Author's note:- Hey guys. This is the last chapter. It might not be an original idea, but I loved writing it. Hopefully you would enjoy it as well. I am keeping my fingers crossed. Apologies for spelling and grammar mistakes.
Disclaimer:- I don't own Harry Potter and anyone or anything related.
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He was already late for the class. He was running as fast as his long legs could carry him.
He sighed with relief as he finally managed to reach the class without getting too late. Harry turned the knob to open the door. He expected classroom to be full by now; however, it was empty. Backside of the classroom was covered in the darkness, and Harry could hear someone moaning with pleasure.
"Who's there?" Harry asked in a loud voice. Moaning stopped, and everything was silent.
"Harry," a girl's voice called his name.
Harry stiffened hearing the voice of his best friend.
He could see the outline of Hermione's curvy form as she walked towards the illuminating part of the class.
"Hermione, what are you doing here?" asked a shocked Harry.
He was more shocked looking at the appearance of his best friend. Her hairs were disheveled, and her lips were swollen. Her clothes were wrinkled, and her robe was missing. She was wearing only a skirt and a school shirt, whose top three buttons were open.
Harry could see the figure of a boy coming out of the darkness.
"Hey Potter," Justin said as he came over and stood next to Hermione. He was shirtless and his trouser's button was undone. He slipped a hand around Hermione's waist pulling her closer to him.
"Herm…Hermione, what are you doing here with Justin?" Harry stammered.
"What do you think I am doing Harry? Getting over you of course," Hermione said sweetly. She wrapped her arms around Justin's neck and kissed him hard on the lips.
"B…But…but you can't get over me." Harry stuttered.
Hermione disentangled herself from Justin and looked at Harry.
"Said who?" Hermione asked and started giggling. She took hold of Justin's hand.
"Let's go, sweetheart. I don't think we are going to get any privacy over here anymore." Hermione said to Justin while sneering at Harry. Hermione started leading Justin towards the door walking past a dejected Harry.
Harry could feel his heart breaking. Hermione, his best friend, the only woman he wanted to share his life with, was just going to stop loving him.
"But I just realized that I am in love with you. You can't leave me now." Harry said desperately.
Justin and Hermione turned around to look at Harry. They both started laughing at Harry. Justin pulled Hermione in his arms. He traced his finger over Hermione's soft cheek. Hermione was looking back at him with an adorable look in her eyes.
Justin turned his face to look at Harry. When he spoke, his voice was echoing around the room, as though if they were not in an empty classroom but an empty Great Hall.
"You are late Potter, too late. She's all mine now." Justin said in a loud voice.
"No," Harry screamed as Justin and Hermione started fading.
"No…no…no…." Harry screamed again, "You can't take her away from me. Hermione…Hermione…don't go…"
He could feel somebody shaking him and calling his name. He wanted to respond. He wanted to ask somebody to stop Hermione from leaving him. But how? He couldn't speak. He could only hear the voices.
"Harry…Harry, you dumbass, get up now." Ron shouted, trying to shake his best friend from his deep slumber.
Harry quickly sat up and started looking around frantically.
"Hermione," he called in a panicked voice.
His eyes fell on Ron, who was standing near his bed. "Ron, where is Hermione? She was with Justin. Then they both just faded." Harry said in terror-filled voice.
Ron glared at Harry. "It was a just a dream Harry." He replied crossly. It took a moment for Harry to register what Ron said.
Harry sighed with relief. "Thank god. I thought that…" Harry stopped, realizing that Ron was not the only one who was up. His other dorm mates were up as well and were now glaring at him, except Neville of course, who was looking at Harry with sympathy.
"Um…sorry guys," Harry said sheepishly. It was the third night in a row that Harry had awoken his dorm mates due to his screaming.
"Do us a favor, Harry. Talk to Hermione in real life, rather than in your dreams. She will surely teach you how to cast a silencing charm around your bed." Seamus said sarcastically. After that Dean, Seamus and Neville went back to sleep, while Ron was still standing near to Harry's bed.
Harry turned red due to embarrassment.
"Was it too bad, Ron? Was I screaming Hermione's name?" Harry asked warily, as he already knew the answer.
Ron was about to say whatever was there on his mind, but thought otherwise and held his tongue.
"We'll talk about this in the morning, Harry."Ron said in calm voice. Harry simply nodded.
Ron went back to his bed and after a couple of minutes, Harry heard him snoring.
"Great," Harry murmured. He took his wand from the nightstand and cast a silencing charm around his bed. Harry checked the time. Few hours were still left before the sunrise.
Sleep wasn't coming easy for Harry; he couldn't stop thinking about a certain brunette, who was supposed to be his best friends, and the woman he was so completely in love with.
Last time he had spoken to Hermione was when he confronted her about her feelings for him. Two weeks passed since then.
First couple of days after their conversation, Harry didn't know how to behave around her. Things were awkward, as Hermione had said. On the top of it all, Hermione was avoiding him and was going out of her way to do so. On the other hand, Cho was again talking to him. She even asked him out on a date, but Harry simply refused. Somehow, whatever he felt for her was not there anymore.
Harry just had no idea what to do. At least now, he understood how Hermione felt when he avoided her after he learned about the diary. It felt terrible, as though if everything in his life had turned upside down.
Not only did he get the experience about how it felt to be the target of avoidance, but he also gained the first-hand experience of how it felt to see the only person you loved, with someone else.
A couple of days back, when Harry had sorted out his feelings and realized that he was in love with Hermione, he decided to talk to her about it and apologize.
After the classes for the day were over, Harry went to the library to talk to Hermione. However, Hermione was not alone. Justin Finch-Fletchley was sitting there with her, and they were chatting amicably. A flame of jealousy flared inside Harry's heart. He tried to hear what they were talking about. The only thing he caught was Justin asking Hermione if she was interested in spending her Hogsmeade weekend with him. Harry lost his temper that moment. Harry distinctly remembered what happened that day.
"Hermione would you like to go to Hogsmeade with me this weekend." Justin asked shyly.
Hermione looked surprised at this. However, before she could reply, Harry jumped in between their conversation.
"No, she won't," Harry said in a loud voice, glaring at the startled Justin. Both Hermione and Justin stood up.
"Harry, what are you doing here? Hermione asked looking shocked at Harry's sudden appearance. However, Harry ignored her question and stared at Justin.
"She's not going with you." Harry said firmly.
"Why not?" Hermione asked in a calm yet dangerous voice.
Harry gulped and looked at Hermione. In the fit of his rage over Justin, Harry had forgotten for a second that Hermione was there as well.
"You are going with me." Harry said without thinking. His eyes widened, realizing what he had just said.
"And who the hell are you to decide that?" Hermione retorted.
"You should go with me, not with him." Harry said lamely.
Hermione narrowed her eyes at Harry; however, she didn't say anything to him. A calm, (according to Harry, too calm) expression took over her face. She turned to Justin and said, "I'd love to go with you Justin."
Justin brightened at this. "Thanks Hermione," he said and left the library.
Hermione simply decided to ignore Harry after that and started packing her school bag.
"Why did you do that?" Harry asked angrily after Justin left the library.
Hermione glowered at Harry. "Because I wanted to," She replied shortly and quickly walked out of the library, leaving an angry Harry behind.
However, that was not the end of the story. When the Hogsmeade weekend arrived, Harry dragged a dazed and annoyed Ron with him, to follow Hermione and Justin in the Hogsmeade. They both had hidden themselves under the invisibility cloak owned by Harry.
Harry saw Justin and Hermione getting along well. He realized that they both had many common interests. Justin went to the bookstore with Hermione, something Harry and Ron always avoided. Not that Hermione complained about it. Harry had thought regretfully that Hermione might have wanted them to go with her, but didn't say anything because of their rude attitude.
After moving around the Hogsmeade Justin and Hermione had gone to the Three Broomsticks. Harry wanted to follow them there; however, Ron had blatantly refused. Finally, they decided to go back to the castle. That day Harry learned that he had literally taken Hermione for granted.
Harry shifted in his bed to get in a comfortable position and closed his eyes. It was going to be a long night.
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It was Saturday morning. Harry could feel sunlight falling on his face, making him feel warm. He opened his eyes and sat up. He realized that he was the only one left in the dormitory, rest of his dorm mates had already left for the breakfast. He groaned with frustration and pulled himself out of the bed.
After taking care of his morning rituals, Harry left the Gryffindor tower. When he entered the Great Hall, he saw Ron, Seamus, and Dean sitting together and talking to each other quietly. Harry made his way towards them.
"Hey guys, Good Morning," Harry said as he took an empty seat next to Ron.
Ron looked up at his best friend. "Good Morning Harry," Ron replied groggily. Dean and Seamus simply nodded in acknowledgement.
"Didn't get to sleep enough?" Harry teased.
"Shut up Harry," Ron replied in an annoyed voice.
"You know Harry, if a certain someone had guts to do something about his feelings for his best girl friend, I might have slept well." Ron said sarcastically.
Harry decided to ignore his comment and started filling his plate with the food.
It was the same thing for the last couple of days. Ron was trying to convince Harry to talk with Hermione. When Ron had pressurized Harry to tell what exactly happened between him and Hermione, Harry told him about the diary and the confrontation he had with Hermione. To his surprise, Ron admitted that he knew about Hermione's feelings.
It looked like almost everyone knew about Hermione's feelings for Harry. To Harry's dismay, even Malfoy knew about it as he once made a shite remark about Hermione's feelings for Harry. Hermione was embarrassed, and Harry landed himself into a detention with Prof. Snape for punching Malfoy.
After everything that happened with Justin and Malfoy, Harry just couldn't bring himself to talk with Hermione. Moreover, he was finding it hard to concentrate on his performance as a seeker in his house team and Gryffindors were going to play a very important match against Slytherins next week.
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Ron and Luna were sitting near the lake, under a tree. After finishing the breakfast, Ron had left with Luna, and Harry went back to Gryffindor tower to do his homework.
Ron had shared his worries over Harry with Luna. He was worried that Harry will not be able to concentrate on the game against Slytherin.
Even if it looked like Ron's main concern was Quidditch, for him, it was not just about Quididtch. His best friends were suffering, and he wanted to end their suffering. He knew Harry and Hermione were too stubborn to take the first step, so it was upon him to push them together.
Furthermore, to avoid Harry, Hermione was avoiding Ron as well. Therefore, Ron had to do his homework on his own.
"Why don't you lock them with each other in a room with Nargles? I am sure they will help them in getting together. After all, Nargles did help us in getting together. They can do the same thing for our friends as well." Luna said with a faraway look in her eyes.
Ron stared dumbly at his girlfriend, and then it clicked in his mind.
"Why didn't I think of it earlier?" Ron said excitedly.
"What is it?" Luna asked dreamily. Ron looked at his girlfriend with an exciting glint in his eyes.
"We just need to lock them together. They would never be able to resist each other's company." Ron said.
Looking at Luna's confused expression, Ron continued.
"The main reason why Harry and Hermione are avoiding each other is because they can't resist each other's company. Whenever they are in close vicinity, they attract each other like magnets, even though they have no idea about it. All we have to do is get them together at one place, and they will sort out rest of the things on their own." Ron finished.
"That's very thoughtful, Ron." Luna said through a smile and kissed him lightly on the lips.
"We can lock them in Greenhouse. That room is full of Nargles and Mistletoe." Luna said absentmindedly.
Ron had no idea what she was talking about; however, he nodded his head.
`I am a one lucky bloke to have her in my life.' Ron thought with a smile. He leaned forward and captured her lips in a loving kiss. Rest of their time at lake was spent snogging each other senseless.
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According to their plan, Ron prepared two notes, one for Harry, and another one for Hermione. With the help of Luna, Ron changed his writing to Harry and Hermione's writing.
In Harry's note, Hermione asked him to meet him at the Greenhouse.
Dear Harry,
Meet me at the Greenhouse today, at 8:30 PM.
Hermione
In Hermione's note, Harry asked her to meet him at the Greenhouse.
Dear Hermione,
Please meet me at the Greenhouse today, at 8:30 PM. Please, it's important.
Harry
After writing the notes, Ron and Luna went to Owlery and sent the notes to the respective parties. After sending the notes, they went to meet Dobby. It took them about more than just a couple of hours, to convince him to steal the wands of Harry and Hermione. In the end, Dobby agreed to help Harry and Harry Potter's Hermy (a name Dobby had given to Hermione).
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Harry was surprised when he received Hermione's letter. He couldn't believe that Hermione wanted to meet him. He was very excited to get a chance to tell Hermione about his feelings.
On the other hand, Hermione was scared about meeting Harry. She had been avoiding Harry since their conversation in the boys' dormitory. She knew Harry was probably blaming himself for whatever happened between them. However, she didn't want to face his rejection and pity.
She didn't want to avoid him. Seeing the miserable look in his eyes, hurt her, but she didn't know what else to do. For once Hermione Granger didn't know the answers to her problems.
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For some reason, Harry couldn't find his wand. Therefore, he made his way to the Greenhouse without it. It didn't seem to bother him as all he could think was about Hermione.
When he reached the Greenhouse, to his surprise, it was open. When he entered the room, Hermione was already there. She was looking at one of the plants, so she didn't notice Harry coming and stand behind her.
"Hi Hermione," Harry said softly. Hermione almost jumped at this and turned around.
"Harry," she said in a startled voice.
They both stared at each other, not knowing what to say.
Suddenly, they heard the noise at the gates, only to find them close.
"What the hell?" Harry exclaimed loudly as he made his way to the door. He tried to open the door, but it wouldn't budge.
"It's locked." Harry said as Hermione came over and stood next to him.
"Use your wand." Hermione said.
"I don't have my wand with me. You would have to use yours." Harry replied.
Hermione panicked at this. "But I don't have my wand either. I couldn't find it anywhere when I left the tower." She answered back, "That means we are locked here."
Hermione started banging on the door. "Hey open the door. Whosoever you are, just open the bloody door or I'll hex you when I'll get out of here." Hermione shouted.
"You can't hex me as your wand is with me." Ron replied from the other side of the door.
"Ron, is that you? What the hell you think you are doing?" Harry said in a thunderous voice.
"Sorry mate, but all this shouting is not going to open the door. You both have been acting stupid for last two weeks. I am tired of putting up with both of your idiocy. It's time you two sort out your issues. Either do that or stay here for the rest of the night and tomorrow as well, as it would be Sunday and Greenhouse will not be opened." Ron said in a calm voice.
"If you need anything you can call Dobby. He'll bring you whatever you will require, except your wands. Now I'll leave you guys alone. Goodnight." with that, they heard Ron casting a powerful silencing charm on the door and then leaving.
"I just don't believe we are locked in the Greenhouse." Hermione said irately.
Harry looked at Hermione, who was pacing back and forth furiously.
"You didn't send the note. Did you?" Harry asked, taking out the note from the pocket of his robe.
"No, I didn't send it and you didn't either." She said. It wasn't a question.
"No," Harry replied with a chuckle.
They both were quiet for a couple of minutes.
"What should we do now?" Hermione asked, looking around at the magical plants.
Harry simply shrugged. "Let's find a safe place to sit, away from these dangerous plants." He suggested. Hermione nodded in agreement.
They went to the other side of the Greenhouse, where there were no plants.
"We can sit here." Hermione said gesturing towards the wall farthest away from the plants. They both settled themselves on the cold floor, sitting next to each other with their backs resting against the wall.
Hermione sighed. "What do we do for the rest of the night?" She asked.
"Talk," Harry replied.
"What's there to talk?" Hermione said in a defeated voice.
Harry didn't reply. He had thought of many things he wanted to tell Hermione. However, at the moment his mind was completely blank.
"Harry," Hermione called his name.
"Yeah," Harry said in a distracted voice.
"Why did you react the way you did, when Justin asked me to go with him on the Hogsmeade trip?" Hermione asked curiously.
Harry looked at her with intense eyes. "I was jealous." He replied blatantly.
Hermione was stunned at his transparent confession.
"Why were you jealous?" she asked in a soft voice.
"He was going to take you away from me." Harry said with a faraway look on his face.
Hermione simply chuckled at his reply. "What's so funny?" Harry asked in a hurt voice.
Hermione squeezed his hand. "You have nothing to be jealous about, Harry." Hermione said gently, "And I am not going anywhere."
Harry felt relieved at her words; however, he also felt confused at her words. Hermione simply smiled.
"Justin didn't ask me for a date. He just wanted to ask me about Demelza Robins." Hermione replied in an amused voice.
"Robins, you mean Gryffindor Chaser, Demelza Robins." Harry said skeptically.
Hermione started laughing at this. "Yes Harry, I am talking about Gryffindor Quidditch team's star chaser Demelza Robins. Justin wanted to ask her out, but he didn't know anything about her. As Justin is my study partner in Arthimancy class, he decided to ask me about her. He asked her out two days back." She said in a calm voice. However, looking at the incredulous expression on Harry's face, she bursts out laughing.
"I just made a fool out of myself." Harry said looking astonished.
"Well, there's no doubt about it, Mr. Potter." Hermione said playfully, ruffling Harry's already messy hair with her hand.
Harry looked at Hermione with a roguish grin on his face and before Hermione could comprehend what was happening, Harry pulled her on his lap.
"Harry," Hermione squealed in surprise, as Harry started to tickle her mercilessly.
"Ha…Harry… s...st...Stop it." Hermione managed to blurt out between her fits of laughter.
Harry stopped tickling her, but didn't let her go out of his embrace. He just wanted to hold her like this forever and never ever wanted to let her go.
Hermione was entranced with the intense look in Harry's eyes, as though if he was looking straight into her soul. She felt as though if she had stopped breathing. It was something she had never seen in his eyes before. However, before her thoughts could move further, Harry captured her lips in a passionate kiss.
Hermione's mind was completely blank. The only thing she knew was that Harry was kissing her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and responded to his kiss as passionately as she could. She wasn't aware of anything else in the universe, except her and Harry.
Harry felt like he was flying. No! Even flying didn't feel this good. He was definitely in heaven. In last two weeks, he had imagined many times how it would feel to kiss Hermione; however, who cared about the imagination anymore. Real kiss was so much better and intoxicating than the imaginary ones.
He pulled Hermione as close as possible. Hermione could feel Harry's tongue at her lower lip and immediately opened her mouth to receive him. A thrill shot through her whole body and she shivered, as she tasted him, drank him.
Harry pulled back.
"Are you feeling cold?" Harry asked in a husky voice, concern evident in his emerald green eyes.
"Umm…no, I am feeling very hot." Hermione blurted out. Her mind was hazy and she just wanted to continue kissing Harry.
Harry grinned at her and pulled her back in a blazing kiss, pouring all his love for her into that kiss. He received as good as he gave. Hermione tasted like chocolate and smelled like vanilla. Her body was soft and felt very good against his hard ones, making his blood rush in the lower region of his body. He felt like he couldn't get enough of her.
With a gasp, Harry pulled back.
"I…I think we should stop." Harry said breathing hard.
A crestfallen look appeared on Hermione's face.
"Why?" She whispered. Harry leaned forward and gave her a brief but intense kiss.
"If we continue doing this, I will not be able to stop myself from going further. And I know we both are not ready for that next step yet." Harry said tenderly. Finally, Hermione smiled.
"Yeah, you are right." Hermione agreed.
"Does this mean that you also have feelings for me?" Hermione asked in a tentative voice.
"Do you have any doubt?" Harry asked as his eyes darkened with passion.
Hermione just shook her head and lightly kissed Harry on the lips.
"I love you, Hermione." Harry said with a tender kiss, "I am sorry it took me this long to realize it."
Tears welled up in Hermione's eyes. "I love you too, Harry." Hermione replied.
Hermione shifted so that she was sitting next to Harry. She rested her head on Harry's shoulder, as Harry put his arms around her and pulled her closer.
"Hermione, can I tell you something?" Harry asked hesitantly.
Hermione looked at Harry. "What is it, Harry?" she asked with a questioning look in her eyes.
"Promise me, you won't be angry." Harry said.
"I promise." Hermione said.
"You know when you went to Hogsmeade with Justin," Harry started, "Ron, and I were following you."
"But I didn't see you or Ron that day in the Hogsmeade." Hermione said in a puzzled voice.
Harry grinned at Hermione. "We were under invisibility cloak and trust me, I don't want to share the invisibility cloak with Ron ever again. We had to stick together while walking as the cloak was not big enough for both of us." Harry said. He shuddered remembering his experience of standing very close to Ron, almost pressed together, under his invisibility cloak on a hot and humid day.
Hermione started giggling at this. "I would have loved to see that. It must have been a very romantic sight."
Harry leaned towards Hermione so that their faces were just inches apart.
"I would have very much preferred you in the invisibility cloak with me that day." Harry said with a suggestive look in his eyes, making Hermione blush furiously.
"Is that why he was so grumpy that night at dinner?" she asked, her eyes dancing with amusement.
"Yeah, he kept muttering under his breath the whole time we were in the Great Hall." Harry said in an amused voice and they both shared a good laugh at this.
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They spent the next couple of hours in talking and occasionally kissing and snogging each other.
"Do you think we should try to get out of here?" Hermione said breathlessly pulling back from another intense kiss she shared with Harry. This time they both were standing, with Hermione's back pressed against the wall. Hermione had her arms loomed around Harry's neck and Harry's arms were wrapped around her waist with his body completely pressed against hers.
"Do we really have to?" Harry asked Hermione distractedly as he moved his lips from her jaw to her neck leaving a trail of fire behind. Harry was having a hard time to control himself. He wanted to take Hermione then and there. His desire to be with Hermione in every possible way was consuming him.
"Mmmm…Yeah." Hermione replied abstractedly.
Harry pulled back slightly. "How are going to do that? We don't have our wands." He said in a perplexed manner.
Hermione didn't answer immediately. She was in a dazed state and was having a hard time understanding what Harry said. Finally, she managed to recover from her hazy state.
"We can ask Dobby to open the door." Hermione suggested.
"I really don't want to leave right now." Harry said, caressing Hermione's cheek.
"We can continue this in the common room." Hermione said looking in the intense green eyes of her boyfriend.
"Do you think he would help us?" Harry asked doubtfully.
"It's worth trying. Besides we have already resolved our issues." Hermione replied coyly as she started to nibble Harry's ear.
"You keep doing that, and we won't be leaving the Greenhouse before morning." Harry said gruffly, trying to control his yearning.
Hermione gave a seductive smile in return. "What? I am not doing anything." She said innocently, slowly tracing Harry's firm chest with her finger.
Harry grabbed her hand. "You are such a wicked witch." Harry said teasingly.
Harry pulled back from her without letting go of her hand.
After making themselves presentable, Harry decided to try to call Dobby for help.
"Dobby" Harry said.
With a loud `POP', a small figure appeared in front of Harry and Hermione.
Dobby looked at Harry with his big round eyes. "Harry Potter called Dobby. What can Dobby do for Harry Potter and Harry Potter's Hermy?" Dobby asked.
"Umm…Dobby, can you open the door of the Greenhouse for us?" Harry asked the tiny house-elf.
"You know, we have already sorted out our issues, so you can let us out of here." Hermione added.
Dobby's eyes widened at this. "Door is already open, Harry Potter sir." Dobby said staring at Harry with wide eyes.
"Uh…oh" Harry said unintelligibly. Hermione nudged him in the ribs.
"Oh…thank you Dobby," Harry said.
"Dobby is always happy to help Harry Potter and his Hermy." Dobby said with a tearful smile.
"Thank you very much Dobby. You can go now." Hermione said kindly.
Dobby gave a short bow and disappeared with a loud `POP'.
After that, Harry and Hermione left the Greenhouse and went back to Gryffindor common room. Fortunately, they didn't meet anyone on their way to Gryffindor tower, and once they were safely inside the tower, they resumed their previous activity, trying to make up for the lost time in just one night.
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Next day, Harry and Hermione told Ron and Luna that they were together. Ron and Luna were very happy about this. After a long lecture from Hermione about how irresponsible their behavior was, they both received a bear hug from Hermione as a sign of appreciation for what they did for her and Harry.
Ron told his two best friends that he had unlocked the door one hour after he had locked them inside. Later, Ron also told them that it was Dobby, who took their wands. Afterwards, Dobby apologized profusely for this; however, Hermione gave him a tender hug, making the poor elf blush furiously.
Not everyone was happy with Harry and Hermione getting together. A couple of days after they got together, they had a little spat with Cho.
Cho caught them coming out of a broom closet after having an intense snogging session. She was furious and asked Harry that why he was dating Hermione. In fact, Cho bluntly said that she was a more suitable match for Harry as compared to Hermione. She even started listing the reasons why she was more suited. When Harry pointed out that, she was already dating Michel Corner, she stomped her foot angrily and left.
Harry was angry with Cho, as her comments had hurt Hermione deeply. It took him a good part of the next couple of hours to convince Hermione that she was perfect and a lot better than Cho and other wannabes like her. As a reward, Harry received another ardent kissing session from Hermione.
Things were going well for Harry and Hermione. They were closer than ever before, and Gryffindors won handsomely against Slytherins with the final score of 320-20 in favor of Gryffindors and Cho, she was a forgotten history for Harry and Hermione.
However, Cho wasn't going to go down without a fight. She played another trick of hers.
A week after the spat between Harry and Hermione, and Cho, Daily Prophet had published an interview of Cho with a photograph of Harry and Cho kissing, attached to the story.
Hermione was sitting in the Great Hall having her breakfast. Just then, an Owl arrived with a copy of Daily Prophet, published on the day. Hermione put the money in the pouch tied to the Owl's leg and owl immediately took off. She unrolled the bundle of Daily Prophet and was shocked to see a large picture of Harry and Cho kissing each other on the front page. Along with the picture, Cho's interview was published as well, in which she had admitted that Harry wanted to be with her, but Hermione was creating the problems between them. However, only thing Hermione could see was Harry kissing Cho under one of the stands on the Quidditch ground.
Hermione could hear whispers around her. She raised her eyes to look at Cho, who was looking back at her with mock sympathy.
Then, Harry joined Hermione at the Gryffindor table. Unaware of the stares on him, Harry sat next to Hermione and turned to give her a morning kiss. However, Hermione turned her face away from him with a teary look in her eyes.
"Hermione love, what is it? What happened?" Harry asked anxiously.
"How can you do this to me, Harry?" Hermione said in a low voice but loud enough for those sitting around her.
"What did I do Hermione?" Harry asked feeling confused.
Hermione didn't say anything; she just handed him the copy of Daily Prophet. Harry was shocked, would have been an understatement. He looked towards where Cho was sitting; she was still looking at Harry and Hermione. When her eyes caught Harry's, she blew him a flying kiss. Harry realized that majority of the student population in the Great Hall were looking at him and Hermione.
He turned back to Hermione.
"Do you really believe that I would do something like this? Trust me Hermione. I didn't kiss Cho, and I want to be with you only, no one else." Harry said with a beseeching look in his eyes.
Hermione couldn't take it anymore; she covered her face with her hands and her body started shaking.
"Hermione, please look at me. I didn't cheat on you." Harry said with a pleading voice. He took hold of Hermione's hands, and removed them from her face.
Tears were flowing from her eyes. It took a moment for Harry to realize that those were the tears of laughter and not from crying.
Hermione started laughing looking at the puzzled expression on Harry's face.
"Hermione," Harry said with narrowed eyes.
"Sorry Harry, it's just that you look very adorable when you worry about me." Hermione said. She leaned forward, "and very hot as well," she added before capturing Harry's lips for a short and sweltering kiss, Harry responded immediately. Whistles and catcalls could be heard in the background.
After sometime, they pulled back. Hermione looked at Cho, who looked enraged.
Hermione simply laughed and winked at her. She turned back to look at Harry.
She caressed Harry's cheek. "I am sorry Harry. I trust you completely. I will make it up to you. Promise." Hermione said sincerely.
Harry thought for a moment. "Okay. Let's start it then." Harry said with a mischievous smile. "I have a list of the things I would like you to do for me." Harry said.
"What kind of things?" Hermione asked suspiciously.
"Oh…you know this and that. I'll tell you later. Let's go or we'd be late for the classes." Harry said getting up from his seat and pulling Hermione along with him.
"But you didn't eat anything." Hermione said, "at least eat something."
"Don't worry. I am not hungry. I'll grab something from the kitchen later." Harry replied in a rushed voice as he dragged a bewildered Hermione with him out of the Great Hall.
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Cho and Rita Skeeter, who interviewed Cho, were expecting sympathetic letters from Harry's fans and were hoping that Hermione would receive lots of hate mails.
However, impact of the interview was opposite to what they expected. While Hermione received lots of congratulatory letters for getting together with Harry, Cho and Rita received hate mails and howlers. Later, Daily Prophet had to publish an apology in their paper.
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Now everything was back at its right place in Harry Potter's world.
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Author's note:- PLEASE REVIEW. I would love to know what you think?
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