Unofficial Portkey Archive

Story by: Silver Dragon
E-Mail: darkheart8one@hotmail.com
Rating: PG-13
Author's Note: Thank you all for the reviews so far! Here's the final chapter and a scene that, I'm sure, many of you have been waiting for!
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.

"Harry!" squealed Hermione at the tickly sensation of his tongue on her cheek. She pushed against him but something didn't feel right. Harry's shirt didn't feel like cloth. In fact, there was no Harry at all! "Harry?" she questioned. Opening her eyes, Hermione found herself laying on the floor beside one of the tables with what looked like a fuzzy cucumber with tiny blackish green eyes and a mouth licking her cheek. Hermione stared in puzzlement at the animal, or was it a plant? before gently setting it on the floor. It scampered off into some darkened corner.

"Were you dreaming about me?" To say that Hermione was startled by the sound of Harry's voice was an understatement. When he had spoken Harry was sure that Hermione had jumped at least a foot off the ground.

"H-Harry?!" Hermione looked around. it was dark save for the shining point of light at the end of Harry's wand. "What's . . . how long have I been asleep?"

"For a few hours," replied Harry while stretching his legs out before crossing them.

"Oh. Sorry," said Hermione as she sat up. "It couldn't have been much fun without anyone to talk to."

Harry shrugged at her and held up a book he had been reading, "I found something interesting in that library you call a book bag."

"Which one is that?" asked Hermione as she moved to sit next to Harry. "Oh, I forgot I had that in there," said Hermione upon seeing that it was her old beat up copy of Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None.

"It's pretty good so far."

"It's considered one of the best mystery stories ever written." Harry nodded and set the book aside.

"So what were you dreaming about?" Hermione could feel her face heat up as she stared at the floor while playing with the hem of her skirt.

"It was err . . . "

" . . . about me," Harry finished for her. "Sometimes I . . . " he cleared his throat to try and get rid of the lump that had suddenly lodged itself there. Why had he said that? Now he had to come up with something. And quick! "Sometimes I dream about you too." Ok, perhaps not the best thing he could have said. But then honesty is generally considered to be the best policy.

"Really?" for the moment Hermione's curious side took over. "What happens in your dreams?" she asked with amusement twinkling in her eyes. She knew enough from overheard conversations during class or at meal times to know what most guys dream about when it comes to girls.

"Usually you're yelling at me or Ron about how he failed all out classes because we didn't study." Hermione nodded. That certainly seemed like something she'd do. "But sometimes it's just you and me and we're-" Harry's face turned bright red as he stopped talking, suddenly aware that he had said to much already.

"We're what Harry?" asked Hermione, one of her eyebrow's arched slightly. The silence and awkward half smile she got made her face flush. "Oh . . . " Seconds turned into minutes as they sat there in awkward silence before Hermione spoke again. "Do you really want to . . .do those things . . . with me?" If Harry had been taking a drink or eating something at that moment he was sure it'd now be all over the floor in front of him.

"No!" the young wizard practically yelled. "Yes!" his tone one of certain uncertainty. "I mean I-I . . . don't know." Harry scratched the back of his head nervously before quickly adding, "Not that I wouldn't like to." Both teens turned scarlet at his words. "It's just that . . . uhh . . . "

"I . . . wouldn't mind it either," replied Hermione while a feeling of astonishment at just having said that washed over her.

A feeling of joyful disbelief filled Harry upon hearing her words. "You wouldn't?"

Hermione didn't answer for several seconds, apparently finding the stone floor very interesting. "No. But I . . . wouldn't want it to happen right now!"

"Of course not!" replied Harry. "We're much too young for those sorts of things."

"Yea. And umm . . . "

"We haven't even kissed before."

"Yes!" replied Hermione, her nervousness and embarrassment at the current conversation causing her to talk much louder then needed. "I mean yes. I'd at least have to know the guy for some time before I'd um . . . sleep with him."

Harry nodded in agreement but asked, "Why's that?" Ok . . . stupid question Potter.

"I . . . uh . . . I . . . don't know? It just . . . sounds right?" it was painfully obvious that she didn't know why she had said it. "And I . . . I umm . . . "

A grin settled on Harry's red face. "I don't believe it. Hermione Granger doesn't have an answer. Where's my quill? I better write this down so it can be put in Hogwarts: A History." Hermione stared at him for a second, her short circuiting brain taking much longer then usual to process what he had said, before she punched him in the arm. "What the hell was that for? That really hurt!" exclaimed Harry as he grabbed his arm.

Hermione snickered at him. She knew that while it didn't hurt him near as much as he was acting like it did. "For making fun of me."

"I wasn't making fun of you," replied Harry as he smirked at her. "I was merely pointing out a historical event."

"Oh?" Hermione's smirk matched Harry's exactly. "Then perhaps I should write about how The-Boy-Who-Lived was beaten by a girl."

Harry raised an eyebrow at her. "But I haven't been defeated by a girl before," replied Harry as a mischievous grin settled on Hermione's face. A second later she tackled him suddenly and began tickling him without mercy. It only lasted about a minute before Harry took control and pinned Hermione to the floor with her hands held firmly above her head with one of his own while the other set about returning every tickle he had received.

Several laughter filled minutes later they lay with flushed faces and tears in their eyes. "How did you know I was ticklish there?!" asked Hermione.

"You mean here?" Harry's hand moved to her abdomen and lightly brushed against her side before freezing there. Hermione's shirt had risen and his hand was in contact with bare skin.

The two teens stared at his hand as their hearts raced and their minds overloaded. Hermione found that Harry's hand felt incredibly warm against her while Harry, once again, found her skin smoother then silk. Slowly, realization as to their current position crept into their minds.

It felt like a warm soft weight was draped along Hermione's body, pinning her to the cool stone floor of the greenhouse. Every spot where they touched sent waves of warmth coursing through her while the spot where his hand caressed her seemed to be on fire.

Slowly, their eyes traveled up their prone forms, taking in the site of their entwined legs, their disheveled clothing, until their eyes locked. Never had either been in a situation like this. Never had their posture been so . . . intimate. And if they hadn't felt something before then they certainly did now. Each could see an endless depth of emotion in the others eyes. But neither knew, or perhaps they simply chose not to believe, what it was they saw in those pools of emerald and chocolate.

"Harry . . . " she was silenced by Harry's fingers on her lips. The spot where they had rested against her side now felt cold in the warm air of the greenhouse.

Hermione could see turmoil in Harry's eyes as they laid there, their bodies resting against each other and their lips yet again only inches from touching.

Why doesn't he kiss me already? thought Hermione. Surely Harry knew by now that she would welcome such an act.

Harry's mind screamed at him to move, to get up and forget what was happening. His mind told him that this was against every rule of friendship in existence. It told him that if he didn't get up right now he'd cross the unspoken boundary that separated friendship from something more. But Harry wasn't going to listen to his mind and, instead, chose to follow his heart. After all, it hadn't led him astray since he came to Hogwarts so why stop now?

Time seemed to slow as he somehow found the moisture needed to dampen his parched lips. "I'm," his hand gently cupped her cheek as his lips moved to within hair's breadth of her own, "going to kiss you . . . " Harry didn't give Hermione time to reply before closing the tiny gap between them and brushing his lips to hers. When he broke the kiss less then a second later they looked at each other in confusion.

There hadn't been any bright lights or imaginary fireworks. There hadn't been angels singing or an explosion of emotion within them. It hadn't felt like anything at all. It had just been.

Both teens wondered what was wrong. Why hadn't it felt special? Why hadn't they felt anything at all? Surely they should have felt something, anything. It wouldn't have mattered if it was bad or good. Anything would have been better then nothing.

Slowly, they tentatively drew closer again for neither would be satisfied if that was all. They needed something more then what that kiss had been. They needed to know if that was it. Each hesitated for an instant before their lips met again.

And then, the moment their lips touched, it happened. Those fireworks they had expected now burst, an otherworldly melody seemed to fill their minds as that expected explosion of raw emotions filled them up, and for the first time, they willingly and knowingly gave that emotion they saw so adamantly displayed in each other's eyes a name. Love.

Each took a deep settling breath several minutes later when they broke the kiss.

"That was . . . " Hermione's eyes shimmered with unshed tears in the light from Harry's wand that now lay forgotten somewhere to the side.

"Cosmic," replied Harry, his mouth set in a happy lopsided grin, while Hermione quirked an eyebrow at his description before realizing that it, indeed, was the perfect way to describe what they had just experienced.

Silence settled over them as they laid their staring at each other. What was to happen now? Their minds drew a blank as to what, if anything, they were supposed to do now. But after a minute of mulling over their thoughts they did the only thing that came to mind, kissing. And after that they kissed some more.

Sometime late into the night they lazily pulled apart, each slightly light headed from a general lack of oxygen, and smiled with bruised lips and flushed faces.

Hermione covered her mouth as she yawned, "As much as I'm enjoying this I need my beauty sleep."

"Why? You're already more then beautiful in my eyes," Harry replied, earning him a sweet smile and peck on the lips from Hermione.

"That's sweet of you to say," Hermione yawned. "But I really am tired." Harry chuckled and smoothed back a stray strand of hair from Hermione's face.

"Guess I'm too much for you."

Hermione giggled as she folded her discarded robe for use as a pillow. "Just don't want you to get tired of me."

"Time will end before that happens." Harry leaned down and gave Hermione a quick kiss on the lips before lying next to her and extinguishing the light from his wand.

Unknown minutes passed as he lay on his back, staring up at the starry sky through glass roof of the greenhouse. So much, and yet so little, had happened today that he couldn't quiet his thoughts and fall asleep. The sound of soft even breaths from beside him told Harry that Hermione had no such trouble. Or at least that she was too tired to let it happen. Hermione . . . Harry rolled onto his side and propped his head up on his arm to get a better look at her in the pale moonlight. The dim bluish gray light seemed to make her skin glow with a ghostly beauty he never saw before. Gently, so as not to wake her, he reached out a hand trailed his fingers down the side of her face and across her jaw. She looked so angelic when sleeping.

A smile came to Harry's face as Hermione reached out for him in her sleep. Or at least he assumed that she was reaching for him. Harry moved a little closer to her and let out a silent yelp of surprise when Hermione pulled him to her with surprising strength. Hermione's hands where clamped firmly onto his shirt, her body molded to his own, and her head was tucked neatly under his chin. Only one thing ran through his mind, they fit perfectly together.

Somehow, an hour or so later, Harry finally managed to drift off to sleep and dream of the brown eyed girl holding him, her more than willing captive.

"Mmm . . . " Hermione rolled onto her back and stretched to work the kinks from her muscles. She had had a wonderful nights sleep despite having slept on the hard stone floor of the greenhouse. The only thing that would have made it better was if the blasted sun hadn't reared its head and shown so brightly through the windows of the greenhouse.

"Ouch!" exclaimed a now wide awake Harry as he rubbed his nose. "What did I do to deserver that?"

Hermione gave him a questioning look before realizing that, when she had stretched, she had inadvertently bonked him on the nose. "Sorry. I didn't mean to."

Harry pouted at her and said, "Well it feels like you meant to do it." Hermione giggled at him.

"You big baby. You want me to kiss your booboo?" The look Harry gave her some somewhere between a grin and a glare. Hermione giggled some more and kissed the tip of his nose. "Better?"

"Uh huh," replied Harry as a mischievous twinkle shown in his eyes. "But now it hurts here," he added while pointing to his lips.

Hermione raised an eyebrow at him and smirked, "And what, Mr. Potter, do you expect me to do about it?"

"I . . . " What did he want her to do about it? He expected her to kiss him is what he bloody well expected! But he couldn't tell her that! Or could he . . . ? They had spent a few hours snogging their brains out last night so . . . "I want you to kiss me."

"Well why didn't you say so," replied Hermione as she leaned over and captured Harry's lips with her own.

"You'd think they'd have the decency to make sure they're alone before doing that. I just ate breakfast and don't feel like losing it."

Harry and Hermione jumped apart the moment their brains registered the voice that didn't belong to either of them.

"Ma-Malfoy!" Harry's eyes narrowed at his least favorite classmate before noticing the girl standing next to him, her hand clasped with Draco's.

"Ginny?" Hermione's eyes widened slightly at the site of their clasped hands. "What are you doing with him?" Never would she have imagined that Ginny and Draco would hang out together. Let alone that Ginny would be alone with him in a virtually deserted part of the castle where the Slytherin could do anything that popped into his twisted little mind.

"Well . . . " Ginny's red face matched her hair nearly perfectly. She hadn't planned on there being anyone here this early. Let alone Harry and Hermione being here. Not to mention the fact that they were kissing!

"We came here to do what you and the mudblood," Ginny smacked Draco none to gently on the arm and glared at him. "Sorry, what you and Hermione were doing a moment ago."

"WHAT?!" Harry and Hermione's faces were twin masks of shock and disgust. Had Malfoy just apologized to them? And why on Earth would Ginny be here to snog with Malfoy?

"I . . . umm . . . " An idea sprung into her head as she stood there looking at them, causing her to smile. "If you don't tell Ron about me and Draco then I won't tell him about you two."

Harry and Hermione turned red and looked around nervously.

"Wh-what about us?" asked Harry. "There's nothing going on between Hermione and me."

"Really?" replied Draco. "Last time I checked it meant something when two people were playing tonsil quidditch."

"We umm . . . I had something in my eye and Harry was just trying to get it out." Ginny and Draco made of poor show of trying to contain their laughter.

"Oh I don't doubt that he would have liked to take something out," snickered Draco.

"I know what I saw. And there isn't an excuse either of you could come up with that I'd believe," said Ginny before giving Hermione a look of utter disbelief. "And I can't believe you, of all people, just said that." Hermione had what was probably the most sheepish smile she'd have had on her face. "Now, what are you two doing in here so early?"

Harry smiled weakly and rubbed the back of his neck. "We umm . . . got locked in . . . "

"Locked in?" again, Draco and Ginny could barely contain their laughter.

"That's a good one Potter," said Draco. "Much better then Granger's excuse for what you two were doing."

"But we really did get locked in!" protested Harry.

"What are you talking about?" asked Draco as he struggled dearly not to fall to the floor in a fit of laughter.

"Err . . . " Harry and Hermione glanced at each other. "The door shocked me when I tried to open it and the skylight is too high to get to and . . . " replied Harry, adding the proverbial straw to the proverbial camel's back, sending Ginny and Draco into a loud fit of laughter. But, seeing as how they hadn't eaten anything in some time and the fact that but desperately wanted a shower and a change of clothes, they quickly left the greenhouse.

"There you are! Where the bloody hell have you been?" asked Ron when Harry and Hermione burst through the portrait hole and into the Gryffindor common room. "I looked all over the bloody castle for you two!"

Everywhere but the last place you saw us, thought Harry. "Hermione convinced me to study with her and we fell asleep."

Ron nodded in understanding before whispering to Harry, "Lucky it was you and not me."

Hermione, hearing what Ron had said, replied, "Yea, he was lucky. And so was I." She smiled at the confused look on Ron's face before looking at Harry. "I'm gonna go take a shower."

Harry's cheeks flushed slightly at the image her words instilled in his mind. "O-k. I'll be right there." Every eye in the common room that had heard him focused on Harry. "I-I mean I'm gonna go take a shower too! Separately!"

Ron snickered at his friends, "Just what was it you two were studying?"

"Charms/Arithmancy!" Harry and Hermione replied.

"Two subjects at once? And Harry isn't in Arithmancy," said Ron as he smirked at them. "I think it was much more along the lines of biology." What was Ron talking about? There was no biology course. Did Ron even know what biology was?

"So Hogwarts' most famous couple has finally realized they're perfect for each other," said Lavender as she approached them. The smile on her face unsettled the stomachs of Harry and Hermione.

"It's a shame really," replied Parvati as she joined them. "Lavender and I had so much fun playing matchmaker. We need to find some new victims now."

"What are you talking about?" asked Harry while Hermione just stared at the girls.

"You two have had an obvious crush on each other for years and we decided it was time you got together," said Lavender.

"So we concocted a little scheme to get you two alone. It was Lavender's idea for it to happen in the greenhouse." Harry and Hermione stared at her while Ron looked on, amusement evident on his face. He and the rest of their house had been filled in on the details late last night.

"And I must say that our little plan worked flawlessly," Lavender smiled at them. "Oh, and sorry about nicking your bracelet Hermione. But it was for a good cause, as I'm sure you'll agree." Hermione nodded numbly.

"But the door. It shocked Harry," said Hermione.

"A simple little charm I placed on it," replied Parvati. "If one of you had happened to try and open it again you would have found it unlocked."

Lavender grinned at them, "And I don't know how both or you managed to forget that the greenhouses aren't locked to prefects. Or that you could have just used a levitation charm to get to the skylight."

"But the look on your faces when Harry looked u-" the rest of what Parvati was going to say was muffled by Hermione's hand. She really didn't want the entirety of Gryffindor house to know the more embarrassing details of what had happened. Though the glimpses of snickers and knowing smiles told her that Parvati and Lavender had already spilled at least some of the details to their housemates.

"How about a picture of you two kissing?" asked Collin, as he and his brother held their cameras at the ready. Harry and Hermione were taken aback at the directness of Collin's request.

"Err . . . umm . . . maybe later. I need a shower!" replied Harry as he bolted up the stairs, pulling Hermione along behind, and leaving a disappointed bunch in the common room.

"Hermione," Lavender called up the stairs, "the girl's showers are the other way!" A second later they saw Hermione dashing back towards the girl's dorms and heard the door to the girl's showers slam shut.

I hope you all enjoyed reading this! I know it doesn't follow canon completely but then where's the fun in that? ^_^

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