Honey Hush Hermione Granger yawned as she stretched out on the big common room couch. Bored with her book, she tossed it to the floor and shut her eyes sleepily. Hermione had just drifted to sleep when she felt a pair of strong arms lift her playfully off the couch and twirl her around in the air. Her eyes snapped open and she smiled at her best friend Harry Potter's greeting. Hermione and Harry were the only two Gryffindors left at Hogwarts for the winter holidays. Hermione's boyfriend, Ron Weasley, had gone home with his sister to visit their older brother, Bill, in Egypt. "Har-ry," Hermione groaned, "Are you really that bored?" He laughed and put her back down on the couch. "No," he grinned, " Just thought you might like a rude awakening." "Well, I'm awake now. Satisfied?" He sighed and let himself fall off the back of the couch onto it. "What did I do to deserve to be left with the most boring person in Gryffindor?" he asked, eyes to the ceiling. "Uh!" Hermione pretended to be insulted, "So you have noticed," she teased He turned a confused face on her from across the couch "Huh?" "That I'm still boring, I mean." she said picking up her book once more. The truth was that ever since she and Ron had started dating end of sixth year, Harry had been a little distant with them, choosing to hang around with Dean and Seamus, rather then them. He half smiled at her and she felt her ears tingle. Even though she was sure what she had with Ron was true love, the seventeen-year-old Harry Potter was too die for. "What’s that supposed to mean?" he asked, laughingly. "You've given me, at best, four minutes out of your day, everyday where we can be friends and talk and stuff, since Ron and I started seeing each other." she told him, hollowly looking down at her book. When she looked back up at Harry, after done talking, he was displaying a confused and hurt statement around his facial features that made Hermione feel bad she had said anything. Harry was the kind of person you just wanted to reach out and save. No one she knew could ever bear to see him upset. "Oh Harry!" she said, "Don't feel bad," he cocked his head a little and bit his lower lip, "It's our fault, really. I guess maybe we've been excluding you. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that." Hermione blinked her agate eyes with a soft sort of pity mixed with sadness. Harry studied her face then smiled knowingly, "You miss him, don't you?" "What?" she asked caught off guard, "Ron? Of course I miss him." He shook his head lightly to himself, "You look so sad." "Well, you're not exactly skipping with Ginny gone." Harry and Ginny had grown closer during the first term. Though they were still telling everyone that they were just friends, no one believed them. He raised his eyebrows, "Well, Ginny's my friend. Of course I'm not pleased that she's gone. Just like I'm not pleased that Ron's gone and I wouldn't be if you were gone." Hermione smiled knowingly, "You really think you're fooling me?" she asked Harry sighed and sunk a little bit further into the vast couch cushion, "No" he said sounding bored, "It's just, I don't think Ginny's interested in me that way...anymore." Hermione raised an eyebrow, "Oh, she is." Harry looked at her, "trust me, she is." "How would you know?" he asked, a little more sharply than is normal. Hermione sighed, "I can tell." Harry shook this away from him, "Yeah, okay so I miss Ginny, you miss Ron lets get on with life now, Hermione." Seeing he was obviously irritated for reasons only Harry Potter could get away with, Hermione went back to her book and they sat in silence for several long minutes. Then Harry turned his head slowly and looked at her. "Hermione," he said, she looked up. His statement seemed a little strangled, "Does Ron tell you what he tells me?" Her brow furrowed, but she didn't interrupt him. "About how beautiful you are?" Hermione shook her head slowly, a little confused. He seemed to be done talking because he turned his head back slowly. Hermione, still a little wondering, shook her head and brought her eyes back to the book. "He's right, you know." Harry said after a moment. Still looking straight ahead. Hermione sighed, "Oh for the sake of great wizards Harry, what are you talking about?" she asked. "You." he answered, plainly, "You're beautiful." he shrugged lightly Hermione put down her book, "Harry, I think you're tired. Maybe you need to go lie down. Why don't you-" "Will you come?" Harry interrupted. Hermione shot him a look. "No, I mean, just come and lay next to me for a minute. The way you did when we were kids. Just for the sake of old times. Just to be there." She stared at him for a minute. Then, not taking her eyes off him, nodded, "Okay, Harry. Just for the sake of old times." she agreed. He smiled, sleepily then stood up and offered her a hand, "You're right, I could use a nap." he told her. She took his hand and pulled herself from the couch, then followed him to his dormitory. What must have been ten minutes later, while Harry lay on his side with his back to her, Hermione realized why he had wanted her there. Just feeling someone next to you sometimes could do a world of good. In fact, she was glad that she was here with Harry, she felt less alone and more secure just feeling his presence next to her. Harry rolled over and looked at her through sleepy eyes. She smiled warmly at him. "Are you okay?" she asked Harry nodded, "Yeah...I'm sorry if I scared you, I just didn't want to be alone." "No, I understand." she replied, softly. "I feel the same way sometimes." he nodded then looked away from her, distantly. "Have you ever felt like your emotions were over coming you, Hermione?" he asked, out of nowhere. Hermione tilted her head a little, "Sorry...what?" "Ginny’s real nice and all," he said nodding, still looking off in the distance, "but...you're just so...so…so..." he leaned across the bed and kissed her. Hermione was so shocked at first; she didn't move or react in any way. But, as the kiss drew on, she could feel it was soulful and true and couldn't help but to kiss him back. When Harry finally drew away from her, he blinked a few times before finishing the sentence he'd left hanging over them, "so wonderful." They stared at each other for a moment, agate on emerald, and then kissed again. This time it was her doing and it ran far deeper than the first. |