Title: A Birthday to Remember
Prompt: Hermione Granger's birthday-themed drabble for September 19th.
Summary:
It wasn't until a year after the war that Harry Potter saw a real prospect of being more than just a friend to Hermione Granger. He had been invited to her parent's house to celebrate her birthday, when he found himself by chance alone with her in the living room and reached for her hand as it was lying on the couch between them and pressed it, attempting to grasp her attention.
Hermione had withdrawn it immediately, but not purposely, as she was so intent on her book that she turned the page without realising that he had meant to engage her. A minute afterwards she slightly changed her position and her hand returned to where it was, so Harry took it again, and was allowed to hold it there for some time.
He thought once or twice she might have squeezed his in return.
They were summoned to lunch, Harry didn't get the chance to talk with his fingers again until afterwards when they went out in the sunshine, sprawled on their backs in the grass under a tree and he was more decisive in reaching for her hand and pressing it again. This time she did return the pressure and stroked his hand in turn, but she said nothing to him, and Harry was left to ponder if his affection for her was reciprocated at all.
They were called inside again, much to his annoyance, before he could find out.
After dinner, when her birthday cake was brought to her, Harry got up to stand behind her chair and put his head down as close to hers as he dared and he felt the warmth of her on his face. He got as close without actually touching her as he could, until eventually, she slowly moved towards him and rested on him, and reached with her hand to hold his.
That night, in the hallway before bed, she had hugged him and whispered in his ear the three words he had least expected:
I love you.