Saturday & Sunday
It was Saturday morning; the afternoon was going to be busy with buying books at Diagon Alley, packing for school and basically shutting down the house for the Fall. The Hogwarts Express was leaving tomorrow and Harry couldn't wait until he was back at school. He loved his house, but he felt more at home in school…he often wondered what he would do once he graduated and had to stay in his house all year.
It was still early on Saturday morning and Harry was still asleep and for once Ron was awake before Harry. They had stayed up late playing gobstones with Fred and George and Harry had gone to bed well after Ron passed out on the sofa.
So, Ron was eating breakfast, reading up on the latest Quidditch supplies when POP, Hermione appeared in the chair next to him. Ron jumped up and pointed at her.
"STOP DOING THAT! You are going to kill me!" he took a deep breath, glared at her and turned to clean up the juice he had spilled.
"Sorry…you just have to stop being so uptight!" Hermione smiled at him and stood up. "It is fun seeing you mad though!" she gave him a light kiss on the cheek. "Harry still asleep?"
"Yea, he was up with my brothers playing Gobstones, so he got to bed late." Ron gazed at Hermione for a moment, wondering why she was here at 7:30 in the morning. She looked different too, but he couldn't put his finger on what it was. "He is upstairs, want me to get him, or would you like to wake him?" Ron gave her a mischievous smile and Hermione rolled her eyes and headed towards the stairs.
"Don't forget the silencio charm Hermione," Ron called after her and he was rewarded with a "Sod it, Ron." Ron chuckled to himself and sat back down to finish his breakfast.
Hermione quietly opened Harry's door and saw sunlight struggling through the shades over his window, casting the room in a dull gold colored light. He was sprawled out on his stomach, the sheets wrapped around his hips. Hermione stood quietly by the bed gazing down at him. She had missed him so much this past week, more than any of the summers they had been away. It amazed her at how quickly her heart and mind had become so attached to him. She would walk through the different towns in Spain and wonder what Harry would think of them, she must have said his name a dozen times a day, according to Samantha. She was counting the minutes until she got home and, having had a delayed flight, it was after 11pm when she had returned to her house. Which led her to Harry's now. She wanted to see him and hold him and was just, for once, listening to her heart.
She didn't remember how long she stood there, watching him sleep. Her eyes traveled over his back down to the sheets, knowing that he had boxers on under there. She sat down next to him softly and he mumbled something and turned onto his side, facing away from her. She laid down next to him and lightly laid a hand on his shoulder; she just wanted to lay with him and hold him--he was so warm. She carefully curled up next to him, laying a hand across his waist and a cheek against his shoulder, her heart so full of love that she thought she might lose her mind right there. All those months of pushing what she felt for her best friend were now all in her heart and she wanted to show him all the time how much she cared for him. As she laid there, gazing down at him she felt his breathing change and thought she saw his cheeks break out into a smile.
"That better not be Ron," Harry mumbled sleepily, turning onto his back and pulling her down so she was laying on his shoulder, her arm across his chest.
"Hey," he said softly, planting a kiss on the top of her head.
"Hey yourself," Hermione smiled up at him, "I missed you, Harry." She put a hand to his face and he pulled her tighter to him.
"I missed me too," he smiled then yelped as she tickled him. He sat up and tried to grab her hands, but she moved them from his ribs to his neck then back again. He was laughing so hard that he could barely roll over and pin her on the bed.
"You do know that tickling me has consequences," he held her arms above her head, "And since you aren't ticklish, I will have to think of something else." He gave her a boyish grin and held her hands tighter as she tried to free them. He brought his lips down to her neck and gave her a light kiss on her throat, immediately stopping Hermione's struggles to get free.
"What---What are you thinking?" she whispered and felt him give her a soft kiss on her closed eyes. She could only feel him, every part of him laying on her and it was an exhilarating feeling to be this close to him. She didn't want him to stop….EVER she thought.
"I haven't figured it out yet…," he whispered and flicked his tongue across her collarbone. He slowly pulled his left hand, which had been holding both of hers up above her head, down her arms, trailing his fingers down her skin. He moved his lips to hers and at the same time ran his hand down her side, and back up, stopping to cup her breast in his hand. He felt her mouth open under his and she met his kisses with that same passion she had in the Astronomy tower. Not quite believing she was letting him do this to her (this is what most boys dreamed of!) he moved to the side so he was only half covering her, slipping his arm under her neck, and moving his hand to the other side of her chest. Hermione pressed up against him and reached around with her arm that wasn't pinned under him and pulled him to her; his heart was racing and he had no idea if what he was doing was right or not. He could feel her hand against the back of his boxers and he felt a shock go through him as she hooked one of her legs up over his waist. Tentatively, he reached down and touched her thigh and ran his hand up until it was almost under her shorts. This just made her move against him in that same way she had at the Shrieking Shack….
Hermione stifled a moan as she felt him slowly exploring her body, clearly taking his time in case she protested. But she wasn't, she was total putty in his hands, even if he didn't realize it yet. She felt him move his lips from hers and kiss her near her ear again, his hand slowly moving up the back of her shorts, kneading slowly as he went and Hermione was sure she was going to explode, starting with the lower half of her body first. Then, his mouth was on her neck and he began to unbutton her blouse, his kissed her neck, moving lower and lower. All Hermione could do was keep her hands tangled in his hair...
As he gazed up at her, he caught sight of her stomach and saw that her shirt had fallen open--she was so beautiful…he moved so he was on top of her and began moving his mouth back up, listening to the soft sounds she made. He could feel her hands now, pulling him up to her. Her lips were warm and full under his and the fact that his skin was touching hers was almost to much for him to handle. Vaguely he felt her hands moved to his hips and Oh, Merlin, they were down inside his boxers.
He could feel the emotion emanating off of her; he felt so giddy he almost collapsed on top of her, catching himself with his arms before he actually did, causing both of them to moan as certain parts of their bodies collided.
He captured her lips and together they pushed against each other. Harry slid his hand back down feeling her squirm under the pressure and, finally, felt the zipper of her shorts, not hesitating he pulled it down and felt her arch up against his hand; he was barely aware of what he was doing but eventually got her shorts off so they were both laying there, quite a bit of skin showing. Harry found his hand in another place he never even thought of on Hermione. He tentatively touched her through the thin cotton material and was blown away by the response. Harry heard her moan his name and felt her pressing into him from below as her arms wrapped around him trying to get closer.
Again, not quite sure how she did it, she flipped him over, her shirt falling off and Harry stared up at her. For a moment, they just looked at each other, she was sitting on top of him, hands on his chest and one of them was moving lower and lower…he couldn't believe this was happening…all he could think of was how far he wanted to go with her and all he felt were her hands…down there very shyly, tentatively moving. Here they were in their undergarments, not much between them at all and he felt so lucky to see her and have her…and boy, did he want her at this point. He didn't feel brave enough to suggest "the full monty" and thought he would wait and see what happened. Then she touched him again…
"'Mione…" he growled at her, grabbing her hips and pushing against her…she moved her hand and slowly trailed them up to his shoulders, then she leaned down and kissed him. He could feel just about everything through the thin layer of his boxers and pushed up against her, feeling her moan against his lips, what a wonderful feeling, he could only feel, not think…
"Harry…" she moaned against his lips as she felt his one of his hands move up her back, over her bra strap and to her neck. One arm curved around her back, with his hand on her rear as they moved against each other….the last coherent thought Harry had was muttering "silencio" knowing neither of them were going to be quiet. Hermione took that charm as a good sign and pushed herself off his chest so she was looking right into his green eyes. He blinked at her and ran a thumb over her lips, both still for the moment, feeling the build up of everything they had kept down for so long. She bent over and kissed his forehead, his cheeks, his chin and Harry made some sound she had never heard before as he flipped her back on the bed so she was on the bottom.
"Hermione," he whispered against her lips, barely brushing them with his own, "I love you," he said in a shaky voice, clearly nervous about saying it aloud. Hermione's eyes got wide and he saw tears form in the corners. "Don't cry…," he kissed the corner of her eyes. She clutched his neck and pulled his head down to her shoulder.
"I just…you…" she took a deep breath, "I love you." She managed to get out in between trying not to cry and moan as his hand made lazy circles around the outline of her bra. She moved his head to kiss him full on the mouth, then pushed him back. "I have wanted to hear you say that for so long, Harry." Tears were running down her face and Harry smiled at her.
"I do, Hermione. I have for a long time and just didn't know it." He moved gently against her, 'underthings' still on, but he could feel her respond. Her lips found his and their breathing came faster and faster, as they moved against each other, feeling their skin touch each other's…Hermione move her lips from his and turned her head to the side making noises he had only heard the boys at school talk about. And soon, they were both plummeting down off the very highest point of a rollercoaster, calling out each other's name and slowly, slowly coming back into their minds at the bottom. They lay there for a moment, both shaking, both overwhelmed with feeling.
Harry tenderly pushed her hair away from her face. "Can you imagine how that would have been with out any clothes on?" He breathed and locked eyes with her, holding his breath waiting to see what she would say.
Hermione smiled, "Soon, Harry, soon we will find out." She pulled the hair back from his scar and ran a finger over it…and for the next hour they just laid there and held each other, before Harry got up and walked to the shower, Hermione's words "soon" reverberating in his head.
After Ron made a few snide comments about how long Hermione had stayed in Harry's room, they shooed her out of the house, telling her to go get her list for books and they would meet her in Diagon Alley. Ron casually asked if she was bringing Samantha and Hermione just smiled and shrugged.
"Mate, something is different about her. What is it?" Ron mused, as they hunted around for their lists.
"I don't know, she looked the same to me," Harry searched in a kitchen drawer, wondering where he had put his list.
"Nah, something else…oh, did you tell her about Neville?"
"Oh yea, and she about fell to the floor. Said she couldn't see him taking control of a situation, but thought it would be entertaining to watch!" Harry triumphantly grabbed his list and shoved it into his pocket. Ron found his too, under the chair.
"Let's go get our books…we are supposed to meet Hermione at Honeydukes." Harry said as he and Ron grabbed their money and got ready to apparate to Diagon Alley.
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The weekend went by uneventfully…everyone got their books, quills and parchment and packed up ready to head back to school. Ron had gone back to The Burrow to stay the night as it was just him and Ginny attending Hogwarts now; his parents wanted to accompany them to the station.
So, at 11am on Sunday, Harry, Ron, Ginny and Luna all sat in the same car on the train, headed towards school. Neville and Hermione had to attend a meeting in another car, but would be accompanying them shortly.
"Our last year, I can't wait! Fred and George set me up really well." Ron opened a bag full of just about one of each item from their joke shop.
Luna glanced in the bag, "Don't spend it all in one place," she said to him, then went back to reading her "Witch Weekly" magazine. Ron glared at her and pulled the tie shut, shoving it back in his pocket.
"Reckon Hermione will have us studying for NEWTs from the moment we set foot in the Common Room," Ron muttered to Harry who agreed with him.
"You have to give her credit that she didn't mention them over the summer," Harry said as Luna looked up at him.
"I hear you got your godfather's place, how is it?" Luna asked politely; Harry told her what it looked like before (Pretty grimy) and how Dumbledore and Ron and him had set it up pretty nicely.
"Are you and Hermione a couple now?" she asked airily, flipping through her magazine. Harry looked at her in surprise.
"Why do you ask that?"
"It's in the air…love is…and you said you saw her over the summer," Luna handed the magazine to Ginny who began reading it, trying to hide a smile.
Harry sighed and looked at Ron who just shrugged, his mouth full of a chocolate frog.
"I guess we are now," Harry answered her. Luna nodded as if she knew it all along and started to write something down in a journal.
It was only a few minutes later that Hermione and Neville stumbled into the car. Luna glanced up and smiled at Neville, who blushed and sat down at the edge of the seat, next to Ginny. Hermione sat down next to Harry.
"Well, they set a weekend in October for the Family Weekend, which also involves a trip to Hogsmeade. What else?" Hermione was counting things off on her fingers.
"The Yule Ball will be held again this year," Neville offered, sneaking a glance at Ginny, who was totally absorbed in her magazine. Ron and Harry groaned, remembering the last one.
"OH! And Neville here had and excellent question about that…," Hermione patted his knee and Neville blushed for what seemed like the hundredth time since they boarded the train.
"He asked that since Muggles were coming for the Family Weekend, if we couldn't open it to include any Muggle Boyfriend or Girlfriends for the Yule Ball. Apparently, a few people have some and had asked Neville about it while we were boarding."
"What was the answer?" Ginny asked, still reading.
"Well, we sent an owl to Hogwarts asking Dumbledore, so we will know the answer soon, I suspect," Neville mumbled, taking the piece of candy from Ron's hand.
For the next hour they chatted, with Ron being a bit more subdued than usual. Harry nudged him with his foot and raised his eyebrows questioningly but Ron just gave a slight shake of his head. Clearly, he was missing or thinking about a certain someone and didn't want to talk about it. As Harry saw Neville struggling through a conversation with Ginny, about his duties as Head Boy, he noticed Luna fell asleep with her head back with the magazine next to her. Harry felt Hermione's hand reach for his and immediately he felt a reaction all over his body.
He glanced at Ron who was staring out the window, then turned to Hermione and beckoned with his head towards the door. She gave him a quizzical look and followed him out, up the hall where he found an empty bathroom. Glancing around quickly he opened the door, pulled Hermione in it, locked it and silently cast a charm that made it sound as if someone was being sick from whomever stood outside waiting to use it.
Without thinking he grabbed Hermione by the arms and pushed her against the wall and kissed her so deeply that they both had to come up for air seconds later. Her eyes were wide as she stared into his green eyes which seemed to be filled with fire. She really had no idea as to what made him all of a sudden drag her out of the car and into this bathroom…what had turned him on so quickly. He leaned forward and kissed her again, lifting her up until her legs wrapped around his waist and he held her to him, ravishing her mouth, tasting her and holding her. If there had been a bed right there, he would have taken her and from the response he was getting she would have agreed.
A short time later Harry carefully set her back down and she sank against the wall, feeling very weakened by the whole experience.
"Harry, my God, what got into you?" Hermione put a hand to her lips and stared at him. He gave an almost cocky grin and ran a hand through her hair, loving how her eyes closed as he did so.
"You Hermione. All you did was touch my hand and then, well…you were there for the rest." He moved to the door and didn't hear anyone outside so he poked his head out. All was clear so he led a very happy Hermione back to the car, but not after letting go of her hand and grabbing some candy off the cart. He had to have some excuse, even if no one believed they left for candy.
The train ride proceeded without any more interruptions. Ron finally joined in a game of Snap and Luna woke up with a
start yelling about Nargles which made everyone dissolve into laughter.
Neville and Hermione had to leave to get the first years ready and everyone put on their robes and gathered their things amongst them. The train pulled up and everyone fell into the old routine, the last time for the 7th years. Draco and Harry exchanged some nice glances and gestures but all in all everyone got onto the boats, or carriages, without any problems and made their way up to the castle.
And for the first time, Harry and Hermione entered the great hall, hand in hand receiving many cat calls and whistles as everyone settled in for the sorting of the first years.