A/N: I know I haven't updated and I said I would, well I'm updating now, but anyway I'm so sorry my computer was broken and I had trouble with my email so I didn't get it to my beta-reader until a couple days ago. I want to thank all of you who have stuck with this story and reviewed. And I also want to thank Trutonks, my beta, for fixing this chapter and urging me to write more… Thank You!!! So I hope you guys like it here it is…
Time is Running Out
Hermione squirmed around on her bed as she started to wake up. She was having the greatest dream. She stuffed her head under the pillow when she heard an amused giggle coming from the foot of the bed.
"Why didn't ooou waaake me?" she asked trying to stifle a large yawn, but failing miserably.
"It was fun watching you," said Ginny, with a very unfeminine-like snort as Hermione started to wake up and then almost fell off the bed.
Hermione glared in the direction she thought her friend to be in and launched one of her pillows at that same spot. Ginny laughed even more when Hermione opened her eyes to find that her red-headed friend was on the other side of the room.
This time Hermione didn't even bother to glare before she rolled over and pulled the blanket over her head, ready to go back to sleep.
"You might want to get up…"
"Why," came Hermione's muffled question from under the blankets.
"I don't know." said Ginny examining her reflection in the mirror by Hermione's dresser.
"Oh alright what is it?" Hermione asked grumpily. She sat up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes looking at Ginny expectantly.
"Well…" said Ginny.
When she didn't continue Hermione asked, "What?"
The tall fiery girl finally looked up from her nails to watch Hermione's face as she said, "You have a rose on your pillow."
"What?" Hermione looked over at the pillow on the other side of her bed and sure enough there was indeed a rose on her pillow. She smiled when she saw it and picked it up to examine it further. It was a brilliant shade of red on one side, but it slowly faded to a pale yellow as it went around. Friendship to love, she though with a large grin. As she looked closer she saw that all the thorns had been cut off, irregularly at that. Obviously Harry, she knew it had to be Harry, had cut off the thorns by hand.
She handed Ginny the rose when she spotted a folded sheet of parchment on the floor near her bed. On the front was her name in Harry's slanted scrawl. Hermione picked up the note, sat down on her bed, and just as she started to open it, she heard Ginny gasp loudly. Hermione to look up in alarm only to find that there were dozens and dozens of bouquets of the red and yellow roses now scattered all over the room.
"Beautiful," Ginny whispered, just loud enough to hear, while Hermione nodded her head in agreement as she gazed upon the gorgeous flowers.
The moment was ruined however when Lavender walked and squealed. "Who are these from? They're beautiful!"
"Well, I was just about to find out. I'm sure Hermione already knows," said Ginny, more then a little pissed off at Lavender for interrupting.
Lavender had the decency to look ashamed as she walked over and sat down beside Ginny at the foot of Hermione's bed. "Please continue," She said in a professional tone and an extravagant wave of her hand. Hermione gave her a diplomatic nod before grabbing the note from her lap and opening it quickly.
With one last glance at her two friends she started to read it aloud.
Dear Hermione,
You know I'm not the best with this kind of stuff so I'll just get right to the point. I was hoping you might like to join me for dinner tonight. Before you say anything, I know I always have dinner with you, unless of course you are in the library or I'm in the hospital wing.
Hermione frowned at this, but smiled as she read on.
Don't frown, you know it's true. Anyway, back to the point, I told you I'm horrible at this. So, I was thinking more of a romantic dinner in the room of requirement. If you can come, please tell Ginny, yes, she's in on it too, but she won't tell you anything except what I have asked her to tell you. Be at the room of requirement at five and wear whatever you want, it really doesn't matter, I will take care of everything.
Love,
Harry
Hermione looked up at her only two female friends, "What time is it?"
Ginny checked her watch before saying, "Almost 4:30?"
"What!" Hermione asked as she jumped up from bed looking alarmed.
"Don't worry about it," said Ginny, "just go take a shower and Lavender and I will take care of everything else."
"Alright," said Hermione calming down slightly as she headed into the bathroom.
Soon they heard the shower turn on and Lavender turned to Ginny. "We will?" she asked.
Ginny nodded. "Let's go see Harry."
It didn't take them long to find him. He was in the boys' dorms finishing getting ready.
"Did she like the flowers?" he asked, looking extremely pale.
"Of course she did, she loved them, she's getting ready right now."
"Alright, here can you take this over to her please." He walked into the bathroom and came out with a beautiful dress. I think it will fit her if you were right about the size."
"Oh Harry it's beautiful," Ginny said as she and Lavender admired the dress.
"Yeah, well Hermione deserves the best," he replied looking down at his feet. "Anyway I better get down there and think up the room."
"And we better take this to Hermione."
They both walked down the stairs into the common room. Ginny and Lavender went back up to the Head Girls' room while Harry headed out the door towards the room of requirement.
Hermione walked to the room of requirement in her beautiful silver sparkling dress. She immediately spotted Harry in the now enormous room filled with beautiful red and yellow roses just like in her room and a table set for two hovering in the center covered with all kinds of red and yellow candles molded into beautiful designs.
Harry didn't notice her at first so she cleared her throat quietly. Harry spun around and his mouth fell open at the sight in front of him, she looked absolutely beautiful in the dress he had bought her. She looked at him apprehensively as if she wasn't sure she looked ok and needed his approval. Harry suddenly realized he had been holding his breath and released it quickly giving her a reassuring smile.
"Wow," he said finally pausing for a moment to look her over again, Hermione blushed under his appreciative gaze making her cheeks turn a bright, healthy pink, "Hermione you look absolutely gorgeous."
"Thank you," she replied, "it's a beautiful dress."
He walked up to her and held out his hand, "My lady." He said with an elegant bow and a dramatic hand motion, "dinner awaits us." With that all sorts of food appeared on the table ranging from apple sauce to caviar.
"Thank you kind sir," she replied grinning as she took his hand and followed him to the table.
When they got there he pulled out a floating chair for her and she sat down gracefully sweeping out her dress so that it settled around her legs without wrinkling. Harry pushed the chair back in and kissed her cheek before sitting down across from her and spreading his napkin across his legs as she did the same.
They talked a lot as they ate. Hermione had a feeling Harry had other things on his mind, but didn't say anything. She didn't mind though she enjoyed his company anyway.
When they were finished, Harry and Hermione pushed their plates forward and they disappeared along with all the other food. Harry stood and she followed his example pushing back her chair and sliding it back in towards the table as she stepped away from it.
She turned to find Harry right beside her. "Would you like to dance?" he asked with a smile.
She nodded and took his hand instantly a small dance floor appeared and some slow romantic music started to play. Harry pulled her close and she laid her head down on his shoulder marveling at how good it felt to have his arms around her. They'd been dancing for a while when Harry suddenly stopped. Hermione looked up at him in confusion just as he began to speak.
"Hermione," he began looking up into her dark brown eyes, "we've been friends forever and I know you never expected this. We did just get together, but every time I see you I know you're the one I want to share my life with, every time I wake up I see you and it makes me feel so good I feel like I can defeat Voldemort over and over again, and I will when the time comes. I was thinking this over a few day sago and I planned out all I was going to say, but now looking at you I can't remember a word of it I feel so bloody nervous. I love you Hermione. I'm so incredibly in love with you that it makes me scared sometimes. You're my weakness and my greatest strength, you're my life and I can't imagine it without you."
Harry knelt down in front of her.
"Oh my god," she murmured.
"Hermione," he swallowed, "Will you marry me?"
She nodded slowly, not even aware of the tears now streaming down her cheeks. "Yes." She replied in a shaky tone anticipation written clearly on her beautiful face.
She fell to her knees in front of him as if her legs couldn't hold her anymore. Pain shot up her legs, but she barely noticed, she was drawn into the moment, drawn into Harry's eyes that were looking back into her own with joy at the promise of a future with his beloved.
She held out her left hand and he slid the ring onto her slender ring finger.
He quickly stood and pulled her up with him. Harry took her into his arms, kissing her passionately, holding her against him tightly as he could. When they finally broke away from each other, Harry wiped the tears from her cheeks and kissed her again and again.
"As if you thought I'd say no," she whispered later when they were settled onto the couch. She sat with her back against his chest and he had his arms around her waist, grasping both of her small hands between his large ones.
It still amazed him that he had got her, his best friend, the love of his life. "Well, I wasn't sure.... we are kind of young."
"I'd probably have said 'yes' even if we were twelve."
"Well if I had known that I would have asked you back then… if I had realized I loved you sooner. It was almost like love at first sight, although you were a bit hard to see under all that hair." He said chuckling and pulling one of his hands up to stroke her hair.
"Oh ha ha," she said with fake sarcasm, "You should be a comedian."
"It was cute, you were like that little person on The Adams Family… what was she called, or I thought it was a she, might have been a he…"
"Cousin It. She replied, "And I look nothing like that." She said turning around to kiss him again and again. When they came up for air Harry had a dazed expression on her face and Hermione turned back around in his lap looking quite pleased with herself. "I suppose it's a good thing you aren't engaged to cousin It, isn't it?"
They talked for another couple hours, remembering funny times and chuckling over the mistakes they made.
At 11 o'clock Hermione was asleep snoring quietly. "I have to remember to tease her about that later," Harry thought.
He laid his head back on the couch and closed his eyes, preparing himself for one of the best sleeps he'd had in a long time.
He woke up around 1:30 according to the magical clock on the table and
Smiled as he remembered what had happened only hours before. He was about to drift off again but then opened his eyes quickly. "Damn, Hermione is going to kill me if I don't wake her up to go back to our rooms," he thought. So he sat up slowly and shook her slightly, murmuring her name in her ear. When she didn't move he started getting worried. What if she had one of those spells again? He shook her more roughly this time saying her name in a louder more panicked tone. Again she did not respond, her breathing was getting shallower by the second.
He shifted Hermione so that she was lying on the couch as he moved to stand. He then bent down a picked her up as easily as if she was a feather. "She's so thin," he thought to himself as he ran to the door.
Just as he was starting to reach for the knob, he put his hand back under Hermione's knees, closed his eyes, and thrust all of his power outward.
After a brief second, he ran out into the hallway, through the destroyed door frame, careful not to step on any of the small splinters of wood that were now all that remained of the door to the Room of Requirement.
He rushed down the hall coming quickly to the Hospital Wing. Again, he used wandless magic to blow the doors open, showing an almost empty hallway of beds and curtains.
"Madam Pomfrey," he yelled over and over until the nurse came running out clothed in her night robe and slippers. She had her hand over her heart and was breathing rapidly; obviously he'd almost scared her to death.
"What is it Mr. Potter?" She asked in a somewhat annoyed tone. She then noticed Hermione in his arms and her annoyed expression turned into one of determination. "Put her down on the bed," she ordered pointing to a bed near Harry as she hurried back into her chambers. Harry set her down on the bed and was just straightening back up when Madam Pomfrey came back through the door this time carrying various bottles and potions.
"Open her mouth," Madam Pomfrey said and set the bottles down on the table beside the bed.
Using her wand she held it suspended over Hermione's body slowly moving it over her throat, chest and stomach. She then ran one of her slightly chubby fingers over the bottles searching for the right one. Finally she pulled out a white bottle and poured some of the steaming liquid into a measuring cup.
Checking to make sure Harry had Hermione's mouth all the way open she dumped the contents of the cup into her mouth. Harry grimaced as a very unhealthy gurgling sound resounded through out the hospital wing. Then it stopped and Hermione lay still, her breathing had returned to normal.
"Mr. Potter, go get Dr, Sabnor and Professor Dumbledore immediately, they will have to do the spell now."
Harry didn't hesitate as he sprinted out of the hall and headed for the dungeons.
He was almost there when he collided with someone. Not even stopping to say he was sorry, he pushed the person to the side and was about to run off when at all figure grabbed the collar of his shirt.
"Potter," a voice yelled. Harry turned around, "50 points from Gryffindor and…" he never go to finish his sentence for he suddenly found himself hurtling through the air to land near the office door. By the time Snape had gotten up Harry had already gone.
When Harry got down to the lab he found Dr. Sabnor awake working on a strange machine that looked something like a microscope.
"Dr. Sabnor, Hermione has fainted or something again. Madam Pomfrey said it's time to perform the spell."
Dr. Sabnor got up from his chair quickly and grabbed his wand from a table then followed Harry back up to the hospital wing.
-->