A/N: It may not be Christmas Eve at many places in the west yet but it's almost two in the morning here. You can guess by the chapter name what this chapter is about. This is what all of you have been waiting for patiently. Please review this chapter. I'm especially interested in all your comments on this chapter. A big Thank you to all those who reviewed the previous chapter. Wishing all readers a Merry Christmas. Hope you have a wonderful time.
Chapter Nine: My Heart Will Go On
You're here, there's nothing I fear,
And I know that my heart will go on
We'll stay forever this way
You are safe in my heart
And my heart will go on and on
-Love Theme from 'Titanic', sung by Celine Dion
It was a lovely morning. Harry and Hermione spent the morning wrapping their Christmas gifts and sending them out. Harry kept stealing glances at Hermione and wondered if it was time to tell her.
"You got something for Ron, didn't you?" asked Hermione.
"Yes, I've got him a box of sweets. I already saw the quill set you got for him," said Harry. They had to use plenty of school owls as the load was too much for Hedwig.
"Do I get a hint of what you're giving me?" asked Harry.
"Well, it's not something I've bought. I've compiled it over the past few months. What about me?" said Hermione.
"All that I can say is that you've already seen it," said Harry smiling.
"How can that be? I couldn't have seen your gift beforehand. I would have known then. But I have no clue to what you are giving me," replied Hermione intrigued.
"I'm not saying anything more. You'll find out tomorrow," said Harry, still grinning.
"You're just playing games with me," Hermione huffed. Once they had finished, they wondered how to spend the time before the party. Harry had an idea.
"Hermione, you know with Voldemort gone we've lacked adventures and thrilling moments. We've hardly broken any school rules," said Harry.
"Exactly what do you have in your mind?" asked Hermione.
"How about the two of us sneak into Hogsmede? We've never seen it on Christmas Eve. Hagrid says it is a wonderful sight," replied Harry.
"I'm not so sure Harry. Both of us are Heads. If we are caught it could mean a lot of trouble. Anyway how do you plan to get there?" asked Hermione.
"We have two options. The safer one would be the secret passage into Honeydukes. The adventurous one would be flying on a broomstick. You would already have guessed which one I'd prefer," said Harry.
"But I can't fly well enough for that. I'd never manage to get to Hogsmede on a broom," said Hermione anxiously.
"I didn't mean you flying yourself. You can sit behind me. So how does it sound? Come on Hermione, it'll be real fun," Harry egged her.
"Harry I've never traveled such a distance on a broom. I'd be scared stiff," said Hermione. Harry could see Hermione wanted to go. Otherwise she would have refused straightaway.
"You trust me, right," said Harry. Hermione nodded. "Then get ready. I won't let anything happen to you," he added, getting up to leave.
"Right," said Hermione. She trusted Harry with her life. If Harry thought it was safe, then it was safe. In a few minutes both of them were all ready to leave. Harry performed the disillusionment charm on them. Hermione decided to sit in front of Harry rather than behind him.
As they flew out of the window Hermione closed her eyes. The biting cold wind hit her face. It was a nice sensation but her fear of flying prevented her from opening her eyes. Harry didn't force her into anything. He could smell the shampoo on her hair. He steadied the broom. He was responsible for both of them. He couldn't get distracted. He concentrated only on flying. However he couldn't ignore the fact that Hermione's back was pressing against him.
"Wow, Hogsmede is magnificent during this time. I couldn't have imagined such a transformation when we came here a few days ago. Thanks for bringing me here Harry," said Hermione happily.
"You speak as if we are on a date," joked Harry.
"Well you asked me to come and I agreed. That makes it a sort of date. If that's okay with you," replied Hermione.
"That's fine. So I have to treat you to lunch," said Harry.
"I didn't mean it like that Harry. It's just that we know each other so well. To any third person here we would look like a couple," said Hermione, defensively.
"I have no problem in treating you. You've done so much for me over the years. And as you know I never care what others think. If they want to think of us as a couple then let them. Your happiness is all that matters to me," said Harry decisively.
"You're so sweet Harry," said Hermione hugging him. Harry hugged her back. He wished he could stay like this forever.
They spent a peaceful afternoon at Hogsmede. Harry paid for a delicious lunch they had. Special stalls of magical games had been setup for the festive season. Both of them played plenty of these games. Harry insisted on paying for everything. There were some new sweets at Honeydukes. Both of them bought plenty of those.
"Thank you so much Harry. That was by far the best date I've ever been on," said Hermione, when they had got back.
"Same with me. But both of us haven't had the best relationships in the past," replied Harry. Both of them started laughing. There wasn't much time left for the Christmas party. Hermione excused herself to get ready. It didn't take Harry very long to change into his suit. He patiently waited for Hermione.
"Are we ready to go?" asked Hermione coming out of her bedroom. Harry looked at her. She had dressed exactly the same way as in the Halloween ball.
"Hey, you look beautiful," said Harry. Hermione blushed. His reaction had been so much different from Ron's. Ron just wanted her physical beauty. Harry was happy as long as she was with him. This wasn't even a ball so it wasn't as if she and Harry were going together. Yet he was being so nice.
The major attraction of the party was the splendid Indian food. There was Butter Chicken, Mutton Stew and different kinds of breads. Hermione's wish was fulfilled. The party was like muggle Christmas parties but had a few magical touches. Music was playing in the background. With just half an hour left for midnight Professor McGonagall got up to speak.
"Now we'll have a dance till midnight," she announced. Most of the crowd cheered. People got into pairs. Harry and Hermione hadn't expected this. They didn't have partners.
"Harry would you like to dance? I mean both of us don't have partners so we can make do with each another," asked Hermione.
"Sure! I didn't know they had this planned or I would have asked you before," replied Harry. Hermione smiled shyly.
"You would have asked me?" she asked surprised.
"Isn't that obvious? You are the only person I know well among all those who are here. We have spent so much time together over the past few days. And I've enjoyed every bit of it," said Harry truthfully. He took her hand and walked to the dance floor.
Harry looked only at Hermione while he was dancing. He was totally oblivious to things around him. Both of them danced without speaking. Their closeness to each other was killing Harry. Hermione didn't feel awkward like she had felt with Ron, when they had danced. That time it was Ron who was constantly pulling her close to him. Here it wasn't like that. Without knowing both of them had come very close. It didn't bother her at all.
As the clock struck twelve, the Great Hall erupted. Everyone wished each another. Christmas cake was served to everybody. The party continued for a few more minutes before students and teachers started to disperse.
"What a nice party!" Hermione remarked as they walked back to their quarters.
"It was great. People who went home, certainly missed something brilliant," said Harry. He couldn't focus on anything at the moment. All he could think was how wonderful it was to dance with Hermione. He contemplated if he should tell her now. This was a perfect time. It was Christmas, they were alone, they had spent the whole day together, what else could make the day better? He didn't even notice that they were already in their common room.
"That was an awesome day. I never realized a day without studies could be so much fun," said Hermione quietly. "So I guess its goodnight then," she added. By her voice Harry could make out that she didn't want the day to end. That was it. This was indeed the perfect moment to tell her.
"Well we can sit here for a while if you want," said Harry. Hermione seemed to be happy at the proposition.
"Hermione you trust me, right," said Harry. He wasn't even close to the actual thing but his hands were sweaty.
"I already gave you the answer this morning. What are you getting at?" Hermione asked confused.
"You know I wouldn't do anything to hurt you, right?" Harry asked.
"I know all that. But what's the matter Harry? Have you done anything you shouldn't have?" said Hermione standing Hermione. She had never seen Harry this nervous. Not even when he was about to face Voldemort.
"No, at least not yet. Okay, I'm going to tell you something Hermione. I have no idea if you'll like it or not. But you have to promise me one thing. Whatever your reaction may be you wouldn't let this come in the way of our friendship and you'll let me complete what I'm about to say," said Harry. His knees were shaking.
"Harry nothing could come between us. But you are getting me very curious," replied Hermione. Harry took a deep breath. The moment of truth had arrived.
"Hermione as you know my past relationships were total failures. So before I entered seventh year I had decided not to get into any relationship just like that. I lay out certain conditions in my mind for any girl I date. These conditions were pretty strong. So most girls never even came close to fulfilling these. But as the year passed I realized someone actually satisfied each of my conditions and a lot more than that. I have been an idiot not to realize this sooner. The only girl I can ever like is… you. Nobody else comes within a mile of you. I really like you Hermione. I never imagined I could like anyone so much. I promise you it's not a passing thing like Ginny," said Harry at length. He had finally said it. A huge load had lifted off his shoulder.
Hermione listened to every word he said. Even when he'd said only one girl satisfied 'his conditions' she never imagined it would be her. His last few sentenced touched her deeply.
"Harry… Harry…I can't…," Hermione stopped midway. Her voice failed her. Harry's face paled at her words.
"It's okay Hermione. I think I've made you uncomfortable. Please forgive me for this. I'll see you tomorrow morning," said Harry. He got up to leave.
"Harry wait," shouted Hermione. Harry stopped.
"What's there to wait Hermione? Please don't dramatize this. You said you can't. That made everything very clear. We'll be as we were from tomorrow," said Harry irritably.
"I can't tell you how long I've waited for this. For you to tell me what you did. I don't want us to be as we were. I want much more than that," Hermione said. Harry turned around. Hermione rushed into his arms. They sat on the sofa.
"Just keep holding me like this for some time," said Hermione.
"There's nothing else I'd rather do. I'm so glad we're together at last," said Harry, playing with her hair.
"Me too. I never imagined you'd like me. Harry let's keep quiet for a while. I want to make sure this is not a dream," said Hermione. Both of them sat holding each other. There was no need for words. Their actions showed everything.
When Harry looked at his watch it was four in the morning. They had fallen asleep in each others arms. Hermione was still asleep. The long day must have tired her out. Carefully Harry lifted her in his arms and took her to her bedroom. He laid her on her bed. He kissed her forehead before leaving.
Despite it being Christmas both of them slept in. Hermione was the first to wake up. She noticed that hers and Harry's presents were lying on the common room table. She waited for Harry so that they could open the gifts together. He walked in with sleepy eyes.
"Hi," said Hermione shyly.
"Hi to you. Merry Christmas once again," said Harry.
"Same to you. How did you get me to my room last night? I had fallen asleep," asked Hermione.
"Even I'd fallen asleep. I woke up at around four and carried you to your room. I didn't want to wake you up," replied Harry. They started opening their presents. There were of course the usual jumpers from Mrs. Weasley. Ron had sent both of them a pack of rare wizarding cards. They felt glad that they'd got gifts for him. Finally it was time to open each other's gifts. Hermione unwrapped Harry's gift first. Her jaws dropped.
"Harry… how did you know," she asked. Immediately the price came to her mind. "Harry you shouldn't have. How am I going to accept this?"
"You deserve it Hermione. I know how much you wanted it. You look like a princess in it. I really want you to have it," replied Harry.
"Help me put it on," said Hermione, pulling her hair up. Harry gently clasped the necklace around her neck. She turned around. "Wow," was all Harry could say. He proceeded to opening Hermione's gift. It was an album containing many photos of his parents, Sirius, Lupin and plenty of their friends. Harry never knew such photos existed. It touched him deeply.
"Where did you find all this? It's brilliant. I've never received a gift as valuable as this," asked Harry.
"I got them from McGonagall, Hagrid and Lupin. Some of the photos are from old newspapers. I asked Dobby to get them for me. I knew you'd want something like this," replied Hermione.
"Come here," said Harry. Hermione moved closer to him. He hugged her tightly. "You are the best thing that has ever happened to me. Right from the moment we met in the Hogwarts Express you are the only one to have understood me completely. Every moment I've shared with you has been wonderful. Even the small fights we've had. These moments helped me realize what great person you truly are," he said kissing her head.
"I'd be nowhere without you Harry. I came from a muggle family. You were my first friend and you continued that way throughout," replied Hermione. They had their breakfast and decided to go for a walk.
They walked all around Hogwarts. They visited all the places which held special significance to their friendship. These included the quidditch field, Hagrid's hut, the outskirts of the Forbidden Forest, near the Whomping Willow and many more. Finally they reached the lake, where they sat down for a breather.
"How well we know this place now. When I was in first year I thought I'd never know the entire castle," said Hermione.
"That's true but in all these years I've discovered something much better than the castle," said Harry.
"What can that be? Nothing can be better…," she stopped seeing that Harry was looking directly at her. She blushed.
"Don't be such a sweet talker Harry. You don't need to do that with me," remarked Hermione.
"I wasn't sweet talking. I meant every word of it. The castle is very important but it fades when I compare it to you," said Harry.
"Oh," said Hermione. She knew Harry was telling the truth. She felt proud that somebody considered her to be so important. Harry was still looking intensely at her. She couldn't help staring back. They were lost in one another's gaze. Hermione felt herself leaning forward. At the same time Harry's face also moved forward. They kissed for the first time.
The kiss was very tender. It wasn't very long or passionate but gentle. Hermione felt electric currents down her spine. This was exactly how she imagined kissing would be. It was the first time she returned somebody's kiss. She felt herself melting under Harry's influence. She couldn't believe something could be so wonderful. Unlike Ron Harry wasn't overstepping his bounds. Both of them knew how to act.
Harry had kissed two girls before but never like this. The moment their lips made contact he felt warmth in his body. The kiss wasn't anything more than a simple liplock but the warmth kept growing. He could make out Hermione felt the same way. He kept staring at her even after they'd pulled away.
"I've never felt anything like that," said Hermione, breaking the silence.
"I don't know how to describe it. It was… tremendous, awesome, lovely, amazing… maybe all of those. You're the best Hermione. I'm never leaving you," Harry said.
"Please don't. I wouldn't be able to bear it if you did," replied Hermione. They walked hand in hand for Christmas lunch.
"Well well well! We have something interesting here. So when did it happen?" said Lupin as Hermione and Harry walked into the Great Hall.
"Last night," replied Harry shortly.
"Congratulations both of you. All the teachers knew you two would end up together. So did Sirius. He told me one day when we were alone," said Lupin. Harry was amazed. How had it taken him so long to realize his feelings? Even others had known it before him. He noticed people were glancing at him and Hermione throughout lunch. The word had spread that the famous Harry Potter was going out with his best friend. For the first time he didn't feel awkward with all the attention. Hermione was someone he was proud to have unlike many other things which drew attention to him.
After lunch they spent a quiet afternoon in their common room. They played the wizarding cards which Ron had sent them. A card slipped from Hermione's had and fell to the floor. As she bent down to pick it something caught her sight. There was something engraved on the right side of the sofa.
"Harry look at this," she said. Harry stared at the engraved text. He couldn't believe it. It read 'You mean the world to me Lily, Love James Potter'. The next line was 'You gave me all I could have asked for James; I love you, Lily Evens'.
"Your parents Harry! They were in this very room. You share something common with them," said Hermione gently. Harry couldn't speak. His eyes were moist. This was the first time he'd seen his parents' handwriting. He was going through the same phase with Hermione as they had been through. Hermione understood his silence and held him in her arms.
"It's okay Harry. Your parents would be proud of you," she said. Harry wasn't crying but tears were present in his eyes.
"These are tears of happiness Hermione. I've finally found something about my parents which not many others know. I don't know about anything else but my parents would definitely be proud of one thing. That I got someone like you into my life," said Harry.
"I'll always be there for you Harry. All my life," said Hermione, who too was struggling to keep her voice straight.
Harry had planned a private dinner for them in the common room. He asked Hermione to wait in her bedroom while he made arrangements. When Hermione came out she stared in astonishment. There was a big table with a white table cloth. A large candle was in the middle of the table. The room was dark except the candlelight. There was plenty of food on the table including pork chops, smoked ham, chicken breasts, Russian salad, sweet corns and garlic bread.
"Wow Harry! This is so romantic. You have such a brilliant taste," said Hermione. Harry held her chair out for her. She sat down smiling. Harry poured some pumpkin juice for both of them.
"I glad you like it. I want our first day together to be special. Something we'll remember for the rest of our lives, wherever we may be," said Harry.
"It's already been so great. You asking after midnight, sleeping on the sofa in your arms, your gift, our first kiss near the lake, discovering your parents' engravings and now this. On top of all this it's Christmas. What could be better than this?" she asked happily.
"As long as we are together nothing could be better," replied Harry. They ate in silence. Harry had one more surprise in his kitty. He took out a box tied with a ribbon. He handed it to Hermione. She opened it to see a Christmas cake shaped like a heart. The words 'Dear Hermione, Thank you… for being you, Love Harry' written with icing shone on top.
"Harry what did I do to deserve all this? You have gone overboard," said Hermione still not believing all this was true.
"If I answer that question fully we won't get any sleep in the night. So as I wrote in the cake, you deserve this for being you," replied Harry. He cut a slice and held it in front of Hermione's mouth. She took a small bite before holding the same slice in front of Harry.
It was quite late but both Harry and Hermione didn't want the day to end. They kept chatting.
"Hermione when I told you how I felt, you said you had waited for me to say that for a long time. Did you too feel like that? If yes, since when and why didn't you tell me?" asked Harry.
"Yes Harry I've felt like that for a long time but I'll elaborate later. Maybe tomorrow. I'm getting really sleepy now. Can we call it a night?" she said.
"Yes we can. You are welcome to tell me whenever you want. Let's go to bed. But just wait a minute. I want to tell you that this has been the best day of my life. And you are solely responsible for it," Harry said sincerely.
"Ditto for me. I've never had a better day. You made my day," said Harry. She walked up to him and they shared their second kiss. It was slightly longer than the first but still very tender.
Hermione lay in her bed. Within a day her life had taken a dramatic turn for the better. Twenty four hours ago she was still recovering from the Ron episode but during the day she hadn't thought about it even once. Now it would be easier for her to forgive Ron. With Harry she felt 'at home'. She should never have hurried into things with Ron. Things were looking up now and she wouldn't let fall again.
Harry's thoughts were much the same. He had told Hermione about his feelings. She felt the same way. Things couldn't be better. They had spent an outstanding first day together. If he had any doubts they had cleared. Hermione was the girl for him. She made him feel like nobody else could. He fell into a peaceful sleep.