Chapter 2 : Confessions

Hermione quickly lifted his arm, placed it over her shoulder and leaned against him. Harry could smell the soft cinnamon and vanilla fragrances of Hermione's hair as it tickled his face and shoulder. Harry very much liked how he was holding Hermione. This had been similar to many of his recent daydreams that involved her. Unfortunately, being this close, had an embarrassing effect on him that was becoming much more prominent sitting beside Hermione.

Hermione looked over at his emerald eyes "Out with it Harry. I have waited a week to hear what is going on and I am tired of being patient. So tell me about your nightmare….all of it!"

Harry sighed and told her about his nightmare of Sirius how he watched over and over as Sirius was killed. Hermione placed her arm around Harry's back and hugged him. As he continued with his story, tears slowly trickled from her eyes. By the time he had finished his other arm was around her in an embrace. "Hermione I am sorry if I upset you. I did not mean for you to cry."

"Harry, I am crying because I did not know what happened to Sirius. I had my back to him when all this occurred. I cared about Sirius too. He was the closet person to a parent you had and he was your godfather. For you to have to watch that over and over makes me sad. I just don't want to see you hurt anymore Harry."

Harry looked at her and was amazed that she was crying for him and Sirius. Harry let a small smile creep onto his face at the thought of Hermione crying for him. A quick thought flitted across his mind, what if she does care about me the same way that I care about her?

Hermione broke the silence. "Harry what about the other nightmare you are having? You did say nightmares not nightmare."
Harry squirmed as he did not want to reveal this dream to Hermione. He was afraid that this would reveal too much of his feelings and he was not sure if he or Hermione were ready for that. Try as he might he could not think of a way out of telling her and he was certainly not going to lie to her. She would probable know it wasn't the truth anyway.

Hermione turned to him and squeezed his waist a little tighter "Mr. Potter, don't even think you are not telling me about this one. It will be better if you just come out with it, before I have to torture you….Harry."
Harry held his arms up in surrender "Alright Miss Granger. You win. I wouldn't think of not telling you the truth." Hermione looked at him

"You couldn't figure a way around the question I asked, could you?"
Harry grinned "Well there is that also." Harry and Hermione both laughed.

"Harry, why is it so hard to tell me about this dream?"
"Mione, it's very personal and could embarrass both of us."

Hermione ponder this for a moment and then the fact that he shortened her name leaped out at her "Harry why did you just call me Mione?"

"Yea, I like the shortened version of your name. It seems less formal to me. Does it bother you?" Harry Stated hesitantly.
"My dad calls me poppet and I can handle that. But I have never allowed anyone else to call me by other than my formal name. When you just said it, it caught me off guard but I liked it." Hermione answered.

Hermione blushed as she just remembered that Ron had used 'Herms' once and she nearly bit his head off for it. Now Harry used a shortened version of her name and she just told him that she liked it. If Harry remembered what she had said to Ron he might figure out how she felt about him. Harry looked at her as he was remembered Hermione's and Ron's fight back in their 2nd year when Ron had called her Herms. Boy that had not been pretty to watch her unload on Ron. She absolutely loathed a shortened version of her name, at least when Ron Said it. He wondered about her change of heart and the fact that she liked that he did it.

"What is the dream about Harry?" Hermione stated to divert his attention.
"I don't think I can tell you like this." Harry said with a hint of embarrassment.
"Like what Harry?" Harry lowered his head "In my bed without any clothes on"
"What do you mean without clothes on?" Hermione asked.
"Hermione I hate to tell you this but under this sheet I am completely starkers." Harry whispered

Hermione blushed "oh, does it make you uncomfortable that you are sitting beside me without clothes on? Hermione let a grin escape her face as she teased Harry. Internally she so wanted to remove the sheet covering him.

"No I have been sleeping like this for a couple of years now, its just you are sitting very close and …. Harry noticed where Hermione was looking and turned completely beet red. "I am very sorry about that Hermione; I-I-I don't mean to make you feel uncomfortable." Harry stammered out Hermione giggled at his predicament. Harry was a little put out by her reaction. "Hermione I don't think this is a laughing matter."

Hermione looked at Harry's eyes and felt bad "Harry I am not laughing at that. Harry I was laughing because you blushed. I don't think I have ever seen you blush like that before." Harry looked at her "Well you know me I'll do anything to make you giggle. By the way since when does Hermione Granger ever giggle?"

"Harry I have giggled before just never around you." Harry was still a little disconcerted by the situation. Hermione noticed his unease. "Harry if it makes you feel any better under this shirt I am completely starkers too." Harry did a double take and looked at her a moment "Ha-ha very funny, if I had a shirt I wouldn't be starkers at all, now would I." Harry retorted.

"Where would the fun be in that Harry?" Hermione said flippantly before she laughed. Beginning to get lost in her eyes Harry turned away.

"Harry, about this 2nd dream you keep having. Spill or I will stand up and take the sheet with me." Hermione smiled Harry grabbed the sheet in his fist "You wouldn't dare?"
"Oh, I would dare Mr. Potter unless you start talking quickly." She laughed.

Harry reluctantly told Hermione about his 2nd nightmare and about how he kept watching her die as well. He left his feelings out of his story but Hermione was not having any of that "Harry why does that worry you so much?"

Harry could not look at her. He took a deep breath and thought bloody hell Harry just tell her, where is that famous Gryffindor courage you are known for. But the other side was worried if Hermione would feel the same way? Harry quickly decided he would just tell her and deal with the consequences later. At least he would know one way or the other how she felt. Harry looked in Hermione's eyes "Hermione that is the answer I was searching for, for the last two weeks. It has been all that I have thought about since I went to stay with my Aunt and Uncle."

Hermione looked at Harry tentatively her heart was beating wildly and she felt sure that it was going to come out of her chest. She hoped and prayed it meant what she thought. "Well did you figure it out?" she asked. Harry replied with a sigh "Yes, but I am not sure that it will work out if I reveal what I want." Hermione looked and placed her hand on his chest "What is it that you want Harry?"

Harry kept looking at the now very interesting lint on his sheet; sighing again he looked at her "You Hermione, I want you. I want to be with you. I am absolutely positive, after I watched you fall from that curse, that I cannot survive an hour, a minute, or a second without you." Harry paused and then continued "The week you were recovering from Doholov's curse was very hard on me. I realized how important you are to me and I realized I want to be with you as more than a friend."

Hermione had hoped and prayed that Harry could feel this way about her. She had known for a two years how she felt about him but was too afraid to tell him. Harry had confessed he wanted her as more than a friend, Harry wanted Hermione the bookworm! Hermione was so happy "Harry, would you lean just a little closer and say what you just said one more time, please?"

Harry was completely confused. Here he had just told Hermione how he felt, laid his heart out and she wants him to say it again, maybe she did not want to hear, maybe she was giving him the opportunity to change what he had said. His old doubts came to the surface with vengeance. Harry put his head in his hands.

"Hermione I knew I should not have told you this. If you don't feel the same way I completely understand. I don't mean to make you uncomfortable around me. No matter what happens I just want you to know I will always be there for you. Please just forget what I just said. I can't bear not having you as my friend. If I lost you I don't think I can survive let alone defeat Voldemort."

Harry turned to Hermione and she was smiling at him. "Harry you don't understand. I have wanted to hear you say that for the last year. Don't you dare take it back after I have waited all this time to hear those words; I just wanted you to repeat them one more time. "Really, you wanted me to tell you I liked you?" Harry asked.

"Harry, my fear, the one thing I could not rationalize, was that I was afraid of losing you as my friend if you didn't feel the same way I did. I was afraid that we would be too uncomfortable around each other. I was afraid to tell you how I felt. At least as friends I could be with you, even if I couldn't be with you the way I wanted to be."

Harry looked at Hermione and understanding dawned on him. She did feel the same way about him as he did for her. They both had the same fear for the same reason. They were important to each other. They could not resist the urge any longer. Hermione had waited over a year for this as they came together for a kiss they both desired.

Before either knew what was happening a golden glow began to envelop them and long silvery threads entwined around them caressing their bodies. Harry and Hermione, lost in their first kiss, had no sense of their surroundings. Slowly, a whirlwind of magic began to build around them. Its' force lifted them above the bed. Nothing else mattered as they felt a mental connection to each other begin to grow.

The commotion, noise and static charge created by the magic awoke Hermione's parents from their slumber. They eventually followed the noise to Harry's room and knocked. With growing concern and no answer from the other side of the door, they hesitantly opened Harry's door.

What they saw both awed and frightened them beyond comprehension. Hermione and Harry were suspended in mid air in a passionate embrace and they were glowing gold. Harry was completely nude and Hermione only had her night shirt on. Hermione's parents attempted to rush to help them but were held back by the force of the magic.

Hermione and Harry slowly and reluctantly released the kiss. They held each other and both of their faces revealed smoldering smiles. Harry looked at Hermione and he knew what love was. It was tangible, it had form, and it was everything that Hermione was and it was everything he wanted in life. Without thought, Harry spoke from his heart bonding his soul to hers.

"Hermione Jane Granger I love you with all my heart and with everything that my soul was, is and ever will be. I want to be with you always. No matter what happens, I love you unconditionally. This I swear as Harry James Potter."

A thin, wispy strand of gold and blue light slipped from Harry's chest and circled their bodies and wrapped around their hand and wrist. Hermione's parents stood and watched as Harry's words took magical form and surrounded Harry and Hermione like a blanket. As the magic encompassed them, its' golden intensity increased dramatically.

Hermione looked at Harry and his beautiful green eyes. She felt his words surround her in a warm cocoon. It was his love, his hopes, and his desire for her. She literally felt his words being absorbed into her body.

She, at first, felt a foreign emotion enter her thoughts. As she focused on its whispery images it gained clarity and she immediately recognized it as Harry's. Tears formed in her eyes as she felt the depth of his emotions. His focus was on her and her alone. He loved her more than she could ever have imagined.

She raised her hand to caress his face as her face and body began to glow. Happy tears flowed freely from her eyes. Hermione looked at the floor and whispered an incantation and her nightshirt disappeared. Physically and symbolically she bared herself before him

Harry and Hermione were physically and mentally exposed to one another as their true feelings were revealed. Hermione felt no shame or embarrassment at her nudity or for her feelings. All she wanted was to give Harry what he had just given her, unconditional love. Harry was hers and she knew he would always be hers, no matter what happened, no one could ever take this moment away from her.

Harry and she were right for each other and she knew instantly the words she must speak to her one and only true love. Her heart swelled with her emotions and her desire for Harry. More importantly, it was time to reveal all of her feelings to him.

"Hermione Jane Granger lives no more. Harry James Potter I have loved you since the first day we met and I love you with all my heart and soul. I will be with you always and forever. No matter what happens in the days before us, I promise to faithfully be by your side. Never deny my need to be with you as I will love you unconditionally to the point of death. This I swear as Hermione Jane Potter."

Just as she finished stating these words a gold and pink thread of light emerged from her chest and wrapped around Hermione's and Harry's other hand and wrist.
Harry watched as Hermione's words gained form and substance and infused into his body. Harry felt a foreign emotion enter his thoughts. He focused on that thought and found Hermione thoughts hopes and dreams completely exposed to him. He was viewing a thousand pictures of himself as Harry was her focus in life. Harry was her one true love.

Harry looked and found pictures with her parents and understood what they meant, they were her other loves in life. Harry's love of Hermione grew even more as their feelings began to feed off one another. Hermione's parents were speechless as they watched. They both asked the same question "Did Harry and Hermione just get married?" Before they could answer their own question Harry and Hermione once again closed the distance between them.

The intensity of the glow caused Hermione's parents to black out. Just before Hermione's mom passed out she witnessed a black form leave the scar on Harry's head. It circled the couple once and then dissipated. Its shriek of death was a very disconcerting thing to hear.

Harry and Hermione released the kiss and moved back slightly from each other. They began a slow descent back to the floor but never wavered in the stare they gave to each other. Once they reached the floor they separated slightly but still held onto each other firmly.