Chapter 12-Fire Burns

(Harry's POV)

Hermione's face turns red and she moves out of my sight behind the pile of books.

I try to turn back to my studies, but I find my mind wandering back to the girl sitting just beyond the pile of books. Does she really know just what she puts me through? The emotional rollercoaster ride I've been on since the Department of Mysteries only intensified last night when I thought she was going to die again-because of my stupidity.

Then, that incident where Snape forced me to help him (of course I wouldn't have let him do it by himself anyway), clean her up and then Hermione forcing me to relive it for her.

I really don't know how to describe it without sounding like I was trying to take advantage of her-which I most certainly would not.

Hermione, as far as I'm concerned is an attractive girl, but the problem is she's my best friend-and my other best friend is infatuated with her. So, clearly I am not allowed to feel anything for her other than friendship, and besides-it's Hermione.

She's changed a good deal since I last saw her though; and-well I'm not going to say that I disliked everything from last night.

She's pretty…alright-she's hot…but that's all you're getting out of me.

I move over a little to get a better view of her (so that she can't hide behind her books the way she'd like to). She is intently bent over her parchment scratching away with her quill in her fancy loopy writing that looks like it's from the seventeen hundred's.

Her hair falls into her face, despite the fact that she tried to pull it up with a hair clip. Her face is so pretty I would've sworn she was wearing makeup, but I know for I fact she doesn't own any. Her eyelashes are really long…and her hair seems a good deal tamer than I remember.

BLOODY HELL! I wrote all of that down on my parchment sheet!

I quickly drop my quill and grab the offending sheet which I shred to pieces without thinking twice.

Hermione looks over at me surprised. "Why are you ripping up your essay Harry?"

I turn really red; I can feel it spreading across my cheeks like wildfire.

"I screwed it up pretty badly. It was a wreck." I answer quickly.

"What was it on?" she asks in a helpful tone.

"Uhh…Transfiguration of chandeliers to jellyfish and all the terminology involved." I respond saying the first thing that comes to mind.

Hermione looks confused and grabs her assignment sheet, and then her face brightens. "No wonder Harry, you misread the assignment-it says the transfiguration of jellyfish to a candle. You were making it far more complicated than it really was." She smiles and leans over forgetting her earlier embarrassment, "Here, let me help you…"

The hours flew, and before we knew it, it was already nine in the evening. Hermione suggested dinner which we heated up from the refrigerator.

After dinner she said we should go to bed, but I interrupted her.

"Hermione, Snape said that if the potion was undisturbed it would heal completely by three this morning. Why don't we just wait up so I can help you remove it?"

She places her hand gingerly on her back, "I keep forgetting I'm supposed to be an invalid. I suppose we could wait up, but what would we do? We've finished our homework."

I stare at her blankly, "I have no clue." I finally admit.

"I know!" she exclaims as if she had a stroke of brilliance, "We'll start reading the auror book tonight!"

Note to self: NEVER let Hermione come up with something to do again!

"Right." I state with no emotion whatsoever.

"Come on, it won't be that bad!" she retorts in a teasing tone, and then disappears upstairs to fetch her copy.

I stare out the large window at the flagpole which is now illuminated due to the fact the sun is down. How did I not notice Hermione's grief first year? I must really be blind…

I hear her excited step descending the stair, but suddenly she stops.

I turn to look at her, and she is staring at me, her face ashen.

"What is it Hermione?" I ask alarmed.

"Shut the curtains Harry." She replies in a cold voice.

I move towards them slowly and shut them, and only when I have completely shut them does she continue down the stairs.

"What was that all about if you don't mind my asking?"

She stares at the wall with a picture of her brother on it, and goes over to it and takes it off the wall and puts it face down, and proceeds to do the same to the rest of his photos around the room.

"Tonight is the anniversary of the night my brother ceased to exist…it was five years ago today."

"I'm sorry; I don't know what else to say." I pause trying to gauge her reaction, but she gives none, "Do you still want to read, or would you rather talk about it?" I ask trying to help her.

She looks at the book in her hand, and then slowly turns her glance to me. Did it seem like she might cry? Then suddenly she sits down on the couch beside me and opens the book decisively, "We will read tonight." She declares in a commanding tone that leaves no room for argument.

I must confess that in the hours that followed, my mind was on everything but what Hermione was reading. I did manage to concentrate for the first few pages, but lost track after page thirty or so.

The clock read two-thirty by now, and with shock I realized I was exhausted I had not slept in almost two days. I yawned loudly.

Hermione turns towards me with a grimace on her face, "Have you been paying attention at all Harry?"

Her page number says two hundred and forty-seven. Yikes! I really haven't been paying attention!

"Sort of, I'm kind of tired though." I lie

She shakes her head with a sigh and glances at the clock, "We only have thirty minutes more then we can go to sleep Harry, surely you can wait that long." Then she goes back to reading, knowing very well I'm not listening.

I find myself unusually drawn towards her at this time, more so than I have ever been before.

She'd been through so much, yet she pushed on and kept going. She was strong, intelligent, kind, caring and unselfish. She practically died for my stupid dreams last year!

I feel the strong urge to throw my arms around her and never let her go, and protect her from every harm that would befall her.

What in the world is wrong with me tonight? Must be lack of sleep…

She absently brushes her arm against mine while she turns a page; we are now on page 254. That's 224 pages I haven't been paying attention… Besides, how can I when I can't keep her out of my head?

Her shoulders are bare except for the small green strap that holds her shirt up, she wears no jewelry. I wonder why? Most girls do… The shirt is weird though, for her anyway. She's got a low V-neck front and a practically non-existent back. If I got close enough… Harry stop it! This is HERMIONE!

Her neck is pretty much bare too, she flipped her hair up in one of those hair clips girls love. It looks really nice, especially when parts fall out that she doesn't intend.

Her lips are wet from licking them while she reads. I always thought that was a really weird habit of hers', it was like she was preparing to eat the book or something. Knowing Hermione, that just might be it.

I glance at the clock to distract myself from my too-close examination of my best friend.

The clock says three-fourteen. YES! No more book torture! "Hermione, hate to interrupt, but you're fourteen minutes past the allotted time." I tease.

She glances at the clock, and closes the book after making sure to mark the page. "Alright Harry, you can take them off now." She says in a resigned tone.

I carefully reach over to remove some of the gauze, and I peel it away slowly. It really is amazing! This cut looked hideous before, and now it's all gone! Wait, what's this?

"Hermione, most of it's coming off okay, but there's a scar here." I say unconsciously tracing it with my finger.

There's a sharp intake of breath from Hermione.

"That hurts." She says through gritted teeth, "Please stop." I immediately retract my hand as if burned.

"Do you want me to take the rest off?"

"Yes, that part is probably scarred because I tried taking it off earlier." She responds

I cautiously remove the rest of the bandages and place them on the table. In the process I ram into Hermione who happened to be leaning over at the same time I was trying to get up.

"Sorry," I apologize my face centimeters from hers,' and I can feel her hot breath on my face.

"It's okay," she responds rubbing her shoulder a little, then she smiles at me which sends me out of my mind. I swear I really don't know what overcame me at that moment.

"Hermione, please don't ever leave me. I need you; you are my anchor in life. I can't live without you." I murmur

She looks surprised, but before she has a chance to respond I lean in and her lips meet mine…

I swear it was never my intention when I woke up two mornings ago to have a make-out session with the girl who is supposed to be my best friend at three in the morning, but that is what it became.

One kiss just wasn't enough; I felt a desperate need to hold her so close-and being a teenage boy that often leads to other things. Besides, she tasted just like the chocolate ice cream we'd had for dessert and everyone knows how I love chocolate.

I was practically on top of her by the time we finished. It was something I'd never done before, and I swear something inside me snapped during those minutes. I never had the desire to even kiss another girl after that, not even Cho Chang. Hermione was…well really good.

Hermione was the one who stopped it, and she hoarsely pointed out that I was on top of her and imagine how this would look to Dumbledore if he were to pop in.

I sheepishly got off of her, but not without reluctance. In a way it felt like she meant what she did back there.

She stood up slowly and brushed herself off and straightened her hair. "Well, I guess that makes you my first kiss Harry." She jokes nervously.

"You were already, remember when we got off the train fourth year?" I respond, and then to my great dismay I yawn again.

She looks at me annoyed, "You and I have a completely unannounced snogging session and all you can do is yawn!"

I look at her and I feel scared of losing something, but I don't know what, "Hermione," I finally say, "Could you cut a guy a break. I haven't slept in almost two days. Besides, you are the-" I stop afraid to continue, "You are really nice." I finish with an awkward smile and disappear upstairs before she can kill me.

When we get up the next morning it is nearly noon and the first question Hermione asks me is one I should've prepared for, "Harry what did you remember from last night?"

I looked at her very long and hard as if trying to remember something. I can't tell how weird that made me feel, this just can't happen!

"Remember what?" I lie. I see the reaction spread on her face like when someone tells you your best friend has died. She was devastated…and her expression would haunt me for the rest of my days.

"Y-You remember n-nothing?" she stammers fear washing over her face like a giant tidal wave.

"Nothing."

A/N: Well, wasn't that evil of me?

Gyriffindor620: Yes, poor little Hermione, if I were her I would've hit Harry…really hard!

xObserveRx: Yes, well I might get a bit defensive too… Anyways, yes, inevitables… :Runs away from flying objects:

Beppo1: Sorry for my lack of timely updates…

The Gryffindor Drummer: Yes, I'm now worrying how many of you will still continue to think that I am an excellent writer after this chapter!

harrypotters lady: Did you get my e-mail?

LuvFantasy: Don't know, why don't you keep scratching your head, might actually make room for some useful information in there…

hiddenprincess818: Thanks for the review! (I hope you like it after this one!)