Unofficial Portkey Archive

A/N: Yep, it's finally here. Sorry about the horrendously long wait! Ok, so on the whole, I think most people liked the trash can thing, but I got a few people saying it was too cheesy. Yeah, I kind of thought so too, but I couldn't think of anything else to do. I'm sorry to those who wish to see magic/more characters, but they're harder to write! Umm…I'm sorry about Hermione's going back and forth, but it was really just to add some more plot to the story (I know, horrendous literary tactic, but hey. I needed something). Hopefully she'll get straightened out. And what else is there? ASIDE FROM THANKING YOU, ALL OF MY LOVERLY REVIEWERS!!!! Again, thanks to everybody who reviewed! YAY Emma, my first self-professed reader fan.

Wannabeawizard: sorry about the trash can. I alluded to that above. And Harry=player? Well, I didn't really mean for him to turn out that way, it's more that Cho pressured him before, and now he's free, and he really likes Hermione…but I guess I can see where you're coming from (the suave lines, and all). And no, the social hierarchy at my school isn't like this. I really based it more on what I've seen in movies and read in books. I'm sure there are some schools who have a really severe separation like this, but most are more subdued.

The car ride to Hermione's house was mostly silent: occasionally Harry would try to strike up a conversation, but Hermione's monosyllabic answers were enough to quell those sparks, and eventually Harry gave up. After that the silence loomed, and didn't help the awkwardness between the two. Finally, finally, they were pulling into a driveway and were at Hermione's house.

"So this is your, house, huh?" Harry asked, taking in the sights.

"Yep," Hermione replied, still continuing with the short answers. She pulled the car into the garage, turned off the ignition, and had already unbuckled her seatbelt before turning to Harry and asking, "You coming?"

"Um…yeah. I was just, uh, admiring the house." In reality, Harry had been steeling himself for the imminent conversation, and what exactly he should tell Hermione to convince her of his devotion and trustworthiness. Hermione just shrugged and got out of the car, leading the way into the house.

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"Lyss! I'm home!" Alyssa came striding down the stairs at the sound of her sister's voice, but stopped short when she saw a boy. Was that…no…wait, yes…Harry Potter? She squealed and rushed over to him.

"OMG," she gushed. "Harry? Harry Potter? I'd recognize you anywhere, Hermione's told me so much about you!" Here she paused to allow her sister to insist that she had not done any such thing, and to allow Harry to raise one of his eyebrows in amusement. "C'mon in! I'll show you to the kitchen, and get you something to eat. So why are you here?"

Alyssa dragged Harry off to the kitchen, leaving a grumpy Hermione behind. However, she took this opportunity to go upstairs, drop off her bag, and change her clothes into something a little more lounge-y.

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Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Alyssa stopped her incessant chatter as she heard her sister stomp up the stairs. She turned to a bemused Harry and said,

"So do you really like Hermione? Because I swear, I'm not letting you play around with my sister's feelings. I may look small, but I can be extremely vicious when I want to be."

"Don't worry, don't worry," Harry chuckled. "No reason to get all worked up. I do like Hermione, and I'm willing to do anything to prove to her that I'm not some sort of player, or anything."

"Well, then," Alyssa said, obviously pleased. "I'm gonna help you. What exactly did you do to make my sister so mad at you?"

"Um, well, I didn't do anything. It was my, girlfriend. Sorry, ex-girlfriend, Cho," he chuckled at Alyssa's expression of disgust: obviously Cho's reputation had spread. "She, being the evil person she is, got extremely jealous of Hermione and tried to say that I hadn't actually broken up with her. Hermione, who I think was still a little bit wary of our relationship, believed her. Plus, she was humiliated in front of the whole school." Harry stopped, panting after his long explanation.

"So…um. Basically, Hermione's worried that Cho is going to break you guys up," Alyssa analyzed. "So what you need to do, is convince her that you're in it for the long run, and that nothing, including Cho, is going to convince you to leave her."

Harry looked rather relieved at Alyssa's obvious expertise, and nodded to show that he would follow her advice. Just then, Hermione came stomping down the stairs and into view. She was wearing black sweats and a light blue cami.

"How can she look so sexy wearing sweatpants?" Harry thought to himself, gulping as he tried to control himself. Alyssa gave him a pointed look and politely excused herself from the room. Taking this as a cue to begin speaking, Harry stood up, walking over to Hermione.

"Hermione, I know we haven't known each other for very long," he began. "But I've really enjoyed getting to know you and all that stuff, and I just wanted to tell you that I want to be with you. And nothing, especially Cho, is going to get in the way of that."

"Did Alyssa tell you what you should say to me?" Hermione asked, seeing right through his cliché speech, and laughing when he nodded. "No matter, though. If you were willing to say such a trite chick flick-y speech, I know that you were telling me the truth. And I'm sorry that I've been so back-and-forth. I was just…kind of confused as to why you would want somebody like me when Cho is throwing herself at you."

"'Somebody like you,' Hermione? What do you mean by that? You're smart, funny, and bloody sexy, if I may say so. Do you have any idea what you're doing to me right now, and all you're wearing is sweatpants and a tank top? You're 10 times - no, a hundred times the girl Cho is. And I want you. Yes, you," Harry asserted. And ignoring her incredulous look, he pulled Hermione close to him and planted his lips on hers.

As fireworks erupted behind their eyelids, urging them to push against each other, both Harry and Hermione knew that this was the real deal, and that everything would work out.

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Hermione awoke from her abnormally elaborate dream breathing heavily and found herself staring into a fire. She must have fallen asleep in the common room again. Brushing this thought aside, she suddenly realized what her dream signified. After all these months of pondering her…how to describe them…changes in her feelings towards Harry, she finally knew.

She was in love with him.

Hermione rushed up the stairs leading to Gryffindor's girls dormitories, thinking about how to convince Harry to return her ardor.

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At the exact same time as Hermione, Harry Potter awoke from his abnormally elaborate dream gasping for breath. After months of pondering the changes in his thoughts about Hermione, he finally knew.

He was in love with her.

Harry lay awake for hours contemplating how he could convince Hermione to return his amorous feelings.

A/N: MUAHAHAHAHAHAHA did you guys get that last bit? I decided to indulge those of you who asked for magic, and Ron and Draco and Dudley, so this is the plan I came up with (I also wanted a way to extend the story. I mean, 7000 words? That's pretty short). These past 7 chapters have been a dream, and now Harry and Hermione are aware of their feelings for each other. What will happen? Read on to find out!…and once again, I'm SOOO sorry that I haven't updated for about 3 months! You know the drill: school, homework, sports, friends, etc. etc. And one last thing…I LOVE ALL OF YOU REVIEWERS!! AND THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR READING!! (And does this make up for me not updating for so long?)