Promises
"You'd have to be blind if you didn't see the love they had for eachother." -Luna Lovegood
The first time they met, she had burst into his and Ron's compartment, asking if they had seen a toad. Then, she had introduced herself, as Hermione Granger.
Harry introduced himself too, awkwardly. "I'm Harry Potter.." Her face was one of shock when he said his name, then amazement.
"I've read all about you.." She said, she had sparked a friendship then, but she left, still searching for Neville's toad, that he had eventually found.
The troll was in the bathroom, with Hermione in it. Harry remembered, when no one else did. He remembered the bushy-haired, bossy girl, crying her eyes out because of a comment his bestfriend Ron said. "She doesn't know!" He had said, and raced off to the girls bathroom, Ron following.
She lied for him, took the blame, which McGonagall believed. Their friendship had officially started then, after they left that bathroom.
She was extremely smart, he already knew, but in their second year, it really showed. Unfortunately, she was one of the victim's of the Basilisk. He visited her as often as he could, talking to her, wishing she was there to help them uncover the secret.
"I wish you were here, we need you," He said, sitting next her, "Now, more than ever.."
Harry was overjoyed when he saw her enter the Great Hall, and run over to him, beaming. "You did it! You did it!" She cried, and hug him tightly, that nearly knocked the both of them down. "I knew you could do it."
Third year, their friendship was now stronger. Her and Ron bickered more often, mostly due to their pets. He felt torn, but he always managed to stay with the both of them, though he was with Ron more than her.
He would defend her when Ron talked bad about her and her 'demon' cat (which he had to admit, was evil), when she wasn't around.
She could find him, even when he was invisible. She was there, she would sacrifice herself for him, when she knew she could die. She saved him, many times, this, standing between Harry and Sirius, was just one of the times she did.
After going back through time, they saved Buck Beak from Death, and rode later rode him, to save Sirius.
"They rode a Hippogriff, the symbol of Love."
She believed him, even when his 'bestfriend' Ron didn't. Sticking with him, when the rest of the school taunted and scorned him, she never left.
When she walked down those stairs, she took his breath away. He didn't know why he hadn't seen it before.. She's beautiful.
This year, Rita Skeeter suspected something.
Hermione was always willing to help him, and this time was no different. They became closer this year, friendship slowly building onto a different kind of love. He thought he liked Cho, but it would always be her, even if he didn't know it yet.
She was his, his friend, bestfriend, and soon, girlfriend.
When he saw her tied up at the bottom of the lake, beside Ron, he wanted to take them both.
He couldn't stand the thought of leaving her down there, of losing her.
After emerging from the water, she wrapped him in one of her towels, and gave him a kiss on his forehead, in relief. She smiled when she saw him, glad he was safe.
She couldn't stand the thought of losing him.
When Voldemort came back, when he came back with Cedric's dead body, she wanted to rush up to him, and hug and comfort him the best she could. But she was frozen on the spot.
She believed him, when he said that Voldemort returned. One of the few that did.
The year couldn't be more terrible. First, the dementors attacked him, and he was nearly expelled (but thanks to Dumbledore, he wasn't) and his bestfriend's barely talked to him, though Hermione did write a whole lot more than Ron, it wasn't what he wanted to hear.
When he walked into the room, she attacking him with a hug, nearly knocking them to the floor, again. Quickly, she asked if he was alright, and then went on ranting about how it was unfair that the Ministry of Magic is trying to expell him, and she assured him that it would be okay.
They spent the summer together, cleaning, and trying to listen on the meetings. When he was allowed to stay, Hermione and Ron weren't, she knew he would tell them later. Because Harry tells them everything.
She would break the rules for him, and this year, she did, again. She was angered when she found out what Umbridge had been doing to him.
A stolen moment when walking to class one morning, just the two of them, in the empty hall. They were not late, but early, just wanting to get out of the Great Hall, and out of Umbridge's vision.
Talking about certain things, it led to a quick kiss, which they then didn't talk about, but went on talking, choosing to ignore it, for now.
This year, Ginny came into the picture. Harry felt slightly jealous when he saw she was with other guys,
He brushed it off as overprotectiveness over his friend, who he thought of as a sister.
This year, Cho suspected they had something going on.
This was also the year they started Dumbledore's Army, DA for short. She encouraged him to teach, her and Ron. Hermione knew he could do it, she believed her could.
He doesn't think she's ugly.
She noticed him when he had fallen, when no one else had. She tried to keep him out of trouble, tried to protect him.
In the hands of Umbridge's minions, the Slytherin's, she saved him from Umbridge's curse, quickly coming up with a plan, she led them to the woods, where Hagrid's half-brother stayed. He wasn't there, but the Centaur's were.
He covered her when an arrow came flying. He's her shield, and always was, and will be.
They met up with Ron, Neville, Ginny and Luna, holding hands. They thought nothing of it, when Luna made a remark. "I knew you two liked each other.."
They let go, and Luna then replied again. "You don't have to pretend." After getting into the Ministry, Ginny and Luna were at the back of the group.
"You'd have to be blind if you didn't see the love they had for each other." She said, Ginny had quieted after that, watching Harry and Hermione up front carefully.
Ginny knew they would be something more than bestfriends, but it still hurt her inside. She would accept it, she would be strong and let him go (even though he wasn't hers in the first place), she would be strong, and be happy for them, because they're her friends, and she wanted nothing more than for them to be happy. It would never work out, anyways.
No matter how much Ginny and Harry had in common, they barely talked, and you couldn't break five years (three and a half) of love, no matter how hard you try.
He grabbed her hand again, as they ran from the Crystal Orbs as they crashed down behind them. she ran through the door, but fell down, as there was no floor.
Sirius, he had fallen into the veil, after a Stupefy from his 'cousin' Bellatrix Lestrange hit him. He lost his only family right there, the man he looked at as a father, was dead. He knew he had the Weasley's, but the hole in his heart was too big, and he yelled in pain and anger
He followed Bellatrix, and unknown to him, Hermione had tried to follow. Only held back by Nymphadora, and Ron. "Harry!" She yelled, just as he disappeared.
When she found him laying in dust on the ground, with Voldemort standing over him, and Dumbledore kneeling a few feet away, she froze. Hermione thought he had died, and she felt a hole in her heart.
She couldn't stand the thought of losing him.
Thankfully, she did not, and when Dumbledore had pulled him into his arms, she was the first to reach him. Kneeling next to him, she grabbed his hand, and had to be dragged away from him.
He felt lost.
The next few days were a blur for Harry, but on the third day, he remembered the two of them sitting beside each other on a couch by the fire in the common room. They didn't need to speak, to know what was on each other's mind.
Their hands were linked, but they didn't notice. Ron did, when he entered. He backed out, and let them be for now. He realized he liked Hermione, but it was too late, she was Harry's, but he wouldn't hate him for it. Ron had done so much to Harry, that he felt that one more thing, their friendship would be finished.
He thought of Harry as a brother, and he didn't want to lose that. So he would let her go, and be happy for them.
Sixth year came around, and the pair still hadn't talked about their feeling that were undeniable by now. They were quiet for the ride, all thinking about different things, when Ron excused himself, saying he had to use to loo.
It was the two of them now. Harry said it first, "Hermione.." She looked up, chocolate brown eyes swirling with emotion.
She took a deep breath, and whispered, "I know."
No more words were spoken, and only a hug and light kiss on the cheek were exchanged, they held onto each other's hands though, and that was enough for them. It was then they were officially 'together'.
Ginny and Ron came back, and Ginny chuckled, muttering a 'Finally!', she waved and left.
Ron, Harry, and Hermione talked, like old times. No awkwardness, nor malice, just a conversation about the things they saw that summer.
They knew this year something bad would happen, they didn't know what, or when, but they knew they would have to prepare for anything.
At school, Harry tried his best to keep his anger under control, but it was just leaking into himself, from no where. This year, he had to learn Occulemncy, from the Greasy-haired professor, Snape.
Ron's dad was attacked, by the snake Nagini, which he was in.
Hermione wasn't there to calm him.
However, she was there to comfort him later, and that made him feel better. She promised she'd always be there, and he believed her.
She kept that promise.
He learned more of Voldemort, or Tom Riddle. He had to befriend the new potion's professor, Slughorn, for a memory.
Draco was up to something, and Harry would figure it out. During his 'spying' time, he didn't know Cormac was making a move on Hermione. She hadn't told him, because he had enough to worry about.
Harry thought she was cheating on him, and this was first time they had a fight, yelling at each other. They made up six days later, two days after Slughorn's party, and at least three or two weeks before Dumbledore died.
Dumbledore was dead, they got the fake horcruxe, and he died not moments after they returned. Harry chased down Snape and Draco, along with the other deatheaters. It was revealed that Snape was the Half-Blood Prince, and they left.
Harry returned to the castle, and saw everyone was crowded below the Astronomy Tower, were Dumbledore had fallen. Harry kneeled next to his crumpled form, and cried.
He silently promised to protect Hermione, and everyone he loved.
He kept that promise.
_
Notes: I APOLIGIZE FOR ANY MISTAKES MADE. Yes, I took some events, and scrapped them, and came up with my own, but this is fanfcition, right? I was inspired to write this by a video I watched, "101 Reasons to Ship Harry_Hermione" So yeah.
Please review? I kind of got lazy near the end, and I think I'm going to make a next chapter, a little story for DH, and the whole 'Nineteen Years Later' thing