A Night Unlike Any Other
By: FayeValentine00
(For lj user=marie_j_granger)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"This is completely absurd!" I whispered my words softly to Harry between giggles as we sat in the cinema.

"Definitely!" he agreed, squeezing my hand gently with a conspirators grin.

The most entertaining thing about the entire night was that fact that, despite our giggles and sometimes outright laughter, we were not watching a comedy. Harry Potter and I sat, in the back of a Muggle movie theater watching an action movie based around characters with magical powers. No matter which character was talking, no matter how tense the scene, the moment a spell was cast, we erupted into giggles all over again. It had been earning us quite a number of glares and even a few hisses over the last 45 minutes but neither of us cared. We were having way too much fun.

Tonight, Harry and I were alone. Sometimes Ron or Ginny or one of our other "pure blood" friends would come out with us into Muggle London but it wasn't always the best idea. At some point, somebody was bound to say something rather embarrassing or even shocking about the most mundane Muggle things and then we'd have to leave before people thought we were insane. That's why, most of the time, Harry and I kept these little outings to ourselves.

After High School, we'd all paired off. Harry went with Ginny and I went with Ron but after a few years of peace and tranquility, those feelings began to fade and before long, we all went back to just being friends. Now, Harry and I were flatmates. We'd figured since we both worked jobs that kept us away from home for days at a time, there was no sense in both of us paying a full rent. It worked out great. We were probably closer now than we ever had been despite the fact that, for nearly a decade, no one had been tried kill us.

Suddenly, I was pulled from my thoughts and my attention was directed back to the screen. I watched as the main character, lead witch of her coven, raised her wand, shouted an incantation and brought the wand down in a slashing motion, breaking the door before her in two and I felt my entire body tense. My hand must have squeezed Harry's tightly because from the corner of my eye I saw him turn to me with concern but I could not take my eyes off the screen. I was suddenly struck with memories of the day that I'd almost met the same fate as that door in the Department of Mysteries. If not for a simple silencing spell, I would be gone just like so many of the people we'd loved.

Ironically, I now worked in the Department of Mysteries and I passed the spot of my near death every single day and never thought a thing of it. Yet, here I was in the cinema, where just moments ago I had been laughing, shaking like a leaf.

Harry seemed to immediately understand what memory had been triggered and squeezed my hand. Leaning towards me, he whispered in my ear, his lips gently brushing my skin as he spoke. "Maybe we should go."

"Yeah..." I breathed softly, trying get a hold on myself. Once I was able to, I turned to Harry and forced a completely unconvincing smile. "Sorry, Harry."

We left the cinema and stepped out into the cool London street before Harry took me by the arm and pulled me over to the wall, out of the heaviest foot traffic.
It was there that he pulled me into a tight embrace. We stood together like that for a long time in silence, both caught up in memories of a different time... of nearly a different life.

Finally, Harry broke the silence. "Are you alright now, 'Mione?" he asked, pulling away enough so he could look down on my with a smug grin. I knew he was only using the nickname that annoyed me as a tease and, despite myself, I smiled.

"I'm fine." I shook my head slowly in an attempt to erase the bad memories and then smiled again. "I'm really sorry about that. It's been a long time since I've thought about those days. I guess it's just easier to try to forget about it most of the time..."

Understanding was clear all over Harry's face as he nodded and pulled me just a little tighter to his chest. "You know, Hermione? ... I honestly can't image what would have happened if you'd be k-" He stopped for a moment, shook his head, as if to escape his own bad memories, and then started his thought again. "If we'd lost you in the Department of Mysteries... If we'd lost you anywhere... If I'd lost you, I..."

His voice trailed off but the sheer emotion in his voice and the obvious conviction in his words had me searching his green eyes for answers. I loved Harry and despite all the different routes our lives had taken over the years, I always had. But now it sounded like he might feel the same way and that was the answer I was searching for.

"But you didn't lose me, Harry. I'm right here," I said softly, reaching up and pressing my hand lightly to his cheek as a confirmation of my words. My voice was really hardly more than a breath but he'd heard and smiled gently.

"I wouldn't have it any other way." Those last words were said so softly that I wasn't sure he was talking to me or just himself but I didn't have very long to think about it.

He leaned down and our lips met softly. It was so sweet... so innocent.. so full of the subtle love that had grown slowly during our fourteen years of friendship and I was instantly caught up in it. At that moment, nothing else mattered but Harry and I. As the kiss deepened, a realization came over me.

This was were I belonged... With Harry... Then, Now and Forever.