A BIG thank you to bentheslayer for the beta. Any mistakes left are mine. Go check out his stories, he`s an AMAZING writer!
Disclaimer: All characters are owned by JK Rowling. I'm just borrowing them.
…………………
Chapter 2
The morning sun felt warm on Harry`s face as it streamed through the window of the boys dormitory. He felt so content lying there, so comfortable, so safe. In a sleepy haze he slowly opened his eyes, trying to remember for a second where he was. Seeing the familiar hangings of his four poster bed coming into focus, he smiled, and yawned and tried to stretch. It was then that he noticed there was something wrong- he couldn't move. Something was pressing down on his right arm and chest. Looking down, he saw a head of chestnut curls and the sleeping form of his best friend. Thoughts of the night before rushed into his head: he and Hermione had held each other and cried until they could cry no more, letting out all the anger and hurt and frustration that had pent up during the war. They had held each other, comforting each other until the last tear fell. Exhaustion had overcome them both, and they had fallen asleep wrapped in each other's arms.
Harry looked down at the small body wrapped around his. Her head on his chest, breathing calmly and evenly in sleep. Her arm draped across his chest, his arm wrapped around her, their legs tangled together where they lay. Harry sighed, why did this feel so right, so comfortable? Shouldn't he be freaked out waking up to find his best friend on his bed wrapped around him? His heart started to pound as Hermione stirred- would she be the one that freaked out when she realised where she'd slept?
Her eyes slowly fluttered open and she gave a little stretch before freezing. In what felt to Harry like slow motion, Hermione moved her head until brown eyes met green.
"Morning," Harry said, with an unsure smile.
"Morning," she answered quietly. Then, as if realising that she was still wrapped around her best friend, she suddenly sat up, a slight blush crossing her cheeks. Harry missed her warmth immediately. "I guess we fell asleep?"
"Yeah looks that way," Harry replied, trying to resist the sudden urge to pull her back into his now empty arms, as he watched her trying to flatten down her hair.
"What time is it?" she asked him, stretching properly this time and getting up from the bed. Harry sat up and blinked at his watch.
"Wow it's 1.30pm, we've slept a long time."
"Best sleep I've had in ages," Hermione said without thinking, and then blushed again as her eyes met his. "I better go."
Harry watched as she picked up her shoes from the floor unable to think of anything to say and then she surprised him when she turned back, leaned down and kissed him on the forehead, right on his scar. Before smiling and exiting the room, leaving a confused but happy Harry in her wake.
………………
Harry stepped into the shower, letting the warm water soothe his aching muscles. So much had happened in the past few days but now he had the feeling of a great burden having been lifted off his shoulders. He felt oddly light. All his life he had had something to worry about. The Dursleys had abused him and kept him in a cupboard and he had come to Hogwarts thinking he was getting away from all that, only to find that he was famous, his parents hadn't died in a car crash but had been murdered and he had a dark wizard trying to kill him at every turn. This was the first day that he had woken up in what felt like forever without a threat hanging over him. Last night with Hermione he had let go completely, something he had never done before, never dared to do before. He had let out all the hurt and anger and resentment and guilt that had plagued every moment of his life for the past seventeen years. Hermione had held him and cried with him, and he had taken comfort in knowing that not only was she crying with him but also for him. Hermione had always been there when he needed her, and even at times when he had thought he didn't. She knew him better than anyone, always stuck by him, even at times when she could have easily sided with Ron and left him. She was loyal and brave and had saved his life so many times. He was more grateful to her than she would ever know.
Washing the last of the soap from his hair, Harry turned off the shower and started to dry himself. What would he do today, where would he go? There was no more Voldemort or Horcruxes to occupy his time, he was free to go and do whatever he wanted. He would probably have to meet with the Order members at some point, the ones that were left anyway he thought sadly. Maybe he should go and see Ron and the other Weasleys. Ginny… he hadn't even thought about her first. What did that mean? He felt different… his world had changed so much this past year, and being without Ginny hadn't affected him the way he had thought it would. Sure at times on the Horcrux hunt his thoughts had drifted to the fun times they had had, but on seeing her again he hadn't felt that same spark, that same excitement. Things had changed- he had changed.
Pulling on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, his thoughts turned once more to Hermione; he wondered where she was right now. Would she be leaving Hogwarts today, leaving him? His stomach gave a lurch at this thought. Pulling on his trainers he decided to go look for her.
He made his way down the stairs and into the Gryffindor common room at the exact moment Hermione reached the bottom of the stairs from the girls dorm.
"Hey," Harry said in surprise, "I was just coming to look for you."
A smile broke out on Hermione`s face "I was just coming to look for you too. Want to go get some breakfast? Or I suppose I should say lunch now."
"Sure," Harry said replied making his way to the portrait hole and holding the door open for her.
……………………
Out in the corridor the reality of the great fight that had taken place in the ancient castle the day before came flooding back to him. The dust had now settled, but there was devastation everywhere he looked: holes blown in walls, pictures shattered, statues lay in crumpled heaps of stone, and the smell… Harry had never smelt anything like it before. Fire, dust, magic, blood… he felt sick to his stomach. The lump that had formed in his throat tightened as he thought once more about the people who had lost their lives. He felt a small hand grasp his, fingers linked, giving a reassuring squeeze.
"It's okay Harry, everything's okay," she said, her voice no louder than a whisper. She gave his hand a tug and Harry let her lead him through the broken castle out into the grounds.
"Harry, are you okay?" he heard Hermione`s voice say, distant and unclear at first. He felt something cold touch his face and focused in on Hermione`s tear filled eyes.
"Yeah, sorry," he sighed, reaching up to cover the small hand that cupped his cheek. "I… I felt so free this morning and… and seeing the castle in that state just brought it all rushing back."
"It'll take time Harry. You're a free man now, there's no threat hanging over you for the first time in your life but it'll take time to heal. One day soon you'll be able to remember without as much pain, and not as fiercely as you do now. The world is a terrible place, not only because of those who do evil but because of those who look on and do nothing. You rid the world of a big part of that evil yesterday Harry, you stood up and did something. I'm so proud of you," she finished, a few tears escaping from her eyes.
Harry pulled Hermione to him and buried his face in her neck, breathing in the comforting scent of her hair. He didn't know how he was ever going to repay her for everything she had done, and continued to do for him. She was his strength. Suddenly remembering the reason he had gone to look for her in the first place he pulled back.
"Hermione, what are you going to do now… now it's all over? Are you going home… going to see Ron?" He held his breath waiting for her reply.
"I have to find my parents. I need to see them, I need to find them and restore their memories and bring them home," she replied, still a little tearfully. Then added. "As for Ron… he's okay, Luna is taking care of him."
"Luna? But I though…"
"No," she interrupted shaking her head. "That was a… a slight moment of madness," she said, a smile now playing on her lips.
Harry felt an odd sense of relief come over him. Hermione and Ron weren't together. Not only that, but she didn't look bothered by it.
"Why don't we have lunch out here?" Hermione suggested, bringing Harry out of his thoughts.
"Sounds good. I'll call Kreacher and see if he'll bring us some food," Harry replied, looking back at the great castle and thinking how undamaged it looked from where they stood.
………………………
After eating lunch under a large oak tree by the lake, Harry lay back on the soft blanket that Kreacher had conjured. Hermione cleared away the remains of the lunch with a flick of her wand and then lay down next to him. They lay side by side watching the clouds go by for some time before Hermione broke the silence.
"What are you going to do now?"
"Well, I thought I'd lay here for a while and then…"
"No, I don't mean right now. I mean now that the war is over, do you have any plans?" she asked.
"I honestly don't know. The threat of Voldemort has been hanging over my head for so long that I never really thought about what I would do when it was all over. I didn't… well, I wasn't sure I'd still be around," he finished not daring to look at her. When she didn't reply he looked down to where she lay beside him and saw her biting her lip, twirling one of her chestnut curls between her fingers, her brow furrowed.
"Hermione?"
"I… I was so scared. I couldn't even bear to think about you not being around. I… I don't know what I would have done if you… hadn't made it," she said, the last few words coming out in a strangled whisper.
Harry rolled over onto his side, wrapping an arm around Hermione`s waist and laying his head in the crook of her neck, once more breathing in her comforting scent. She turned towards him slightly, reaching up to run her fingers through his unruly head of hair, as his grip on her tightened. Harry once again wondered when this had become so comfortable, snuggling up beside his best friend gave him such a sense of peace and calm, it felt like the most natural thing in the world.
He lay there contently, enjoying the comfort that her touch brought as he listened to the sound of the wind blowing through the ancient trees that surrounded the lake, his thoughts drifting back to Hermione`s question. What would he do now? Where would he go? Grimmauld Place would be the obvious choice, he thought. Mrs Weasley had said that he would always have a bed at the Burrow, but he couldn't go there, not now. His heart gave an ache at the thought of the Weasleys- they had been through so much. No, he couldn't go there, not after everything that had happened. Godrics Hollow? Perhaps he could look into rebuilding his childhood home, but that too felt wrong. His parents had died in that house and peace would be hard to come by there. Grimmauld Place it is then he thought, letting out a sigh at the prospect of returning to the house his godfather had left him. Not wanting to risk Hermione pulling away from their embrace he decided to talk to her later about his decision. Snuggling closer into her warmth he focused on the sound of her steady breathing, his eyes becoming heavy, and he slowly drifted off to sleep.
………………
