Sweet Endings
I looked up from the book I was reading; Harry just walked in. We graduated from Hogwarts last year. Harry, Ron and I rented this house because it was near the Burrow. Ron joined the Chudley Cannons as a Keeper, his lifetime dream and was away most of the time. He was currently in Ireland playing in a game.
Harry was carrying a DVD. "Look what I found, Hermione," he said excitedly. I looked at the title curiously.
"Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban," I said slowly. "How strange, do you suppose this is the film version of the Muggle series about you? Do you remember? I showed them to you last week. They were extraordinarily accurate."
I had spotted a display of Harry Potter books in a Muggle bookstore last week. Taken by curiosity, I bought one and read it. It was very accurate. I suspected that the author was a witch who had been at school with us. If she were really a Muggle, how could she have gotten all the details correct?
Harry shrugged. "Let's watch it," he suggested. I put the DVD in the player and sat down to watch it. We still owned many Muggle devices. Both Harry and I were raised by Muggles and we liked to have these around even though Ron didn't know how to use them. They remind me of my childhood. This caused many problems with Ron. Once, when my parents called, he spent almost ten minutes shouting down the phone before my parents realised that I was not at home at that time. This was just one of the many things that set Ron and me apart.
We watched in interest as the story unfolded. When I first saw Buckbeak, I laughed. "Look at that, what do they think that is? He looks like a toy." Harry was smiling too as he looked at me.
As I watched 'Harry' stretching out to reach Buckbeak, I held my breath too, seeing the moment in my head again. I had only grabbed Ron's hand because I was so worried about Harry, but my classmates took it the wrong way. They thought that I liked Ron. I still remember the teasing we had in our sixth and seventh year.
Soon, we were at the part where Harry and I time travelled back to save Buckbeak and Sirius. I could still remember that day clearly. It was one of the rare times where Harry and I were alone without Ron. Oh, Ron was my best friend but Harry was the one I loved. I don't know when I realised that. Maybe it was when Harry was there with me after I recovered from being petrified. Maybe it was when Harry saved me from the troll. Or maybe it was when I first saw him on the train, with his broken glasses and messy hair. All I know is that I love him.
I watched as the lead actor held the lead actress in his arms to protect her from the werewolf. How I wished that Harry would do that to me. Suddenly I realised that Harry was staring at me. I blushed and looked away.
"Hermione? Are you all right? You look a bit strange." Harry looked at me worriedly and put his hand to my forehead.
I did not dare to look at him as I feared that I might just blurt out the secret that I had kept for so many years. I yearned to tell him but I was scared, afraid of being rejected. I know that I wouldn't be able to handle it if he rejected me.
Still, I raised my head and looked straight into Harry's eyes. I could feel myself falling deeper into his deep green eyes. "Hermione, I- I have to tell you something. That movie brought up all the feelings I've always kept hidden deep in my heart. The thing is, I've always liked you, ever since our first year. I didn't dare to tell you because I knew that Ron liked you and I-"
I couldn't believe what he was saying. Before Harry even had a chance to finish, I had thrown myself into his arms. I buried my head in his chest and felt his arms wrap around me. This was what I had been waiting for all these years. Finally, my dreams were fulfilled.
"I love you," I whispered into Harry's ear.
I know, our story sounds very clichéd, but it is real, at least to me. So, I suppose you want to know what happened after that. Well, I don't plan on telling you, at least not in the near future.