So I decided to use JKR's characters to help me figure out my own emotional dilemma. This isn't exactly good, but it definitely was beneficial to my mental health. They don't belong to me, I'm just using them as a therapeutic tool. Review, if you like.

It started as these things often do—an owl between friends. A request to hang out at Harry's flat wasn't exactly out of place, as they were best friends, so Hermione accepted.

She Apparated over around five on a Friday, just after she got out of work. The door opened before she had a chance to knock.

"Hey, Hermione. Come on in," Harry said.

"Am I cued into the wards now?" inquired Hermione, curious as to how he was able to open the door so quickly.

"Maybe. Or maybe my instincts are just on," he said with a smile.

He led her to the living room. "The Office?"

"Do you really think I'd say no?" She laughed. In the years since the war ended, Muggle and Wizard culture blended, and television became even more widespread. Of course, having lived with Muggles for most of their childhoods, Hermione and Harry made the transition with ease.

"Does Ginny know we're hanging out today?" Hermione asked as Harry loaded the DVD player.

He chuckled before answering. "Yeah, she knows our relationship doesn't go that way."

"Yes, but that hasn't stopped her before."

Harry and Ginny had been together for almost a year by this point, and she was often the victim of uncontrollable jealousy. Hermione became used to not speaking to Harry for weeks at a time when Ginny had one of her fits.

"Everyone has their issues," Harry explained with a shrug. He came over to Hermione and unexpectedly pulled her into a tight embrace. "Look, you know I love you, right?"

"Of course. And I love you too, kiddo," said Hermione, wrapping her arms around his slim waist.

"Hey, I'm only a few months younger than you!" he protested.

"It's a term of endearment, just stop fighting it, okay?" she replied, amused that he continued the argument from years past. He never could deal with being reminded of her seniority.

He held her tight for several seconds before realizing what he was doing. "Alright, then, to the couch!"

She smiled at his behavior and went to curl up on the far end of the black leather couch, as she always did. But this time, he sat directly next to her, so close their legs touched. He slipped his arm around her shoulders.

She looked up at him, curious. "You're certainly affectionate today," she mentioned.

"Is that a bad thing?"

"No, but it's just… different."

"Well, I've been in a good mood the last few days," Harry explained.

Hermione didn't exactly buy it, but she let it go.

As The Office's theme song started up, he trailed his hand up and down her arm. She decided just to go with it, and rested her head on his shoulder.

And woke half an hour later. "Oh. Sorry. Today was kind of a tough day, what with budget meetings with Malfoy and that secretary that insists upon glaring at me every time I walk passed…" Hermione babbled as she sat up, feeling guilty about falling asleep on her best friend.

"Don't worry about it. I feel your pain. I had a pretty rough day myself," he yawned.

She smiled. "Okay, then you take a nap. It's only fair…"

"Sounds good," he agreed. He laid his head on her chest and she put her arm around his shoulders.

Hermione stared at the television for a while, before feeling his hand grab hers, and hold it tightly. She squeezed his hand back and smiled. It was rare for Harry to be so affectionate, because of his awful childhood. And because he was almost always around Ginny, she rarely was even hugged by him anymore. She decided to savor it while she could.

Her eyelids began to droop once more, so she turned the TV off and decided to fall asleep, too.

Minutes later, she opened her eyes. Harry had wrapped one arm around her back. His other arm held her hand to her chest, and he held her so tightly that their joined hands pressed into her breast. She assumed he was still asleep, and settled into his arms, closing her eyes once more.

Harry's cell phone rang. He took it out of his pocket, silenced it, and smiled down at Hermione. "You can bring your legs up," he offered.

So she did. Now he lay sideways, pressed into her with his arms wrapped around her. His head was cushioned on her chest still, and her head on his. She closed her eyes and pressed a kiss to his hair, pleased to be spending time with him.

Soon after, she felt him bring her fingers to his lips, kissing them softly. She smiled, surprised still at his affection. She kissed his head again in response.

His head lifted off her chest, bringing his chin to rest between her breasts. Her evaluation of the situation was quick. She decided to continue to pretend to be asleep, just as he apparently was.

Then his lips pressed against her cheek, close to the corner of her mouth. He moved his body up, and rested his head against her cheek, his nose against her lips. Her heartbeat sped, and long-forgotten feelings came once more to the surface.

For most of Third and some of Fourth Year, she had been head over heels for him. The crush waxed and waned for the next few years, until he began to date Ginny, and claimed to be in love with her. Throughout the time, however, it seemed as though the feelings could be reciprocated, but nothing ever happened. The tension remained. But Hermione had realized that it would never be, so she began to let the feelings go.

So for him to be so cuddly now was a curious case indeed. But her suspicion was less than her exhaustion and she slipped once more into Dreamland.

Only to awaken and find her lips and Harry's lips crushed together.

Her eyes flew open as her mind tried to analyze the situation. Should she pull away and hope he never knew? Should she wait it out?

But Harry's eyes opened, his head raised, and a tense moment, a staring contest ensued.

His lips slowly descended to hers. The kiss was soft, searching, and soon grew to a series of them. Hermione pulled back and stared at him, in confused surprise. He lowered his head to kiss her again, this time harder and more passionate.

His tongue slipped into her mouth and stroked hers, raising her long-held feelings even higher in her consciousness. All objections in her head immediately flew out, and she gave into the temptation.

Her hand lifted to the side of his face and gripped his hair. The kiss grew more frantic, as hormones raged. But it calmed, becoming almost loving as they pulled apart.

They both sat and stared at one another. "What was that?" Hermione questioned, obviously shaken up.

"We kissed," Harry simply said.

Her confusion read across her face. "But what about Ginny?"

"Look, we've had feelings for each other for a while. It was only a matter of time before something like this happened. We needed to see… what if," he rationalized.

A blush spread on her cheeks. "And what if?"

"I think this has gotten out my feelings for you. What about you?"

She fell silent and hid her face in the couch. 'I can't believe this is happening,' she thought to herself.

"So?" Harry prompted.

"Not really."

His eyes searched hers, before pressing his lips to hers again. The same passion poured between them, a white hot shower of attraction that had been suppressed for far too long. Her back was almost twisted in half, so she pulled away, continuing to search his eyes for some clue as to why this was happening.

His hands gripped her hips and navigated her so that she was straddling him. The kiss resumed, growing more and more lustful as the seconds passed. He grabbed her butt and rocked her hips forward onto himself, creating friction as he drew her tongue deep into his mouth and sucked, an almost painful show of attraction.

Finally they slowed, and pulled apart. He smirked and twitched his eyebrows. "You can have a couple more, if you want."

Logically, she knew she should stop. She was acting the part of a wanton minx, a homewrecker. If Ginny found out… she'd be toast. But her famous logic had failed her by this point, so her only response was to press another kiss to his lips.

The weight of the situation finally settled in her mind, and she pulled away and shifted back to sitting next to him on the couch. "So," she started hesitantly. "You didn't feel anything?"

"No," he replied, not censoring anything. "I feel like the what if is settled. We could never be together that way anyway. But we needed this to get the last feelings out."

Hermione buried her head in the couch again, feeling tears coming. She had felt lonely for so long, what with being the solo single person in a group of couples. A man paid attention to her, even one with attachments, and her loneliness came back to the surface.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"No," she said, finally coming clean. "I just… feel like Ginny isn't right for you. We could have had something great, but I guess we'll never really know."

The admission of her emotions hung in the air, creating a wall of tension between them. She decided she was on a roll with her honesty, so she spat out, "Are you going to tell Ginny?" before she had a chance to think.

He stood and walked to the other side of the room, obviously thinking. "No," he finally decided. "This is between you and me. It had to happen, and my telling her won't change anything."

She closed her eyes tightly, willing her tears to stay in their ducts. 'I can't do this,' she thought desperately. 'Maybe I should just cry.'

This broke the dam. Tears streamed down her face, one trailing the other as though they were playing some twisted game of follow the leader. Through them, she sighed. "I'm sorry, I'm being so silly… it's not like I expected you to leave Ginny for me or anything. I'm just letting my insecurities get the best of me again… I'm so sorry."

"Are you okay?" he repeated, seemingly unable to say anything else.

"No. But I will be."

The silence returned, but it was more comfortable now. But an underlying question was still in Hermione's mind. "Harry? Will anything change between us?"

"No. Honestly, as soon as this conversation is over, I'll probably forget this ever happened."

These words dug into her heart. 'So, I guess I'm just another snog. How could he be so insensitive? This is so unlike the Harry I know.' A few more tears snuck out. "Can I…" she swallowed her pride and started again. "Can I just have a hug?"

He held his arms out to her and she climbed into them, feeling the content she always associated with Harry's hugs.

She pulled away suddenly, finally realizing that their relationship would never be the same. "I should go. I'll talk to you later, or something."

"Okay. Bye, Hermione."

She raced out the front door and decided to walk the few blocks home, afraid to Apparate in her emotional state.

The next day, as he spent the day with Ginny, laughing and being in love, Hermione stayed home, feeling used, manipulated, and utterly alone.

But what's a kiss between friends?