Disclaimer – I don't own the characters or anything else I use in this story that the brilliant J.K. Rowling created for us. I only wish I was that imaginative and genius…

Chapter Ten

Harry awoke the next morning feeling as if a Hungarian Horntail was perched comfortably right between his eyes. His headache was so bad, in fact, that even with his eyes still closed it felt as if the room was spinning around him. Harry rubbed his temples in a feeble attempt to alleviate the pain and dizziness he was experiencing, but to no avail. He let out a groan of agony.

"Harry? Are you awake?"

Harry heard the voice coming from the chair across the room, by the door.

"Who are you, why are you here, and why must you speak so loudly?"

"Harry, it's Hermione…and I'd like to think I'm speaking at a respectable volume…"

Suddenly Harry sat up in the bed, pulling the sheets up to cover himself in the process (even though he was still fully dressed in the clothes he'd been wearing the previous night). The speed at which he flung himself from a laying to a sitting position only worsened the pain in his head. He began to feel a bit nauseous as well. Harry used one hand to massage his aching forehead while using the other hand to blindly search his nightstand for his glasses.

"Here, let me help you - "

"No, Hermione – I'll do it, you just stay over there."

Finally, Harry found his glasses and put them on. He wiped the sleep from his eyes and peered across the room at Hermione.

"You're in my room early in the morning and I have a hangover."

"Actually, Harry, it's noon. I thought you'd never wake up. And yes, you do have a hangover." Hermione stood up and slowly walked across the room to give Harry a cup of coffee. "It might be a little cooler than you'd like, but it should help you feel a bit better…"

"Oh Hermione, come off it. You're a healer – isn't there a spell you can do to cure this horrible pain I'm in?"

"Yes, there is…remember? We talked about it last night, on the beach. But I decided to wait a while to 'cure' you, just to teach you a bit of a lesson, like I had originally planned."

"Wait, a lesson? And I don't remember talking about anything like that last night!"

"Oh dear…" Hermione paced back and forth next to Harry's bed. "I was afraid of this…"

"Afraid of what?"

"This is going to be awkward…"

"What is?"

"I just knew it would happen…"

"What, Hermione?! What are you talking about?"

"Oh…here, let me do this first…" Hermione took her wand out of the pocket of the housecoat she was wearing and waved it at Harry. His headache was suddenly gone and he no longer felt as if there were Cornish pixies flying around in his stomach.

"Thanks, Hermione. Now, what is going on?"

"Well…Harry, you got very drunk last night."

"You don't say…"

"I mean, seriously intoxicated. I'd never seen you behave like that."

"So, what, I got a little rowdy playing that drinking game or something?"

"No, no…not that. It was after the game. You wanted to go to the beach with me, even though it was very late and you were…not yourself."

"Okay, so we went to the beach. What's the harm in that?"

"Well, we went to the beach and talked about…stuff. Then we came back here and went to bed."

"What's so bad about that, Hermione? We just talked and came back here and went to…wait a minute…we didn't – I mean, you and I didn't - "

"Oh, no, Harry! Not at all! I mean, you wanted to, but - "

"I wanted to? Is that what you were talking about being awkward?"

"Well…partly…"

"What do you mean? You said we talked about 'stuff.' What 'stuff'?"

"Look, Harry, maybe it was just the alcohol talking. Maybe you were telling the truth. I don't know…"

"What did I say, Hermione?"

"You said you'd been having a dream about me for seven years and that in this dream I'd been begging you to kiss me and that now you would kiss me right then on the beach if I wanted and then you proceeded to try to kiss me all the way back here and until I stormed out of your bedroom." Hermione said this all very quickly and in one breath.

"Wow…really? But if you stormed out, then why are you here now?"

"Well, I remembered that you're not supposed to leave anyone alone while they're drunk because they could hurt themselves or…you know. I came back after a few minutes to check on you and you were already asleep…and so I stayed here all night to make sure you didn't…drown in your own vomit or something."

Harry looked at Hermione and started to laugh. "Thanks, Hermione. That was very thoughtful of you."

"So…was all that about the dream true?" Hermione blushed at her forwardness. "I mean, you're not embarrassed that I know or anything?"

"Yes, Hermione, it was all true. I was embarrassed when you first told me that I had let you in on my little secret, but now I'm relieved that you know."

Hermione smiled. She had trouble deciding what to say next, finally going with, "What exactly happens in the dream? You weren't exactly thorough and descriptive last night…"

"Ah, yes, I don't imagine I was." Harry patted the edge of the bed next to him. "Sit down and I'll tell you." Harry slid over to give her more room and Hermione sat. "It's no big deal, really. It's like I'm looking at you through a camera or on television…and it starts at your feet, then pans slowly up your body. All the while you're talking, telling me to kiss you and that you've been waiting a long time and all…it's silly, really. The weird thing is I always wake up before I see your face."

"Then how do you know it's me?"

"That's funny, actually, because I didn't know it was you until a couple days ago. See, you were wearing that red swimsuit in the last dream I had, so I figured it's obviously you."

Hermione shook her head. "Harry, you don't honestly think I'm the only girl in the world that's ever worn a red swimsuit like that, do you?"

"Well, I had the dream after seeing you in that suit for the first time, didn't I? So it has to be you, because I've never seen anyone else wearing that swimsuit."

"Maybe you just liked the swimsuit and subconsciously put it on the girl in your dreams. Does this dream lady's voice sound like mine?"

Harry thought for a moment. "You know, I don't really remember."

"Well, the next time you have this dream, listen to the voice."

"I don't know if I can remember to listen in my sleep, Hermione."

"At least try your best to remember. I don't want this to trouble you anymore, alright?"

Hermione's smile made Harry's stomach turn a flip. He realized that he found her to be very beautiful.

"Hermione…"

"Yes, Harry?"

Harry contemplated telling Hermione how beautiful he thought she was, but decided against it, figuring they'd avoided much awkwardness thus far. Why ruin it? "We should probably go hang out with Ron…maybe get some lunch or something."

"Sure, Harry. Let's do that."