Chapter 18

Hermione's body was on, but her mind was off, traveling in far distant places as she sat at the picnic table outside the Burrow. Her cheeks were flushed a sweet shade of pink and her lips full and swollen. There were voices and people conversing all around her, but she didn't hear a word of it. The food on her plate hadn't even been acknowledged and she blankly stared straight ahead remembering the events that had taken place in that god damn forest.

It was like a hunger had erupted in her stomach. She had never felt anything like the fire burning in her as she ferociously pressed her lips to Harrys. She could feel everything. Harry's strong hands firmly gripping her legs, his soft lips as they tangled with her own, the mild taste of mint on his tongue as he lightly caressed her own. She could feel the groans he emitted from deep in his belly and the desire in the way he moved pulling her center as close to his own as he possibly could through the restricting clothes. Hermione had never felt such a passion, such a drive to be close to another human being, sure she had felt aroused with Ron and Viktor before in the past, but this, there was nothing that even compared the euphoric pleasure that had unraveled within her.

Her fingers traced the buttons on his white oxford and she absent mindedly began to undo them one by one almost sending Harry over the edge as he gripped her legs tightly and groaned in approval taking her bottom lip in his own. Common sense was far from both of their minds as lust clouded their usually cautious minds.

Hermione didn't know what caused her to do it, but she had told Harry to kiss her. Sure in some sick way it was incredibly selfish of her knowing how Harry felt about her and knowing that he probably wouldn't say no, but she didn't care. That was what Harry Potter did to her, he made her inhibitions and doubts go straight out the window and she didn't know if that was good or bad, but at the moment she truly didn't care. All she knew was that the thought of him leaving scared the living daylights out of her and had created a desperate desire in her to do anything to get him to stay. And as much as she liked to live in her denial the truth had come out between the two of them. A little more clearly and direct from Harry's part with a confession of "loving" her, but even Hermione couldn't deny that there was something between the two of them.

Harry's lips began to trail down her chin onto her neck and chest as she arched her back into his touch grasping his hair roughly causing a growl to emit in his throat. She whimpered as his hands continued to roam down her stomach through the thin white fabric she was wearing. "Oh my god…" she managed out, "Harry… don't stop…"

Harry pulled back momentarily and locked eyes with her and their jaded eyes locked on each other as he held her close. Hermione could see clear as day the burning in his eyes and she had a strong feeling that it was reflected in her own as they held each other's gaze.

"Hermione..." Harry choked out hoarsely, "if I don't stop now… then I don't know what will happen… and as much… as much as I want this, it can't happen like this… not here."

Hermione placed her forehead against his own emitting a sigh and threading her shaking fingers behind his neck. "I know…"

Harry gently pushed her back she awkwardly climbed off his lap and backed up towards a nearby tree trunk. She pressed her back to it ignoring the scratching of the bark against her bare shoulders. Her senses were so heightened she didn't notice and she ran a hand through her tousled hair her chest rising and falling quickly as she calmed herself.

Harry ran a hand through his own hair which was sticking up at all sorts of angles and the two attempted to catch their ragged breathing together.

"W…we… need to get back," Harry grumbled looking up at the setting sun, "people are going to get suspicious."

Hermione nodded her eyes and thoughts far away as she tried to still her shaking hands.

So here she sat, having popped up in the Weasley's bathroom alone and flustered after the incident in the forest. This time it hadn't been Harry who initiated the act… it had been her, and she didn't know what to make of it. She felt some sort of pull towards Harry, and it wasn't just attraction, it was something much deeper. She was aware of it having felt something similar for Ron when she first started to fall for him, but with Harry it was different. She was intrigued by this boy that she had known for nearly half her lifetime and she couldn't piece him together like she used to and suddenly she felt like she didn't know Harry Potter at all, but possessed a desperate longing discover his innermost workings.

Harry had popped up as well in Teddy's room pretending to be putting the baby to sleep. He had excused himself from the dinner table after avoiding Hermione and stood in the bathroom his hands bracing his body against the sink as he took in his own reflection. He had straightened his shirt and hair to the best of his ability, benefitting from the fact that it was already unruly at times. Nobody had seemed to question his less than brief departure with Hermione earlier, but he avoided Dromeda as much as possible. He could feel her eyes on him the moment he had stepped back in to the party, and they had shifted over the pair curiously throughout dinner.

He removed his glasses and splashed cool water on his face biting his lip in frustration.

A knock on the door startled him, "Just a minute."

The persistent knocking continued and Harry responded with an edge, "I said one minute."

"C'mon mate!" A muffled voice of Ron muttered, "we need you! Mum wants to cut the cake."

"Be right out," Harry attempted to sound as chipper as possible.

"You okay?" Another muffled voice called through the door and Harry was startled to hear Hermione.

"Uh… yeah," Harry called back understanding that Ron was indeed standing right next to her. "Just feeling a little uneasy…"

There was a silent murmuring and Harry strained to hear Hermione mutter something to Ron and he heard footsteps retreat. Letting out a nervous breath her was even more startled when the door swung open and the blonde haired beauty entered the cramped bathroom and locked the door behind her.

"Hermione!" Harry whispered sharply, "What are you doing?"

"I told Ron to stall the cake and that I would try to calm you down."

Harry watched her through terrified eyes. "Hermione, I…"

"I know…" Hermione swallowed deeply clutching her stomach, "I… but…"

"But what?" Harry pleaded desperately, "Hermione I need to stop this… this isn't who we are. Ron is my best friend and your boyfriend. Not only that, b…but…"

"It's confusing you." Hermione mumbled rather calmly.

"Yah," Harry admitted in defeat, "I don't know how to feel."

"You can't help what you feel…" Hermione mumbled despondently. She paused for a moment and stared at her feet biting her lip, "Harry… you're not the only one who is confused."

Harry heart pounded heavily in his chest as he listened tentatively to her words. "What do you mean?"

"I mean… I'm confused," she threw her hands up in the air unable to describe it in any other way. "I wish I had a better explanation for you, but I don't."

"Confused about… me?" Harry said trying to suppress the hopeful edge that hung in his tone.

"Yes," She whispered as if the whole world was listening. "Harry, come to Australia with me…"

"Hermione I already told you…"

"Harry, come to Australia with me tonight."

"Tonight!" Harry yelled and Hermione clamped a hand over his mouth to quiet his rambunctious response. "Hermione we can't leave tonight!"

"Why not?" Hermione muttered angrily, "Harry everything I have done has been so calculated and thought out and I need to see what this is… what this could be… and if I think about it too long I won't do it. I need to act on my feelings, and right now my feelings are telling me to go find my parents and for some reason I want you to come with me."

"See what, what could be?" Harry asked in pure confusion disregarding the last half of her statement.

"See what we could be," Hermione whispered self-consciously.

"We… us?" the word rolled off Harry's tongue with an ease and although he hid his quiet smile Hermione didn't miss the light that sparked behind his eyes. It was everything he had ever wanted to hear and never thought he would. "But, Ron…"

"Let me worry about that." Hermione shuddered at the mention of Ron.

Harry began to protest, but stopped for a moment. Here was this amazing girl standing in front of him, asking him to go to Australia with her to see what they could be, and he was about to say no… because of his best friend. Harry completely understood what Hermione was saying over thinking things, having been guilty of it many times himself. Always thinking about everybody else and what would make them happy. It was his biggest gift and his biggest curse. Ever since the war had ended he had put everybody before himself trying to gratify all, but something that Hermione had said to him earlier stuck with him. She had asked him what he wanted… and the truth was… Harry wanted to go with Hermione… Harry wanted to see what they could be… so he did something in the spirit of his father. He swallowed back all the doubts and nerves, pushed away the image of his red haired companion, and his kind hearted ex-girlfriend and responded simply with an uneasy stare, "Okay."