Just One Night

'Today is the day' Hermione thought. 'I have to tell him today.' The young witch sat in the Gryffindor common room going over the words in her head. She had just begun her 7th year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, as head girl, no less, and on her way to becoming a very accomplished witch. However those things were not on her mind at the moment. For Hermione Granger had a secret. A secret that she had kept close to her heart for 3 years. Hermione was in love. In love with her best friend. And if that wasn't bad enough, she would fall in love with one of the most famous wizard of this century. Harry Potter. What was she thinking.

Harry Potter. Just the thought of his name brought butterflies to her stomach. Of course this was the case for many young witches. But unlike Hermione, the crushes that the other girls possessed were superficial. They were all in love with "The Boy That Lived." Hermione had fallen for the real deal. His kindness, bravery, loyalty, not to mention that he was so very cute. No. Not cute, but fine. Yes Harry had grown into quite a specimen. Six years of Quidditch had definitely paid off.

Hermione had made up her mind. She would tell him today. The time for excuses were over. No more Voldemort, as he had been defeated last year. No more tests, no more girlfriends standing in the way. No more. She had waited too long and let too many things stop her. She would tell him today.

****************

Later that evening, Hermione waited nervously for Harry to come to the common room that they shared as head boy and head girl. She had practicing what she would say over and over again in her head. However, as Harry strode into the room, all the practiced words seemed to fall right out of her head.

"Hello 'Mione," Harry said as he entered the room. He stared at her cautiously, as he could tell by her stance that something was on her mind. 'Perhaps she has already begun to stress over the NEWTS' Harry thought. "Is everything alright? You look really tense. Not stressing over the NEWTS already, are you."

Hermione tried to regain some sense of control, though she never felt in control when Harry was around. "Actually, Harry, I was hoping we could talk. I have something very important to tell you."

"Sure Hermione. Is everything alright," Harry questioned with a worried expression on his face. He had not seen her so uptight since Voldemort's rising. Harry sat down in a chair across from the couch where Hermione was sitting.

"Yes, yes, of course. Everything is fine. It's just……," Hermione trailed off. She looked around nervously wondering where her Gryffindor bravery went. "Oh, Harry. I don't know where to begin. This is just so hard for me."

"It's okay, Hermione, just let it out. You know you can tell me anything."

Hermione looked at Harry with determination. Now, I have to say it now. "Well, Harry, you see. I'm in love with you. I have been for the last 3 years. I have tried to fight these feelings Harry, but they just won't go away. I love you. And well, I was hoping that maybe you could see something other than friendship in me also." There. It's all out now. Hermione breathed a sigh of relief.

She looked up at Harry and saw many different emotions cross Harry's face. But the last expression would definitely stay with her for a while. This face that she had grown to love, wore a mixture of sadness and regret, with a touch of hope. It was at this point that she knew. Knew that the love she felt was not returned. She quietly waited for Harry to put those feelings into word.

Harry sighed. "Oh," he said quietly. He sat there trying to weigh his words. He loved Hermione. She was the best friend anyone could ask for. Always by his side, no matter what the risk, even her life. He did not want to hurt her but he knew could not say the words she wanted to hear. She had always been his friend. He had never thought of her as anything more and did not want to lose that now.

He looked at her. Granted she was more than any man could hope for. Smart, beautiful, and brave. But he just did not see her as more than a friend.

"Oh," he said again, realizing he probably looked like an idiot. "Hermione, you mean the world to me. You have been the best friend that anyone could ask for. You are smart and beautiful and one day you will make some wizard a very lucky guy. Just not me. I am very sorry. I don't want to hurt you in any way. I just can't bring myself to lead you on. I hope our friendship can remain unchanged in spite of this." Harry looked at Hermione hopefully.

Fighting back the tears, Hermione tried to save face. She would not do this to him. She would not make him feel bad for not returning her feelings. She smiled lightly, doing a very good job of hiding the fact that her heart had just been ripped out and stomped on.

"Of course, Harry," she told him. "Of course we'll still be best friends. Nothing will ever change that. I just had to tell you. And now that I have, I can move on. I don’t want you to act differently towards me now. I will be okay. "

Harry moved to the couch next to her and gave her a small hug. They then both retired to their bedrooms.

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Hermione made a vow to do whatever necessary to go on without Harry. She would treat him no different that usual. She would not show her true distaste when Harry dated. She would not let him know of any pain she felt at his hand. She loved Harry. There was no changing that. But if he knew he were causing her pain, he would hurt too, things would never be the same. No. She could not do that to him. He had already been through so much. She would continue to be his best friend. Only his best friend.

"Just One Night"

Chapter 1- Hermione's Request

Throughout seventh year Hermione kept her word. She let out no sign that she still harbored feelings for Harry. After all, she was not called the smartest witch of her year for nothing. She was very effective in hiding the fact that she still loved Harry.

But make no mistake about it, Hermione did still love Harry. Even more than before, if that were possible. She watched him with his so called girlfriends, as he was very popular with the ladies. Her insides cringed when she saw him with someone else. What could he see in them? Wasn't she the one who stood by his side when he was number one on Voldemort's hit list? Didn't she always make time for him whenever he needed her? If it were not for her, Hermione was sure that Harry and Ron would not be graduating with such high marks, and she was equally sure that Harry definitely would not be head boy. But no, it was not enough.

She lived with her pain in silence. After all, who could she talk to? Ron? Definitely not. Though he was her best friend, he was still a guy. He would never understand. Ginny, maybe? They were friends but not close enough for Hermione to divulge this information. Plus, Ginny actually had the pleasure of dating Harry. The relationship, if you could call it that, did not last, but Hermione knew better than to talk about Harry with his ex. No, she would keep it silent and put up her front.

She became very good at putting up a front. She even dated from time to time. But no matter who the guy was, one thing was sure. He was not Harry. It's because of that small fact that no guy had gotten past a good night kiss. She just couldn't bring herself to go further. This realization gave Hermione her brilliant idea.

She needed Harry. Just once. Just for one night. And maybe that would be enough to release her from the prison that her heart had placed her in. He would be her first. And she would savor it and move on. She would be starting New Salem Institute for Gifted Witches and Wizards in America this fall. She would prefer to leave all of these feelings of heartache and pain behind when she left to continue her education. She had a bright future ahead and wanted nothing to block her from achieving the happiness she deserved. Now she only had to convince Harry that this was a good idea.

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Hermione, Harry, and Ron sat in the Gryffindor common room with the other 7^th years eagerly discussing their plans for the future. It was the day before graduation and all classes were over.

"Heard you were accepted at New Salem, Hermione. Congratulations. It's a very hard school to get into," said Dean Thomas, one of her classmates that she had dated briefly during the year.

"Yeah, we knew if anyone could make it, Hermione would be it," this was from Ron. Everyone talked about what they planned to do after Hogwarts. The topic soon turned to Harry and Ron's plan to tryout for positions on professional Quidditch teams. They both had become accomplished players over the years and would like nothing better than to spend the rest of their lives playing a game they loved and getting paid to do it.

Of course Hermione already knew this. The trio had already discussed their plans. In fact, before Hermione got accepted to New Salem, the three had planned on sharing a flat in London. Hermione would stay there while continuing her education and Harry and Ron would stay there between games and during the off season. These plans had changed once Hermione had decided to go to school abroad. However, Harry and Ron stilled planned on sharing a flat and had told Hermione on many occasions that she was welcome to join them anytime.

After some time, Harry stood to leave the common, planning to go to the kitchens for a pre-dinner snack.

Hermione stood too. "Wait just a moment Harry, I'll go with you," Hermione said, hoping no one else decided to join their escapade. Luckily for her, no one did. For this was the moment Hermione would make her proposition to Harry. And for that, she needed privacy. She thought about how to bring up the subject on many occasions and came to the conclusion that the direct approach would be best.

As they walked along to kitchens they chatted about the future and other topics. It is safe to say that Harry had no idea what Hermione had on her mind

"Harry, I need to talk to you," Hermione said to Harry once they had reached the privacy of the kitchens. She saw a worried expression cross his face. Obviously, he remembered the last conversation they had that started that way. "No, no Harry, it's not that. Well, not exactly."

He looked at her curiously, wondering what she wanted to talk about. "Okay, Hermione. What’s on your mind.”

“Well Harry, I’ve been doing some thinking, a lot of thinking actually. I need to ask a big favor of you.”

“Sure Hermione, what is it? Of course you can count on me.”

Gathering up all of her courage, Hermione stood directly in front of Harry. “I’m glad you said that because this is not your usual favor. What I need from you is one night. One night of your life to be with me and only me. One night as my first. One night to make passionate love.”

Harry stood there in shock. He could not believe what he had just been asked. And what was more shocking was that it was Hermione that asked.

“Hermione, I don’t….” Harry started to say, but she cut him off before he could go any further. Nothing was going to stop her from getting this out.

Taking another determined step forward, now just a breath away from Harry, Hermione held up her hand to stop him from talking.

“Just hear me out,” she said. “I know that I am asking a lot of you and that you are probably really shocked to hear this from me, but you don’t know what this would mean to me. You see Harry, I still love you, more than anything. And I haven’t, well you know, I haven’t ever made love. See, I have always thought that I would have that first experience with you.”

She paused in her speech to look deep into his beautiful eyes before continuing. “Believe me when I say that I hold no false notions or hope for any romantic relationship with you. I understand that you don’t see me that way. But I need one night, just one night with you, so that I can move on with my life.”

Harry stared back at Hermione. His friend. His best friend. He could hear the pain and determination in her voice. He had no idea that she still carried a torch for him. Her behavior around him had not changed one bit. But looking at her now, he knew she was a very good actor, because what he was seeing now was the real Hermione. She looked determined and vulnerable. She looked so hopeful that Harry knew he would grant her this request. He knew it was risky but he also knew he could never say no to her and know that he was responsible for causing her more pain.

“Okay, Hermione, I will grant you your request,” Harry replied softly.

Hermione looked startled. Though she did hope, she never thought he would actually agree. She had a lot of planning to do.

“Great. Then meet me in your room at 10:00 tonight. Just leave everything to me,” she told him. “Well I’ll just be off now.”

“Wait, where are you going,” Harry asked.

“To the library of course,” Hermione replied as she strode out of the kitchen.

‘Oh boy’, Harry thought to himself. ‘What have I gotten myself into.’

***************************************

End of Chapter One

“Just One Night”

Chapter 2 – The Night

Preparations. This is what consumed Hermione for the rest of the day. Everything had to be perfect. This night would be memorable. Her first time. And with Harry. She wanted this experience to be beautiful.

Her first task was to prepare Harry’s room. It could definitely use some tidying up. ‘Boys,’ thought Hermione, ‘they can be such pigs.’ But Hermione did not complain long. She did not want to get off task. She proceeded to straighten up Harry’s room. Once that was done, she brought scented candles and music from her own room to set the mood.

After she was finished with the room, she set off to prepare herself. She went to the bathroom that she and Harry shared and took a nice hot bath. When she was done she dressed in sheer black gown that she had purchased over the summer. It was quite provocative and she never thought that she would have the opportunity to use it but she bought it anyway with the hope that one day she would. She then proceeded to do her hair and apply a small amount of makeup. Once she was done she looked herself over in the mirror. Satisfied with her appearance, she checked her clock. It was 9:45. “It’s time,” she said to herself, before heading back to Harry’s room.

*********************************

Meanwhile, Harry was sitting with Ron in the Gryffindor common room. He was being unusually quiet and Ron was badgering him to find out what was wrong.

“Nothing is wrong, Ron, really,” Harry said again in an exasperated tone. Of course something was wrong. Well, maybe not wrong, but extremely weird. Later, this very night, he would be going to meet Hermione, his best friend. And they were going to have sex. The idea itself still seemed unbelievable and what he had agreed to was just beginning to sink in.

“Well, you’re being awfully quiet,” Ron replied. “I surprised Hermione is trying to ship you off to the Hospital Wing to find out if you’re sick. Where is Hermione anyway? I haven’t seen her since before dinner.”

“I don’t know. I haven’t seen her since she left the kitchens earlier,” Harry tried to say casually. The last thing he needed was to have Ron suspecting that he was about to go off and have a secret rendezvous with Hermione.

Speaking of which, Harry checked his watch. 9:55.

“I’m feeling a little tired, it’s been a long day,” Harry made his excuses to Ron. “I think I’ll head off to bed.”

“Yeah, I guess I be going too,” Ron said. “Tomorrow is a big day, you know.”

With that Harry headed back to the Head Boy and Girl Dormitories.

As Harry entered the Head Boy and Girl common room, he felt like he was in a daze. He was extremely nervous and did not know what to expect. He walked slowly towards his room, stalling a bit, and having second thoughts. This is Hermione he was going to meet. There was no mistaking that she was attractive, as she had matured beautifully over the last few years. There were plenty of guys that would love to be in his shoes. But Harry had never thought of Hermione that way. Sure, there had been other girls in his life and he was definitely no virgin. But for whatever reason, he avoided ever attempting to pursue Hermione that way. She was just too special to him to lose by trying to add romance to their relationship.

But he had already made her this promise and there was no turning back now. He prepared to enter his room and have another discussion with her to make sure she felt this was the right decision.

****************************

See I've been watching you for a while

your smile and stuff
and I don't know if I can be with you

for tonight alright,
is that alright baby, baby

Nothing could have prepared him for what awaited him in his room. As he stepped into the room, he was taken off guard by dimmed lighting, the smell of lavender, and sight that was so beautiful that he thought maybe he had walked into the wrong room.

There, standing in front of him was Hermione, silhouetted by candlelight. She wore a long black gown that you could see through and she had nothing on underneath. The sight was intoxicating. Everything he was planning say no longer mattered.

“Harry,” she said softly. “You came.” She began to walk towards Harry slowly, not giving him the time to back out. This only caused Harry to lose a little more control, which by now was running on short supply.

Hermione took Harry’s hand and led him towards the bed.

There is only one for me
You have made that a possibility
We could take that step to see, ohh
If this is really gonna be

Hermione had Harry sit on the edge of the bed. She stood directly in front of him and began to pull his shirt off.

“Hermione,” Harry began to say, only to by cut off by Hermione.

“Shhh…. Just relax” Hermione whispered. She pushed him back onto the bed. She then pressed a soft kiss to his lips and she rested her palms against his chest. Harry could feel her heart beat through the thin material of her gown. He ran his through her hair and pressed his lips harder against hers and her mouth opened granting him access.

Desire coursed through Harry. It no longer mattered that this was Hermione, his best friend. All her knew is that he wanted her, no matter what.

He felt his arousal growing and he began to take control. He rolled Hermione over so that he was on top of her. He began to trail kisses down her neck and she was glad she was lying down because her knees began to feel weak. He pushed the neckline of her gown off her shoulders and kissed the places where the fabric once lay. Hermione moaned in delight. His hands began to roam over the front of her body. She shuddered as he cupped her breasts. He raised his face back to hers and she placed kisses on his lips, his chin and along his jaw line.

Harry then lifted Hermione’s body so that he could remove her gown. Once the constraints of her clothing were gone, he began to place kisses on her breasts and suckled her until she was bursting with passion. She could not take it any longer. His hands were doing things to her that she never dreamed possible.

All you gotta do is say yes
Don't deny what you feel let me undress you baby
Open up your mind and just rest
I'm about to let you know you make me so
All you gotta do is say yes
Don't deny what you feel let me undress you baby
Open up your mind and just rest
I'm about to let you know you make me so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so,
You make me so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so

Harry stood to remove his pants. When he returned to her, she felt his naked body press up against hers. She boldly began to explore his body. She reached down for him, a little nervous at what lay ahead, but too excited to care. Harry groaned when he felt Hermione take hold of his manhood and began to stroke him. Not to be out done, his sensual fingers began to stroke her between her legs. Hermione felt the throbbing ache of passion course through her body.

Harry shifted above her to prepare to enter her. He looked down at Hermione questioningly. “Are you sure,” he asked.

“Yes,” she replied. “Absolutely sure.”

Loving you has taken time, taken time
But I always knew you could be mine
I recognize the butterflies inside me
Sex is gonna be made tonight, tonight
All you gotta do is say yes

And before she could make another thought, Harry entered her. The pain that shot through her body made her want to cry out and she stiffened up. “Do you want me to stop,” Harry asked, realizing her discomfort.

“No, please, don’t stop,” she replied, her voice shaking.

Harry began to move slowly inside her, trying not to cause her any more discomfort. He pressed his mouth against hers in a searing kiss. He let his lips remain on hers as he moved within her. After a few moments the pain began to subside and Hermione relaxed as a new feeling began to course through her. The feeling increased as she raised her hips to meet his thrusts. She began to moan his name and Harry sped up his thrust in response. She couldn’t take it anymore. She arched her back yearning to reach the height of ecstasy. And as Harry began to thrust harder and faster she exploded around him and shuddered with an unbelievable pleasure that she never imagined.

Harry, realizing Hermione’s release beneath him, began to shake with excitement. The sight of her riding her passion was too much to bear. He thrust once more with in her, harder and deeper than before, and began to ride his own wave of ecstasy.

All you gotta do is say yes
Don't deny what you feel let me undress you baby
Open up your mind and just rest
I'm about to let you know you make me so
All you gotta do is say yes
Don't deny what you feel let me undress you baby
Open up your mind and just rest
I'm about to let you know you make me so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so,
You make me so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so

Afterwards they lay in the afterglow of passionate lovemaking, exhausted. They soon drifted into a gloriously satisfying sleep, within each other’s arms.

End of Chapter 2

A/N: The song lyrics in this chapter were provided by Floetry’s “Say Yes”

I want to thank everyone once again for the reviews. It does make this process so much easier when you have feedback.

For the people who think that Hermione is a little corny or out of character, I am sorry you feel that way. This is just my interpretation of how she would be in that situation. Besides, love can make anyone a little corny.

Also, I received a couple complaints that my chapters are a little short. I try to keep each one above 1,000 words and so far I have. I have a lot of other things going on also. So I have the choice of putting up shorter chapters over a shorter time period or writing longer chapters and taking a lot longer to post. If this is what is preferred, then I have not problem doing so.

So far those were the only real complaints. As I have said before, all comments welcome, good or bad. Thanks for reading and don’t forget to review.

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Chapter 3 – Goodbyes & Missed Opportunities

As a new day dawned upon Hogwarts, Hermione opened her eyes to greet it head on. Realizing that she still lay within the comfort Harry’s arms, she shut her eyes in an attempt to commit this feeling to memory. Waking up in Harry’s arms would be a moment she would hold dear to her heart for a long time to come. However, like all good things, this too had to end.

Hermione gently removed herself from under Harry’s arm, as not to wake him. She looked at Harry’s watch, which was found somewhere near a heap of clothes that had been discarded the night before. It was 5:00 in the morning and Hermione wanted to make a hasty exit before Harry woke.

She looked back at the bed where Harry lay sleeping peacefully. Vivid images of the night before flooded through her head. Though she knew making love to Harry would be memorable, nothing prepared her for last night. When she was with Harry, she felt so free and at peace, like nothing else mattered. It was as if they were made for each other, a perfect fit. With him she felt complete. It was too bad those feelings weren’t mutual.

Hermione had the night that she requested and she truly felt that now she could move on. She quietly walked over to Harry’s desk and found her bag. She shuffled through it, and found the letter she had written to Harry. She placed it on his night stand, grabbed her belongings and silently exited his room.

*************************************************

About two hours later, Harry finally opened his eyes to see the light of the new day. And what an awakening it was, as memories of the night before came rushing back to him. He instinctively reached to the spot next to him where Hermione had lain. Only too find that she was not there. This left him a little confused as to how she left without him knowing, as he was sure she was in his arms before he fell asleep.

He could still smell the scent of her perfume. That alone was enough to get him aroused. Never before had anyone provoked such a reaction from him. And he had some very good experiences in the bedroom. But this was more than just good sex. What he and Hermione shared was deeper than that. The desire and passion between them was very intense. It was as if they had a deep connection to each other.

He lay there thinking of Hermione, in ways that he had never before. Her smile, how she always had the right answer, how cute she looked trying to keep her bushy hair out of her eyes. His best friend, always by his side, not afraid to stand up for what she believed in. He thought of her deep chocolate eyes and gorgeous mouth and how he could kiss her for hours.

Why had he not seen it earlier? He should have listened to Hermione. After all, she was always right. As he rose out of bed with the intentions of finding Hermione, he found her letter on the night stand next to him. He picked it up and began to read.

Dear Harry,

If you are reading this letter, then it must mean that you shared a very special moment with me last night. I want you to know just how much this means to me, how much you mean to me. This was a very special occasion for me and there was no one that I'd rather share it with than you. I thank you for granting my request.

Now that the deed is done I feel that I can finally move on. I have asked more of you than should be expected, and you have been a true friend to me. I really appreciate that. Please know that I won't ask these things of you again. I am ready to move on and experience new relationships. Relationships that are not one sided. I told you when I made this request that I would expect nothing of you afterwards, and I plan to keep that promise.

I also want to let you know just how proud I am of you. You have grown and matured from that young boy that I met seven years ago. I told you then that you were a great wizard and you have definitely lived up to it. You mean the world to me. And please know, that if everything else fails, you can always count on my love and friendship. I will always be here for you, Harry.

Love Always

Hermione

Harry reread the letter. It had touched him deeply. It also made him feel like an idiot. Hermione had been in love with him for years, but he was to blind to see what was right in front of him. Now, just when he was ready to make that move, she had given up. A selfish part of him wanted go after her and change her mind. Though he had been a fool in the past he was ready now. However, a more sensible side told that this would not be for the best. She deserved to go free and have experiences other than pining for him. No, he would have to let her go. But he would always be waiting for her to return.

**************************************************

The graduation ceremony was spectacular. Harry and Hermione were surrounded by family and friends. Hermione's parents, Sirius, Remus, not to mention a truckload of Weasleys all turned out to witness this important event. Hermione was sad to be leaving Hogwarts, but excited about what lay ahead. She would miss all the friends she had made over the years, especially Harry and Ron. But this was all a part of growing up and she was ready to take on the world.

After the celebration everyone said there good byes. Hermione talked to Ron for a moment, wishing him the best of luck with his Quidditch tryouts. She also threatened to hex him if he did not keep in touch with her. He promised her that he would, as she was an important part of his life also.

When it came time to say good by to Harry, this is when Hermione felt the saddest about leaving Hogwarts. She would always remember what they shared and it would take some time to get used to not seeing him everyday. But it was for the best. She would never get over him if she had his presence to constantly remind her of what she would never have.

They tried to make small talk but it was difficult because images of the night before kept appearing in their heads. They cut their talk short and Harry pulled Hermione into a very tight hug. Hermione let herself linger in Harry's arms, relishing the secure feeling it gave her. Harry held on to her because he really did not want to let her go. But he did.

"Goodbye Harry," Hermione said, kissing him on the cheek. "Keep in touch."

"You can count on," Harry told her as she turned to walk away. "I love you," he whispered when she was too far away to hear.

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A/N: Well there you have it. I know that many of you were expecting a much more interactive morning after for Harry and Hermione but it just did not fit in with where I am going with the story. I promise that the H/Hr action will be there in later chapters. I had to let Hermione get out and get some experience first and I am writing this to be a post Hogwarts story.

I also want to thank everyone who reviewed. It has been great to get such positive feedback and I hope that you will continue to do so.

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Just One Night

Chapter 4 – Come to Life

Summer passed quickly for Hermione and she soon found herself in the United States at her new school. This would be her first stay in the States for a long period of time and she found her self bursting with excitement. It was all so new to her. Though she missed Harry dearly she looked forward to making a fresh start.

When she first arrived at the New Salem Institute she was amazed at the size of it. It was very different from Hogwarts, having the look of a regular muggle college campus. Also, the students looked much more relaxed. They could be seen all about the campus in regular muggle clothing like jeans and t-shirts, not the mention the vast varieties of hairstyles and colors.

Hermione quickly became accustomed to her new surroundings. She soon found herself in stimulating classes like Magical Physicology, A Comparison of Muggle Science to Magic. She became quite fond of this class. She also took the advanced level classes for subjects that she had taken at Hogwarts like, Transfiguration, Arithmancy, Potions, and Charms. To say the least, Hermione was in an academic heaven.

But Hermione was not only growing academically. She had also made tremendous strides in her personal life. She was much more relaxed and laid back. She and her roommate had become fast friends and for the first time in her life, Hermione had a close friend that was not a guy. She finally had someone her age that she could relate to completely and she cherished the growing friendship between herself and Ashley.

At the moment Ashley was standing in front of her holding up what had to be the smallest pair of jeans Hermione had ever seen. They looked like they were made for a 10 year old.

"What exactly to you want me to do with those," Hermione asked her incredulously.

"I want you to wear them," Ashly replied. "Come on Hermione. You never wear anything remotely sexy. How do you expect to attract any hot guys if you dress like a nun?"

"I'm not looking to attract anyone, thank you very much." It was true. Hermione hadn't dated much since she had been in the States. Though she was beginning to get over Harry, she did not feel ready to start seeing other guys yet.

"That's BS, Hermione, and you know it," Ashley said. "You're never going to get over Harry this way." She had told Ashley all about her feelings for Harry. Deep down Hermione knew she was right. This was a step she knew she must take to Harry out of her system but she just couldn't help comparing everyone who approached her to him.

"You're right, of course," Hermione admitted. "I haven't really given anyone a chance. Look, I'll make an effort to at least get to know some guys tonight. But there is no way I am putting on those jeans."

******************************************************

About an hour later Hermione, Ashley, and Elizabeth, another friend of Hermione's, sat at a table at Tonic, a local club in the small magical community that was nearby the New Salem campus. Hermione shifted in her seat trying to get comfortable in the tight jeans that she had so adamantly refused earlier. 'I should have never listened to her' she thought, shooting Ashley a bitter looked. Ashley, on the other hand, sat next to Hermione looking quite comfortable, obviously used to dressing like this.

Hermione looked around taking in her surroundings. She had been here a few times before and always had a good time. She and her friends sat there talking and listening to music, generally having a good time. It wasn't long before guys began asking them to dance, as they were all cute girls. Ashley and Elizabeth didn't waste anytime accepting an invitation. Hermione declined the first guy that asked her. She sat at the table by herself, gently swaying to the music playing in the background. She had the feeling of someone watching her and it was beginning to make her feel uneasy.

She looked to her left, and sitting at another table with a group of guys, was a cute guy with dark hair. It was him that had been staring at her and before she it, he was on his way over to her. Hermione could not help but watch as he made his way over. He was definitely something to look at, standing at least 6 feet tall with a sleek muscular build. As he got closer she noticed that he had the most beautiful hazel eyes that she had ever seen. Yes, he was quite a looker.

“Having a good time,” he said to Hermione, taking the seat that Ashley had abandoned.

“Yes I am, actually. You,” Hermione replied.

“It’s starting to get better,” he said, winking. “Would you like to dance?”

Hermione started to decline, out of habit if nothing else, but then decided to go for it. She decided earlier that she would at least try to get to know some guys tonight. What the heck.

Hermione allowed the gorgeous guy guide her to the dance floor. He gently pulled her into his arms and they began to move to the music.

“I’m Kyle, by the way,” he said into her ear causing Hermione to shiver.

“I’m Hermione,” she managed to replay.

They silently let the music flow around them. It was a slow song and Hermione had no idea that dancing in a crowded club could be so arousing. There was definitely a strong attraction between the two and Hermione loved the feel of his arms around her.

The song ended all too soon, and Kyle led Hermione back to her table. They sat at the table and began to talk and get to know each other better. After awhile, Hermione learned that they not only shared a physical attraction to each other, but they also had a lot in common. They chatted about school, what they wanted to do after New Salem, and many other topics. ‘He’s really a nice guy,’ Hermione thought. ‘Not to mention gorgeous.’

When it was time to leave, Kyle offered to walk Hermione and her friends back to the girl’s dorm. Ashley and Elizabeth walked on ahead, while Hermione and Kyle trailed behind. At the door to the building, Kyle held Hemione back, as her friends went inside.

“I had a wonderful time with you tonight,” Kyle said still her hand in his. “And I was hoping that maybe we could go out sometime.”

“That would be nice,” Hermione responded with a smile. She gave him the number to her room. “I had nice time too.”

Kyle leaned forward and gently placed a soft kiss upon Hermione’s lips. She felt the familiar tug of attraction within her. It was not like the feeling she had when she kissed Harry, but a new feeling all together. Hermione decided that she liked it. She knew that this was definitely someone she would like to know better.

Kyle broke the kiss and said goodnight.

******************************************************

Later, when Hermione lay down to bed, for the first time in a long time, it was not Harry’s face that she saw before she drifted off to sleep.

*****************************

A/N: Well here is Hermione’s POV after leaving Hogwarts. In the next chapter we will check in on Harry. I hope you like it. If you don’t please feel free to review anyway. As I said before this is my first time and any comments are helpful so please, please review.

Lastly, to the person who asked if I thought that this could happen in real life, my answer to that is simple: With the absence of the fact that we are dealing with a fiction magical reality, yes, I absolutely believe that this could happen. Is it practical? Maybe not but it is not impossible. Besides, isn’t that the whole point of fiction, to be able to express things that may not be able to happen in real life?

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Just One Night

Chapter 5 - The Tables Turn

WARNING – Here comes the angst.

Harry Potter, five time savior of the wizarding world, Quidditch star, and generally speaking, a very hot guy, was beat. Yes, Harry, who had looked Lord Voldemort in the face, on more than one occasion, and lived to tell the tale, was taken down by a girl. One night of passion with a girl, who just happened to be his best friend Hermione.

Sure, he dated. Quite a lot actually. But all of those women had one flaw. They were not Hermione. He could not get her out of his mind. And when he was with those other women, he always felt he was missing something. No one could complete him like Hermione. She was the missing piece in his life. He had been living an entire year without her and he missed her fiercely.

Right now he sat in a dimmed restaurant with a very dazzling blond. But he was not having fun. Not even a little bit. In fact, he was bored out of his mind. She just would not shut up.

“And I told my boss, there is not way I’m working next to that……” Christina was saying. At least that’s what she thought her name was. It could be Cassandra. At this point, he could not remember, nor did he care. She may as well have been speaking Spanish, because Harry could not tell you a word of what she was saying. All he knew was that he could not wait until it was over.

He signaled the waiter for the check. “You didn’t want dessert, did you,” he asked, knowing that it did not matter if she did.

“Not the kind of dessert that can be served in this restaurant,” she told him, flirting openly, as she leaned over the table to gently stroke his hand.

As appetizing as “dessert” looked, as Christina so called it, Harry was just not in the mood.

“I’m sorry. I’m not feeling very well. I think I’ll just head on home and get some rest. Maybe we can go out again, some other time.” Harry pulled his hand away from hers.

“But we’re just getting started, Harry,” she whined, obviously put out by the fact that she was not going to get the great Harry Potter in her bed. “You can’t leave now.” She was now leaning so far across the table that Harry was sure that her breasts would fall out of her low cut shirt any moment.

“Look Christina, I sorry but I’m just not in the mood,” he said this, maybe a little too sharply, but he was beginning to get annoyed.

“Christina, who the hell is Christina,” she said raising her voice. “My name is Kristen.”

“Christina, Kristen, it’s all the say,” Harry replied rudely, regretting it instantly. He should be taking his problems out on her. It wasn’t her fault that she couldn’t live up to another witch, in a completely different country.

Apparently this pushed her too far, her dream date with Harry turned into a nightmare. She picked up her drink and threw it in Harry’s face, then stormed out of the restaurant.

Harry, realizing that he was now the center of attention of the restaurant, muttered a quick drying spell under his breath and aptly apparated from the restaurant.

*******************************

When Harry walked into his flat, he spotted Ron in the kitchen doing what he did best. Eating. Ron looked up when Harry entered in surprise.

“Well this must be a record. This is the earliest you’ve ever come home from a date,” Ron said to Harry. “What happened to Christina?”

Harry laughed inwardly. ‘At least I’m not the only one who can’t remember her name,’ Harry thought to himself.

“Just not feeling very well,” Harry told Ron. “Thought I’d better come home and get some rest.”

Ron studied his friend. He hadn’t been looking too good lately. Physically he was fine, but Ron often found his friend day dreaming and looking very glum. Anyone else would have thought that this would be a great time for both Ron and Harry, as they were both offered spots on professional Quidditch teams and living the bachelor’s life in London. Ron knew better. He also knew there was one thing standing in the way of Harry’s happiness and that was Hermione.

Neither Harry nor Hermione suspected that Ron knew anything was going on between the two of them. But Ron had enough suspicions to conclude that something had gone on between them.

“This is about Hermione, isn’t it,” Ron questioned boldly.

Ron’s suspicions were confirmed with the shocked look to Harry’s face. “Wha, What. Why would this have anything to do with Hermione,” Harry asked, trying to hide the fact that Ron had hit the nail on the head.

“Oh, come on Harry,” Ron said. “I’m not blind. And you’d have to be not to see that Hermione had feelings for you. It was obvious. I wasn’t too sure about you. But right around graduation day, you two started acting tense around each other. I don’t think anyone else noticed, but I am your best friend. Now, come on, out with it.”

Harry, who had no idea Ron suspected anything, contemplated denying the whole thing, but decided that he needed to talk to someone about it.

“You’re right,” Harry told Ron as he sat down at the kitchen table with him. “This has everything to do with Hermione. You’re also right about Hermione having feelings for me, though I had no clue until she told me. And right around graduation Hermione and I were intimate.”

“Bloody hell,” Ron screamed. “You what!” Ron was shocked. Though he suspected something was going on, he didn’t think they were having sex.

“I can’t believe you shagged our best friend,” Ron said.

“It wasn’t like that,” Harry told him. “It was more than that, way more than that.”

“Okay, so you two had sex,” Ron said, calming down a bit. “I still don’t see where the problem comes in.”

Harry tried to think of an easy way to explain what he was going through. “I love her,” he stated simply.

Ron waited for Harry to say more. “And that’s a bad thing,” he questioned, realizing that Harry was done talking.

“Yes, it is a bad thing. Me, being the prat that I am, made that realization too late. Hermione has moved on. She got tired of waiting.”

“Harry, Hermione loved you for a long time. Really loved you. There is no way she can just turn that off,” Ron said reasonably. “I’ll bet she is just as miserable as you.”

“I don’t think so, Ron,” Harry said, “I think she has really moved on. And she doesn’t sound miserable in her letters.”

“Trust me Harry, I guarantee that she still loves you. Just give her time. She’ll eventually come home where she belongs.”

******************************************

Later that night, Harry lay in his bed thinking of what Ron had said. Could Hermione actually be thinking of him the way he thought of her. Though he doubted it, he could still hope. He knew if she felt even an inkling of what he felt for her, then she would not get over him that easily. He hoped she would return to him. He would wait. He only hoped that he would not have to wait too long.

Harry soon drifted to sleep, with thoughts of Hermione going through his head.

**************************************

A/N: There you have it. Poor Harry. Don’t worry, he will be fine. I had a couple of reviewers really upset that Hermione was in fact interested in someone other than Harry. I explained in earlier chapters that I would let Hermione get some experience, on her own, just as Harry had experiences with other women. It’s only fair. But don’t get too worried. Just because she is interested in someone else does not mean she doesn’t love Harry. I am posting this in the H/Hr section. I just can’t make it too easy and if they were together right now then the story would be over.

Also, there are a few people who think my chapters are too short. I do the best I can with the time I have. I could write longer chapters but it would take me a lot longer to post. I thought it best to keep posting so that I would keep interest. Though the chapters are short (personally I don’t think they are that short) they get the point across.

Once again, thanks to all who reviewed. Your comments and suggestions help me out immensely. Please keep them coming. Even if it is something bad, let me know so that I can improve.

Hope you enjoyed it.

Just One Night

Chapter 6 – Your What?

Hermione Granger lay in her full sized bed in her dorm at New Salem Institute thinking. Instead of the usual thoughts that normally consumed her like her studies, homework, or her best friend Harry Potter, thoughts of her boyfriend filled her mind. Yes, Hermione had a boyfriend. Long given up on her hopes of ever snagging Harry, Hermione felt she had finally found that special someone.

She and Kyle hit it off extremely well. They had a lot in common. They shared the same fervent interest in education. Also, they were both muggle born and shared both magical and non-magical interests. And there was no denying there was a strong sexual attraction between the two, a chemistry so to speak.

Kyle was also very intelligent and always respectful of Hermione. This was one of the things that she loved about him. Hermione thought about his gorgeous eyes. He also had very kissable lips, which she did kiss often. And his body. He was definitely in great shape. Even though he was not a sports fanatic, he could easily give the best Quidditch player a run for their money in that department.

They had grown very close lately spending the last couple of months of the school year together and both decided to stay at school for the majority of the summer to earn extra credits. Hermione knew that Kyle desired to take their relationship a step further. They had yet to cross the line of being intimate. Hermione could not help but remember what it felt like to be that close to someone and she often wondered what making love to Kyle would be like. Kyle was more than ready to pursue a sexual relationship with her. But something kept holding Hermione back. Oh, she did desire him, quite a bit actually. There was no doubt about that, but she always felt that there was something missing, some crucial ingredient.

'Love,' a thought popped in her mind. That could be it. Sure she cared deeply for Kyle and he had become truly special to her. But did she love him? Did she even want to love him? She could not help but remember the pain disappointment that was a result of loving Harry.

"Oh, this is ridiculous," she said out loud to herself. Everything always came back to Harry. Well she was sick of it. Hadn't she moved on. 'No this is not about Harry,' she thought. She had a boyfriend now and though she still missed Harry deeply, she hadn't thought of him in a romantic way since she began dating Kyle. Yet, he always seemed to pop into her mind when she began getting closer to Kyle. Also, she had yet to reveal to Harry that she even had a boyfriend.

Hermione pushed her musing of Harry out of her mind and focused on Kyle. She would just see where their relationship took her. If it was meant to be, then so be it.

********************************************

The next day after classes, Hermione walked into the living room of the dorm and slumped down on the couch to relax after an extremely vigorous yet satisfying day. It was the beginning of the school year and as always the first couple weeks were filled with the excitement of adjusting to new classes and subjects. Hermione still thrived on learning and was really enjoying the start of the new school year.

Hermione looked up when a familiar owl flew through the window. It was Hedwig with a letter from Harry. She exchanged letters regularly with Harry and Ron. They were still very close and affectionately known to family and friends as the trio. Hermione only wished that she could see them more often. Their schedules did not permit a visit over the summer and she was hoping to see them around Christmas.

Hermione took the letter from Hedwig and offered her a treat before settling into her chair to read the letter. She felt a jolt of excitement when she began to read the letter, realizing that Harry must have been thinking along those same lines.

Dear Hermione,

I hope this letter finds you well. This Quidditch season is turning brutal. As I am sure you already know, Ron injured his arm in the last match against the Wimbourne Wasps. (Of course Hermione did know this, as she always followed their matches.) Thankfully, we don't have a gave this weekend and we will be able to recuperate. Which brings me to the purpose of writing this letter. Since we are free, I was hoping that Ron and I could come for a visit. It's been ages since I saw you last. And I must say that I miss seeing your face. Things just aren't the same with you not around.

Please send you reply back with Hedwig. If all is clear, we will be there at six o'clock on Friday. And sorry for the short notice.

Love,

Harry

Hermione excitedly put the letter down and went to knock on Ashley's bedroom door, praying that she was there so that she could send Harry a reply quickly.

"Come in," she heard Ashley say.

"Hey, Ash," Hermione said. "I wanted to ask if it would be okay if Ron and Harry came to visit for the weekend?"

"Hmm, let me think about it," Ashley replied with a hint of a smile. "You want two hot Quidditch stars with sexy foreign accents, to come and sleep with us for two nights. Did you really have to ask?"

Hermione shot Ashley an indignant look before hurrying back to the living room. She hastily scribbled a Harry a reply and sent Hedwig back out the window.

*****************************************

Back in London, a couple days later, Harry Potter smiled to himself as he read Hermione's reply. Finally he would see her again. The last year had been pure torture without her. But her absence did not cause Harry to love her any less. Whoever said that distance made the heart grow fonder sure knew what they were talking about.

Two more days. He just had to get through two more days and he would be with her again. And if things went according to plan, he would never let her go. Yes, Harry remembered the proposition that Hermione made him a little over a year ago. This time, however, Harry had his own proposition. But it was not for one night. It was for forever.

*****************************************

The next couple days passed quickly for Hermione, as she immersed herself in her studies. Between school work and her blossoming relationship with Kyle, she had no time to fret over her impending visit from her two best friends. But as she awaited their arrival on Friday, she could not help but feel giddy.

She heard Ashley giggle and she turned to find her staring at her curiously.

"What's so funny," Hermione asked.

"You, that's what," she said. "I thought you were over Harry. You sure aren't acting like it."

Hermione picked up one of the sofa pillows and hurled it at Ashley's head. "I am over Harry, thank you very much. But I haven't seen either of them in over a year. Pardon me if I'm a tad bit excited."

"Alright, alright. Don't get your panties in a bunch," Ashley told her, as she smirked unbelievingly.

At around 6:00 Hermione heard a knock at the door. Her heart began to pound as she approached. 'Stop being silly' she told herself mentally. 'It's only Harry and Ron.' She took a deep breath and pulled the door open.

"Hermione," both Harry and Ron shouted at the same time.

"Harry, Ron. It's so good to see you," Hermione said as she threw her arms around Ron, hugging him tightly. When it was Harry's turn, she felt him pull her into his arms. The feeling that she had come ‘home’ rushed over her body and she began to feel that familiar tug at her heart. 'Think about Kyle,' she told herself, trying to push those feelings away.

Harry and Ron followed Hermione into the living room. Hermione introduced them to Ashley before she hurriedly went to put their things into her bedroom. She and Ashley decided that she would sleep with Ashley and let Harry and Ron share her room during their visit. Hermione took her time putting their things away, in an attempt to squash the pesky feelings that she had worked so hard to rid herself of.

Harry allowed his eyes to follow Hermione longingly as she moved their things. Well, it wasn't as if he really had a choice. He felt drawn to her and it took all the strength that he could muster not to pull her back into his arms and snog her senseless. 'God she looks beautiful,' Harry thought. She was wearing a pair of tight fitting black slacks with a blouse that was unbuttoned just far enough to make you curious. But of course, Harry remembered what lay beneath. She was still the same Hermione. His Hermione, with the same gorgeous face, and beautiful eyes, not to mention her hair. Yes, the same bushy hair that Harry had grown to love.

But she was somehow different too. She had an air of confidence and self control about her, but not in an uptight way. Actually, she looked quite relaxed. All in all, Hermione had matured nicely. This just made Harry want her more.

Feeling composed again, Hermione came back into the living room and hugged each young man again. "I'm so glad you made it," she told them.

"We've missed you too, Mione," Harry said sincerely.

"Yeah," Ron chimed in. "Now, what's for dinner. I'm starving.”

They all laughed. It seemed to Hermione that some things never change.

*****************************************************

"I'm stuffed," Ron said, stretching. They were all seated in the living room, having just dined on a dinner that consisted of Chinese take out.

"Well, that's something I've never thought I'd hear," Hermione said, jokingly.

They were having a great time catching up. Hermione and Ashley listened to Harry and Ron's entertaining Quidditch tales. And Hermione told them all about life at New Salem. It was like they were never apart.

While Ron sat engaging Ashley in an interesting tale about their days at Hogwarts, Hermione's thoughts drifted to Harry. He was even more gorgeous than when she saw him last. Though she would never admit it, she longed to run her fingers through his messy hair once again. He wore it slightly shorter, in a style that brought out his eyes. She felt she could gaze into them for hours. She let her eyes wander up the length of his body and memories of the fateful night a year ago began to attack her senses. She chided herself mentally for letting her thoughts drift there, but seeing him again, in the flesh, awakened the desired that she worked so hard to repress.

A knock at the door brought Hermione out of her reverie as Ashley stood to answer it. Hermione felt a sense of panic wash over her as she saw Ashley lead Kyle through the door. She knew she would have to tell them about him since there were going to be in town, but she had hoped to do it before they actually met. She did not understand why she could never bring herself to tell them about him, but deep down she knew it was Harry that she was worried about.

Hermione stood as Kyle strode into the living room. He stopped at her side and placed a gentle kiss on her lips, as he had done many times before. Hermione felt a blush creep up to her face as she turned to meet Harry and Ron's curious gazes.

"Harry, Ron, I'd like for you to meet my boyfriend."

*****************************************************************

A/N: Well there you have it. They meet at last. Poor, poor Harry. Will he still carry out his plan to win Hermione back, or is he defeated. Tell me what you think. I hope you enjoyed it.

Thanks to everyone for the wonderful reviews. I really appreciate all the feedback. Keep it coming. I take all suggestions and criticism into consideration, good or bad. It helps a lot.

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Chapter 7 - Reactions

Harry’s world went from heaven to hell in about 10 seconds. He felt as if his breath had been knocked right out of him.

Boyfriend? Boyfriend! She had never mentioned any boyfriend.

Harry eyed the guy that Hermione had just claimed as her boyfriend. He hated him. He didn’t even know him, but he hated him, right now more than anything else. He had taken the one thing that Harry desired most. And Harry hated him for that.

Around him, Harry could hear a conversation going on. He vaguely remembered being introduced to this Kyle guy. But Harry was barely paying attention. He felt numb. All he could see right now was this guy, the enemy, seated next to Hermione. His Hermione. And he was holding her hand!

Harry’s world turned red with rage. He could see himself yanking Kyle up from his seat and choking him with his bare hands. He began to smile, happy with himself, but was jolted out of his fantasy by a voice calling his name.

“Harry, Harry....” Hermione was saying. “Are you alright?”

Harry hadn’t realized that he was now seated on the edge of his chair and he was gripping the arms very tightly, his nails digging into the material. Everyone was looking at him now with concerned expressions.

“Yes, I’m fine,” Harry said, trying his best to be convincing. “Actually, I’m a bit tired. It’s been a long day. I think I’m going to go to bed.”

“Oh, of course,” Hermione said, rising. “I should have realized that you’d be tired. Let me show you to your room.”

Harry stood to follow Hermione to his room. He saw Kyle stand and offer him his hand. “It was nice to meet you Harry, Hermione has told me so much about you,” Kyle said.

‘Pity, I haven’t heard a thing about you,’ Harry thought bitterly to himself. Harry shook Kyle’s hand. He wanted to break it, but restrained himself. “Nice meeting you too,” he said. He muttered a quick goodnight to Ashley and Ron, before following Hermione. Harry did not speak to Hermione as she led him to the room. He just needed time to himself.

Ron, sensing Harry's foul mood, excused himself to go talk to him. He saw a very angry Harry sitting on the bed when he entered.

"Bit of a shock, that was, huh mate," Ron said, carefully. Harry did not blow up often, but he looked on the verge of a major explosion.

"Did she ever mention any boyfriend to you," Harry asked.

"No, she didn't. It makes you wonder. Maybe it just started."

"I don't think so. He looked really comfortable to me, like they've been dating for a while. Did you see how he just came in and kissed her? I can't believe it."

"So what are you gonna do," Ron asked Harry.

"What can I do? I've lost her. She's moved on like she said she would. She deserves to be happy. How can I stand in the way of that?"

"So you're just going to give up? Just like that."

Harry did not respond. He just sat there looking dejected and angry.

"She still loves you, you know. I could see it in her eyes. No one could miss the looks you were passing each other during dinner. If you really love her, then fight for her. Don't be a bloody coward. She waited years for you. Don't you think she deserves the same from you."

"I know, I know," Harry said. "I just don't want to cheat her out of her happiness, if she really is happy with that asshole."

"Well, you'll never know unless you try. I'm going to go back out now. That Ashley sure is cute. Wonder what my chances are with her," Ron said with a smile before heading back to the living room.

Harry lay in his bed thinking. This definitely was not the welcome he had been expecting. He loved Hermione. Now she had a boyfriend. He knew it was unfair to be upset with her. After all, how many girlfriends had she watched him parade around with? But he couldn't help but feel betrayed that she did not tell him about it. Wasn't he her best friend? He did have a right to know.

Though he had lost the battle, Harry knew that he wouldn't give up. He couldn't give up. He loved Hermione too much and wasn't going to let her get away that easy. Ron was right, she had waited for him to come around for a long time. He was willing to return the favor.

Harry thought back to earlier that day when he had pulled Hermione into his arms. It felt so right, natural even. She was everything he remembered and everything he needed. He wasn't willing to let that go. Not now, not ever. This Kyle had better get ready for a fight. This meant war.

************************************************************

Hermione walked Kyle to the door. She didn't know why, but she felt relieved when he said he had to leave. At the door, he pulled her into his arms, hugging her tightly.

“Sorry I stopped by unannounced, but I had to see you,” Kyle told her, still holding her in his arms. “I really missed you today and I know you will be busy over the next couple days with your visitors.”

“It’s okay, Kyle,” Hermione reassured him. “You know you are always welcome.” She was still in Kyle’s embrace, but another fellow was currently on her mind. She immediately felt guilty for having those thoughts of Harry, especially while she was with Kyle. ‘It’s just the shock of seeing him again, that’s all,’ she reassured herself. ‘This is where I belong.’

She looked up to find Kyle staring at her.

“I love you Hermione,” Kyle told her, sincerely. He was still staring at her, as though he was waiting for her to reply. But Hermione knew she could not say what he wanted to hear. She honestly did not know how she felt. It had been a very confusing night for the girl who knew everything. She did not want to lead him on. So instead of a reply, she placed a kiss upon his lips. Kyle looked disappointed that he had not gotten a reply to his declaration of love, but accepted her kiss nonetheless.

As she closed the door, Hermione unwillingly began to compare Harry’s hug with that which she had just received from Kyle. She remembered how it felt to be that close to Harry and she knew whose arms she’d rather be in, whether she was willing to admit it or not.

Hermione forced those thoughts out of her head. It was shortly after Harry went to bed and she contemplated checking to see if he was still awake. She decided against it. She still felt bad for not telling him about Kyle and decided to face those questions tomorrow.

Hermione went back to the living room where Ashley and Ron still sat. They had hit it off wonderfully.

“I’m gonna head to bed,” Hermione informed them. “Are you two, gonna be okay?”

“Yeah, you go ahead. I’ll keep Ron entertained,” Ashley informed her, with a mischievous grin.

“Night, Mione,” Ron said, standing. He and Hermione embraced once more.

“See you guys in the morning,” she told them, before heading to bed.

*********************************************************

Hermione awakened early the next morning. She wanted to prepare a big breakfast for her two best friends. She stood in the small kitchen, waving her wand around, causing items to fly out of the cabinets and refrigerator. Since leaving Hogwarts and being able to use magic whenever she wanted, Hermione found that she rather liked cooking. It was a lot easier to cook with magic.

Ashley stumbled out of the bed, after being awakened by the sound of clanging pots and pans. She entered the kitchen, seeing a bowl of pancake batter with a large spoon in it that was doing a very sloppy job of stirring. There were also pans of bacon and eggs on the stove that were being flipped and turned by two cooking utensils that were floating nearby. And sitting at the table was a very satisfied looking Hermione, obviously happy with her progress.

"So, you gonna cook your way into Harry's heart," Ashley asked. She couldn't resist teasing Hermione. It was so easy. "My mom always said that the way to a man's heart was through his stomach. Of course, I've always found the route through his pants easier."

"You would, seeing as though you can't even boil water without starting a fire," Hermione retorted. "And furthermore, I am not trying to capture anyone's heart. I'm just making a nice breakfast for my three best friends."

"Yeah right Hermione. I saw the way you two were looking at each other. I thought you guys were gonna go at it right in the middle of the living room. There was definitely some chemistry there. And did you see the way Harry looked when Kyle came in. He looked like somebody stole his candy."

"Don't be ridiculous. I don't know what you're talking about," said Hermione. "Harry and I are just friends." She busied at the stove, trying not to look at Ashley because the truth was written all over her face.

"Come on Hermione, admit it. You still love him. And even if it isn't love, don't act like you wouldn't jump at the chance to make him another one of your naughty proposals."

Hermione's jaw dropped. She couldn't believe Ashley went there. "Well what about you and Ron? You two sure looked chummy. 'Go on Hermione, I'll take care of Ron. Oh Ron, I really love your freckles. Oh Ron, I think red hair is sooo sexy,'" Hermione mimicked and pretended to gag.

"He is cute," Ashley admitted, blushing. "But at least I'll admit it. You, my dear friend, are in serious denial."

"Whatever," Hermione muttered. She continued to prepare breakfast, waiting for Harry and Ron to wake up.

*********************************************************

A/N: That's it for now. I know this chapter stopped kind of abruptly, but it may be a few days before I can work on it some more. Hope you enjoyed it anyway. Next chapter will be a lot more Harry and Hermione interaction. Yes! My favorite ship and the very reason I am writing this story.

Thanks to Amber and Gadriam for your critique and ideas. I also want to say thanks to the many people who reviewed and told me your thoughts on what should happen next. I appreciate all the ideas and don't be surprised if you see a variation of it in the next chapter.

Please continue to review. All are welcome, even the bad. I try to correct things that are pointed out to me so keep it coming. Thanks for reading.

The Sweetest Thins

(Have fun reading OOP this weekend. I know I will.)

Just One Night

Chapter 8 – Tender Kisses

Harry awakened Saturday morning to a delicious smell wafting into the bedroom. He got up and dressed quickly, anxious to see Hermione again. His foul mood from the night before had now been replaced with determination. He was going to win Hermione back and no one would stand in his way.

On the way out of the room, he kicked Ron, who was still asleep and snoring very loudly. This did not surprise Harry, as Ron had gone to bed very late. Not to mention the fact that Ron could sleep through an earthquake. He made sure that Ron was starting to awaken before he strode out of the small dorm room.

When he entered the kitchen, he was surprised to see Hermione flicking her wand around, causing platters of breakfast items to float to the table. “I didn’t know you could cook,” He told her, smiling as he took in the sight of her. “It smells delicious.”

"Oh, good morning Harry," Hermione said, turning to him with a smile. "Did you sleep well?"

Harry felt his stomach do a somersault when she smiled at him. He could easily imagine himself waking up with her everyday. "Very well, actually. Considering that Ron snores like a herd of rampaging hippogriffs. Do you need any help," Harry asked, walking up to her and taking a pitcher of juice from her hands. As he did this, he allowed his hand to graze hers softly.

"Thanks," Hermione told him. She was trying to suppress the feelings of longing that his touch erupted in her. It amazed her that the simplest touch of his hand could evoke such feelings within her. Heading over to the table, she scolded herself and pushed those feelings aside.

"Is Ron up yet," she asked, trying to force her mind to someone other than Harry.

"He should be out shortly," Harry replied as he leaned casually on the kitchen counter.

"So, a boyfriend, huh," he asked. He tried to bring this subject up casually. "I can't remember you ever mentioning him before." He wanted to rant and rave about this like a child but he knew that this would not get him any closer to her.

"Well, it just kind of happened. I know that it came as a bit of a shock. It just never seemed like a good time to bring it up," Hermione said, looking apologetic.

"How long have you two been together?"

"Almost six months," Hermione answered.

"Six months!! Six months," he said, maybe a bit too loudly. "You've had a boyfriend for six months and you never got around to mentioning it?"

"Well it just never came up. And it's not that big of a deal," Hermione replied, defensively. "I'm sure you don't tell me about every girlfriend you have."

"I just thought you would tell me if you were getting serious with someone. We are best friends, aren't we?" Harry could not help but feel jealous after hearing that she had been with this Kyle guy for six months. A lot could happen within the span of six months. He felt his jaw clinch. The idea of her being intimate with someone else was enough to drive him mad. But now was not the time to dwell on this. He could not expect to win her over by starting a shouting match with her first thing in the morning. He needed to remind her of what she felt for him.

"So what about you Harry," Hermione asked, hoping to take the attention off of her relationship. "Is there anyone special in your life?"

Harry fixed his gaze upon her. If only she knew. "Actually, there is a very special lady in my life. She's been there for quite awhile."

"Really," Hermione said. Hermione turned away from him, not wanting him to see the disappointment on her face. She did not have the right to feel this way and was angry with herself for caring. She felt a familiar pang of jealousy in her heart hearing Harry say that he had found someone special. She should be happy for him.

"Anyone I know? How long have you been seeing her?" She tried to sound happy when she asked this and prayed that he did not catch the underlying sorrow in her voice.

"Oh, you know her quite well actually," Harry told her, walking up to her and spinning her around to face him. "But we're not together yet. As a matter of fact, I've just found out that she has gotten herself a boyfriend. But I’m sure she’ll come around, with the right persuasion, of course."

Hermione felt Harry's eyes bore into her. Could he possibly be referring to her? Her mind was reeling. 'What on earth is he doing to me,' she thought. He was standing so close to her now. She could smell the intoxicating scent of him and began to feel dizzy. She chanced a look at his face and he was looking at her with a determined expression.

Harry knew he was being a bit forward, but he didn't care. She had to know. Even if she did not choose him. She had to know.

He looked down at her, as she stood about six inches shorter than him. Her face took on the cute expression that told him her mind was busy at work, trying to find an answer. He had seen this expression many times before during their time at Hogwarts.

They were standing in the middle of the kitchen, very close as a matter of fact. It was like nothing else in the world existed at that moment in time. Just the two of them, together. Nothing else mattered. There faces were only a few inches apart. Hermione felt her eyes drift unwillingly to his lips, as if she were losing control of herself. What she wouldn't give right now to feel them upon hers.

As if hearing her thoughts, Harry traced his thumb across her lower lip and felt Hermione shudder. She closed her eyes in anticipation, waiting for his lips to meet hers. She knew it was wrong, but she did not care. She wanted this, no, she needed this badly.

But the moment never came. Instead, the sound of Ashley's dorm room door opening and closing greeted her ears, causing her and Harry to jump apart. A moment later, a fully dressed Ron bounded into the kitchen.

"What's for breakfast," Ron asked, not realizing that Harry could kill him with his bare hands. "I'm starving."

"Aren't you always," Harry said, shooting him a murderous look. He had the worst timing.

Hermione quickly moved away from Harry, blushing furiously. She could not believe what had just transpired. She was just a second away from kissing Harry. The very same Harry that she had vowed to get over the moment she left Hogwarts. Not only that, but she had a boyfriend. It was wrong, very wrong. But she wanted it. Guilt began to pour over her. How could she be thinking about him like this when she was in a committed relationship with Kyle. And what was Harry playing at. Was this a game?

Hermione took a deep breath as she saw Ashley enter the room. She was thankful for the interruption and prayed that she made it through breakfast.

*********************************************************

Hem Hem: A/N

Sorry for the delay with this chapter. I was occupied with the OoP. I am still letting it sink in. This chapter is short, but fret not as I am almost done with the next and it will be posted shortly. Thanks to everyone who reviewed. Please keep your ideas and suggestions coming, even if you hate the story.

The Sweetest Things

Just One Night

Chapter 9 – Quality Time

Harry gauged Hermione’s behavior throughout breakfast. He knew her well enough to tell that she was deep in thought. She was probably trying to come up with some logical reason for what had happened earlier. But Harry knew. He didn’t need to analyze or hypothesize about it. He knew. Her reaction said it all. She still had feelings for him. Her reactions earlier weren’t just mere physical attraction. No. It was the same magnetism that he felt that fateful night, a little over a year ago. The connection that let Harry know that Hermione was the only woman for him. Together they were complete and no one else would do.

Now, he only had to make Hermione realize this. He chuckled to himself, wondering what explanations she had come up with. He imagined her saying to him, completely poised, in her usual matter of fact voice, “About earlier, Harry, I think it was just the shock of seeing each other again, you know, after all this time.” Or maybe she would blame it on the food they ate last night. A chemical reaction? It didn’t matter, however, because Harry already knew the answer. Her reaction said it all. This was just the catalyst he needed. He needed to get her alone. Maybe Ron could assist him with this.

After breakfast, Ron and Harry went back to the bedroom to dress for the day. He waited until they were out of the girl's hearing distance before approaching Ron with his plan.

"So Ron, how's it going with Ashley?" Harry asked. "You went to bed awfully late last night."

Ron's face brightened. "Ashley's great. She's really fun to hang around and we have loads in common. Not to mention, she's totally hot."

"That's great. She seems really nice. She and Hermione seem to be really close. Are you guys gonna see each other after this trip?"

"Well, I haven't brought it up yet. I was planning on mentioning it today. I really hope she's up for it. I would definitely like to see more of her. How about you? How is your progress with Hermione?"

“Actually, that’s exactly what I wanted to talk to you about. I’m making progress, but I need you to run some interference for me,” Harry responded.

Ron’s face took on a confused expression. “Interference, how do you mean? You don’t want me to try to shag Hermione, do you? I mean, how is that gonna help?”

Harry released an exasperated sigh. “Don’t be thick Ron. What I mean is, wouldn’t you like to spend a little time with Ashley alone? You know, to get to know each other better, or whatever, thus leaving me and Hermione alone.”

Understanding dawned upon Ron. “Oh, I see. You want to get Hermione alone so you can put the moves on her. Well, I don’t know Harry. I haven’t seen Hermione in over a year. I was looking forward to spending time with her. Actually, I think the four of us should spend the entire day together.” Ron told Harry this, all the while knowing that he would agree to Harry’s plan. He decided to have a little fun with him first.

“Come on Ron. There’s always tomorrow,” Harry said, thinking Ron was serious. “We’ll all spend the entire day together. Just do this for me.”

“Hmm… Maybe… Let’s just say I do agree to, what did you call it, “run interference,” what’s in it for me?”

“How about the satisfaction of knowing you assisted you best mate in getting back the woman of his dreams?” said Harry, hopefully.

“While that is extremely satisfying, I’m thinking that this is deserving of a little more compensation. After all, I am giving up the chance to spend time with my very best friend,” said Ron.

Harry, seeing where this was going, cut to the chase. “Okay, what exactly to you want, Ron?”

“I’m thinking that your limited edition chocolate frog card of Godric Gryffindor would look rather nice in my collection.”

Harry’s jaw dropped. “You can’t be serious. Do you know how rare those are?” Harry practically yelled.

“So a chocolate frog card is more important to you than Hermione? Well, I’m not so sure you deserve a day alone with her,” Ron said. He was really enjoying having the upper hand with Harry for a change.

“Alright, alright. You can have the ruddy card. But that’s really low.”

“All in the name of love, right Harry,” Ron said, patting Harry on the way out of the room.

******************************************

Ron succeeded in convincing Ashley to spend the day with him. “It will be fun,” he told her. “Like a first date.” Actually the arrangements were more than acceptable for Ron and Ashley, as they were both eager to spend more time with each other.

Hermione, on the other hand, was not enthused with the arrangements. She was still confused about the “almost kiss” that happened that morning. She did not trust herself to be alone with Harry and the last thing she need was an entire day to do just that. When he reappeared in the living room, looking as handsome as ever, it did nothing to restore her composure. Why on earth did he have to be that handsome? The color of his shirt brought out his eyes, causing them to look like pools of emeralds and Hermione was drowning.

She was so engrossed in Harry that she had not heard Ron convincing Ashley to split up for the day, not that it took very much convincing. By the time she realized what was going on, she had already been out-voted. Ashley and Ron rose to leave. Ron reassured her that they would have plenty of time to catch up.

Hermione wanted to protest again, but she knew it would be in vain. She had to admit that Ashley and Ron looked good together. Ron, who stood at 6’2 with the famous Weasley red hair, now had the toned muscular build of an athlete. And Ashley was no pushover in the looks department. The blond was about three inches taller than Hermione at 5’9. She had a petite build and could easily be mistaken for a model. She showed off her curves any chance she got. Yes, Ashley and Ron complimented each other quite nicely.

So Hermione gave in and let them walk out the door.

“Don’t, look so glum, Mione. I’m sure you and Harry will find something constructive to do,” Ashley told her, winking slyly.

*************************************************

“So,” Harry said, after Ron and Ashley left. “What do you want to do today?”

“I don’t know Harry,” Hermione replied, still not making eye contact. “I think we should clear up what happened earlier. I’ve been thinking about it and I think we both were……”

Harry put his finger to her lips silencing her. “Let’s not worry about that now, okay. I’m sure we’ll figure it out in time. How about today we just enjoy each other’s company. We’ll just let things progress naturally. We don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do.”

Hearing this did not put Hermione at ease. You see, what she wanted to do was exactly what she should not be doing. ‘I have to get a hold of myself,’ she thought. ‘It’s just one day alone with Harry. We’ll be in public, after all. Nothing is going to happen.’

“Okay, Harry,” said Hermione. “Any ideas on what to do today?”

‘There are many things that I’d like to do,’ Harry thought to himself. He did not say this, knowing that he should not move to fast. “How about this, why don’t you take me to all of your favorite places around New Salem and show me the sights? If you’re the same Mione that I went to Hogwarts with, then I’m sure you did your research before you came here. You can show me around and tell me about the city. Then, maybe later, we could have a picnic for dinner. Does that sound okay?”

“Sounds wonderful,” Hermione replied, relaxing a bit. It actually sounded like a good idea.

***********************************

That was how they spent the day. Hermione took Harry around New Salem and the surrounding area. She showed him all her favorite spots, while pointing out historical sites. New Salem had quite an interesting history and Hermione enjoyed showing Harry where the first witches and wizards settled after fleeing from Salem during the witch trials. She took him to the local wizarding museum that contained many artifacts and old wizarding photos of witches and wizards in the early 1900’s. Harry was very intrigued when Hermione showed him a small pitch, cleverly hidden from muggles. Inside, was about ten teenagers playing what had to be Quodpot. Harry had read all about the sport but had never actually seen it played. Though he was a loyal Quidditch fan, he had to admit that Quodpot looked fun to play.

It was during this time that Hermione remembered all the reasons she loved Harry, not just the physical attraction. Throughout the day, he treated her respectfully and kind. He was so attentive to her, showing an avid interest in everything she said. Harry showed her a kinder, gentler side of himself that day. He was being such a gentleman; holding her hand, opening doors, and pulling out her chair when they stopped for ice cream that afternoon. All of these things reminded Hermione of why she fell in love with him in the beginning, before sex had entered the picture.

Harry, too, was enjoying himself immensely. He had forgotten how much fun Hermione could be when she wasn’t studying. As she showed him around town, Harry was amazed at her vast knowledge of the town. She was truly amazing and Harry was sure that she could do anything she set her mind to. He was also relieved at how easy it was to talk to her. The conversation flowed freely, unlike conversations that he had with other women he dated. With Hermione he could be himself. Not Harry Potter, The Boy Who Lived. Not Harry Potter, International Quidditch Star. With Hermione he was just Harry and that was okay with her. He loved her for that.

Right now they were sitting in a park, finishing sandwiches they had picked up at the local deli. They had a full day of sight seeing and were relaxing and enjoying each other’s presence as the day came to an end.

“I had a wonderful time today, Mione,” Harry told her as he put away the remainder of their meal.

Hermione, who was leaning back on her elbows, watched the sun as it began to settle into the distance. “I had a great time too, Harry,” Hermione said sincerely. “I didn’t realize how much I’ve missed you.”

Harry stared into her beautiful brown eyes. He brushed a strand of her hair from her eyes. “I have missed you too, Mione. Promise me that you won’t let another year pass before I see you again.”

“As if it were my fault, Mr. Quidditch Superstar. Maybe if you had cleared your schedule a bit we could have seen more of each other. Or, I could transfigure myself into a snitch. Maybe that will get you to come around more often.”

“You think you’re funny, do ya. Well let’s see how much you laugh after this,” Harry said, pouncing. Hermione howled with laughter as Harry tickled her mercilessly.

“I give up, I give up,” Hermione said trying to catch her breath. Harry stopped tickling her but was still pretty much right on top of her. Harry felt himself begin to respond to this position instantly. Hermione, realizing the situation, promptly cleared her throat and suggested that they head home.

They walked back to the dorm in silence. Hermione was trying to ignore the throbbing in her lower region, as having an aroused Harry lay on top of her had definitely turned her on. She was trying to push those ideas out of her head. She did have a boyfriend, right? Then why was she responding like this?

As they entered the dorm, Harry too was having a problem controlling his desire. He had promised to take things slow and win her back, but the sight of her was doing things to him. He did not think that he could control himself.

“Well, I should probably head to bed,” Hermione told him. He was standing right in front of her, staring intently. “Good night Harry.”

Hermione started to walk away but soon felt a strong arm reach out and stop her. Harry did not know what made him do it, but he needed her for just a bit longer. He grabbed her arm and spun her around. Once she was facing him, he gently tilted her face toward his and allowed his lips to meet hers once again.

*****************************************

A/N: There you have it. I hope you enjoyed it. I want to thank everyone for reviewing. I love all the feedback. Special thanks to everyone who gave me ideas for this chapter, especially Amber and Gadriam. It was really appreciated.

I want to know if people would like to read about Ashley and Ron’s day together. I wasn’t sure if I should write this so tell me what you think. I aim to please.

Thanks once again for reading and keep the reviews coming.

The Sweetest Things

Just One Night

Chapter 10 – The Heat of the Moment

Harry felt his world begin to spin as he pressed his lips against Hermione’s. He kissed her gently at first, barely allowing his lips to graze hers. He felt enchanted by the electrifying sensation that this tiny action could bring. Harry could barely contain himself as a jolt of pleasure coursed through his body. Backing her up, so that her back pressed into the door of the dorm room, Harry pressed his lips against hers once again, this time more firmly. He allowed his tongue to trace her lower lip and he felt her shudder with delight. He took this as an invitation to taste her even further.

Hermione forgot the world around her as she felt Harry’s tongue touch against her own. She forgot school. She forgot Kyle. She forgot that what she was doing was wrong. She forgot that she was in fact cheating on her boyfriend. She could only see one thing right now and that was Harry. He tasted sweet and masculine and Hermione could drink his flavor forever. She threw her head back with pleasure as Harry began to trail kisses down the side of her face, to her jaw bone, then to her neck, and back to her face again. She began to moan with delight, allowing her hands to stroke up and down Harry’s back as he kissed her senseless.

Harry was in heaven. He could not get enough of her. Her flavor was addictive and he wanted to taste her everywhere. He felt her small hands stroking his back and allowed his own hands to do some exploring. He let his hands leave the spot where they rested upon her hips to caress her stomach then up to her breasts through the fabric of her shirt.

“Oh Mione,” he moaned, as he felt her nipples erupt into tiny peaks as he ran his hands over her breasts.

Hermione sucked in a sharp breath as Harry caressed her softly. His touch was addictive. It was driving her crazy, so intense that she did not want it to end.

Harry began to tug anxiously on her shirt. There was too much fabric separating them. He successfully pulled her shirt over her head. “You’re beautiful,” he said in a hoarse whisper. And she was. She was alive with beauty and she felt wild.

Hermione roughly grabbed Harry and pulled his lips back to hers. She kissed him with such passion and fury that Harry felt he would explode. Harry’s hands cupped her butt as he ground his hips against hers causing an intimate friction between them. Not being able to take anymore, Harry lifted Hermione and carried her to her room, never letting his lips leave hers.

Once in the room, Harry laid Hermione upon the bed. He hurriedly pulled his own shirt over his head before joining her. He paused only a moment to peer deeply into her brown eyes that were now clouded with passion. He felt lost and she was the only one that could give him direction.

Hermione reached up to let her hands trace up and down Harry’s well defined chest. He shivered at her touch, grabbing one of her hands that now rest upon his chest and gently kissing each of her fingertips. He then began trailing kisses down her neck again and down even further until he reached the fabric of her bra. Hermione lifted herself slightly to allow Harry to unfasten it and remove the material from her body. Harry stared hungrily at her breasts. He gave them his undivided attention as he tasted them both, savoring them like a forbidden fruit. He took one of her hardened nipples into his mouth, suckling her gently.

“Harry,” Hermione moaned as Harry nipped and sucked her breasts. She arched her back, pushing herself even further into him. She ran her fingers through his messy hair, enjoying the feel of it on her skin. She felt Harry kiss a trail down her stomach. When he was at the edge of her pants, he undid the button and slipped them down her legs. Reaching up again, he repeated the same motion with her panties. Hermione now lay beneath him completely naked and as beautiful as ever.

He lifted her leg and ran his hand over her calf, up to her thighs. He followed the path with his mouth, placing kisses where his hands once lay. He kissed a path up her thigh until he reached her treasure, hidden by small soft curls of hair. As if he had struck gold, Harry leaned forward to claim his prize. He kissed her in her most private place and explored her hidden cave with his tongue.

‘I must be dead,’ Hermione thought. ‘I must be dead because I know I’m in heaven.’

Harry drove his tongue deeper within her as she bucked her hips, losing control of her body. He kissed and licked and sucked, and before she realized it was coming, a wave of ecstasy passed over her. She rode it until it passed and began to build up again.

“Harry, Harry, Harry.” She chanted his name over and over again. It wasn’t enough. She needed to feel him inside of her.

Harry moaned with yearning at the sound of her calling his name. He loved the taste of her and could stay down there all night long. However, Hermione had other plans.

“Now Harry,” she demanded, tugging at his shoulders. “I need you now.”

Harry placed one last kiss upon her moist lips. He then stood to remove his own pants and rejoined her seconds later. Hermione pulled Harry into another deep kiss. She then wrapped her fingers around his erect penis. She felt him growing in her hands. A sense of power overcame her as Harry moaned as she caressed him. Excitement and anticipation swelled within her and she wanted to feel him inside her walls now. She pushed her hands into his chest causing him to roll off of her and onto his back. Hermione then took control. She placed kisses upon his lips, making love to his mouth with hers, darting her tongue in and out. She threw her leg over him so that she now straddled his waist. Stroking him with increased intensity, Hermione guided him into her.

The world around Harry disappeared as he felt Hermione’s wetness slide down his erection. He gasped as she began to move; up and down, up and down, up and down, until he couldn’t take anymore. The sight of her, hair wild, skin sleek with sweat, head thrown back with pleasure, was driving him crazy. He firmly gripped her breasts as she continued her assault.

It was not enough. Her every motion was begging him to bury himself deeper within her. He pulled her down upon him so that he could feel her breasts press against his chest. He then rolled her over so that he was on top once again. He wasted no time burying himself within her moist center once again. Overcome with intense desire, Harry thrust deeper yet within her walls. Again and again her trust within her, hearing his own yells of pleasure mingle with Hermione’s in the silence of the night.

Hermione was yelling for Harry to drive harder and faster, which he did, forcing himself as far inside her as possible until he felt on the peak of satisfaction. He felt Hermione tighten herself around him as she reached her own height. He pumped once more, harder than ever before, sending Hermione over the edge with himself following seconds after, crying out her name before succumbing to his powerful release.

“I love you,” he said, before collapsing next to her and dropping into a deep and satisfying slumber.

***********************************************

The next morning Hermione opened her eyes to find Harry staring at her intently. “Morning sleepy head,” he told her, placing a kiss upon her forehead.

Hermione glanced around the room, seeing various clothing items strewn across the floor, obviously discarded in the heat of the moment. Realization dawned upon her as she remembered the events that had taken place the night before.

“Oh God,” she muttered, as she scrambled out of bed in search of her clothes. “What have I done?”

Harry stared in confusion as he watched her move around the room. This wasn’t the kind of morning after he had anticipated. “What’s wrong, Mione?” Harry asked, hoping to understand what the problem was.

“This is wrong Harry,” she replied. “This was not supposed to happen.” Guilt overcame Hermione as she sat on the edge of the bed seeing Harry begin to pull on his clothes. “I cheated on my boyfriend,” she muttered, more to herself than to Harry. She was feeling really low. She cared about Kyle deeply and he did not deserve to be treated like this. Tears began to sting her eyes.

“Hermione, surely you can’t be thinking that you still belong with him after what we shared last night,” Harry asked, not believing that she was actually thinking about Kyle when they should be enjoying the afterglow of a night of earth-shattering sex.

“What happened last night should have never happened. I have a boyfriend. I’m happy with him. This should have never happened.”

Harry winced at her words but was not willing to give up that easily. He knelt down in front of her taking her hands in his and looking into her eyes. “You don’t mean that. What we shared was not a mistake, Hermione. How can you even say that?”

Hermione removed her hands from his and averted her eyes from him. “I’m over you. I am.” She said this barely above a whisper, once again, trying to convince herself of this more than Harry.

“Hermione I love you. More than anything in this world,” Harry said, pleadingly. “Doesn’t that mean anything to you?”

Hermione still would not meet his eyes. This was not supposed to be happening. She was with a great guy who loved her. She was finally over Harry. How could this happen. No, she was used to not being romantically involved with Harry. She was used to his rejection. She was not willing to put herself at risk of being used and tossed aside. She knew Harry would never purposely hurt her, but he never wanted her before so why would now be any different? Besides, she had Kyle and she knew he loved her. She was not going to let this one incident ruin that.

“I’m sorry Harry,” Hermione said after a moment. “This just isn’t right.”

“So you’re going to go back to him after what we shared?”

“He’s my boyfriend Harry. Not you. This was a mistake.”

“Look me in the eye,” Harry told her. “Look me in the eye and tell me you don’t love me. Tell me you don’t feel the way I do. If you can look me in the eye and honestly tell me that you don’t feel the same way, I’ll let you go.”

Hermione peered deep into Harry’s eyes. Many different emotions overcame her. Lust, wanting, desire, and was that love? No, Hermione pushed the thought out of her head. She could not get her hopes up over Harry again. She had been hurt by him to many times before. She had to let go.

“I’m sorry Harry,” she said before turning away from him.

Harry sighed dejectedly. He was defeated. Feeling as if his heart had been ripped out, Harry stood and walked out of the room rejected.

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A/N: Oooh. I bet you guys weren’t expecting that. I hope I didn’t get too carried away but it was terribly fun to write. I hope you enjoyed it. Hermione sure is in denial (of course this is my fault). Sorry, no Ashley and Ron in this chapter. In fact, my dedicated readers are only truly concerned with Harry and Hermione. I may add some stuff about them in the next chapter but it will not be an entire chapter.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Thanks to everyone for the wonderful reviews. I appreciate all comments, criticism, and suggestions so keep it coming. Thanks for reading.

The Sweetest Things

Peak Technical Services, Inc. Normal 2 8 2003-07-17T01:14:00Z 2003-07-17T01:14:00Z 1 2336 13318 Peak Technical Services, Inc. 110 31 15623 10.2625 Clean Clean 0 0 MicrosoftInternetExplorer4

Just One Night

Chapter 11 - Breaking Up

Harry and Ron left early that day. Harry, not being able to believe that Hermione had rejected him after everything that had happened between them, could not bear to stay in her presence. Nor was he able to pretend that everything was okay when it wasn't. He was mad. In fact, you could even say he was pissed. He could not believe how stubborn she was being. There was no way that she didn’t feel the same way he felt. The connection between them was unmistakable, but she wouldn't admit it just because she didn't want to be wrong.

Ron and Ashley sat by and watched with dismay as Harry shot Hermione incredulous looks while Hermione avoided him all together. It was very confusing to say the least. They had returned home last night only to find that the sleeping arrangements had changed. It was a very unexpected, however pleasant surprise. Both Ron and Ashley knew that Harry and Hermione still liked one another and thought that they had finally realized it themselves last night. This should have been the beginning of a new and wonderful relationship for them. So why were they acting so cold towards each other?

Ron took one look at Harry and knew the type of mood he was in. He had seen it before. You don't go to school with someone for seven years and face some of your worst times together without getting to know these things. He could tell one thing. Harry was pissed. Ron knew not to argue with him when he was like this. Seeing that Hermione was pretty much avoiding everyone, Ron knew she probably wouldn't be good company anyway. So he reluctantly said goodbye to Ashley, said goodbye to Hermione who barely waved back, and followed Harry out the door.

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A couple hours later, Hermione had yet to emerge from the solitude of her bedroom. She had spent the majority of the time feeling guilty about cheating on Kyle. What time wasn't devoted to that, she spent feeling guilty about how much she enjoyed cheating on Kyle.

This was a place Hermione had never been before. She had spent years longing for Harry. Now she had a great boyfriend whom she cared for deeply and she had betrayed him with the one she sworn that she had gotten over. And what was worse, she could not suppress the part of herself that was elated at the time spent with Harry. She felt bad about hurting Harry also. He was one of her best friends and she did not mean to hurt him.

Hermione was startled out of her thoughts when she heard a knock on her door.

"Come in," she called, knowing it was Ashley on the other side of the door.

"So," Ashley said cautiously, seeing Hermione sitting on her bed with red, puffy eyes. Ashley could tell that she had been crying. It pained her to see her friend like this.

"So what," Hermione said just as slowly. She knew Ashley wanted answers. She deserved answers too, seeing that Hermione had kicked her out of her own room last night and was responsible for cutting her time with her new found love interest short. Though Hermione desperately needed to talk to someone about this, she wasn't in a hurry to reveal how much of a horrible person she really was.

"Well, are you gonna tell me what happened between you and Harry, or am I gonna have to force it out of you. You know I can be persuasive," Ashley said, knowing that if she didn't jump to the point it would take all day to get it out of Hermione.

Hermione looked at Ashley, trying to pick the right words to say. She opened her mouth to speak, but started to sob instead.

"Oh, don't cry Hermione," Ashley told her, sitting down next to her and putting her arm around her shoulder to comfort her. "Everything will be okay. Tell me what happened."

"Well, as you know Harry and I spent the day together yesterday," Hermione said through tears.

"Right," Ashley said, encouragingly. "It couldn't have been that bad."

"Oh no, no," Hermione said, wiping away her tears, as she had finally stopped crying. "We had a wonderful time actually. I took him around the city to show him all the sites. We had a picnic and talked. It was wonderful, just like old times."

"So what went wrong?"

"We came back here and….." Hermione paused as if not saying it would make it go away. "We had sex."

"I figured that much," said Ashley. She knew that now was not the right time to ask, but she couldn't resist. "How was it?"

Hermione shot Ashley an unbelieving look, but could not stop the smile from forming on her lips. "It was unbelievable. It was perfect, absolutely perfect." Tears began to form in Hermione's eyes again as she thought about the night she shared with Harry.

"So what's the problem?" Ashley asked. "He didn't use you did he? I swear, I'll curse him if he did."

"Don't you see?" Hermione asked. "I'm a horrible person. A horrible, horrible person. I'm in a committed relationship. I cheated on Kyle."

"Oh, I see. So Harry didn't use you."

"No, no. He loves me, or so he says. But why now? He never felt this way before. So I suppose I should have just sat around and waited for the great Mr. Potter to realize that he loves me. Well, it's too late. I'm over him. I got tired of waiting. I have moved on. I'm not going to put my life on hold just because he has finally noticed me."

"Let me get this straight," Ashley said. "You are going to give up the chance to be with the one person whom you have been in love with, for how long? Eight years? Just to prove that you are over him? Not to mention, the best sex of your life. Because I gotta tell ya', that's crazy. And it really doesn't seem like you're over him to me."

"I am over him," said Hermione. "Don't look at me like that. I am over him. Not to mention I have a great boyfriend whom I happen to care deeply about."

"Don't get me wrong, Kyle is a great catch. And while you may care about him, you love Harry. There is a difference, you know."

"I'm over Har……" Hermione started to say but was cut off by Ashley holding up her hand.

"Look Hermione, I'm not trying to over step my bounds or anything, but you are my best friend and I don't want to see you hurt. It is so obvious that you still love Harry. I know that he has hurt you before but guys can be stupid some times. I can see that he loves you too. He looked really heart broken when he left."

"I know that you're only looking out for me and I really appreciate that. But I am over Harry. I think that I know my feelings better than anyone else."

Ashley rolled her eyes. She knew it was pointless to argue with her when she was on one of her stubborn kicks. "So what are you gonna do about Kyle? Are you gonna tell him?"

"I've thought about it and I know it's wrong but I don't think I should tell him. I know I'm being selfish, but I don't want to lose him."

The both sat in silence for a moment thinking over Hermione’s dilemma.

"I think you're making a mistake," Ashley said after some time.

"I know, but it is my mistake to make."

***********************************************

Back in London, Harry and Ron had just finished the same conversation. Ron, after watching Harry storm around the flat, muttering curses under his breath and slamming things around, had asked Harry what had happened. Harry told Ron all about the day he and Hermione shared together. Ron, like Ashley, had already figured that they slept together, so he was quite shocked when Harry told him how Hermione had rejected him.

"Is she mad?" Ron asked. "She's not really gonna go back to that git after you told her you loved her, is she?"

"Apparently so," Harry replied. "She made it quite clear that he means more to her than I do. A mistake she called it. A bloody mistake! It was one of the best nights of my life and to her it was just a mistake."

"Maybe she'll come around, mate. You know how Hermione can be. And at least you had this one night with her." Ron was doing his best to make Harry feel better, but unfortunately it was not working.

"And you know what the worst part is," Harry asked, angrily. "The worst part is that I still love her. I love her even more than before. It's tearing me up to think of her running to him. She should be with me!"

Harry was absolutely fuming. Ron remained silent as he really didn't know what to say to make Harry feel better. He hated to see him like this, but he was also Hermione's friend and he knew that she must have her own reasons, no matter how crazy they may be.

"Ah, enough of this. How are things going with Ashley?" Harry asked. Just because he was miserable doesn't mean he had to make Ron miserable too.

Despite the sour mood that had filled the air, Ron could not help the wide grin that spread across his face at the mention of Ashley. It grew even broader as he replayed the events of his day with her. He had never been able to spend an entire day with a date without getting bored. To his pleasant surprise, hanging out with Ashley was a lot of fun. Ashley had taken him to a muggle arcade. Ron had a blast. He had never seen anything like it, with all the noise and flashing lights. 'The things muggles come up with,' Ron had thought. Ashley literally had to drag him away. Later in the day, they went to a nice restaurant for dinner. Ron asked to taste a bit of Ashley's steak. She mistakenly got a bit of gravy on Ron's cheek which prompted him to toss a bit of his salad at her humorously. Needless to say, they were kicked out of the restaurant for the food fight that followed. It was all very amusing to Ron, and fortunately Ashley didn't even get uptight about having food thrown at her. In fact, she probably laughed harder than he did.

When they returned to the dorm, Ashley went to her room only to find that it was a bit occupied. So they camped out in the living room, talking way into the night. Ron even got in a kiss here and there.

"Yeah, Ashley's great. I've promised to send her tickets to our next home game," Ron said.

"That's great Ron. I'm really happy for you," Harry told him, still laughing at the fact that Ron had only been in town for one day and had managed to get banned from various places. He was obviously prone to the Weasley tendency to cause trouble.

Harry really was happy for Ron. It was just hard to get excited when his own life was in shambles.

"Don't worry Harry, I'm sure everything will turn around," Ron told him.

'I hope so,' Harry thought. 'I really hope so.'

****************************************

For the next couple of weeks, Hermione literally had to force her mind off Harry. She emerged herself into school and studying. The worst part was seeing Kyle. He was still as sweet and caring as ever. Each time they were together Hermione was consumed with guilt. But no matter how guilty she felt, it did not stop thoughts of Harry from entering her mind. All it took was a glimpse of black hair, a whiff of the cologne he wore, or talk of Quidditch and Hermione's mind was filled with images of Harry. Harry, Harry, Harry. She heard his name everywhere. Celebrity spotlights in the Daily Prophet that she had delivered to her each week. Not to mention he was in many of her text books due to the fact that he had defeated of Lord Voldemort. It was as if all of these things were taunting her. Even when she was with Kyle, she often found her mind landing on Harry.

Right now she was sitting with Kyle in his apartment. It was a Friday night and he had just taken her to a movie. Hermione truly enjoyed Kyle’s company but something just wasn't right. Still not willing to admit defeat, Hermione pushed those thoughts away and devoted her attention to Kyle.

Currently she and Kyle were sitting next to each other on his couch just talking. Kyle had his arm resting around her shoulders. Hermione knew where this was going. Kyle made it clear that he loved her and wished to take their relationship to the next level. Though Hermione liked to believe that she was falling in love with Kyle, she still did not want to take that step yet.

Considering the mood Kyle had tried to set in the apartment by dimming the lights and turning on some soft music, Hermione was not surprised when Kyle tried to kiss her. She allowed him to tilt her face towards his and place a kiss upon her lips. Not sensing any resistance from her, he skillfully deepened the kiss.

One would think that being kissed with so much passion and such a gentle tenderness would cause Hermione to feel week in the knees. But it didn't. She didn't feel a thing. Nothing at all. It was at this moment that everything became clear to her. Perhaps she always knew, but now was the moment that she was willing to admit it to herself. She still loved Harry. She loved Harry. She had been fooling herself into believing that Kyle could fill a place in her heart that belonged to Harry. That had always belonged to Harry and always would. All so she could prove a point. She knew then that she had to end it with Kyle. She had already caused enough damage. Even more pressing, she needed to see Harry.

Hermione placed her hands on his shoulders and pushed Kyle away.

"Is something wrong?" he asked, peering at her intensely. He too, however, knew the answer. He and Hermione had been dating for almost a year now. He loved her very much and had the hope that she would soon return those feelings. But over the last couple weeks it was becoming clearer and clearer that it was not happening. He still held on, hoping that his instincts were wrong. But no matter how much he tried to get closer to her, he always felt as if she were holding back. It was as if the place in her heart the he wished to claim already belonged to someone else. He had a sneaky suspicion of who it was but he couldn't be sure.

"Kyle, I think we should stop," Hermione told him.

"Okay, I didn't mean to push you further than you wanted to go. We can take as much time as you like."

Hermione drew in a deep breath. She really did not want to hurt him but she knew it was the right thing to do.

"No, what I mean is I think we should stop this. I think we should break up. I'm sorry. I just don't feel the same way you do."

Though he may have had suspicions, nothing prepared him for the pain he felt when she said those words. "It's Harry Potter isn't it?" Kyle asked not able to hold in the suspicions any longer. His question was confirmed by the shocked expression on her face.

"Kyle I…." Hermione began, but was cut off.

"How long Hermione? How long were you planning on stringing me along while you pined over your so called best friend?" He was so upset. Why had she waited this long to tell him. She should have told him before he had fallen this deeply.

Tears began to form in Hermione's eyes. "I never meant to hurt you," she told him desperately.

"I think you should leave," Kyle told her coldly, suddenly wanting her as far away from him as possible.

"But…."

"There is nothing left for you to say. Please leave," he said turning his back on her.

Hermione knew it was pointless to stay any longer. She had succeeded in breaking his heart and he probably hated her now.

"Sorry," she whispered lamely and promptly apparated home.

********************************

A/N: Poor Kyle. Oh I know, who cares about Kyle. Well there you have it. We finally got him out of the picture. So what do you think? I hope you liked it. Please review. All comments, questions and criticism are appreciated.

Thanks for reading,

The Sweetest Things

Peak Technical Services, Inc. Normal 2 54 2003-07-24T03:25:00Z 2003-07-24T03:25:00Z 1 4195 18291 Peak Technical Services, Inc. 494 165 22321 10.2625 Clean Clean 0 0 MicrosoftInternetExplorer4

Just One Night

Chapter 12 - Making Up

Hermione returned to the dorm deep in thought. She was bustling with emotions. Part of her felt bad because of what had just happened with Kyle. Another part of her felt bad about how she treated Harry. She felt anxious to see Harry again and set things right, if he would let her.

Ashley came into the kitchen and saw that Hermione was home from her date.

"Hey, what are you doing home so soon?" Ashley asked. "Where's Kyle?"

Hermione jumped. She had not realized that Ashley was home. She usually had a date on Friday nights. Then again, since she had met Ron she had not been dating much.

"Well, if you really must know," Hermione said, "Kyle and I broke up."

"What!" Ashley yelled. "Why? Didn't you just turn Harry down for him?"

"I love Harry," Hermione stated simply and then began to laugh sarcastically. "You see, I put so much effort into fooling myself into thinking that I was over him that I may have passed up my chance to actually be with him."

Ashley stared at Hermione as she laughed at herself like a mad women. She was obviously in distress. Ashley had never seen Hermione like this, not even when it was exam time.

"So tonight, while I was sitting with Kyle, he started kissing me. I mean really kissing me and it should have felt good right? But no, it didn't. And who kept popping into my head but Harry. So I asked myself, why are my thoughts always so consumed with Harry if I want nothing more to do with him. And then I realized it, right in the middle of Kyle's kiss mind you. I kept thinking of Harry because it was him that I wanted to be kissing. Not Kyle, but Harry."

"So you broke up with Kyle?" Ashley asked again.

"Yep. I broke up with Kyle. I really hated to hurt him but I couldn't let things go any further. He was really upset. He pretty much kicked me out of his apartment."

"Wow, he kicked you out? I’ve never seen him mad before. Are you okay?"

"I don't know how I'm doing really. I'm mad at myself for being such a prick."

"This must be a record," Ashley said.

"What?"

"Well, you've managed to break the hearts of two guys all within the span of two weeks," Ashley said. "Is now a good time for me to say I told you so?"

"It's not funny Ashley. I really feel horrid. And what do I do now? Harry must hate me."

"Just tell him how you feel," Ashley said.

"It's not that simple," Hermione protested.

"Why not?"

"It just isn't. I've really hurt him."

"You could always show up at his apartment wearing an overcoat with nothing underneath and shag him senseless. I'm sure he won't object to that," Ashley joked.

Hermione glared at her. She honestly didn't appreciate being made fun of when she was going through a really tough time.

"Okay, okay," Ashley said. "How about this? I still have an extra ticket to their game tomorrow. Why don't you come with me? We can have some fun and then you can talk to Harry after the match."

"I really don't think he wants to see me. Do you realize that he hasn't written me since he left? He used to owl me twice a week."

"Look, do you want Harry back or not?" Ashley asked, impatiently.

"Of course. Haven't you been listening to me," Hermione replied.

"Then stop making excuses and go pack a bag. We're going to London tomorrow and you will talk to Harry then."

"I suppose you're right. What do I have to lose anyway?"

Hermione headed to bed feeling a giddy. She was going to see Harry tomorrow.

************************************************

Harry followed his celebrating teammates into the Puddlemere locker room. They had just clobbered the Bulgarian National Quidditch Team and there was a buzz of excitement in the air. It had even started to affect Harry, who had not been in a good mood since the incident with Hermione. The mood of his teammates was infectious and something about flying made him feel free from all of his worries.

Unfortunately, what goes up must come down. Harry was brought back down to earth when some of the players began to suggest that they all go out and have a couple drinks to celebrate.

"Great catch Potter, not to mention that spectacular save you made against Rollason, Ron," Will O'Connor said. He was one of the team beaters.

"Thanks," Harry replied. "You didn't look so bad out there yourself."

"Yeah, you kept those Bulgarian blokes in check. They didn't stand a chance," Ron added.

They talked for a few minutes about the match. Then Will invited them along with him and some of the guys to go to Ernie's Pub, a local bar.

"Sorry mate," Ron said quickly. "My girlfriend is in town. She's a bit more appealing than the lot of you."

Hearing Ron mention Ashley only caused Harry to think of Hermione. He knew it was foolish to hope that she had come with Ashley and he really didn't know how he would react if she did show up. He had not heard from her in two weeks and knew better than to think that she'd come running back to him. In fact, she was probably at home enjoying the privacy of the dorm with her boyfriend. Just the thought of it filled Harry with anger. He knew Hermione had the right to choose Kyle over him, but it did not stop him from being jealous.

"You know what," Harry told Will. "I think I will join you guys. I don't have any girlfriend to tie me down."

"Alright mate," Will said. "First shot's on me."

Harry followed Will and the rest of his teammates to the bar hoping to force Hermione out of him mind with a lot of liquor.

**********************************************

Hermione stood with Ashley as she waited for Ron to meet her at the player’s entrance to the Quidditch Pitch. She was excited and nervous at the same time. She had never been one for Quidditch but always found it enjoyable to watch her two best friends play. The game was spectacular to say the least. Ron, who had grown into the Keeper position nicely, made some great saves, only allowing Bulgaria to score three times. Ashley could barely contain herself as she jumped up and down, cheering for Ron. Hermione found this amusing seeing as Ashley, who was from the United States, knew less about Quidditch than she did.

And Harry. What could she say about Harry. He played superbly, bringing the game to an end by perfecting the Potter Plow Dive, a move that he invented himself, probably by accident, in his first professional match. Hermione was not sure whether she was more excited about his daring antics on his broomstick or just the sheer thrill of seeing him again. Though she was anxious about speaking to him, she could have watched him flying for hours. He was breathtaking. The wind was blowing in his hair causing it to be even messier than usual, as he skillfully maneuvered his broom around the pitch. A number of times, Hermione found herself being brought back to reality by the sound of the crowd cheering as she got lost in fantasies of running her fingers through that messy hair.

Hermione saw Ashley stand up straighter trying to look at something. Hermione followed her gaze to find a smiling Ron making his way towards them. She looked around hoping also to see Harry nearby, but unfortunately he was nowhere in sight.

"Ashley," Ron boomed, excitedly. He wrapped her in a big hug, lifting her off the ground and spinning her around. "Did you enjoy the game?"

"It was great," Ashley replied, also smiling. "It was my first Quidditch match."

Ron looked appalled that her life had been void of Quidditch all this time. How could people live without Quidditch? He vowed to make sure that this was not her last game.

Hermione stood there watching as Ron and Ashley greeted one another. It was disgustingly cute. They looked very happy together. Hermione had been surprised at how well their relationship had taken off. Up until now they had both run away from anything that looked remotely like a commitment like it was a bad toothache. It was nice to see that they had found something special in each other.

Hermione cleared her throat to get their attention.

"Great game Ron," Hermione said, breaking into their moment.

"Hermione," Ron said surprised. He released Ashley and gave Hermione a warm hug. "What are you doing here? I didn't know you were coming. It's great to see you."

"Well, I had the weekend free and Ashley had an extra ticket so I decided to come along. We really don't see each other enough. And I'm quite tired of reading about this great Puddlemere team and thought it best to come and see what all the hype was about. I must say, Ron, you are definitely on the top of your game. It almost made me break out into a verse of "Weasley Is Our King" only I couldn't remember the words."

"Ha ha, very funny Hermione," Ron replied, laughing. “So how is your boyfriend? Er, Kyle was his name, right?""

"Actually, its ex-boyfriend now," Hermione told him.

"Oh, sorry to hear that," Ron said, lying. It was great news. Maybe now she and Harry would get it together.

"So where's Harry?" Hermione asked, trying to sound casual.

"I think he went with a couple of fellas from the team to have a little celebratory drink."

"Oh," said Hermione, trying to hide the disappointment in her voice.

"Why don't you hang out with me and Ash for a bit? We're gonna go grab a bite to eat. You're more than welcome to join us."

"Yeah, come on. Let's go see if we can get kicked out of another restaurant," Ashley said.

Hermione laughed. Though she had missed spending time with Ron when he and Harry had come to visit, and there was not doubt that it would be a blast, she did not want to be a third wheel. She knew how excited they were to see each other and did not want to intrude on that. Besides, the only thing she really wanted to do right now was talk to Harry.

"If it's okay with you Ron, I think I'll just go hang out at your flat and wait for Harry. Is that okay?"

"Of course, but are you sure you don't want to go with us? I'm not sure when Harry will turn up," Ron said.

"I'll be fine. You two just don’t do anything I wouldn't do."

Ron told Hermione how to get to the apartment and gave her the password to enter. Then they went their separate ways.

When Hermione entered the apartment, she felt as if it looked exactly like she imagined. She had known the two for a long time and was not surprised to see clothes strewn across the floor and dirty dishes around the kitchen. "Men," Hermione muttered as she looked around the apartment. It could definitely use a woman's touch as it was scarcely decorated. If you looked past the fact that two slobs lived there, it was a really nice apartment. It was very large with hard wood floors. The sitting room had a couch, table, and a couple of really comfortable looking chairs. It looked as if someone had made a small effort to clean it up. That would have to be Ron, seeing that he was having Ashley over. Of course he was trying to make a good impression.

Hermione chuckled to herself as she went to have a look in the kitchen. It was spacious with and high bar-like counter with four bar stools. The kitchen was a complete mess. The fridge was pretty much bare except for a few bottles of butter beer and an occasional item that looked as if it had been in there for years. Hermione quickly shut the door, afraid that something would jump out and bite her. There was also a small dining room. By the looks of it, they never ate in there and it was by far the cleanest room in the flat.

Hermione struggled with herself a bit on deciding whether to snoop and have a look in the boy’s bed rooms. Curiosity won and she walked down the hall and pushed open one of the three bedroom doors. Orange attacked her vision. 'Chudley Cannons' she thought. It had to be Ron's room. She found it amusing to imagine what Puddlemere fans would think if they knew their beloved Keeper was a closet Chudley Cannons fan.

She shut the door and walked across the hall to the next door. She instinctively knew it was Harry's. It was a bit junky but not too bad. At least the bed was made. On either side of the bed was a night stand. There was also a small book shelf containing volumes on Quidditch and Defenses Against Dark Arts. On the other side of the room was a writing desk on which lay a very large familiar book. Hermione walked over to it and picked it up. It was Hogwarts, A History. Hermione flipped through the pages and found that it had been book-marked at the very beginning of the first chapter. She seriously doubted they would ever actually read Hogwarts, A History. In actuality, Harry had only bought the book because it reminded him of Hermione.

She closed the book, planning to read it while waiting for Harry to return. As she made her way to the door, a picture on Harry's night stand caught her eye. It was one of her and Harry, taken after Gryffindor had won the Quidditch Cup in their last year at Hogwarts. In the moving photo Hermione was staring adoringly at Harry. Every now and then the Harry in the photo would pull Hermione into a hug and place a small kiss on her forehead.

Hermione sat on the edge of the bed, forgetting about Hogwarts, A History completely, and picked of the picture. She fought back the tears that were threatening to spill from her eyes. Harry had no idea what that small kiss on the forehead and hug meant to her. It was what led her to make her proposal to him for their one night together in the first place. All she wanted was a small part of him, even if it was only for a short time. How foolish she had been to turn Harry away when she knew he was what she had always wanted.

She knew she did the right thing, breaking up with Kyle now, as emotions that had been building up over the last eight years came flooding back to her. Kyle could never make her feel like this. Nothing had changed. Sure, she got older and even a bit smarter. And yes, she could now say that she had been in a relationship that lasted over a week. But still, nothing changed. Harry was still at the center of her heart. Always had been and always would be. She just hoped he hadn’t given up on her yet.

Hermione sat the picture down and picked up the book once more. She took a seat on the couch in the sitting room and began to read. She stayed that way for about an hour until she began to doze off.

***********************************************

Harry stayed at the bar for about two hours, which he found was quite enough time to get himself inebriated. He also found that being drunk did little to mend a broken heart. In fact, it had made him feel even more miserable. Finally he’d had enough when his head began to spin and he knew he should head home.

It was dark in the apartment when he entered and something felt off. When you are stalked by a maniac for a major part of your life you get a knack for knowing these things. He fumbled clumsily for his wand. If someone was foolish enough to break into his home, he was sure he would be able to do some damage. Drunk or not, he should be able to at least take out an eye or remove some bones.

He slowly crept further into the apartment, carefully listening for any sound or movement. Sure enough, when he reached the sitting room he saw an outline of a person on the couch. Whoever it was appeared to be sleeping. Harry moved a little closer preparing to stun the intruder and find out who it was.

Just as he was about to speak the words of the spell a voice rang out.

“Harry is that you?” it said.

‘I know that voice,’ Harry thought. “Hermione?” he said as recognition dawned on him. “What are you doing here?”

“I needed to speak with you,” Hermione replied.

“Wait, let me turn on a light,” Harry said as he moved around the apartment.

“Ouch,” he mumbled after hitting his foot on a table. He was still quite drunk and didn’t have the best coordination at the moment.

“You’re drunk,” Hermione stated once the lights went on.

“That I am,” Harry replied fixing her with an angry glare. “What are you doing here anyway? Shouldn’t you be off somewhere with you ickle boyfriend?”

“Harry I….,” Hermione began but Harry was just beginning on his drunken rant.

“Or maybe you decided to come and rub it in my face some more. Or maybe, Miss Popular decided that she wanted Harry this week and she’ll move back to Kyle next week. Is that it? Do you have us written in on one of your little time tables?”

“Oh sod it,” Hermione spat, whipping out her wand.

Harry braced himself to be hexed, wandering what curse she would use. She wouldn’t really hurt him, would she? But he felt no pain. Instead he heard her say “Ginetius Sobrietus” with her wand pointed directly at him. He immediately felt his drunken haze lift and he stood before her bright eyed and sober.

“There, that’s better,” she said.

“It still doesn’t explain why you’re here,” Harry said. Yes he was sober, but that did not stop him from being angry or feeling sorry for himself.

“I thought that we could talk,” Hermione said, ignoring his harsh words. She knew Harry could be a prat at times and expected this to be one of them.

“What is there to talk about, Hermione? Did you want to apologize again or tell me how much Kyle means to you? Because if you did, I don’t want to hear it.”

“You don’t understand,” Hermione began as she tried to make him aware of her feelings. He was making this very hard and her patience was running out. “I broke up with Kyle.”

“Oh really,” Harry said. “Well that’s great. Since things didn’t work out with him, I suppose you thought you could just come back to good old Harry and I would just be sitting around waiting for you. Well things don’t work the way Hermione.”

“SHUT UP!” she yelled at him. Harry looked taken aback. Sure Hermione had snapped at him plenty of times before but she had never yelled at him like this. Usually it was Ron who got this kind of wrath. He didn’t know what to think.

“You have absolutely no idea what it is like to sit around and wait for some one. None at all. You think I caused you pain? Well, two weeks does not compare with years Harry. I waited on you for years. And you never noticed. I was never good enough for you. You have no idea how bad it hurt to watch you with other women knowing that I would never be in their place. Oh sure, I was special to you, your best friend and all. But never special enough. Have you any idea how many nights I cried myself to sleep over you? Do you? So you’ll have to excuse me if I’m a little confused when you finally decide to take notice that maybe you could love me too.”

Harry was stunned. He had no idea that he had caused her that kind of pain. Guilt overwhelmed him. He would have never hurt her purposely.

“Hermione, I never meant….,” Harry began, but Hermione was no longer listening.

She had stood up and was furiously trying to wipe away the tears that were running down her face. She began to pull her bags together in an attempt to head for the door.

“This was a mistake,” she muttered to herself. “I should have never come here. I should have never been stupid enough to believe that he finally wanted me too.”

She had made her way to the door and was pulling it open but somehow the handle snapped out of her hand and the door slammed shut. She spun around quickly to see Harry standing there with his wand pointed at the door.

“Open the door Harry,” she pleaded, tears still flowing freely. “I need to get out of here.”

“No,” he stated calmly as he began to close the gap between them. “No. I’m not letting you go again.”

“Please,” she said feeling weak. But Harry had already begun to take her overnight bag out of her hand.

“No,” he said again. “I’m so sorry Hermione. I had no right to talk to you like I did. Please say you forgive me.”

“Harry this won’t work,” Hermione tried to protest.

“Shhh..,” Harry said, pulling her into his arms. “Don’t say that. I meant what I told you two weeks ago. I love you Hermione, more than anything in this world. And nothing is gonna change that.”

“You hurt me,” Hermione said, trying to avoid his eyes.

“I know Hermione, but you must know I had no idea I was causing you pain. I’m an idiot. I admit it. I had the world in my hands and I threw it away. But I promise you here and now that I will do everything in my power to make sure that you are never hurt again. Please give us a chance. I don’t think I can make it without you.”

Hermione looked deeply in to Harry’s eyes that were filled with love. She knew there was no way she was gonna say no. She loved him and she was now sure that he loved her too. Hermione gently placed her lips on Harry’s letting him know that she was all his.

“I love you,” he whispered against her lips.

“I love you too,” she replied. “Always will.”

***********************************

Later that night, Ron brought Ashley back to the apartment only to be greeted by the sounds of Harry and Hermione showing just how much they loved each other.

“Urgh,” Ron groaned. “They’re at it again. Will someone please teach them a silencing charm?”

“I take it this means everything worked out between them,” Ashley said smiling.

“Oh I don’t know. Never can tell with those two. They’ll probably be at each other’s throats again in the morning.”

“Care to make a little wager on it?” Ashley asked.

“What did you have in mind?”

“How about that wizarding card you just won off Harry?” Ashley said.

“Godric Gryffindor! I’ve been trying to get that one for ages. I don’t think I want to give that up.”

“How about we give up the bet?” Ashley said, grabbing his hands, pulling him closer to her. “And go make some noise of our own. I guarantee I’m great at silencing charms.”

THE END

*************************************

A/N: I really hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. I really am sad that it is over. But hey, you can only stretch it so long.

Please leave a review and tell me what you think. This is my first fic and I could really use any feed back you have. Pretty Pretty Please.

Thanks to everyone who reviewed on a regular basis. Sorry I didn’t list everyone’s name but that doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate it. I do, really.

Thanks for reading,

The Sweetest Things

(**who is desperately trying to find something else to do since her story is over**)