was so hysterical.

“I can't believe I've never told you that story before,” Harry said, smiling and shaking his head. Hermione wiped at her eyes with her robes and dried the juice off of her chin, still chuckling.

“Me either. Awww, poor Dudders!”

Harry grinned and shoveled another spoonful of ice cream into his mouth. Hermione's laughter finally settled and she found herself watching Harry intently as he ate. It was so wonderful to see him smiling and laughing. She couldn't remember another time when they had laughed so hard together.

“What about you, `Mione? Ever make anything strange happen?” Hermione chose that moment to place a huge dollop of peanut butter on her tongue. Harry eyed her suspiciously. “It can't be that bad.” He continued to watch her as she struggled with the peanut butter.

“Mmph.”

“Cheater. I can't believe you're eating peanut butter straight out of the jar with a spoon!”

Hermione swallowed, “what do you suggest I eat it with?” They both grinned mischievously

“So come on,” he put another spoonful of vanilla into his mouth, “spill the beans.” Hermione was momentarily infatuated with a dab of vanilla ice cream that clung to Harry's lower lip. She watched transfixed as his tongue darted out to lick it off.

Oh, if only I were that ice cream, she thought.

“Well, not really anything spectacular,” she began stammering, “Just little things. I remember I had this pink dress that my mum always insisted I wear. Oh, I hated it! I hated pink…”

“So hard to believe,” he laughed.

“Anyway,” she continued, ignoring his remark, “One day at school it just suddenly changed color and I came home and my mum was so furious because she thought I'd traded with another girl at school...”

“Did you like Muggle school?”

“Not really, no. I mean, I was good in school, of course-…”

“-Of course!” he blurted.

“Ha ha, very funny. Anyway, I was good in school but I didn't quite fit in. Well, I wouldn't would I? Being a witch and all. I guess they sensed I was different. I never really had any friends.”

“Well I guess we had that in common then,” Harry quipped.

“Yeah, but I didn't sleep in a cupboard Harry!”

“True, true. We can't all be perfect I guess.” Hermione giggled and threw a kitchen towel at him. It felt so wonderful just to chat with Harry and laugh like they didn't have a care in the world. Harry immediately seized the moment to fling a scoop of ice cream in her direction. It landed with a `plop' in her lap. She gawked at him wide-eyed.

“I hope you intend to do my laundry this week!”

“I hope you didn't like that skirt,” he snickered, jumping down from the counter on a crash course for the door.

“Oh no you don't,” she grabbed him by the back of his shirt collar, scooped the ice cream from her lap, and slapped her hand down atop his head; smearing the ice cream into his already untidy hair. She released him and threw her head back in laugher. Harry whipped around, grabbed the bottle of chocolate topping, squeezed some into his hand, and smeared it across Hermione's face. She straightened up, stopped laughing, and gaped at him. He stood in front of her, chocolate bottle in hand, gripping his side in laugher. He had vanilla ice cream running down his forehead and dripping off of his chin, Hermione had chocolate syrup dangling off of her nose. She could not remember a more beautiful moment in all of her life. Then, touching her fingers to her sticky brown cheek and staring at them for a moment, she leaped off the counter onto him.

“Arrghhh!” he yelled. Hermione began tickling him with all of her might, and just before it seemed Harry would die of laughter, she sprung to her feet and sprinted toward the exit.

“You'll never find me!” she squealed over her shoulder.

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After two hours of fruitlessly searching the castle for Hermione, Harry gave up and headed for Gryffindor tower. He had been here once already to check the common room for his bushy haired friend, but to no avail. He smiled at the thought of her bushy hair, it wasn't really bushy anymore. More curly than anything, long and curly. Long, curly and flowing…

Alright Potter! Get a grip!

He grabbed some pajamas from his trunk and headed for the shower. After he was satisfied that there was no remaining ice cream in his hair, he toweled dry and pulled on his pajamas. He slowly made his way to bed, noting the absence of Ron's snores. When he pulled the curtains back from his four-poster, he let out a small gasp and jumped in surprise. There, curled up atop his blankets and sheets, was one Hermione Granger. Fast asleep. She had obviously cleaned up since their food fight earlier; Harry suspected a cleaning charm, for she was still in her Gryffindor colors.

She must have been hiding here the whole time.

He smiled to himself and clambered onto the bed next to his friend. She mumbled lightly in her sleep and Harry tried not to wake her. He stretched out beside her and pulled a blanket around their shoulders. Kissing her forehead gently, he closed his eyes to sleep…

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Hermione woke suddenly. She felt someone pressed against her back, someone warm.

Mmm…Harry. Harry!!

She sat up hastily and looked around at the boy in bed beside her. He was still sleeping. Good, she thought. She could leave and he wouldn't notice.

“..mphm..peanut butter…”

Peanut butter? What an odd dream. Wait…peanut butter! Merlin, was he dreaming about her?

She felt like running from the dorm in fear. She felt like screaming for joy. But mostly, she just felt comfortable. She couldn't remember a recent night where she had slept so soundly. Lately, horrid dreams about Harry and Voldemort ensnared her mind. But now…this…well, it had helped…whatever it was.

She lay back down, facing Harry, and pulled the blanket back up around them. She couldn't be sure what time it was…but it was obviously still night. She reached her hand out and ran it softly through Harry's raven locks. He looked so peaceful. She almost wanted to cry. What a burden rested on this boy's shoulders! From the moment he was born he was doomed to a life….well, a life that was far from normal.

“Hi there.”

Hermione jumped slightly, hastily removing her fingers from Harry's hair.

“Harry, I didn't know you were awake,” she whispered.

“Mmmm….I don't wanna…be…” he mumbled between stretches. “Haven't slept that good for quite a while, I'd say. No nightmares at all.”

“Harry, you told me you weren't having bad nightmares anymore.”

“I lied. C'mere.” He stretched his arm out and placed his hand on her waist, pulling her towards him. She snuggled her face into his chest and he rested his chin on top of her head. “You know, this is what I was going to ask you about the other night.”

“What's that?”

“Staying with me.” His voice was quiet and deep, it sent chills down Hermione's back.

“You mean, like this?” Silence. “Harry?” His breathing was soft and even, Hermione knew he had fallen asleep. It was the first time she had been happy to make someone fall asleep in her presence. She drew him closer and sighed.

Sleep.

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In the morning, when Harry woke, Hermione was gone. He frowned slightly and reached for the glasses on his bedside table. Sitting up, he looked around and rubbed his head. He hadn't felt this rested for months. Not since…not since Sirius. Glancing over at where Hermione had slept, he saw a note on the pillow.

Harry,

Thanks for the good sleep.

I'll see you at breakfast.

Hermione

He could tell that she had scribbled it quickly; her often tidy writing was replaced with messy scrawl. He smiled to himself and climbed out of bed.

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3. Chapter 3

NOTE: Oh..I don't have anything to say damnit! Enjoy.

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Showered and nervous, Hermione sat at the Gryffindor table reading a book. She wasn't exactly embarrassed about sleeping with Harry that night, but she was a bit afraid of how he would react. Would he act different around her? Did she want him to act different around her? She continued reading and munching on toast.

“Another book already?”

“Hey Ron. Listen,” she put her book down on the table and looked at him, “I'm sorry about yesterday.”

“Don't worry about it Herms, you know I already knew you were crazy.” He smirked and began piling food on his plate. She resumed reading her book.

“You know I hate it when you call me that.”

“Yes. What's your point?” Just then Harry sat down beside her.

“What's up guys?” he said, almost cheerily.

“Someone's happy,” Ron mumbled around his mouthful of breakfast, eyeing Harry.

“Hmmm. I guess I am. I must've slept well,” he replied, sending a wink in Hermione's direction. Hermione tried to hide the blush that had risen to her cheeks but it was no use. Instead, she lifted her book higher and pretended to be immersed in the text.

“Good news. It's about time you stopped having those nightmares. Listen, I'll see you guys later.” Suddenly he was gone, taking his plate with him. Hermione had a sneaking suspicion he was headed off to see a certain Ravenclaw girl.

“It's good to see Ron focused on something,” Hermione said without looking up, “even if it's not his school work.”

“Yeah.”

Hermione glanced up and Harry was staring at her. The flush returned to her cheeks.

S-T-A-R-I-N-G!

“W-Well, we better hurry if we want to make it to Transfiguration on time,” she blurted.

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Hermione found a seat far from where Ron and Harry sat. She didn't know why…it wasn't that she felt embarrassed about spending the night before snuggled up with Harry. Why did she keep saying that to herself? The problem was she did have feelings for Harry. Stronger feelings than she should have for someone who is just a friend. But it had been so long since she had allowed herself to realize these feelings; she was now almost ashamed to let them resurface. She had hidden them deep down inside of her. She didn't want anything to come between her and helping Harry, afraid that these feelings would prevent her from seeing the more important task at hand.

But now…

She could feel him watching her from his seat at the back of the classroom. Slowly, Hermione turned in her seat, trying to glimpse Harry from the corner of her eye. There he was, looking right at her with a sad puppy-dog look on his face. She had seen the look before. Since his Godfather's death, Harry could be seen sitting in the common room on many occasions with the same look on his face. However, this time, there was something more to it. Hermione just couldn't put her finger on what it was.

That look scared Hermione a little…but it also made her feel…

“Class dismissed,” Professor McGonagall's voice rang through her ears. Hermione gathered her books into her arms and swiftly left the classroom. She jogged down the hallway, her skirt bouncing as she went, until she found a small alcove in the corridor. She threw her back against the wall and exhaled deeply. What had gotten into her? Since when did she think of Harry….in that way!? She hung her head and tried to control her breathing.

In and out, Hermione, in and out…

“Hermione! Hermione? Which way did she go…?”

“I don't know. I just saw her take off in this direction. I didn't see which way she turned.”

“Thanks Ron. Well, I'll see you later. I'm going to check the library for her.”

Just then the two boys walked right by her hidden alcove. She gripped the books tight to her heaving chest and hoped they wouldn't see her; she knew she was having a panic attack of sorts. As they finally exited her line of sight, she breathed a sigh of relief. Then suddenly…

“I thought I saw you when we walked by!” A voice rang out. Hermione almost screamed. “I'm sorry; I didn't mean to scare you. Why did you leave class so fast?”

“Harry! Merlin, you scared me!” She could think of nothing else to say.

Harry leaned in close to her and she flattened her back against the cold castle wall. He placed a hand on the stones above her shoulder. Hermione had the distinct feeling he was about to say something profound and swallowed hard. He leaned in closer, brushed a stand of hair behind her ear, and lowered his face to hers.

“Why'd you leave so soon this morning?” he breathed into her ear. She closed her eyes and gulped.

“M-My…my hair…” she squeaked. Suddenly his arms were around her waist and he was holding her tightly against him.

“I think I might skip the rest of our lessons today,” he whispered.

“Harry?”

“It's just shaping up to be one of those days.” Hermione knew exactly what he meant by one of those days. He had been having them more frequently in the past few weeks. He would start the day out normally, but as the hours progressed he would become more and more depressed. Slowly, he would sink into a pit of anxiety. Dumbledore had allowed him to skip classes on these occasions and Harry would spend the day in his dormitory. He wouldn't even come out even for meals. Hermione often found herself bringing him food with his class work. Inevitably, he had begun to lose weight.

“I'm sorry Harry,” she whispered back, “do you want me to bring you the school work later?”

“Don't worry about it; I'll get it from Ron.” With that, he was gone. Hermione stood in the hallway for what seemed like an eternity before she began making her way to Charms class. She walked in a daze, thinking about Harry. She stopped just before she entered the classroom…then turned, and headed back the way she had come….

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((((Hmmm…where is that Herms off to??))))

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4. Chapter 4

NOTE: Well, here it is. Hope it's not as dreadfully dull as I feel it may be. However, always feel free to review, criticize or scream at me in any way you see fit. Thanks for reading!

Also: I waited a whole five minutes before posting this chapter! Without any reviews…so…yes, I'm dying here people.

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Stupid, stupid Harry! What were you thinking? You practically attacked her in the hallway!

Harry lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling. This is usually how he passed time in the afternoon. But today his thoughts were on Hermione instead of the impending war. He was beginning to think his feelings for her were…well, a bit more than friendly. He had shrugged these feelings off in the past easily; Hermione was the only girl he'd ever really known, of course he had feelings for her. But…he couldn't deny how completely whole he felt lately when she was around; safe. Hermione Granger, with all of her bossy ways and hidden insecurities, was the only person who could make Harry feel safe.

In many ways she was his savior.

He placed his folded hands behind his head and sighed.

Hermione…

His daydream was interrupted by a soft knocking on his dormitory door. “Harry…it's me. Can I come in?”

Hermione? What is she doing here?

“Come in,” his voice wavered.

Hermione's mind raced.

What am I doing here? I should be in class.

Another voice in her head rang out, what's the big deal? It's just Harry!

She opened the door and stepped into the semi-darkness. Harry was stretched out on his four-poster with his hands under his head.

Just Harry…

He wasn't exactly acknowledging her presence…he was just staring at the ceiling. She walked toward one of the tall windows and threw the curtains back. Light flooded through the room like a breath of fresh air. She stood at the window for a moment, looking down on the grounds. Then, turning, she stepped closer to Harry's bed.

“Mind if I sit down?”

“Go ahead,” he said, shifting over to give her some room but not taking his eyes from the ceiling. Hermione sat on the edge of the bed and kicked her shoes off. Then she rolled over and lay down beside Harry, placing her arm across his chest. It was as if this were the most natural thing in the world, like they had both been doing this forever. But on the inside, both were trembling.

Harry rolled over to face Hermione. “I'm sorry.”

“About what, Harry?” she asked, losing herself in those sad emerald eyes.

“Sometimes it just overwhelms me when I least expect it to.”

“I know,” she whispered, lightly touching his cheek with her hand. She wanted so badly to take away all of his pain. To kiss and love him like nobody else in his life had. Without thinking she rolled up onto her elbow and placed a gentle kiss on Harry's lips. It was nothing special, just a soft, sweet little kiss. When she pulled back, his eyes were still closed and his lips slightly pushed out. Hermione smiled.

“What was that for?” he asked, his eyes halfway open.

“I thought you might need it,” she said simply. He propped himself up so that he was facing her and pulled her towards him. “I did.” With that, he kissed her again. It was slow at first, but gradually became more desperate with passion. Hermione suddenly found herself straddling Harry's lap with no idea of how she had gotten there. Harry, his back against the wall behind his bed, gripped her tightly to his body as though clinging to her for his life. Perhaps he was. His kisses were hot and fierce. The feeling of his tongue roaming within her mouth and mating with her own tongue sent tingles to places on her body she'd never felt before.

Harry's hands were deep in her curls. She found her own hands pulling his shirt from the waist of his pants. Breaking their kiss for mere milliseconds, she wrenched the shirt over Harry's head and flung it over her shoulder. Her hands were suddenly in their own blissful ecstasy as they found their way across Harry's chest. Even with the weight he was losing, he had still maintained his firm Quidditch muscles. She felt him suck in a breath as her nails flitted lightly across his nipples.

Harry became a man possessed. He was suddenly ripping Hermione's clothes from her body….jumper, gone….tie, gone….buttons, a bit more difficult. Hermione's mouth remained firmly against his as he fidgeted with the buttons of her collared top. Finally stripping her down to a white cotton bra, he rolled her over so that she was beneath him.

Hermione moaned against his lips and pulled away to gasp for air as Harry began tugging her skirt down past her hips. His eyes, sparkling with that old fire, looked questioningly into hers, and she readily kicked the skirt past her feet. Harry struggled to remove his own trousers and became flustered at their resistance to his wrenching. Hermione, placing a hand upon his chest, calmed him with a warm kiss to his lips. Forgetting the pants, Harry placed his hands on either side of her face and deepened the kiss. Hermione pushed the slacks down the rest of the way and pulled Harry to rest once again on top of her slender frame.

She gripped his back tightly as he dipped his kisses lower across her collarbone and groaned slightly as his lips reached the center of her chest between her breasts. She arched her back to allow his hands access to the clasp of her bra. Just when Harry thought it might give him more trouble than the buttons, it sprung free and the garment slacked from around Hermione's shoulders.

Pulling the thin straps down her slim arms, he felt that he had never seen anything more beautiful than Hermione as she appeared to him now. Hermione moaned contentedly as he pulled one of her firm nipples into his hot mouth and caressed the other gently with his fingertips. Switching to her other breast he moved his tongue in lazy circles as his hand wandered to free her from her knickers.

Hermione felt as though she would boil over in ecstasy from the sensations Harry was instilling upon her body. She almost cried out when he paused in his pleasurable torments to rid himself of his own final remaining garment. Her eyes, curios as always, drifted to Harry's engorged erection. They widened in nervous anticipation.

Harry, again, gently lay his body down upon Hermione's and caressed her lips with his own. He wanted to reassure her. Inquisitively, she reached a small hand between them to grasp Harry's member. Strengthening the kiss connecting them, she guided him to her entrance and gasped as he began entering her.

When he reached her hymen, she wrapped her long limbs around his waist, bracing for the pain, yet urging Harry to continue all the same. With a powerful thrust Harry drove through, causing tiny tears to spring forth in Hermione's eyes. Trembling, he placed a delicate kiss upon each of her closed eyelids. After a few long moments of waiting, he felt Hermione begin to rouse beneath him.

In awkward, but fluid, movements he began moving within her. Hermione grasped firmly onto his flexed forearms and began kissing his neck just below his ear. She felt the pain recede as feelings of warmth began emanating from where she was joined with Harry.

Soon, the slow movement became torturous to Harry and he began driving faster into Hermione's heated center. The feeling grew within Hermione as Harry's plunging became rapid. Finally, the eruption built inside of her and boiled over as the walls within her contracted over and over, sending Harry toppling over the edge with her. She moaned his name into the afternoon sunshine and he collapsed onto her, chests heaving.

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It was perhaps hours before Hermione awoke beside Harry. A thin blanket enswathed their midsections and her arm was draped over his chest. The curtains of his bed were drawn and they were both cast into deep shadows. Sitting up, she clutched the blanket to her bare breasts. Closing her eyes, she ran a hand through her unruly curls and heaved a deep sigh. Her mind raced as she trembled inside. A murmur beside her pulled her from her contemplations. Turning, she saw Harry begin to stir with the beginnings of wakefulness.

Finally his eyes opened and immediately rested on her as she sat beside him, holding the blanket to her body. Thoughts raced through his mind. Their love-making had been so abrupt, and yet so long awaited. He knew he should speak, say something, but words eluded him. Finally, she lay her body back down and placed a graceful hand upon his cheek. He turned to face her and they lay for several moments, delicately entwined, staring into one-another's eyes.

There was so much to say. But somehow there were no words. Perhaps they had said it all in their urgency. Harry pulled her to him and held her tightly. How out of character this seemed for the both of them, but oh how right it felt!

Everything that had been welling up in him for so long…all the anger, all of the fear…it had all been safely emptied into Hermione. She had freed him of his self-made chains, those chains which he had fashioned to force himself to do what was right in the face of the upcoming battle. Now, he simply needed to follow his heart and do what he wanted.

And now what he wanted included defeating Voldemort.

Now that he had Hermione.

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The next morning, when they arrived in the Great Hall together for breakfast, Ron showed no surprise. Even when Harry could help himself no longer and kissed Hermione as she was speaking, in mid-sentence. Her eyes darted nervously toward Ron, but he simply sat there. Unshakable.

Reaching across the table, he took Hermione's copy of the Daily Prophet and lifted it to begin reading.

“Ron…” Hermione started, “is this….I mean, well…”

“All I have to say is,” he paused dramatically before wiggling his eyebrows up and down and blurting, “it's about time mate!”

Their section of the table erupted with laughter which rang through the hall in joyous tunes. It had been some time since laughter could be heard inside the castle. Soon, most of the Gryffindor table was caught up in a fit of laughter, most of them not knowing why they were laughing in the first place.

It was a brilliant beam of goodness in the midst of a dark war.

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They sat out beside the lake, Hermione wrapped in Harry's arms, simply content that they existed together at the same time.

“Haven't seen you with a book lately, Miss Granger.”

“I know.”

“Why not?”

“I found it.”

“Found what?”

“The answer I was looking for.”

“Oh. I didn't know you were looking for something specific.” He seemed slightly confused, and Hermione let him go on wondering, satisfied that she was being perfectly vague. She now knew that all of the books, all of the spells and charms and potions, would never be able to help him as much as the real answer.

We're the answer, she thought. Relaxed in each other's arms, they waited. Content with their love, they waited.

Knowing the evil that waited just out of sight…they waited, together.

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