Author's Note: This is a quick song fic I thought up at 2a.m. It's Harry/Hermione, but not in a romantic sense... yet.
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Who Needs The World?
Harry unlocked the door and stepped inside, dropping his cloak and robes on the nearest arm chair. It was very late and he had gone out for a walk in order to clear his head. Even though it was rather chilly and his nose had turned very pink, he enjoyed walking the dark streets of Hogsmeade on his own every once in a while. This was his own private ritual after work every few days. Sometimes he walked for an hour... Sometimes three, maybe four...
It took him a moment to notice that the kitchen light was still on. 'Ron or Hermione must still be up,' he thought to himself, kicking his shoes off and walking through the dim lounge. When Harry came into the kitchen, he found Hermione sitting on top of the wooden counter, a large glass half filled with whiskey in her right hand and a bottle swinging from her left. This disturbed Harry, being that he'd never seen Hermione behave in this manner before.
"Hermione?" he asked cautiously walking over to her. She looked over the rim of her glass with droopy eyes.
"Hrm?" Even that sounded drunk to Harry. He came up to her and watched with confusion as she brought the glass up to her lips, the ice cubes inside chinking together merrily and emptied it in one gulp. Her eyes crossed and her face twisted as the liquor went down her throat. She then looked back at Harry, a lazy grin on her face. "What?"
"Hermione, what are you doing?"
"Having a sip," Hermione answered casually as she clumsily refilled her glass. "Want some?" She extended her glass to Harry. The strong smell of whiskey attacked his nostrils.
"N-no."
Hermione shrugged and began to take long gulps again. Very worried and curious as to why she would ever get drunk like that, Harry slipped the glass out of her hand, spilling some whiskey down her front. She let out a whine in protest but he was already prying the bottle out of her other hand.
"You're no fun," she muttered, hopping off the counter and stumbling to her feet.
Harry set down the liquor quickly and wrapped his arms around Hermione's waist to steady her. She started to giggle as he led her to a chair.
"Hermione, what happened?" he asked very worried. "Why are you acting like this?"
She made an odd noise as if trying to blow his question away from her and shook her head wildly.
"It's nothing," she muttered now very low and depressed.
"No, it was something. You don't exactly drink that much liquor at three in the morning on a regular basis." Harry brought his chair closer to hers and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. She immediately leaned her head on his chest with a long sigh. "Now tell me what's wrong," he said into her hair.
"IhupIcunreuruyweingors."
"What?"
Hermione had buried her face in Harry's chest. She looked up at him with tears glistening in her eyes.
"I said I hope I can return my wedding robes," she said more soberly. Again, Harry could feel the whiskey shoot up his nose but ignored it. He was currently making shocked, stuttering sounds as she lazily lifted herself off of him.
"Wh- Why?"
"Went to get my cloak I left at his place last week..." she mumbled slowly as if trying not to slur or stumble over her words. "... Went into bathroom and... and..." Hermione sniffed. Silent tears began to pour out of her eyes and Harry brought her back to his chest. "I- I found a woman s-sitting in the tub covering herself in m-my cloak!"
Harry could feel her hot tears soaking through his shirt but he let her cry on. He brushed his fingers through her now very tangled hair and rocked her from side to side as she cried her eyes out on him. Anger wanted to course through him and he wanted nothing more than to go over to Stephen's and curse him to the ends of the earth. But he couldn't. His heart ached for Hermione now. He wanted nothing more than to stay where he was and craddle his best friend for the rest of the night.
After about at least a half hour, Hermione's sobs had calmmed down to sighs and hiccups. Harry tilted her head upward to see her heavily lidded eyes slightly red and streaked with dried tears. Harry kissed her forehead softly and wiped away the rest of her tears.
"Sleepy?" he whispered.
Hermione nodded slowly, a small smile playing on her lips. Harry stood up and easily picked her up in his arms. Hermione automatically put her arms around his neck and nestled her face in the curve of his neck as he whispered 'nox' and walked down the hallway.
They went passed a room with the left door ajar. Soft snores were coming from inside, informing them both that Ron was sound asleep. Harry stopped in the middle of the hall in front of a door on the opposite side of Ron's. He pushed the it open with his knee and blindly made his way to Hermione's bed. She made a soft noise as her head touched the pillows. He reached out and gently pushed a lock of her hair away from her face. Not wanting to disturb her for she was already drifting off to sleep, Harry made his way to the door. His hand was on the knob, when he heard Hermione stirring behind him.
"Harry," she mumbled.
"Yes?" he whispered coming back to her side.
"Stay?"
Harry couldn't deny her request. He obeyingly went around her bed and slid across until he felt her roll over and rest her head on his chest once more. He pulled the sheets out from under them and covered them both as she made herself more comfortable in his arms. He nor Ron could ever deny her anything. Normally, she'd ask both men to keep her warm, cheery and pleasant company til she dozed off in the lounge. But Ron was currently counting Veelas down the hall.
"Mmm... Harry?" she mumbled again.
"Yes, Hermione?"
"I love you," she sighed very content. He couldn't help the smile that crept onto his lips.
"I love you, too." Minutes passed by in calming silence until Hermione spoke up again. "You know what?" she whispered. She leaned her head back onto Harry's arm, looking up at his face. Their eyes were already adjusted to the dark and he could see her watching him with a smile.
"What?"
She closed her eyes still smiling and nestled herself on Harry's chest once again, squeezing his waist tighter. "I don't need Stephen."
Harry looked down at her hair that tickled his nose. He grew curious as to whether she was telling the truth or if it was just the whiskey talking. Hermione had loved Stephen practically since the moment they met. This was a very shocking revelation on her behalf.
"Who needs the world anyway?" she continued. "All I'll ever need is right here..." Harry was smiling very widely now. It was definately not the whiskey. He pulled Hermione closer to him and kissed the top of her head. "... and asleep in the other room."
A long yawn later and her loosening arms told Harry that she was finally asleep. He lay there with his arms still protectively around her for a while longer. Even when everything tended to go wrong, he always found comfort in his two best friends. Apparently the thoughts went three ways as he listened to Hermione's steady breathing. He will always protect and back up Ron when in need. He will always be there with reasonable advice. He will always be Hermione's shoulder to cry on and her security blanket when in desperate need. He and Ron will always be her pillars of strength and support. To them, she will always be the voice of reason. She will always be their unwavering strength, comfort and guide. Each held a special place in the other's heart. Right now, Harry's heart belonged right there in that bed with Hermione.
"You're right, Hermione," Harry whispered into the dark silence. In his heart, he knew Ron would agree with Hermione, too. "Who needs the world when I have you?" And with those thoughts he too drifted off, his smile never leaving his lips.
~~The End~~
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I stare at your face
Into your eyes
Outside there's so much
Passing us by
All of the sounds
All of the sights
Over the earth
And under the sky
Too much cold
And too much rain
Too much heartache
To explain
Who needs the world
When I've got you
Switch off the sun
The stars and the moon
All I need inside of this room
Who needs the world
When I've got you
I walk on the street
Talk in the dark
I see perfect strangers
Falling apart
I open my arms
Try to be true
Seems like my only truth
Is you
Am I wrong
Or am I right
All I want is you tonight
Who needs the stars so bright
And the grass so green
In the morning light
Who needs the wind to blow
And the tide to rise
Who needs it?
I don't know
I don't know
-Nick Carter
"Who Needs The World"