A/N: Heya, thanks for all the reviews. Couple of things:
Some people have said that Tattoos and piercings etc. are a bit muggle for Harry. I agree completely. But then, who said Harry has to have everything from the magic world? I shall explain my reasoning behind this a bit later on in the story, but for now, I'll just say that it's Harry rebelling against his muggle relatives, not his wizarding relatives. There must have been things he wanted to do when he thought he was a muggle that he couldn't, and these might have been some of them. =P
And Tank03: About the CD player working in the magic atmosphere of Grimmauld Place: Well spotted, I wondered how I was gonna work that myself. =P But then, I realised, they have wizarding wirelesses, do they not? So isn't it possible they have them to play CDs, or the magic equivalent? But well spotted. =P
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A few days later, Luna Lovegood arrived at Grimmauld Place. Her father had joined the Order after hearing the news of Dumbledore's death, and Luna had come with him to stay at Grimmauld Place with Ginny. Hermione was glad of the company for Ginny, not to mention for the distraction to keep her mind off Harry.
She was still with Ron, however rocky their relationship was, but her mind kept wondering to Harry shut up in his room all day. His music never ceased, which was as normal, but he seemed to stay in his room even more than before. He hardly ever came downstairs to eat with everyone, and preferred his meals at night, when everyone had gone to bed. The rest of the group thought that he was just dealing with things in his own way, and didn't say anything, but Hermione was worried. Had she ruined Harry's friendship with herself and Ron? She decided she needed to talk to him, to try and sort out the mess that she had made, and she decided that she had better do it sooner rather than later.
That night, after everyone had gone to bed, she crept silently out of her room and crossed the hallway to Harry's room. His music had been turned off; it was at least half 11, and he always made sure to turn it off at 8, considering other people. Tentatively, she knocked on his door, very gently, so as to alert him that she was coming in, but so she wouldn't wake him if he was asleep. She timidly poked her head around the door.
He wasn't asleep, he was sitting cross-legged on the floor at the foot of his bed in a three quarter length black shirt and a pair of long green shorts, allowing her to notice a second tattoo she hadn't seen before; another black star, smaller this time, on his calf muscle. She directed her eyes away from it at once, before she started to admire it. Instead she looked at the book he was flicking through, a dark arts encyclopaedia of sorts. She raised an eyebrow at it, but her questioning look was quickly subdued by the look on Harry's own face.
He was staring at her with a weird mixture of anger and curiosity. His deep green eyes hid a complex mass of emotions, and she could tell. Shuffling into the room bashfully, she walked over to him, shutting the door. She could tell he was definitely stiff with her, but she was relieved when he moved over on the carpet so she could lean against his bed with him.
`I thought we ought to talk…'
He nodded, and popped a bookmark into his book, setting it softly onto the floor.
`Probably, yes.'
She took a deep breath to prepare herself for this. The whole situation was making her feel very uncomfortable anyway, but now she was here with Harry, considering the last thing they were doing when they were together, made her even more embarrassed. She looked at her lap, keeping her eyes firmly away from his.
`Um… I want you to know… I… never meant for what happened to… happen…'
`So why did it?'
She glanced at him through the curls falling around her face. He was frowning, but he didn't look angry anymore. She was relieved slightly.
`I don't know… I just… had to… I mean… Oh, this is embarrassing…' She took another deep breath and threw her hair back, resigning herself to the fact that she'd just have to come out with it. `I guess me and Ron have been having some… problems.'
`So you used me.' He said, and she was sure she heard some hurt in his voice. `You were horny and I was there.'
`No! No, it wasn't like that at all…' She had to make him understand. `I just… you see… there's something lacking in our relationship… and I just… I came in here, and saw you half-naked and… well…' She blushed and looked away. `I've never seen you looking so sexy… with your tattoos and your lip, and your messy hair and…'
She cleared her throat and realised she was starting to ramble about embarrassing things. Harry looked less angry now, and even (Hermione hoped) a little amused.
`I guess… I just had to have you. I don't have that kind of feeling with Ron… but there you were… and it wasn't a matter of `you're my best friend and not my boyfriend, I can't have you', it was just more of a… `uhhhhhhhh'…'
`I know, I heard.'
She laughed, gently, and looked up at him, feeling much better. It felt like the awkwardness was fading away, slowly.
`So where does this leave us?'
Nope. There it was.
`Harry… I… I may as well be straight with you. I… kind of… fancied you… before…'
His eyes widened and she was amused to see he was surprised.
`You didn't know?'
`No, I didn't. I thought you just fancied Ron.'
She shook her head and chuckled bitterly. There she was having this massive internal battle with herself and here was Harry and Ron, completely oblivious to it.
`No, it was both of you. But then you kissed Ginny… and well… Ron asked me out. It seemed like that was how it was supposed to be.'
He nodded, thinking, and turned to stare into her face. She could see he was as confused as she was, but there was something in his face that she couldn't decipher. She couldn't look away.
Her mind went blank, again, as she lifted her hand to his cheek, and stroked her soft thumb across his bottom lip. His eyelids fluttered closed as he savoured the feeling. His lips were dry, and she found herself licking her own to wet them. The gap between them seemed to be smaller than before, and she almost jumped as she felt Harry's hand fall softly on her leg. She knew this was wrong, she had managed to keep a tiny bit of self control this time and she gently drew backwards, as Harry's eyes fluttered open again, boring into hers. That was it. The small amount of self control she was struggling to keep onto flew out the window as she crashed her lips onto his.
At first it was just a mixture of hands in hair and tongues colliding in their eagerness to be together, that passion from the other night coursing through their veins as they held onto each other like a vice. The energy from their kiss soon cooled down to sultry, sexy desire as Harry leant backwards onto the floor, taking Hermione with him, not breaking from her. She climbed over him, their mouths still connected, as he slid a hand into her shirt, touching her hips and sending sparks throughout her belly. The fire was there again, burning into her soul. Her skirt was hitched around her waist as she straddled Harry's hips, feeling the physical effect that she was having on him, which aroused her even further. She pressed her hips into his erection and he groaned, grabbing a handful of her soft curls and kissing her harder. His hand was trailing slowly up her waist and she growled impatiently. Hearing this, Harry grinned into their kiss, the stud on his lip digging gently into her own and she moaned. Eager to please, Harry speeded up his movements and grazed a hand across the lacy material of her bra.
There was a soft knock on the door and they froze, eyes wide and petrified. Instantly, Hermione threw herself off the floor and headed for the door.
`No! Not out the door! They'll know what we've been doing!' Harry whispered frantically as he searched around for somewhere where she could hide. His eyes landed on the wardrobe. `In here!'
Hermione ran to the wardrobe, wrenched open the door and dove in. She watched through the keyhole as Harry checked himself, then opened the door slowly.
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It was Ginny.
`Hey,' she said as she entered the room, looking bright and breezy. `I thought we could have a talk?'
`Um, well, now isn't really a good time, Ginny… I was…' Harry searched around in his brain for something to say that wouldn't incriminate him. `I was just looking up some stuff for the Order.'
`It won't take long, I promise,' she begged and Harry had to cave in. He didn't love her anymore, but it didn't stop him from wanting to make her happy. `I just wanted to ask you something.'
Harry's mind wondered to the wardrobe, where he was sure Hermione was listening intently. He didn't fancy having this conversation with Ginny while Hermione was in the room, but he knew he was going to have to do this sometime, and anything he said might give away that Hermione was hiding in the wardrobe.
`Okay,' he sighed. `Go ahead.'
`Good.' She sat herself on his bed, cross legged, completely comfortable. Harry wondered where all the awkwardness had gone between them. `I wanted to ask you if you still loved me.'
`Heh, straight to the point still, I see.' Harry smiled. Somehow, he knew Ginny could take this. He even suspected that Ginny was starting to get over him.
`Well, do you?'
`Well… if I'm honest, Ginny… it's not that I want to hurt you, you know I don't… but no, I don't anymore. I'm sorry.'
He looked at her tentatively and was pleased to see she was still smiling.
`It's okay, Harry. I presumed that was how you felt. If I'm honest, I'm relieved, it means I can get on with my life now.' She grinned at him and he returned it, feeling for the first time in ages a sense of relief. Chuckling slightly, he grabbed her shoulders and pulled her into a hug.
`You have no idea how pleased I am to hear you say that. I knew you'd be okay with this.'
She giggled back and straightened up, Harry's hands still around her. He'd forgotten that Hermione was in the wardrobe. Reaching up, Ginny placed her lips on Harry's in a chaste, comfortable kiss. It lasted a good few seconds before she pulled away and stood up, Harry following her.
`Thanks, Harry. You were the best boyfriend I've had, you know.'
`You too. Girlfriend, I mean.'
She laughed. `Yeah right, you only went out with Cho, and that was a disaster.'
He laughed along with her and pulled her into another hug. `Shuddup, Rusty.'
`Oy! Don't call me that!' She pulled away, faking an angry expression, referring to the nickname he'd thought of for her one day when he'd made a joke about her hair looking like her head had rusted, and had laughed himself silly for ten minutes at his own joke, much to Ginny's chagrin. `You know I don't like that… Scruffy!'
With that, she reached up, ruffled his hair, then stuck her tongue out and walked out, shutting the door. Harry smiled.
There was a sniff from the wardrobe and Harry realised with a jolt that Hermione was still in there. He crossed the room, yanked open the door and she stepped out, looking harassed. He didn't know what to say to her. Now that Ginny had left the room, they were all alone again, and the feeling of wanting to grab her and start kissing her again was rapidly returning. However, they both maintained their self control this time around, and before he could say anything, Hermione had grabbed his face and pulled him into a mind-blowing kiss before pulling away and rushing out of the room.
Harry waited until he heard her door shut then crossed over to his bed and fell onto it, groaning. This was getting far too complicated. Hermione had fancied him? Then why had she said yes to Ron? What if he and Ginny had never happened, what then?
And what about Ron? He thought as he closed his eyes. We're both betraying him.
He tried to keep his mind on Ron, and what he was going to do, but it kept wandering back to Hermione's face as she grinded her hips into his, the way she bit her lip in that seductive manner. He needed to feel her skin under his fingers again, he loved the shape of her sides, the little dip between her ribs and her hips, that curve that he had his fingers on ten minutes ago…
No. This is not happening. This can't be happening. Adamantly, he opened his eyes and tried to wipe the image from his mind. I'm not falling for Hermione. She's going out with Ron. I can't let this happen. I'll just tell her that I can't see her anymore while she's with Ron.
That might be forever though..
Then so be it. If that's the way it has to be…
His mind made up, he jumped to his feet, undressed and got into bed, trying to think of anything else except what had happened tonight. He tried not to think of all the things Hermione had told him.
`I guess… I just had to have you…'
`I've never seen you look so sexy…'
`It was just more of an `uhh…..'
`I… kind of… fancied… you before…'
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