Disclaimer: I own nothing connected with Harry Potter. JKR has it all.
The Bad Assumption
Chapter: 3 Feelings Returned
Hermione stood there glaring at him with her brown eyes as the love for him intertwined with her anger, both showing through her tears.
"Hermione! What the bloody hell are you doing here? Tonks! You told her! You swore to me this was between us, that you wouldn't tell anyone! You had no right to do that," said Harry, his anger rising as he stood up from the table.
Hermione stepped closer to him, putting a hand quite firmly on his shoulder. He turned to look at her and came face to face with a look from her he had never seen before and knew he never wanted to see again. He knew if he said another word he would pay dearly for it. He quickly checked his anger and sat back down.
"Harry, don't you ever talk to Tonks like that! Yes, she came to me, but it was out of concern for you, and seeing your present state, I can see why. She never told me what was wrong, she just said I needed to see you and listen to what you had to say. Harry, you should know by now there's nothing you should be afraid of to talk to me about. I will always be your friend until the day I die," said Hermione with tears now streaming down her face.
Harry couldn't stand to see Hermione cry, especially when he knew he was the cause for her tears. His anger seemed so insignificant now after seeing how distraught Hermione was. He slowly stood up and moved to stand in front of her. Even in his intoxicated state, he ever so gently cupped her face with his hands and softly brushed away her tears with his thumbs.
"Hermione, I swear I never meant to hurt you. You've heard how I feel about you, thanks to Tonks. I do understand she did it out of concern for me, it just caught me by surprise when I first heard your voice, and then you came out from under the cloak. I'm sorry my fear of losing you has clouded my judgment as far as telling you about my true feelings. Now that you know, if you do not feel the same for me, I understand. As long as I still have you as my friend, it will be okay," said Harry softly.
He continued to stand there just looking into Hermione's beautiful brown eyes, but his hands slowly made their way down from her face to settle at her waist. As Hermione continued to gaze into Harry's emerald green eyes she spoke again.
"Harry, there's one thing you should never do and that is assume you know what another is feeling or thinking. Also, no matter how afraid you are of what you think the truth is, always ask. As far as what my feelings are for you, they are the same as yours are for me. I've been in love with you for quite some time. But, being a great prat just like you, I was afraid to let you know. I was hoping you would be the first to let me know how you felt. I should have followed my own advice that I just gave you."
It took a few moments for what Hermione had said to sink into his butter beer numbed brain, but when it did Harry had the biggest, most joyful smile appear on his face that Hermione had ever seen. Before she realized what was happening, Harry had leaned down and gently placed his lips upon hers for their first real kiss. Caught unaware for a moment she quickly recovered as she flung her arms around Harry in a firm embrace and kissed him back with all the emotion and feeling she had been holding back all these years.
Neither Harry nor Hermione had ever experienced such an intense feeling of love like they were at that moment. Harry was overwhelmed by the greatest feeling of happiness he'd ever had in his life. He had someone who truly loved him for himself and not because he was famous. Hermione, being the know-it-all bookworm that she was, always thought she would grow old, lonely and unloved. But now, she was experiencing happiness and love on a level she'd never thought possible. She had someone that was truly in love with her, and she knew she would never be alone or unloved for the rest of her life.
Other feelings were also being brought forth that neither one of them had ever experienced before. Harry was basking in the wonderful feeling of Hermione's body being pressed tightly against his. The experience of her soft bushy hair on his face and the unmistakable smell that was Hermione was driving him insane. He could have remained the way they were right now forever and would have been happy.
Hermione could feel his hard, taught muscles even through his Auror's robes. She knew they were the result of years of playing Quidditch and now from his intense Auror training. She also noticed a comforting warmth radiating from him that she had never noticed before. Standing there in Harry's arms, she'd never felt more loved and protected than she did at that moment. She was confident that nothing could ever happen to her as long as she was with Harry.
As much as they really wanted to continue exploring their many newly realized feelings for each other, they had to separate due to the sheer lack of oxygen. That's when they realized they had completely forgotten about Tonks. She was still standing there, but she was beaming at them as she wiped tears off of her face with the sleeve of her robes.
"Sorry Tonks, we, uh, got a little carried away for a minute," said Harry smiling sheepishly. Hermione had turned a light shade of pink.
"Harry, you have no need to apologize. I should be the one apologizing. I didn't mean to stick my nose in your or Hermione's private business, but, I couldn't let you continue like you were. It would have caused you to lose everything you've worked so hard to obtain, not to mention, you would have been hopelessly heartbroken the rest of your life. With all of the things the two of you have been through during your lives, you deserve to be happy for a change. Can you ever forgive me for nosing in your business too much?" said Tonks.
Harry gently released his hold on Hermione and walked over to the young Auror. He put his hand gently on her shoulder and looked her straight in the eyes.
"Tonks, you have absolutely nothing to be sorry about. Actually, I need to thank you for caring enough to help keep me from making the worst mistake of my entire life. You were right, I should have just asked Hermione how she felt about me. Knowing her like I do, I should have realized that even if she didn't return the feelings I have for her, she's not the kind of person who would have stopped being my friend. Thank you Tonks for making me realize what a complete bloody idiot I have been."
When he had finished talking he leaned down and kissed her gently on the cheek. Once Harry was finished, Hermione walked over to her friend and gave her a warm hug.
"Thank you for opening our eyes to something we should have seen a long time ago," said Hermione with great feeling.
Tonks was so touched by their sentiments that she couldn't keep her tears at bay.
"Come on now, you're going to have me blubbering like a baby," she said smiling as she wiped more tears on her robes.
"Tonks, if you're acting like this about me and Harry, what are you going to be like when you and Remus get married?" asked Hermione smiling brightly.
"Tonks! You and Remus? When did this happen?" inquired Harry quite surprised.
"Remus asked me about a week ago now. I've been so busy with some specialized Auror training I haven't had time to send out any announcements yet. I'll probably take care of that the first of next week. Oh, you two can come as a couple now. I've asked Hermione to be my Maid of Honor, I'm sure Remus would be honored to have you as one of his groomsmen. You can be paired up in the wedding party," said Tonks beaming at them.
"Thank you, Tonks, but I'm the one who would be honored to be part of something as special as your wedding," said Harry.
Tonks started to say something when a panicked look came over her face.
"Merlin's beard, I almost forgot the real reason I actually came over here. I need to get those important papers for Remus. They should be in the Order's office upstairs. Let me take care of that now before something else comes up to distract me," said Tonks quite exasperated with herself.
As she hurried to leave the kitchen she collided with a chair and sent it flying. Blushing with embarrassment, she went over and righted the chair, giving them a sheepish grin as she exited the kitchen.
"Nice to see that some things never change," said Harry with a chuckle.
Hermione sauntered over to Harry and put her arms around his neck gazing up into his beautiful green eyes. He gently put his arms around her waist.
"What do you think, Hermione?" he asked hesitantly.
"I still think you were a stupid git for acting like you did. Just remember what I told you. Never assume you know everything about me ever again. Okay?" said Hermione firmly.
"Hermione, love, I humbly ask for your forgiveness, I'm sorry for being such an idiot," said Harry sincerely.
"Well, I guess I accept your apology," she responded playfully, smiling at him.
"I promise I will make it up to you, Hermione. I'll spend the rest of my life making it up to you. That is, if you will have me?" said Harry a bit awkwardly.
At hearing Harry's words, she gazed up at him with quite a serious look on her face. She wasn't exactly sure, but in a round about way, it sounded as if Harry had just proposed to her.
"Harry, what are you trying to say? If I didn't know better, I'd say it sounded like you were trying to propose to me," said Hermione with a hint of hope in her voice.