O.O.S: I loooove my reviewers. You all make me really happy and make me want to continue. (Sorry that I slacked a few days on posting a new chapter, life has been moving pretty fast in my part of the world :P) Once again, thank you for reading my story, it is much appreciated. :] Short blurb today… On with chapter 7! Wow, that's amazing, this is the farthest I have ever gotten. :] Ha!

P.S. It is till three months before the first chapter.

B.I.S:

Disclaimer: I do not own anything created by J.K. Rowling, blah blah blah. You get the drill.

Rating: Back down to a T. Sorry friends, you have to be patient. ;)


Stolen

Chapter 7:

Change


Harry's P.O.V.

Change is an unavoidable part of life, and I was starting to notice that I couldn't avoid it anymore.

Ever since Hermione and Ron had fought and possibly broken up, it was nearly impossible for me to stay away from her…

That night when she had called, I almost felt my own heart fall to pieces. I had never wanted to hear Hermione like that… I couldn't stand it.

Holding her in my arms I felt like I was in the right place. Where I wanted to be. Though, it was far from where I was supposed to be.

Earlier that day I had found myself in the Hog's Head, awaiting the arrival of my, girlfriend. I hadn't seen Ginny since the day she had left, nor had I really thought about her… I hoped that seeing her would possibly change what I was feeling. That seeing her fiery hair and shining eyes would help me realize that my feelings for a friend were not what I believed, or at least not greater than the ones I felt for the one I was supposed to love.

As soon as she came through the door, it was a matter of seconds before the red headed girl was in my arms. Kissing me tenderly, I couldn't help but feel something burning in the back of my mind. A thought I couldn't ignore.

The nothingness I felt.

The change.

"I have missed you more than you could even begin to imagine!" she giggled holding on to me tightly. I received a few curious stares from the usual Hog's Head crowd, but other than that, I believed I was the only one who felt annoyed being where I was.

Gently removing her from myself, I took her chin in my hand and looked into her eyes. Gazing into her beautiful irises, I tried to feel something, I wanted so badly to feel it again, feel the spark. See the fire in Ginny that had drawn me to her from the beginning.

"What are you doing?" she raised an eyebrow at me curiously.

"I-." I shook my head.

Shit. Nothing.

"I just wanted to look at you."

I gave up. I could lie to her. I couldn't lie to myself anymore.

Her smiled was wide and bright as she pulled me into one last kiss.

She had changed.

I had changed.

This had changed.

Turning around, she finally revealed a familiar face. A short girl with curly blonde hair with large blue eyes and a peculiar pair of pumpkin earrings looked up at me with a soft smile.

"Hello Harry." Luna Lovegood cooed.

"Luna, hi."

Awkward.

"When I told everyone that I was going to see you, she insisted that she got to be one of the first to come in." Ginny said.

"Like I was going to wait in line." Luna scoffed looking at the door with her big eyes glazed over a little.

"Wait in line?" I asked curiously.

"Harry, you do remember who you are… Right?" Ginny asked, taking my hand and leading me towards the door.

I felt sick to my stomach for a lot of reasons then. All of them blended together and made me feel as if I had a disease. I needed to get out.

"Ginny… Please. I really don't-."

"Harry, it's not a big deal. Everyone just wants to say hi."

I couldn't object anymore, for she had reached for the door handle and the rest was a blur.

All the faces of my old underclassmen whirled by me in a frenzy. I couldn't say how many hands I was forced to shake. This wasn't me, I wasn't a celebrity, I was just a person. Attached to Ginny's hand I felt like I was in a circus, being shown off as a prize. It almost seemed never ending. At the beginning I had been annoyed, near the middle, angry, at the end, I was fuming.

Finally, Luna managed to clear the Hog's Head with the bumbling Hogwarts students after what seemed like an eternity. I was certain my knuckles were white from me clenching them in rage. When Ginny closed the door, I felt like I was going to explode at her. Looking up at me with her large oblivious hazel eyes, I grew angrier. I didn't believe that was even possible, but I suppose it was. She said she loved me, but she didn't even know me. She wasn't even sorry that she had tricked me in a 'Potter-Palooza'.

I didn't want to look at her.

"Well that was fun… Are you sure you have to leave?" she pleaded giving me the infamous pout. Not even that would phase me.

"Yes." I tore my hand away from her harshly. "Good bye Ginny."

"Wait!" she noticed something was wrong now. "Are you alright?"

"I am fine." I snapped.

I didn't want to blow up at her, I just wanted to leave. I knew I would say something I didn't want to say.

"Harry, stop it." she grabbed my elbow, but I shrugged her away.

"No Ginny…" I was loosing it. "You stop it!" I sneered, starring into her eye. "Stop acting like a child and grow up! I hate being treated as your prize. I can't take it anymore! I am not a trophy. I am a person."

I was sure everyone of the Hog's Head dwellers we listening then, along with Looney Luna Lovegood, but I didn't care. I couldn't stop.

"What did I do?" she murmured. Tears were forming in her eyes. "I'll fix it, I promise-."

"Oh God Ginny you're doing it now! You don't love me! You worship me! I am sick of being treated more than what I am!" I softened my voice, realizing I had been yelling. "I just… I can't take much more of this Gin."

"Harry-"

That instant, I apparated away. I hadn't been able to take it.

That girl I left wasn't Ginny…

She wasn't the Ginny I had fallen for, she was a little monster.

That night, when I found myself with where I wanted to be. With whom I wanted to be with… And it was frightening to see it was someone who I had never thought about more than just a friend, ever.

These feelings weren't of friendship, they were something else. I just didn't want to admit it. Feelings, change that I couldn't ignore anymore.

For the next two weeks, my life was surrounded by Hermione Granger.

I didn't want to deny it anymore, and I couldn't.

Seeing her made my stomach form into knots. She made me feel things I didn't know I could.

There had been a change of things.

There had been a change in me.

I woke up to a knock on my door. Groaning, I stretched my sleepy muscles and gazed at the clock.

6:03 PM.

I looked around myself and discovered I was on my couch. I must have fallen asleep when I came home from work. There usually wasn't much to do but we had been on alert at the ministry since Halloween was coming up. That meant a lot of hours in preparation and virtually no sleep.

"Harry Potter, don't make me aparate into your apartment. You know I will." a voice threatened from outside.

My heart skipped a beat.

Instantly getting energy, I jumped up to my feet, I crossed from my couch to the door of my flat and opened it.

"Hey 'Mione." I breathed out, letting my eyes look her over freely. Her pretty curly hair was up today, and her eyes we practically popping out to me. "You look good today."

"You say that every day." she smiled at me before walking into my flat. "You didn't answer your mobile, so I just came by. Is that alright?"

"Always." I replied, shutting the door and walking towards her. "So what's up? Everything, ok?"

I was being cautious… I didn't know the status of her and Ron.

"He still hasn't called." she sighed, placing herself on my couch. Sitting next to her I couldn't help but feel relieved. It was sickening that I was hoping for the fail of their relationship. Ron was my best friend, Hermione was my best friend.

There was still something I was missing.

Why did I want this to fail?

There were things I couldn't ignore. Change I had begun to stop ignoring.

"Has he said anything to you?" she asked.

"He changes the subject when I try to bring you up." I murmured painfully. The last thing I wanted was to hurt her. Watching her face, she seemed pained, but I wasn't sure for what reason.

"How about Ginny?" she questioned, looking up at me carefully. Catching her eyes, I couldn't read them. I never could and it was something I hated and loved about her. She wasn't easy like Ginny. Hermione was complicated, interesting. Possibly what drew me to her in the short amount of time. She was something I didn't know. Something new.

She drove me crazy in all the right ways.

"She's sent me tons of owls, but I haven't replied…" I admitted. Her expression didn't change, she simply nodded taking in the information. "I'm sorry."

"So am I."

We were silent for a moment as we looked away from each other, but it wasn't awkward. It was… Nice. Nothing between us was awkward. Everything just, worked.

"So-…" Hermione began clearing her throat.

"Yeah?" I questioned, looking back at her.

"Are you busy on Friday?"

"No. Luckily I got it off…" I said in relief. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, you remember Katie Bell?"

"Of course. She works with you now doesn't she?"

"Yeah, ever since she spent a lot of time in St. Mungo's in our 6th year, she's wanted to be a healer. She said she just wanted to help them the way they helped her." Hermione said with a soft smile on her lips. "Makes you feel bloody selfish when you talk to her though. She's practically a saint."

"Damn good Quidditch player as well." I added.

"Yes she is. Maybe she's perfect." Her soft laugh filled the room. "Well, she invited me to go out with some of our old friends from school that night. Seamus, Dean, even Neville I think. Oh and Oliver Wood and Angelina will be there too." she explained. "She said to bring someone, so I thought of you. I mean, if they're my friends, they are most definitely yours as well."

"What about Ron?"

"Harry… Ron hasn't spoken to me in two weeks." she looked away solemnly.

"'Mione, He's just blowing off steam, you know Ron."

Instantly, I felt guilty.

"Harry, it's fine… I am just not sure what to expect. I wish he would just end it or just talk to me so we could fix it. Anything would be better than this. Feeling like I screwed up so bad I am not worth a bloody phone call."

"You're worth so much more than that." I murmured, putting a hand on her face. Instantly, I urged to move it away for she had sucked in a surprised breath, but I couldn't. I brushed my thumb against her cheek as she looked into my eyes.

"Thank you." she said breathing out her forced in breath. "You're right."

Before I knew it, she was gone.

Plans had been made and times had been scheduled. Once I closed the door behind her, I pressed my back against the wood and slid down to my feet.

It suddenly all came to me…

Realizing my feelings, it hit me like a punch in the face.

My heart had changed its place, and it now resided in Hermione Granger's hands.

I had crossed the line.

I had changed, and I didn't want to change back.


O.O.S: Well that is it for !!! :D