Chapter Two:
When Harry woke the next morning, he was alone in the common room. He sat up and yawned, looking around for any sign of Hermione or Neville, but saw none. His eyes locked on a small piece of parchment laying on the table beside his glasses. Harry picked it up and immediately recognized Hermione's handwriting.
Harry,
We didn't want to wake you. We thought you could use the rest. Why don't you grab a shower and meet us downstairs for breakfast?
Love,
Hermione
It wasn't until then that Harry realized how hungry he really was. He headed upstairs to
grab a change of clothes, then took a quick shower. Twenty minutes later, he was heading to the dining hall to find Neville and Hermione. When he opened the doors, he was met with a standing ovation and applause from all the students and teachers of Hogwarts. Harry wondered how they managed to get the students back so quickly as a deep blush crept into his cheeks. His green eyes scanned the Gryffindor table for those brown eyes that always knew how to calm him. She gave him a smile that he knew was only reserved for him. Harry moved to his reserved seat beside her, receiving slaps on the back from Dean and Seamus. Hermione gave his hand a comforting squeeze as the applause faded and Headmistress McGonagall stood to speak.
"Welcome back students. So much has happened the weeks you have been gone. Voldemort has been destroyed for good and we can finally feel safe once more." Another round of applause erupted and McGonagall waited patiently for it to subside before she began again. "However wonderful that bit of news it, it pales to the heartache we all feel for those of us who fell against him. It's my unfortunate duty to tell you the names of our fallen friends." She took a shaky breath as she began again, "Remus Lupin, Nymphadora Tonks, Rubeus Hagrid, and Ginny Weasley." An audible gasp was heard throughout the great hall. Harry stared blankly at his empty plate, wanting nothing more than to be anywhere but there. When he raised his eyes and looked around the table, the once happy and jovial faces were now masks of sadness and despair for their fallen friends. He felt Hermione grab a hold of his hand as if she knew he needed her. He looked over at her and gave her a grateful smile before returning his attention back to Professor McGonagall. "They will always be remembered for their bravery and sacrifice. However heavy our hearts are we must also recognize those of us who fought and are still with us today. Neville Longbottom, Luna Lovegood, Ronald Weasley, Hermione Granger, Fred and George Weasley, Arthur and Molly Weasley, all of the professors you see sitting before you now, Alastor Moody, and last but definitely not least...Harry Potter." The applause started at the mention of the first name and slowly grew louder. Neville, Hermione, and Harry looked down embarrassed from the attention they were getting. "Now as for your final week here at Hogwarts, final exams have been canceled." That announcement was met by another loud cheer. "However, all seventh years are required to take their final NEWTs before graduation. I suggest you spend this week studying. Your exams will take place in four days. With that said, let us all enjoy our breakfast feast."
Suddenly a feast appeared before their eyes that was usually only reserved for holidays. They all dug into their food, wanting to eat quickly then get away from the hall as fast as possible. Once Neville, Harry, and Hermione were outside the door they all let out a great sigh of relief.
"Did you know that was going to happen?" Harry asked, his irritation evident in his voice.
"We hadn't a clue, Harry. Honest," Neville said and Harry immediately believed him.
"Why don't we go check on Ron?" Hermione suggested. They turned and made their way to the hospital just in time to see Ron being spoon-fed porridge by a smiling Luna. Ron looked perfectly capable of holding his own spoon, but he didn't seem to mind being tended to by Luna. Ron jumped in surprise, his face turning twenty different shades of red when he saw his friends standing by the door with amused looks on their faces.
"Are we interrupting something," Harry asked, his green eyes filled with laughter.
"Of course not! Luna here was just helping me with my breakfast...you know cause I'm so sick."
"Humph!" Hermione snickered, "You're sick all right."
"I am," he exclaimed. "Madame Pomfrey says I have to stay here for at least two more days."
"I'm sure that's just going to be such torture," Harry laughed sarcastically. "I'm sure having the lovely Luna as your sick nurse is just awful." Both Ron and Luna blushed, but Harry missed the jealous look Hermione shot his way.
"Don't get too comfortable in here. We still have to take our NEWTs at the end of the week. McGonagall just announced it during breakfast," Neville grinned.
"Bloody hell," he fumed. "We just fought in a war and now we have to worry about NEWTs? You've got to be joking."
"Not at all. All seventh years have to or we don't graduate," Hermione smiled in satisfaction.
"Oh, you're really happy about this aren't you?"
"Don't get angry with me Ronald, just because you've never cared about your academics."
"How's your parents? Have they stopped by today?" Harry asked, trying to change the subject.
"About the same. Dad keeps having to console Mum because she can't stop crying." Ron gave them a sad smile, "I'm not sure if she'll ever recover." Harry lowered his eyes, the guilt he felt tearing him apart inside. "Stop it Harry! There's nothing for you to feel guilty about."
"He's right Harry," Luna spoke for the first time in her usual singsong voice. "The war was inevitable. Voldemort would have found a way to return with or without you."
Hermione stepped up beside him, "We're just lucky we had you here to fight with us. You and you alone were the one with the power to destroy him. Without you, we'd all be dead at Voldemort's hands." Suddenly Madame Pomfrey came up behind them, shooing them out of the room.
Neville shrugged his shoulders, "I'm going back to the common room. You guys coming?"
"Well be up in a bit," Harry said with a smile. Once he was out of sight, Harry grabbed Hermione's hand and led her out of the castle. They didn't stop until they were completely free of any prying eyes.
"Harry, I don't think anyone is following us."
"I just want to make sure," he said as they came to a stop behind one of the trees on the far side of the yard. It wasn't till then that he released her hand. They stood there in silence for a moment before Hermione finally spoke.
"Well, are we going to talk about what happened last night?"
"Which bit?" he asked lamely, knowing exactly which bit she was referring to. He sighed heavily, "Last night...last night was..."
"Amazing," she cut him off. Harry smiled down at her, gently brushing a stray curl from her face.
"Yes it was," he looked down for a moment. "It just can't happen again." Hermione felt as if her heart was breaking in two.
"What? But why?"
"Why? Because of Ron. He's my best friend and he's always fancied you. To be quite honest, up until last night I thought you felt that way about him as well."
"Well, I don't," she cried out angrily. "I do love him, but only as a brother. Those feelings diminished years ago. My heart..." she paused as tears began to fall down her cheeks. "My heart has and always will belong to you." Harry pulled her tightly against his chest, breathing in her sweet scent. Hermione pulled away slightly so she could look into his green eyes when she finally told him what she'd been dying to tell him for so long. "I love you Harry Potter. Not because you're `the boy who lived' or because you destroyed Voldemort. I love you because you're my best friend and you've always stood up for what's right and fought for those you love."
Harry couldn't find his voice. It was like someone had sucked all the air out of the room. Hermione loved him, not Ron. He felt as though his heart grew ten times larger with her heartfelt confession.
"I don't expect you to say it back, but you have to understand. Ron and I will never be together, whether it's what he wants or not. It's you that I want. It's you that I need to make me happy." Harry couldn't stand it any longer. He crushed his lips to hers, silencing her instantly. She held onto him tightly as they slowly backed up against the tree. Harry's head was telling him to stop this now before it went any further, but his body and his heart were telling him something completely different. Hermione broke the kiss and gave him a wicked smile. "That's more like it," she whispered, her voice thick with the passion she felt for him. Harry leaned his forehead on her shoulder, her fingers running through his always unruly hair.
"Oh, `Mione, what are we going to do?"
"I don't know, but would you promise me one thing?"
"What?"
"That you won't push me away and that we'll talk about our relationship and make our decisions together?"
"That's three things. You said one," he teased, earning him a playful slap on the arm. "Okay, I promise."
"Good," she smiled, brushing her lips against his once more. She sighed, "I could do this all day."
"Do you think anyone would miss us?" Harry's lips devoured her neck, earning him a soft moan from her lips.
"Probably," she reluctantly admitted. "I guess we should head back. We did tell Neville we wouldn't be long."
"Right," he said, but neither attempted to move. Hermione ran her hands along the taunt muscles of his back. Harry groaned in frustration, knowing if he didn't stop now that they'd pass the point of no return. As much as he'd love to shag her senseless, he knew it was neither the time nor place. He slowly pulled away from her. Hermione looked up at him with questioning eyes. Her lips were swollen from his kisses and her big brown eyes were almost black with the desire she felt. To Harry, she had never looked more beautiful.
"We have to stop. The last thing we need is for someone to walk up and find us...in a compromising position."
Hermione blushed, running a nervous hand through her hair, "Of course."
They managed to gather their wits as they straightened up their clothes. Harry held his hand out for her to take. When she placed her small hand inside his much larger one, she smiled when she thought of how perfectly they fit together. As they made their way back to the castle, Hermione began to think back to all the times they had held hands over the years and wondered why they hadn't realized their feelings for one another sooner. Then a dreadful thought invaded her brain, `What if he doesn't love me back?' She had told him exactly how she felt, but he did not reciprocate those feelings like she'd hoped he would. Hermione knew Harry loved her, but was the kind of love she felt for him? She just didn't know. The sensible part of her said to just ask him, but the other part of her knew she didn't want to pressure him into saying something he just didn't mean. The last thing Harry would ever want to do was hurt her, and Hermione knew this. As they entered the castle and began to ascend the stairs to the Gryffindor common room, Hermione had made her decision. She would not ask Harry how he truly felt about her. If he felt the same way, she was sure he'd tell her in his own time. She just prayed it would be soon. They came to a stop in front of the portrait of the Fat Lady. Harry spoke the password, `licorice wand' and the portrait swung open. When they walked inside, the common room was no longer quiet and empty. It was swarming with Gryffindor students talking and joking loudly, just having a grand time. Several of the seventh year students were huddled in the corner, trying their best to pay attention to the books laid out in front of them, but quite a few of them had let themselves get caught up in something else going on around them. As they walked over to where the seventh year students were, they were ambushed by loads of students asking all sorts of questions.
"Sorry guys," Harry apologized. "We've got loads of studying to do with the NEWTs and everything." He guided Hermione through the crowd to where Neville was huddled, trying his best to concentrate.
"Neville, how on earth can you remember anything with all this racket," Hermione asked as they sat down beside him.
"It wasn't that bad at first," he gave them a half smile, wincing as someone hit him with a rolled up piece of parchment.
"This is utterly ridiculous," Hermione sighed heavily. "Why don't we gather our books and go to the library? We'll at least get some quiet there." Harry ran up to his room to gather his books, while Hermione did the same. Within minutes, the three of them were heading to the library in hopes of finding some peace and quiet. When they got there, they realized they were actually the only ones there. They found an empty table and began to unpack their books. Much to Hermione's surprise, she was actually able to immerse herself in her studies and didn't think about her situation with Harry much at all. They had been studying for a couple of hours when Hermione decided she needed to stretch her legs.
"I'm going to try to find some more information on the Undetectable Poison potion. It was quite tricky if I recall," she said as she hurried off to search the stacks. She was only gone for a few minutes when Harry stood and stretched. He said nothing to Neville, who had his face buried in one of his beloved Herbology books as he followed the path that Hermione had taken. He found her several rows away from where they had been sitting, her back to him as she flipped through the pages of a large volume. Harry snuck up behind her, wrapped his arm around her slim waist, pulling her flush against his chest. Hermione let out a surprise gasp, almost dropping the book she held in her hands.
"H..Harry, what are you doing?" she asked in a hushed whisper. He took the book from her hands and lay it on the table as his lips devoured her neck.
"What does it feel like I'm doing?" Harry turned her around to face him, his lips crushing hers in an urgent kiss. She moaned against his lips, feeling herself melt into his embrace.
"Harry," she moaned helplessly against his lips. "We can't do this here. What if Neville walks by?"
"I'll tell him to sod off." Hermione laughed breathlessly as Harry's wonderful mouth explored every inch of her neck.
"What about what you said earlier about being caught in a compromising position?" Harry groaned in frustration as he slowly released her.
"You're right, I know you are." He ran his hands through his ebony locks, "It's just hard sitting so close to you out there. All I want to do is touch you and kiss you." Hermione blushed, smiling up at him slightly embarrassed. "I don't think much of what I've read has stayed inside my head thanks to you."
"So you're blaming me for your inability to study?"
"No, just my inability to concentrate," he grinned down at her, stealing another kiss from her lips.
"I know it's hard, but we have to at least try to study, Harry. The NEWTs are important, and we have to pass."
"You're not actually worried that you won't are you? I mean Ron and I need to worry for sure, but not you."
"A lot has happened in the last few weeks. Part of me is terrified that I won't remember what I need to remember and I won't pass."
Harry gently took her face in his hands, "You are going to do great as usual, but I'm afraid the only way Ron and I are going to survive this test is with your help."
Hermione rolled her eyes, "Honestly, I don't know what you two would do without my notes." He grinned at her, immediately causing her insides to turn to jelly. "We'd better get back or Neville might suspect something."
"Neville?" he chuckled. "He had his nose buried in a Herbology book. He probably didn't know we left."
When they got back to their table, Neville didn't acknowledge their presence, earning Hermione an `I told you so' look from Harry. They settled back in with their books and this time Harry really tried to concentrate on what he was reading. Before they knew it was already time for dinner. They couldn't believe how long they'd been studying. Neville stood up and stretched his long limbs.
"I don't know about you two, but I'm starved. I can't believe we missed lunch." Both Harry and Hermione nodded as they stood and began to collect their books. They dropped off their things in their rooms before heading to the Great Hall for dinner. The three managed to get through dinner without being asked too many questions about what had happened. It was obvious that none of them wished to relive what had happened. Once they finished dinner, they decided to visit Ron once more. When they arrived, they saw Luna sitting beside him in bed. It looked as if they were trying to study, but Ron kept looking up from his books, eyeing the lovely blonde for a moment before returning to his studies. It was obvious to Harry that Ron was starting to see Luna as the lovely woman she had become. This couldn't please Harry more. Perhaps Ron's growing fondness for Luna will help him get over Hermione. Then they wouldn't have to hide their relationship.
"Oh, hello," Luna smiled up at them as they approached. "Ron and I were just doing a bit of studying."
"We can see that. I just don't think what Ron was studying was anywhere in that book in his lap," Hermione grinned, causing Harry and Neville to chuckle. Ron glared at his best friend.
"Guess what," Ron asked, trying to change the subject. "Madame Pomfrey says she might release me tomorrow if I continue to do well."
"That's fantastic, Ron," Hermione smiled. Harry didn't miss the disappointed look that crossed Luna's face.
"I'm not so sure you should be in such a hurry. It looks like you've got it pretty good here with Luna taking such good care of you," Harry grinned, earning him an annoyed look from Ron. He never did understand why Ron always seemed to have a problem admitting when he was attracted to someone. Not once in the last seven years had he admitted his feelings for Hermione, and Harry was certain he wasn't going to concede to his attraction to Luna any time soon. Harry wasn't a fan of rejection any more than any other bloke, but if it hadn't been for Ron he would have acted on his feelings for Hermione a long time ago.
"Anyway," Ron said as he shot daggers at Harry with his eyes. "What have you guys been up to today?"
"Studying," they all said in unison.
Ron laughed, "Tell me about it. I still say McGonagall is mental for making us take the NEWTs after everything that's happened."
"Like it or not we still have to do well on these tests if we want to get a decent job."
Ron rolled his eyes, "Yes Hermione." They managed to stay and visit with Ron for about half an hour before they were once again told to leave by Madame Pomfrey.
As they made their way back to the common room, Harry pulled Hermione close and whispered in her ear.
"Meet me in the common room tonight at midnight." He placed a soft kiss on her ear as he pulled away causing her to smile up at him. She gave his hand a squeeze, telling him without words that she'd be there. When they entered the common room, they were each pulled in different directions. Parvati was busy showing Hermione some interesting books she'd read while they were away. Neville was dragged off by a group of fifth year girls who were anxious to hear him talk about what had happened in the final battle. Despite the fact that Neville was no longer an awkward and strange looking boy, he still had a hard time adjusting to the all the female attention he had started receiving in his final year at Hogwarts. Harry was pulled off to the side for a game of wizard's chess with Seamus. Wizard's chess was a game Harry had gotten really good at. As a matter of fact Ron was really the only bloke in Gryffindor who could actually beat him at it, but tonight Seamus was wiping the floor with him. Harry just couldn't concentrate. His eyes kept wandering across the room to find the woman who had captured him mind, body, and soul. If he didn't have her in his arms soon, he felt as though he might explode. Harry honestly didn't know how he had lasted this last year being so close to her, but not being able to express what he feels for her. Today when she told him she loved him was the most wonderful moment in his life. Part of him wanted to tell her he felt the same way, but he kept it inside. With everything that's happened in his life, it's always been so hard to let people get close to him. He was so afraid of losing the people he loved that he somehow thought if he kept his feelings to himself and didn't say them out loud that maybe they'd be safer. The next few hours ticked by slowly. Students finally began to trickle out of the common room as they started to turn in for the night. Harry watched Hermione and Parvati as they turned to go back up to the girl's dorms. Hermione turned and looked over at Harry, giving him a big smile. Harry gave her his most devastating smile before she turned and followed Parvati up to the rooms. Once Hermione was gone, Harry finally turned his attention to the game he was playing with Seamus. It didn't take long for Harry to get his mind back on the game now that Hermione was no longer in the room. Harry grinned triumphantly as he made his final move to win the game.
Seamus glared at his friend, "I thought I finally had you."
"Maybe next time, Seamus." Harry stood and gave an exaggerated yawn, "I think I'll turn in for the night. See you in the morning." Seamus didn't say anything. He just continued to look down at the chess board angrily. Harry chuckled as he made his way up to his room. He changed into a T-shirt and pajama bottoms and climbed into bed, pretending to go to sleep. When he looked at the clock, it was only 10:30. He sighed heavily as he closed his eyes and pretended to sleep. Neville had already turned in, and Harry could hear him snore softly as he slept. About half an hour later, he heard Seamus come in and climb into bed. Harry rolled over and looked at the clock again, happy to see it finally read 11:55. He quietly threw back his covers and crept down the stairs to the common room, confident that his roommates were sound asleep. When he got downstairs, he was happy to see the room was deserted, but disappointed that Hermione wasn't there yet. He sat in a chair near the fire and waited anxiously for her to arrive.
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