A/N: Almost prematurely, alas we have come to the end of our little tale. I hope you like it. It drove me mad trying to write.
Thank you to all who've reviewed.
Disclaimer: Ha-ha, rub it in that's not mine, rub it in. You'll get yours Beni, you'll get yours! *ahem* Sorry, wrong fandom.
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Harry was once more happily flipping (it was actually "happily", there was a smile on his face) through the pages of the journal when something hit him.
"Hey mate, Hermione's looking for a book, have you seen a red leather book that kind…"
Oh. No.
She was looking for it.
She had missed it.
She might even begin to suspect.
She would know.
She could know, and even now, while he was up here in this room secretly reading through it.
And Ron… just to spite him for whatever reason he had been laughing and then hit him before.
He could tell her.
He could be telling her right now.
Oh. No.
He had to get out of here, and he had to do it fast.
Shoving the book into the back of his jeans and covering it over with his jumper, he started for the door.
He would go to another room. Someplace they would never suspect. Someplace they would never believe he would go to. There was only one place.
He didn't like to do it, but under the circumstances he was sure that it would be forgiven. And besides, Sirius surely must have read through one of his cousins' journals while they were growing up.
Of course, that was debatable.
Who would actually want to read the diary of a teenaged Bellatrix?
That would have left one scarred for life if not on the verge of madness.
He had to shudder at that thought right then.
Brushing it off quickly, Harry cautiously opened the door of the room, peered about, and then stole out of it to the landing and the stairs to the third floor. His heart skipped a beat with every creak and groan of the floor or stair. His breath caught in his throat as he came upon the room and then as the door rather loudly opened to admit him. He felt a cold sweat on his brow and trickling down his back as he spotted the vacant bed and the door shut behind him to what now felt a tremendously empty room.
He should not be here.
He really should not be here.
And apparently all this was no longer for Ron because he had laughed and then hit him and called him a "bloody idiot".
Ergo he had no reason for being in here.
But… this journal was showing him an all new side of Hermione.
A very dark, very frank, very- and now that he was no longer doing this for Ron- very intriguing Hermione.
He wanted to read more.
Guilt trip be damned!
Taking a deep breath and a shaky laugh at his stupid anxiety, Harry threw himself unto Sirius' bed, unsettling a layer of dust that made him choke slightly, which ended all laughter immediately, and then reopened the journal to the latest entry he could find.
"November 11th, 1997
Entry Twenty-Seven
Have noticed disturbing pattern developing, am having trouble keeping track of journal in house.
Not good.
Ron has already discovered it, twice.
Caught him reading once, he did not sit properly for two days after.
Of course, this means that he could find it too.
Also not good, and as a matter of fact, that would be bad… very, very bad.
But then he may just return it.
Too noble to read it through like Ron was doing and even if he did would not be able to hex him.
Love like him too much.
Then again… if I just left it lying around… maybe he would find it… not that I want him to of course… but maybe he would. He may even read it, get a clue and confess his undying love and devotion and maybe want to snog and maybe want to talk about it a while.
Then we could snog.
This is going to be a long winter.
End Entry, Hermione
EDIT: Correction. This is going to be a very long winter. Spied him emerging from bath IN ONLY TOWEL and have found self immediately wanting a bath as well. Preferably with him, and candles, and… I'm definitely randy and it's not hell time yet. Must have very, icy, freezing bath right now or may "jump" him.
And Hermione Granger does not "jump" anyone.
But she definitely, absolutely, very much right now wants to "jump" him.
Oh gods.
This shall be a very, very, VERY long winter."
That was just yesterday.
Yesterday!
She wanted to… do that… to someone… that bloke… just yesterday!
And the poor girl had been so affected by this mindless fool that she was still there when he came out of the shower after.
Forget the psychiatrist, he was going to sit her down and have a very long talk with her himself.
As soon as he returned and hid journal and pretended Ron told him.
No need to get hexed.
Ron was used to it, he wasn't.
But before he did that… just one more entry for the r….
With a loud, low querulous groan, the door to Sirius' room opened and before Harry had time to react, in walked the journal's owner. And what was more, she was smiling at him.
She just walked right in, looked right at him, and smiled!
And he was still holding her book!
"To think I thought you were too noble for something like this," she said with a sigh.
He was very sure he detected exasperation within that amusement.
Oh, this was going to be bad.
Very, very bad.
He tried to say something, explain his way out of it, while getting off the bed, behind a pillow or some barrier. He had been caught and if he wanted to live, he had best escape.
And Hermione just kept smiling at him.
"Listen… Hermione… this… this isn't what it looks like…" he began, quickly dropping the book unto the bed and pushing it to her.
She picked it up, looked it over a moment, casually flicked it aside, and then began to crawl up unto the bed with him.
Oh gods, she was going to kill him with her bare hands!
Harry tried to scramble away from her, but then couldn't. There was something about the way she was coming at him. The way her eyes looked, there was something… feral… in their shine. Her smile looked… mischievous, impish, and naughty… if he thought about it. And then those strides, those determined strides over the bed to him where he fell flat on his back as she came up to straddle him and before he knew it….
Oh… she… she wanted to… to kiss him….
All coherent thought, along with his fear, flew right out the window. And once his tongue had breached her mouth, so did much of his restraint for he soon reversed their positions so that he was above her, pinning her beneath him while he dared his hands to explore parts of his best friend he normally wouldn't.
After what felt like many sunlight days after he had determined her thoroughly kissed, and his need for air surpassed his testosterone, he broke the kiss and found himself staring into her desire-darkened eyes and they both uttered a nervous little laugh.
The way her eyes lit up then almost made him want to nip at her now swollen lips.
However, he was halted when she whispered, still with that mischievous look, "It's about time!"
He froze and looked down at her confused, "What?"
Did he miss something here?
Rewind.
He found a journal, read the journal, stole the journal, read the journal, told Ron about the journal, read the journal, she came in here and found him with it… kissed him… what was missing?
"Oh… oh… is this…" and his throat clenched here, "Is this about that bloke you kept mentioning… because… if this… if this is some kind of rebound… I mean… I wouldn't want you to kiss me just because he rejected you. I mean, not that anyone would reject you… I mean…"
Hermione didn't give him time to figure it out though. Rolling her eyes, with a slight shake of her head and giving an exasperated sigh, she said, "Okay, forget it and just shut up and kiss me and I'll explain later."
Harry considered this a while, looked down at her again, and again still with that mischievous look and smiled, "Oh, okay."
And they kissed happily ever after.
Until they needed air again and Hermione finally had time to explain to the daft git Harry who she was talking about whereby it finally dawned on him and she too hit him with the journal for being a bloody idiot and then they kissed happily ever after, the end.
Fin.
PS: Ron peering from the doorway at two whispered sadly, "We, fools who love… I thought he'd never find that diary. Please come up with something simpler the next time you want to tell him something, Hermione, he was driving me starkers!"
And then he slipped quietly away pondering the possibility of a late night trip to school for a date with a girl about snogs Crumple-Horned Snorkacks.
Voldemort be damned!
Really, fin.
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A/N: So, what do you think?
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