Chapter 6: Blind Bloody Nutters
"Interesting. I've just asked a question and our resident know-it-all has refrained from tottering on the edge of her seat to provide me with an answer. Could it be that the Head Girl is not paying attention in class…Ms. Granger would you be so kind as to answer my question or shall I have the pleasure of taking a nice five points from Gryffindor House."
Snape's malicious voice rang throughout the dungeon as he pinned Hermione with a smug evil little grin. Draco Malfoy and his gang of Slytherin flunkies giggled delightedly at Snape's insult and the possibility that Little Miss Perfect-Head Girl-Hermione Granger would lose Gryffindor valuable points. Ron eyed Hermione nervously. She had been off kilter all day long. She hadn't been taking notes or responding to any of the teacher's queries. She hadn't even nagged he and Harry about how they thought they'd done on the Transfiguration quiz they'd had earlier. She seemed wholly preoccupied and despondent about something. Hermione was also avoiding Harry, she was taking great pains not to sit near him in any of their classes let alone look at him or speak to him. And unlike the last time they'd been at odds Harry was making no attempts to reconcile whatever misunderstanding had occurred between them. In fact he seemed as determined to stay away from Hermione, as she was to stay away from him. Ron and the other Gryffindors all sucked in breaths of air as Hermione cleared her throat and replied.
"Aconite also known as monkshood or wolfsbane is the principal ingredient in the Wolfsbane Potion used to render werewolves harmless during their monthly transformations. Belladonna known also as nightshade is highly poisonous and though it has been found to cause persons to hallucinate it is most commonly used to induce sleep. Hellebore is used as a sedative and is the central ingredient in the Draught of Peace"
As Hermione finished her answer the self-satisfied smile Snape had been wearing disappeared and was replaced by his characteristic scowl. It was obvious that he was extremely put out by the fact that Hermione had in fact been listening. His lips curled nastily as he responded curtly.
"Correct…"
The bell sounded and whatever foul thing Snape had been about to say or do was stopped. Ron was certain that the ringing bell had saved Hermione from having points taken; the fact that she had answered his question correctly didn't matter to Snape so much as harassing any member of the trio did. As they packed their belongings and trooped out of the dungeon and up the stairs into the corridor that led towards the Great Hall and dinner Ron who was walking between Harry and Hermione turned to Hermione and said.
"Brilliant Hermione, it was absolutely brilliant the way you showed up that git Snape…imagine him trying to take points off you for the one time you aren't answering a question when that duffer Goyle hasn't answered a single question since he came to Hogwarts!"
Hermione gave a half-hearted sigh and replied.
"I'm not the one you should be congratulating."
Ron eyed her curiously as he said.
"Huh…what are you talking about…you answered the question so who else would I congratulate?"
Hermione answered.
"Harry. I wasn't paying attention. If Harry hadn't told me what the question was I never would have been able to answer it…"
Hermione paused and directed her voice to Harry though she didn't look at him and said.
"Thank you."
Harry kept his eyes trained on the floor as he mumbled.
"No problem."
Ron turned to Harry and asked.
"Hang on…how could you tell Hermione the question when I was sitting between the pair of you and I never heard you say one bloody word?!"
Ron waited for Harry to speak. He very nearly fell over when he distinctly heard Harry's voice inside his head utter the phrase "I used Legilimency". Ron shook his head as if to clear it of Harry's voice. Eyeing him in a perturbed fashion Ron opened his mouth to ask Harry how long he'd been able to read people's minds and if he'd been using it on them without their knowing when his head was suddenly filled with the sound of Harry's voice again. "I've been able to do Legilimency and Occulumency for about a year now…and no I haven't been using it on anyone as no one is supposed to know I can do it". Ron could tell from the sound of Harry's voice that he was narked so he decided to leave well enough alone. As Ron searched for a topic of discussion he noticed that Hermione had walked a bit ahead of he and Harry and was taking the passageway that lead back to Gryffindor Tower. He called to her and asked.
"Aren't you coming to dinner? Smells like they're having roast pork and lamb chops…I bet they'll have that raspberry sauce you like so much."
Hermione shook her head and replied.
"I'm not very hungry right now Ron."
Ron could have sworn that her eyes flitted in Harry's direction as she said those words but she turned away so quickly that he couldn't be sure. By now Ron and Harry had made it to the stairs that led to the Great Hall. As they descended the stairs and neared the doors to the Great Hall Ron asked the question that had been plaguing him all day.
"Did something happen between you and Hermione?"
Harry eyed Ron suspiciously and answered quickly.
"No…why do you ask"
Ron shrugged.
"Well the two of you have been acting awfully strange since this morning…I just thought maybe you'd had a row or something."
Harry shook his head.
"We haven't had a row Ron I've…"
Harry paused. Could he actually tell Ron that for the past few days he'd been having erotic dreams about Hermione and that he'd very nearly kissed her this morning? Harry looked at Ron's expectant face as he waited for him to finish what he had been saying. Harry decided it was best to keep his near miss with Hermione to himself.
"I've just got a lot on my mind is all."
Ron nodded.
"Want to talk about it?"
Harry shook his head.
Ron nodded again and turned towards the Great Hall.
"Alright then let's get some dinner."
Harry shook his head a third time.
"You go ahead I think I'll head out to the pitch and fly for a spell."
Ron regarded Harry with a raised eyebrow as he asked.
"Are you sure?"
Harry replied with a nod.
"Yeah…it'll help me clear my head."
Ron shrugged and replied.
"Suit yourself then…I'll see you in the common room later on."
Harry echoed a portion of Ron's statement as he headed for the front doors of the castle.
"Yeah…I'll see you in the common room later."
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Ron strolled into the Great Hall and plopped down at the Gryffindor table beside Ginny, Pavrati and Lavender. He immediately began filling his plate with roast pork, lamb chops and raspberry sauce, aubergines, beetroots, courgettes, runner beans, jacket potatoes, rolls, and heaping spoonfuls of sheperd's pie and Yorkshire pudding. Ron was mumbling darkly under his breath and grousing about "Blind bloody nutters". Lavender and Pavrati looked at Ron, then turned to face each other before finally looking to Ginny who hefted a sigh and asked.
"Is something wrong Ron?"
Ron stopped shoveling food into his mouth and answered without bothering to swallow the mouth full of food he'd just placed there.
"Oh nuffhings wong cepting 've ooo blooomin ankers fa riends!!"
Pavrati frowned and asked.
"Would you mind speaking English please Ron."
Ron opened his mouth wide and shifted the partially consumed contents of his dinner to one side. Lavender pressed her eyes closed and Pavrati's frown blossomed into a look of utter disgust. Ginny patted her older brother's arm reassuringly and said.
"Chew and swallow."
She then directed her gaze and interpreted Ron's words to Pavrati and Lavender.
"He said that nothing is wrong except for his having two blooming wankers for friends."
Pavrati stared at Ginny in amazement.
"You understood that?"
Ginny nodded.
"When you've grown up listening to it all your life it becomes fairly easy to decipher."
Ron scowled at his younger sister and Pavrati over the rim of his goblet. Lavender raised her voice and looking up at Ron asked.
"Did something happen with Hermione and Harry?"
Ron nodded and mumbled a yes as he resumed eating. Lavender, Ginny and Pavrati waited several minutes for Ron to say what had happened but he merely continued eating. Finally Pavrati burst out.
"Are you going to tell us what bloody happened or not?!"
Ron held up a hand asking for their continued patience as he forked the last bit of food off his plate into his mouth. Taking another drink from his goblet his eyes scanned the dessert offerings. He loaded his plate with treacle pudding, spotted dick, tarts with double cream and a stonking slice of gateau. Pavrati laid down her knife and fork and said.
"You keep eating like that Ron and you won't be able to get off the ground on your broom next Quidditch match!"
Ron grunted at Pavrati's comment as he took his first taste of spotted dick. Ginny shook her head and answered.
"Whatever happened it must be awfully bad Ron only ever eats this much when he's truly annoyed with or about something."
Lavender patted Ron's back sympathetically.
"Tell us what happened."
Ron having already finished off his spotted dick popped the last of the tarts with double cream into his mouth and eyeing his slice of gateau longingly sighed as he recounted the events of the day with Harry and Hermione starting from the strange scene he'd witnessed that morning right up to their departures and declining to have dinner.
"So I expect right now Harry's off brooding as he's flying around the bloody pitch narked as all hell and Hermione probably has worked herself up into a right state and buried her nose in Hogwarts A History! They'll both be right stroppy with anyone who so much as breathes loud in their presence!"
Ron ended his story in an agitated voice and attacked his slice of cake with gusto. Pavrati sighed.
"I wonder what happened between those two?"
Lavender chuckled gleefully and answered.
"Isn't it obvious what's happened…"
Ron cut in and ground out his reply in a harsh tone.
"No it isn't obvious what happened…its obvious that they're both gits…"
Lavender shook her head and smiled.
"Really you lot are being nearly as dense as Neville, Dean and Seamus…"
She paused a moment and allowed her words to sink in before she went on.
"Harry and Hermione have spent a good bit of time convincing themselves that they are just friends and nothing more. Now thanks to our little Scintillatus Solution they are beginning to have to face the fact that the feelings they've been touting as friendship are much deeper than they've wanted to admit…"
Lavender paused again cocking her head to the side as if she was pondering something.
"The mind is a powerful thing you know. Once you've convinced yourself of something it's hard to accept a completely different reality from the one you've imagined. I'm guessing that this morning Ron may have inadvertently interrupted Harry's and Hermione's moment of truth."
Ron who was halfway through his gateau put his fork down and emitted a soft slow whistle.
"Blimey they were gonna kiss!"
Ginny whirled around and said.
"Kiss…what makes you think they were going to kiss?!"
Ron rubbed his hand across his face and replied in a quiet awe struck voice.
"I don't know why I didn't see it before…its so damned clear to me now that I think back on it. They jumped away from each other like something was after them, they were both breathing hard and they were blushing something awful and they each had a dazed expression on their faces. I've seen those expressions on their faces before too. Harry had that look the first time he and Katie Bell snogged and Hermione spent half the summer after our fifth year looking like that when she was going around with Krum!"
Pavrati clapped a hand over her mouth and Ginny's jaw dropped open. Ron sat shaking his head from side to side whispering "Bloody Hell" over and over again. Lavender was softly tapping her index finger to her cheek as she contemplated Ron's assessment of the situation.
"If Ron is right and I absolutely believe that he is then Harry and Hermione are going to try everything they know how to distance themselves from each other."
Pavrati laughed as she cut in and added.
"I think they've already started that business!"
Ginny and Ron mumbled in agreement. A steely glint appeared in Lavender's eyes as she looked to Ron, Ginny and Pavrati and said.
"Then we'll just have to put a stop to that then won't we."
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Harry sat motionless on his broom as he hovered above the pitch watching the evening sky darken. The last time he had done this Hermione had been with him. Harry heaved a sigh as his mind drifted to the reason for his perplexed and sullen mood…Hermione. Over the last few weeks Hermione Granger had been the focus of a great deal of Harry's thoughts. If the truth were told Hermione had been the focus of Harry's thoughts for far longer than that. It had begun in their fourth year following the Yule Ball. Harry and nearly every boy who'd seen Hermione that night had been floored by how truly stunning she was. None of them had ever seen her look that way and more than a few of them had expressed interest in her after that. But Hermione being the practical sort found the whole idea of make-up and hair gels and potions too much work for the everyday and chose to regulate such accoutrements to special occasions only.
Once she'd gone back to her usual self the fawning attention of the other boys had dissipated. Harry however, had continued to watch her quietly and came to realize that his best friend was actually a very attractive girl. He found he rather liked looking at her and was glad that most of the boys preferred the flashier more done up girls. He supposed that he would have mentioned his attraction to Hermione at some point had it not been for Ron's declaration that he fancied her; not that it hadn't been obvious from the start how he felt. But once Ron had confided in him he'd refrained from saying anything about it and contented himself with his quiet watching and the closeness that their friendship afforded him. By the time Ron had gotten over his little crush Hermione had started dating Viktor Krum and Harry had lost Sirius and found out about the prophecy. Over the next year or so Harry had become preoccupied with other things and though he had a brief albeit wonderful liaison with fellow Gryffindor and Quidditch teammate Katie Bell for the most part all thoughts of girls had been pushed to the back of his mind.
And then they had returned for their final year of school and what Harry had known for years had suddenly become apparent to everyone else as nature and time conspired to reveal Hermione to the entire world as the beautiful witch he knew her to be. From the moment he saw her at Platform 9¾ Harry had been enthralled by her loveliness. He'd been shocked to no end when he received the Head Boy badge from Dumbledore, a last minute announcement that had been made at the start of term feast, but he was equally overjoyed at the fact that he would be so close to Hermione.
It had only been within the past few weeks that Harry's thoughts of Hermione had turned from admiration of her beauty to those of want and desire. Over the past several weeks he had started to be obsessed with everything about Hermione from the scent of her soap to the feel of her body pressed close against his. She was a constant fixture in his dreams and their activities in those dreams were far from tame. At first he'd thought he was going mad but then he'd noticed the way she stared at him when she thought he wasn't looking and the way she seemed to lean into his touch whenever their bodies were in close proximity. It was that sensation that had caused the incident this morning. He had nearly kissed her. Would have if Ron hadn't interrupted them. Harry sighed as he realized that the truth was, no matter how hard he tried to deny it, that he wanted Hermione and if her actions were any indication she wanted him too. He pointed his Firebolt towards the ground. Harry needed to have a talk with a certain brown-eyed witch.
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Hermione sat on the couch in the small common room she shared with Harry; her back pressed against the armrest, surrounded by her texts and heaved a sigh. She could scarcely believe what had gone on between she and Harry that morning. She had no doubts that Harry had been about to kiss her before Ron had come to fetch them for class and worse than his blatant move to kiss her had been was her own willingness and longing for him to do just that. Hermione sighed a second time. For years she had tried to convince herself that her strong feelings toward Harry were a result of their close friendship and the many harrowing experiences they had shared. And she had chalked up her physical attraction to him as nothing more than normal teenage hormones. After all it was only natural to find someone who you spent over half your time with attractive. She thought Ron was a handsome chap, though not nearly as handsome as she found Harry to be. Hermione slammed her Charms text shut and banged her fist on the cover in frustration. Deep down she'd always known that her feelings for Harry were far more intense than she had been willing to admit but she was certain that he had no such interest in her.
In all honesty Hermione had secretly harbored a small crush on Harry from the moment she had set eyes on him. Hermione had learned all about Harry from her reading and considering the feats he'd accomplished she had expected him to be more brazen and self-assured than he had been when they first met. She was pleasantly surprised by his humility. As they were not friends initially it took some time before Hermione became aware of all of Harry's story…how he'd been lied to about what his parents and he truly were and the vindictive meanness of his aunt, uncle and cousin. The more she learned about the messy raven haired, green-eyed Boy-Who-Lived the more enamored of him she became. As their friendship grew Hermione's crush was all but forgotten as she grew to love and cherish Harry as a friend. That was not to say that those feelings completely disappeared but they seemed to have turned into something all together different.
Harry had become Hermione's ideal…something like a friend and lover rolled into one. Here he was a good-looking, charming, famous wizard who despite his trysts with Cho Chang and Katie Bell said there was no other witch more important to him than she was and lavished her with all the male attention any female could ask for. Harry had a way of always making her feel as though she was the prettiest witch in the room, consequently she'd never felt the need to seek other male companionship beyond her short-lived summer romance with Viktor. However, she had long ago put away any thoughts she had about Harry in a romantic way out of her mind. So why was she suddenly, out of the blue having erotically arousing dreams about him and nearly kissing him. Hermione gritted her teeth together and grabbing the first thing within reach flung her Charms text across the room as she spat out the words "Damn bloody hormones". She folded her arms across her raised knees and laid her head on her folded arms and groaned. Her head was starting to pound and her shoulders were developing excruciatingly tense knots. She needed to get her mind off of Harry…absently she reached up with her left hand and began massaging the aching spot at the base of her neck.
A soft thud reverberated in her ears just before she felt two familiar hands on her shoulders, removing her hand and beginning to knead the tension from the afflicted area she was attempting to relieve herself. The touch was firm yet gentle and instinctive, knowing exactly where to apply the most pressure and which spots only warranted a soft caress. Hermione knew she should pull away as such close contact could only lead to disaster but the stroking caresses felt so good she ignored the voice in her head screaming at her to make those hands stop.
Harry had intended to sit down and have a talk with Hermione about what had happened between them that morning but when he'd walked into their common room and found her groaning in pain he had automatically removed her hand to massage the tension from her neck and shoulders as he had done countless times before. As he worked his hands down the slender cord of her spine Hermione leaned forward and moaned pleasurably. Harry felt a tugging sensation in his groin but ignored it forcing his mind back to the task at hand. He raked his fingers down her spine and back up again where he concentrated on her shoulders once more.
Hermione moaned and rotated her neck giving Harry better access to the tense points he hadn't soothed. Merlin this felt good. Harry applied a bit of pressure to the tops of her shoulders and she knew that he wanted her to lean back and allow him access to the area just above her breasts. Hermione complied and Harry adeptly unbuttoned the three topmost buttons on her white oxford shirt and slipped his hands inside as he worked on the area across her collarbone. Hermione's eyes closed and her head drifted back and came to rest on the raised arm of the couch. A sigh of utter contentment blew past her lips.
He shook his head and tried to think of something to quash the rush of desire building within him. Another moan escaped Hermione's lips and Harry felt his knees wobble as his caresses drifted from her collarbone a bit further south. Harry's touch softened as his fingers dipped down into Hermione's shirt and neared the rise of her breasts. Hermione expelled the faintest of whimpers. Harry stopped and slowly withdrew his hands from the confines of Hermione's top. Hermione's eyes flew open at the loss of contact. She sat up and realizing what they been doing redid the buttons on her shirt as an awkward silence engulfed them. Harry walked around and took a seat on the opposite end of the couch and spoke in a low husky voice.
"You're pretty tensed up."
Hermione nodded and replied faintly.
"A bit."
Silence consumed them once again. Hermione's gaze drifted to the coffee table and she saw her Charms text lying there atop the others. Harry must have picked it up when he entered the dormitory. Panic set in as she wondered how long Harry had been there and if he had any idea as to what she'd been so tense about. She chanced a glance in his direction and saw a deep scowl covering his face. He was biting his bottom lip and alternately running his hands up and down the side of his face or through his hair. All thoughts of her own problems vanished as Hermione concentrated on Harry. Clearly he was worrying over something. Hermione swung her feet off the couch and shuffled over to Harry's side. Running her hand through his hair she asked.
"What's wrong Harry?"
Harry turned to look at Hermione. There was genuine concern shining in her eyes, her lips were pursed and her brows were furrowed in wonder. No doubt her mind was clicking a mile a minute preparing every possible answer to any question or problem he might have. The fingers threading through his disheveled hair were gently massaging his scalp…a move that she knew always calmed him down. Merlin she was beautiful. How could he have gone so long without ever realizing how much she truly meant to him? And were his suspicions correct…did she really feel the same feelings he was feeling or had this morning been his imagination? Hermione repeated her query.
"Harry, what is it? Tell me what's wrong."
Harry sat there saying nothing. Hermione's frown deepened as she removed her hand from Harry's hair and raising the other grasped his face and turned him to look at her as she called his name.
"Harry."
Harry gazed down at Hermione's exquisite face and was instantly mesmerized by the undulations of her full pouty lips he had no idea that the word Hermione's beautiful mouth was giving birth to was in fact his name. The compulsion to kiss her overcame him for the second time that day. Harry planted his hands firmly about Hermione's waist and pulled her against his chest. Hermione gasped as Harry pressed his mouth to hers running his tongue along the crease of her bottom lip. He kissed her mouth lightly grazing his lips over hers before he pulled her lower lip into his own sucking and nibbling, instinctively Hermione responded by opening her mouth to him. Harry's tongue slipped inside her mouth and hungrily caressed hers. She tasted vaguely of mint, cinnamon and something uniquely Hermione.
Hermione buried her fingers into Harry's hair pulling him closer as she frantically returned his kiss entwining her tongue with his, pressing her body into his. Harry moaned as he snaked his hand up Hermione's back and into her thick brown curls; angling her head back, he deepened the kiss and ravaged her pliant mouth. Their hands roamed each other's backs and shoulders wildly as they struggled to get closer to each other. The need to breathe forced their mouths apart but Harry was unwilling to part with the warmth and softness of her body or the taste of her so he directed his attentions to her beautiful throat. As he pressed his lips to the column of her throat Harry inhaled deeply allowing the trademark scent of citrus and vanilla that perpetually enveloped Hermione to fill his nostrils. He opened his mouth and flicked his tongue across the delicate skin of her throat…Merlin she tasted even better than he had imagined. Harry slowly kissed his way up Hermione's neck to her jaw and then to her ear licking, sucking and nibbling…his hands had shifted back down her spine and underneath her shirt and he was caressing her flat stomach just below her breasts eliciting the most delicious moans and whimpers from Hermione as he went. Harry felt his pulse quicken as the blood rushed to the lower regions of his body swelling him with arousal. He whispered breathlessly in her ear.
"Merlin Hermione, you're driving me mad!"
It was then that reality came crashing in. Hermione's eyes flew open as she realized what was happening. She was on the couch with Harry whose hands were underneath her shirt massaging the underside of her breasts. While he was presently kissing her neck moments before they had been locked in a heady mind blowing kiss. Quickly she tore herself away from Harry's warm hands and unrelenting lips. She scrambled off the couch and dashed down the hall to her bedroom slamming the door behind her.
Harry simply sat where he was on the couch savoring the taste of Hermione that lingered on his lips.
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Harry sat crouched on the floor outside of Hermione's bedroom door hidden beneath his invisibility cloak; he was waiting for Hermione to step outside her door so that they could talk. It had been a full two days since they had kissed on the couch of their tiny common room and ever since she had fled the room that evening Hermione had gone to great pains to avoid being anywhere near Harry. She was up and out of their shared dormitory before the sun rose and she never returned until well after Harry was in bed or occupied elsewhere. She'd rescheduled their patrols so that they no longer patrolled together; as a matter of fact she fixed it so they never patrolled during the same time of the day. If he had morning duty she took afternoons, if she took evenings she gave him nights and so on. She had even gone so far as to make sure that her mealtimes coincided with his Quidditch practices or his extra Dark Arts Defense classes. She had even stopped sitting at the same tables he sat at during classes.
Obviously their little interlude had her a spot frazzled. Harry hadn't been to steady since the incident either. Immediately after it had happened he'd had to rush off to his room to relieve himself he'd been so aroused. It was that fact that stopped him from going to her later that night; he hadn't wanted to go groping her again. He'd wanted to give her time to process what had happened between them and suss out how she felt about the whole thing. But when he'd tried to speak with her the next day he'd found that Hermione was gone. By lunchtime it was evident that she was avoiding him. Naturally Harry had tried everything he could think of to get Hermione to talk to him but all to no avail. And now people where starting to notice that something was up Ron and Ginny were asking questions and Pavrati and Lavender were giving him strange looks. Several times he'd considered just blasting her door open or tossing her over his shoulder and dragging her off but he was always stopped by the memory of the day she had hit him with that disarming spell. Hermione was a very powerful witch and Harry didn't relish the idea of being on the receiving end of a hex from an angry Hermione when she was trying to hurt him.
Suddenly Harry heard the smooth turn and click of the lock on Hermione's bedroom door. The door opened just wide enough for Crookshanks to push through. Harry froze fully expecting the squished face little monster to start yowling and alert his mistress to Harry's presence but Crookshanks merely looked at him as if he were the most pathetic sight he'd ever seen before strutting off down the hall. Harry sat crouched on his haunches waiting for the door to close and relock itself but it never did. Knowing Hermione she had it charmed to open and close to allow the bloody cat to come and go as he pleased. If that were the case then the door would close as soon as Crookshanks came back. If he wanted to talk to Hermione then he was going to have to get inside before the cat did. At that moment Harry looked up and found that Crookshanks was back staring at him in askance, as if he was waiting for Harry to go inside. Harry looked between the door and the cat before standing to his feet and stepping forward through the door; he saw Crookshanks regarding him thoughtfully before the door swung shut. Harry heard the lock as it clicked back into place. Quietly Harry raised his wand and whispered "Accio wand" and Hermione's wand flew from her nightstand to Harry's outstretched hand…better safe than sorry. Harry divested himself of his invisibility cloak just as the bathroom door creaked open and Hermione strolled out dressed in a powder blue silk bathrobe that flitted around her thighs. The robe was undone revealing a matching set of see-through rose-colored bra and knickers that left very little to the imagination. Harry averted his eyes and cleared his throat.
Hermione froze as she processed the sound of someone clearing their throat; she looked up and saw Harry standing by her bedroom door. His eyes were fixed to a spot on the floor and she noticed he was twirling her wand between his long nimble fingers. Heat rose up and colored her cheeks a flaming red as Hermione cinched her robe tightly closed and ground out.
"What the bloody hell are you doing in here?!"
Harry replied.
"I wanted to talk to you…"
Hermione cut in.
"Couldn't it have waited until I was dressed!"
Harry sighed.
"No it couldn't have waited…its waited far too long as it is."
He lifted his eyes to Hermione then; she had her back to him rifling through her dresser drawers. She pulled out a pair of jeans and stepped into them. As it was Saturday they had no classes so students were free to wear whatever they chose. Hermione picked out a white hooded jumper and Harry again averted his eyes as he started speaking again.
"Hermione…about the other night…"
Hermione turned around and stared at Harry. He was talking about the kiss they had shared on the couch two nights ago. She had been trying to put that kiss out of her mind for the past two days and here he was attempting to discuss it rationally. Hermione bit down on her bottom lip as her senses were assailed by the memory of that moment. She could recall every detail of the moment, his Quidditch roughened hands grazing over her skin, the scent of the evening air that clung to him, the soft warmth of his lips and tongue and the all consuming desire that he'd set burning inside her. Hermione shook her head to clear it and sighed heavily as she drove the memory of that night from her mind. She forced her attentions back to the words Harry was saying.
"I didn't mean to upset you…you're my best friend other than Ron…and I'd never want to jeopardize that…"
Harry was worried about ruining their friendship, Hermione inserted herself into the one-sided conversation.
"Harry you needn't worry about our friendship…everything is fine…I'm not upset with you…as for that kiss it was nothing…we'll just chalk it up to stress and over active hormones…"
Hermione paused and forced herself to walk across the room. She took Harry's hand in her own and continued.
"It's natural to get a bit carried away with a close friend…it was bound to happen between us sooner or later. We'll just pretend it never happened like Ron and I did."
Harry's head snapped up, eyes wide in shock and asked.
"You kissed Ron?!"
Hermione nodded. Her kiss with Ron had been nothing at all like what she had shared with Harry. It hadn't amounted to anything more than a rather dry pressing together of the lips…she hadn't had to run off and assuage her own desires afterward as she had with Harry. But considering the fact that Harry seemed mortified at what had gone on between them she felt it best to keep both experiences on equal footing.
"Yes I've kissed Ron. It was last year after my breakup with Viktor. We got caught up in a moment."
"Ron never mentioned it."
"He was quite embarrassed about it after…worried he'd ruined the friendship…"
Hermione paused and eyed him pointedly as she said that part.
"We talked about it and decided that it wasn't a big deal. We never mentioned it because at the time people were still hung up on us as a couple so we thought it best not to say anything."
Harry nodded and responded with a simple "Oh". Hermione squeezed his hand and said.
"The point I'm trying to make is that I know that the kiss meant nothing and I'm not angry or upset and you shouldn't be either."
Harry nodded again. The kiss meant nothing to her; he'd been wrong about everything horribly, horribly wrong. Hermione let go of Harry's hand and swung her schoolbag onto her shoulder.
"Are you okay now…I hate to run but I'm meeting Susan, Hannah and Padma to study Arithmancy and I wanted to grab a bite before breakfast ends."
"Oh…yeah…sure…I'm fine…glad we cleared things up."
Hermione smiled and wrapped Harry in a warm hug. They squeezed each other tightly before stepping away from each other both smiling more brightly than usual. Harry stepped out of Hermione's bedroom door and waited as she too exited the room then handed Hermione her wand. Hermione took the wand and dropped in into her bag as Harry said.
"I'll see you later then."
Hermione nodded and then set off down the hall. Harry was just stepping into his own bedroom when Hermione turned back to him and said.
"Oh and Harry , I don't know what Cho was on about back in fifth year but it definitely wasn't your being a bad kisser."
That said Hermione winked at Harry and disappeared through the portrait hole.