A/n: Hey guys! I know I haven't posted in a while...very sorry about that, many apologies. This has nothing to do with my other fic 'Coming Together'. I'm sorry I haven't posted any chapters on that lately, I have writers block on it. But, I will try. Right now I'm in the process of writing a story I'm actually very proud of so far. It's a Post-Hogwarts Harry/Hermione, I think I'm gonna call it Here With Me. I have chapter one done, and it's in the process of being edited by my Beta...hopefully I can have that up sometime this weekend, because I have chapter two done also, which needs to be sent in for beta-ing. This is just a little Valentines day fluff that I wrote when I got home from school, I was wearing pink and I had flowers and candy, so I was very much in the mood. Hope ya'll like it!
The sun wasn't shining down upon Hogwarts castle, the birds weren't singing, and rain was falling heavily down onto the grounds, giving the day a gloomy essence. But inside the great stone walls, it was an entirely different story. Girls were walking around with silly smiles plastered upon their faces, and high-pitched giggles echoed through the halls as they walked in packs to their classes. While the boys, on the other hand, trailed behind with nervous looks on their faces and apprehensiveness hidden behind their eyes. But, one girl wasn't walking through the halls to dinner with ten friends surrounding her, giggling about some boy. No, she had far too much work to be swooning over some silly school-girl crush. Hermione Granger sat in the school library, tapping her foot against the leg of the desk, as she turned the page of a large, dusty, leather-bound book. She ran her hand down the page, sighed, and flipped to another page. Her eyes ached from staring at the tiny words for over an hour, trying unsuccessfully to make her advanced Defense Against the Dark Arts essay another two inches longer. No one knew why she did it...her essays were always over done, she always had a foot or two more what the teachers asked for.
Opening one of the doors to the library, a skinny boy with jet-black hair and bright green eyes, peeked in. Harry Potter smiled wryly to himself, he figured his best friend would be there. Where else would she be? If she wasn't at dinner she was either at the library or in the kitchens try to convince house elves that they needed a salary, or a pension. But he always checked the library first. Sneaking in quietly, as not to disturb Madame Pince, he glided toward Hermione and stood behind her, looking down at the book she was reading.
"What do you want, Harry?" Hermione said, seeming to sense him but not look up.
"Happy Valentines day to you too." He replied sardonically. This seemed to arouse a response from her, as she sighed.
"Valentines day is just a ploy that all the card, sweet, and stuffed animal companies cooked up to make money." Hermione said, now looking up at him. Harry sat down in the chair across from her.
"What would Lockhart say?" he asked, a playful grin spreading across his face. Hermione rolled her eyes.
"Belt it, Harry," looking back down at the decaying book in front of her. "What'd you want?" Harry shuffled his feet slightly, hearing the irritation in his best friend's voice.
"Aren't you coming to dinner?" he asked. "You've taken to hiding behind books instead of eating, the past few days."
"I eat..." she paused, trailing off. "I just go down to the kitchens late. Besides, I don't feel like being around all those giggly girls and boy goggling over them." Harry sighed.
"Oh c'mon Hermione, it's Valentines day...that's not what it's all about. It can be anything you want it to be." he could see Hermione's brown eyes staring up at him, even though her head was bent downward. "Maybe you need to giggle once in a while." He watched as her head turned up looking at him with an eyebrow raised, inviting him to continue. "It's not healthy to act so serious when you're only sixteen--" at this point Hermione 'hmmphed'. "What I mean is maybe you need to have some fun. Come on, you're getting out of here." she started to protest, but Harry grabbed her wrist and pulled her out of the library, as Hermione stared longingly back at her essay lying on the desk.
"Where are we going?" she asked, as he tugged at her arm, pulling her along.
"Finally," an aggravated voice said down the corridor. Ron's fiery red hair was now visible around the side of a suit of armor, where he'd been leaning against the stone wall. "I've been waiting an eternity. We've got to get going before it gets way to late." Harry was now reaching into his school bag for his father's invisibility cloak.
"Where," Hermione repeated. "Are we going?"
"Hogsmeade." Harry replied cheerfully. Hermione looked horrified.
"But-but, we're not allowed to go." she griped. "We don't have permission from a teacher."
"Oh, Hermione, stop worrying. You're going to get gray hairs." Ron said, grinning. Both boys pulled Hermione along to the stone witch, that lead to Hogsmeade.
An hour later they were walking the busy streets of Hogsmeade under the invisibility cloak, in order to avoid questions from the villagers. When it looked as though no one was looking, they got out from under the cloak and entered the Three Brooksticks. Ron had ordered three butterbeers, receiving a knowing smile from Madame Rosmerta, he prayed she wouldn't rat them out. When he returned to the table, Hermione was laughing along with Harry, seeming to have lost most of her grievances about coming.
"See, Hermione? No one cares that we're here." Harry said.
"Yeah...I guess." she hesitantly agreed. Harry flashed her his million dollar smile that made her heart want to melt. Wait, Hermione thought. Melt? That's not good... Shaking off her thoughts she turned her attention back to the boy sitting in front of her. Harry checked his watch.
"Well," he began. "I need to go do something. Meet you guys in front of Honeydukes in a half hour." Hermione and Ron nodded and Harry left, flattening his bangs against his forehead as he waked out the door.
"I wonder what Harry's doing." Hermione said, looking thoughtful.
"Dunno." Ron said quickly, looking around as if he'd rather change the subject.
"What?"
"Nothing."
"You know something, about what Harry's doing." she said suspiciously. "Now tell me." she finished fixing him with a penetrating stare.
"I don't know what you're talking about." he objected.
"Fine, be that way," Hermione said, put out. "Let's go to the bookstore. I need to pick up something."
"Great, this will be loads of fun." Ron muttered sarcastically.
Hermione tapped her foot impatiently, outside Honeydukes waiting for Harry. "Where is he?"
"He'll be here soon enough." Ron replied.
"It's past nine. We need to get back to school." Almost on cue, Harry appeared around the corner, smiling at them.
"Hey, ready to go?" he inquired.
"Very. Let's go." Hermione said edgily.
When they arrived back in the common room everyone had already cleared out and gone to bed, Harry looked at Ron nervously, and Ron looked as if he wanted to burst out laughing. Hermione ignored them.
"I'll be right back." she said, trotting up to her room, to put her book away. Ron grinned at Harry and walked up to the boys dormitory. "Ron go to bed?" Hermione asked descending the girls staircase, minutes later looking tired.
"Uh, yeah." he replied lamely. Hermione's eyes raked the room for a moment and landed on the desk where she usually did her homework when she wasn't in the library. Looking curiously at it Hermione walked over and sat down at the chair in front of it. Smiling, Hermione picked up a single, perfect red rose. She looked up at Harry.
"It doesn't say who it's from...it just says 'To: Hermione'." her smile widened. "Maybe I have a secret admirer."
"Yeah..." berating himself mentally. Harry turned around, his back facing her. "Hermione can I tell you something?"
"Harry you know you can tell me anything." she said yawning.
"Well I...I," he paused staring out the window. "I gave you the rose....I just well, I forgot to put my name on it, being the daft git I am." Hermione was silent, so Harry continued. "It's just well...I like you Hermione. I mean...more than a friend." still there was silence. "Are you going to say anything?" Harry turned around and saw Hermione. Her arms crossed on the desk, head down, sleeping. Harry sighed and walked over to her. "You know you really irritate me sometimes." he said, a smile tugging at his lips. Harry leaned down and kissed her gently on the cheek.
"Happy Valentines day, Hermione."