I do not own Harry Potter or gain anything from writing this other than the opportunity of expanding on an already brilliant universe for my own entertainment, and hopefully yours.

It's too cold to be outside on a broom flying as fast as you can in a harrowing dive. Too cold to have stubbornly not used warming charms or to not even have the sense to wear a pair of warm flying gloves. The biting cold is what he was after though, something to disguise the cold bitterness he was feeling lately. Between his best friends fighting and the girl he fancied keeping warm in someone else's arms, the bitterness was barely diminished by the cold December air.

He pulled up an inch from the ground, the tail of his broom brushing away a layer of snow from the grassy pitch beneath the blanket of white. He smiled despite the bitterness, it was a good dive. It was a shame no one was here to watch it, a shame a certain red-haired witch wasn't here. She would've been potentially impressed enough to dump her boyfriend and request that he demonstrates more intimate versions of the dive. Or perhaps, Harry Potter needed to get his head out of the clouds, seeing as he was not currently at an elevated altitude.

He dismounted his broom in the middle of the pitch before shivering and realizing he was being stupid to not use the magical transportation device for its intended purpose and flew to the entrance hall. He walked into glorious magical warmth, only for the cold he was attempting to distract himself from to walk by in the corridor ahead of him, hand in hand. Yes, he was bitter. Bitter that the girl who used to like him moved on ages ago before he finally realized it could've been a two-way fancy.

It was a shame he felt such frustration during a year such as this where his life at school had been relatively peaceful. Relative being the important word. In Katie Bell's relative world, the year had been far from peaceful. Harry grimaced at the flippant way he was thinking about one of his good friends almost losing her life. Perhaps a letter to the girl would help ease his conscience. It was the least she deserved from him. Just because the girl wasn't Ron or Hermione, didn't mean he shouldn't try to be a better friend.

Speaking of the red-haired devil. The other Weasley Hogwarts student came sauntering past at that moment, clutching the hand of his girlfriend, making their way to the great hall for dinner. Harry groaned at the sight, glad he wasn't spotted as he slipped past them, only to nearly bowl over someone who'd been following the couple at a safe distance.

'Sorry, Hermione!' Harry cried, barely managing to catch the girl around the waist before she fell, his broom clattering to the floor as sacrifice for his save.

'Oh!' a flustered Hermione exclaimed. 'No problem, Harry - I wasn't - Harry, you're freezing!'

He winced, steadying his best friend back on her feet and retrieving his broom.

'Yeah, sorry 'bout that too,' he said, feeling how right she was thanks to the reminder. His teeth were threatening to start chattering but he resisted the reaction with a clenched jaw.

'What're you doing flying in this weather?' she scolded, hands on her hips in a very stern manner.

Harry glanced back to where an explosive, high pitch giggle just sounded from his best mate's girlfriend as they entered the great hall.

'Needed a break,' he commented derisively.

Hermione followed his gaze, letting out a ragged sigh before bowing and shaking her head. 'Tell me about it.'

Before Harry could say anything more on the subject, Hermione grabbed his hand and began dragging him back the way she came. Without offering any resistance, Harry gripped her hand back and followed.

'Where we going?' he asked curiously.

'To the Prefect bath,' she claimed, then paused for a brief moment in thought and movement before continuing on. 'Actually, I've got a better idea.'

'Mmm,' Harry hummed. The Prefect bath sounded like the perfect place at the moment but he trusted Hermione had his best interests in mind. She usually did.

He glanced down at their held hands. Not an uncommon occurrence between them but he found he appreciated the gesture quite a bit right now. He's been feeling lonely and perhaps the only thing to warm that kind of cold was with some companionship. It wasn't as if he was the only one in need of a good friend to warm his heart, Hermione certainly had her own heartaches right now.

'How was your fly?' she asked as way of small talk.

'Cold,' he admitted. 'Helped to take my mind off …'

He trailed off, not exactly wanting to admit he'd been pining for his best friend's sister. The sad smile she shot him was all too knowing though, but he was glad she didn't vocalize her suspicions. Hermione was far too proficient at reading Harry as if he were simply another book. Instead, she squeezed his hand a little tighter and walked on. A gesture he echoed as his teeth gave a little involuntary chatter. His ice-cold drenched clothing was starting to get to him despite the warm corridors.

To his surprise, she ended up dragging him up to the seventh floor - to the Room of Requirement. She was the one who did the usual ritual of walking three times across the blank wall.

'Good th-thing Malfoy w-wasn't using it,' Harry chattered out as the door formed.

'Well I was watching him on the map before I left for dinner,' she admitted, pausing with a hand on the door and giving him something of a proud smirk.

'Really?' Harry asked in surprise, feeling a little warmer all of a sudden. 'I thought you didn't -'

'Well he's obviously up to something,' she cut in. 'Just because I'm hesitant about believing he's a Death Eater doesn't mean I don't want to get to the bottom of it too.'

Harry took a moment to analyze the compromise in his head and couldn't help but smirk.

'I'll take it,' he said. 'Thanks, Hermione.'

She laughed lightly and finally pulled open the door before stepping into a surprisingly misty room. Harry only hesitated a moment before he followed, letting out a pleased groan the instant he was inside. He couldn't make out where the mist was coming from but he assumed the room became a sauna of some kind. It became immediately tempting to remove his damp clothes but decided to spare Hermione that sight.

'Impressive, isn't it?' Hermione asked, a sheen of sweat already visible on her forehead.

'You've been holding out on me,' he chuckled, stepping further into the room.

It was indeed made to look like a sauna. The room's walls were made of a dark wood, damp with moisture. Through the centre there was a half-wall to block off two different benches and beyond was a door with a glass window leading to whatever else Hermione had asked the room for.

The block in the middle had him turning to his best friend and raising his eyebrows.

'Yes, I think I'll enjoy some relaxation too,' she said with a somewhat shy shrug and walking to one of the sides.

'Well you certainly deserve it,' Harry commented, moving to his own side but hesitated. 'Er, I can just … you know -'

'Yes, Harry,' Hermione called from her side of the barrier, 'disrobe yourself, sir. I promise I won't peek and I trust you won't do the same … right?'

'Of course I wouldn't peek!' Harry defended, then continued in an extremely quiet voice. 'Unless you wanted me to.'

'Good, 'cause I'm already naked,' she said casually.

Harry paused with removing his damp jumper, a heat that had little to do with the sauna creeping up on his face. Hermione wasn't the type to tease - at least not this kind of teasing, and certainly not with Harry. It was difficult not to stare at the divider and imagine exactly what his best friend looked like without any clothes on. Images of times he's seen her braless in various states of minimalistic dress popped into his head, his imagination working furiously to attempt removing the remainder of her clothing to see what she must look like at this moment. It was beyond just that, her body would be covered in a light sheen of moisture from the sauna, making her beautiful naked skin shimmer erotically as she splayed out on the bench.

'Harry?' Hermione questioned, taking him out of his fantasy and making him literally jump in surprise.

'Er … y-yeah - what? S-sorry?' he stammered out nervously.

'Oh … n-nothing - sorry I shouldn't have …'

Harry gulped at her equally nervous reply. He'd always made a conscious effort to not think of his best friend like that, lest he ruined the friendship somehow. At the moment he simply couldn't stop his mind.

'No, no,' he said quickly. 'Don't be - I'm getting … yeah.'

To distract himself and to stop spouting nonsense, he resumed taking off his clothing. This quickly backfired, realizing more vividly that he wasn't going to be the only one in the room that was nude. Only the wooden barrier that didn't rise much higher than he stood would be between them once he finished removing his trousers. When he did, he automatically covered his erection for some reason, then rolled his eyes at himself. He was alone after all, on his side at least.

Once fully nude he lay down on the bench and failed to hold back letting out a pleased groan.

'How much have you come here?' he asked, forgetting his embarrassment for the moment.

'This is my third time,' she replied. 'I first did it when … well I needed to relax anyway.'

'Mmm,' he hummed, being able to guess what would've been stressful enough to search for relaxation.

While he failed to stop thinking about his naked best friend a few feet away from him, he did manage to begin relaxing. Occasionally he could hear a splash of water sizzling against something from the other side of the wall. Whether it was the room causing it or Hermione, he wasn't complaining either way. The pleasant steam warmed him to the bone quickly.

'Want to talk about it?' Harry asked, feeling loose enough to be open about things he didn't usually bring up with Hermione.

'Talk about what?' she questioned.

There was something about her voice that made him believe she knew exactly what he meant.

'Why you were stressed,' he said easily.

He could hear the weight of her problems in the quiet sigh she let out, but couldn't help but smile at the sound of it. It encouraged him somehow, made him want to help her get that weight off her chest. Then he had to shake his head violently to stop thinking about her chest.

'Do you actually want to listen?'

Her voice came out in a groan and Harry actually laughed a little at the sound of it.

'Only if you want to talk about it,' he said reasonably. 'Want me to talk about my problems first?'

'Which problems?' she queried. 'The Harry Potter kind or the regular kind?'

'Hah!' he barked humourlessly. 'You're hilarious, you are. The regular kind.'

She giggled lightly. 'You have to admit it's a good way to distinguish.'

'I supposed,' he admitted, grinning despite himself. 'The regular kind,' he repeated.

She was quiet for a moment. Harry wished he could see her face, though he could imagine it despite not being able to. Her eyes would be glazed, brow furrowed as she considered the problems she already knew about but they never vocalized. He was an open book to her, she knew most everything that went on in his mind already. There was no hiding anything from her. It was obvious that she even knew what he was thinking when she mentioned her state of dress.

Harry, on the other hand, always had a harder time knowing exactly what Hermione was thinking. Her mind seemed so much more vast and complicated than his. It would be interesting to know if she was doing the same thing he was, picturing her best friend naked, finding the thought exciting, pointedly keeping her hand away from a place between her legs that was calling for her touch.

He again shook his head to attempt getting those thoughts out of his mind but failed as she started talking.

'You mean Ginny?' she asked.

'I … did,' he admitted, though the redhead wasn't the one he was imagining himself snogging at the moment. 'Not sure if that's the problem anymore though. At least, it doesn't feel like one right now.'

'What do you mean?'

'Nothing,' he said quickly, hoping she didn't read too much into his over honesty.

'I thought we were going to share,' she said, and he could imagine the eye roll.

He was quiet for a moment, wondering how much he was willing to say all of a sudden.

'Gimme a second,' he said quietly. 'I have to … sort out my thoughts …'

She didn't respond but for an equally quiet, 'OK,' and Harry shut his eyes to picture two witches.

Hermione and Ginny. He'd started to fancy Ginny just in the summer, it felt nice spending so much time with her at The Burrow where for the first time in perhaps ever, she acted like herself around her former crush. It was good getting to know the real Ginny and better to notice just how pretty she'd become. There were some downsides to him pursuing his crush with her though. One, she was dating another bloke and they seemed to be getting on quite well, he'd witnessed them getting on more than he cared to. Two, as if One wasn't enough, she was his best mate's sister and he's seen first-hand how Ron reacts to blokes snogging his sister. Regardless of all that though, how did she compare to the one who was currently consuming his mind?

He loved Hermione as a … the images of her imaginary naked body floated in his mind … OK, not as a sister then. He did love her though, he knew that. There was no doubt in his mind he cared about her more than others. Maybe even more than any other. If he was in a terrible situation and had to choose between Ron, Ginny or Hermione, he had a difficult time thinking he wouldn't choose Hermione. Unfortunately for him though, that's exactly the type of situation he was currently in. Asking for Hermione's advice seemed a little silly when she was one of two girls he was debating. But forgetting about Ginny for the moment, as she was taken anyway, what would Ron say about Harry pursuing a relationship with Hermione? Surely he'd be sour on the idea, despite him dating Lavender. No one could deny that he fancied Hermione to an extent. Though apparently not enough to not hurt her.

Did Harry care though? He didn't want to lose his best friend if he had to but was that a good excuse for him to not pursue something for himself? If Ron couldn't come to terms with it, then that was on him. If they had a falling out because of the situation then … well … it would be devastating to lose his best friend in order to make his other best friend into something more.

Would it be worth it though? To be able to comfort Hermione from any sadness she has or ever will have by being able to hold her - not hugging her, but holding her - and taking away her worries and stress with his lips on hers. Loving her and giving himself to her and making her happy.

He smiled as he pictured her smile and realized that she would make him happy too.

Yes, it would be worth it.

What about what Hermione thought of him though? Did she ever question their relationship? Wonder if there could be something more? Maybe even hope that there could be something more? Or was she too distracted by her interest in Ron?

Hermione knew Harry better than anyone in the world, or at least it would be a tie between her and Ron. What if, with that knowledge, she just didn't find he was good enough? Perhaps, to her, he was unattractive and unthinkable as any kind of romantic partner. Would he be willing to risk their friendship for something that could never be? Something she found disgusting and beneath her?

'Am I ugly?' Harry asked out loud.

'WHAT?!' Hermione screeched. 'Are you joking right now, Harry?'

'Er, n-no,' he said, feeling suddenly embarrassed.

'Harry Potter,' Hermione said sternly, 'you are the most fanciable, handsome wizard in this entire bloody school. You could probably have any witch you want - even a Slytherin if you wanted! Pansy Parkinson wouldn't say no to a date with you!'

Harry snorted. 'You're laying it on a little thick,' he said, but felt happy by her response all the same. 'I mean, I'm skinny, I wear glasses, I have messy hair -'

'First of all,' Hermione said forcefully, 'you are not skinny, you are trim. I've seen you without a shirt on Harry, I'm sorry but you. Are. Hot.'

Harry's face certainly felt hot at the moment.

'Your glasses are cute,' she continued, 'and you have the most brilliantly green eyes I have ever seen. And your hair is messy - in a good way though. It really gives you a … devil may care look that definitely works for you.'

'R-right,' Harry stammered. 'Thanks for … yeah, thanks.'

Well unless she was lying that's that box checked. The question is, did she mean any witch? Or did she mean any witch but her?

'OK,' he began, letting out a ragged breath, 'you were right about Ginny, I do fancy her, but to be honest there's someone else I'm starting to … notice a bit more.'

'Really?' Hermione asked curiously. 'For the record, Ginny still fancies you, but I do think she likes Dean quite a bit too.'

'Right …' Harry wasn't sure what to do with that piece of information so decided to ignore it.

'Who's this other lucky witch then?' she asked.

You, he thought.

'She's beautiful, smart, friendly, a good listener, you know, just a wonderful person all around.'

'It's not Cho is it?' she asked in a voice bordering on disgust.

'No,' he laughed, 'definitely not.'

Harry wondered if her ability to read what was going through his mind extended to this.

'What's her name then?'

Apparently not.

'I've told you enough for now,' he said with a chuckle. 'Your turn.'

'Fine,' she said, that weighty sigh returning, 'let's go to the pool first though. It's starting to get too hot.'

'Pool?' Harry asked, turning to the wooden door with the window.

'Of course,' she answered lightly, the sound of a heavy door opening accompanying her words, 'you can't have a sauna without a pool.'

Opening the door, Harry found a half-circle pool up against another half-wall, this one made of stone.

'Hermione,' Harry called over the wall, 'the next time you figure out something like this, I demand that you tell me about it right away.'

Her light giggle echoed on the domed ceiling. Moments later he heard the sound of her naked body wading into the water and he shivered pleasantly. He followed her lead and was pleasantly surprised that it was fairly warm, though still cooled his sweating skin from the sauna.

'So, as you know, I had a bit of a thing for our fool of a best friend,' Hermione began.

'You sound so … uncaring about the whole thing,' Harry commented.

'That's because I can't say I fancy a bloke who just starts snogging someone else when I've got a date planned with him,' she said, obviously annoyed. 'I wouldn't have thought highly of him if he did that to anyone else but he did it to me, so he can go snog whoever he wants and I don't give a damn.'

Hermione wasn't one to curse so she was obviously still very upset about the whole ordeal. Or at least angry.

'Want to hear his stupid reason why he started becoming such a prat to you?' Harry asked.

'There's a reason?' she scoffed. 'Thought he was just being a thick-headed arsehole.'

'Well he was at that,' Harry agreed, 'but his reasoning is he was jealous.'

'Jealous?' Hermione questioned, more confused than incredulous.

'Mmhmm,' Harry confirmed. 'He and I caught Ginny and Dean snogging in a passage. Ginny and Ron had a row, Dean ran off. Ginny hit him with a bit of a low blow I suppose, making fun of him for never having snogged anyone before, mentioned I snogged Cho and you snogged Krum.'

Harry waited while his friend put the pieces together. It barely took a moment.

'So he was jealous that I snogged Krum so he decided to be a prat and go eat Lavender's face,' Hermione replied in outrage.

'That's the long and short of it, yeah. There's a reason I never told you. Though maybe I should have?'

'Yes,' she answered immediately, 'you should have. Honestly it just drives home how immature and pathetic he is.'

Harry bit his lip to keep from laughing at the harsh comment.

'So you're over him then?' Harry asked, managing to keep the hopeful note out of his voice.

'Yes,' Hermione said, letting out another sigh, 'I am.'

The sigh wasn't as weighty as the ones earlier. Maybe he should've tried to be a better friend and just talked to her about it in the first place.

'Thanks, Harry,' she said, and he could hear the smile in her voice.

'Anytime,' he answered, and he truly meant it. Though hopefully he could prevent the conversations about her unhappy love life. If he had his way, her love life would be nothing but happy. With him.

The more he thought about it the more he wanted to take the chance. Hermione was different from Ginny; a passing fancy that popped up out of nowhere. Hermione has always been there, by his side and in his heart since the beginning.

'You need to tell me who your witch is now,' she declared excitedly. 'I poured my heart out so I expect you to do the same.'

Harry chuckled lightly, it trailed off and he let out his own heavy sigh. It wasn't weighty, it was nervous. It worried but was also hopeful.

'I just don't know how I should … I don't know … proceed, I guess.'

'Is she single?' she queried.

'Yeah.'

'Then ask her if she wants to go to Slughorn's Christmas party with you. Easy as that.'

Easy … he thought nervously.

'And if she says no?'

'Her loss,' she said, her voice firm.

'Promises to be embarrassing though,' Harry grumbled.

'Well just ask if you can speak with her alone.'

'Yeah, that wouldn't be obvious,' he said dryly.

'Are you a Gryffindor or not?' she asked through her laughter.

It was a fair question. This shouldn't be as difficult as, say, facing a dragon or rushing off to fight a Basilisk. Especially not with whom he was asking. Though somehow it was. The consequences for failure may not be as dire, he would certainly live to fight another day, but the fact that he was handing over control to someone else for this challenge, throwing himself out there and hoping she felt the same, or at least was willing to try, made it harder. That said, he wasn't handing that control over to just anyone, it was Hermione. Hermione who's had his back since the troll; Hermione who would go to hell and back with him, and has; Hermione, who has never let him down. He trusted her with anything, even with his heart.

'Hey, Hermione?' he said, willing for his heart to stop pounding, for his voice to steady, to at least sound a little bit confident.

'Yes, Harry?' she answered casually, her voice relaxed and calm.

He smiled at her voice. Despite the continued hammering of his heart, he felt more sure of his actions.

'I was wondering if I could speak with you alone.' He didn't mean it to come out so much like a question, but that's how it came out anyway.

There was a sudden stillness from the other side of the wall. The sound of her lazily swimming through the water was silenced as soon as he said the words. Harry's nervousness returned immediately and he wished he didn't get so cheeky with his questioning. He hadn't even asked the real question yet, but Hermione was far too intelligent not to glean the obvious meaning behind his words.

The silence stretched on for far longer than was comfortable, though he thought he could barely make out the sound of her heavy breathing, it was difficult to tell beyond his own.

'Sh -' she took another deep breath, this one more obvious than the others. 'Sure, Harry.'

Her voice was quiet enough that he couldn't pick up any added emotion behind her words. Was she preparing herself for an awkward rejection? Maybe prepared to say yes just to save Harry from embarrassment but really, she didn't want to? Or was she … excited? It was too late now to worry about the consequences, she already knew his question anyway, along with all the implications that came with it.

'Do you want to go to Slughorn's Christmas party with me?' It came out a little rushed but other than that he was rather proud with his performance. Now his piece was done, he handed control over to her. For better or worse.

'Yes,' she said, and he knew he didn't imagine the smile in her voice. 'I do want to. A lot … actually.'

He was glad there was a wall between them because he imagined the smile on his face made him look rather dopey.

'Brilliant,' he breathed out, a small laugh escaping his lips.

She answered with her own laugh and now he had to take back what he just thought. Because only imagining the goofy smile on her face wasn't even close to how great it would be to see the real thing.

'What took you so long?' she asked quietly.

Harry walked over to the half-wall, leaning his head against it and wondering at that very same question.

'Forgot I was in Gryffindor?' he tried.

She let out a burst of giggles. Then another. Then she seemed incapable of stopping herself as she giddily let out muffled laughter.

'I was really worried you weren't interested, if I'm being honest,' he said. 'Afraid of ruining things but … you're worth that risk.'

Her giggling subsided at his heartfelt tone and he heard her move closer to the wall in the water. Looking down he saw ripples from her movement in his own pool and wondered if they were connected somehow.

'You should've asked me out somewhere we could actually see each other,' she said.

The longing in her voice overfilled his own longing for the girl. It made him wonder how long she's thought of him this way, if she was keeping quiet for the same reasons he was.

'Don't tempt me to peek,' he said cheekily.

'You wouldn't dare!' she dared.

'I can't say I haven't been thinking about it since we got in here,' he said, making her scoff then giggle. 'My imagination is only so -'

Suddenly the wall between them disappeared, making him fall forward into his naked brunette now girlfriend as she did the same. Harry saw a glimpse of her but only barely as he caught his own stumbling with his foot and caught her by the shoulders before screwing his eyes shut.

'H-Hermione?' he questioned in a panic. 'What just happened?'

A loud, 'EEP,' was her response before she slipped out of his grasp and bolted out of the water. Harry waited a full minute before he opened his eyes and confirmed the room was empty before slowly walking to his side of the sauna, which he was careful to make sure stull had its half-wall in place before he entered.

Presumably, Hermione had control of the room since she created it. The fact that the wall between them suddenly vanished must have been due to her command. Seeing as she screamed and ran away once she had her bearings, Harry had to assume it was an accidental command. Now that he had that all cleared up in his mind he couldn't have wiped the smile off his face if he tried. There was nothing wrong with teasing your new girlfriend for making such a blatant attempt at seeing her new boyfriend's junk.

'So,' Harry said into the silence of the sauna, 'were you just curious?'

'Harry!' Hermione chided from the other side of the wall. 'I'm sorry. I was just thinking that I wanted to see you and -'

'Ah, so you're admitting it.'

'Not that part of you!' she whined.

'Wait,' he said, the smirk growing on his face, 'what part of me do you mean?'

Silence greeted him from the other side of the wall. After a quick drying charm on his clothes he started getting dressed again.

'For the record, Hermione,' he laughed, 'I really didn't see anything. Happened way too fast. And I was thinking the same thing so don't be embarrassed, OK?'

Still, silence was his answer and Harry started getting worried he'd teased her too much after such a mortifying moment. He didn't want to lose her just minutes after he asked her out. Or ever for that matter.

'Hermione?' he tried tentatively, pulling his t-shirt on but not wanting to wear his jumper in the hot sauna. 'I'm dressed if …'

The next moment the room transformed into the familiar bricks of the castle, a red and gold sofa popped up reminiscent of the Gryffindor common room. Hermione was standing just in front of it, her back to him, wearing her school robes.

'I … might've seen a bit more than … nothing,' she mumbled out, her back still to him.

'Oh,' Harry said stupidly, feeling the need to adjust his trousers. While somewhat embarrassing, the thought that Hermione saw his most intimate of body parts was more than a little exciting. 'I …' That still didn't mean he knew what to say.

'I'm really sorry, Harry,' she said, a heavy, guilty sigh coming out. 'It was my fault it happened and then -'

She cut off as Harry hopped over the back of the sofa and immediately wrapped her in a tight hug. No, not a hug. He held her. One of the perks of dating Hermione Granger was he suddenly had the power to take away her heavy sighs, and he planned on taking full advantage of this.

'Hey,' he said into her hair, breathing in the woody scent of the sauna that lingered there, 'at what point can I start calling you my girlfriend?'

Hermione turned her body in his arms and returned the hug, her cheek sneaking through her hair to rub against his own.

'I still can't believe it,' she said happily.

'Yeah,' Harry breathed, realizing he hadn't exactly calmed down from the sexual tension he'd been feeling through the entire experience.

'How long have you … thought that … about me?'

He pulled away enough to look at her face and almost laughed at the goofy grin he'd been hoping to see earlier.

'I mean … always to be honest,' he said, looking into her eyes. 'It was always a question of whether I wanted to …'

'To risk what we already had,' she finished for him and he nodded, glad she understood.

'I kind of … I don't know, didn't let myself go down that road in my head, you know?'

She nodded in understanding, the happy smile threatening to split her face.

'And you?' he asked, leaning his forehead against hers.

She inhaled deep at the sudden closeness of him and let out the breath onto his face.

'I guess it's the -'

She never had the opportunity to finish. His lips moved forward smoothly to connect with hers. She let out a gasp when he released her mouth momentarily and he dove back into it, eager to taste her again. She slipped her hands up his chest to slide across his face, her hands in his messy hair pulling him deeper into the kiss. He opened his mouth for a breath and her lips followed his open, her tongue brushing across his lips to meet his own eager tongue.

He pulled back with a quip ready but forgot it completely when she decided to continue putting his tongue to better use, making him fall back on the sofa where she followed him, snogging him heartily and straddling his waist. Harry felt the need to adjust so she didn't feel what she was doing to him but she seemed to have noticed it before he had the chance, pushing herself down onto his crotch with her own and letting out a moan into his mouth that did nothing to dampen his arousal.

Harry was thoroughly overwhelmed, between the feel of her kissing him to the pressure she was pushing down onto him to who it was that was doing it. As suddenly as it began it stopped. Hermione pulled back and pushed herself to the other end of the sofa, far out of reach and looking equally overwhelmed.

'You're a good kisser,' she said breathily.

Harry let out a bark of laughter, panting as heavily as she was.

'We can keep kissing then, if you want,' he said in a low husky voice.

She bit her lip, eyes flicking down to the noticeable bulge in his pants but then shook her head to clear her thoughts.

'It's getting late,' she said in a more level voice. 'We should -'

'Want to come with me to the kitchens?' he asked, standing up and reaching for her hand.

He knew she was right, that they shouldn't let things go too far too quickly, that if they kept at it there was no telling when they'd stop. That didn't mean he wanted to not continue their little night together, what's become a date. She smiled brilliantly, rising up and lacing her fingers through his.

'It's a date,' she said.

'It is,' he agreed.

The next couple of days there was an increase in whispers about Harry Potter. Apparently no one could decide if he was dating Hermione Granger or if they were just holding hands through the corridors as friends or something nauseating of the like.