A/N: I know I should be working on the second chapter of "Something to Sing About," but this fluff nugget wouldn't leave me alone. It's nothing much, just an idea that came to me. I hope you like it. And, as always, they don't belong to me. I'm just borrowing them from Jo. It's ok, we talked about it and she said it was fine. Don't forget to leave me a review at the end! Enjoy, lovelies.
Never Ask
"Bloody Hell!"
"Oh, Honestly!"
"You cannot be serious!"
"You are so daft sometimes, Ronald Weasley!"
"How do you figure you can be mad at me? This wasn't your situation to be upset about."
"Apparently I've taught you nothing in the 6 ½ years that I've known you and the three months that we dated!" With one last huff, Hermione turned to give the fat lady the password to the Gryffindor common room and stormed inside.
"Oye," said Ron as he turned to Harry who was half a step behind him. "Sometimes I honestly feel that girl should be locked up in the loony bin. Or become a case study for medi-wizards."
Harry laughed at his friend before stepping around him and entering the common room.
"She's not all that bad," he said, hands still in his pockets as he watched Ron enter behind him.
"Not all that bad? Not all that bad?! You were with us all day. She was fine until I asked her if I could kiss her. And then all the way back from the entrance to Ravenclaw, she has been on my case. It's bad enough that I was shot down in front of the two of you. But she didn't need to get in a tizzy about it." Ron began walking father into the common room with Harry at his side. "I mean, let's be honest. Who in their right mind would get made at a bloke because they didn't kiss a girl? I have no idea what I did wrong. I don't even think I really did anything wrong."
"Oh, honestly, Ron!" Hermione cried as the boys came near the couch that was silently marked as theirs. She sat in the center, her arms crossed over her chest and one leg crossed over the other.
Still entertained by the situation at hand, Harry took a seat beside Hermione and watched the scene play out before him.
"Why are you upset so upset, Hermione?" Ron asked as he still stood, now in front of the bushy haired girl.
"I'm upset with you, Ron!"
For reasons he didn't know, Harry felt a tinge of jealousy towards Ron. What if Hermione was upset because she still had feelings for Ron? Harry shook his head, an attempt to push these thoughts out of his mind. Finally feeling in his normal mind set, he directed his attention back to the argument at hand.
"I'm upset with you because you never listen to me!" Hermione continued.
"Bullox! I listen to you. Even when I don't want to even hear your voice, I still listen to you. Whether I want to or not, I'm always listening to you."
"There's a difference between hearing and listening and actually caring and comprehending what I say!"
Ron let out an exasperated noise and he threw his arms in the air.
"I swear we went over this topic just this last summer when we dated."
Harry felt his heart lurch as Hermione brought up her and Ron's past relationship. This shouldn't be happening, he thought. Not now.
"What are you talking about?" Ron bellowed.
"Merlin, you are an extremely daft git!" she retorted.
Neither said anything for a while. Instead they held an intense gaze that had anger laced within. Harry noticed a few of the younger students had rushed off, obviously scared of the tirade between Ron and Hermione. And what few older students were in the common room just looked amused, knowing how heated and entertaining Ron and Hermione's fights were. Finally, after what seemed like forever, Hermione spoke first.
"You don't ask, Ron," she said, her voice becoming softer and lower. "You never ask if you can kiss her."
A look of realization came over Ron's face.
"Oh…" He raked his hand through his mop of red hair. "I am daft."
Harry looked between the two of his friends totally confused. He wanted to ask her what she meant, but the words were just not forming. In fact, silence filled the room for a second time that day. This time, Ron was the first to break the string of silence.
"I need to go fix this."
And with that, he turned to leave the common room. Harry watched Hermione as she took a deep breath.
"He really is quite daft sometimes," she grinned. Letting out a second sigh, she closed her eyes letting her head bob backwards and rest on the padding behind her. "Sometimes I wonder if it was a good idea to come back to Hogwarts."
A bit shocked, Harry couldn't help but ask, "Why's that, Hermione?"
"I feel as though we are not doing you any good here at Hogwarts. We are all attempting to lead somewhat of a normal wizarding life. And I just worry that that isn't such a good idea. We need to be focused on the war, on the task at hand. Not about who is kissing who and why they are." She opened her eyes and turned to look at Harry. "I don't know. Maybe I'm just too worried about you and the out come of this war."
Harry couldn't help but smile a bit at her words. "Either way we look at it, Hermione, we'd still be coming to Hogwarts on a regular basis to use the library. We might as well be here, using the resources in front of us and learning a few extra tricks of the trade, and attempting a normal life. After all, we don't know when it all could be taken away from us."
"You've grown up."
"I've had to."
Their gaze was all that they needed at that time. No words were necessary. Hermione smiled at her best friend. Her smile widened when Harry returned the smile to her. He couldn't help but beam right back at her.
Harry couldn't place when or why his feelings for his best friend had changed, but they had. Merlin knows he tried his hardest to keep them bottled up, but he worried that sometimes it could just be seen. He knew that Ginny had figured it out. Earlier in the year when the trio had made the decision to return to Hogwarts, Ginny was ecstatic. She spent as much time with the trio as she could, especially Harry. He knew what was going on in her head. She thought that because they were back that he and Ginny would inevitably resume their relationship. Ginny soon figured out that her thoughts were wrong. She saw how Harry would look at Hermione when the bushy haired girl wasn't looking, how he always seemed to care more for her safety than anyone else's, how, no matter what, he would listen to what she said even if he did the opposite. Ginny realized what Harry was too afraid to admit even to himself. She'd lost the fight and therefore she began to distance herself from the trio. Sure, she helped them out with researching and everything. But she no longer found excuses to be in Harry's presence.
He looked down at Hermione's hand that was now resting beside of her on the couch. He reached out and took her soft hand into his own. "I could never have gotten this far without you. You know that, right."
He was still looking at their hands and didn't notice the soft smile she was giving to him.
"I wouldn't have been there to get you this far if you hadn't saved me from that troll in first year. If you think about it, I'm just repaying you…for saving my life."
Harry looked up at her, a look of concern in his eyes. "You've been there to help me as a payback for our first year?"
"Oh goodness no, Harry," her eyes gleamed with amusement. "You know me. I don't do anything this big without truly wanting to. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I didn't do what I could to keep you alive. I need you alive."
The smile returned to his face as the comfortable silence filled the room for yet another time. Harry pulled on Hermione's hand, trying to bring her closer to him.
"Come here," he said softly as he pulled her closer and she moved willingly. They positioned themselves to where Hermione was now curled up beside of him as one of Harry's arms draped over her shoulder. A position that they had found themselves in quite a bit lately.
"Hey, Hermione," Harry asked as he lightly stroked the side of her arm subconsciously.
"Yes?"
"What was all that about with Ron earlier? The whole never asking a girl to kiss her rule?"
Hermione couldn't help but laugh. "Just that, Harry. You never ask a girl if you can kiss her. Number one, it gives the girl all of the power in the relationship. Example of that is with Luna's quick response of no and then swiftly turning and entering her own common room. And number two, it just takes away from the moment."
"How does it take away from the moment?"
Hermione hummed a bit in thought, trying to find the right words to express her thoughts. "Well, again, like with Ron this afternoon when we got back from Hogsmeade. Everything was going just fine with him and Luna. And if he hadn't asked to kiss her, everything was just right for it to happen. You live in the moment. You don't question the moment." She began to hum again, thinking for another example. "Like with you and Ginny."
Harry groaned at the mention of his relationship with Ginny. "I don't see what that long lost relationship has to do with anything."
"Just let me finish, Harry. The first kiss that you had with Ginny, after the game. It would not have been the same if you walked up to her and asked to kiss her. Instead, you lived in the moment, marched right up to her and…" Hermione paused a bit. Harry noticed her take a deep breath and continue on, her voice clearly changed with emotion. "You kissed her."
"Oh," was all he could say. He was too focused on the change of Hermione's emotions and the sound of her voice. Was she upset that Harry had kissed Ginny? Did this mean that, possibly, she may share the same feelings for him? Just then, Harry decided to live in the moment. Consequences be damned.
"Hermione," he said softly. "I have something to ask you."
She shifted her body so that she was eye level with Harry. With a worried look in her eyes, Hermione asked, "What is it, Harry?"
But Harry didn't ask her anything. Instead, he brought both of his hands on either side of her face. Bringing her face to his own, he couldn't help but gulp from his nerves kicking in gear. He saw Hermione purse her lips together before the tiniest peek of her tongue appeared in the center. Harry couldn't help but smile at the movement of her mouth. He knew her too well.
Then, before he put too much more thought in the moment at hand, Harry closed his eyes, bringing her lips to his. Ever so gently he brushed his lips over hers, holding them there for what seemed like hours. Hermione was first to deepen the kiss, opening her mouth slightly. Taking the invitation, Harry allowed his tongue to mingle with hers. A kiss that seemed to last so much longer than several sun-filled days. Reluctantly, the kiss ended and Harry placed his forehead on hers.
"I always listen to you," he said with a smile.
Hermione couldn't help but pull her head away from his as she laughed.
"Oh, thank Merlin for that," she said as she took the moment in her hands. Hermione wrapped her arms around Harry's neck and kissed him. They both couldn't help the smile that crept on their lips as they kissed.
"Thank Merlin, indeed."