Disclaimer: I do not own anything other than the story line . All rights belong to J.K. Rowling

Breaking Trust

She woke up to the feeling of a paw batting the side of her face. For a few moments she had no idea where she was, and then it struck her, she was in her dormitory and Crookshanks was pawing at her. "What is it?" she murmured.

Crookshanks sat back on his haunches, obviously pleased with himself at having woken her. As she looked at him she saw that he had a rolled up piece of parchment in his mouth. He promptly dropped it on her lap. She unrolled it and reached for her wand with her other hand. "Lumos," she whispered. A small light burst from her wand, illuminating the letter that was addressed to her.

Hermione,

If our friendship means anything to you anymore, please meet me in the room of requirement.

Awaiting your arrival,

Harry

She was momentarily confused. Why would Harry word things that way. She decided immediately to see what he wanted. Getting up and wrapping a night robe around her, she snuck out of her dormitory, Crookshanks hot on her heels.

Moments later she was entering into the room of requirements. It was set up very similar to the Gryffindor common room. She could see Harry sitting on a couch, looking into a crackling fire. The biggest difference with this room however, was that a pensieve was sitting next to him.

"Harry?" she asked softly."

"Why, Hermione?" he replied without turning around. She didn't understand the question and hesitated before answering. Before she could respond he continued. "Why do you hate me?"

"What are you talking about Harry?" she asked in a scared voice.

"I can't take anymore of this, Hermione. You're my best friend, and you've hurt me, badly." He turned to look at her, pain etched clearly upon his face. "You need to see; you need to understand." He motioned to the pensieve. "It's already set up. I warn you though, this pensieve is a little different." At her look he continued. "If our friendship means anything, if I mean anything to you, please Hermione…"

Sighing to herself she walked over and leaned into the pensieve. She felt herself being drawn into the memories that were enclosed within. She found herself in the hospital wing. The odd part was that she wasn't next to Harry. She was Harry! She watched him through his own eyes as he made his way over to a bed where she lay petrified. She felt his anguish as he sat next to her, holding her hand; wishing more than anything that he could take this away, that he could trade places with her so that she didn't have to endure this. She felt his silent vow to do anything he could to ensure that she never suffered anything like this again.

The scene swirled then, changing to another time, another place. She found Harry riding on Buckbeak, her soft arms wrapped around him as they sped through the skies to rescue Sirius. She felt the thrill running through him, she felt the frisson of pleasure course through him as she snuggled up next to him.

Another swirl and Harry was at King's Cross station and Hermione was kissing his cheek. She couldn't believe the burst of pure, intense pleasure that coursed through him as that happened. He felt something he had never felt before, and it confused him and pleased him at the same time.

Once again the scene changed and Harry was sitting in the common room and she was explaining to him how Cho must have felt as she kissed him. He was confused over this, as it seemed that Hermione was encouraging him to pursue a relationship with Cho. Why would she do this? This seemed to be the first time he had ever felt even a slight betrayal from her. A pain like a knife shot through him as he considered things.

Then he was in Madam Puddifoots in Hogsmeade, and Cho was yelling at him to go to his meeting with his 'Precious Hermione.' A warm feeling flowed through him as a realized that he had indeed made his choice between the two girls.

He was in the Department of Mysteries and he watched Dolohov strike down Hermione. His entire world crashed. He couldn't breathe, he couldn't move. Hermione was gone, and he it was his fault! This was pain such as he had never known. His mind flashed to being struck down by Voldemort's cruciatis curse, and he realized that he would happily endure that pain compared to this. As he steeled himself to go out in a blaze of glory that would avenge her death Neville informed him that she was still alive! It was all he could do not to throw himself on her and weep with joy!

Now he was watching Dumbledore dueling Voldemort, and then Voldemort was inside him, filling him with pain and all he wanted was to die. Thoughts of his friends and Sirius flashed through him and he regretted not being able to do more for them. Then he saw Hermione's face and he was filled with a feeling of warmth and joy at her smile. He thought his heart would burst with the depth of emotion that was filling him and then Voldemort was gone. He collapsed as the tension left him.

He was at the Burrow, and he was filled with dread. He was fated to become a murderer and he was telling his best friends about it. He was sure that they would spurn him. He had to tell them, but he was so afraid. He had thought that he had lost Hermione before, and had gotten her back. Now he was sure that he was going to lose her again. His thrill when she didn't reject him threatened to overwhelm him.

He was coming out of potions class and looked at the small vial in his hand. He had finally found a way to succeed in that class now that he didn't have to fear and loathe the teacher and maybe, just maybe he could learn something in there this year. He had to tell Hermione how it had happened though, he couldn't stand the look she had on her face when he had won the bottle, though he was happy that he had kept it out of Malfoy's hands.

Hermione had just accused him of cheating! Bad enough that she had kept rejecting his thoughts on Malfoy for the last few weeks. He didn't understand why she was acting like this. He had offered to share things with her. He didn't want her mad at him. He glanced over at her and Ron, huddled together and a moment of clarity came upon him. She liked Ron, not him. He turned and fled lest she see the tears that came unbidden upon him. He resolved to do anything he could to ensure her happiness, even if it wasn't with him.

She watched through his eyes as she cast him dirty looks and tutted with disapproval time after time. Every one was a knife wound to him. She watched him silently suffer with her as she went through the hurt of Ron's discovery of Lavender. She went along with him as he realized that he had lost her forever, and felt the life drain out of him.

She came up out of the pensieve and looked at him. She had done this to him, and she had never realized it. He, Harry, was in so much pain; he was suffering so much loss because she had spurned him.

"Why?" he asked, the pain evident in his voice. "Why don't you like me anymore? What did I do to drive you away? I'm so sorry that you got hurt last year! I don't know what to do to make it better, Hermione! Merlin, 'Mione! I have no idea what to do! I miss you so much!" He collapsed onto the couch and could hide it no more. The tears streamed down his face. He looked at her in anguish. "I want my best friend back," he whispered.

And then she was there next to him. She tenderly took his face in her hands and her thumbs were wiping the tears from his face. She looked into his eyes, chocolate brown meeting deep wells of green.

"I'm rubbish at this," he whispered. "I understand that you don't feel the same way Hermione; I understand that you want Ron, but I…" he faltered momentarily. "I guess that I love you. I mean I think that I do… I've never known what it is to love… I hope you can find a place for me in your life. I can't lose you Hermione… Please don't let me slide out of your life… I'll take any little part I can have, please…" He looked away then, not able to bear anymore rejection.

Hermione gently turned his chin back towards her. She could see in his eyes that he was completely broken. She had done this to him. She had reduced him to this. She realized that to him she was his entire world, and she had unknowingly thrown that away. She realized that only she could fix this.

She slowly leaned down and brushed her lips across his. She hoped that he wouldn't reject this last ditch effort to show him how much he too meant to her. She had never put herself out on a limb this far before. She had never allowed herself to be so vulnerable, but this man sitting trembling before her had placed himself much farther out than even she was at this minute; and he had done so for her.

She felt him stiffen under her and her heart plunged! Then he relaxed and she felt his arms come up around her. She felt his hands on her back and in her hair, and then he was kissing her back! She melted into his embrace and practically purred into his mouth.

How long they stayed like this neither one knew. Finally, they drew back from each other. Hermione gazed into his eyes and saw everything that she hoped for there for her to see. "Can you forgive me?" she asked.

"Anything for you, Hermione," he replied.

"Harry, I was stupid. I never considered that you didn't have a clue how to express yourself. I should have realized, given how you were raised. I've loved you for so long, but you never seemed interested in me in that way. I had given up hope, and I guess that I was trying to distance myself because I wanted to get on with my life, and having you there hurt too much. You mean so much to me. I've loved you since first year, Harry. I've known it for a long time. I just contented myself with being your friend because you never seemed to want any more than that. Now that I know I'll never leave you again."

"Hermione, I swear to you that after this is all over, I'll never leave you again. I'll be with you for the rest of our lives. Now that I know you love me too I will beat that bastard, and I will live my life with you."

"Harry, what are you saying?"

"Hermione, when this is over with, will you marry me?"

"Harry, I'd marry you right now if that's what you wanted. I want to be with you in every way, I want to give you everything that you need to defeat him, and to be mine forever. I will be there with you, side by side, all the way to the end." She gazed into his eyes and lost herself in them.

He grabbed her hand. "Come on," he said, dragging her out the door. Before she knew it they were in front of the gargoyle guarding the Headmaster's office. There seemed to be a contest of wills between Harry and the gargoyle, and then the gargoyle was moving aside. They rushed up the stairs.

Not surprisingly they found Dumbledore waiting for them, sitting at his desk enjoying a hot chocolate. "What can I do for the two of you?" he asked with a twinkle in his eye.