Innocence
"I need you now!" Hermione shouted at Ron as he walked out on her. Harry watched from the corner.
"I don't want to be anywhere near him! I thought he was my friend!" He said bitterly.
"Ron, I am your friend." Harry said calmly.
"BLOODY BULL SHIT THAT IS!" Ron screamed. "What kind of friend does this?"
"I didn't do anything!" Harry pleaded. "Neither did Hermione. It was just…"
"Dancing!" Hermione said.
"Yeah! It was completely…"
"Innocent!" She completed.
Ron rolled his eyes. "You're completing each other's sentences! Look at you two! Where have I been? You're falling all over each other and not even realizing."
Hermione stood up. "You cheated on me! You were caught and now you like to act like it never happened!"
"It didn't! Hermione, it was a love potion!"
Harry frowned at this. Love potions could persuade you to do many things, but sex wasn't one of them. Otherwise this would be considered rape.
"LIAR!" She cried.
Ron looked away. "So you snogging my best friend is okay too!"
"I didn't even kiss him! He had no intensions of kissing me either! Right Harry?"
Harry looked up. "Uh yeah of course not."
Ron smiled. "You know what, I'm done. Hermione I'm giving you one more chance. You can come with me or stay with him."
Hermione looked back and forth then nodded at Harry.
"Ron. I can't leave Harry. He needs us."
"Us? Why he's the all important chosen one! HE CAN GET ANY GIRL HE WANTS WHENEVER AND WHERE EVER NO MATTER WHO THEY BELONG TO!"
"Funny Ron, last time I checked I've never had one steady girlfriend and THAT GIRLS WEREN'T POSSESIONS!" Harry stood in front Hermione.
"WELL YOU'VE CERTAINLY LOCKED YOUR PUCKERS TO A LOT OF OTHERS INCLUDING MY SISTER!"
"SHE KISSED ME!"
"YOU LIKED IT!"
"MAYBE I DID AT THE TIME! I WASN'T AWARE THAT ONCE YOU KISS A GIRL THAT YOU WERE BETROVED!"
Hermione stood between them. "Boys stop it!"
"Move out of the way Hermione!" Harry said as he moved past her.
Ron got in Harry's face. "WHY MUST YOU RUIN EVERYTHING FOR ME? I'M ALWAYS TREATED AS YOUR LOWLY SIDEKICK NOT FRIEND!"
"THAT'S NOT TRUE I LOVED YOU LIKE A BROTHER RON!" Harry hollered.
"YOU WOULDN'T KNOW LOVE YOU NEVER HAD A FAMILY!" Ron screamed and it echoed throughout the whole tent. Everything silenced and Hermione's mouth was left open.
Ron turned to walk away and Harry's glare followed him.
"I hope you're very happy together, Potter." He said bitterly before leaving.
Harry watched him leave then turned to Hermione. He wanted to cry desperately, but instead just sat down.
"Harry." She said softly.
"Yes Hermione?" He finally said putting his head in his hands.
"Don't be ashamed to cry." She said it so lightly and rubbed his back gently. That's when his whole miserable life came back to him and he cried. Actually, he sobbed.
Hermione rubbed his back gently. "Hey… come on Harry. Ron will come around."
Harry looked up and whimpered. "No one ever does! Every single person I've ever loved and cared for leaves my life harshly and I can't control it."
She put an arm around him and kissed his temple. "No that's not true."
He looked her straight in the eyes. "My mum, dad, Sirious, Cedric, Cho, Dumbledore, Ginny, now RON! No one loves me! I have no one!"
Hermione hugged his neck tightly. "That's not true Harry." She began to cry over his life.
"You've overcome all that and you can overcome this."
"I'm not sure I've got enough to fight for anymore Hermione."
"Fight for me, and I'll fight for you. I love you. I promise to be that permanent love in your life. Whether as a friend or more."
Harry nodded still crying, but he wiped her tears. "As will I to you. I'll be your guardian angel."
He stuck out his hand and the two hugged and he slowly swayed back and forth. Their tears dried and hearts settled into a steady beat. It was comforting to feel the other close to them.
"I can't believe this happened." Hermione sighed with her head on Harry's shoulder.
"The fight with Ron?" Harry asked softly.
"No, Ron leaving us like he no longer cared for us or anything."
"He was quite mad."
"Over nothing! Harry the only reason Ron cheated was… I have a purity ring and plan on sticking to it."
Harry smiled. "That's admirable, Hermione! I find that to be… great. With all the issues going on this world with that. Ron should have respected that."
She began to walk away. "I just feel like I care for him more than he does for me."
Harry sighed. "He doesn't care as much as he should if he dared to cheat."
Hermione sat down. "So you think he's in the wrong?"
Harry down at her in the eyes.
"Yes, I don't recall you doing anything wrong at all."
"That's what I said! In a way, I'm glad he left. More time to think. You know, while you hide out from Voldemort."
"Until I get this sign everyone has been mentioning."
She nodded. "You'll be fine, Harry. Always have, always will be."
He smiled lightly and helped her up. "I happen to feel safer when we're dancing like this."
He did a playful ballroom style dancing. She laughed.
"Is this becoming our thing?"
He laughed. "I guess so! It' awfully fun isn't it?"
"I can't see how this could come off as anything but friends goofing around."
Harry nodded slightly. "Yes."
Later that night, Harry laid awake in his bed staring at the ceiling. He hadn't felt all that much different than how he felt a few days ago. He wondered how long it was going to take for this sign to signal him to go find Voldemort. He also wondered what life would be like after that battle. That is, if there was to be life. Would Dumbledore be alright? Was he to rebuild Hogwarts? What about the Weasly's? Even if Ron hated him, they'd still been like a family to him. Maybe he would stop by and him and Ron would make whatever Ron was upset about water under the bridge. He'd need to apologize to Ginny too.
He heard a clatter and leaped to his feet and raced down the steps to see what was going on. He noticed Hermione was sleepwalking around and shouting.
"HERMIONE!" He said and took her by her shoulders and sat her down.
She continued to scream.
"Hermione look at me!" Harry said calmly. "You're having a nightmere! Wake up!"
Her screaming turned to crying and Harry pulled her to his chest.
"It's okay! It's going to be okay!" He whispered and kissed the top of her head.
This went on for a while until both of them fell asleep on the couch.
Ron snuck in the middle of the night for he forgot his wand. He looked at the sight of Hermione lying on Harry's chest on the couch asleep and clenched his fists.
He stormed out of there. "I hope you get damned to bloody hell Harry Potter!" He called and Harry slightly sat up.
Ron had left before he could see him.
"Was that a dream?" He whispered to himself. He noticed Hermione breathing lightly against his chest and his t-shirt was getting wet with saliva. He gently picked her up and walked her upstairs to her room and laid her down.
"Sweet dreams Hermione. Time for a better day!" He said softly. He tucked her in like a parent would their child and stood over her for a moment.
H sighed and turned out the light. "Good night."
He bent over a kissed her forehead softly and felt her smooth skin lingering on his lips.
Harry slowly walked out of them room and into his own bed. He remembered her soft forehead with it's milky white skin and pure divinity. He couldn't get her soft image out of his head. She was so pure and he loved how it glowed through her.
"I think I'll get a head start on breakfast." He said trying to forget her.
Harry got a longer start on breakfast than he thought. It was only 3 am so he spent 6 hours making a fabulous breakfast. Hermione rounded the corner at 9 with a yawn.
"morning Harry. I suppose for breakfast we could have just toast or something." Then she looked up to see a long table of food and a smiling Harry. Pancakes, waffles, many kinds of eggs, sausage, porkroll, bacon, grits, cereal, oatmeal, fresh fruit, anything else you would imagine when you think of breakfast!
"Oh my! Harry you didn't?" She said hand over mouth.
He pulled out a chair for her. "I had a lot of time to, didn't sleep a wink."
"Oh Harry you must be exhausted!" She felt his forehead.
"No, No Hermione I feel magnificent! Better than last night that's for sure!"
She smiled. "I'm glad. I feel much better myself. I did have the strangest dream though."
"Strange or scary?" Harry asked as both of them sat down.
"I suppose it was kinda scary come to mention it."
"Scary enough to scream? Or perhaps… run?"
She looked up at him. "How did you know I was running?"
"Because I saw you! Scared the living daylights out of me, but I got you off to bed again."
Harry left out the sleeping on the couch.
"Oh I'm so sorry! Ugh I never sleep walk!"
Harry gently patted her hand. "It's okay! I'm just concerned, what were you dreaming of?"
Hermione sighed and sipped her tea.
"Well I was sitting on the couch and I'd dropped the television remote through the cushions by accident. I reached in to grab the remote, but I pulled out an arm."
"Who's arm? What did it look like?" Harry asked curiously.
"Um it was pale…"
"Was It my arm?" Harry asked looking at his own arm.
Hermione laughed and rested his arm down. "Of course not! It was… a monster of some kind."
Harry sighed. "Well I'm glad you're feeling better."
Hermione nodded. "Yes I feel a lot better."
"Then so do i." He said as he proceeded in eating his omlette.
She glanced back up at him and ate her pancakes.
"This tastes amazing. I had no idea you cooked."
"Neither did I, I'm glad you're not on the floor gagging to be honest with you."
They both smirked.
Hermione helped Harry clean up everything.
"I don't think I've eaten that much in my lifetime." She said as she wiped off the counter.
"me neither. I never imagined eating my own cooking. Well I have except the outcome was atrocious."
She laughed. "Oh come on stop being so modest Harry Potter!"
He wiped off a dish. "I'm being honest with you. I didn't know I could cook."
She looked up. "Did you use magic?"
"Are you kidding? And blow my cover all together! Everything you and Ron have been working so hard for. I'd never do that. I've lived without magic for 11 years. A few weeks will be okay."
"So you think it'll only take a few days?" She asked.
"I don't know. I hope so. I don't know about you, but I don't want to stay in exile forever."
She looked down. "Right."
He glanced at her. "Just think, soon you'll be able to straighten things out with Ron and I with Ginny and our lives can return to a normal state."
"You want to be with Ginny still?"
"Oh no, not really, but I do want to apologize and settle things out. It would be the right thing to do. I owe that to her don't you agree?"
"Of course. If only Ron saw things that way."
He touched her shoulder. "Hermione I don't want to tell you how to live your life. Ron is Ron. He's never going to see things exactly the way you want him to. He's funny and go lucky but can be very stubborn. Plus he cheated on you. If I were you, which I'm not, I wouldn't go back to him."
She stared at him. "Harry…?"
"Yes? Was I being too bossy?"
"No you gave me advice to not date your best friend. Any reason behind that?"
"I'm telling you as it is. Does there need to be reason behind it?"
"I'm just making sure you aren't telling me this in spite."
"Everything Ron said last night, that's out of spite. I'm going to say whatever is true, because you're my best friend unconditionally."
She smiled and hugged him despite having all that soap in her hands and he had it all over him too.
When they released enough to face one another Harry swallowed uneasily.
"Hermione you know when you told Ron you had no intensions of kissing me…?"
"I believe I said you had no intensions of kissing me and I didn't kiss you. Which is true right?"
"Well yeah, technically. I had no intensions of kissing you then, because you were with Ron and I couldn't do that to him. And we didn't! Now…"
"Yes?" she smiled.
"I think I'm changing my mind."
"Don't think." She whispered.
"Coming from the brainiest girl at Hogwarts"
"Even I know when to let your heart do the talking."
"My heart has something to say." Harry said quickly.
"I'm listening."
Harry leaned in and tenderly peaked her lips. Hermione smiled during the kiss and kissed him back.
"Well what do we have here?" a rough voice echoed through the room.
"Ron!" Hermione squealed as she jumped away from Harry.
"See all you needed was one day without me and here you are, snogging in the kitchen!"
"It isn't what it looks like!" Hermione pleaded.
Harry frowned. "Um… no it isn't what it looks like."
Ron growled. "Then what is it?"
Harry sighed and looked at Hermione then to Ron.
"Hermione missed you desperately Ron."
"Yeah it looked like it."
"It's true! You're all she ever talked about. It was me, but you know what there wasn't a spark. I had to try."
Ron softened up. "Hermione?"
"I love you Ron."
He smiled and walked toward her and hugged her.
"I love you too."
Harry sighed. "Well I'm going to try and find the sword."
He walked off and sat down outside.
"I'm going to ask Harry where we should start… looking."
Ron smiled brightly. "Right!"
She walked out to Harry.
"Thank you Harry."
Harry looked up. "No problem."
She sat next to him. "I do love Ron, but like a brother."
Harry gazed at her. "You have to be with him, Hermione. It's the only way our friendship is going to work. The only way we'll be able to continue our lives is if you're with him. We'd never work out and I'm destined to never gain a true love."
"How do you know?" She asked nervously.
"Because when we were kissing it was great, and I love you! I am destined to never gain the one I really love though. It's what showed up in visions. I'm to marry Ginny at an older age just to keep the Potter's going."
She kissed his cheek. "You will always have me Harry Potter! Don't ever forget that."
He smiled at her and pointed to his heart. "In here right?"
She rested her hand on his chest. "Absolutely!"
"It's an innocent love; from afar, but in reality it isn't that far since you'll always be in my heart."
"Ron will never know."
"Ron will never know!"