Unofficial Portkey Archive

Chapter 8

Hermione let the information sink in for a moment, before finally answering. "Okay...we'll...kiss the next time we see Parker," she agreed.

Harry bit his lip. "Er...actually, I think it would be wise if we do it now."

She blinked. "Now? But...no one's around, we're alone."

"Exactly....I mean, think about Hermione...the first time we kiss...it's going to be awkward, right?"

"Er...yeah, I guess."

"Right, well...we don't want to kiss for the first time in front of Parker, he'll see right through us if we're awkward and clumsy. See what I'm saying?"

"Yes...I guess your right." She sighed as she shifted to him. "So...it'll kind of like be practice."

"Right...practice," he agreed as he felt his heart start to hammer loudly against his chest. He was about to kiss Hermione. He was really about to kiss Hermione. The girl he knew since he was eleven. Bloody hell this is weird.

"This isn't Quidditch you know."

"I know, I know," he said with a sigh. "We have to though if we want to pull it off."

"Okay," she finally said. "I'm game."

Harry took a deep breath as he shifted in his seat next to Hermione. He gave her a quick glance as he scooted closer to her. He cleared his throat, so did Hermione and they both shared another look while they waited to see who was going to take the first move. "Well?" Hermione finally asked. "Are we going to kiss or what?"

"Yeah, I'm,...working up to it," he said nervously. "Give me a break, I'm about to do something I never thought I'd do with you."

"I know it's awkward, but like you said...we need to do it," she told him as she shifted towards him.

He nodded as he swallowed the lump in his throat. "Er...maybe...we should stand up," he suggested as he stood up and let out a hand to her. She took it and stood up in front of him, her heart skipped a beat when he looked into his eyes. He really had beautiful eyes, she thought as she found her self getting lost in them.

Harry finally took another breath as he stepped towards her, lifting his hands, hesitating before he finally framed her face softly. He licked his lips before his lips started to drift closer to hers until finally they met for a soft gentle kiss. Harry felt her began to melt right away and through the ringing in his ears he could hear a soft sigh escape her. He quickly drew back and studied her dream expression. "How was that?" he asked unsure.

She couldn't help but smile. His nervousness was so darn cute. "It was nice," she finally said. "Although it only lasted half a second."

"Right....okay, I can do that," he said and before he could back out he leaned down and kissed her again, this time pressing harder against her full mouth. Wow. Her lips were really soft....like satin. Wait a second...he wasn't suppose to be enjoying this, it was just Hermione. It was suppose to be like staging and motions....not feelings. Then why was his lips starting to tingle and his heart jump to his throat?

Hermione moaned softly against his mouth as she hesitantly lifted her hands to his chest. She could feel the heat radiating from his body, she wanted him to pull her closer to him so she could dwell into his warmth. As if he could read her mind, she felt him step closer to her as one arm left the side of her face to wrap around her waist, pulling her up against him. Oh goodie. Her hands started to travel up his chest before circling her arms around her neck, pressing her body tight against his. He muffled a moan against her mouth and if her mouth wasn't occupied at the moment, she would have smiled.

God, her body fit perfectly! He gripped handfuls of her shirt at the arch of her back as he all of the sudden slipped his tongue between her lips tasting her fully. Merlin she tasted good! More. He plunged again, causing them both to moan both in pleasure and in shock as the effects on the kiss started to overtake them.

Hermione finally gasped as she pulled a part, both breathing heavily as they gazed at one another. "You just gave me the tongue," Hermione informed him.

Harry couldn't help but laugh at the way she said it. It was if she was saying some intellectual fact or definition she read from one of her books. "Yeah, I did," he finally said still grinning. "That's what I usually do when I kiss a girl."

"Wow. You're a good kisser, Harry."

"Why thank you...same to you, Hermione," he said not really believing they were discussing this just after they experienced a full blown make out fest.

"Well....I guess that's it then," she said quietly even though she was dying to kiss him again. "We broke the ice and all."

"Yeah," he said with disappointment. "But..."

Hermione's ears perked up. "Yes?"

"I mean...we could always...practice more...wouldn't hurt you know? The more comfortable we are..."

"The more convincing we will be," Hermione finished for him and agreeing with him so it would give her another excuse to kiss him.

"Exactly," he said, silently congratulating himself for coming up with a reason. Which was a good one...I mean it wasn't like he wanted to kiss Hermione for no reason...was it? "Practice," he finally said again. "Just practice."

"Right," she said as her eyes flickered down to his lips. "Just practice."

Harry's mouth swooped back down hers, yanking her back to him as he kissed her hard, desperate to get all of his frustration out of him. He had no clue he had been missing the scent of a woman...the feel of a feminine body pressed up against him....the feel of soft lips glued to his. Merlin, he missed it. It had been ages since he kissed a girl. The kiss grew more passionate...more desperate as tongues and lips met in a fury and hands explored and groped. Harry's hands were wandering up and down her back while Hermione's fingers were lost in his unruly black hair.

Hermione was flying...as if she was riding on Harry's Firebolt, soaring through the air. She wasn't close enough...not by a long shot so she started to hike up her right leg up to his lip. He groaned into her mouth as one hand snapped around to snatch the back of her knee tugging it to bring her closer.

Lips still locked, they stumbled and fell onto the couch. Hermione fell on her back, while Harry quickly followed, landing completely on top of her. Harry finally left her bruised lips only to kiss her jaw line and down to her neck. Hermione gasped when his mouth captured her ear. "Oh...wow...Harry that's my ear," she said as she her heart fluttered.

"Thanks for the anatomy lesson, Mione," he tease as he lifted his head away so he could look down at her. "That was one hell of a practice."

She smiled softly. "I'll say."

He chuckled before he leaned down and kissed her softly. "We better go," he finally said. "The guys are probably wondering where we are."

She nodded. "You're right...and who knows...maybe we'll run into Parker," she said with a wink.

He grinned. "If we're lucky."

They were both heading out to the portrait when it swung open and Ron and Julia almost ran into them. "Hey there you guys are!" Ron said as they walked in. "We were wondering where you guys were."

"Oh...sorry," Harry said nervously as he tried to tame his hair with his hands. "We were just...um..."

Julia giggled and Ron looked confused. "Harry why are you blushing....and Hermione why is your hair all messy?"

Julia rolled her eyes. "You can be really thick sometimes, Weasly," she exasperated. "Can't you see they've been makin out?"

Ron blinked and then studied his two best friends. They were both beet red, their hairs were out of control and their lips were pale and bruised. Sure sign of kissing. "Bloody hell."

"Why are you making such a big deal over it?" Julia asked annoyed. "That's what people usually do when they are dating."

"But...but...."

"Ron, why don't you come to my room," Harry said quickly as he grabbed his arm. "I still have to give you back that Quidditch book I borrowed from you."

"Yeah...okay," he said taking the hint and followed Harry up the stairs and to his bedroom. "What in the world is going on here, Harry?!"

"It's not what it seems, Ron," he told him trying to calm him down. "It's a long story."

"Tell it then," he said as he sat down on his bed. "I mean, you guys aren't...?"

"No...no course not," he said quickly. "We were just....practicing."

Ron eyed his friend suspiciously. "Practicing?"

Harry sighed and told him all about what happened in the girls bathroom. "We were just getting the first kiss out of the way, Ron, so it wouldn't be awkward to kiss in front of Parker."

Ron was angry, but not at his friends. "I swear I'm going to curse that witch bimbo, Kirsten...never did like her."

"At least she doesn't have a crush on you," Harry muttered as he finally plopped down next to Ron.

"So...you guys are really going all out aren't ya?" he asked with a grin.

"We have to if we want to make it believable," he said as he leaned back on his hands. "She's my friend and I know she'd do the same for me if it was reversed."

"I have to know," Ron said after a moment of silence.

"What?"

"Is Hermione a good kisser?" he asked curiously.

Harry grinned. "I never kiss and tell, Ron."

"Oh come on, since when?" he asked. "I'm just curious is all, I for sure know I'm never going to kiss her....that be, too weird. How did you get through it? Was it like kissing your sister or something?"

"I don't have a sister."

"You know what I mean," he sighed.

Harry pondered on this for a moment before finally sitting back up. "Actually, it wasn't, it was actually....nice."

"Nice," Ron repeated. "Just...nice?"

Harry got up on his feet. "All right it was more than nice," he said. "It was amazing."

Ron's eyes widened as he stood up as well. "Amazing?! Kissing Hermione??"

Harry nodded. "Yeah...it was one of the best kisses I've ever had, Ron."

"Wow," he said thunderstruck. "What are you going to do about it then?"

He looked at him puzzled. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, is this really just pretend?"

He let out a laugh. "Of course it is, Ron, don't be silly. It's Hermione."

"Who just gave you the best kiss of your life," he reminded him.

"Ron, don't be ridiculous, I'm not going to ruin my friendship with Hermione just based on one amazing, wonderful mind-blowing kiss, all right? It was probably just because I haven't been with a girl for so long, I didn't realize how much I missed being with one."

"Maybe," Ron said still not convinced. "Well, just enjoy it I guess while you can. You two can just be hook up buddies till the Yule Ball...no strings attached."

Harry chuckled. "Not really, we'll only kiss if they're people around," he said although for some reason he was dying to kiss her again. Man, he really did need to get out all his sexual tension. "Let's go back down, before Julia gets suspicious."

"Okay, let's head to lunch I'm starving, we missed breakfast due to the excitement of the snow."

"Yeah so did we come to think of it," he said as they walked down the stairs finding the girls giggling about something on the couch.

"Hey guys," Julia said as she got up to greet her boyfriend. "Where's your book?"

"Book?"

"The one you were going to get from Harry?" she asked looking at him strange.

"Oh...I....he uh..."

"I let Dean borrow it, I forgot," Harry lied quickly for Ron.

"Oh, I see...well ready for lunch?" she asked.

"You bet," Ron said as he kissed her quickly before grabbing her hand and walked out of the common room.

"Everything okay?" Hermione whispered to Harry as they slowly followed.

He squeezed her hand in reassurance. "Everything's fine, he understood."

She let out a breath. "Good, I was nervous."

"What did you and Julia talk about, huh?" he asked playfully as they hung back from the other couple.

She grinned. "What do you think? We talked about you of course."

"Me huh?" he said not surprised. "Only good things I hope."

"Of course," she countered back. "I..."

Harry stopped short all of the sudden. "Shh....hear that?"

Hermione opened her ears and then heard muffled voices. "Yes....it sounds like Parker and...."

Harry looked at her. "Kirsten," he said with a scowl. "Come on."

Together they walked to the corridor where the voices were coming from. Harry slowly peaked around the corner but flew back quickly when they saw them. He motioned Hermione to be quite and listen by holding up his finger to his mouth. When she nodded, they both leaned as far as they could, straining to hear their words.

"We need to somehow prove it's just a scam," Parker's voice said. "I WILL take Hermione too that ball, I don't know WHY she's refusing."

"Please...she's just using Harry to make you jealous," Kirsten said. "Of course she likes you....and Harry doesn't like Hermione, that's ridiculous."

Hermione could feel Harry tense up so she rubbed a soothing hand up and down his arm for comfort, but continued to listen.

"We shouldn't talk about this here," Parker said suddenly. "Why don't we meet somewhere tonight...not in the common room."

"How bout the Astronomy Tower, in the abandoned classroom?" Kirsten suggested. "Say ten?"

"See you there," he said stiffly.

They heard their footsteps disappear and then Harry finally turned to Hermione. "This is perfect....Hermione, do you know what that classroom is for?"

"Sure, students go up there to make out."

"Right....don't you see it's the perfect time to make our move...they don't know we overheard them so...."

"So, we show up before ten," she said catching on with a smile.

"And they catch us kissing...oh, the looks on their faces will be so priceless!"

She giggled excitingly. "You're a genius, Potter," she said and then leaned up and gave him a loud smacking kiss on the mouth.

Harry blinked before he finally smiled. "Why thanks, Granger," he finally said. "I learn from the best."

He then grabbed her hand and they both walked off towards the Great Hall.

Neither of them couldn't wait until tonight.