And a day

Chapter 1

Disclaimer: This isn't a RW/HR matchup therefore I can't be JKR and I know for certain sure I'm not making any money out of this.

A/N:- It's a plot bunny that may not have a second chapter. I know where the story is going I've just got too many other stories to work on. This one demanded to be written though. It's my first attempt at a true romance chapter so I'd like to hear your response to both the plausibility and the quality of the romance. In other words Please Review.

/ Beginning \

After listening to Harrys' diatribe about the 'Old-man', the ministry and the whole wizarding world in general, Hermione looked around the common room to make sure it was as empty as she thought it was. Not that she was really expecting too many people to be up at nearly eleven at night. Wizard folk were like that, late to rise, earlyish to bed. It was a rare Quidditch party that went past ten thirty at night and even then the prefects or Professor McGonagall would break it up shortly after that. Having found themselves alone she turned back to Harry.

Having heard many of his complaints before she'd been thinking about it for a while but really wasn't sure if he'd be open to several of her ideas. Most of them were fairly outlandish and depended on how others were prepared to act towards him, and to be honest she couldn't see those people wanting to give up control of their supposed pawn. That was the word though, the only word that mattered, 'Control'. Harry needed it more than he needed his next breath and yet it was something that her first and best friend had never had. There was one other option that would work and only required two people, both of whom seemed to want the same thing. Up until this point though it had only been a day-dream, or something to aspire to when Harry turned seventeen next year. Now though he was…well she didn't want this to be an act of desperation on his part, she'd prefer him to actually want her so she'd outline all the options that he could use before mentioning her ultimate plan.

"Harry?" she said into the sullen silence left behind as he stared into the smouldering fire. Apparently he hadn't known he wasn't alone as he nearly jumped from the armchair he was slouched in, and she knew for certain he was resecuring his wand in the holster he'd gotten for his birthday. As he turned to face the person disturbing his introspection she could almost swear his eyes were glowing slightly but a blink dispelled the illusion caused by the fire or whatever had caused it.

"Er, yeah Hermione," he answered as calmly as he could as his heart rate slowed down from the near panic he'd been in a moment before. As he calmed his skin began to flush in embarrassment at being caught so unaware, that and wondering just how much of his rant she'd overheard. He certainly hoped that she wasn't here about his latest run in with his jealous prat of a friend, she certainly wouldn't be pleasant to him if that was what she was here about. Not that it was his fault anymore than anything that had happened to him over the last five years. It simply wouldn't matter since as he'd discovered, everything was his fault in the end.

"Could you meet me outside the," she paused to make sure that no one had come down from the dorms, she didn't want to run any chance that someone might overhear or interfere with what she was now planning, "Room of requirement in about twenty minutes?"

"Er, sure. You want to give me a clue what this is about?"

"No. I, I don't want anyone to overhear," she glanced furtively around as if she was expecting half the house to leap out of the shadows and interrupt them.

"Am I going to like it?" he asked nervously. When Hermione got edgy like this it normally meant he wouldn't, or she was planning to break as many rules as she could. For someone who didn't like to challenge authority or break rules she sometimes showed a wanton disregard for them when she felt it necessary.

"I hope so," at her hesitant tone he tried to quell the sceptical look but obviously failed, "No I really do Harry." She squared her shoulders and managed to look him resolutely in the eyes.

"Okay…I'll see you in twenty."

"Yeah." Getting the feeling they'd stand there rehashing their agreement until the rest of the house awoke Hermione smiled at him.

"Right, do you want me to get the room ready?"

"No, I'll take care of it when I get there. Just wait for me okay?"

"Sure," Harry replied. Hermione reached up and hugged him like she'd been wont to do for years before turning away and rushing towards the stairs to the girls dormitory.

What she was planning was rather extreme but she felt it was the best choice and she was prepared to act accordingly since once he agreed it would be impossible to block or break. Not even a full Wizengamot meeting could undo it once she'd accomplished what she had planned and she knew that the headmaster would be trying just as hard as he could. She'd noticed that the man seemed to have plans where Harry was concerned and well…she didn't have proof as such but she felt that too many things seemed to happen to Harry while at Hogwarts. For the supposedly 'safest' place in the United Kingdom too many dangerous things had slipped past the headmaster. It was like he was testing Harry, but again she had no real evidence, just a feeling but she was learning to trust those feelings. She wondered just how much control Albus Dumbledore actually exerted over Harrys' life but one thing she'd noted was that when Harry really needed help he was always alone.

The other body that would attempt to stop any attempt for Harry to gain some control of his life was the ministry. Even after the fact that Fudge had been proven a liar with the appearance of Voldemort in the atrium of the Ministry building. There was yet to be a retraction in the papers about all the slander they'd printed about Harry and the headmaster. Not that she cared what the public thought about Dumbledore. It would prove unwise for Fudge to outright attack Harry but that wouldn't stop the man from using blackmail if he got the chance to have Harry bolster his chances of staying in power.

It took ten minutes to prepare and another minute to grab the small stack of books that she'd need to prove to him what she was talking about. Then she bolted from the dorms towards the room of requirement.

/ Harry \

Leaving the common room a puzzled Harry slowly and carefully made his way to the room of requirement. He was a little worried about his friend because whatever this was about had her extremely concerned. All of the signs had been there, the frown as she thought furiously to make sure that she wasn't missing anything, the worrying of her lower lip that he found quite fascinating. Even her eyes changed with her mood, lightening if she was happy or darkening if she was worried or scared. Whatever had his friend like this had him even more worried because he knew he probably wasn't going to like it. He just hoped that he wasn't going to have to have more words with their red-headed friend for something he'd done.

Walking past the tapestry of Barnabus he found a small alcove and slid partially behind a suit of armour so that if anyone came by they'd have a chance to miss him in the shadows. The only real threat was Mrs Norris. He'd heard there were many ways to skin a cat and with that particular damn cat he was willing to experiment and make sure it was true.

He wasn't sure how long he'd been waiting there, but it was long enough to decide that twenty minutes was just this side of eternity when you were impatient to find out what was going on. His mind was flashing up all kinds of dire situations that he didn't want to examine too closely and wasn't sure he wanted to be there when Hermione confirmed one of them. Bolting was a real option until he saw a shadow approaching from the direction of the Gryffindor common room and shrank deeper into the shadows. Sighing a little as the shortish figure paced back and forth infront of the tapestry he was just stepping out of the alcove when he heard a voice hiss.

"Harry?"

"I'm here," he called back softly as he approached, "So what's this all about?"

"Inside first and then I'll tell you," she held the door and motioned him inside. The room that had been provided for her was small and cosy with a fireplace providing the only light as flames roared up from the logs. In front of the fire were a couple of chairs that wouldn't have been out of place in the common room except they were in better condition and looked more comfortable. The door thunked shut behind him and he turned to see the portal disappear. Apparently she didn't want any chance whatsoever of anyone interrupting them.

"Alright, enough stalling Hermione. What's this all about?"

Hermione walked past him with the books stacked in her arms, she stopped to put them on a table that Harry hadn't noticed because it was in the shadows behind the nearest chair. "Come and take a seat Harry and then I'll tell you what I've been looking into over the summer," she said before watching him stalk over to the seat opposite her and look at her expectantly.

"Where to start? Okay…I heard you earlier as you were venting about Professor Dumbledore and well everything else…"

"Yeah? And?"

"Well, you know I, I trust the teachers? I've always felt that they know what they're doing and what we should be doing. But after last year…" she hesitated not sure how to continue but eventually deciding to dive in and lay all her thoughts on the table, "Well after last year I'm afraid they do know what they're doing. Or at least some of them do and the rest seem to be being kept in the dark. Hold on Harry, I've got to get this out before you ask any questions. Something I'd like to do first is to apologise for my part in last year, I honestly believed that it was for the best at the time…Now? Well now I'm not so sure, so many of the things that happened last year just don't add up. This is supposed to be the safest place in the wizarding world and yet everything that's happened to you lead me to believe that someone is working against you," she paused as Harry snorted derisively, "I don't mean Voldemort Harry. I mean I know he's bad enough, but the things that are slipping through the castles defences simply shouldn't be able to. According to Hogwarts a history the wards here are the most powerful on the planet rivalling even the Goblin wards on Gringotts. Dark creatures or spirits shouldn't be able to get through them and yet just about every year something has gotten through and put you at risk."

"You think I don't remember all that?" Harry interrupted.

"Of course you remember all that Harry. I don't doubt that for a second, the problem is that it doesn't add up. Before you came to Hogwarts the last exciting thing that happened was the Marauders, and before that it was the Chamber of Secrets being opened and killing a student. My point is that things like this don't happen at Hogwarts and yet they have. It's…and I hate to even think this…it's as if someone was letting these things happen. The problem is I can't figure out if they were supposed to be tests of you or whether you weren't supposed to survive…" she trailed off as she saw the stunned look in Harrys' eyes.

Harry sat there trying to take in the enormity of what Hermione had just said. It sounded ludicrous on the surface but when he looked back and put it in perspective there was a ring of truth in what she'd said. Crossed with what he'd learned about the prophecy it sounded even more plausible, though which option was more likely he didn't know at this point. It was true that he, a sixteen year old wizard shouldn't have much chance against a seventy year old dark wizard, given that they were supposedly equal in power. There was a chance that Dumbledore was trying to sacrifice him and he was refusing to play ball with the plans. It seemed unlikely at first glance but something he was wondering about was…if Dumbledore knew Harry would have to face the 'Worst Dark Lord' in centuries, then why hadn't he been given proper training. Had the old man looked at the disparity in skill levels and assumed that Harry could never bridge the gap and so chosen to sacrifice Harry to fulfil the prophecy. Hoping that he could catch Voldemort after he'd despatched Harry and thus fulfilled the prophecy, after all, 'Either must die at the hands of the other.' Had he been manufacturing meetings between Harry and the Dark Lord?

Resolving to share the information he had with Hermione he looked up at his long time friend with harrowed eyes that shocked her.

"My god Harry….What's..?"

"Shhh…I've got something to tell you. Dumbledore told me not to share it with anyone but I think I'm done listening to what he thinks. Your suspicions, well lets just say they make much more sense when you hear the prophecy about me and Voldemort. I don't want to believe it Hermione, but it makes too much sense…"

"I thought the prophecy was destroyed in the ministry?"

"Yeah, well it turns out the prophecy was made in Dumbledore's presence. He's known about it since it was made in 1979.."

"Wasn't it dated 1981?"

"Yeah, but apparently it wasn't a valid prophecy until Voldemort came after my parents. Look, it goes like this," Harry repeated the prophecy to her, "So you see it wasn't an active prophecy until he marked me as his equal?"

"Harry…and did it really say that either he kills you or you kill him?"

"Yeah that's the way I interpreted it. I'm not sure it's as literal as that though. The thing is that if you look at what's happened to me here then maybe you were right and Dumbledore has been trying to see the thing fulfilled. It doesn't matter anymore if it's true or not Hermione, I think it is and I'm not playing that game anymore," he said harshly.

Hermione sucked in a breath at the bitter tone of his voice, for all the years she'd known him he'd never once sounded like this and she was afraid for him if something didn't change. Luckily she had several plans to run past him.

"I reckon this wasn't what you wanted to talk about when you asked me to meet you here. So what…"

"Right….You're right Harry. Though it clears up any doubts I had about my loyalty. I'm here for you Harry. Ever since first year I've been willing to follow you Harry, but now…Now I know if you needed me to walk into hell with you I would. You're my best friend and no ones going to take you away from me," she stated fiercely.

"Er, okay Hermione," he said attempting to placate the emotional witch.

"After the Department of Mysteries and while I was recovering from my injuries I started to think about your situation and came to several conclusions. You've heard some of them, but…Do you know the one thing that you need more than anything else?"

Harry thought about it for a moment before answering, "Yeah. I don't have any control over my life."

"Exactly, you need to control your life. The problem is it's something that you'll never get," she let that sink in, "The only way you can get control is to take it. The people who should be helping you are holding the information you need until it's too late to do you any good."

"Nice way to state the obvious Hermione. Do you have any idea how I can change that?"

"I might have done some research into it over the summer Harry," she smiled cheekily.

"Some research?" he queried.

"Alright, I stripped every law book I could out of Flourish and Blotts and several other bookstores and even sought legal advice from a neutral source without naming any names."

"Did you find anything useful?"

"Well there's surprisingly quite a few ways for you to take control of your life. The problem is that most of them can be blocked if the other people who are interested in keeping you powerless are given any indication of what you plan. The easiest is to be emancipated, for anyone of three reasons. The first and most likely is that you are the last member of an ancient and noble house, followed by the fact that you've been mistreated by you muggle guardians for years and you need to get away. The last is that there's a crazy dark lord coming after you and you need to be able to defend yourself."

Harry snorted at Hermione's attempt at humour, "I get the feeling that you feel that it's unlikely it'll work?"

"Hmm, like I said too many people need to be notified of your attempt to be emancipated for anyone of those reasons. The ones that concern you are Minister Fudge and Albus Dumbledore, who I believe is your magical guardian. Both of them would have to sign off on your emancipation. Dumbledore won't because he doesn't want to lose control of you. I think Fudge wouldn't because he's as corrupt as any politician I've ever heard of anywhere in the world and he'd be hoping you'll die without an heir or last will and testament."

"What good would that do him?"

"If you die without an heir or a will then the ministry has a chance to claim your family vaults for the ministry. Needless to say most of the money wouldn't reach the ministry. He'd probably succeed as well since there are no people related within three removes of the Potter family. Your cousins are too distant and there are no cadet branches to inherit."

"So emancipation is out then?"

"Not really but it's risky and if you can't convince the people you need to then it would make any of the other options you have that much harder."

"Which options?"

"The next option is a license to permit underage magic. Again it's risky depending on how desperate either party believe you to be. The minister might attempt to ring concessions from you such as public support for his campaign to remain in office. Another thing I wouldn't put past him is for him to change the rules after you think you can do magic and thus entrap you. He could then blackmail you much more thoroughly or threaten you with Azkaban. We've seen the kind of things the ministry can do when they think they can get away with it. Dumbledore simply won't want to allow it since it will give you leeway to defend yourself. At the moment you're completely dependant on the 'Order of the Phoenix' for any help and he's not going to want to change that until he doesn't have a choice and I wouldn't put it past him to change the laws where you're concerned.

The final way that I can think of is to seek asylum in a foreign country. I'm sure France would be happy to have you there, and the Delacour family may offer to help you. It's unlikely because I don't think you can escape the 'Order' and get out of the country safely." Having said everything she intended she stopped expectantly while Harry mulled over the information.

"Okay, I can see where you're coming from, and I agree with you. That's without taking into account the fact that Voldemort is still after me. These aren't my only options though are they….I mean I've seen that look on you face before and it means you've got a plan but you're not sure I'll like it, or you know very well I won't like it. You might as well spill it you know," Harry smirked at Hermione's surprised expression.

"Er, y-yes, th-there is another option, and you're right I don't think…"

"Ah, come on Hermione it can't be that bad. Just tell me what it is and then I can tell you what I think."

"Alright, but…"

"No buts 'Mione, let me be the judge of what I will and won't like," he interrupted her again. He was beginning to get frustrated at the normally unflappable witch.

"The only other option I've been able to find is for you to get married," she stopped to let the bombshell sink in.

"You're right I don't like it. It's a crazy idea, I'm not even dating anyone…so you must have someone in mind already."

"Mmm-hmm, there's a reason why it's a good idea. That being that no one, and I mean no one, can stop you as long as one of the people is of age. The second you marry you're considered of age and you'll be in control of your life to whatever extent you want."

"You didn't answer my question. Let's see, of age witches that I know…well Katie Bell and Angelina Johnson are out since they're with the twins, and Alicia Spinnet is out because she's dating their partner Lee Jordan. Cho Chang isn't an option," he shuddered as he remembered his last few interactions with the pretty Asian seeker from Ravenclaw, "I don't think she likes me very much and her choice of friends leaves me cold. I'm not even on first name terms with any of the other witches in year seven…the only other person I know who's seventeen is you and I always thought you and Ron had an understanding,"

Hermione was about to smile when he finally got to her name until what else he'd said about her sank in, "Who told you Ron and I have an understanding?" she demanded.

"Um, well…everyone thinks it's only a matter of time before you stop arguing with each other, and then there's Ron, he told me he's interested last year and well I thought…"

"Let me clarify something for you Harry James Potter, I am not, nor have I ever contemplated dating Ronald Billius Weasley. We argue because he's dense and doesn't see that he needs to study more not just attempt to copy my work, that and the fact that he drags you down to his level. Contrary to popular belief you don't argue incessantly with a person you like unless you've got the emotional maturity of an eleven year old or lower, which now that I come to think of it applies to Ron so you might be right about him. As for me, I'd like to think I'm more mature than that Harry. Put simply there's not really a lot we have in common, he likes Quidditch and its most of his life from what I can see, while I like to read about all kinds of things that I'd like to share with someone intelligent enough to have an opinion. Besides his manners disgust me, he eats like a pig…"

"It doesn't sound like you like Ron much?" Harry asked now thoroughly confused, he'd thought he had this all figured out and now the rules had changed. He'd never felt this nervous before because if he was hearing her right then Hermione, his best female friend, no, no qualifiers, his best friend was proposing that he marry her and he wanted to clarify certain things before he'd risk their friendship.

"To be honest with you Harry, the only thing Ron and I have in common is you. If it wasn't for you I wouldn't tolerate his presence at all. He hasn't been a very good friend to me, and if you're honest you'll admit that he's not been a very good friend to you either. He's jealous of your fame and money and he's abandoned you several times now, and expects an 'I'm sorry' to serve as an apology. He's accused you of using your fame to get preferential treatment, and he's even accused you of being dark when he found out you're a parslemouth. Those aren't good traits in a friend Harry. Friends are supposed to trust each other and accept the things about their friends that they may not like, and as god is my witness I've tried to like Ron for your sake but I can't and I don't trust him either. Another thing friends should do is support each other and forgive the mistakes they make. The simple fact is Harry that Ron is still like that eleven year old child you met on the train, he hasn't grown up at all and he's still selfish enough that he doesn't see the things he does wrong as being wrong."

Harry hated himself when he heard himself when he heard his voice say, "You've made mistakes too Hermione."

"I know, I never said I'm perfect Harry. So why don't you ask me about the one that really sticks out in your mind and I'll see if I can explain it to you now that you're older and seen more of what we're all up against."

"My broom in third year?" it was the worst instance in his memory, or at least Ron's reaction made it seem so which given he was the person they were discussing wasn't too surprising that incident popped to mind.

"Not my finest hour Harry and I did apologise. I don't think anything hurt as bad as knowing I was right and yet you both were giving me the cold shoulder. I don't think ou saw the hate in Ron's eyes when he was yelling at me after Professor McGonagall took the Firebolt from you."

"It was my broom Hermione, you could have talked to me, I would have listened to both of your points and made a decision. You didn't trust me to make the right decision and took it out of my hands when you told the professor," Harry accused her.

"I panicked…the troll in first year didn't scare me as much as that broom did. I thought that you were going to do what any other boy would have done if given a broom like that which was to run outside and try it out. Except we didn't have a clue who sent it to you, it could have been Lucius Malfoy who'd happily sacrifice a thousand galleons on a broom if he could hurt or kill you after what you did to him at the end of second year. He could have tampered with the braking charm so that it didn't work and you'd have run into something at top speed which being nearly two hundred miles an hour would probably kill you. Or it could have been cursed to fly straight up to two thousand feet before the propulsion charms cut out. No cushioning charm would have saved you if you fell from that height. I couldn't take the chance you'd be hurt and I could see how much Ron wanted to try that broom and how much pressure he was going to put on you to do it," Hermione tried to stop her hands from shaking as a sob shook her body. Even as far back as third year she'd known how she felt about the raven haired boy sitting across from her and hoped that one day he could return the feelings she had.

Harry swallowed hard as he watched the firelight reflect off of the tears streaming from Hermione's eyes. He'd suspected it had been something like that at the time but he'd allowed Ron to influence him, maybe she was right and even if Sirius Black had sent it and there was nothing wrong with it there was a chance it could have been malicious. He discovered something else at the same time, and that was that he hated to make Hermione cry. In fact he wanted to go find Ron right now and punch him in the nose for causing her any pain whatsoever. The trouble was that knowing how she felt about Ron he knew that he was personally responsible for the tears. Standing up he took a shaky breath as he extended a hand to Hermione.

"Hermione?" he asked hesitantly.

Hermione looked up to him and saw him holding out his hand. Not knowing what he wanted she reached out and took it, feeling his grasp hold her firmly as he drew her from the chair she'd been seeking shelter in. It was a shock when he drew her into his arms and wrapped them around her, it was the first time he'd ever initiated a hug. Every other hug they'd shared had been due to her, now that he'd done it she froze unsure of what to do.

Harry tightened his hold on Hermione, feeling her small frame feel so right where it was. He'd never noticed how much he'd grown until he felt just how small Hermione felt. Leaning down he whispered into her curls, "I'm sorry 'Mione. Merlin, I'm so sorry…erk!" something he said must have penetrated her thoughts as she wrapped her arms around him and clung desperately. It turned out that she might be small but she was still pretty strong as he discovered when he found it difficult to breath in again since she'd forced the air from his lungs.

"Air, need air 'Mione," he gasped out jokingly and actually chuckled when she jumped in surprise and tried to move away but found he wasn't ready to relinquish his hold on her just yet. Instead he moved them towards his chair before sitting down and drawing her into his lap.

"Lets talk about marriage then," Harry began, "Control of my life isn't a good enough reason to marry 'Mione. I'm not saying no, it's just we need to talk about the why's and wherefores before we do anything so drastic. We haven't even been on a date and we're thinking about moving to the ultimate step in a relationship?" he stopped speaking as Hermione reached up and placed a finger on his lips before snuggling against his chest even closer.

"Doesn't this feel right Harry? I don't need to date you to know everything I need to. I've known you for so long now you know me better than my own parents since I've been keeping things from them so I could stay here and be with you. If they knew some of the things that had happened here over the years they'd have withdrawn me from Hogwarts and I'd neve have seen you again. I would have still studied magic I would have just had my parents hire some tutors to get me over he underage magic restrictions and I'd have been fine. But not without you Harry. I don't know if what I feel is love but I'm more than willing to chance my heart for you. I don't think I've made a mistake. I know you Harry and everything I know about you makes me think that if I don't already love you then it won't take much effort on my part."

"Right so we don't need to date? Well I'm not going to let that stop me from taking you out. Next point…we haven't kissed," he said nnervously. He hadn't had much luck with kissing girls, in fact the only kiss he'd participated in had left the girl in question crying. Not exactly a good track record in his estimation.

"I think we can do something about that," she rejoined as she turned in his arms to face him more fully and tilting her head up. Before their lips met she closed her eyes in anticipation, while Harry closed his in the hopes that he wouldn't see the disappointment in her eyes as he kissed her. It led to him kissing her chin, and to Hermione giggling at the situation. Harry started to move away until Hermione threaded her fingers through his hair holding his head in place, "Lets try that again," she smiled as she reached up again this time watching where she was going, and fascinated when the tip of his tongue flicked out to wet his lips. She hoped he'd do that again when she was in contact with his mouth and wondered where that thought came from. When their lips finally met she revelled in the feeling of his surprisingly soft lips against her own as she pulled him closer and deepened the kiss further.

For a first kiss it was…something so much more than she expected. The depth of emotion she felt was incredible. Nothing she'd ever done could possibly compare, definitely not that peck on the cheek that Viktor Krum had given her in fourth year. The one that Ron had accused her of betraying them over as if it had been the most heinous act she could have committed as opposed to the simple thankyou it had been.

This kiss made the world fade away until minutes after it had ended with both of them reeling for breath. In fact the world could go hang itself as she leaned in for another. This time feeling more comfortable she closed her eyes again as she moved closer, and closer, and surely she should have met him by now? Opening her eyes she found that as she moved closer to his smiling mouth that he was matching her pace as he moved away from her.

"Harrrryy!" she pouted as he chuckled before he moved in and took her lips in another deep kiss that had her reeling even more as she clutched his hair once more. This time she licked her own lips and wasn't complaining when she could tasted him, such a fascinating sensation that she decided to taste him directly and ran her tongue over the crease in his lips. With a groan Harry opened his lips and drew her tongue into his mouth. Everything exploded as her tongue caressed his own and began to sensuously duel with her as he tried to figure out what she tasted of. The closest he came was the smooth sweet taste of treacle tart, warm from the oven, he could swear there were strawberries or cherries as well and cinnamon, combined with the warm smell of her skin and the scent of her apple balsam shampoo he didn't think he ever wanted this kiss to end as he wrapped his free arm around her slender body and attempted to crush her to his chest as his mouth ravaged hers. Neither had any idea how long the kiss lasted as they reluctantly released each other as they gasped for breath.

"Wow…I mean….wow!" Harry panted as he looked into the warm chocolate depths of her eyes. She was going to tease him about his eloquence but couldn't figure out how to make her mouth work at the moment. All she managed was, "Yeah," in agreement.

Feeling that they really needed to continue the discussion Hermione reluctantly offered, "Maybe I should return to my chair?"

Her answer was a growled 'no' as Harry tightened his arms around her.

"Or I could stay right here…" she chuckled, "So that's dating, and kissing, then there's the fact that I know you so well and I'm pretty much sure I'm in love with you. Now more so than before. Is there anything else we need to talk about?"

"We need to figure out where we would live, and what to do about money."

"For the moment we'll live here, and I have a few thousand pounds saved up from presents over the years. That should tide us over for a little while," she smiled at him, if those were the only questions he had left to ask then she was pretty sure he was going to say yes to her suggestion.

"I've got some galleons in my trust vault. Though I'm not sure how much since I haven't seen it since second year. Mrs. Weasley has been getting my supplies for school."

"We'll worry about that latter Harry. Right now all that matters to me is your answer to my suggestion," she watched as he leant back into the comfortable armchair and closed his eyes to think without her distracting him.

Without opening his eyes he spoke, "I can't think of one good reason why we shouldn't…except I'm not sure what love is," he almost whispered, "If what I feel isn't love then I'm afraid it might kill me. I guess I'm willing to take that chance 'Mione. I don't think my life would be worth living without you and I'm sure I couldn't survive without you in it. Yes," he finished simply.

"So now what 'Mione?"

"Well Gryffindors charge right in, right?"

"Yeah. I feel we've done much too much Ravenclawish behaviour to be comfortable so we should return to what we're best at," Harry joked.

Hermione wriggled to be released from his embrace and elicited a groan from him as she came into firm contact with certain points of his anatomy raising a fire of a different sort as she managed to gain her feet and gestured for him to stand opposite her in front of the fire.

"You stand there. What we're going to do is called hand-fasting. I'd prefer to marry you outright but we'd need our guardians permission for that. Hand-fasting on the other hand is legal here in Scotland and equally binding. We can fully formalize the situation when the hand-fasting is over next year. Are you certain Harry?"

"Yeah, I'm sure," he said firmly without a hint of uncertainty.

"Then take my left had with yours, now my right," tilting her head a little she looked him full in the face, "Look into my eyes Harry," she waited for a moment until she was sure he wasn't going to look away, "and now the vows." Hermione took a deep breath.

"In life, I gi' my body,

In love, my heart,

I thee troth,

In hope, my soul,

For a year and a day."

Their eyes never wavered as Harry repeated the vows without any hesitation, not even the bands of golden light that wrapped their wrists could draw their attention as Hermione stepped closer halving the distance, Harry not knowing if he was stil mirroring her actions stepped in as well trapping their still joined hands between them as he moved to kiss his bride. Unlike the previous kisses this was a short simple kiss as the bonds between them strengthened again before they stepped back and she released his hands.

"Now what?"

"Now husband," Hermione smiled as she reached for the clasp on her robes and shrugged her shoulders allowing the black robe to slide down her body revealing most of her preparations for tonight.

Harry's eyes bulged and he choked as he whirled around. If he was trying to protect her modesty it was probably too late since the image of her standing there gloriously naked was indelibly etched into his mind.

"Harry, you turn around this instant, or I'm going to think you don't like me!"

"B-but you're naked," he protested

"It'd be pretty hard to consummate the marriage if I kept my clothes on Harry. Not impossible you understand just harder than it has to be." Harry agreed with the sentiment, he was pretty downright hard at the moment. He was startled when he felt her arms slide around his body as she embraced him from behind, "Now if you'd care to join me we can stop any chance the headmaster can make to have our marriage annulled," she smiled as she felt his resistance fade away and he turned around and his arms slid around her slowly as if unsure where to touch her.

"Relax Harry you can touch me. In fact I like it," she shivered in his arms in a manner that had nothing to do with the temperature and everything to do with the spark of desire that had entered his eyes.

"Er, 'Mione? I've never done this before," he said feeling slightly shamed that he was unsure of himself.

"Neither have I Harry. Like everything else in our lives we'll figure it out as we go," she said before standing on tiptoes and initiating a deep drugging kiss that would lead to many more throughout the night if she had anything to say about it.

/ the end \

A/N:- I'm supposed to be working on other stories but this idea came to me after reading too many implausible situations that lead to different relationships. For any Ron Hermione shppers out there who are revolted by anything other than a cannon pairing I have to ask if you despair for your own relationships since you obviously don't have a clue about what makes a relationship work. The only scenario where HG/RW works in my opinion is where potions have been used or where spousal abuse is evident since Ron says some truly horrible things to Hermione over the years

If you liked this please REVIEW, I don't know if there'll be a second chapter to show how Harry starts to assert control in his life but I daresay it'll be influenced by reader response.