Ron left with a loud pop first, Ginny following close behind. Hermione turned towards her parents and said in a wry voice, "That was Ron and Ginny if you couldn't guess. Sorry about that though. They have a…tendency to see what isn't there." Her parents briefly glanced at each other, as though saying much more than Hermione or Harry heard.
The two teens sat back down, but hadn't started eating yet, just stared at the food on their plates. Finally, Harry cleared his plate and said, "I'm going to go look through Dumbledore's books." then left the room.
Hermione watched with sad eyes, then did the same, telling her parents, "I'll go help." and left.
Miranda looked at Roger and said, "Normally, that would be suspicious, but something tells me that they really are going to go sort through the books, among some other things." and at his nod of agreement, she added, "Let's go start reading those dentistry quarterlies we bought yesterday. Who knows how long we'll be gone from the practice, and we will want to be up-to-date when we return." then they got up and left the kitchen as well, knowing (after it having been explained) that Dobby was around and would more than happily clean up the meal.
Meanwhile
Hermione walked into the library, cautious of what she'd find. She saw Harry taking books from the useless pile behind him and throwing them in the air, then shooting curses at them. Picking up a book from the need-to-be-looked-through pile, she sat on the comfy chair across the room and began to read, knowing he would talk when he was good and ready.
An hour later and fifty books lighter, Harry sat next to Hermione's chair on the floor, and sighed. She absently ran her fingernails over his scalp lightly. Doing this awoke new feelings in the both of them; he, for the first time since that morning, felt at peace and happy. She noticed how silky and soft his hair was and wondered how it would feel under more-than-platonic circumstances before she could stop herself. 'Bleeding hell… Harry started talking before she could think more on the subject.
"I figured they'd be mad, but not nearly as mad as they were. Maybe we didn't truly know the depth of their feelings. But then why'd Ginny let me go so easily?" he said, bouncing subjects quickly and randomly.
"I honestly don't know Harry. If it were me," both minds mirrored much the same wonderment on that, "I'd argue with you a bit before letting you go. She just let you go like a pet who's run off."
"Thanks. I'm a pet now." Harry replied dryly.
"You know what I mean. I meant that she didn't act at all heartbroken; as though she could find another if you didn't come back to her, or…" and Hermione let the rest go unsaid.
"Yeah, now that I think about it, she didn't fight me at all on the idea. I was grateful at the time, so I didn't dwell on it, but looking back it does seem too easy. And what about Ron?" He asked, turning the tables on his best friend.
She sighed and was quiet for a moment, as though pondering the question herself. "I think Ron liked the idea of a girlfriend rather than me as a girlfriend; and I'll admit I only went along with it because I thought someone might actually see me for me and not the bookwormish friend of The-Boy-Who-Lived."
"But I see you for you. The bookwormishness is just bonus." Harry replied, confused slightly.
"Oh Harry." Hermione said, smiling softly. She knew he wouldn't understand right away and that was okay given his upbringing. "I don't want a best friend who sees that. I also want someone who will want to be there with me well into my years, who will know when to pull me away from my books or to give in and join me, who will understand why I have to help the house elves, and why I have to help you. That's more than just 'see', although that's the best word I could think of; that's 'love'." And then the bushy-headed witch went back to her book, signaling the end of the conversation and not noticing the mixture of emotions playing on her best friend's face.
'I want to be there with her into her, and my years; I know when she's had more than enough research, despite what she thinks; I know why she fights for the house elves, because she sees them under the same control as the Wizarding world, the control of fear and magic; I know why she helps me, and not to say she's helped save the world, but because she wants me to have the life both her and Ron have lived, one with family all around. Does that mean…that I love her? And in a more-than-platonic way? Then it hit him. He did love his best friend more than platonically. He realized that while he would kill for Ron, he'd die for Hermione, and that scared him; but then he looked at her as she read, and he knew it was the utmost truth which eased him some.
While Harry was discovering all of this, Hermione was trying to read her book but found it quite hard to do with Harry staring at her. She wondered briefly what he was thinking, then decided he'd probably tell her before the night was over, and went back to reading her book.
Harry was terrified. In the past two hours, he fought with his other best friend (who was rapidly losing right to the 'best' part), destroyed fifty books, talked about Ron and Ginny with Hermione, and realized he loved Hermione. The first three were tough enough alone, much less the last one, which was the terrifying bit. What if she doesn't feel the same way? and thoughts like that kept floating around in his head the rest of the night.