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Chapter 13
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Harry woke up with a start.  Something, some sound had woken him up. He looked outside and saw that it was still dark and he couldn't have been asleep for more then an hour. He looked up at Hermione and realized that the sounds were coming form her. She was having a nightmare, tossing from side to side. He stood on his knees and gently started stroking her head.
"Hermione, wake up. You are having a bad dream."
Hermione's eyes shot open.
"Harry," she said hoarsely.
Harry grabbed his wand and made a glass of water suddenly appear. She drank it with great thirst and put her head back on the pillow.
"This is new huh?" she asked.
"What do you mean?"
"Well you're usually the one with the nightmares."
He smiled at her.
"Will you be able to sleep again?"
"Well how about if we put a candle on the night stand, so it's not completely dark?"
Harry conjured a candle and lit it.
"Anything else?"
She wasn't sure she should ask, but she did anyway.
"How about you sleep in my bed tonight?"
Harry's eyes opened widely but he quickly tried to gather his composure and climbed into the bed with her.  It was a small bed and they were lying close together. She moved to her side and Harry held her from behind.  He put his nose in her hair and smelled it, it was wonderful. He put his one arm under her head and with the one around her stomach, he had all of her in his arms. Her naked shoulders touched his body, and he could feel his desire increasing. Hermione sighed contently. She felt safe again, Harry was with her. In her bed…
Don't think about that, don't think about that. Just imagine something non sexual, non romantic. He
feels so good, his smell is driving me crazy. she thought
Harry's hard body felt very good against her back, and she imagined his toned muscles, touching her skin. Suddenly she felt something that made her realize this position was pretty difficult for Harry as well.
Oh please don't let her feel that; don't let her feel that, he thought.
Hermione had to bite her lip to not start laughing.
-
Harry and Hermione were startled awake at the same time.
"Kill me!"
Ron was standing in Hermione' door. He looked like hell.
"Kill me!" he repeated.
Harry laughed heartedly at him. Harry was lying on his back and Hermione had her head on his naked chest and cursed under her breath when he started to raise himself to a sitting position. She did the same but felt content when he put his arm around her and pulled her close.
"Did Fred and George put something in my whiskey?" Ron demanded and threw himself on the empty mattress on the floor.
"No mate, you just drank far too much… again" Harry teased.
Ron suddenly realized where he was lying.
"Hey, are you two naked under there, did I interrupt anything?"
Harry and Hermione looked embarrassed at each other.
"Smooth!" Harry laughed and Hermione rolled her eyes.
"No Ronald, you didn't interrupt anything other than sleep," Hermione said, "where is Luna?"
"Her bloody owl woke me; she is still at the Quibbler. Can someone explain why I woke up naked by the way? I swear, if Fred and George did anything…"
Harry cut him of.
"Don't worry, Ron, Hermione got the pleasure of undressing you. Â You had spilled ale all over yourself and she had to help you."
Ron flushed red.
"Sorry about that," he muttered. "I guess that's why Harry is in your bed then. You saw me and needed a man in bed after seeing my gorgeous body." Ron laughed as Harry hit him with a pillow.
"More like she saw you, and then had nightmares all night," Harry said between laughs.
"I am starving." Hermione interrupted.
"I'll make breakfast," Harry offered.
"No I feel like cooking. You two can take it easy, you have been so sweet to me, it's enough now."
"Well I didn't offer," Ron jerked his shoulders.
"Mmm… I noticed." Hermione jumped off the bed and left the room.
-
At the beginning of the following week Hermione went back to work, she couldn't stand just being home and doing nothing. Harry spent every night on the mattress on the floor, they had breakfast together and then Hermione would prepare dinner for them when he got of work. She hadn't heard from Draco, but she knew it was time to have a talk with him. She sent him an owl, asking him if he would like to have dinner with her. He replied quickly, that was he was indeed interested in dining with her. When she arrived back at her flat she found Harry, Ron and Luna in the living room.
"Weekend!" Ron yelled excited at Hermione as she entered.
"Not for me," Luna said sulkily.
"We thought we'd order some Chinese and just hang out here tonight, whatcha reckon?" Ron asked Hermione. She looked at Harry and felt slightly guilty.
"Well I can't tonight. I have plans."
Harry looked surprised and raised his eyebrows.
"With Draco," she continued quietly.
The room became silent and it was very awkward.
"I have to go and change," she said and went to her room.
As she was going trough the options in her closet there was a knock on her door. She had expected this. Harry entered with a look of puzzlement.
"So, you are going to meet Malfoy," he said. He watched her look through her closet.  She suddenly stopped picking out her outfit and looked at him. "Is it a date?" Harry asked.
Hermione walked up to him and put her arms around his waist.
"Honestly, I am going there to tell him that I can't see him anymore."
There were a few moments of silence. Harry felt lost in her cinnamon eyes.
"And I think you know why Harry," she whispered.
Harry slowly caressed her cheek with the outside of his hand. Hermione felt as if she was falling, falling into his arms, into an emerald ocean and into happiness.
"I have to get ready," she said and looked at the time, "Oh gosh, I really have to get ready."
-
She arrived at Draco's hotel room one hour later.  She felt anxious about what would come. She had never ended it with anyone before. When she was with Ron, they had both just agreed that their relationship had turned back into friendship and nothing more.  When she entered the room she saw that there was a romantic setting, candles were floating around the room and a table was set in the middle.
"Lobster and champagne," Draco said airily.
He seemed to be in a bad mood.
Hermione took a seat and tried to gather her composure.
"So, how has your week been back at work?" Draco asked and looked intently at her.
Hermione told him about her week, she knew she was talking too much. It was just because she was so uneasy.
"I know what you have come here to tell me," Draco interrupted me.
"Oh Draco," she said and put her hand on his. He yanked it away.
"You don't have to baby me Hermione. Believe me, I know the drill. I have chucked enough girls to know the speech by heart. I don't need to hear it from you."
"I don't have a speech."
"Oh so you're not going to tell me that I am a great guy, and that we should be friends?" Draco downed his glass of champagne.
"But you are a great guy, and I do want us to be friends."
He smirked arrogantly at her.
"Draco…" she tried.
"Don't." He waved his hand at her. "There's no need to say anything. I know Potter has been sleeping in your flat, I know you two are shagging."
Hermione looked affronted.
"We have not been shagging. You know me better than that Draco. He has been sleeping at my flat because I have been very scared, and I have been having awful nightmares."
"I would have stayed over, or you could have slept here. You seemed to like my bed last time," he muttered.
They finished their dinner in silence.
"So what will you do about Auror training? Stay here in London?" she asked carefully.
"No, I figure I'll head out to Paris anyway. Don't really have anything keeping me here. Might be good for me with a new start."
"Pansy will be heart-broken," Hermione joked.
He looked at her, with a minor hint of hurt on his face.
"I will miss you though," he added.
"And I will miss you to Draco."
They both got up and Draco pulled her into a tight embrace. He put his face close to her neck and smelled her skin. He knew it would be the last time he would be allowed to be that close to her. He knew that he had lost her, even though he had never believed she was his.
"I think you should go," he said softly.
"Are you sure?"
He nodded and took her hand in his and together they walked to the door.
Draco took her face in his hands and gently kissed her, so lightly that their lips barely touched.
A tear fell down Hermione's face and he wiped it away with his thumb. She could hardly believe it herself, but she felt so sad at that moment. Draco had been such a good friend to her, and maybe even a boyfriend. And she knew that she was losing him for good. They would never keep in touch, he would never come and visit her. They might see each other in the future, but they would never have their closeness again.
"Goodbye Hermione," he whispered and put his forehead against hers.
"Goodbye Draco."
--
When Hermione returned to her flat everyone except Harry was a sleep. He was sitting in the living room, reading a book. He looked up when he heard her enter.
"How did it go?" he asked.
She shook her head in silence and sat down on the sofa next to him.
"That hard?" he started rubbing her shoulder.
"I hate having to hurt someone," Hermione said quietly. Harry motioned for her to sit down on the floor in front of him and she did. He gently started rubbing her shoulders and she leaned her head back on the sofa.
"That feels so good," she moaned.
"How good?" he teased.
She rolled her eyes but didn't stop him. Harry unbuttoned the top button of her shirt, and when she didn't object he opened the second one. Hermione bit her lip as he did, nervous of what he was about to do. Her heart started beating faster, but he just opened the shirt up so he got better access to her shoulders and neck.
"You are really tight," he stated.
"Good thing I have you to help me," she mumbled.
Harry kept massaging and slowly his hands moved forward and soon his hands were rubbing her collarbones.  As the top of his fingers stroked under her bra strap Hermione was jerked back to reality. She couldn't enjoy the massage anymore, her thoughts had become inappropriate and she scolded herself.  She turned, standing on her knees facing Harry. He looked slightly startled at her fast movement.
"Wasn't that nice?" he said in a husky voice.
Her shirt was still opened and he could see her white bra, he tried to not look down.
They were so close that Hermione could feel his hot breath on her skin.
"Harry," she sounded hoarse.
He moved his hand through her hair, putting a strand of her it behind her ear.  She closed her eyes and leaned into his hand. She still couldn't quite forget the evening that she had had.  She wondered if Draco was all right.
"Should we sleep? Perhaps we should…" Harry said.
"Sleep," she finished for him.
Harry spent the night on Hermione's floor again, but he was tossing and turning all night. Hermione suspected he couldn't quite get over the intense moments they had shared prior to bedtime.
--
Hermione was sitting in front of her mirror. She had finished putting on her makeup when someone knocked on her door. It was Ron. He sat down on the bed at watched her silently.
"What is it Ron?" she asked slightly irritated.
"What's going on with you?"
"What?"
She turned and looked confused at him.
"Well Harry's been sleeping on your floor for ages now, and seems like nothing is happening between you two. Are you ever going to- I mean, well…"
She sighed and looked down at her hands.
"I know," she admitted, "it almost feels like we've waited too long.  It's like neither of us is daring to take the step. Before all this we used to flirt all the time, but now… It feels so hard. Like there are so many expectations on us."
"You just need to get over it, just do it."
"Do what Ronald?" she looked scandalized.
"I didn't mean that you should just shag him- honestly Hermione! But you should just take the step; just tell him how you feel. I mean how could he resist, I couldn't… I mean back in the day," he blushed.
She smiled sweetly at him. He was right, she had waited for Harry for so long, she didn't want to waist another day.
When Harry arrived to pick her up to go to the pub he was surprised to see that she was on the sofa with a glass of wine in her hand. The stereo was on and soft music was playing.
He smiled at her, she looked absolutely beautiful in the soft light in the room.
She didn't greet him, just nodded at another glass of wine on the table.
"Is that for me?" he said but took the glass without waiting for a reply. Â He sat down next to her and gave her a crooked smile.
"What's up?" he asked and sipped his wine.
"Do you remember when you fought the dragons in the Triwizzard tournament?"
"Hard to forget," Harry answered.
"I already had a crush on you back then?"
Harry raised his eyebrows, this really surprised him.
"But Ron and you…"
"Ended up together, yeah I know. I always thought my crush on you was some silly girlish momentarily thing. But don't get me wrong, I did have feelings for Ron once. After you and Ginny…" Hermione hesitated and drank some more wine," got together. I just told myself that there was no point."
"I never knew."
"I know."
Hermione licked her lips and looked at Harry's.
"Harry?"
"Yeah," His voice was husky.
"I want you to kiss me."
"Okay."
He put his glass away quickly.  He had kissed so many girls, but this was different. He leaned forward and let his lips gently explore hers. Hermione let one hand graze his cheek before tangling it in his hair.  They were soon kissing hungrily, with more passion than Hermione had ever felt in her life. She wasn't quite sure how it happened but soon Harry was lying on top of her.  One of her legs was pushed up, and he was half leaning on it. He kissed her neck and she moaned loudly. Her sounds drove him crazy. He sat up quickly and ran both his hands through his hair. Hermione looked disappointed.
"Whoa... maybe we should take it a bit easy. I don't think I can take much more of that," he joked.
Hermione looked at his pants, they looked stretched to the maximum. She bit her bottom lip, and quickly decided. She straddled him and before he could say anything her mouth was on his again.
They never made it to the pub.
-
Hermione was lying in Harry's arms on the sofa.  They were both naked and sweaty. She had her head on Harry's chest and was lightly touching his skin
"This feel's so right," she whispered.
"Well, it was well overdue." Harry stroked her hair.
She looked up at him.
"I am happy,"
"Good, you deserve to be," Harry answered.
"You do to Harry."
"I am happy, I am happy when I'm with you." He kissed the top of her head and closed his eyes. "Is this really happening?" he whispered.
Hermione looked up at him. He sounded so serious, almost sad.
"Yes Harry, it's finally happening."
"I have wanted this for so long, you have no idea Hermione. I love you so much, and I have for so long."
She moved her head back down onto his chest and gave it a light kiss.  Then she got up of the sofa and walked over to the open window. She opened the blinds and looked down at the street.  Harry sat up and looked at her, just taking her in. Her silhouette from behind was the most marvellous sight he had ever seen. The moonlight bathed on her skin, her long hair dancing down her back. She suddenly turned around and smiled at him.
"Why did you open that?" Harry asked, still mesmerized by her beauty.
"The darkness was making me sleepy, I don't want to fall asleep."
She walked back to the sofa and laid back down next to him. She placed one hand on his cheek and leaned in for a kiss. She could have sworn that she was flying. That is how she would describe that night to Ginny and Luna. Harry's kisses were like flying, and she would always understand Harry's love of brooms after that evening.
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