In Her Touch
Their Touches
I've been watching them. Pathetic as it is, I have been watching them. I've been looking to see if that touch was real or not. Was it an invention of my own imagination helped along by a bit too much fire whiskey? Or had it been real? It wasn't my imagination. That touch, and their reactions to it, exists. As a matter of fact that touch exists in four distinct incarnations.
First, there is the original touch. The first one I ever noticed. The one where Hermione lightly combs her fingers through Harry's hair and his eyes drift shut as he tilts his head back and smiles and she smiles in return. Then there is the light touch. With this one Hermione just barely grazes her hand across Harry's hair; her fingers don't comb through his hair, his eyes don't always drift completely shut but he smiles and so does she. There's the playful touch. That one always happens when we're having a laugh and Harry'll do or say something cheeky and she'll take her fingers and ruffle them through his hair as she tells him what a cheeky bastard he is. That always gets a booming laugh out of him and he usually says something to the effect of that being the reason she loves him so. She'll smile then. Last is the private touch. I've only seen it once but once was one time too many. It'd been one of Harry's not so good days; it was Remus' birthday and Harry wasn't handling it well. As soon as we walked in you could tell something was wrong, that he wasn't quite himself. Hermione went straight to him and stood behind his chair; she threaded her fingers through his hair and slowly massaged his scalp in a circular sort of motion. Harry let his eyes close and leaned his head back against her and sighed. I went to the kitchen and got myself a drink after that one…not the kind of thing I enjoyed seeing.
It wasn't my imagination. The touch was very real; actually I've come to realize that they have an entire collection of touches between them. For example, whenever we're out just the three of us Hermione walks in the middle and she holds both our hands, Harry's and mine. Even if I let go he doesn't. What's more their fingers are always; always entwined. Then there are the hugs. Hermione's always been rather demonstrative with Harry. All through Hogwarts she was forever barreling into him and hugging him tight enough to constrict his air passages. And she was constantly giving him little pecks on the cheek (it was that sort of behavior that got me thinking she fancied him in the first place). Harry used to be a bit uneasy about all her affectionate coddling but nowadays he seems to expect it; hell, half the bloody time he initiates it! He hugs her hello and goodbye and he's not about dropping a kiss to her cheek or forehead either.
No the touch was not a figment of my imagination. It was in all actuality a revelation. I've tried to rationalize all of this information but my way of thinking always reverts to the fact that there is more between them than just friendship; they just haven't figured it out yet. But how could they feel anything other than a purely platonic affection for one another and not notice it; not act on it. I mean bloody hell I tried using that line of logic on my feelings for Hermione and spent nearly four years in misery over the mere thought of her with someone else. How could Harry function any differently? If he loved her the way I do he wouldn't be able to stand it. But then Harry doesn't love like the average person. He'd forego his own happiness in a second if it meant making someone else he cared for happy. Ruddy damn perfect git! Even when he's not trying to he makes us regular blokes look bad. (Sigh).
No matter how many times and how many ways I consider it, it all comes down the same in the end. It's not just friendship with those two…it's more…it's so much more. So much deeper and truer; more natural and effortless than anything they could ever or would ever have with anyone else. And one day they'll sort that out for themselves. But only Merlin knows how long that will take. And as they're both so bloody noble and loyal they'd never interfere in the other's supposed happiness. A real friend would sit the pair of them down and make them see what's as plain as the noses on their faces. Yeah, that's what a true mate would do. A true mate…a real friend would help them see that they belong together…and I am that to them…their real friend, their honest and true mate. But I'm not just Harry and Hermione's real, true and honest mate…I'm Harry's girlfriend's brother and Hermione's lover and I've never been anywhere near as noble as they are.
A/N: Still working? Next chapter we'll see Hermione's perspective.
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