A Perfect Autumn's Day
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"Harry, have you ever felt that life has no purpose? Or that, perhaps, as if you've already lived out your purpose on this earth, and that every day extra you spend here is meaningless?" She asked him, as her arm held his waist. His arm rested over her shoulders, stroking her hair softly, almost in a rhythmic sort of way.
The faint, Autumn sun shone down on the two of them, as they sat on a bench in the middle of a local park. A light wind swept through the green grass, and the tree branches arched out in all directions, clinging desperately to their colour-changing leaves, it seemed, but doing a terrible job of keeping them.
"Every single day." He mumbled under his breath, so only she could hear.
She smiled. She always loved it when he would speak soft enough only for her to hear. "So do I." She answered simply, tilting her head up in his direction, to meet his gaze.
"I owe you ten pounds." He said randomly, looking past her, and straight ahead.
"What do you mean?" Hermione's eyebrows furrowed slightly, as she plastered a curious look across her face.
"Look. The last leaf of the tree." Harry pointed just beyond the grass, further through the field, at the big oak tree that stood there. Hermione's eyes followed his finger's direction, and saw, that a small red leaf was twirling, fluttering, dancing through the air, making its way gracefully to the ground.
"I still don't get it." Hermione looked back up at Harry blankly.
"You know, the bet we made? Ten pounds to the person who can guess the day that the tree loses its last leaf. The closest guess wins, remember?" Harry smiled down at her, his gaze scanning every last line and freckle on her face. He only had eyes for her, and he hoped that she knew that.
Her light smile turned into a grin, "Oh yeah. You guessed two days from now, and I guessed today!" She said cheerily. She felt Harry reach into his pocket for money, and she reached out, grasping his hand.
"Don't you -?"
"Shh, Harry. I don't want your money." She placed a hand lightly on the back of his neck, and brought his head down to meet hers, their lips pressing together to form a soft kiss. She felt Harry grin on her lips, and couldn't help but continue to do the same.
"I love you." Harry whispered into her chin, as they broke their kiss. "You know that, don't you?"
She beamed up at him, as his lips pulled further apart from hers, his eyes watching her lovingly. "Of course. And I love you." She added, never breaking his penetrating gaze.
"Anyway, Hermione. Why did you ask that question, before?" Harry looked down at her curiously.
"Oh, it was just floating around in my mind. I was thinking about the final battle, I guess." She said dazedly, watching other leaves dance through the air, falling off of other branches. The trees shook slightly as the wind picked up speed, almost as if they were mourning the losses of their leaves.
Hermione felt at total, and utter peace. She felt whole, and happy. She was enjoying every minute in Harry's arms.
"Oh." Harry said shortly, his brow furrowed slightly. He seemed to be giving his answer, and her question a little more thought, "You know, I couldn't have done that without you,
Hermione. You and Ron." He smiled once again, down at her.
"So you tell me, every day." She smirked back at him, nestling her head slightly deeper into his chest.
"I know, but I meant it, every time. I guess it's just my way of thanking Merlin I had the two of you to help me." He nodded his head slightly, as if agreeing with the words his lips just uttered. "Where is Ron, anyway?"
"Off chasing Melanie, I suppose." Hermione rolled her eyes, sighing slightly in disbelief.
Hermione went on to explain how Ron could be such a fool sometimes, and began to wonder out loud why Melanie even tolerated him. Harry replied with a simple "But you did, and still do, after all these years." But other then that, he didn't speak.
He sat there, watching Hermione's lips move gracefully, to form the words she spoke out, her sweet voice ringing in his ears. He knew, that every moment he spent with her, was lifting his spirits just that much more. He knew, that with all of his heart, he loved the girl he was holding in his arms.
And as trivial as their discussion was, he was glad to hear what her thoughts were, and as simple as their day was, just sitting on an old wooden bench in a local park, Harry had never had more fun in his life. He longed to be near her, to hold her, to touch her, to let her know how much he cared. He knew that she was breathing life to him, and it joyed him to know that he had someone to cherish.
He was comforted by the soft breeze, and the twirling leaves. By the gentle rays of sun, and the hint of Autumn in the air. But most of all, he was comforted by the warmth of Hermione's body against his, as all his thoughts blended slowly into one, his heart bursting with feelings he hadn't felt until he met the girl next to him.
So this is what love really feels like...
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A/N: Just a bit of fluff to keep us all going! *laughs* I haven't posted in awhile! Geez! Although, that's not necessarily my fault, because I would post, I just have to wait until I finish the next chapter of Twisted Logic, which I'm nearly done! So, that should be up soon! Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this story, I thought it was pretty good... I like the whole "Happy and peaceful" theme, you know? Life after Voldie! Anyway, R&R!