Harry hadn't slept that well for a long time. He was laying down in the grass near the Black Lake, with Hermione by his side. They were simply looking at each other. Harry was stroking her shoulder, while Hermione cupped his cheek with her hand. A few seconds later, they were sharing a kiss. He liked it, too. But then, suddenly, he felt something wet pressing against his lips, and then entering his mouth.

His eyes shot open in surprise.

He was back in Grimmauld Place, with Hermione next to him. She was looking rather surprised herself.

"Hermione?"

"Something wrong, Harry?"

"No… really. Just didn't realize where I was."

"Good." And with that, Hermione slowly closed the gap between them as she initiated a snogging session - both of them were very calm and tender at first, but it didn't take long for things to get more heated than anything Harry had experienced in his dream.

A few minutes later, when the need for air seemed to get the better of them, they pulled apart.

"I like the way you woke me up."

"It was a good idea, wasn't it?"

"Well, I didn't expect anything less from you, Miss Granger."

Hermione smiled. How was it that Harry always managed to compliment her like that? She decided that another snog was the perfect reward. It took them a few minutes to pull apart again. Harry decided this was a good time to ask her.

"Hermione… where does this leave us?"

She looked at him thoughtfully. "I don't know, Harry. I love you, and I have loved you ever since you saved me from that troll back in first year. At first, it was more like a best friend, but those feelings started to change after some time."

Harry nodded, cupping her cheek in his hands. "Good. It's the same with me." That answer seemed to lighten her up. "So, when did your feelings start to change?"

Hermione answered immediately. "The night we saved Sirus."

Harry smiled. "Well, I guess that's logical. That was an adventure unlike anything we've ever experienced, and it was just the two of us."

"Indeed. There was a lot of pressure on us, but we did it. And I can't forget about that amazing Patronus you conjured that night. You saved me there, again."

"My pleasure."

"You know, when we were waiting out there for Professor Lupin to transform, I really wanted you to kiss me."

"You did?"

"Yeah, but I didn't think you'd return my feelings and I was a bit unsure about it all, so I decided not to do anything. We were only thirteen and fourteen back then, too. That's rather young to start a serious relationship, and since I can see us being together for some time…"

A grin spread on Harry's face when he heard her say those final words. She wanted a serious relationship with him. She could see them being together for a long time. It sounded exactly like what he wanted.

"Well, now I'm only fifteen and you're nearly sixteen. We're not that much older."

"Yes, but it does make a difference. In some way, we're more mature now. And I can't deny that you've gotten even more handsome the past year."

"Well, the same can be said of you", Harry winked. "And I like some of the developments you went through."

Hermione reddened visibly, but she looked happy nonetheless. "I knew you'd say that."

"Because nobody knows me like you do."

She smiled. Hermione started stroking his hair again, before her curiosity took over. She really wanted to know when his feelings towards her had become more romantic.

"So, when did you notice me?"

"Hmmmm… I'd be lying if I didn't mention the Yule Ball. That was a real eye-opener."

"Literally. You should have seen the look on your face when I came down those stairs. I thought your eyes were going to pop from the staring."

Harry laughed. "Well, it was definitely something to see you like that. But I didn't really feel any different about you after that, although you'd definitely caught my interest."

"And what made you see me like possible snogging material?"

"I wouldn't call you that. Although I do like the snogging!"

Hermione playfully punched his shoulder. "You didn't answer the question."

"Well, it might sound stupid, but that one kiss on the cheek you gave me in King's Cross... I couldn't think about anything else the rest of the day."

"That was my intention."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I wanted to give you a hint, because it looked to me like you were absolutely clueless. And apparently, it did the job." She underlined that with a soft kiss on his cheek, which caused butterflies to erupt everywhere in Harry's stomach.

"It did."

They fell silent now, gazing at each other. Harry found Hermione's hand.

"So… would you like to go to Hogsmeade together when we're back at Hogwarts?"

Hermione's face lit up when the words left his mouth. Within seconds, she had straddled herself on top of Harry, kissing him fiercely in the process. It was another couple of minutes before she pulled back.

"I figure that's a yes?"

She planted another soft kiss on his lips. "Yes."

"Great! Now we just have to make sure I can return to Hogwarts."

"You will return to Hogwarts."

"Well, I hope you're right. Then again, it's a rare occasion when you're wrong about anything…"

Hermione beamed at him when another compliment made her heart flutter. "That hearing won't be a problem. And if they have to take you to Azkaban, I'm coming with you."

"Hermione…"

"No. I promise you right here, right now, that I'll never leave you behind."

"Would you like to take a pinky swear to that, Miss Granger?"

"Always." And with that, the promise was sealed by intertwining their pinkies.

Harry smirked at her, seemingly lost in her beautiful brown eyes. "I love you, Hermione."

Hermione felt some tears welling up when he said it. It's what she had been craving to hear from him for some time now. "I love you too, Harry."

It was another hour before the two of them decided it was time to get up. With a careful Alohomora, Hermione opened the door to her room, checking both ways of the corridor for other occupants of the house.

"All clear, Harry."

"Okay. Thanks, Hermione… for everything."

She planted a quick kiss on his lips in response, before hurrying him out of the room. "Now, move! You might get in trouble if someone noticed this…"

"Yes, dear."

She responded to that by sticking out her tongue, before Harry continued the conversation. "See you at breakfast in twenty minutes?"

"Deal. See you then, Harry."

And with a final peck on his lips, she closed the door to her room. Harry had never felt this good before. He didn't even notice walking himself up the stairs toward his and Ron's room. He silently crept in, only to see his red-haired friend was still asleep - and drooling on his pillow, just like he was a few nights ago.

Twenty minutes later, Harry and Hermione met again downstairs.

"Took you some time", Hermione smiled.

"Yeah. Couldn't stop daydreaming about a certain witch while I was taking my shower."

She giggled. "That's sweet."

"And I like the way you giggle. Never heard you do that before", Harry said.

"Well, I guess you bring out the best in me", she said, before giving him a fierce hug - and stealing a quick kiss.

When they entered the kitchen, it was nearly empty. Sirius and Remus were sat at the table alone, some pumpkin juice and a few slices of bread in front of them.

"Ah, if it isn't Hogwarts' most famous couple!" Sirius called.

Both Harry and Hermione froze on the spot. "How -wh-who did-", both of them stammered.

"Relax you guys, I'm only joking around. Unless there's something you need to tell me?"

"Um… well…"

He didn't know why he did it, but Harry felt his hand gliding towards Hermione's. Their fingers intertwined. Their faces were lighting up as well. Upon seeing this, Sirus's eyes widened considerably. Remus merely smiled at the two blushing teens.

"He didn't!" Both Sirius and Remus exclaimed.

Harry and Hermione were still shocked, but after a few seconds, a grin crept on both of their faces.

"Well, I believe some congratulations are in order!" Sirius looked rather ecstatic with the news, but Hermione immediately interrupted him.

"Sirius, Remus, could we possibly keep it quiet for the time being? We don't know how some people might react."

Sirius considered Hermione's words briefly before answering.

"I won't say anything. But I'd advise you not to keep the Weasleys in the dark for too long."

"I know. But Ron might feel left out, and Ginny… well, she still might have a small crush on Harry."

"All the more reason to inform those two in private. But once you've done that, I think the others will be very pleased to hear about this!"

Harry smiled. "Maybe we could wait until after the hearing with that. I think everyone's a bit worried and preoccupied with that at the moment."

"Sounds good to me," Hermione agreed. After that, the new couple sat themselves down at the table and started their breakfast.

(…)

The following days were some of the best of Harry's life up until that point. He enjoyed Hermione's company even more than before, with all the added benefits of having a girlfriend. They keept sneaking kisses whenever they could during the day, and Harry made it a point to secretly come to her room for some time alone every night before sneaking back to his own bedroom. They had to be careful during the days, however. Mrs. Weasley encouraged them and the other youngsters to help clean the house, and since they wanted to keep their new relationship secret for the time being, they paid attention to how they acted around the Weasleys and Order members. Sirius and Remus hadn't told anyone either, since they thought it best to let Harry and Hermione do it themselves.

Of course, with the upcoming hearing, tension started to rise within Grimmauld Place. August 11th, the day before the hearing, was a nervous affair. The whole house seemed to be affected by what was about to happen the next day. Tonks stumbled over the umbrella stand multiple times, Mrs. Weasley barked at her children if they wouldn't listen to her commands, resulting in Ginny and her having a loud discussion, and even the ever so calm Sirius Black seemed to be very tense.

The plans for the following day had already been made: Mr. Weasley would accompany both Harry and Hermione to the Ministry of Magic. The hearing started at nine o'clock, and Mr. Weasley would take them to the Ministry one hour early so he could quickly show them around. Professor Dumbledore would defend Harry in the courtroom and bring Mrs. Figg along as Harry's second witness.

Harry didn't sleep very well that night. Even though he was still ecstatic about his new-found relationship with Hermione and all of its benefits, the thoughts about a possible expulsion from Hogwarts now dominated his mind. It would kill him to see Hermione, Ron and the others leave for Hogwarts only for him to stay behind. After a few hours of lying awake in his bed, he decided to take another nightly stroll. This time, however, he went to the roof of the house so he could catch some fresh air and enjoy the night skies.

He silently sneaked out of his room, determined not to wake anyone, and moved along to the upper floors. A few days earlier, he had noticed there was a staircase leading to the roof. And so, a few minutes later, Harry was on his back, staring towards the star-filled sky.

"If only Hermione were here now," he thought to himself. He knew she would love something like this.

"Harry? What are you doing up here?"

Harry sat up right immediately, shocked from the sudden voice. It wasn't one he was expecting, either.

"Ron? What are you doing up here?"

"Well, I woke up and I felt a bit hungry, so I decided to look for a small snack in the kitchen. And when I came back, I heard someone moving to the upper floors and you weren't in your bed. Everything all right?"

"Yeah. Just can't sleep, you know. I'm nervous about the hearing."

"Anyone in your position would be nervous, mate. But we know you're innocent. Everything will be fine."

"Thanks, Ron."

By now, his red-haired friend had sat down next to him and he too was staring towards the environment silently. "You know, I understand why you came up here. The sights up here are beautiful."

"They really are. Hermione would like it, too."

"Yeah. Speaking of which, I need to ask you something."

Harry's stomach suddenly clenched. Had he noticed something?

"I saw you and Hermione holding hands at the dinner table the other night. I know you guys have done that in the past sometimes, but if I didn't know any better, I'd have thought you were an item."

"Well… actually, we are."

Harry regretted saying this the instant he did.

"WHAT?"

"Shhhh, Ron! No need to wake up the entire neighbourhood."

He didn't think Ron had heard him, because he immediately fired off another question rather loudly. "When did this happen?"

Harry sighed. "A couple of days ago. Both of us realized that our feelings towards each other had changed, and, well… it just happened. We decided to give it a try."

"And were you going to inform me about this anytime soon?" Ron looked a bit disappointed about being left in the dark about it, which made Harry feel a bit guilty.

"Actually, we were planning to tell you this tomorrow. Sirius and Remus are the only ones who know of it. We knew you might be shocked, but we wanted to wait until after the hearing, with everyone being so preoccupied with that right now. We were going to tell you and Ginny about it first, since we were a bit concerned with how you guys might react."

Ron stared at his best friend in silence for a few seconds before speaking again.

"You guys won't go all weird on me, right?"

"No, Ron."

"You won't leave me behind?"

"We won't. You're still our best friend, Ron: nothing is going to change that."

Ron didn't look too sure, but he seemed to go along with it. "Okay then. Thanks."

Both boys were now staring at each other in silence. This time, it was Harry who broke it.

"We feared you weren't going to react well to the news."

"Well, it's not that bad, is it?" Ron smiled nervously.

"No. But after we saw your reaction to Krum last year, we felt a little insecure about it."

"Yeah, well. I didn't trust Krum at all back then, I really feared he was going to use Hermione to get to you. But with you, it's different."

"I actually thought you fancied her after I saw that," Harry confessed. "But after a while, I didn't think it was like that, since you were still bickering away like always…"

"Well, maybe I did for some time. I don't know. But I don't think we'd work out, with all the fighting, you know… we're just so different from one another, too. With you two, it's not the same. You understand each other so well, it's scary sometimes."

"I guess we do."

Ron smiled. "Anyway, if I'd want any bloke to be together with our Hermione, you'd be my first choice. I know you will treat her well."

Suddenly, a third voice sounded from behind them, making the boys jump up in surprise. "Thanks for your blessing, Ronald."

Hermione had snuck up behind them.

"Hey, look who decided to join our late night conversation!" Harry beamed.

"What are you doing here?" Ron asked, which made Hermione raise an eyebrow.

"I heard you sneaking up here, Ronald. If that's what you call sneaking. I swear, you could have woken up half the house with that stampeding of yours."

Harry laughed loudly, but Ron seemed offended. "How do you know it was me and not Harry who did that?"

"Do I really have to answer that question?" Hermione said.

Harry snorted, while Ron shook his head in defeat.

"Well, let me make it up to you…" Ron smirked, before pulling out two bottles of Butterbeer from his pockets. "Brought these from the kitchen. I think we should have a toast to both of you."

"Why?" Hermione inquired. It was Harry who answered the question.

"I told him."

Hermione's eyes went wide. She clearly hadn't heard the entire conversation, only the last couple of sentences.

"You did? I thought you were just having one of your guy talks. And Ron… you're okay with it?" she asked, now turning her attention to the redhead.

"Sure. As long as you guys don't decide to turn the Golden Trio into a Golden Duo."

Hermione's eyes glistened at his words. "Oh Ron, were you really afraid of that?"

Ron nodded his head slowly.

"Well, you're still our best friend. We're not going to ditch you just because we've decided to take our relationship one step further, and don't you forget that!"

Ron seemed a bit more confident about the entire situation now. "Thanks guys."

"No problem." Hermione gave him a hug in response. Harry watched them with a smile on his face, before deciding to make it a group hug.

"Friends forever?" Ron asked.

"Friends forever", Harry and Hermione said in unison.

Ron grinned at his two best friends. "Now, since we have something to celebrate, how about we finish these? I'm thirsty!" He held the two bottles of Butterbeer in front of him. "Didn't bring them from the kitchen to just stand here, you know."

Harry and Hermione laughed at him. "Ron Weasley and the kitchen, that'd be a perfect romantic relationship", Harry joked.

"Oh, shut up." Ron said.

Hermione conjured up three glasses, which Ron filled with an equal amount of liquid.

"So, what should we toast to?" Hermione asked, raising her glass.

"To a good hearing tomorrow", Ron said.

"To an exciting school year and decent OWLs for the three of us", Hermione said.

Both boys smirked at each other. Of course Hermione had to pick something to do with school. It was Harry who brought out the final toast.

"To the three of us," he said.

After they finished their drinks, Hermione put her arms around both Harry and Ron, giving Harry a quick peck on the lips in the process. The three friends engaged in a conversation about the hearing, school, their classmates and the upcoming OWLs, before looking at the stars for some time. After what seemed like an eternity, they returned to their beds, feeling ready to face anything the world could throw at them. The already strong ties of friendship between the Golden Trio had just taken another upgrade.

We're getting closer to the end now! Coming up in chapter 5, the dreaded hearing… there'll be less romance in that chapter, obviously. Let's see if Hermione's presence in court makes it more interesting!

Author's notes (I got a some questions in the reviews after chapter 3, so I'll answer those as well):

#1: I hope you liked the way I portrayed Ron in this chapter, I didn't want to push him aside and decided to give him some time in the spotlight too. They're still a trio of friends, after all. I thought it would be kind of sweet.

#2: In the reviews, desireejones99 said he/she had hoped that Harry would have told Hermione he loved her. I don't know why I waited with that until this chapter, I had already written it completely when I released chapter 3 (I didn't rewrite anything). Guess it must have felt natural to me :P

#3: Talking about the same comment: I liked Hermione taking the initiative. She's a bit bossy after all, she knows what she wants, while Harry is still kind of clueless (although he had it more or less figured out, he was just too nervous). Plus, I think this fits in nicely with Harry's 15 year-old character. In OOTP, Cho was taking most of the initiative too in her 'relationship' with him. If this would have been a HBP or DH story, I think it might have gone differently, since Harry appears to be more confident around girls by that time. I'm really thinking too much about this stuff, aren't I?

#4: Answer to Nanettez's question: as far as I'm aware, Fudge didn't want Crouch Jr. Kissed in GoF. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought Fudge brought a Dementor along because he didn't feel safe, and when they entered the room Crouch Jr. was in, the Dementor just swooped down on him.

#5: Answer to alix33's question: the Dementors in chapter 2 are the same ones as those in chapter 1, yes. It doesn't really matter all that much of course, and I thought that was obvious since Harry and Hermione are transported to Grimmauld almost immediately after the attack.

Please, rate and review!