I Dont Own Anything Harry Potter. JK Rowling does. I will write more to this story in the days to come. This chapter took me a while... hope you like it.

I woke up to snoring. 'What the hell, Ron!' I thought.

I had just arrived only a few hours ago to the Burrow and I was getting into the hang of things again. It was the end of summer after all. School was starting in a mere couple of days.

I was sleeping one of the twin beds in Ginny's room. It was a floor up from Ron's room. And his snoring filled the room.

"Hermione." Ginny spoke.

I rose in bed, "Yes, Gin?"

"Can you sleep?" she huffed.

I shook my head. "Ron's snoring sure is taking a toll on my sleep this summer." she said. "I wake up late in the night to it. And the way he talks in his sleep."

"He talks in his sleep, still? What's it about now? Spiders? Tap dancing?" I laughed.

She laughed. She remembered. "No, uh, he mentions you mostly."

I stopped laughing and looked at her. "Really?"

She nodded. "You do know he has a major crush on you, right?"

I knew but, it wasn't out in the open. I nodded. I needed to change the subject. "So, Harry will be here soon."

"Oh, I know. I'm totally excited. I haven't seen him since the end of last semester." Ginny had always had a crush on him. So much so that she had told him of it at the end of the year celebration in the Gryffindor Common Room. She even got the guts to kiss him.

Their relationship was just taking off. I felt happy for them. Harry is after all my best friend.

But, something deep down felt off. Like I was mistaking this happiness for something else. Had I been too wrapped up in school to see the way Harry looked at me? I had been studying for our O.W.L's last year. I knew of this crush Ron had for me but, now, I couldn't get my head around the idea that Harry was looking at me strangely. Like he used to look at Cho before she ratted us out to Umbridge. That nasty, short bimbo.

"Ginny, aren't you going out with Harry?" I asked simply.

"No. Not yet anyways. I was hoping when he got here that we could establish it for real." she said, grinning ear to ear.

"Oh." I said.

"Why do you ask?"

"I just-" I was cut off by a loud crash coming from downstairs in the living room. We rushed down the stairs to see what happened.

As we got down there, Fred, George, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were already standing there, shocked.

To my surprise and everyone else's, Harry was standing by the fireplace. He had traveled by Floo Powder. He was a mess.

He had soot all over his face, hair, clothes. But, there was something that stood out of the mess, he was smiling. At me.

I had looked around the room to see if anyone of the Weasely's were standing behind me, no one was there.

Mrs. Weasely was in her night robe, curlers in her hair. "Harry! You're here early."

"Sorry, Mrs. Weasley. Everyone. I needed to get away from the Dursley's. They're murder. I didn't mean to wake you." he spoke. My ears rang from his soft, masculine voice.

"Don't worry. Ron's snoring woke us up long before you arrived." Ginny giggled.

"Oh, shut up!" Ron said, yawning.

"I can just imagine." Harry said, chuckling. I couldn't help but laugh right along with him. It's incredibly fun to think the same way.

"So, let's get your things up into Ron's room." Mrs. Weasley began. "Ron, take these for Harry."

"How come he cant do it?" Ron whined.

"Oh, Ronald," I started. "Harry needs to get washed up. Cant you see he's a mess?"

I glanced quickly at Harry. His eyes were on me once again.

I walked back up to my bed, alone. Ginny was waiting until Harry was clean to talk to him formally. She was bound determined to be his girlfriend.

I was sitting on my bed, looking at Ginny's empty bed.

"Sickening, huh?" Ron's voice appeared in my thoughts.

"Uh, what?" Was he reading my mind?

"Ginny. Harry. She's doing too much to further a relationship that isn't going to happen."

"How do you know that?" I asked curiously.

"I'm a guy. He's only attracted to Ginny because she's younger. He's got his eye on another person." He said, knowingly.

"Really, who?"

He shrugged. "He wont tell me. But, I'll figure it out this year."

Ron excused himself to his room when Ginny came running into the room, crying. "Stupid, stupid me!"

I went over to comfort her. "What's wrong? Did you talk to Harry?"

She nodded. "He told me his feelings had changed. What happened at the end of last term means nothing to him. I'm 'like a sister' to him." she said, quoting from the source; Harry.

"Well, I hear Dean Thomas likes you. Why don't you give him a go. He's a nice mate." I said, reassuring her.

"Maybe. I still like Harry though." she whined.

"Ginny, you'll find someone even better." Although Harry is the best I could think of myself, I thought. What am I saying? Harry is just my best friend. Nothing more.

My face flushed, giving away my thoughts. "Hermione, what's the matter?"

"Oh, nothing. Just need some air. Go to sleep, I'll be back in a bit." I said, walking out the door. I needed time to myself. To think to myself. No one could interfere if I was outside, alone.

I walked through the back door. I had told Mrs. Weasley that I needed some air. She had an anxious look on her face.

I walked a ways down the road leading to the Burrow. Around it was swamp. It smelled. I grew back into my thoughts. Why was I thinking about Harry. I had a perfectly good crusher named Ron. My other best friend. How come it is so hard to not think of Harry Potter? Most of the girls told me last year that they all secretly think of him from time to time. But, I didn't understand.

"Hermione?" I heard. It was a man's voice. The same that made my knees weak earlier. I turned.

It was Harry. "Hey, Harry."

"What in the bloody hell are you doing out here?" Harry asked.

"You just sounded like Ron." I laughed. Then, shrugged. "I'm just- I needed some air, that's all."

He didn't say anything. He understood.

"So," he began, breaking the silence. "Ginny told you what I said?"

I nodded. "She was very happy that you were coming. But, she seemed too worked up over it. In my opinion." I took a deep breath. "Yes, she's liked you since you first became Ron's friend but, honestly, she's a bit too naïve to be with someone like you…"

"Someone like me?" he sounds astonished.

"Well, you're definitely someone who is unattainable these days. With learning new spells to help against the Dark Lord. You need someone who is strong. Open minded but, intelligible. Someone like-"

He cut me off. "You."

I blushed fiercely. Had he truly known what had been on my mind only moments ago, when I was alone?

"M-Maybe." I stuttered.

I turned my head in his direction. He was looking at me once again. This time, his eyes were full of truth and honesty. I only saw this look whenever I was alone with him. He never seemed to be that way around Ron. It was always a joke with those two. Partially because Ronald doesn't seem to take jokes well.

"'Mione." he whispered. "Ginny told you everything? The part about me liking someone else?"

I nodded. Harry moved closer to me, taking my hand in his. Our fingers laced together. I had this feeling something good was coming next. I just didn't want to be dreaming it.

He was now facing me, his eyes burning into mine. I knew exactly what was to come.

"That girl that I like… Well…it's you." He said softly.

I leaned in, as did he. My mind was swarming with thoughts. I felt I had to stop what was going on before we regretted it. "Har-" I tried to say but, Harry's lips ended up on mine.

After what seemed a million years, we pulled away. I pinched myself.

"Ouch." I said. Harry just looked at me.

I pinched him. "Ouch, 'Mione."

I giggled. "Sorry. I wanted to make sure this was real. Not a dream."

He only grinned until he leaned in and kissed me once again. We were in perfect bliss.

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