Authors Notes: Quick update today- not getting much time to myself at the moment!!! I hope you enjoy and I'll see you next time (hopefully before the weeks is out!)
Six
They slept on the lounge, Hermione laying across Harry's chest. They hadn't got much sleep- they had spent most of the time (after they finished kissing) talking. For the first time, she had spoken to him about her decision to not go find her parents in Australia ('it would just be too hard to explain to them,' she said), and also her feelings from the battle of Hogwarts ('I felt as if I'd never be whole again when I saw Hagrid carrying your body').
Harry, in turn, had spoken more on his feelings as he went to the forest to Voldemort, about the walk with the figures of his parents, Sirius and Remus. It was something that still haunted him in his dreams, though it was the only thing haunting his dreams since Voldemort's downfall.
It was obviously late in the morning when they woke up. Hermione went out to get breakfast from the local bakery, whilst Harry headed upstairs to take a shower. It wasn't until he got out that he realised that he didn't have any clothes, other than the ones he'd been wearing. Feeling as if the shower was for nothing, he picked up his dirty clothes and went to put them back on.
'I've left some of my fathers clothes outside,' Hermione called through the bathroom door. 'Yours are filthy. Ron's downstairs too.'
He waited until her footsteps faded and then opened the door. She'd left a pair of jeans and a jumper, along with a pair of underpants. Trying not to think that they were her fathers underwear, he pulled them on.
When he got the rest of his clothes on, he headed downstairs. Ron was sitting at the breakfast bar, looking very tired, but very happy.
'I owe you thanks mate,' he said to Harry, patting him on the shoulder. 'If it wasn't for you, I would never have met Monica.'
'Monica?
'The muggle girl,' Ron said, picking up a donut and stuffing it into his mouth whole. Hermione rolled her eyes and passed Harry a coffee.
'Are you going to see her again?' Harry asked. Ron nodded, chewing vigorously.
'Tonight as a matter of fact,' he said, swallowing. 'And before you ask, I didn't mention anything about magic. Almost did, when she asked me where I went to school.'
'And what did you say?'
'Home educated,' Ron said, shrugging his shoulders. 'Well, it's kinda true- mum did all our basic teaching before Hogwarts- you know, reading, maths, all the normal stuff.'
He took a large sip of coffee and grabbed another donut, standing up at the same time.
'I have to go- George will kill me if I don't help him out today.'
Stuffing the second donut into his mouth, he headed off with a wave. Harry watched him go, trying not to laugh, and then turned to face Hermione. She was looking very pretty in tight black leggings and a long purple jumper, with her hair tied in a long plait.
'So,' Harry said, smiling at her. 'What shall we do now?'
'We really have a lot of work to do,' she said, walking slowly towards him.
'I'm not really in the mood for working,' Harry said, wondering if she could hear how loudly his heart was beating.
'Me neither.'
'How will it work exactly?' Harry said cautiously, stepping in closer.
'How will what work?'
'You know…' he trailed off and she smiled at him.
'I think we first need to stand slightly closer,' she said as she took one big step forward.
'And then?'
'And then…'
The rest of her words were drowned out as they kissed. His hands found the way to the back of her head, where they went into her hair, which felt silky and smooth. Her hands where on his shoulder blades, gripping hard. It was a kiss unlike any other kiss that Harry had ever had (not that there had been many).
Only one thought occurred to him as they broke apart, smiling.
'Does it disturb you to know you just kissed a guy wearing your dad's knickers?'
~*~
And so it began. The next month was the happiest of Harry's life, even with the trials of the accused Death Eaters and Voldemort supporters. He found his mind wandering in several of the easier, smaller trials- wandering to the stolen moments that he and Hermione were grabbing whenever they could, which included several very intense sessions in his office during lunch.
After Ron had almost walked in on them one day, they had decided that, for now, they would be best to keep their relationship a secret. Harry still vividly remembered the figures rising from the necklace and taunting Ron, and he would never quite forget how Ron looked at them.
Ron was still seeing Monica the muggle, something that Hermione was pretending to be jealous about. When Harry had asked her why, she had tried to explain, but failed miserably.
'If I don't get jealous, Ron will know something is up,' she said, kissing him on the cheek as she prepared to leave Grimmauld Place after a long nights work. Harry had felt it to be improper for her to be sleeping over now that their friendship had evolved into something more, something that Hermione laughed at.
With a last lingering kiss, she waved and disapparted from the front step, and Harry stayed in the doorway watching the spot where she had vanished. He only moved when the cold started to bite at him and he went inside and closed the door.
'Master!' he heard Kreacher call, as he came bounding up the stairs from the kitchen. 'You have a call! In the fire!'
Harry looked at his watch and wondered who on earth would be calling him at midnight. He followed Kreacher downstairs, and found Ron's head in the fire place.
'Ron?'
'I'm glad you're still up,' Ron said, looking relieved. 'Is Hermione there?'
'WhywouldHermionebehere?' Harry said, very quickly, feeling panicked.
'I know you guys work late and she's not at home, so I figured she was with you,' Harry couldn't see too well, but he knew that Ron had just shrugged his shoulders.
'She just left,' Harry said, relieved.
'Ok, I'll try her at home.'
'Ron, what is this about?'
But it was too late. Ron's head vanished with a pop.