Unofficial Portkey Archive

New chapter out soon, as promised! I'm not sure if it was a week, kinda lost track of time. Butit was quick, nonetheless!!!! Thanks for all the awesome feedback, and hopefully everyone likes this one too!

I own nothing.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN: Unthinkable

You had to live in that house that's always on the way
You had to live on that street I go by everyday
You had to drive that car that everybody drives
I see them all the time

Can't get away from you

"Can't Get Away From You" LAST CONSERVATIVE

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Harry found that even the distraction of Sirius's house was not enough to keep Hermione from his mind. He kept playing the last few months over in his head, wondering what he could have done differently, imaging her doing things differently. There weren't enough zombies to kill, weren't enough quarters in football games, and certainly weren't enough DVDs in Sirius's collection to keep his mind occupied for very long. Harry stared out of the kitchen window, glass of water in his hand, peering out at a wall of bushes. He decided to go for a walk on the beach. It was surprisingly warm outside, so he didn't change out of his athletic shorts and just threw on a hoodie. He grabbed his iPod and ear buds, and then headed outside. The volume was at full blast, pounding rock music into his ears. Harry didn't care. He didn't want to think. Once he made it out the door, he surprised himself by turning his walk into an all out sprint. He sprinted down the stone pathway, keeping his balance easily on the uneven stones. He ran up the boardwalk, father than he had ever gone before. When he ran out of pathway, he turned to the beach and ran on the sand.

He sang the words to ever song in his head and tried to keep his breathing even. He wasn't the best runner, though he felt he could hold his own.

For the next week, running had become his reprieve. He found that music had blocked out his thoughts for only a little while. It didn't take long for Hermione to pop back in. However, he found it to be a lot easier, thinking about her, when he was running. He let his feet pound against the ground, taking him along familiar paths now. Three, four, sometimes even five times a day he would run-sometimes for an hour, sometimes for three or four hours-for however long it took for him go regain a clear head. He let his mind concentrate on keeping his breathing even, on not tripping, on whatever stitch had popped up somewhere on his body, and he let the rest of his mind wander to Hermione, almost as a side note. It was much easier this way.

Harry had slowed down to a light jog on the boardwalk, contemplating stopping to get a bottle of water. After toying with the choice, he finally decided his thirst was getting the best of him, and he needed to stop. Ignoring the stitch in his side-something he had grown accustom to-he stopped and bought a bottle of water from a vendor. He guzzled the whole bottle, draining it before throwing the plastic in the rubbish bin.

"So what marathon are you training for?" A voice asked, somewhere to his left. Harry turned to find a blonde girl with a blue leash in her hand, a black Labrador with his tongue hanging out panting at the other end.

"Sorry?" He asked, unsure if she was talking to him.

The girl laughed and walked closer to him. "I jog this boardwalk every day, and suddenly I've seen you running constantly. No matter what time of day I come here, you're here. So I'm assuming you're training for a marathon-why else would you spend hours on end running every day? You certainly don't need it." She added flirtatiously.

Harry gave a wry grin. "I suppose you could say I'm training for a marathon of sorts-that's how she makes me feel sometimes anyway." He responded with a laugh.

"She?" The blonde coaxed, only slightly deterred.

"A girl from school I just might be in love with." He laughed again. "She's been driving me mad. I've never felt like this, and well…running seems to help. It keeps my mind off things."

The girl gave a pout. "She must be on your mind a lot if you have to run so much." She observed, ignoring her dog's pull to move her forward towards a hotdog stand.

He grinned. "Something like that."

"Well, good luck with that. I'd better get him home and get him fed." She laughed, gesturing towards her unruly dog.

Harry nodded and bade the girl goodbye, before jogging back to Sirius's place. He was surprised to find Sirius's bike that was normally in the garage parked out front. He went inside and saw Sirius sitting on the couch, a controller in his hand.

"About time! Where have you been?!" He exclaimed, pausing his game.

"Running. It's a new hobby, I suppose." He answered, pulling his hoodie off to reveal a sweat-soaked shirt.

"Cool, cool." Sirius replied, yawning. "I thought I'd drop in, give the old bike a spin."

Harry knew he was really just checking up on him. "I noticed. How's it riding?"

"Impeccably, as always." He replied smoothly.

"Wouldn't expect anything less." Harry said.

"You look a little thinner. Just how much have you been running?" Sirius observed, furrowing his brow as he took in his Godson's appearance.

Harry shrugged. "Probably just the light."

"Yes well, I have dinner plans with a girl I met at the pub. She might be able to bring someone for you if you'd like to join…?" The older man trailed off, mirth in his voice.

"Actually, I've got a date with a girl I met on the boardwalk." Harry replied offhandedly.

Sirius was clearing not expecting this. "Really?!" He exclaimed, dumbfounded.

"No." Harry said, shrugging off his wet t-shirt now. "But I think she wanted me to ask her. Don't worry, I've got a game plan with Hermione."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Of course you do. After all, it's been working so very well so far." He said with a sigh. "Are you going to your parents' tomorrow for dinner?" He asked suddenly.

Harry shrugged. "Been toying with the idea. Thought I might drop in." He replied easily. "But I'm going to go get in the shower now so…I'll see you at school?" He asked as he watched Sirius look at his watch.

"Alright. I know your mum would like for you to be there so please, if it isn't too much trouble." Sirius told him meaningfully.

"Will you be there?" Harry called as he headed towards the loo.

"No, but I hear your lovely aunt and uncle will be there. Just a little something to look forward to." Sirius hollered back, causing Harry to make a disgruntled face at the news.

Seconds later, Harry was engulfed in hot steam. He turned slowly under the raining shower head, letting the hot water loosen his taunt muscles. His body ached, but it wasn't in a bad way. He stood there, under the water, for a full ten minutes before finally grabbing the shampoo and beginning to actually start the process of getting clean.

Harry idly wondered if he should let his parents know he would be coming to lunch the next morning, or just show up. Letting them know prior would probably be best. He didn't have a phone with him, however. He searched for some spare Muggle change before stepping out into the cool air. Harry walked a few blocks over to a small market with a payphone.

"Hello?" James Potter's voice answered.

"Hey, it's me. What's up?" Harry replied, his voice rough.

"Harry? Where are you?" His father's stern voice suddenly demanded.

"Sirius's place. He let me stay here for break. I just needed to clear my head. Some…well, there's some stuff going at school and it's been…difficult. But um, I'm at a payphone. I just wanted to call and let you know I'll be there tomorrow for dinner." Harry told him, trying to keep the stress from his voice.

"Sirius's? What's going on at school?" James asked, concerned.

Harry sighed. "I don't really want to get into all that right now. Just tell mum…tell her I'll try not to be late." He said with half a laugh. "See you tomorrow." He said before hanging up and turning back to walk briskly towards the house.

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"Who was that, dear?" Lily Potter asked, coming into the sitting room with an aerosol can and dust rag.

"Harry. He'll be here tomorrow for dinner." James replied, putting the phone down on the coffee table. "He's been at Sirius's all week."

Lily furrowed her brow. "Why has he been there?"

"I'm not sure. I-" James stopped for a moment before unavoidably giving in. He never could keep anything from Lily. "I think he might be having a rough time at school. He sounded really stressed about something."

Concern etched itself in Lily's features as a thousand scenarios rushed through her mind that could have her baby anxiety. Her eyes suddenly narrowed. "That wench better not be pregnant."

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He hoped his father wouldn't burden his mother with Harry's problems. Harry knew his mother would already be stressing out, especially if her sister and her family would be coming over. Lily's sister always was a stickler for everything being properly cleaned-more than humanly possible. Whenever she would be visiting, Lily tended to forget her magical abilities and go back to good `ole Muggle cleaning everything in sight. Harry shuddered, glad he wasn't home right now.

Petunia was Lily's sister, and she had married Vernon Dursley. Despite being sisters, Petunia possessed no magical abilities of her own. His Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon had a son his age named Dudley. While all three knew of the Wizarding World, they shunned everything about it. Harry often thought the only reason they agreed to these family functions was because they were terrified the Potters would turn them into toads or something. Harry didn't particularly like being around them, and he felt that the feeling was mutual. They found the Potters to be abnormal and unnatural. Harry and his father found the Dursleys to be plain annoying.

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He wanted to make sure his relatives were there before he showed up. This would provide a nice diversion of their attention from himself. Harry was counting on their impeccable punctuality (his uncle always strove to impress, even if it was a bunch of wizards), and Apparated only a few minutes late just a little ways away from their property, in the cover of a small wooded area. He walked a few paces until the house was in view. Sure enough, his uncle's big, shiny company car was parked just out front, looking freshly washed and in perfect condition. Harry laughed and made his way inside.

"Harry's home!" were the first words to reach his ears in his mother's voice. Soon, he felt his body being swallowed up in Lily's tight embrace. Despite their last visit, he was still his mother's little boy. Harry smiled.

"Hello, mum." He greeted, hugging her back before hugging his father. He searched his mother's eyes for concern, but found none. He was grateful his father must not have elaborated on their conversation much.

"Why didn't you tell us you were going to be at Sirus's? Why didn't you just come home? Have you been eating, you look thin!" She fired a new question at him before he could reply at all.

Harry trapped her arms to her sides and looked into her green eyes that matched his own. "Calm down." He said slowly. "It was sort of an impulse decision to go to Sirius's place. I just needed a bit of space. And I've been running a lot this week, just been bored. Do I really look that much thinner?" Harry asked, examining his reflection in the mirror. He didn't look much different to himself. "Sirius said something too."

James shrugged. "A little bit, nothing drastic. How is that old dog?" He boomed with laughter, rubbing Harry's shoulders.

Harry gave a wry grin. "Took some lady out on a date last night, I believe. So nothing's changed." He concluded.

After giving his mother one last reassuring hug (he knew she was so stressed with the relatives here) he allowed them to guide him into the sitting room, where four others sat-one stranger and three not-so-strangers.

His uncle was a very large, beefy man with a very large, bushy mustache with short light brown hair. His face was purple and he had almost no neck at all with two chins to make up for it. He was dressed in an elaborate dark gray suit, no doubt trying to look impressive. Harry was more impressed that he could get the buttons on his jacket clasped over his impressively large belly.

His aunt looked different entirely. She had dark hair, shaped around her horse- like features with her high cheekbones, square teeth, and elongated neck. Her skin was ivory. Her eyes were a dull green that didn't house any of the warmth and brightness of her sister's. She sat beside her husband in a dark blue cocktail dress with white polka dots on it, looking poised.

Dudley was perfect combination between the two. He was vast like his father, but with muscle rather than fat (he had taken up boxing when he was too fat to fit into the school uniforms and lost weight). He had his mother's dark hair but his father's watery blue eyes, though they did not look at menacing. He was almost twice Harry's size, and had an intimidating demeanor in his tan kakis and white button down shirt with a red bowtie under his chin. Harry noticed a blue blazer that sat above him across the back of the loveseat. Beside him sat a small blonde girl Harry could only guess to be Dudley's girlfriend, dressed in a black skirt that reached her knees and a light blue shirt.

Just for kicks, he rushed forward to engulf his aunt's small frame in his arms, physically lifting her from the couch. "Aunt Petunia! It's been ages. How have you been?!" He asked enthusiastically, elated by her terrified expression. Without waiting for a reply, he moved on down the couch.

"Uncle Vernon." He greeted solemnly, taking his uncle's fat hand in his own and gave him a very enthusiastic handshake and half-hug. "You look well." The man in fact did not look well at all. Harry had only been there five minutes and Vernon's face was already turning an interesting shade of puce.

He then rushed over to his cousin. "Big D!" He almost shouted. Dudley looked alarmed and held out his hand, possibly to stop Harry from coming any further. Harry took it in a handshake before pulling the large boy up onto his feet. "Ah, we're better than that, cousin!" He gave Dudley a bear hug, not at all surprised that his cousin did not return the favor. "Look at you! You're huge!" Harry laughed.

"And you must be…?" Harry said, after releasing his cousin and turning to the blonde beside him.

Still looking alarmed, Dudley said roughly, "This is my girlfriend, Cassie."

Harry reached out a hand to shake hers. "Hello, Cassie. In case my dear cousin forgot to mention me, I'm Harry." He greeted cheerfully, enjoying the subdued expression on her face. It was clear Dudley had mentioned his odd cousin.

Harry's father, who had been snickering from the door as he witnessed the scene unfold, clapped his hands together merrily. "Ah, holidays! Don't you just love how they bring family together?" He asked them all, looking around. It was clear the Dursleys did not share his and his son's enthusiasm.

"Petunia, do you think you could give me a hand?" Lily's voice called from the kitchen. Petunia left the room quickly, not casting a second glance at the odd Potter men.

Harry caught his father's eye and winked.

"So, shall we drink a beer and see if we can find sports on the telly?" James proposed to the men in the room, all smiles.

After forty-five entertaining minutes of annoying the hell out of Dudley and Vernon, Harry was glad dinner was ready.

"I'm just surprised how debonair you look, Dud. I mean, a bowtie-now that's classy. I mean, I wish I had thought to dress better, you know? What do you think of my outfit? Do you think I should change? What do you think, Cassie? Maybe you'll let me borrow your blazer, Dudley?" Harry pressed, mockingly fretting over his own simple ensemble of black slacks and a crisp, white button down shirt.

"Stop annoying your cousin, Harry." Lily reprimanded, her eyes dangerous.

"Well, tell him to stop dressing better than me!" Harry shot back. "I'm just kidding, man. Really-it's great to see you." Harry told him, almost meaning it.

Harry couldn't help but notice all his aunt and uncle tried to find seats away from their overzealous nephew as they gathered around the table, and made sure Dudley was the closest to him. Harry laughed.

Dinner however, was too delicious for Harry to keep up his bothersome pretense. Instead, he indulged in his mother and aunt's cooking, not giving anyone else much attention. "This is delicious, Mum." Harry complemented, taking a second helping.

"Your aunt helped as well," She said, smiling warmly at her sister. Petunia tried not to notice. Harry watched the scene with sad eyes. His mother always tried to grow closer her older sister, and Petunia would never let Lily in. Harry didn't honestly know why his mother even tried. Had it been him, he would have just sent them a damn Easter lily and been done with it, maybe even one that looked a little sick. Perhaps he should buy one, not water it for a few weeks, then send it to them-it would certainly match his aunt's dead personality.

Harry looked back at his food and continued to eat, enjoying every flavor. This is why he loved holidays-the tasty food. Only when he heard his name did he look up, his eyes searching for the ones looking in his direction.

It had been Dudley who had spoken. "I asked if you got yourself a girlfriend." He enunciated clearly, as if talking to someone who had trouble grasping simply concepts.

Harry noticed his parents, who were listening to one of his uncle's stories about Grunnings, a drill company of which he was the director, perked their ears in his direction.

Harry was silent for a moment, caught off guard. "It's okay if you don't. There are lots of people who don't have girlfriends-for example, homosexuals." He cast a gloating look in Cassie's direction.

Harry smoothed his shirt. Not to be outdone by his cousin, he lied, "As a matter of fact, I do. She's gorgeous. Very smart. Kind. Sweet. Her name is Hermione." A fork fell from down the table, and he heard his mother mutter a quick apology.

Dudley looked skeptical. "And where is she?"

"France." He answered easily. "She is on holiday with her parents in France." Draco had mentioned something about how Hermione was almost positive that her parents were surprising her with a trip to France during their Easter break.

Before Dudley could question him further, Harry's mother asked from across the table. "Harry, dear, could you help me with the cobbler please?"

Harry got up, already knowing it would not taken two people to get the cobbler and it was only a pretense for his mother to lure in away from everyone else. Once Lily had Harry cornered in the kitchen with the door shut, Harry put on pot holders and went to pick up the dish of cherry cobbler.

"So, how has school been?" She asked, her voice constricted.

"Fine." Harry replied, picking up the dish. Once he turned around toward the door, he almost bumped into his mother, who was blocking the way.

"So she is a…girlfriend?" She asked, her eyes piercing into his.

Harry shrugged. "I'm not sure exactly what is going on. To be honest, she's been avoiding me for the last two months because I want something more with her." He told her truthfully. Perhaps a lady's perspective would help-someone who wasn't Luna Lovegood.

"So you are not good enough for the wench now?" Lily asked angrily.

"Wench? What is this, merry ole England mum?" Harry asked with a laugh. "And no…it's complicated. It's more…she doesn't think it's the best of ideas, even though I'm fairly certain she feels the same."

An uneasy smile graced Lily's face. "Well perhaps she's right, dear."

Harry put down the hot dish and pulled his mother into a hug. "I know you're looking out for me, mum. I know you care about me. And I love you and value your opinion. But on this…mum, you've got to let me do it my own way." He whispered, holding her tight. After a few seconds, he pulled away just enough so he could look in her eyes. "Look, mum, I care about this girl something fierce. She's amazing. She's sweet and kind. She isn't much different from you, actually. She's a great girl, and if anything, I'm the one not good enough for her. But if you care about my happiness, then you won't try to ruin this, mum. I love you, but I lo-" He stopped for a second. "But I care about her too, a lot. So please, play nice."

Lily, however, caught his mistake. "You love her?" She whispered. "It isn't just some crush?"

Harry didn't know what to say. Did he love Hermione? What did he know about love? Hundreds of hours of endless conversations and a few passionate kisses…did that mean love? He had only know her for seven months, and only talked with her for three or four months of those seven. However, they had been intense months, spending almost every waking moment together. Could he love so quickly? Was he against loving her? No. He knew the answer to that. He wanted nothing more than to fall deeply in love with this girl, if he wasn't already there.

For the time being, Harry just cracked a smirk at his mother. "Well, I don't know about love, but it sure as Merlin isn't just some crush." He answered, much to her obvious dismay.

Lily sighed. "Harry, I'm just trying to protect you."

Harry clapped her on the shoulder. "Don't worry about me, Mum. I don't need protection. However, your husband might from Uncle Vernon if he touches the bloke's tie again. I don't think I'd put my fingers so close to that man's mouth." Harry chortled, earning a wary grin from his mother.

Harry dreaded the closing of dinner, and was fairly certain his cousin shared his feeling.

"You know, you would think once we started driving, they would give up on this." Dudley spoke darkly as they stood in the sitting room.

"I suppose we'll have to endure it until one of us has children they can torture this type of thing with." Harry replied dryly, plopping himself down in front of the telly. "Shall we go upstairs and play video games? I've been tearing up zombies in Black Ops at my Godfather's all week." He offered to his cousin, who nodded. Cassie followed them silently from the room.

Fifteen minutes into Call of Duty, Aunt Petunia's shrill voice yelled up the stairs for the three of them to come downstairs.

For some reason unbeknownst to the two cousins, their parents forced them to do a traditional Easter egg hunt, despite their age. Whenever they profusely argued their case, their parents simply said then they would have to just find more challenging hiding places.

Feeling like a complete dimwit, Harry took a plastic sack from his aunt and began his hunt. After ten minutes, he had only found two eggs, of the twelve that they had hidden. It looked like Dudley had only found one. Cassie had found three, but Harry had a stinking suspicion his mother was giving her pointers. Groaning, Harry widened his search in the back yard, sifting through the grass, looking around trees, and in potholes in the ground.

"I'm not even attempting that one." Dudley said, a sour expression on his features.

Harry followed his gaze and saw a bright yellow egg several feet above him in a tree, nestled between two branches. Having magic on their side certainly helped with find difficult hiding places. Harry quickly unbuttoned his shirt and handed it to Dudley to hold. "What are you doing?" His cousin asked, with that alarmed expression crossing his face again.

"Well I'm not going to ruin my good shirt." Harry stated the obvious. He took a few paces back and ran at the tree, barely grabbing its lowest branch. He skillfully pulled himself up and climbed toward the prize. "You know, it might be a good time to start thinking about getting Cassie pregnant." Harry called, pulling himself up higher.

Dudley scoffed. "Right. Maybe you can with Hermione."

"Not to that stage, yet?" Harry asked, plucking the egg from its hiding spot and beginning his descend.

"Not even close-are you mad!?" His cousin fired back, distressed at the very thought.

Harry snickered. "Perhaps not then."

Dudley looked skeptic. "And you're ready to have a baby, right now then?"

Harry looked at him, taking his shirt. "No, I suppose not. But it would get us out of this mess, yeah?" He laughed.

"It's not that I don't fancy Cassie…I just certainly don't see myself settling down with her, you know? Did I mention she's captain of her lacrosse team?" Dudley asked, trying to lighten the mood.

Harry nodded, having already heard this piece of information twice today. "Do you love her?" He asked suddenly.

Dudley looked uncomfortable. "She's great. And attractive. And nice to be around." Dudley responded with forced pride in his voice, as if he was trying to gloat but it was too awkward. "But I wouldn't say we're in love. I'd prefer to play the field a bit, wouldn't you?" He joked, elbowing Harry in the arm. He realized Harry wasn't sharing the laugh. "Why are you so interested?" His suddenly asked, his voice was suspicious again. "Are you in love with Hermione?"

"I do care for her. She's great, you know? Like…" Harry tried to find the right way to describe his feelings for her, but they seemed to intensify every time he talked about it-like he remembered yet another feeling or something amazing about her. "There isn't a bad thing about her that I would change. She can be right annoying sometimes I suppose to other people, but it doesn't bother me. I know she isn't perfect by a long shot, but at the same time, I can't find one imperfection I'm bothered by. She's stubborn. She likes to study way too much. She doesn't have one bit of athleticism. But you know…I'm glad for all that. Without it, she wouldn't be her." He said, talking faster with each passing word like he had too much to say about her and not enough time to say it in.

It was by far the most awkward conversation he had ever had with his cousin. However, at the same time…Harry almost felt comfortable. Dudley had no idea who Hermione was and had he told him her last name, he would look just as dumbfounded as he did now. It was odd, talking with Dudley about Hermione like this-but also refreshing.

"I miss her. I miss her like crazy. It's only been a week since I saw her last and I feel like it has been years." Harry admitted.

If Dudley was even more uncomfortable after Harry's little outburst, he didn't show it. Harry had never had a connection with his cousin before, but right here, under a big tree that the stupid yellow Easter egg was hidden in, he felt like Dudley was actually listening to him, and perhaps, was feeling sympathy for his pain. Harry never knew his cousin was capable of compassion for anyone. Trying to look at ease, he joked, "Well maybe you do love her. Good thing too because I don't plan on hunting these ruddy eggs next year."

Harry smiled. "That's what love is, isn't it? Missing someone every second you aren't with them? And no matter what was said or done…you just want things to be okay again, even if you're the one giving in? Because right now…nothing is more important than things just being…right, you know?" Harry's voice was barely above a whisper now as all this thoughts screamed towards one conclusion, the only thing that made sense: something he should have done months ago.

"Here, take mine." Harry shoved his bag of eggs towards his cousin. "Mum has been helping Cassie anyway." He said before sprinting towards the house. They would be returning to Hogwarts tomorrow, surely she would be home.

Harry took the stairs two at a time as he rushed to his bedroom and searched for his small mobile phone. He quickly hit two and listened.

Answering machine. Hermione's father's voice rang through the ear piece, ushering him to leave a message.

What would he say? Before he could think, the man's voice was gone.

Beeeeep!

Harry took a deep breath. "Hey Hermione, it's me. I…I just wanted to say that I miss you…and I hope you're having a good holiday. See you at school." He flipped his phone shut.

He could almost physically feel the huge weight being lifted from his shoulders.

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A hundred days have made me older
Since the last time that I saw your pretty face
A thousand lies have made me colder
And I don't think I can look at this the same
But all the miles that separate
Disappear now when I'm dreaming of your face

I'm here without you baby
But you're still with me in my dreams
And tonight it's only you and me

"Here Without You" 3 DOORS DOWN

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Hermione breezed in through the door, all smiles as she entered the kitchen. She had just finished unpacking her things, as well as repacking for school. It was late in the afternoon. The Hogwarts Express had left the day before, but she had talked with Dumbledore about another arrangement for getting back to school, as her plane from France did not get back until this morning.

"Hermione, dear, you have a message on the machine." Her mother greeted, nodded towards the sitting room.

Slightly bewildered, Hermione went to check it. She hit the play button, and waited. His familiar voice fluttered through the speaker, "Hey Hermione, it's me. I…I just wanted to say that I miss you…and I hope you're having a good holiday. See you at school."

Hermione almost gasped. A message from Harry certainly had been a surprise. She listened to it again. Then again, as an ache for his presence started to burn in her stomach. And then one more time before finally deleting it.

Without returning to the kitchen, Hermione slowly walked up to her bedroom and allowed for herself to drop onto her bed. She reached for the phone and dialed the number she knew by heart, without giving herself time to think. All she knew was she wanted to hear his voice again. He hadn't been on the Hogwarts Express when he left for the break, perhaps he hadn't taken it home either.

It didn't even ring before going straight to voicemail. "Hey, it's Harry. Leave a message!"

Hermione hung up. His phone was off, which meant he was probably already back at school.

She mused over the last few days before break began, then over the last few months with Harry absent from her life. Soon, she was engrossed in her whole span at Hogwarts, the good and the bad. Mixed feelings bubbled to the surface over big over, trivial things. She thought of Harry, of the other students, the teachers. She thought about everything Dumbledore had told them, then about what Draco had said.

Guilt had slowly accumulated in the pit of her stomach since February fifteenth. She had tried to ignore it for too long. But now, it consumed her. She had shut Harry out, and here he was, calling her, pretty much just to tell her he was thinking about her.

It had been a quick decision-quicker than she had imagined. As all these miscellaneous thoughts swam through her brain, one thing shined above all the rest: she had never been happier than she had been when she had been so close with Harry Potter. Right now, nothing else mattered because nothing else compared to the way he made her feel. Damn the stupid war, damn Voldemort, damn anything and everything that forced its way in between Harry and her-to hell with it all. Tears of sadness, tears of joy, tears of guilt and excitement flowed freely. She had been so stupid, but now, she could clearly see. She could see what Harry had been saying all along. What Draco had tried to illuminate for her. Hermione jumped up, suddenly realizing she couldn't get to Hogwarts fast enough. She was tired of running.

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Two hours later, Hermione found herself in her familiar dormitory, pacing nervously. She had been here only twenty minutes and had already pinpointed Harry's location: the Quidditch Pitch. He had his last match this Saturday, so obviously he was going to make his team practice from now until early Friday evening, every chance he got.

She paused in her pacing and watched out the window. It would be dark soon, too dark to play. Anxiety coursed through her as she searched for a jacket to put on, ready to head out to the Pitch. Despite her nerves going haywire in her system, another feeling-budding elation-kept the unease company. She was ending this, tonight. If Harry didn't want her back, that was his problem. She would not return to Gryffindor Tower until Harry Potter was her best friend again.

She didn't have to wait very long before Harry called the team down and they all trudged to the locker rooms. Butterflies flew like mad in her stomach as she slowly crept out of the shadows-her hiding place. Hermione hoped Harry wouldn't leave with Ron and Draco, and luckily by some miracle, she got her wish. She counted the players leaving, sighing in relief as Ron and Draco emerged from the door, leaving only Harry remaining.

Draco caught sight of her first and broke out into a grin. "About damn time."

Hermione grinned, embarrassed.

"I think he's trying to drown himself in the shower." Ron informed her with a laugh. "So you better hurry."

More embarrassment flooded through her, and Hermione slowly went towards the door of the locker room. She hoped he was done because it would be awkward having to wait for him to finish.

Hermione cracked open the door. "Harry?" She called nervously before entering.

Harry poked his head around the wall of lockers, hair sopping wet in only a pair of dark faded jeans. He pulled his glasses on.

"Hermione? What are you doing here?" He asked, coming into full view.

Hermione smiled, elation taking over her nerves. She just needed to see him. Suddenly, the long-awaited apology she owed him didn't seem scary at all. Words only failed her for a second. "I-Harry, I'm so sorry!" Words tumbled from her mouth before she could think them through properly, but she didn't care, she needed to get them out. Normal speech pace couldn't get her words out fast enough. "I've been a total…total…bitch, for lack of better word, I know. And I'm so-"

Harry had crossed the distance of the room easily and put a halt to her terrible apology as he pressed a solitary finger to her lips, shushing her. Suddenly, he didn't need to hear her say the words at all.

Harry smiled at her bewildered expression. "I thought that's what I wanted, for you to just say you're sorry. But…I don't even need to hear it, Hermione. All water under the bridge." He spoke softly, pulling her into a fierce hug.

Hermione gripped his naked back with her palms, pressing herself to him as close as humanly possible. Oh how she had missed this! After a few seconds, she pulled back, but Harry's grip only tightened.

She laughed and hugged him again before forcing him to let her go. She looked deep into his eyes. "You may not have to hear these words, but I need to say them." She spoke slowly, her hands griping his shoulder lightly. She tried to calm herself and talk slowly, not ramble and mash her words together. "I'm sorry. I'm so very very sorry for how I've acted. You were right. You were right about everything. I do run away when I'm scared. And Harry, you scare the shit out of me-the grasp you have on me is incredible, and I've never felt more vulnerable in my life than I do right now. Admitting to someone the…the hold they have over me…it's very hard, Harry. But I've realized me not wanting to admit it doesn't make it any less true. These last few months have been miserable." Hermione whispered, feeling her heart hammer in her chest. "I miss my best friend." She choked out and without letting Harry respond, she buried her head in the crook of his neck, pulling him into another tight hug.

"I'm sorry too." Harry said in her ear. "I shouldn't have waited so long. I've missed you terribly. I shouldn't have pressured you. I never thought it would take this long." He said with half a laugh.

Hermione smiled and wiped her eyes. "I guess we're both too stubborn for our own good." She laughed.

Harry grinned, possible the most genuine smile he had had in months. "I'm going to finish getting dressed…then how about we go raid the kitchens for something sweet because all this making up has made me ravenous." He proposed, his eyes bright.

"Deal." Hermione grinned. She stood off to the side, allowing herself a small peek before Harry pulled a black t-shirt over his head, her heart skipping a few beats. She tried to hide her blush and pretend to be interested in the paneling of the room, inspecting the intricate wood designs without seeing them.

"Ready?" A voice said behind, causing Hermione to jump. She turned to catch sight of a dazzling smile gracing Harry's lips. He had his hand held out, which Hermione took.

"Let's go!" She answered cheerfully, feeling lighter than she had in all her time at Hogwarts.

Once the two were back in the Gryffindor Common Room after a quick snack, Hermione announced to Harry that she would be going to bed "I want to be ready for classes tomorrow!" She argued when he asked her to stay. "And I know Ron and Draco are looking forward to chatting about more Quidditch strategies for Saturday's game." She said coyly, though a look in their direction at their disgruntled faces told her quite the opposite.

Harry gave her a sad smile. "Okay, I'll see you tomorrow then." He said, the line blurred slightly between it being a question or a statement.

Hermione smiled in return and walked towards the stairs. She didn't need to rest for classes the following morning. No, she needed to think…and think hard.

She allowed herself to get ready for bed before letting her mind wander. She took a shower, brushed her teeth and her hair, put on her pajamas and finally got into bed.

Harry.

She sighed in bliss at their reunion, pulling her pillow closer. Oh how she had missed him. She had forgotten how easy he was to talk to and how incredible his very presence made her feel. She knew how she felt about him-she may very well be in love. It was no secret that he was mad for her either. He had made that point quite clear. Hermione also knew she wanted him, just as he wanted her. And finally, she had accepted that she didn't give a damn about a War anymore. Her conversation with Draco had helped immensely. Now, she knew she was ready. She knew he had been ready. She also knew she would not be able to make the first move, despite how desperately she wanted to. Hermione was a chicken, she knew. She laughed softly to herself, amused at her dilemma.

She would wait, she decided. She would wait, and hopefully, Harry wouldn't take too long to broach the subject again, though she had a sinking feeling that it might be awhile, because he wouldn't want to rush her. `Oh well,' she said to herself, `at least I have his friendship. And friendship is good enough…for now.'

0000000000000000000

Harry woke up earlier than usual and sped through the process of getting ready. He showered, shaved, dressed, and skipped down the dormitory stairs before any of his dorm mates had even woke up. He wanted to beat Hermione downstairs and wait for her in the Common Room, just to make sure the night before hadn't been a dream. The Common Room had a few early birds milling around groggily, trying to finish undone homework through their yawns. Harry found a quiet table in the corner. He pulled a piece of scrap parchment toward him and grabbed a pen from his bad and began to doodle, eyes lifting towards the Girls' Staircase every so often.

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See the stone set in your eyes
See the thorn twist in your side
I wait for you

Through the storm, we reach the shore
You gave it all but I want more
And I'm waiting for you

"With Or Without You" U2

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Hermione trudged down the staircase, sleepiness still fogging her brain slightly, but it was slowly disappearing as she played the events from the night before in her head for a third time that morning. The drowsiness evaporated completely when she watched Harry bounce up from his table and bound toward her, a large grin playing effortlessly on his lips.

"Good morning, m'lady." He greeted, bowing to her.

Hermione laughed his antics, but she curtsied for him nonetheless. "Good morning, yourself, kind sir."

"Did you sleep well?" He asked, gesturing for her to lead the way.

Hermione's cheeks warmed. "Probably better than I have in a long time." She admitted with a begrudging grin.

Harry nodded. "Ditto."

As they walked, Hermione eyed Harry's hand, just limp at his side. Her own twitched to reach out to take it, already knowing the familiar warmth it would bring her. A slight tremor jolted through her arm, catching Harry's attention.

"Are you okay?" He asked, concern etched on his face.

Hermione smiled, praying her cheeks wouldn't redden. "Just a cold chill." She quickly lied, speeding up her pace.

Harry fell behind her and wrapped each of her arms in his hands and began to rub her arm, hoping the friction would warm her up. "We can't have any of that."

Goosebumps erupted on Hermione's arms under her robes, but she ignored them and just laughed, saying her thanks.

It had been obvious to the rest of the school that some sort of row had been going on between Harry and Hermione, as they had been inseparable for months. Only the select few of their best friends actually knew the origin of the fight. Now, walking in to Great Hall together, laughing, people's heads turned curiously in their direction. Harry and Hermione ignored everyone completely, lost in their own world.

"So what do you want to do today?" Harry asked as they sat down at an empty portion of the Gryffindor table.

Hermione shrugged. "What do you want to do?" She fired back, picking up a piece of toast.

Harry pulled a thoughtful expression. "I don't know. I'm sure we'll find something."

Hermione nodded, digging further into her breakfast.

00000000000

Hermione couldn't remember ever being so happy. She had forgotten just how lively Harry had made her life. He didn't like to sit around much, and was constantly trying to get the most he could out of every opportunity he had. No, with him, she didn't get to observe life around her; she was forced to live it. Harry was such a beautiful person inside and out, it was difficult not to catch his infectious carefree live-for-the-moment attitude.

That was why Hermione had made a plan. Harry had put together so many little things for her that she wanted to do the same for him. Perhaps it was stupid, but she didn't care. She was going to make an effort, and even if it flopped, she knew it would at the very least brighten Harry's day-there wasn't much she wouldn't do just for that alone, she was coming to realize.

It was Friday, and Hermione knew Harry was completely on edge. He tried to hide it, but Thursday morning had brought with it a new sense of urgency to the entire castle, the Quidditch teams in particular. Hermione could see how anxious Harry was, and it made her want to reach out to him, to calm him down some way. She decided it was possible to be over prepared sometimes, and Harry needed to get out of Quidditchville, even if just for an hour or two.

Hermione was going to break the rules.

00000

Harry was the last one in the locker room, again-it was becoming a hobby of his. Hermione waited patiently, slightly nervous that he might shut her down because it would prove to be too much of a distraction. Then again, she couldn't think of a time when he had refused her. She looked at her watch and saw that it was almost quarter `til eight. He really needed to hurry! Her patience wasn't waning; she just knew they had so little time.

Finally, Harry emerged from the locker room, a hundred emotions upon his face: excitement, nervousness, exhaustion, anticipation, and countless others. Hermione smiled in her hiding spot and waited for him to pass by before she crept behind him and put her hands over his eyes, effectively blinding him. "Guess who?" She sang lightly.

Harry chuckled at her antics. "Hm…" He pretended to ponder. "The Queen?" He guessed hopefully.

"Nope."

"Professor McGonagall?"

"Nooo." Hermione responded, still giggling quietly.

"I give up then." He sighed theatrically.

Hermione gave a pout. "You're boring." She complained.

Harry twisted around to catch her hands in his own. "Of course I know who it is." He said with a smile, raising one hand so she could twirl around as if they were dancing. "No one else smells this good." Harry winked.

Hermione felt a blush surface on her cheeks, but ignored it. "Well good then, because you're stuck with me for the next couple of hours." She said, going over to the bushes to pick up Harry's Invisibility Cloak that she had nicked from his dormitory.

Harry's mouth dropped in mock shock. "Hermione Jane Granger! I didn't know you were into petty theft-you better hope the owner of that can be persuaded not to press charges!" He cautioned urgently.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Oh hush, you." She reached over and swiftly took his Firebolt from his hands, "And hop on." She ordered smoothly, straddling the broomstick.

Slightly stunned, Harry tossed his duffle bag with his practice clothes in them inside the door of the locker room and did as he was told.

"I'm not sure if the cloak will conceal us completely, but the dark will do the rest." Hermione said, more to herself than to Harry. It was already twilight. Harry wrapped the two of them in the cloak the best he could.

Harry encircled her waist and held the tips of the cloak in his fist, effectively wrapping themselves in invisibility as Hermione comfortably kicked off from the ground. Curiosity was burning inside of him. Finally, before he could stop himself, he leaned forward to whisper in her ear huskily, "So is the Hufflepuff team paying you off to kidnap the Gryffindor captain?"

Hermione smiled. "Something like that. It's a rather large lump sum. I'll be able to buy a lot of pretty things."

"Mmm, that sounds nice. And what do you plan on doing with your prisoner?" His low voice tickled the back of her neck.

Hermione found it difficult to focus for a moment, knowing Harry was doing this on purpose. "Oh, I'm just going to wing it." She managed, closing her eyes for the tiniest second to regain control.

Hermione could feel rather than hear a deep chuckle in Harry's chest, as it was flush against her back. Determined not to lose focus, Hermione urged the broom forward, scrutinizing their path. A silence lapsed between the two as they soared towards Hermione's destination.

Once they got to Hogsmeade, Hermione flew to an almost-graceful landing just on the edge of the small village.

"A nighttime stroll through the Hogsmeade village?" Harry questioned as they dismounted. Hermione stowed the broomstick and cloak into a small purse slung across her chest. Harry cocked a questioning eyebrow.

"Undetectable Extension Charm." She answered with a shrug. Hermione held out her hand, which Harry took without a second thought. He was surprised however when his body suddenly collapsed within itself and he felt as if he was being forced through a tight rubber tube.

They Apparated just inside a dark alley way. "I thought we'd do it Muggle-style tonight." Hermione said, her voice smug. She pulled him out towards the semi-busy street of people getting ready for a Friday night.

"London?" Harry asked, recognizing their surroundings.

Hermione smiled but said nothing as she ushered him down the street where they fell into step easily with strangers.

"Where are we going?" Harry asked again, a new excitement coursing through him.

"Well, I thought you could use a little break from the stressing of Quidditch, so…" She trailed off, eyeing the open possibilities before them.

Harry laughed. "What did you have in mind?" Harry slung an arm casually around her shoulders.

Hermione stopped short of a neon-lit sign, reading TEN-PIN BOWLING. "I was thinking something along these lines," she said, gesturing towards the large pin and bowling ball.

Harry grinned and opened the door. He reached for his wallet, where he carried Muggle money in out of habit, but Hermione stopped him. "My treat," she simply said before pulling out her own wallet.

Harry knew he would be fighting a losing battle and gestured for her to continue.

Soon, the two were found in a lane between a group of loud beer-laden twenty-somethings and five ladies in matching bowling league shirts, complete with embodied names in pink. Various fried foods and two half-empty cokes littered their table. As it appeared, neither Gryffindor was very good at bowling, though Hermione's talents were drastically worse off than Harry's. Harry sat back in a chair, taking a sip of Coke as he watched Hermione pick up a bright pink bowling ball and head for the pins. Smiling to himself, Harry laughed when she got a gutter ball. He put down his drink and picked up a neon green ball before heading towards her. "Perhaps you could use a lesson?" He asked innocently.

Hermione scoffed. "I most certainly do not." She said stubbornly.

"Hermione Granger giving up an opportunity to learn?!" Harry mocked.

"Well, when you put it that way…" Hermione flirted back.

Harry gave her the bowling ball and easily molded his body against hers. "Your aim is a little off." He informed her. "You twist your wrist right before you throw, and it makes it go straight in the gutter." Harry forced her wrist straight. "Now just bring your arm back…" he continued, making the motion with her, but keeping a firm grasp on her wrist, "Swing…and…release." He finally said as they watched the green bowling ball roll in a straight line. Strike.

Hermione suddenly jumped up and down and began doing a victory dance. Harry's eyes followed her movements, unable to stifle a chuckle.

"Good job." He complimented as she danced back to her seat.

They played one more game and finished off one more plate of gooey-nacho-mess before Hermione checked the time. "Uh-oh. Your sentence is up. Time to get the team captain to bed," she said, dropping into a seat to take off her bowling shoes.

Harry kicked off his own shoes and took both pairs back to the counter to exchange them for their own shoes.

The trip home was a silent one. They Apparated back to Hogsmeade quickly, and this time, Harry guided them back to Hogwarts, without the shelter of the cloak this time as it was very dark. Instead of going through the castle, Harry flew straight up to Hermione's window.

Once they were in her empty dormitory, Harry glanced at the time himself. It was almost eleven o'clock. He reached out and pulled Hermione into a hug, which she easily returned.

"Thank you." He murmured softly into her hair, taking in her scent. He closed his eyes and tightened his arms around her.

"No problem." Hermione replied.

"I had a great time tonight-we should definitely go again sometime. Bowling with you is positively a fantastic good time." He winked.

"Of course." She replied smoothly. "But you need to go to bed. You've got a big day tomorrow." She ordered him.

"We've got a big day. It won't just be a win for the team; it will be a win for Gryffindor as well." He corrected her.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Yes, well, your alertness is vastly more important than mine." She said, pushing him towards the open window.

"Alright, alright. I'm going." Harry said, hopping onto his broomstick. "Until tomorrow, milady. I bid you adieu." He said, kissing her hand in a gentlemen-like fashion before disappearing into the night.

Hermione watched out the window until she couldn't see him anymore. "Good night," she whispered softly, closing the window. With a sigh, she turned around and faced the empty room, feeling a mixture of delight and depression.

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I'm tugging at my hair
I'm pulling at my clothes
I'm trying to keep my cool
I know it shows
I'm staring at my feet
My cheeks are turning red
I'm searching for the words inside my head

If I could say what I want to say
I'd say I wanna blow you... away
Be with you every night
Am I squeezing you too tight
If I could say what I want to see
I want to see you go down
On one knee
Marry me today
Guess, I'm wishing my life away
With these things I'll never say

"Things I'll Never Say" AVRIL LAVIGNE

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Harry easily made his way to his own dormitory and snuck in the window. Ron's snored filled the room. Neville's bed was the only one empty. Harry quietly walked to his bed and quickly got undressed. He didn't feel tired at all as he mental went through the night again. Hermione was so (no so)great. The months since Valentine's Day seemed to completely evaporate, as they were closer than ever. It was hard to believe it had only been a week since they made up. Harry glanced at the clock and groaned. He knew he should have been asleep almost two hours ago. Even the next morning's match couldn't fight away the memories of the night. Harry knew he wouldn't have traded even a minute of tonight for those two extra hours of sleep.

With guilty thoughts and fantasies that had nothing to do with the upcoming game in his mind, Harry fell into a peaceful sleep.

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Harry walked out of the locker room for the tenth time, pacing in front of it. All the nerves that had disappeared the night before came back with twice the force. Harry felt ready. He felt that his team was at their full potential. The pure desire to win was so thick in the air that he could almost taste it.

"Nervous?" A voice boomed from behind, and Harry felt a strong grip on his shoulders.

He shrugged in response to his father. His mother hugged him while Sirius grinned. "I can't believe it-your last Hogwarts game." Her eyes looked close to tears.

Wanting to keep the water works at bay, Harry quickly fell into strategy tactics with his father and Sirius. He didn't look up until his mother cleared her voice, her eyes narrowed. "Let's go find a good seat, dear." She said, her mouth tight. Harry followed her gaze and unconsciously, a broad smile fell on his lips as he watched Hermione make her way towards him, trying to approach nonchalantly.

"Good luck, son." James grinned.

"You'll be careful, won't you?!" His mother's worried voice demanded before she kissed his forehead.

"Make us proud, Harry." Sirius winked before gesturing in the direction of the stands. "Shall we?"

"Hey." Hermione greeted softly, making an effort to ignore the scene that had unfolded before her.

"Hey you." He replied in a quiet voice before acknowledging the group surrounding her. "Ginny. Neville." He said with a nod before finally, "Luna." He didn't comment on her absurd hat: a large, majestic lion head.

"Hello." The three greeted back before Luna began to wander towards the locker room, saying something about telling Ron good luck. Harry made to stop her, but Hermione grabbed his arm.

"I don't like significant others going into the locker room, especially before a big game like this!" He has, exasperated.

Hermione smiled. "Oh it will be fine, calm down. Are you saying you'd be upset if you hadn't been standing out here and I had come in to wish you good luck?" She asked innocently.

Harry was going to argue, but knew it was pointless. In fact, he'd be upset if she hadn't.

Feeling awkward, Ginny and Neville both wished the best of luck to Harry before telling Hermione they would save her and Luna a seat.

A whistle blew somewhere, signaling it was almost time.

Looking nervous, Harry threw a look back to the locker room. "I'd better get in there." He said, slowly letting out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.

Hermione smiled. She leaned over to give him a long hug, then, before she could stop herself, she pressed her lips to his cheek. "I won't wish you good luck-you're too talented for that." She said, her cheeks slightly flushed.

Harry didn't know what to say, though a million thoughts rushed through his mind. He felt the urge to snog her senseless, but tried to calm down. He certainly didn't need that sort of thing on his mind right now. Finally, in a hoarse voice, he mumbled, "Thanks." She squeezed his hand one last time as Luna came back, smiling dreamily.

"Have a good game, Harry." Luna said with a nod.

"Thanks." He repeated as the dizzy feeling began to lift. With a quick shake of his head from side to side, Harry bade them both goodbye and ran to the locker room.

Hermione and Luna met Ginny and Neville in the stands a few minutes later and waited for the match to begin.

000

Hermione wasn't paying much attention to the voice of a fellow Gryffindor, Dean Thomas, as her eyes roamed the Pitch. Harry always told her he hated listening to the commentary because it was usually a few seconds behind to what was actually happening in the game. He preferred to block it out and see for himself…which usually meant him unconsciously whispering his own commentary under his breath. Having watched a few games with him, Hermione had begun to listen to his voice in place of Dean's. With him not here, she said the commentary in her head at a much faster, simpler speed. She couldn't believe how much she had learned, just watching the matches with him, Ron, and Draco.

`Kofacts. Elliot. Stolen by Stutz. Saved by Ron. Draco…going, going…SCORE!' Hermione's eyes automatically found Harry to see his reaction, which turned out to be a quick high five to Draco. The Hufflepuff Keeper chucked the Quaffle with all his might down the field, but Draco quickly intercepted it, went in for another score, then unexpectedly passed to Carmichael once the Keeper was sufficiently distracted by Draco barreling towards him, leaving Carmichael for the open shot.

`SCORE! One hundred forty to fifty.' Hermione thought, not needing to check the score board. Slytherin's win against Ravenclaw was brutal, and it meant Gryffindor had to win by at least four hundred and twenty points-no easy feat. However, Harry assured it was possible. Watching the game now, Hermione was trying hard not to doubt his words. Almost an hour in, and they were only winning by ninety-and they needed to triple that before Harry could catch the Snitch.

Harry had called a time out, and the Gryffindor team gathered around on the ground. Harry was talking animatedly, and grabbed the shoulder of one of the Beaters before gesturing to Jenna Stevens. Hermione knew he must be reprimanding him for letting a Bludger nearly knock her off her broom. After another thirty seconds of what Hermione could only assume was an ego-boosting pep talk, everyone was back in the air.

`Kofacts. Draco. Kofacts. Draco. Ko-Elliot! SCORE!' Hermione's mind raced as she only barely kept up with their strategic weaving and passing down the field.

Dean's voice boomed, complimenting the team work, but Hermione heard none of it. Hufflepuff was in possession and was darting down the field. The Fourth Year was no match for Draco, who easily stole the red ball and raced towards the Hufflepuff goal posts. `SCORE!'

Two and a half hours. It was two and a half hours into the game. The Gryffindor team had taken what Harry must have yelled at them to heart, as their performance was superb. The team was acting as a single unit. The Beaters worked together to protect the Chasers; Kofacts, Draco, and Elliot were blurs half the time, weaving complicated patterns that it was sometimes impossible to know which one actually had the Quaffle; Ron darted around his posts, blocking almost every goal attempt; and finally, Harry circled the Hufflepuff Seeker, restraining him from getting a clear view of the Pitch. Hermione had never seen a better team. The score was seventy to three hundred and twenty-Gryffindor. They needed twenty more points-and needed to maintain that lead-before Harry could try for the Snitch.

Hufflepuff scored. Thirty more points now.

Hermione's eyes were bright with excitement as she murmured her own strategic plays under her breath, and was bizarrely impressed with herself when Draco and Elliot did what she was hoping they'd do, and it ended in another score. She let out an uncontrollably "Whoop!" that earned her looks from Ginny and Neville, but Hermione paid no mind. Harry had seen the Snitch, and was frantically checking to see if the Hufflepuff Seeker, Zefner, had seen it too.

He had.

They raced down the Pitch, Harry's Firebolt easily taking the lead. Jenna Stevens, a rather strong girl for her age, caught on quickly and rushed towards the nearest Bludger and, with a look of great intensity, knocked the black ball of iron in the Seeker's path, effectively throwing the Hufflepuff off course.

The Snitch disappeared.

Hermione could feel the sudden heightened intensity of the game. Gryffindor knew they needed to end it, and end it now. Draco, the strongest Chaser, urged his broom forward and dashed towards the Hufflepuff Keeper, Stinson. Smith and Krevis both tried to intercept him just outside the scoring area. With a fierce grin, he shot straight up with Smith and Krevis following. The Quaffle hung suspended in midair, the three Chasers now over fifteen feet above the sudden lonely ball. Out of nowhere, Harry raced from the direction of the Hufflepuff goal posts some ten feet below the red ball, looped forward he was upside and swiftly kicked it straight into the far left goal. The crowds cheered at the unique score-made by a Seeker, no less! Somewhere in Hermione's memory distant words reminded her that while no other player can touch the Snitch, the same rule does not apply to the Quaffle. It was just very unwise to utilize the Beaters and Seeker as secondary Chasers when their attention needed to be elsewhere.

One more goal. Harry flew high above the match, distancing himself from what was going it. It was obvious to Hermione that he was counting on one of his Chasers to pull through as he put all of his focus on the Golden Snitch.

Hermione applauded Ron's Keeper skills as he blocked yet another attempt and threw the ball to Elliot. She, too, distanced herself from the game and focused solely on Harry.

It happened in an instant. Draco and Harry's eyes met, both seeing exactly what had just happened, what was happening, and what needed to happen. Draco yelled something to Carmichael, who took off towards Stutz, reading his bat to hit a Bludger his way. Elliot caught the Quaffle once Stutz dropped it and raced to the Hufflepuff goal posts, Draco and Kofacts already in formation. In an efficient yet complicated rhythm, the trio got the Quaffle down the Pitch in seconds. Draco was at the point with Kofacts and Elliot flanking him, acting more as body guards than team mates.

During this fast-paced exchange that took place in mere seconds, Harry had shot off like a bullet at the opposite end of the Pitch, speeding quickly en route to the tiniest glint of gold hovering just inches from the ground. Hermione suddenly realized the dilemma: Draco needed to score before Harry caught the Snitch; Harry needed to catch the Snitch now because he was three times farther from it than the Zefner-who was barreling forward as fast as his broomstick would allow. It would be a photo finish. It was impossible to watch both Harry and the Chaser at the same time, so Hermione glued her eyes to Harry, her fingernails digging painfully into her palms, `Go, go, go. But please don't crash!' She thought desperately.

The volume of the stadium appeared to be muted. Nanoseconds ticked by as Harry gained on Zefner. Now they were neck and neck. As if in slow motion, he overtook the underdog Seeker and, before Hermione could make out much more as Harry was now inches above the ground, he was gone. He flew high above the crowd, his fist high in the air, encircling a small glint of gold. The rest of the team joined him in his soar above the crowd, and by the look on Draco's face, Hermione knew he had scored just in time. And even five hundred to eighty-Gryffindor.

Hermione hugged Luna, who was showing a remarkable amount of emotion over the Gryffindor win, as she rarely looked very excited for anything. Next, Ginny nearly jumped in her arms, but the hug was short lived as Ginny quickly turned her around and pushed her away. Hermione could only barely take in that this was because Harry was very rapidly speeding straight for her, his emerald eyes bright with an intensity she had never witnessed. His landing wasn't graceful, but his wild eyes told her that he hadn't planned for his to be. Two steps then he all but roughly grabbed her so she was flush against him. He wasn't gentle. He wasn't asking. Confidence radiated from him as his hands snaked to the base of her neck and he crushed his lips to hers in a victory kiss. Her body automatically attempted to pull him closer, as if that were even possible. Even with her mind very much elsewhere, she knew this wasn't just a victory for him in Quidditch.

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I know you said to me
"This is exactly how it should feel when its meant to be"
Time is only wasting so why wait for eventually
If we gonna do something about it
We should do it right now

You give me a feeling that I never felt before
And I deserve it, I know I deserve it
Its becoming something that's impossible to ignore
It's what we make it
I was wondering maybe
Could I make you my baby
If we do the unthinkable would it make us so crazy
Or would it be so beautiful either way I'm saying
If you ask me I'm ready, I'm ready, I'm ready

"Unthinkable (I'm Ready)" ALICIA KEYS

Well?!?! Don't forget to review! And I'll have the next chapter out soon! And check out my new story Outlet if you haven't yet. I like that one, haha. Well, thanks for reading and I'll see you all next time!!!

REVIEW!

*~Archie~*

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