I Need To Know

A/N: Hey everyone here's another one from me. Originally, this idea came from the plot of my “novel” that I'm writing which is a continuation of the first chapter of an English project I had last year and I thought I would try and make an h/hr version to see how it turns out. Anyways…happy reading. Please R/R!

I Need To Know

Chapter 1: Innocence

It happened eight years ago. Eight years ago, I met the boy that today, I am in love with, and eight years ago, my life, in some way, changed forever. I think it was love at first sight; I was just too daft to see it. But today, at the age of twenty, I can proudly stand up and admit that I, Hermione Jane Granger, am in love with Harry Potter. Well, not to him anyway. Not just yet. You see Harry is one of my best friends. I know, I know, it sounds so cliché that I don't want to tell him because of the whole `I don't want to lose my best friend' ordeal. But I can't help it. So, here it is, my story.

I sat at the kitchen table in my London flat, eating dinner and stealing the occasional glance at Harry, my best friend, flat mate and secret crush all put together. He had jet-black hair, was quite muscular (I noticed this once or twice) and his eyes--oh, how I love his eyes. They aren't the typical ocean blue that most girls swooned over; they were a deep emerald. Everyone knew that my favourite colour was green but what they didn't know that he was the reason behind it.

“So, have any plans for the weekend?” I asked him non-chanlantly.

“None, in particular,” Harry replied. “We could invite Ron and Luna over for dinner tomorrow,” he continued.

Ah yes, Ron and Luna. They were both very good friends of Harry and I. Those two were quite good friends and just recently, they started dating. I can only hope that the same thing will happen with Harry and I, but I shouldn't get my hopes up.

“Yeah, it might be fun,” I said. I was slightly disappointed that I wouldn't be able to spend the night alone with Harry, even though I know that nothing could ever happen.

*~*~*~

The doorbell rang.

“Just a minute!” I called out, as I raced to the door. The second I opened it; I was enveloped in a giant bear hug from Luna.

“Hermione! I missed you so much!” Luna exclaimed. I chuckled. It had been two days since I had last seen her.

“I missed you too,” I said to her. “Hey Ron!” I wrapped my arms around my friend's middle.

“Hi Mione!” he said as he hugged me back. “So, what's for dinner?” he asked after letting go, “I'm famished!”

Both Luna and I rolled our eyes at his last comment. “Him and his stomach,” we said in unison.

“Supper is ready you guys,” Harry called from the kitchen. He was the one who usually cooked because whatever I attempted to make (notice I said attempted), was rarely edible.

“It smells delicious Harry,” I told him.

“Of course it does,” he told me, “I made it didn't I?”

“You know, we might have to make our flat a bit bigger, don't you think?” I asked him.

“Whatever for, Miss Granger?”

“Well, I don't think that this place is big enough for you, me and your ego,” I said innocently and everyone laughed. Harry placed his hand over his heart in shock, pretending to be hurt by my words, but failing quite greatly.

After our friendly banter, the four of us settled down for dinner. After the table had been cleared, we moved to the living room to watch a movie that Ron and Luna had rented (I had finally been able to show the wonders of television and movies). Fortunately for Luna and I, it wasn't one of those war movies that guys liked so much; it was “The Day After Tomorrow”.

We all sat comfortably on the sofa, watching the movie. At some point during the movie, Harry had placed his arm around my shoulder. It wasn't unusual for him to do something like this since he always had his arm around me when we walked together. But this time seemed different some how. I felt like butterflies were fluttering about in my stomach. From the corner of my eye, I could see Luna sniggering at me. When the movie ended, Ron and Luna left for their respective flats.

After helping Harry clean up the living room, he gave me a hug and kiss on the cheek. Again this was nothing out of the ordinary, but this time however, I noticed that his lips lingered a little longer than the usual. Maybe I was imagining things, but hey, a girl can dream…can't she?

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A/N: Here's chapter 2. I was bored so I thought I'd update again lol cause I was too excited. Thanks to everyone who reviewed! And thanks to Swimangel57 who pointed out my little mistake. Please R/R! Your comments mean the world to me!

Chapter 2: Crash Into You

The next morning I woke up feeling slightly light-headed. As I recalled the previous night's events, I couldn't help but smile. Sure, nothing major happened but I guess it was a start.

Walking down the stairs I could hear the clattering of the pots and pans, a definite sign that Harry was already up and about. When I reached the doorway of the kitchen, I lifted my eyes, ready to greet Harry, only to be surprised by the greeting that I got of his perfectly naked chest. I didn't know whether the sight of him standing there, with only a towel wrapped around his waist made the situation better or worse. It's not like I minded or anything, but he wasn't supposed to know that.

“Oh, morning Mione,” he said with a sheepish smile. “I wasn't expecting you up so soon, otherwise I would've um…dressed accordingly.”

All I could do was stand there with my eyes transfixed somewhere they should not have been. Finally, snapping out of my depraved little musings, I smiled and quickly dashed to the table, hiding my burning face behind the newspaper.

From the corner of my eye I saw Harry place two plates on the table and sit down next to me. He shifted slightly in his chair, giving me his full attention. I kept my eyes locked on the newspaper in front of me. If someone asked me what I was reading about I couldn't tell them seeing as my mind kept screaming: `Don't look at him! Don't look at him!”

He chuckled.

“Uh, Mione are you feeling alright?” he asked studying me with a worried look, although it seemed as though he was trying very hard to contain his laughter.

“Yeah…why do you ask?” I replied shakily.

“Well, since when do you read the Sports section of the Daily Prophet?” And there he went, grinning like an idiot.

“Oh…I've really gotten into Quidditch these past few years… I wanted to know the results of the last game.”

I was always a horrible liar.

“You can do that with the newspaper upside down? I mean you'd think that you were trying to -“

“Trying to what?” I asked, turning around in m chair so that my eyes were now level to his.

Big mistake. My eyes kept moving from his eyes to his lips. He was much too close. I saw his eyes darken just before he cupped my chin with his hand and brought my mouth to his. The kiss was chaste at first but it quickly deepened and grew more and more desperate. I felt his tongue against my lips so with out thinking twice; I opened my mouth to his. Fireworks were flashing behind my eyes and sirens were going off in my head. I wrapped my arms around his neck, trying to get as close as I could to him. But it still wasn't enough. He smiled against my lips as he pulled me closer to him. This is what I had wanted for so long and I was actually happening. I was sitting here, kissing Harry like there was no tomorrow. And like and idiot, I pulled away.

“Why'd you stop?” he asked after steadying his breathing.

“I just - we can't do this. It's not…it's not right” I avoided his gaze as I knew that if I were to look him in the eyes I would blow my cover.

He sat there staring at me with a blank expression on his face.

“I'm sorry,” I whispered. I rose from my chair, turned my back on him and walked out of the kitchen, tears streaming silently down my face.

*PLEASE R/R*

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A/N: This chapter is a bit longer and it might explain a few confusions of the previous chapter. *Please R/R*

Chapter 3: Girl Talk

After fleeing the kitchen, I needed to get away. Technically `away' was fifteen minutes down the street but it had to do. Usually if I was having a problem I could always talk to Harry; he was my rock and I knew no matter what, he would always be there for me, and would always help me through. But, seeing as he was the cause of my problems this time, I turned to the next best thing: Luna.

I apparated on her doorstep, and desperately knocked on her door, hoping to Merlin that she would be home. Finally the door opened and I came face to face with Ron, clad only in his boxers. His face was flushed and his red hair was more unruly than the norm. Seconds later, Luna emerged from the hallway looking petrified. When she saw me her face relaxed.

“Oh thank God it's you, Hermione,” she said in a relieved voice. “I thought it would be my dad coming to check up on me.” It was lucky for her that I wasn't her mother, because her clothes were disheveled as they obviously had been put on in a hurry. Anyone with a pair of eyes could tell what they'd been up to.

“So,” she started, “what brings you here this early? You usually aren't up until noon on the weekends.”

“I was hoping that I could talk to you about something…but if it's not a good time I can come back later it's no problem,” I said, looking at my feet.

“Are you crazy? Come in!” She ushered me inside and told me to sit in the living room while she made some coffee. She left for the kitchen, while Ron headed to Luna's bedroom. Ten minutes later Luna walked into the living room carrying two mugs of coffee. Just as she sat them down on the coffee table, Ron emerged from the bedroom, fully dressed.

“I guess I'll get going now, I don't want to intrude on your `girl talk',” he said smiling.

“Alright, so I'll see you later on tonight then?” Luna asked her boyfriend.

“For sure,” he said walking over and giving her a quick peck on the lips. “Bye sweetheart. Bye Mione.” And he left.

Luna turned to me. “So, what's up?” She asked me. After a short pause I finally spoke up.

“Harry kissed me,” I said flatly.

Luna's smile reached her ears. “I knew it! I knew it was going to happen! When did it happen? Last night? This morning? Oh my God, how was it? I need details!”

I retold her this morning's events. I told her how everything led up to the kiss, and how amazing it was, and how I pulled away.

“You did what?” she exclaimed after I had finished. She was looking at me like I was some kind of madwoman now, and coming from Luna Lovegood, well…you must be really cracked. “Were you feeling alright? Or did you just forget that you've been in love with this guy for the last three years?”

“It's not easy, okay? You know I haven't told him because I'm afraid of what might happen to us if I do. He's my best friend, and if we hook up and things don't work out then what will I do?”

“Listen, Mione, you can't just base your life on `what ifs'. Take a chance once in awhile. If things don't work out between you two then it was just never meant to happen. You'll both eventually get over it and find someone new. We're young and gorgeous and we still have loads of time to find whatever it is we're looking for,” she told me. I always hated when she sounded right.

“I'm scared, Luna,” I confessed.

“Well Hermione,” she sighed, “it's never easy being in love with one of your best friends.”

“Oh and you would know that how?”

“Uh, hello…have you been with us these past few weeks?” She looked as if she was worried about my health.

“Oh yeah. Sorry, it just completely slipped my mind I guess.” There was a long pause. “Is that a hickey on your neck?” I asked giving her a knowing look.

“Oh, um…yeah,” she blushed. Another pause.

“So…is Ron…any good?”

She looked over at me. “Yes. Yes he is,” she said with a huge grin on her face.

After that we spent the rest of the day sitting in her living room, talking about anything and everything. In the back of my mind I knew that it wouldn't be easy talking to Harry, but with time I just might work up the nerve to do it.

*~*~*~*~*

I got home late that night because after spending the afternoon with Luna, I went to visit my parents as I had promised to visit them but never got around to it. When I arrived home, I found Harry fast asleep on the couch. On any other day I would wake him up telling him to go in his room or else he'd have a stiff neck in the morning. But today wasn't just any day, so, I simply got a blanket from the hall closet and covered him up and headed up to bed.

*~*~*~*~*

The next morning I had to wake up quite early because of classes. I was training to be a Healer and to be fully qualified, you needed a muggle PHD. The teachers at the university were more demanding and if you were late or made any disruptions in class you got kicked out.

Thankfully, Harry didn't have auror training scheduled that day so he could sleep in and there would be no awkwardness. I showered, dressed and did my hair and makeup before finally making my way down to the kitchen. Just to my horror, sitting there at the kitchen table was a fully clothed (and I thank Merlin for that) Harry, sipping his coffee while reading the Prophet. He looked up from the paper and gave me a small smile.

“There's pancakes on the stove that are done if you want some,” he said in a quiet voice. Judging by the sound of his voice, and the way his whole body tensed up when he noticed my presence in the room, he had not forgotten about yesterday morning.

“Oh, okay, thanks.” I didn't know what to say to him. I grabbed a stack of pancakes and ate in silence. I gave him the occasional glance, sometimes finding him looking at me with the same blank expression as yesterday. He was like a wall, if he didn't want you to know how he was feeling, he would have no problem covering it up. At that moment I wanted to knock that barrier down, just to know what he was thinking about, if he was thinking about yesterday, or how I left, or if he was even thinking of me at all. When I finished eating I got up and put my plate in the dishwasher.

“Thanks for the breakfast Harry, it was great,” I said, “I have to get going now so I'll see you later.” When I left the kitchen I hear him murmur a quiet `bye'. Maybe yesterday wasn't just a `spur of the moment' type thing for him…

*~*~*~*~*

Classes that day were long and extremely boring. I never heard a thing the teachers were saying because I had thoughts of Harry standing in the kitchen with only his towel on, and what he might look like without the towel…God my hormones had been running high lately. I wanted so badly to feel his lips on mine again. I had to get a hold of myself. By the end of the day I was so worked up I barely checked to see if anyone was looking when I apparated back home to take a cold shower. Even when he wasn't around me he drove me mad. Not the angry type mad but type where…well…let's just forget about that.

When Harry arrived home from Merlin knows where, I told him I was ordering a pizza and asked him what kind he wanted.

“Actually…I have a date tonight,” he said. I felt my stomach squirm, and my blood started to boil. Jealousy.

“Oh, is it a girl from training?” I asked him.

“No actually it's a girl that I met today when I went out for lunch.”

“Oh. Well, have fun then.” I said, trying to keep my cool on the outside while I was seething on the inside.

“Yeah. I'll see you later, or tomorrow morning.”

“Bye.”

I didn't feel like eating on my own so I called Luna and Ron and invited them over. Ron couldn't make it because he was on the road for the week, on tour with the Chudley Cannons (last year he got the position of full time Keeper) so it was just Luna and I.

After both Luna, and the pizza arrived, we sat in the living room eating our pizza.

“So where's Harry tonight?” She asked me.

“He has a date,” I told her rolling my eyes.

Luna giggled. “I see what he's trying to do. He's such a woman”

“What do you mean?” I asked her.

“Don't you see?” After realizing that I didn't understand what she was trying to tell me, she continued. “Well, seeing as you pretty much rejected him yesterday, he's found a random girl to make you jealous. Usually it's the girl that does that type of thing so he's acting like a woman.”

“Do you really think so?” I asked her. I really didn't know what to think at this point.

“Of course. Have I ever been wrong?” She asked me.

“Well…” I started to say, but she cut me off.

“Maybe just once or twice. But, most of the time I'm right.” She looked quite proud of herself, but that was nothing new.

“So,” she continued, “We are going clubbing on Friday night.”

“What? Why?” I knew she was planning something, I could see the wheels turning in her head.

“If you want him you can't just sit around and mope, because he's going to see right through that. So, on Friday, we'll go to a club and you'll pick any guy you want because really, it's not going to matter who you pick and you'll take him back here. Oh, and when you and this guy are walking upstairs, it would be best to make a lot of noise.” Luna was always good at giving advice, but sometimes her ideas were a little bizarre.

“Um…okay…why?”

“If he's sleeping, you want him to know that you have someone with you and if he's not then you still want him to know,” she explained.

“I don't want him thinking I'm a slut. I mean it's alright for him `cause he's a guy, but I don't want him to think less of me.”

“Oh trust me, he won't. He'll be too jealous to take note of that,” She said with an air of confidence in her voice.

“You scare me sometimes, do you know that?” I said.

“Yes. But do you want this guy or not?”

“Yeah.”

“Well then I suggest you listen to what I'm telling you.”

“Alright,” I said, defeated. I knew I probably would be lost without her, so for the rest of the night, we talked about all the things I could do to make Harry jealous. I only hoped that they would work.

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A/N: Hey guys, thanks for all the reviews I really appreciate them. Sorry but this is another short one but there's a catch…I'm uploading two at once. The reason why I didn't just combine the two is because I needed to let the ending of this chapter hang. Anyways, I'll stop talking now lol enjoy this chapter and the next one (ch. 5 things start to pick up…well I think so at least). Remember…a review a day, keeps the doctor away!

Chapter 5: For You to Notice…

The week went by pretty quickly, and before I knew it, it was already Friday night. Luna had taken me shopping to some muggle shopping center the day before because she claimed that none of my clothes were `club worthy'. So, I ended up buying a red tank top with a tear across the middle, a black mini skirt, and a pair of those high `fuck me' boots. They didn't really say that, in case you were wondering, but with the rest of the outfit, it was hard for someone not to get the message. My hair, which I usually wore straight nowadays, was in soft curls, thanks to Luna, who knew all the hair charms in the book.

The club we went to was called The Palace. The music there was so loud I could hardly hear myself think. On the dance floor I saw people grinding against each other and I wondered what the hell I had got myself into. Luna grabbed a hold of my wrist and led me to the bar. We each ordered a strawberry daiquiri and sat on the bar stools as we sipped our drinks.

About fifteen minutes later, a tall blonde haired guy walked over to us and sat beside Luna.

“Hey. I saw you sitting over here with your friend. Can I get you a drink?” I heard him say although it was kind of hard with the music.

“Can I get you a breath mint?” Luna replied smartly, rolling her sapphire blue eyes. Getting the hint, the guy frowned slightly and walked over to his next victim, a girl sitting a few feet away from us.

“I'm going to call Ron and see if he wants to come,” Luna said, ”I'll be back in a few.”

A few minutes after she left, I saw a guy approaching me. He leaned up against the bar beside me and smiled. He had brown hair and hazel eyes. I had to say he was pretty hot.

“How's it going?” He asked me in a low voice so I almost couldn't hear him.

“Alright. What about you?”

“Not bad I guess. What's your name?”

“Hermione,” I replied.

“I'm Shane. So, can I buy you a drink?” He asked charmingly.

“Sure.”

Shane hailed the bartender. “I'll have two shots of tequila.”

Seconds later the man behind the counter handed us our drinks.

“Cheers,” he said, while raising his glass to mine. I raised my shot glass to my lips and as I swallowed it, it felt as if my throat was on fire. But, as the shots kept coming, it didn't burned as much. At one point I wondered when Luna was coming back or if she was even coming back, but the more I drank the less I started to care.

My head was spinning so much that I hardly heard Shane ask me if I wanted to dance. I allowed him to lead me into the middle of the dance floor. In no time my body was pressed up against his and we were moving in time with the song. His lips descending on my neck and began trailing wet kiss down my collarbone. In the back of my mind I knew I didn't want this; it was betraying Harry somehow, but my mind and my body seemed to be thinking different things because I didn't put a stop to it. He continued as we danced but then it was like somebody had turned on a switch in my head and I pushed Shane away.

“I'm sorry,” I said, and turned away, but he grabbed my wrist rather tightly and pulled me back to him forcefully.

“You're not going anywhere,” he said and smashed my lips to his, pushing his tongue through my lips, but I wouldn't have it so I pushed him away again, this time with more force. I stumbled backwards because of the amount of alcohol I had in me but then I felt someone behind me catch me. It was a guy, I could tell by his build but I had no idea who.

He helped me steady my feet and then I saw the two familiar figures of Luna and Ron beside me.

“It's alright Em,” Luna said to me in a soft voice, “Harry's here it's going to be okay.” Both Ron and Luna held on to me as Harry let go and headed towards Shane. He grabbed a hold of the front of his shirt and then punched Shane hard in the face. Blood started running from his nose but he showed no sign of defeat so without warning he punched Harry back with as much force but on the cheek. For a fleeting moment I pitied Shane because Harry lunged at him and punched him several times in the face before Shane fell to the floor. I always knew he would one day be a very powerful wizard like he is now, but I never knew he could throw punches like that.

“Come on,” Harry said turning to me and taking my hand, “let's get out of here.”

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A/N: Here's chapter 5…this one's my favorite so far so I hope you guys like it as much as me! Chapter 6 might take a few days but I'll try to have it up a.s.a.p. Please keep R/R'ing!

Chapter 6: Sweet Emotion

When we apparated home, I had to hold on to Harry because I was too drunk to do it on my own. Luna and Ron both made sure that we made it back okay before leaving for their flats. Harry carried me all the way from the car and into our kitchen, where he sat me down on one of the chairs then leaving to make a pot of coffee.

A few minutes later he sat down across from me with two cups of coffee, handing one over to me. I gratefully took it from him, and took a sip, but I almost ended up spitting it out.

“It's black!” I said in disgust.

“Yeah, well it works better when it's stronger, so you best drink up,” he said in his defense. I reluctantly took another sip, it was disgusting but it was helping.

“So,” he said, looking straight into my eyes, “what was tonight all about?”

“I just wanted to go out, you know, have a bit of fun,” there was no way I could tell him my intentions, although I guess it did work; I had managed to make him angry enough.

“And did you have fun?” He spat. “I hope you realize, what could've happened if I decided not to go to the club with Ron. What would you have done?”

“I don't need you always looking after me Harry! I'm twenty years old not five! I got myself into it, and I could have gotten myself out, if you hadn't have showed up. I need to learn things for myself; I don't need you following me every step of the way.”

There was a long pause, where I sat staring into my coffee mug, taking the occasional sip.

“I'm sorry,” I heard him say, “For being so overprotective all the time, I know you hate it. I just - don't want you to get hurt.” My stomach did a somersault at his words. They were nothing special, Ron, Luna, Ginny and my parents said that to me all the time, but coming from him…

“It's alright…well, I should probably head to bed, I'm going to have a major hangover in the morning.”

“Oh, okay, I'll walk you upstairs then,” he said, standing up.

“I'm okay you know, I'm not going to collapse on the stairs or anything,” I said laughing.

“Yeah, I know but, I want to,” he said sincerely.

“Okay.” We walked silently up to my room, and when we arrived at my door, it felt quite awkward. Harry's hands were shoved in his pockets, looking around, obviously unsure of what to do.

“So…” he said clearing his throat, “Well. Uh - goodnight Hermione.” And with that, he pulled me into a tight hug. After he finally pulled away, I leaned forward and gave him a kiss on the cheek, although it was quite close to his lips, I'd let him think that it was only because I wasn't tall enough.

“Thanks Harry,” I said, and I walked in my bedroom, and closed the door behind me.

*~*~*~*~*

The next morning I awoke to a feeling like someone was beating me with a sledgehammer all over my body. Sunlight was pouring through my window, so I rolled over and covered my face with my pillow. Finally realizing that sleep would not over come me any longer, I got up and went downstairs trudging into the kitchen. Once again, Harry was sitting at the table, drinking his coffee.

“Wow,” he said looking at me and grinning, “you look like Hell.”

“Aren't you sweet,” I said rolling my eyes. I walked over to the counter and poured myself a cup of coffee and then returned to the table, where I sat down next to Harry.

I sat in silence, looking out the window and drinking my coffee. From the corner of my eye I could see Harry looking at me, and without thinking I turned around to face him.

“What are you looking at?” I asked him.

“I um - I was wondering…since when do you dress so…” he stammered.

“So what?” I said, raising my eyebrows and looking at him expectantly.

“Well, you know…you always dress…not like you did last night.”

“Oh, and that's a bad thing?” I asked once more.

“No! No, it's just you looked, different…a good different…well not that you don't always look good…” I was doing my best trying not to laugh, but I was enjoying every minute of it.

“Um…I'm going to go take a shower. Do you want to hang out today? It's Saturday, we usually always do.” He said finally.

“Sure. Any ideas on where we can go?” I asked brightly.

“How about we grab some lunch and hang out at the mall, and tonight we can watch a few movies. That is, if you don't have any other plans…” He added the last part despite himself.

“Nope, I'm free all day. I guess I should go get ready now then, I'll meet you back down here in an hour.” I said and went up stairs. If I was spending the day with Harry, I needed to look good.

As soon as I got in my room I hurried into my bathroom and took a quick shower. When I got out, I charmed my hair dry and curled it with the spell Luna taught me. I took nearly everything out of my closet to try and find something decent to wear. After twenty minutes of searching, I found a pink skirt in the back of my closet, similar to the one that I had bought with Luna and a black tank top. I left the boots in the closet though; I didn't want to scare Harry away. I quickly put on some makeup: eyeliner, mascara, and lip-gloss: the works. While putting on my shoes, I glanced at the clock on my bedside table only to notice that I was almost fifteen minutes late, so I ran out my bedroom door and down the stairs.

I found Harry sitting in the living room on the sofa. He was wearing a black long sleeve button-down shirt and jeans. I am so not going to survive today, I thought to myself. He looked gorgeous (as always). Hearing me enter the room, he stood up and lifted his eyes to me. When he saw me, his eyebrows shot up and his jaw hit the floor.

“Wow,” he said in awe.

“Is there…something…wrong?” I asked him, although I knew perfectly well what he was thinking, I wanted to hear him say it out loud.

“No, nothing. You just - you look…”

“Oh God, I look ridiculous don't I?” I had to admit, I was a good liar when I wanted to be.

“No! You look amazing, Mione!” He gave me one of those heart-stopping smiles and walked towards me.

“Shall we get going then?” He asked me.

“We shall,” I said, looping my arm through his.

*~*~*~*~*

The walk to the café was uneventful, aside from Harry holding my hand, much like he did the night before. What's that all about, I wondered. Maybe his feelings for me were more than platonic.

When we got to the café, we took our usual seats near the back. We chatted idly while waiting for a waitress to come tack our orders. Finally, after ten minutes of waiting, one arrived.

“Harry! Hey, how's it going?,” the girl said.

“Hey, April, you work here?”

“Yeah, you know, gotta pay for school. So is this your girlfriend?” April asked, finally acknowledging me.

“Oh, no, Hermione's my best friend. Em, this is April, April, meet Hermione. Me and April went out the other night”

“Hi,” I said uninterestedly. The girl only nodded her head in return. The bitch, I thought. How could Harry possibly be interested in her?

“So, what will you two be eating today?” April said after a short pause.

“I'll have a burger with fries, all dressed but no onions, and a Pepsi” Harry said looking over the menu.

“And I'll have a soup and an ice tea,” I told April.

“Okay, it should be here in a bit.”

“You went out with her?” I asked Harry, after she walked away.

“Yeah, is that so hard to believe?” He asked me seriously.

“She just doesn't seem your type that's all.”

“Well, actually you're right, we didn't really click,” he explained. I held back a smirk.

A few minutes later, our food arrived. We ate mostly in silence, although once in awhile we would say a few words to each other. When we finished our lunch we left and headed for the mall. Harry, like before, grabbed my hand when we were walking.

When we walked past a lingerie store in the mall, a light bulb lit up in my head. I pulled Harry into the store.

“Come on, there's a few things I want to look at in here,” I told him.

“Uh…you don't need me in here do you? I could just wait outside…” he stammered.

“Well actually, I need a guy's opinion for this.”

“Are you planning on impressing someone?” He asked me.

“Possibly,” I said with a secret smile on my face.

“Oh, okay then,” he said and he followed me around the store while I looked for the perfect `outfit'. I found a pink and black corset with matching panties and I dragged Harry to the dressing rooms.

“Wait here,” I said pushing him into a chair in front of one of the stalls and I left. After trying in on, I looked at myself in the mirror. I ruffled my caramel locks slightly to make it look like I've just been…well…you know.

“Harry can you come in here for a second?” I called, smiling widely to myself. Damn Granger, you dress down pretty good.

“Um…are you…decent?” He asked me sounding a bit unsure of himself.

“Yeah, don't worry about it,” well…I wasn't all that decent. I unlocked the door and let him in. As soon as I locked the door again, I turned around to face him. He stood there, with his mouth agape and his eyes roaming my body.

“So…what do you think?” I asked him after a minute.

“It's um - really…nice,” he said, his voice was cracking.

“Good. Well thanks - you can go wait outside now. Unless you want me to take it off in front of you,” I said teasingly. What has gotten into me? Harry looked as if he was about to take a step towards me but instead he quickly smiled and turned around and left the stall. I had to say, things were going pretty well. I wasn't seducing him or anything…just being a tease. I guess Luna and Ginny were starting to rub off on me. I changed back into my clothes, left the stall and put the clothes back on the rack, since they had served their purpose.

“All set I guess,” I said to Harry. So we left the store, hand in hand.

*~*~*~*~*

Time passed rather quickly throughout the day and we eventually decided to head over to the video store and then back home for dinner. After nearly half an hour of debating at the video store, we finally agreed on The Ring 2.

When we got home I helped Harry with supper…well…I got to set the table anyways. While he prepared our meal, I leaned against the counter and watched him cook, reflecting on today's events. Why did he hold my hand? Why was I acting the way I did? I thought that maybe my feelings weren't unrequited, and maybe he did harbor some sort of interest in me. I had to talk to Luna first thing in the morning; she could probably help me figure things out.

We ate a few minutes later and joked around, talking about old times back at Hogwarts. When the dishes were done and the popcorn was made, we made our way to the living room.

Throughout the movie, I noticed myself getting closer and closer to Harry. At one point something unexpected happened which resulted in my jump into his lap and wrapping my arms around him. The thing that surprised more so than the movie, was that instead of pulling away, he, in return, wrapped his arms securely around my waist.

The rest of the movie went by pretty smoothly - well, as smoothly as a horror movie can go anyways. When it was over, we headed upstairs and said goodnight. I changed into my pajamas, got into bed and fell straight asleep.

Unfortunately for me, I had a very vivid nightmare of some girl with very long dark hair that concealed her face was chasing me around the house until she finally caught up with me and stabbed me repeatedly with a knife. I know it probably doesn't sound very frightening, but horror movies do strange things to me.

“Hermione,” said a voice from far away.

“No…please…no more…leave me alone…” I heard myself say.

“Mione, come on wake up!” I felt someone shaking me and the voice kept getting closer to me.

“Hermione!” Suddenly, my eyes shot open and bolted upright, hitting something very hard with my head. I looked around the room, only to find Harry kneeling beside my bed, holding his head in his hand.

“Oh my God Harry, are you okay?” I asked him sympathetically.

“Yeah, I'll be alright, what about you?”

“What do you mean?” I asked again, bewildered.

“I heard you screaming in your sleep, so I came in here and you were thrashing about. I tried waking you up but it was to no avail,” he explained.

“You mean until I shot up and cracked you in the head?”

“Yeah,” he said with…what was that look on his face?

“Well…you know how I get when I watch horror movies…” I said turning red. Harry sat on the bed beside me and pulled me into a tight hug.

“It's alright, Mione. They're only movies.” He made a move to kiss cheek, but my subconscious took over my body and I turned my head, so instead of landing on my cheek, his lips landed on mine. For about the millionth time that day, I surprised myself even more by taking complete control over the kiss. Holy Hell, he's a good kisser I thought as my tongue lapped against his. The kiss was electrifying, and it sent shockwaves throughout my body. Minutes later, Harry pulled away, and broke the kiss. He was looking at me slightly confused and as if he wanted to say something.

“Um…” he said, swallowing hard, “I should go…we can talk about this in the morning,” he said unsurely. I shook my head.

“No,” I said, a little more firm than I had intended. “No,” I repeated this time more softly, taking his hands in mine and intertwining our fingers. “Stay with me,” I said although to me it sounded more like a question.

“What about what you said last week?” He asked me.

“Forget about what happened, let's just focus on now,” I said looking into his eyes.

“Fine with me,” he said with a small smile.

That night was the pivotal point in our relationship. We were past the point of no return, and this time there was no turning back. In the back of my mind, I thought that things might not work out, but I was finally ready to take that chance and go for something that I had always wanted.

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Hey everyone, I'm sorry, I don't usually make A/N chapters but I'm at a block right now. First off, I want to thank all of those who've taken the time to review. I appreciate the support and encouragement so much you have no idea. Anyways, I'm in the process of writing chapter 6 right now but I'm sort of stuck. This fic is coming to an end in the next chapter or so, and I wanted to know if you guys would be interested in a sequel? Please leave a review and tell me what you think, I'll only make a sequel if you're interested.

Thanks a lot!

DD xo

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A/N: Hey everyone, thanks for all the reviews, there is a definite chance that I will be writing a sequel. This chapter is sort of short and not my best, I wrote it kind of on the go but please tell me what you think! **R/R**!!!

Chapter 6: I Need To Know

The next morning, I awoke to a feeling of something heavy lying across my stomach. I opened my eyes and saw on my alarm clock, that it was nearing nine am. I rolled over and came face to face with a very naked Harry. He had his arms wrapped around my waist and I couldn't help but think of waking up in his arms every morning. Not that I expected that to happen or anything…

Taking advantage of the fact that he was still asleep, and allowed my eyes my eyes to roam his body. His raven hair was sticking up in odd places; for a second I felt a pang in my stomach because of the absence of his emerald pools gazing into my own. However, the feeling quickly disappeared, as memories of the night before came flooding back. So it really did happen…it was all real.

“What are you so happy about?” Harry's husky voice brought me out of my reverie.

“Oh, I - um…” What I was going to say became unimportant because at that moment Luna decided to burst into my bedroom. Harry, whose reflexes were quite fast because of Quidditch and auror training, quickly pulled the sheet up over him and myself.

“Holy shit!” Luna shrieked. Her eyes were bulging out of her head.

“Um…I'll just go downstairs so you two can uh…talk…” Harry stammered uncomfortably after a few moments of silence. “Oh, Luna would you mind waiting uh…outside for two seconds?” he asked as he remembered that he only had the sheet around him.

“Sure,” Luna replied, giggling then left the room. Harry and I both swung our legs over opposite sides of my bed and started to get dressed. After finishing up, Harry slid over to my side of the bed.

“We'll talk after, okay?”

“Okay,” I said still not believing that this was all real. Harry leaned over and gave me a quick kiss on the lips.

“See you in a bit,” he said leaving the room, and leaving me speechless. The second he left, Luna came strolling in my bedroom looking as if she had just found out that she'd won the lottery.

“So…you wanna tell me about…last night?” She asked casually.

“Well, do you want the whole story?”

“What do you think? Of course I do! I want all the details!” How can someone be so excited at nine in the morning?

“Ok…” I said, unsure of where to start.

I told Luna everything that happened between Harry and me since I last saw her, Friday night. Sometimes she would stop me and ask a question or two, but she was a relatively good listener and was very interested in what I was saying. At the end of my `story', Luna was left sitting on the edge of my bed, speechless, with her trademark dreamy look spread across her face.

“That's amazing!” She exclaimed and pulled me into a huge hug, nearly knocking the breath out of me. “Do you know what this means?”

“Uh…should I?” I said, confused.

“It means,” she continued, completely ignoring my question, “that you and Harry can finally stop doing the stupid dance that you've been doing since you were twelve and get down to what's really important.”

“And that would be?” I know I wasn't sounding very bright at the moment, but hey, I was never really good at the whole `love' thing anyways.

“The two of you. Just concentrate on making it work. Stop worrying that it won't work out and that you're going to lose your best friend that you had since forever, `cause he's not going anywhere.” Luna explained to me. She had always been one to make a speech, and it was a good thing too; without her, I'd be completely lost.

“So…what are you sitting here for? Get your ass downstairs and talk to your man!” She said, more like ordered.

“He's not really mine Luna…”

“Yeah you're right. He won't be unless you go talk to him. Tell him how you feel, tell him how you've been feeling. Don't let this just pass you by Mione, and pretend nothing happened. You don't know how much you'll regret it.”

“Alright then,” I said walking over to the door. “Thanks so much Luna, for everything you've helped me with. I don't know what I'd do without you.” I pulled her into a hug, then a few seconds later I suddenly remembered something I'd been meaning to ask since she arrived.

“Hey Luna?”

“Yeah Mione?” she asked.

“What made you burst into my bedroom at nine o'clock in the morning, and how'd you get through the front door anyways?”

“Um…are you a witch or not? Did you forget we can apparate? And as for the reason why I'm here, ask me some other time, today's your day,” she told me, with a secret smile on her face, her sapphire eyes sparkling.

We walked together downstairs and said our goodbyes at the door. After she left, I walked to the doorway of the living room, took a deep breath and walked in. Harry was sitting on the couch, looking out the window. He was only wearing boxer pajamas and a wife-beater tank top and his hair was still unruly.

“Hey…” I said slowly. He turned his head to look at me, and smiled.

“Hey,” he replied. Once again, he had that expression on his face, as if he knew something I didn't. I stood there in the middle of the living room, unsure of what to do. “Come sit down,” he said, patting a spot on the couch next to him. I sat down, and looked at the floor while fidgeting with my hands.

Is he waiting for me to say something? I thought, after a few moments of silence. I cleared my throat and looked at him for a few seconds, gathering my thoughts.

“Harry what happened to us?” I asked him out of the blue. His eyes widened in shock, as if he never considered the question.

“What do you mean?”

“At Hogwarts we were best friends. Inseparable. Just you, Ron and me. Then after graduation you asked me if I wanted to move into your parent's old house with you. We continued to be the best of friends up until a few weeks ago, where we went from being best friends, to two best friends living together with an awkward tension between us. And now…now we've past the point of no return. It's all or nothing now. I need to know whether last night actually meant something to you or not. I can't keep doing this; wondering what you're thinking and feeling, it's driving me mad,” I stopped to catch my breath, thinking that maybe I should have just kept my mouth shut.

I felt Harry's hand cover mine, and our fingers intertwined.

“Mione, listen,” he started, finding his voice. “Come on Mione, please look at me,” he pleaded. I turned to face him, and saw a softness in his eyes I had never seen before. “Last night…meant the world to me. It was more than I could ever imagine. And the other day in the kitchen, I was going to tell you something, but then you just left and I thought I didn't have a chance.”

“What were you going to tell me?” I asked slowly.

“I wanted to tell you that I…love you. I love you Hermione,” he said a second time as if he couldn't believe the words were coming out of his mouth.

My heart and my mind were racing. I had finally heard him say the three words that I've been waiting to hear for years. I practically threw myself against him, wrapping my arms around his neck and gave him the most passionate kiss ever.

“I love you too…so much,” I said pulling away. A huge grin crept across Harry's face as he leaned in for another kiss.

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