Disclaimer: All the characters belong to the wonderful J.K. Rowling. What would my life be without her?
Author's Notes: H/Hr. Fluff! Tons of it! This is for all the wonderful people who reviewed my last story requesting another H/Hr fic. I hope you like! Oh, don't forget to review! Those are always appreciated!
Harry sat at the top of the staircase leading down from the boy's dormitory to the Gryffindor common room. He watched the girl looking out the large picture window facing out onto the front yards of Hogwarts. The ground was blanketed in fresh fallen snow and it glistened in the pale moonlight. She had her knees tucked to her chest, her head titled sideways towards the window, and her thick chestnut hair draped over one of her shoulders. The full moon shone brightly in the cloudless, midnight sky, its dull rays silhouetting her figure.
Harry slowly made is way down the staircase, stepping lightly as to not make a sound. A small fire was burning in the fireplace, casting large, dark shadows on the walls. He walked quietly across the room to the girl and tapped her lightly on the shoulder. She looked up startled, but smiled when she saw it was Harry.
"Hey Harry," the girl said quietly, almost afraid to ruin the perfect serenity.
Harry looked down at the one he loved, but afraid to let her know. He looked into her dark brown eyes. The longing in her eyes and the wistfulness that was etched into her face was almost too much for him to bear. He knew she was worried. She had been ever since the end of their fourth year. Oh, how Harry wish he could just take those horrible memories away and have her be all right again. He knew she would probably never be the same again, but he had a plan to try and change that.
"Hello, Hermione," Harry greeted, his voice just barely above a whisper. There was an odd silence before Harry spoke again. He bent down and took her hand into his. "I want you to come with me somewhere," Harry said softly.
Hermione looked up into his shining emerald eyes, pleading her to come with him. She hated that look. He always gave her that look whenever he was trying to make her feel better or get her mind off things. She knew he meant well, but sometimes it just made her heart ache. She loved him so bad, it hurt.
Maybe that's why they call it a crush, Hermione thought to herself.
Judging from the look on her face, Harry could tell she wasn't too willing to go sneaking around at night. "Please?" he begged. "I hate to see you like this."
Hermione thought about it for a moment before reluctantly giving in. Harry's face quickly lit up with a smile before disappearing to the boy's dormitories. He came back down a few minutes later fully dressed and the Invisibility Cloak in hand.
"I suggest you go ahead and get dressed also. I don't want you to freeze."
Hermione gave him a puzzled look and then headed upstairs to the girl's dormitory without any questions. A few minutes passed before she came downstairs fully dressed. She also had her scarf and gloves since she noticed Harry was wearing his also. She had already guessed they were going outside.
They slipped the Invisibility Cloak over themselves and they set off through the portrait hole. They could hear the Fat Lady snoring and mutter in her sleep, "midnight…crazy kids…"
They made their way along the dark corridor and to their luck and surprise, didn't run into Filch, Mrs. Norris, or even Peeves. They continued down the last flight have stairs and passed the Great Hall. They carefully opened the large oak door and slipped outside, shutting the door quietly behind them.
Stepping onto the icy stone steps, Hermione gasped at the beautiful winter scenery. She grabbed onto Harry's arm to keep her steady while walking down the slippery steps. At the bottom of the steps, Harry pulled Hermione closer to him and tightened the cloak around him. They then set off across the grounds towards the Quidditch field, leaving a trail of footprints that seemed to magically appear in the snow.
As they neared the Quidditch field, Hermione could see the three tall goal posts on either end of the field rising up in the distance. When Harry led her to the middle of the field, she suddenly felt small and all alone. During the whole trip they hadn't said a word.
Finally, the couple stopped and slipped off the cloak. Harry took both Hermione's hands into his. He bit his bottom lip trying to find the right words. Hermione waited in silence while Harry looked sideways at the ground, too nervous to look her in the eye. He suddenly looked up and stared Hermione straight in the eye.
Hermione was startled. Never, in all the time she had known Harry, did he ever look at her in such a way he was now. His eyes were suddenly filled with deep passion, as if some strong desire was burning within him. There were so many emotions drawn on his face. Desire, anxiety, longing, wistfulness, and most of all, love. Hermione suddenly became uncomfortable and nervous.
"Hermione, I'm having a very difficult time getting this out. I mean, I wish I could explain to you without any words about – how much --," There was a short pause. "I love you, Hermione," he finally finished. "I'm hoping you feel the same way."
Hermione's breath caught in her throat. She suddenly felt her eyes watering and looked down at the ground, afraid of Harry seeing her eyes. Harry had let go of her hands. He wasn't sure of what to do. He was confident she would feel the same way. He suddenly panicked.
What if I was wrong?
He reached out his hand to left her chin, but she stepped back and turned away. He felt dejected. He tried again to touch her by resting his hand on her shoulder.
"Hermione?" he whispered, his voice full of concern. The last thing he wanted to do was upset her. He heard her sniff and realized she was crying. Harry, more concerned than ever, stepped closer and placed both hands on her shoulders. There was less than an inch separating their bodies.
"I'm sorry," he whispered in her ear, not knowing what else to say. He stepped back suddenly, not wanting to be so close to her. It hurt entirely too much. Hermione, wanting to feel the warmth and security of his body close to hers, turned around and hugged him, never wanting to let go. How she had longed to be in his arms, to have him hold her, and stroke her hair, just as he was doing now. She cried into his chest and muttered something that sounded a lot like, "I love you too."
Harry pulled back just a bit, a smile playing at his lips. "I think I understand now why you were always worried over me," he said, smiling down at her.
"I was so afraid of losing you, Harry. There were so many times when I cried, thinking you were gone for sure," Hermione replied. She had stopped crying and there was a faint smile on her face.
Harry felt a twinge of guilt. "All those times I nearly took you for granted," he whispered softly, gently stroking her cheek. He then leaned forward and began kissing her neck.
Hermione stood still, frozen to the spot, not sure where Harry was going to take this. She breathed a sigh of relief; however, when she felt his lips slowly moving up her neck and to her cheek. Their eyes met for a brief moment before Harry finally kissed her on the lips. It was light, but grew more passionate when Hermione returned it. Harry's hand slowly moved down to the small of her back, while his other hand gently caressed her cheek. Hermione's hands were on his chest, gripping the front of his robes. They were hoping this blissful moment would last forever.
Unbeknownst to their presence, however, was Professor McGonagall, watching from her office window a couple of stories up; although, she had no intention of disturbing them. For who was she, to yield a budding romance? To interfere between a boy and girl in love? No, she would not get in the way. For when she saw Harry and Hermione, she saw, in her eyes, James and Lily.