Broken Wings

DISCLAIMER: Not mine. Never will be. Or else Heron shippers would be in serious trouble, hee hee hee. Song's by Flyleaf.

Summary: Yet another songficlet, from yours truly. This one is to another Flyleaf song I love, Broken Wings. I wrote this in about two hours last night, and seeing as how I don't have a beta, it's probably chock full of mistakes...so, yeah, sorry. But, I hope you enjoy! P.S. Lyrics, once again are marked like -this-

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He took a deep breath as he entered her makeshift “study.” In the close quarters of their new hideout, it was as close to solitude, he knew, she could get. Her head, as he could have guessed, was buried in a dusty tome, almost bigger than she was. After the recent attacks, he knew he needed to tell her...before he lost the chance to.

Seeing that she still hadn't noticed him, he cleared his throat slightly; then almost regretted it, seeing her jump.

“Oh, Harry! You startled me!” she announced breathlessly.

“I could see that,” he replied coolly,“Uh...listen, can we talk?”

“Of course, Harry! What about?”

Suddenly her forehead creased with worry.

“You're not having nightmares again, are you?” she asked worriedly.

“Oh, no, no! It's nothing like that....It's just...” his throat suddenly tightened and he couldn't find the words.

“Come on, Harry. It's alright; you know you can tell me anything,” she replied before moving over to make room for him on the squashy easy chair she was sitting in.

*But that was just it, wasn't it? Could he really tell her this? Would this mess everything up?*

He sat down, taking care to make sure they both had enough room...also known as stalling for time.

-Thank you for being such a friend to me-

“Okay...you know you're my best friend right?” he began hesitantly, impatiently pushing the hair out of his eyes..

“Well, yes...but what about Ron?” she asked, biting her lip.

“Ron's...different. He hasn't been there for me like you have...even when I push you away, you still try to help me...Ron doesn't do that.”

“Okay...”

-Oh I pray a friend for life-

“And you know I never want to lose you, right? That I want us to be friends for all of our lives” he continued.

“That's the first time you've ever said it aloud...but I guess I always knew it subconsciously...” she answered as if expecting him to laugh it off.

-And have I ever told you how much you mean to me?-

This was going to be the hard part.

“And...um...have I ever told you what you mean to me?” he practically mumbled, avoiding her eyes.

“...No...” she replied, surprised at his sudden honesty.

-Oh you mean so much to me--

“Well, you kinda mean a lot to me. Everything...in a way.”

“In a way?” she questioned.

“Sometimes I feel like you're my logical side. You're the person that keeps me stable, who supports me when the rest of the world's against me. You're like no one else in my life.”

“Oh...Harry...” she said, once again seemingly breathless.

-Thinking all the time how to tell you how I feel-

“Shh...I've been thinking for a while how to actually tell you this...”

He looked down at his shoes, nervously.

-I'm contemplating phrases-

Once again, the words seemed to have apparated out of his jumbled mind. What he had rehearsed in his head what seemed like a million times seemed to have deserted him.

*If I can just get this over with...*

-I'm gazing at eternity-

Instead of the ever so vital words he desired, images now flooded his head...images he had thought over a thousand times. Images of them together; a wedding, her looking magical in white; a bushy-haired, emerald-eyed, baby. If only he could get the words out...

-I am floating in serenity-

But now, looking into her deep brown eyes, he knew it was going to be all right; she would understand what he was trying so desperately to tell her, whether he could get the words out or not.

-And I am so lost for words-

This realized, he still couldn't get the words out. He opened his mouth several times, but nothing came out. He felt her small hand grasp his, and squeeze gently; reassuringly.

-And I am so overwhelmed-

He felt so stupid! Why wouldn't the words just come out?!!! Groaning in frustration, he dropped his head into his hands.

“Harry?” Hermione asked, meekly,“if you want, I can come back lat--”

-Please don't leave just yet-

“No!” he interjected, almost harshly,“stay! Stay...please--”

-Can you stay a moment please-

“--Just a few more minutes. Maybe by then I can figure out how to say this...” he said, his hands in his hair.

Realization shown in her eyes, he knew the moment she figured out what he was trying to tell her. Seeing that she, on some level, knew what he was going to say before he himself did, *but didn't she always?*, it seemed much simpler.

Grasping both of her hands in his, he looked up at her, and finally found the words.

“Hermione...” he started.

“Yes?” she asked quietly, bordering on hopefully.

“I love you.”

Tearfully, she smiled and threw herself into his arms. He realized then how well she seemed to fit in his arms, and clutched her that much tighter to himself. Almost simultaneously, they both pulled back before leaning forward so that their lips met. Their first real kiss...but certainly not their last.

-We can dance together-

Finally, they were together. They would love each other and care for each other for as long as they knew how.

-We can dance forever-

Which, they knew, would be forever.

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-Under your stars tonight-

Later that night, under the stars, they sat quietly, both thinking thoughts they knew the other was probably thinking also. They sat outside in the cool night air, his arms around her, their heads together.

-We'll live and breathe this dream-

Both of their dreams had finally been realized. Now all that was left was to live them out.

-So close your eyes, but don't dream too deep-

And as they both laid down to sleep that night, they no longer needed to find solace in their dreams, for their dreams were now reality.

-And please pass me some memories-

Now their dreams were of memories, of each other of course, and of the memories they were soon to make.

-And when I fall you're underneath-

And if either ever were to fall, proverbially or otherwise, they knew the other would either be there to catch them, or right behind them.

-A thousand broken hearts, carried by a thousand broken wings-

FIN

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