You are my home

by Hope Leslie Hermnharry

Set right after HBP, this story tells about new found love and the discovery of a lifetime.

You Are My Home: One Shot

by Hope Leslie Hermnharry

You are my Home

Written by : Hope Leslie Hermnharry

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

Autor's note : Many thanks to my wonderful new friend Sage Vane who accepted to help me and betaed this version .

Summary : Set right after HBP, this story tells about new found love and the discovery of a lifetime.

Hermione woke up in a hospital bed, not knowing how she got there. She felt sick, disoriented and, most of all, extremely sad. She started crying, realizing suddenly what had happened, why she was sick, and wished that HE was here with her. She wished that they were still close, like they had been before 6th year. She now understood why she had never been able to let herself be close to anybody else, even Ron. She loved Ron dearly, but she was not in love with him.

No, she was in love with Harry. Had been for years, it seemed.

She suddenly heard a noise in the room, a POP, and, startled, she looked up, but could not see anything. Then a weight in her stomach brought her back to reality. She needed to go to the bathroom. Now, Badly. Carefully, she started to get out of bed, trying to see in the dark room. It was pitch black, with only a dim light coming from under the door to guide her. She walked to the bathroom, a few feet away from her bed, feeling dizzy and afraid she would fall.

Now she wished she had her wand, but knew she would not be able use it since she was in a Muggle hospital, and that she did not dare use magic while staying with her parents. Her hospital gown, which she had left untied, was flapping open as she walked, showing off her naked back, and, as she reached behind with her hand to keep it closed, she heard a sharp intake of breath on her left. Walking faster, she sped into the bathroom, and quickly closed the door, locked it, and flipped the light switch on.

There was somebody in her room! It had to be Harry, who she guessed had Apparated under his invisibility cloak. But a troubling thought made its way to the surface. Why would Harry Apparate? He didnt have his license yet and.how could he have known she was here? She had told her parents not to tell anybody, and not to bring her to St. Mungos. Hermione had been afraid somebody would know what she had done to herself, and she was terribly ashamed for doing it in the first place.

When she was done, she washed her face, and looked at her reflection in the mirror over the sink.

Not that bad she thought, just a little paler than usual.

She ran a hand through her hair and took a deep breath. Then she unlocked the door and opened it, leaving the light on as she left. Cautiously, she walked back to her bed, then turned around and said,

"Harry, could you please help me tie the cords on my hospital gown? I cant reach them with my hands."

She heard him swear under his breath, and watched him take off his cloak. Harry walked up to her, a cross look on his face, with just a hint of amusement.

"Merlin.I should've known you'd catch me!" he grunted, reaching for the cords behind her. While tying the cords, he touched her bare back with his fingers. Hermione shivered involuntarily.

"Im sorry. My hands are cold," he apologized, finishing his task briskly. Hermione shook her head.

"No, thats ok, she said, turning around to look at him. "What are you doing here? My parents didn't tell anybody, they promised me" Harry held up his hand and pulled something out of his pocket.

"This," he said, showing her a little mirror, "The mirror Sirius gave me after we almost got caught by Umbridge. We were talking in the fireplace, remember?"

"Yes, but what is the mirror's purpose, to show where people are?" Hermione asked. Harry shook his head.

"Nope. It was suppose to help me get in touch with Sirius but when…when… he…well, you know, I thought it would never work again. Until tonight, I never even looked at it, but, for some reason, I always carry it with me," he explained, as a brief look of pain flickered across his face.

" But what was so different about tonight?" questioned Hermione, puzzled. "And why are you using magic while on summer break?" she added, a stern look on her face. "Aren't you afraid they'll expel you again?" Harry looked at her funny.

First of all, I was at Grimmauld Place. I was looking for something, when I heard a woman crying. I looked around, trying to find where the sound was coming from, and then I saw the mirror. I looked in and saw YOU here, lying on this hospital bed, crying. So I decided to come. I grabbed my wand, the mirror, and my invisibility cloak. The rest I'm sure youve figured out by now. Second, I don't know why it showed me where you were. My guess is that Sirius is still with us somewhere, trying to help me out. And third, I have been given permission by the Ministry of Magic to use my powers on special occasions. In my book, this is special. Now, are you going to tell me why you are here, crying?" he said all in one breath, a concerned look on his face.

"No, Id rather not talk about it, if you dont mind," she spoke silently, a hint of warning in her voice. She sat on the bed. Harry didn't budge.

"Yes, I do mind. Out with it!" he gently commanded, looking closely at her, then sat down next to her.

Her lips trembled and her eyes filled with tears. She looked away from his intent gaze and sighed.

"This is so stupid, me playing like that with the amortentia potion. I now believe that you cannot use it on yourself. That's why I got sick. I think its what made me act so, er, weird, not like myself. But you see I didn't want to be like ME anymore. I wanted to feel what it is like to love, and be loved.

The other girls all had boyfriends, and spent all their time talking about dates, kisses in the broom closet, the gifts they were given. I felt different, always in my books, always alone. Even you were going out with Ginny. Ron was playing around with Lavender, but you had told me that he fancied me once. I felt unattractive, and wanted some attention for a change. My relationship with Victor was purely platonic, and I was desperate to have a boyfriend. So I used the potion on me, wanting myself to be in love with Ron, since I trusted him and knew he would never hurt me. But I guess it backfired, since I was already in love with somebody else. But I didnt know it then. It messed with my head, and with my feelings. That must have been the cause of my fainting. My parents found me unconscious on the bedroom floor and they thought I had caught something, so they brought me here. I didnt want to go to St. Mungos, since I knew they would find out what happened to me and everybody would just laugh at poor ugly Hermione," she wiped the tears from her eyes, smiling sadly, and now looking at him. She was glad that she told him now, and it seemed like they were close again, since they were sharing secrets, like before. But one look at Harry's furious face killed all those hopes.

"You are NOT ugly!" he hissed, looking furious. Then a thoughtful look suddenly replaced the anger. He asked, "Did you tell Ron? I mean, did you tell him youre in love with someone else?"

"Of course not!!! I only found out about it tonight, and that's why I was crying when you heard me.I dont know how I'm going to tell him, but I'm sure that it will not hurt him a lot. He is testing his charms on all the girls. I think I frightened him more than anything else when I started going after him but, being my friend, he tried to go along with it. But I saw that we wouldn't make it very far. It simply wasn't meant to be, and I am glad about that, for I have found out what my true feelings are, and now know that I'm perfectly normal. Too bad I cannot tell HIM how I feel," she added sadly.

She was NEVER going to tell Harry that she was in love with him, she vowed. Unless, by some miracle, he told her he loved her. Anyway, nothing pointed out that he was attracted to her. She didn't no, couldnt ruin their friendship. She valued that more than anything else now. She'd never tell.even if it meant she would stay single for the rest of her life. Harry wasn't making it any easier though.

"Who's the guy, the one you are in love with?" asked Harry in a husky voice. Hermione shook her head.

" Nope, not telling you, or anybody else for that matter. We have some horcruxes to find, V-Voldemort to defeat, and school in a couple of weeks, if Hogwarts is reopening. I dont have time to dwell on this right now, and neither do you."

"I'll make time. I need to know who it is. If we are to be working closely together now, you, Ron, and me, I have to know everything so there will be no surprises," he countered, his green eyes full of concern.

"Do you know why I broke up with Ginny?" He then asked.

"Because you didnt want to put her in danger. That's what you told us," she answered.

"Thats partly the reason why I did it," he replied, nodding. "But it's not the real reason."

"Then what's the real reason you broke with her?"

"Because I had feelings for somebody else, and I wanted to find out more about those feelings," he replied, looking deeply into her brown eyes now. "But you see, this girl was seeing another guy, and I thought that I'd never have a chance to tell her how I felt. Then I decided that I'd rather be alone for the right reasons than be with somebody else for the wrong reasons. I have no time to waste, and I want to make sure the time I have left is well spent with the people I really love.

"Don't say that!" Hermione gasped, her eyes full of tears.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her head in his shoulder. He then put his arms around her and held her tightly. She looked up and realized that he was crying too, so she lifted her head and brushed a light kiss on his lips. He kissed her back, first lightly as she did, but then, Harry deepened the kiss, his tongue gently forcing her mouth open to taste it. They held each other tight as the kiss went from deep to passionate, their tongues playing with each other. His hands were now reaching under the hospital gown, the cords loosened as he caressed her bare back. She shivered as she felt his hands on her naked flesh, giving her goose bumps all over. They ended the kiss, both gasping for air.

"Now, will you tell me who it is?" he asked once more, this time in a low and raspy voice, while he still held her in his arms. Hermione gave him a small smile.

"I dont have to. You know who it is, who it's always been, don't you?" she answered, looking into his beautiful green eyes.

"I want you to tell me. Do you love me as much as I love you? He asked, kissing her gently.

"Yes Harry. You are my only love, my one true love, She whispered, kissing him back and holding him tightly.

"Hermione, he said under his breath, I finally feel that I am home, that YOU are my home. "

"Harry, I'll always be there for you. I hope you know that now. She whispered, You will never have to be alone again, I promise, She vowed.

"I love you Mione, he said gravely. I always will, and I'm sure about that more than anything else."

They kissed again, holding each other like there was no tomorrow, knowing that it might very well be true. The kiss ended, and they rocked each other, since they could not find the words to describe how they now felt.

Suddenly, they heard noises behind the door and looked at each other, smiling.

"What have you done to this door?" she laughed.

"I put a vanishing spell on it, so I guess they're looking for it. Quick, I'll put the invisibility cloak back on, and you can let them in as soon as I make the door reappear," he said, hurrying to get to the cloak.

She guessed the nurses wanted to check her vital signs. The heart rate might be a little fast she thought, smiling.

Harry kept quiet while the nurses checked her vitals signs and told of her general condition. They reassured her that she was fine, and would probably be released in the morning. As soon as they left the room, Harry tossed his invisibility cloak and his wand on the chair next to the bed.

"Harry, the door" Hermione reminded him.

He took his wand and did the vanishing spell on the door again. Then he added a silencing charm, just to make sure no one would hear them, and be tempted to try to get in.

Harry returned to the bed, and sat down next to Hermione. She looked at him with a crooked smile and said,

"Now, where were we?"

He took a deep breath, wrapped his arms around her shoulders and said,

"I think we were doing this," he whispered as he bent down to kiss her, a slow and lingering kiss. She opened her mouth slightly as he tasted her lips with his tongue, meeting hers, and the kiss deepened. Her hands were caressing his back, his neck, and they wandered in his unruly hair. Finally, as they ran out of breath , he ended the kiss and looked deep in her eyes.

"I've never felt that way before. What are you doing to me, Mione?"

"Same thing youre doing to me, I guess, " she told him, smiling.

"We have to talk, and, most of all, we have to sleep. Morning will come soon enough and well have to make plans. Not that I dont want to kiss you all night," he added cheekily, grinning.

"Yes, I suppose you're right," She sighed and then, caressing his hand, asked,

"Will you stay with me until morning? You can sleep here with me," looking at the bed, "we just have to squeeze a bit."

"I'll bet you'd like that," He laughed silently while she coughed.

"I did not mean THATor did I?" she snorted, feeling herself blush.

"I know, just teasing you," he said, his green eyes sparkling in the dark.

Holding her hand, he started explaining what he was looking for at Grimmauld Place. He told her there might be a chance that one of the horcruxes might be there. A locket he remembered seeing when they were cleaning, the summer before Sirius's death. He just couldn't remember if they had thrown it away or not.

"Have you checked in Kreacher's little room? You know he hid things there after we put them away in the bag, remember?" she asked.

"Yeah, you're right. We'll go back and check on this. It might still be there.

"What about Ron? Shouldn't we tell him now? About us I mean. I wont be able to go on with this charade, you know. Not only because I wont be able to hide my feelings for you, but because I love him dearly and don't want to hurt him by pretending."

"You are right, and neither could I," He paused, and then said, "We'll just have to say it, that's all. He might be hurt at first but, knowing him, he won't be angry at us I think."

"I sure hope so. You need himWell all need each other now. His reaction to our newfound love depends on how much he really cares for me. If he cares like I think he cares, he'll be happy for us, and will find a way to forgive us for the hurt well have caused him…more to his pride, I hope, than to his heart," she said in a low voice. "Don't forget Ginny…how will she take it?"

"I don't know," Harry answered honestly, "She seems to have taken our breakup quite easier than I thought she would. That surprised me, but not much. She fancied me, but I dont think she ever really loved me," he added calmly.

Hermione hugged Harry and kissed him, both feeling very tired all of a sudden. She yawned, her eyes half closed, and layed down on the bed, patting the side next to her.

"C'mon, lets try to sleep. We have all day tomorrow to figure out what'll have to be done"

He layed down next to her and whispered,

"I agree with you a hundred percent. I can't even keep my eyes open."

Harry kissed her gently and, as she returned the kiss, snuggled in his arms and fell asleep almost immediately. He breathed in the scent of her hair, kissed her head, and then, as he started to fall asleep, thought about Professor Dumbledore. His mentor and friend. Harry wondered what he would say about all this.

Would he agree, and be happy that Harry had finally found his haven with Hermione? Then he thought about Sirius, knowing for sure that he was happy for them. That, wherever he now was, he could see him and know how Harry felt towards Hermione. Harry was pretty sure that it was Sirius who had shown him where she was so he would get to her and make the greatest discovery of all: their love for each other.

He thought of Snape, first with hatred but then, feeling Hermiones steady heartbeat against his chest, understood that he had to find a way to let go of the rage he felt and concentrate on more positive feelings. Only then could he find the peace and courage hed need to face what awaited them when they'd have to battle Voldemort and his Death Eaters. Harry thought of his parents, wishing they'd known about Hermione, and hoping they'd have given them their blessings. Yeah, they would have, seeing how their son was truly loved by her, and how he loved her in return. Hermione whispered in her sleep, snuggling even more tightly against him, a sweet smile on her lips.

"I love you," he said.

"Me too." she answered, still sleeping. He held her tenderly, feeling peace and love surrounding them, trusting tomorrow would bring them the happiness they all deserved. Then, all thoughts disappeared from his mind and he blissfully fell into Morphea's arms.

The end…or only the beginning?…