One Night

Story by: Silver Dragon
E-Mail: darkheart8one@hotmail.com
Rating: PG
Author's Note: A while ago my portkey account was deleted by someone who hacked my account. I'm finally getting around to reuploading my fics. Here's a short little bit of plot less fluff I hope you enjoy!
Disclaimer: Harry Potter, characters, and all related names and phrases are either copyright and/or registered trademarks of J.K. Rowling, Warner Bros. and/or their respective owners. This is a fanfiction, no copyright infringement is intended.

The dark bluish-purple glow of twilight was the only illumination in the room and its sole occupant, a girl dressed in plain navy blue sweatpants and matching sweatshirt with her hair pulled back into a loose pony tail didn't want it any other way.

Silently she drew her knees up and rested her head upon them as a tear beaded at the corner of her eye. A moment later it was set free to roll down her cheek and onto the dark cloth of her sweatpants when she closed her eyes.

A shiver ran down her spine as she sat there on the cold stone of the window seat, gazing out through the frosty glass. Far bellow the outlines of her fellow students frolicking in the snow were easy to see against the backdrop of bluish-white. Hermione smiled sadly since she knew that there were several couples down there having snowball fights, or kissing, or just walking about and enjoying each others company. She wished she was one of them. That she had that special someone to spend her time with. It's not that she couldn't get a boyfriend since she found herself having to turn down several offers since the start of term. No, what she wanted was something so much more than that. Or at least she hoped that what she wanted would be more than just a boyfriend. Hermione wanted the one person in the world that she was sure would never be hers. Harry Potter. Her best friend since her first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

What's wrong with me? Harry was, is, my best friend! I should not be thinking of him like this! Dirty depraved thoughts of pulling him into some dark corner or deserted classroom and snogging him senseless ran through her mind. Some of the thoughts held images and secret desires that were much too impure to let stay in her mind longer then absolutely necessary. And that was only the cleanest of her thoughts and dreams on the matter since the other things were much too impure to let stay in her mind for any longer then it took for her to force them away. Hermione was sure that some of the thoughts and dreams that she'd had concerning her raven haired friend would have made a grown man blush in embarrassment.

"What's wrong with me . . . ?" Hermione asked the air around her, not noticing the torches along the walls crackle to life.

"There's nothing wrong with you."

A light chuckle filled the room when Hermione jumped and fell off the narrow window ledge at sound of someone else speaking. She had thought herself alone high up in the tower.

Before she had time to stand on her own, Hermione found a pair of strong arms lifting her up off the cold stone floor and setting her on her feet.

"H-Harry?" Hermione whispered upon seeing that it was her best friend, the sole inhabitant of her thoughts as of late, that had startled her so.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you," he replied with that grin she knew so well. The one that, during the last few months, made her pulse quicken whenever she saw it.

"Y-you didn't scare me." The corner of Harry's mouth tugged upward in a little half smile that turned her insides into fiery goo and her legs into a couple of limp noodles. "You err . . . " Hermione suddenly felt as if the temperature in the room had shot up a couple of hundred degrees. Oh Merlin that look should be illegal, she thought before quickly turning to hide the deep blush warming her face. But her reprieve was short lived since Harry turned her head gently back to face him a few seconds later. And, when she let her eyes look at him, Hermione found herself wishing the floor would open up and swallow her for she was painfully aware of Harry's lips. They looked so kissable, so sexy, and way too damn close to her own for her sanity.

"I what?" asked Harry, seemingly aloof as to what his actions and proximity were currently doing to his friend. But he was aware. He had, in fact, been aware for some time now of his bushy haired friend's feelings towards him. Or at least he thought that her rather odd behavior around him as of late was because she held feelings for him. He had even come up with a plan to make his own feelings for her known. And that plan would have been implemented this very night if he hadn't been presented with this opportunity.

"You err . . . " Why did he have to be so close to her? Why did he have to be touching her? Why couldn't he be anywhere other than here? She couldn't think straight with him standing there with his hand gently holding her chin.

Harry smiled and moved his fingers from under her chin to trail up along her jaw before finally coming to rest cupping her cheek. "You said that already."

"I . . . " All Hermione could think about was the feel of Harry's hand on her cheek.

A short chortle of laughter escaped from Harry as his smile turned into a smirk. "If I had wanted such lively conversation than I'd have talked to my Firebolt."

Hermione's eyebrows rose in confusion, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Ah, good," replied Harry. "I was thinking that Crookshanks had run off with your tongue for a second there." Hermione's brow knitted uncomprehendingly as she shook her head, causing Harry to laugh lightly again. "Come on Hermione. I know you've been studying all day but you should still be able to talk," said Harry. "That is unless Ron's right and all that studying has finally fried your brain."

"Harry, what are you talking about? It's not possible to fry one's brain by studying." Again, Harry chuckled. She was really out of it tonight.

"There's the Hermione I've come to know and love. I thought someone had replaced you with a transfigured chair."

"Harry, what do you . . . " Hermione froze as Harry's words registered in her mind. "You . . . love me?"

Eyes wide and mouth agape, Harry stared at her. Did I say that? I . . . Damn it Potter! You weren't supposed to say that yet! "Umm . . . " Harry, suddenly not feeling so confident, released her cheek and nervously tugged at the collar of his shirt. I really slipped up . . . Harry admonished himself before giving a mental shrug. I might as well see where it leads . . . "Why do you want to know if I did?"

Hermione blushed and looked away from him. "Because I'd . . . " This is it Granger. You can tell him how you feel. "I'd like to know how you meant it." Oh that was bloody brilliant! You might as well have just come right out and tell him you don't like him! But I do like him . . .

"Oh . . . well . . . " Harry gulped and shoved his hands in his pockets. Where had the confident Harry gone? Why, now that Hermione was no longer in a trance, did he find it so difficult to say what he wanted to? "How do you want me to mean it?"

"I . . . I . . . I don't know," replied Hermione as she fiddled with the hem of her sweatshirt. Liar! Hermione screamed within the confines of her mind. You know exactly how you want him to love you. Suddenly Hermione's cheeks flushed as her mind was filled with the memory of a dream where Harry had loved her all night long. That was definitely one dream she would never tell anyone about.

Harry blinked. She just lied! thought Harry. She knows how she wants me to love her. Glancing at her, Harry noticed Hermione's flushed cheeks and unsure expression and he suddenly knew. He knew how she wanted him to love her. He knew what he had to do. A sigh of relief escaped him before he took a steadying breath and ran a hand through his hair. During his planning he had had come up with a way to say what he wanted to say and it didn't require him to say a word. A fact he was quite relieved by since he didn't trust his voiced at the moment.

Without a sound Harry gently but firmly raised Hermione's chin, braced himself for slap he hoped would never come, and touched his lips to hers.

Hermione's mind screeched to a halt when she felt Harry's lips on her own. The kiss was soft and tender, unsure yet confident. It was what Hermione had hoped and dreamt her first kiss would be like. Silently, she closed her eyes and surrendered herself to the kiss.

Harry's mind spun as he kissed Hermione. This was so much different than when Cho had kissed him. He couldn't even really remember what that kiss had been like except that he hadn't enjoyed it all that much. But this kiss . . . This kiss he knew he would never forget as long as he lived.

Several long seconds later Harry pulled back slightly, breaking the kiss, and hugged her tightly. "I love you like that," he whispered in her ear before pressing his lips to hers in a brief feather light kiss.

Hermione stood there, lips pursed, for a few seconds as she savored the memory and feeling of the kiss before opening her eyes and smiling at Harry. "I was hoping that you meant it that way," she whispered softly as though afraid speaking too loud would shatter the moment.

Harry smiled and pulled her into his arms and kissed the top of her head, "I love you."

“I love you too, Harry:”

Hermione felt Harry's arms tighten around her in wordless response. Neither knew, or cared, how long they had stood there, holding each other, when Hermione felt Harry take a shaky breath. She looked up and saw Harry gazing at her through watery eyes. In that moment when brown met shimmering green she had to say it again. "I love you," she whispered as a single tear rolled down her cheek. "I'll always love you Harry Potter."

Silently, Harry leaned down and captured Hermione's lips with his own in another soft kiss as a single tear rolled down his cheek.

Well that was certainly a sappy piece of fluff. And since, in my humble opinion, you can never have too many sappy or fluffy fics it's a sure bet that this won't be the last one I write. ^_^

Please leave a review to tell me what you thought of it!