Bet you can't

ladylaughalot

Rating: PG
Genres: Romance, Humor
Relationships: Harry & Hermione
Book: Harry & Hermione, Books 1 - 6
Published: 20/05/2006
Last Updated: 20/05/2006
Status: completed

An argument, a night spent alone and an deap and meaningful conversation help Harry to understand what Dumbledore was trying to tell him.

Chapters

1. Bet you can't

1. Bet you can't

My response to a challenge posted by Mia J Potter in the Harry/Hermione Challenges forum on Portkey. The rules are as follows:

- They must be challenged to do something

- Must use the lines “Hey did you get some” and “I am fairly flexible”

- Must mention snitch patterned boxers and Dobby

- H/Hr aren't together in the beginning but it must end H/Hr.

Bet you can't

`No I won't do it.' Ron declared angrily the telltale redness starting to creep up his neck and touch his ears.

`Ron don't be ridiculous.' Hermione huffed hands on hips, `What else are we going to do? Don't you think it's silly to be scared of ghosts when you know they're real and that they're harmless?'

It was a mistake to call him silly, thought Harry wryly as he watched Ron's ears flame in anger.

`It's not silly! And only the Hogwarts ghosts are harmless. If you'd grown up listening to ghost stories told by your aunts and uncles and knowing that they were true you wouldn't go into that creepy old house either.' He shouted waving a hand at the derelict old mansion behind them.

Harry took another more considering look at the house set back from the road. They were in the middle of their search for the final Horcrux when it had gotten late.

`It does look pretty creepy Hermione.' Harry added tentatively not particularly wanting to be drawn into the argument.

`Oh not you too! It's just an old house for goodness sakes and tell me where else we're going to sleep tonight?'

Harry had to bite the inside of his cheeks to keep from laughing, he was surprised she hadn't stamped her foot yet.

`I'd rather transfigure a rock into a tent and sleep out on the lawn!' Ron said emphatically.

Harry looked at the rock and thought about the transfiguration skills required to turn it into the tent. Hermione might be able to do it

`Well good luck working out how to do that, because I'm sleeping in the house.'

`Yeah right,' sneered Ron, `you wouldn't be able to spend five minutes in that house at night even if Harry was in there with you.'

Hermione's mouth tightened, `I could spend the whole night in there!'

`I bet you can't!'

`I bet you can't stay out here all night on your own.'

Ron stood gaping at her for a moment, his whole face was now on fire.

`I can too! You… you just… GO! I'm staying out here on my OWN!' He was screaming now.

`Hey Ron I never said…' Harry begun, but he couldn't finish his sentence because Ron cut him off.

`No Harry, you would've sided with her anyway, you know you would've. Besides,' he added now glaring nastily at Hermione, `she's going to need you with her. I'll be fine out by myself.'

Harry was fed up with Ron's attitude so he just said `Fine. If you need anything you know where we'll be.'

Hermione spared only a second to throw a smug look in Ron's direction before leading the way towards the house.

The inside of the house was so dusty that the slightest tread on the boards raised clouds of dust all around them. Harry coughed and spluttered, looking at Hermione his eyes watering.

`Are you sure about this Hermione? It's pretty dusty in here.'

`It's nothing that a quick scrougify won't fix.' Hermione said briskly walking into a main bedroom.

An old four poster bed stood in the centre and a large old fashioned fire place with mantle was set into the opposite wall. The bed was old and filled the room with a musty smell as though it had become damp at some point in a now long forgotten past and had never really dried properly.

`I hope your not thinking of sleeping in that?' Harry asked concerned. He had no intention of sleeping in the horrid old bed unless it was absolutely unavoidable.

Hermione looked up at Harry over her shoulder and grinned at him.

`Just watch.'

Hermione was amazing to watch in action. A swish and flick here and jab of the wand there and within minutes the room was clean, dry & comfortable with a merry blue fire burning in the fireplace.

`Well Harry does it look comfortable enough now?' she asked grinning cheekily at him.

Harry nodded his head smiling slowly appreciation still taking in the amazing transformation a few spells from Hermione had wrought on the room.

`Yeah!' He stated emphatically, `I reckon we'll safely be able to say we'll have a more comfortable night than Ron.'

At the mention of Ron's name Hermione bristled slightly.

`We should get ready for bed.' She replied stiffly.

It was only then that the reality of the situation occurred to Harry. Hermione seemed to realise at the same time as Harry, probably only seconds after the word bed had left her mouth, there was only one bed and two of them. Harry and Hermione looked at each other awkwardly and Harry started to think that perhaps the fire wasn't necessary as it seemed quite hot in there all of a sudden.

`Oh this is silly.' Said Hermione suddenly brisk again, `I'm not going searching through all the rooms in the house for another bed, It's late and it's dark. I'm sure it's not going to kill us to share a bed for one night.'

Harry swallowed his mouth dry and nodded stiffly.

`Besides,' Hermione said a cheeky grin lighting her face and a twinkle in her eye, `I can trust you with my honour can't I?'

Harry couldn't help but grin back at her.

`Of course you can. The question is Hermione, can I trust you with mine?'

They both dissolved into laughter and dumped their bags on the floor as they started to get ready for the nights sleep. They both dressed with their backs to each other and sitting on opposite sides of the bed but Harry couldn't help but notice, out of the corner of his eye, when Hermione pulled her bra out of the sleeve of her t-shirt. She put both arms inside her t-shirt and seemed about to put her pyjama top on without removing the t-shirt. Harry realised he was now actually staring at her back and decided he better speak just in case she got naked.

`Do you always get changed without taking off any clothes?' he asked.

`No, but I don't always have someone watching me when I get changed either.'

Harry felt himself start to blush again and felt the need to justify himself.

`I just saw you take your bra out of the sleeve of your shirt, it was kinda hard not to notice. How do you do that anyway?'

Hermione laughed at him and his discomfort only increased.

`Well I am fairly flexible.' She said a little smile playing about her mouth as though she was trying to contain more laughter.

`Speaking of things that are hard not to notice,' she said laughing a little, `What on earth are you wearing Harry?'

Harry looked down at her indication and realised he was wearing boxer shorts with a snitch pattern on them.

`Um, boxer shorts.' He replied a bit confused, surely she knew what boxer shorts were.

Hermione shook her head still laughing a little, `I know that, I was talking about the pattern. Did Dobby give them to you or something?'

Harry watched as the snitches on his shorts zoomed around.

`No why would you think that?'

`Oh Harry, never mind, they just seem like something Dobby would like, that's all.'

`Right, well I guess we better get some sleep.'

Harry replied still feeling somewhat confused and wrong footed by the conversation. He finished getting changed and quickly climbed under the covers trying not to look at Hermione as she did the same.

`Did you get enough blanket Hermione?' Harry asked after they were both laying side by side in the bed.

`Yes, did you get some? I mean… did you get enough blanket?' She stuttered seaming embarrassed.

`Yeah, I'm good.'

They lay there for a moment the only sound in the room the crackle of the fire in the grate, before Hermione spoke again.

`Can you sleep Harry?'

`No,' he shifted around, `how about you.'

`Me neither.'

There was more silence.

`Can I ask you something, Harry?' She asked sounding a little uncertain.

`Sure, of course.' He replied immediately.

`I mean, I know I can always talk to you but I wanted to ask you something, that I don't know if you'll really want to answer.'

He turned and looked at her, her profile was highlighted in bluish light from the fire giving her a kind of ethereal glow.

`Try me.'

She turned her head on the pillow and met his eyes.

`Well it's about Ron.'

`Oh.' Was Harry's only response but he turned his head back to look at the ceiling again.

A horrible twisting sensation filled his stomach, and he sincerely hoped she wasn't going to start asking him the kind of questions that Lavender had asked him last year.

`I just wanted to know if you knew what Ron thinks of me?'

Harry shifted uncomfortably, it was worse than he thought.

`I'm not sure what you mean.' was Harry's response.

`I'm not sure what I mean…' She sighed, `I guess I just don't understand the way he acts sometimes, you know.' She sighed again.

`He got all jealous and angry when I went out that one time with Viktor and then when I asked him to come to Slughorne's Christmas party he seemed surprised and then started dating Lavender.'

`I don't know what to say Hermione, he got angry when Ginny told him you'd kissed Viktor and he realised he was the only one of us who hadn't kissed someone.'

Hermione seemed to take a moment to process this before answering him.

`So he went and kissed Lavender?'

`Well yeah.'

`Oh he is so immature!'

Harry agreed, but felt as though he should defend his friend.

`He's a good guy.'

`Yeah I know.' She sighed again.

Harry couldn't help it he had to ask the question that had been in the back of his mind ever since Hermione had asked Ron to the Christmas Party.

`I have to ask, Hermione, why did you ask Ron to that Christmas Party? Do you… you know… Do you fancy him?'

Hermione sighed. Harry stole a look at her from the corner of his eyes and saw she was now staring at the ceiling.

`You don't have to answer if you don't want to… I just wondered' he stammered feeling uncomfortable.

`No it's ok…. I don't think so, I just… I thought he fancied me, that's all' Hermione replied almost in a whisper.

`After the Yule ball I was so sure he'd been jealous and I was kind of flattered. I don't know if I really fancied him but I… don't know, I guess, I guess I was just willing to give it a shot. I mean, your right, he's a good guy.'

`Are you still willing? To give it a go with Ron I mean.' Harry asked

`No' Hermione shook her head and turned to look at Harry again.

Harry was surprised to find he'd been holding his breath.

`I gave it a chance, and I just got hurt…' She let her sentence trail off.

The lay there for a moment, side by side, looking at each in the dim bluish light.

`Did you think it could've worked out?' Harry asked softly.

`Not really,' Hermione replied her voice barely more than a whisper. `We fight all the time, he's so jealous, and the only thing we really have in common is, well, you.'

`Me?' Harry asked surprised.

`Well what do you think we talk about Harry? Quidditch?'

`I guess not but, you and I never have any trouble finding things to talk about but you wouldn't think we'd have much in common.'

`Your different though Harry, your interested in what I have to say, you actually listen to me and care about what's happening with my life… probably the only person at Hogwarts who really does.' She replied mumbling the last part.

Harry looked at her for a moment and realised that there were tears glistening in her eyes.

`Hey, that's not true,' Hermione just looked down into the blankets refusing to meet his eyes.

`Hermione it's not true, plenty of people care about you.'

She looked up at him then tears welling in her eyes more clearly than before.

`Really? Can you name someone?'

`Of course, Ron, Ginny, Neville… Should I go on?' Harry asked

`They don't really care about me,' she said her voice breaking up and a tear rolling down one cheek.

`Sometimes I think Ron only puts up with me because of you, and Ginny only befriended me to try and get together with you, even Neville's just grateful that I help him with his homework.'

Tears were running more freely down her face now and Harry couldn't understand how she could feel this way.

`How can you say that? They all love you, it's not just because of me or homework. You're a beautiful person Hermione, you care so much about other people it would be impossible for people not to care about you.'

`It just feels that way some times that's all.'

Harry gently reached over, wiped away her tears and brushed her hair out of her face.

`You shouldn't ever feel that way Hermione, not ever. We all love you.'

She looked up at him then and something about the way she was looking at him made him speak again when he didn't realise there was anything left to say.

`I love you.'

`Do you?' Hermione asked.

Harry's throat constricted, he couldn't speak, he could only nod.

`I love you too.' She whispered not breaking eye contact.

Harry felt his mind go completely blank, he couldn't even begin to process what was happening, he only knew one thing.

`No one has ever said that to me before.' He whispered.

`Yes they have.' Hermione responded brushing his hair of his forehead and touching his scar lightly with one finger.

Harry could only stare at her.

`No one has ever touched my scar before either, except Voldemort.'

Hermione pulled her hand back quickly as though she'd been burnt.

`It's ok, you can.' He said suddenly afraid he'd scared her off.

She tentatively touched his scar again before running her fingers across his brow and down his cheek.

`You're so special to me Harry.' She whispered even quieter than before.

`You're special to me too.' He replied.

With each whispered comment they seemed to inch irrevocably closer until they were so close that Harry could see each individual eyelash and feel the warmth of her breath on his face. Hermione looked down and let out a breath drawing Harry's attention to her soft pink lips. They were only inches away from each other now. Hermione looked up and their eyes met again. There was nothing he could do, it was inevitable, like the tide towards the moon. Harry wasn't even aware of moving towards her, it was the most natural thing in the world, more natural than breathing. When their lips met it was like all seeing the stars for the first time, amazing and beautiful and thrilling all at once. Finally Harry understood what Dumbledore had been trying to tell him all last year. Love really was the most powerful force in the world.

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