His Warm Embrace: A Harry Potter One-Shot

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of its associated characters: all rights belong to JK Rowling.

Plot: One-Shot: For as long as she can remember, Hermione always enjoyed hugging Harry and, for some reason, he never shied away: why? Because she made him feel warm, both inside and out.

Author's Note: So, what can I say about this one? Hmm, it's random, if nothing else and, well, I was just thinking of ideas that I could post as a one-shot and this idea shouted out to me, so here we go.

And, as always, if you don't like it, then don't read it.

Key Pairing: Harmony

Normal Speech

'Thoughts'

His Warm Embrace

What started as a random act of thanks would turn into something that, although she didn't know it at the time, would make Hermione Granger feel closer than ever to the emerald-eyed teenager that she called her best friend.

She didn't even know why she did it in the first place; it was the end of their second year and, when she was allowed to leave the Hospital Wing and return to her classmates, Hermione made her way down to the Great Hall where she walked in and, as soon as she saw him, it was like some sort of early-rising instinct took over her body.

All that she knew was that she, Hermione Jean Granger, was running down the space between the House Tables like she was running down the aisle and, before anyone could stop her, she'd thrown her arms around Harry, hugging him for all he was worth and, from the feel of it, earning returned relief and joy from her best friend.

Then she turned to Ron and…hesitated: going to hug him wasn't like hugging Harry.

It just felt wrong somehow.

So, instead, she shook his hand and sat down with her two friends, although not without sidling closer to Harry as she remembered his embrace, her cheeks flushing as a thought rose to the forefront of her mind.

'God, he's so warm…'

His Warm Embrace

It would be a long while before she got another chance to hug him again and, as Hermione spent time thinking about that one moment, she thought about one thing and one thing alone: his warmth.

His body heat had been warm, which surprised her because Harry didn't look like the kind of person who spent most of his time in the sun. Yet, when she'd wrapped her arms around him and he'd returned it gladly, Hermione had felt his warmth pass into her, making her feel strong again. It was a little unusual, especially since Hermione couldn't recall a time where Harry had actually hugged anyone or allowed anyone to touch him without shying away or flinching, but, at the same time, Hermione felt privileged, even honoured.

A hug was a sign of friendship and, from what she'd felt, Hermione knew that he was as happy to see her as she was to see him: still, he hadn't shied away or flinched, so did that mean that he knew she'd never hurt him?

She didn't know the answer to that question: all that she did know was how warm Harry felt.

And how she hungered to feel it again.

After Buckbeak was executed, Hermione cried against Ron's shoulder, but it didn't feel as good as it did with him, with Harry, so she consigned herself to letting grief and teenage thoughts run her mind.

However, in their fourth year, Hermione felt colder than cold when she not only challenged her very good friend because of the actions of another, but, on top of that, she allowed herself to be led away from him, choosing instead to enjoy herself with someone whom, in the end, only wanted her for her smarts and to send a message to Harry.

Damn her hormones and damn-damn-double-damn this Tournament.

But then, following the Second Task, she got her chance again.

His Warm Embrace

For the longest time, Hermione was worried as she noticed the other champions and their hostages resurfacing from the lake, including Fleur Delacour's hostage, which surprised Hermione before Ron explained that Harry had cut her free in trying to save him too.

Shaking off her questions and thoughts, Hermione looked back to the lake as the hour reached its limit: worry wormed its way into her heart while her stomach started to do flips and churns at the thought of losing her best friend. She heard the judges discussing in hushed voices about what they were supposed to do and, at one point, Hermione thought she heard a mocking tone in Karkaroff's voice.

Trust a Death Eater to be anti-Harry!

Then, like an angel rising from the depths, he appeared, flying through the air on what she recognised as an Ascendio Charm's magic, coming to a crash landing on the bottom of the platform. As everyone crowded around him, cheering or questioning what had happened, Hermione grabbed several large towels and, before anyone else had a chance to stop her, she made her move.

Wrapping her arms and the towels around his body, she placed a soft kiss against his forehead before she gasped, "You…you had us all worried: we thought you'd drowned. Are you okay?"

"I…I am now," said Harry, looking up into Hermione's eyes before, to her surprise, he smiled and hugged her: as soon as he did so, Hermione gasped as she felt the warmth rising up again, drying Harry's skin while it also made her feel strong inside.

Over the top of her confused feelings, Hermione heard Harry whisper in her ear, "I'm so sorry; I never meant to make you mad, Hermione. You're my best friend and I don't ever want to lose that."

"You…you won't," whispered Hermione, embracing Harry's warmth while her robes were soaked by the water on his skin and outfit, but Hermione didn't care.

She never wanted to be apart from this warmth ever again.

"Harry?"

While the judges gave the scores for the round, Harry pulled away and, looking into Hermione's eyes, he asked, "Yes?"

"Will you…go out with me?" asked Hermione, earning a wide-eyed look from Harry as she added in a timid voice, "As…as my boyfriend?"

For a moment, the silence that followed her question was broken only by the sound of cheers from the other schools and the Hogwarts alumni as they heard the scores and the current standing of the Tournament.

However, over all that, Hermione heard Harry's voice whispering at her, his voice as soft and warm as his embrace.

"Yes, Hermione, I will."

Then, once again, Harry hugged Hermione, causing her to blush while she breathed his scent in, her head resting against his shoulder while her mind echoed a thought that she'd had two years before;

'God…he's still so warm, even when he's cold and wet…'

And, unlike last time, Hermione was determined to make sure that she didn't let go of that warmth: she would stay with him, be his strength and trust and even love him if that was what he wanted from her.

She would do anything for Harry's sake, if only to feel this warm every time she was given the right of hugging her best friend.

So, just a random one-shot idea here and, well, I don't know how people might react, but I was thinking about the many times in the films Hermione hugged Harry and, as I always say, the rest just sort of wrote itself.

Anyway, keep reading to find out what sort of adventures my mind comes up with next and I hope you all enjoyed this little snippet of an idea from my crazy imagination…