Chapter 3
Disclaimer: - HP and all associated characters are the sole property of JKR. I'm just borrowing them for a bit!
A/N: - Thanks to Maria aka MarsPotter for all her help and encouragement! This story would've been LONG abandoned without her!
By the time morning rolled around, Harry overslept and had to hurry to get ready on time. In the process, he mostly forgot all about his weird reaction to Hermione's kiss last night and the accompanied lack of sleep. That was, until he went down to breakfast in the Great Hall and saw her with her nose buried in a book. Just seeing her sitting there made a whole swarm of butterflies erupt in his stomach.
As if she'd sensed his presence, Hermione looked up at that very moment while taking a bite of her toast (which, per usual, was smothered in marmalade – her secret vice). Her eyes met Harry's as she delicately licked off some of the marmalade that had gotten on her thumb.
He froze mid-step. His mind instantly - and extremely unhelpfully - conjured up vivid images of her licking...other things. Bugger it all!
"Hurry up, mate," Ron called as he walked past Harry; on his way to the Gryffindor table. "It's almost time for Herbology. You don't want to trudge all the way up to the greenhouse without breakfast, do you?"
He hurriedly looked away. Had he been staring? Oh Merlin, he hoped not! What the hell was the matter with him all of a sudden? Why was he noticing all these things about his best friend? And why did he feel so hot all of a sudden? Maybe he was coming down with something…? Yup, that seemed like the most likely explanation! Or maybe it was a potion that someone had slipped to him? Or a spell that he was unaware of. There had to be some kind of an explanation!
Distracted by his thoughts, he went through the motions of piling bacon, eggs, beans and toast on his plate and started shoveling his food mechanically.
A few bites in, he suddenly remembered…he was supposed to be playing the doting boyfriend! Rolling his eyes mentally, he made a show of leaning over to whisper something in her ear. She reacted instantly (almost as if she'd been anticipating his actions all along) - giggling girlishly, as if he'd just said something funny; while twirling a strand of her hair around her finger.
He froze, taken aback. This was a side of Hermione he'd never seen before. Giggling? Twirling her hair? Wow, she was good. He hadn't even known she was capable of such behavior! Even Ron, with his teaspoon-like emotional range would be hard put to miss that.
True enough Ron, Neville, Lavender and Dean who were all sitting within their vicinity gave them inquiring looks; most likely they were wondering what he'd said to make Hermione Granger giggle. Even Ginny, who for once was seated with her own friends a little far away from them, noticed Hermione's unusual behavior.
He was amazed. Such a little gesture, but it had attracted so much attention from everyone! In fact, it had worked so brilliantly that he decided to do it again. He leaned in again, ready to repeat the sequence of events once again. Only this time, he misjudged the distance between him and Hermione, accidentally getting too close to her and bumping his nose into her cheek unwittingly.
"Sorry!" he gasped, rearing back in a hurry, while absently noting the soft, silky feel of her skin. It was like butter and cream - luxuriant, decadent and velvety smooth. He also couldn't help but notice that she smelled like books and ink (a scent that was indelibly linked with Hermione in his mind), with an underlying fragrance of honeysuckle. Mmm…
His mind stuttered to a stop. Where had that come from? Books and honeysuckle? Where in the bleeding hell had that come from…? And why was he even noticing her skin, soft or otherwise? What the hell was the matter with him? He was losing his damn mind, that's what it was.
Thankfully, he didn't have much time to deal with the weird moment and his even weirder reaction to it because they were getting late for the first class of the day - Herbology. Before he knew it, breakfast was over and they were all making their way towards the greenhouses where Professor Sprout was no doubt waiting for them.
Once inside, he was almost tempted to sit with Ron in order to get some time to sort out his thoughts and feelings but before he could make the move, Hermione grabbed his hand and pulled him towards a table in the middle of the classroom.
"Hermione…!" he protested, weakly.
"What? This table works best for our plan. Ron will see everything we're doing!" She whispered back after making sure no one was listening to their conversation.
"Fine!" he snapped. He was honestly getting a bit sick of hearing about Ron 'this' and Ron 'that' all of the damn time.
Thankfully Hermione didn't seem to notice his foul mood.
Professor Sprout finished giving her instructions and motioned for them to get on with their assigned project. That day's lesson was focused on how to propagate and grow Dittany - an essential ingredient in a whole host of healing potions. Naturally, the lesson was of the utmost importance and carried a lot of weightage in terms of their upcoming NEWT's next year.
As always they were supposed to work in pairs and having Hermione as a partner paid off (especially since he hadn't heard a single word of the instructions that had been given!) Harry just had to make sure that she had all the necessary supplies to get the work done and then busied himself copying her notes. He had to admit that he was still a bit out of sorts from everything that had happened since yesterday and he was glad to have this time to just sit back and gather his thoughts.
That was until Hermione elbowed him right in the ribs. "Ow!" he yelled out loud, forgetting for a moment where he was.
"Problem, Mr. Potter?" Professor Sprout inquired, eyeing them askance. Turning around, he found the whole class staring at them in surprise.
Brilliant. Fucking brilliant. Just what he needed right now - to be the focus of even more attention! Well, at least it would help further their agenda, he consoled himself!
"Yes. Fine professor. Just stubbed my toe " He mumbled, burning with humiliation.
"Hmm. You'll live." The professor harrumphed. She turned to the rest of the class. "Show's over! Everyone, get back to work!"
"What Hermione?" he hissed, turning to her in annoyance just as soon as everyone's attention turned back to their respective tables.
"You aren't doing anything!" she hissed right back.
Oh, right, the Plan! Oops! He'd totally forgotten.
"Yeah, okay…" Harry shored up his courage and reached out to brush her hair behind her ear. She stiffened for a minute, her breath leaving in an audible gasp. Then she seemed to catch herself and moved on as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.
Harry on the other hand was frozen in place. Merlin, had her hair always been that silky? He wanted to touch it again...in fact he wanted to run his hands all through it. (If he buried his nose in it, what would it smell like?) And the color – Merlin, he couldn't even begin to describe it! It certainly wasn't a mere dull brown, like he'd always believed it to be. Here, in the greenhouse, with the sunlight coming in and hitting it at just the right angle, her hair seemed to turn into a vibrant shade of mahogany – almost like rich, dark, decadent chocolate – with glorious streaks of gold and auburn thrown in for good measure. And the way it just seemed to flow down her back in complete disarray but then when she moved or turned, it just brushed her cheeks teasingly…? Merlin, it was just glorious, wasn't it? He couldn't believe he was only noticing all of this just now, but here he was, gawking like a little kid visiting Zonko's for the very first time!
"You coming Harry?" Hermione asked. He shook himself, looking around and noticed that in the amount of time he'd spent lost in his daze, the lesson had gotten over and most of his classmates had left the greenhouse already, heading over to Hagrid's hut for the second lesson of the day – Care of Magical Creatures.
Class was over? And he hadn't even realized it? He'd missed most of the instruction and then had completely zoned out during the practical! What the hell was the matter with him? He facepalmed himself mentally and hurried to keep up with the rest of the class. Bugger it all, what was that? It was just hair for Merlin's sake! Nothing that should've had him waxing poetic over it, that was for sure!
As they walked over to Hagrid's, Hermione reached over and casually took his arm, looping her hand around his forearm. Ack! He was so not good with public displays of emotion! And yet here he was, with no option but to put up with it for now at least. He made a conscious effort to loosen his stiff shoulders and pulled her even closer, until she was resting her head against his shoulder. Despite his previous discomfort, he couldn't help but smile. Having her this close felt good. Right.
"Oh my God!!" Lavender squealed shrilly from behind them, shattering the peace and quiet he'd been enjoying. "Is something going on between you two?"
Hermione pulled away from Harry and turned to face Lavender calmly, letting go of his hand in the process. Harry couldn't help feeling an acute sense of loss at having their peaceful moment interrupted.
"Merlin, not this again!" Hermione responded stiffly. Lavender and Hermione had never been great friends to begin with, but had at least managed to get along over the years. (Mostly by learning to simply ignore each other for the most part.) Ever since Ron and Lavender had gotten together though, that strange coexistence had gotten more and more frayed – at least on Hermione's part. This was evidenced by Hermione's frequently frosty tone and rigid posture while addressing Lavender these days. "And even if there was something going on between me and Harry, I honestly don't see how it's any of your business!"
(Harry, of course, had previously argued that it was counterintuitive for him and Hermione to deny any involvement on their part when in fact, the entire objective of their ruse was to convince everyone that they were 'together'. But Hermione had this crazy notion – convoluted though it seemed – that the more they denied being together, the more people would believe otherwise. Girls! Who'd ever figure them out?)
Lavender squealed even louder, seemingly oblivious (or at the very least immune) to the curtness in Hermione's tone. "There is, isn't there? Pav was right! I can't believe I didn't listen to her yesterday! How long has this been going on? Oh, never mind that!" She seemed to be almost vibrating in her excitement. "Oh my! This is huge! Does Ron know? Oh, what am I saying, of course he knows... he's your best friend, isn't he? But wait, then, why didn't he tell me? Oh, I'm sure he has some daft reason for not doing so! I'm going to give him a piece of my mind though! Who doesn't tell their girlfriend such juicy gossip? Also, I can't wait to tell Pav that she was right! She's going to flip out!"
She ran ahead excitedly, not waiting for a confirmation (or denial) from either of them.
"Didn't I tell you, Harry?" Hermione said smugly, looking very satisfied with herself. "By noon, the whole castle will know!"
"Err, Yay?" Harry responded drolly.
His efforts were rewarded with a smack on the back of his head.
"Hey!" He protested dramatically, rubbing his head exaggeratedly.
She rolled her eyes at his antics. "Come on, just because it's Hagrid's class, doesn't mean we should be late for it!"
Per Hermione's prediction, Harry saw Lavender whispering furiously to some of their classmates during Care of Magical Creatures while Hagrid's attention was elsewhere. He could also feel lots of speculative gazes turning their way accompanied with intermittent whispers and sly smiles.
Ron in particular, gave them several confused glances. (It was probably a figment of Harry's imagination but a small ember of anger seemed ready to blaze to life in his eyes – Merlin save him!) As soon as class got out, he pulled Harry aside.
Dreading the upcoming conversation, he waved for Hermione to go on without him. It was clear that she'd much rather be a part of the discussion but seeing as she wasn't given much of a choice in the matter, she reluctantly walked a distance away with Lavender following eagerly behind her, peppering her with questions.
As soon as they were out of earshot, Ron got straight to the point. "What's going on between you and Hermione?" he demanded bluntly.
Here it was. The moment for which the entire charade had been put in place. And yet, now that it was here, he couldn't bring himself to outright lie to his best mate. Err…his other best mate that is. (Although, to call Hermione just his best mate would be more than a little unfair, truth be told. She was and always had been his most ardent supporter, his confidant, his savior, his moral compass! She'd played so many varied and crucial roles in his life over the years that it was impossible for him to put her in just one category. She was Hermione – she occupied a very special and unique role in his life – a role that could never ever be occupied by anyone else.)
He frowned at the direction of his thoughts. Why was he only now realizing how very critical Hermione was to his existence… how very much she'd come to mean to him over the years?
"Harry?!" Ron reiterated, sounding impatient.
"Err, yeah…I guess Hermione and I are…together?" It came out sounding more like a question than an answer. Brilliant, just fucking brilliant! Why was he feeling so awkward about this? It wasn't like he'd betrayed anyone, heck, this wasn't even real! And even if it had been, neither of them had any previous attachments or commitments or anything of the sort – not even to Ron. He – they – hadn't done anything wrong!
Thankfully, Ron seemed a little too out of sorts to notice his hesitation. "Since when?" he blurted out. "And why didn't you guys tell me? Bloody hell, I had to find out from Lav of all people!"
"Sorry…" Harry said. "We weren't deliberately trying to hide it from you or anything of the sort. We just got together a few days back, right after Slughorn's party actually." Like Hermione had said when they'd worked out all the details, it was better to stick as close to the truth as possible. "After that…things were just too new between us…and you were busy with Lavender as well, I reckon."
Ron had the grace to look ashamed which was weird since he also appeared more than a bit mad. "How come you never told me you liked her?" He demanded belligerently.
"Er, what?" That was the last thing Harry had expected him to say.
"Why didn't you tell me you had feelings for her before this, Harry?" Ron sounded like he was trying very hard to hold on to his temper.
"Because, I didn't know myself!" Harry responded truthfully. He'd honestly never ever thought of Hermione in any way other than as his best friend before this whole charade. He still didn't! Right?
"What a load of shite!" Ron spat out.
"Pardon me?" he questioned incredulously, annoyed and yet oddly thankful to Ron for providing him with a welcome distraction from his thoughts!
"That's bullshite, and you know it!" Ron shouted, that famous Weasley temper clearly on display now. The only thing missing was actual steam coming out of his ears!
Great, this was getting to be a repeat of 4th year and the whole Triwizard Tournament debacle all over again just as he'd feared.
"I think I'd know how I feel better than you would, don't you think?" Harry questioned, starting to feel a teeny bit annoyed himself.
"No I don't! You know why? Because you don't just wake up one day and realize you have feelings for your best friend! That doesn't happen. Those kinds of feelings take some time to develop. Years, even! They don't just spring up overnight!" Ron finished, breathing hard from all the yelling.
"Yeah, you'd know all about that, wouldn't you?" Harry asked, trying desperately to hang on to the last of his patience.
"What is that supposed to mean?" Ron questioned back belligerently.
"Just that it's clear that you like her too. And that you've never told me about it either!"
"What?! Don't be ridiculous! I don't like her! At least not that way. That's…that's mental, that is!" Ron scoffed, flustered.
"Yeah, right!" Harry snapped. "What's all this about then, huh?" He could feel his own temper rising. "Why do you mind that I'm dating her if you don't have feelings for her yourself? You're jealous, admit it!"
"I don't mind!" Ron yelled. " And I'm not jealous! You can bloody well have her for all I care!"
He couldn't believe it. "She's not a piece of furniture, Ron!"
"And I'm also very capable of making my own bloody decisions!" Hermione snapped sounding angry and hurt all at the same time. Apparently, Harry and Ron had been loud enough to call attention to themselves and draw a bit of a crowd – including, it seemed, the very subject of their argument. "I also don't need your permission to date whoever I want!" Hermione stated emphatically.
"I…I…" for once, Ron seemed at a total loss for words.
"Besides, why do you even care who I see?" Hermione continued ruthlessly.
"I don't!" Ron yelled in return.
"Could've fooled me!" She snapped back venomously. "Or is it just Harry that you don't want me to date? No wait, if I remember correctly, you also hated it when I went out with Victor! So, it must be all Quidditch players that you want me to stay away from! Or is this about something more than that…?"
Wow, Hermione was kind of vicious when poked. He never wanted to get on her bad side, that was for sure!
"Come on, Harry!" Without giving him a chance to respond, Hermione grabbed his hand and tugged him away forcefully, heading briskly back towards the castle.
By the time evening rolled around, Harry was unbearably thrilled to have the excuse of Quidditch practice as a means to blow off some steam. Ron had been in a snit all morning, ignoring them for the most part. Hermione, for her part, was still mad at Ron for his childish behavior, not that anyone could blame her for it. But since she wasn't talking to Ron yet, it was Harry who ended up bearing the brunt of her displeasure. As a result, Quidditch practice seemed like a godsend!
As soon as classes were done, he grabbed his broom and made his way to the pitch to fly around until the rest of the team began trickling in. Flying was his stress buster; the one activity that allowed him to leave all his worries behind and just enjoy being in the moment, so to speak.
Even Ron's presence on the team (courtesy of Hermione's ill-advised confundus charm) didn't put a dampener on his joy. Despite the chilly weather, he enjoyed the sense of freedom and the sheer rush that being in the air always gave him. It helped that being team captain also afforded him the opportunity to vent some of his frustrations on his fellow teammates by making them run through some crazy drills. And if those drills were particularly hard on one Ronald Bilius Weasley – well, he couldn't be blamed for wanting to exact some petty revenge now, could he?
By the time practice was done, Harry was sweaty and exhausted but strangely elated. The team had been impressive up there, in spite of several hiccups on Ron's part. He couldn't help but feel that they were a shoo-in for the Quidditch cup this year, never mind the clear front-runners in their upcoming match against Ravenclaw.
"Harry!" Hermione called as soon as he came out of the Quidditch locker room after his shower.
He looked up in surprise. "Hermione, what're you doing here?"
Not that he wasn't happy to see her but he was very much aware of the fact that her only interest in Quidditch stemmed from the fact that her two best friends (one of whom was an utter tosser!) loved the game and were on the house team. She'd never missed a game before, but mostly only because she was a loyal and supportive friend. Attending their practice sessions…now that was stretching the limits of her patience. He knew she'd rather be anywhere else (like the library!) than here, especially in this cold weather.
"Lavender dragged me along with her!" she explained grumpily.
Ah. That explained it.
"Come on…" she laced their fingers together and started stomping towards the stands, almost dragging him along.
"Err, Hermione, the Great Hall is that way…" Harry protested weakly.
"I know!" She snapped agitatedly.
Okaaay then…
Harry decided to follow along meekly, unwilling to anger her further. She'd tell him what was on her mind soon enough.
Once they were at the other end of the pitch; which was empty considering the whole team had hightailed it back to the warmth of the castle as soon as possible; she let go of his hand and screamed aloud in frustration. He could see that she was red in the face and seemed to be fighting back angry tears.
Concerned, he walked over and took her in his arms, offering what comfort he could through his embrace. "I'm sorry, Harry. It seems like I'm always crying on your shoulders for some reason or the other these days" she muttered against his shoulder.
"Hey, hey…You have nothing to be sorry for!" he reassured her, gently running his hands up and down her back in a soothing motion.
"Ugh!" She brushed away the few tears that'd escaped. "They just make me so mad!"
"They?" he questioned, a bit confused about who she was referring to.
"Ron! Lavender! The whole lot of them!"
"Uh… Ron I get, but what did Lavender do now?"
"All she cares about is gossip! She kept asking me if…if we've snogged yet! If we've done other things…!" She screeched, her face turning an impossible shade of red in her embarrassment. "She basically just wants to know if the 'Boy Who Lived' is a good shag! Gah! She's just…she's impossible!"
His imagination went into overdrive – supplying him with vivid, detailed images of the two of them kissing each other…of them doing other things together. His entire body felt hot and cold all at once.
"So, uh, wh…what did you say?" He stuttered nervously, trying to dislodge the lurid images from his brain.
"Nothing! There's nothing to say, is there? In all the planning that I did, I never planned for this! I feel like such an idiot!" She groaned.
"You're not an idiot." He supplied loyally. But he was curious. "Why didn't you just lie though?"
"I don't know!" she wailed miserably. "I…I just froze! Plus, in case you haven't noticed before, I'm not really great at out-and-out lying to people, even if the person in question is Lavender Brown!"
He winced sympathetically. She could say that again! Hermione was balls at lying and he, more than anyone else, was aware of that. "So, what then…? Should we just tell everyone that we've only been pretending?"
"No! No, I'm not just going to give up, not when things finally seem to be falling in place. Ron's clearly bothered by our charade, at least, if his behavior right now is any indication. And I bet Ginny will be too, soon enough! Aren't you at least a little keen to know how she reacts to this whole thing?"
"Er, yes…?" he responded hesitantly.
"Harry!" she screeched in annoyance.
"Sorry, sorry!" He apologized.
He was curious, of course, he was! It was more that he still wasn't convinced that Ginny would be all that bothered by it, honestly. But Hermione seemed convinced that she had some previously unexpressed (or unacknowledged, he wasn't sure which) feelings for him - deeper than the silly crush she had on him in her first year - that would come rising to the fore as soon as she realized that he was no longer available. This, of course, remained to be seen. But he was definitely more than a little curious to see if Hermione's instincts were right about the entire matter. Besides - and most importantly - if Ginny was in the picture, he'd finally be able to stop having these crazy thoughts and feelings he had been having about Hermione for the last few days!
"Besides, there's no way I'm letting Lavender Brown get the best of me!" Hermione continued, still in a huff.
"Oh yes, God forbid!" Harry responded drolly, rolling his eyes. And they said boys were competitive! Girls were so much worse! Especially Hermione. She was mental!
She swatted him half-heartedly but otherwise ignored his snarky response.
"So it's decided then." Hermione announced.
It was?
"We have to kiss each other." She stated emphatically, almost casually.
Wait, what…? When had they decided this? Even more importantly, why?!
She either didn't seem to notice his flabbergasted expression or if she did, didn't seem to care much about it. Her face set in an expression of resolve, she marched right up to him. Then she faltered. "Harry…?" she looked at him beseechingly as if desperate for his compliance.
How could he say no to that face? He gulped, feeling like his whole body was nothing but a big ball of raw nerves. It wasn't like he had much experience doing this – the only other person he'd kissed was Cho Chang and that whole experience had been; not exactly unpleasant but certainly uncomfortable; what with her crying about the loss of another guy at the time. But this was Hermione. She wasn't usually prone to hysterics. And hopefully, she wouldn't burst into tears over Ron during the next few minutes, especially considering that this was all her idea to begin with!
Steeling himself, he stepped closer to her, leaned down and gave her a quick peck on the lips. There. All done.
He moved back, giving her a tentative smile. That hadn't been too bad... or too weird. And the best part was that he hadn't destroyed their friendship beyond repair! Hooray!
"Well?" he questioned, eager to see what she had to say.
She frowned. "Uh, what was that?"
Uh oh. She didn't seem too pleased. Maybe he was a bad kisser! "Err...a kiss…?" His answer came out sounding more like a question.
"Harry," She began with exaggerated patience, "I know you've led a pretty sheltered life so far. But - and I'm sorry if this sounds harsh - that is not how a boyfriend and girlfriend kiss each other! If you kiss me like that, no one will believe that you and I are together!"
"Okay, okay! Jeez!"
"I know you don't really want to kiss me, but if you want anyone - especially Ron and Ginny - to believe this charade, then you have to kiss me like you mean it! Maybe..." She sounded tentative...uncertain. "Maybe you should close your eyes and imagine that I'm Ginny…?" She trailed off, her head bowed in dejection. "Or Cho. Whoever you'd rather be kissing instead."
Good grief! This was mortifying. He didn't exactly want to admit his inexperience...but not doing so would result in a further blow to Hermione's self confidence. And that wouldn't do. That wouldn't do at all.
"Hermione...Hermione!" He spoke soothingly. "It's not like I don't want to kiss you. It's that I don't have a lot of err... practice. I don't actually know what I'm doing here. The only girl I've kissed so far, ended up crying! I...I don't want to ruin things between us...or make you cry!"
She visibly perked up throughout his explanation until finally her face was set in a mask of determination. "Well, I'm not Cho!" She stated firmly. "In case you haven't noticed in all these years, I don't burst into tears often. So you don't have to worry about that. Also, I don't really know what will come of this whole plan of ours but I can tell you, right now, that I'll always be your best friend, no matter what! Now come on, just kiss me already!"
"Whoa, bossy much?" He joked nervously. With a tentative smile, he moved closer to her once again and placed one of his hands on her waist. "Err, what exactly am I supposed to do here?" He blanched. "Also, what if I'm really terrible at this?"
"I highly doubt you're terrible, Harry." Hermione refuted patiently. "You're a very passionate person, you feel every emotion intensely and you have great instincts! You just lack the confidence and the practice. In my opinion, you're going to be great at snogging!"
With a quick smile of relief, he teased her, "Gonna end up making a practice schedule for me then?"
Blushing furiously, she swatted him. "Sod off!" Then she wordlessly raised her face to his, offering her lips to him.
She was clearly giving him both permission and control. It was definitely a heady feeling. Taking a deep breath to calm his suddenly swooping stomach, he dipped his head down to hers and brushed his lips over hers gently. Unlike last time, he didn't pull back in a hurry. Instead, he puckered his lips and lingered, brushing her lips gently, taking his time to experience the kiss. This wasn't so bad…in fact, it wasn't bad at all.
Her lips, on his were soft, like a butterfly's wings. Her breath was moist and smelled like the licorice and sugar quills she was so fond of eating. Feeling light-headed and yet centered all at once, he pulled back to look at her. Her eyes were still closed, her breath coming in short gasps.
There were no tears involved, thank Merlin; no grief or regret. He didn't know whether it was that or just the fact that this was Hermione but the difference between his first kiss (with Cho) and this one was inconceivable. All at once, he could suddenly understand why it was that all his friends seemed completely obsessed with this activity. Looking down at Hermione's upturned face, he got it.
And he wanted to experience it again. And again.
He cleared his throat. "Better?" he asked nervously.
"Mmmm…" she moaned her response, her eyes still closed in contentment.
Fuck! Just like that, he was suddenly ravenous. Ravenous for the touch of her… for another taste of her. Without analyzing that impulse too deeply, he just went with his instincts and pulled her closer for another kiss.
This time, there was no gentleness. This time, he held nothing back.
His lips closed over her; passionately. One of his hands encircled her waist entirely, pulling her impossibly closer. The other bunched up in her hair, holding her in place. He licked her full bottom lip, before nipping it gently, silently demanding entrance. The minute her lips parted, he swept in, his tongue dueling hers for dominance.
She moaned again, her body trembling with desire. The sound went straight to his gut, his body hardening in an instant. He gasped, stunned at the sheer lust racing through his veins. He'd had his fair share of hard-ons; he was a teenage boy after all; but holy fuck, he'd never gotten so hard, so fast ever before! And the fact that this was Hermione who was making him feel this way…? It was blowing his ever loving mind! No one, not even Ginny had invoked such instant need in him before.
His mind raced. Why Hermione? Why now? And more importantly, why hadn't they ever done this before?
"Ha…Harry… we need to stop!" She gasped.
He didn't want to stop. He wanted to consume her, to devour her entirely.
"I…" He kissed her again. "Harry…we're going…to," she spoke between more urgent kisses, '…to be late… for dinner!"
Dinner? Pfft! Who the fuck cared about dinner when all he wanted right then was to feast on her?
The distant tolling of the clock acted like a splash of cold water. They had half an hour to get back to the Great Hall or risk being out of the castle after hours and an automatic detention...with Filch!
Reluctantly, he pulled away. He could feel his heart pounding; his fingers tingling with the need to touch her once again.
Stunned at the intensity of their feelings, they stared at each other mutely.
"Umm, well, that was…" She blushed a deep, ruby red. "I…I… I'll see you later." She turned around and took off as if a herd of wild hippogriffs were chasing after her.
He stared at her quickly retreating figure, gobsmacked! What had just happened? Since when did Hermione elicit those kinds of feelings in him? Shaking his head, his body still throbbing for relief, he resolved to shelf these feelings for the time being and hurried back to the castle behind her.
A/N: - Please read and review! I'd love to know what you think!