A/N - All characters belong to the wonderful JK Rowling. I just borrowed them for a bit to play with them. I promise to put them back soon!
Also, thank you so much for the wonderful reviews!! It really makes me happy and proud that you like my story. As I said before, this is my first fan fiction and I wasn't sure what to expect from the faithful readers of Portkey. The story is pretty much finished, but I'm fine tuning the rest of the chapters. I will try to post as fast as I can. Once again, thank so much!!
CONFRONTING RON
The kiss went on for a while before Hermione finally managed to pull back. She stared at Harry with wide eyes, her lips still moist from their passionate kiss. Harry stared right back, panting and a bit flushed.
"Why did you do that?" she asked softly, still unable to believe he had kissed her so fervently and that she had responded with such abandon.
"Because I wanted to," he answered honestly.
His words surprised her. "Harry, I don't know what to say."
"You don't have to say anything. You kissed me back and that's all that matters to me." He put his hand behind her neck and pulled her head back down to his once more. Before she could issue any protest, as she was bound to do, he kissed her again.
This time she did not stop him. Their kisses grew longer and more passionate. She had her hands tangled in his hair and his hands were caressing her back slowly. He brought his hands up her sides and his fingers brushed the sides of her breasts. Hermione moaned into his mouth and his pulse quickened even more.
Hermione could not believe this was happening between them, but continued kissing him as if her life depended on it. She finally pulled back for air and leaned her forehead against his. This time, both were breathing hard. She sat more fully on his lap and gasped when she felt his erection pushing against her. His eyes were full of lust and his hands tightened against her waist.
"Feel what you do to me, Mione," he whispered.
"Harry, I…" her words trailed off and since she did not know what to say, she did the next best thing and lowered her lips to his again. He groaned and managed to twist them around so that she was laying on the couch with him on top. He pushed her legs apart with his knee and settled between them.
Their kisses were growing in intensity. He pushed her shirt up a bit and caressed her exposed skin softly. She felt like his fingers were scorching her skin wherever they touched. He finally brought his hand between their bodies and cupped her breast softly.
Hermione was lost in a sea of sensation. She could not believe that she was doing this with Harry. It had never been this intense with Ron or Viktor. What really surprised her was the fact that with Harry things were just warming up! She could not even imagine what making love with him would be like, but if his kisses were an indication, she was in for the ride of her life!
She buried her hands under his t-shirt and started running her fingers softly over his back. She could feel his muscles tense and release and it gave her power. She then ran her nails softly down his spine and he stopped kissing. He buried his face in her neck and kissed her there, running his tongue over her sensitive skin until her entire body was covered in goose bumps.
"Mione," he managed to gasp when she ran her nails down his back again. "You're driving me crazy."
"You started it," she whispered back.
He lifted his head and looked into her eyes. "I think we better stop."
Hermione was surprised, but she knew he was right. "Okay."
"I don't want to stop, but I didn't come here for this. It wouldn't be fair to you"
She nodded in understanding. He was right. If something was to happen, it might ruin their newfound bond. "If you really want to stop, then you better get off me or I might be tempted to continue!" she joked to ease the tension in the room.
Harry had the decency to look embarrassed. He got up slowly and took her hand to help her up from the couch.
"I think I better leave while I can still walk."
"I would suggest a cold shower when you get home," she said smiling as she looked at the obvious bulge in the front of his jeans. She could not help but think it was a pretty impressive bulge!
"That's not very nice, Mione. Especially when it's all your fault I'm feeling like this." He grabbed her by the waist and pulled her against him one more time. He lowered his head and kissed her. She could feel his hardness against her and moved closer to him. Feeling bolder than she ever had, she moved her hand lower and cupped him, squeezing softly. He stopped the kiss and groaned as he pulled her hand away.
"You're driving me crazy, baby."
"I couldn't resist. I'm sorry!"
"I really have to go, Mione, or we will end up in bed and now is not the right time."
"Why?" she asked tilting her head to the side.
Had she really asked that? He could not believe she was being so casual about the whole thing when he was feeling like his world was spinning off its axle.
"When it happens, and believe me it will, I want us to be together as more than friends. But until then, we have to wait."
"You want us to be more than friends?" she asked surprised by the news.
He smiled at her. "Yes, I do. But there are some things I need to take care of before that happens."
"Like what?" she asked curiously.
"You'll know soon enough. But for now, I'm leaving. I'll come by tomorrow if that's okay with you."
"Tomorrow is fine. I'll make sure to cook one of your favorite meals."
"I would love that, Mione!"
They walked over to the door and he kissed her again before he opened the door to leave. "I'll see you soon, baby."
"Bye, Harry, sleep well."
"Thanks. You do the same."
He stepped out of her flat and closed the door behind him. He apparated to his own flat and went directly to his room. He stood in the middle of the room and his hand went to his erection. He pressed his fingers against it, trying to control the ache he felt by having left her when all he had wanted was to make love to her.
He still could not believe what had happened between them. Not even in his wildest dreams could he have expected the present turn of events. Now that he knew he was in love with her, he did not want to be so far from her. He wanted to talk to her, see if she felt the same way he did. He finally understood why he had always felt so close to her and why he liked to spend time by her side.
He had probably been in love with her for years but was just now realizing it. He felt happier than he had in a long time and it was all thanks to her. He smiled as he started undressing to take a shower. A cold one, as she had suggested, the imp! If he was lucky, he would not have to take many of those!
Across town, Hermione walked into her room and sat on the bed. She was still in a bit of shock about what had happened between her and Harry. She had not seen that one coming! She had acted all cool and collected when in reality her insides had turned to mush the minute he had kissed her.
And what a kisser he was! She never would have thought that he would be so gentle and passionate at the same time. She was not sure what to think about his parting words. Did he want to have a relationship with her? Did he love her? Her heart beat faster just thinking about it. She realized that she was not immune to his charms and had enjoyed every moment of it. Did that mean she loved him?
They had been such good friends for years that it was entirely possible that she had fallen in love with him without noticing. Maybe that was the reason she preferred his company to Ron's. With Harry, she had never really argued, and the times they had, there had been a good reason for it. They had argued more in school than anywhere else, and after the war, she could not really remember a big argument between them. With Ron, she had argued from day one. They did not have much in common and yet she had been with him for a little more than a year.
She realized now that she had never been in love with Ron and that her pride had been more hurt than her heart when they had broken up. Harry was right; there had been no real reason for her to stay away from her friends for so long. Maybe it was time to face facts and confront Ron face to face. It was not fair that he still had all of their friends around him when he had been the one at fault.
She had missed a year of their lives and she was not willing to do that anymore. She was not sure where to start, and she had to do things carefully. As mad as she had been at Ron, she did not want the others to stop talking to him at all. All she wanted was for the truth to come out and to have her friends back in her life. She had made a mistake shutting everyone out as she had, and by leaving without an explanation, she had left the doors wide open for speculation.
She put on her pajamas and got into bed. Crookshanks lay at her feet purring contently. She fell asleep with a smile on her face.
Harry walked into the kitchen to get a glass of water before going to bed. As he was drinking the water, Ron walked in, hair mussed and wearing only his pajama bottoms. Harry guessed Luna was in his room. Well, how nice for him! Harry thought mockingly.
"Hey, mate," he greeted Harry. "I didn't know you were home."
Harry had to control himself and not hex him good. Now that he knew the truth, he wanted to rip Ron apart. Partly to avenge Hermione, and partly to ease his own anger. But he decided to play it cool. What good would it do to punch Ron's lights out? He needed him good and well for his plan.
"I got in a little bit ago. I was visiting an old friend."
"Someone I know?" he asked as he opened a butter beer and took a healthy swing.
"You could say that."
"Who was it?"
"Hermione," Harry said and waited for Ron's reaction.
Ron chocked on his beer and started coughing like crazy. Harry stood by and watched with interest.
"Hermione? When did you start talking to her again?" Ron finally managed to ask, his voice giving away his nervousness.
"I ran into her today and we had a very enlightening conversation," Harry answered and continued to look pointedly at him. He noticed that Ron was slightly flushed and refused to look directly at him.
"Is that so? And what did you talk about?" Ron asked nervously.
"Oh, this and that."
Ron seemed to relax a bit at his words, but Harry was not about to let him of the hook so easily.
"Have you seen her lately?" he asked Ron.
"Not at all, and it's better that way."
"Better for whom?"
Ron finally looked at him. "What is that supposed to mean?"
"I've been wondering for a while about something, Ron. When you guys broke up, she would not tell anyone what had happened. She just left. Then you come back and your explanation did not seem to make a lot of sense. I've tried several times to ask you about it, but you always change the subject."
"What are you getting at, Harry? Are you suggesting I lied?" Ron asked getting mad.
"If something really happened between Hermione and Krum, how come no one ever saw them together again since that one day when the picture was taken?" Harry asked pointedly.
Ron took another swing of his beer before answering. Harry could tell he was nervous and his hands were shaking a bit. His ears had even turned red.
"Maybe she felt guilty and didn't want to attract any more media attention. She has a good job and a reputation to protect." Ron finished lamely.
"Aha. So she has a torrid affair with Viktor for one afternoon only and then she forgets about it to protect her job? That's your take on things?"
"Sounds like a good reason to me! Look, Harry, Luna is upstairs waiting for me. Forget about the past, all right mate? I am glad you are talking to her again, but leave me out of it," Ron threw the empty bottle in the trashcan and started walking out of the kitchen.
Harry was not done yet and followed him out. Ron was just talking the stairs when Harry called his name again.
"How can you lie to me so easily after so many years of friendship, Ron?" Harry asked barely containing his temper. His hands closed into fists and he waited.
Ron stood frozen at the bottom of the stairs but did not turn around. "I didn't lie."
"No, I guess you are right. You just let us believe for the longest time the story about Hermione and Krum. How convenient it must have been for you when Rita wrote that article about their supposed affair. You had the perfect excuse then!" Harry all but shouted.
Ron finally turned around. "What the hell are you talking about, Harry?" he asked angrily. "You saw the picture!"
"That picture just showed two old friends hugging after not seeing each other for a while. But can you say the same thing about the woman Hermione found in your room that same evening?" Harry finished with contempt. "How dare you lie to all of us and act like the victim when you were the one doing the cheating all along?" Harry finished in a heated voice.
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