They've always asked me how it happened.
They being my various roommates, whether it be Lavender or Parvati from my Hogwarts days, or Jess and Tina at Oxford.
It being Us. Harry and I.
There never seemed a reply that was adequate though. Certainly nothing that satisfied their hunger, even the plain truth.
"It just did."
That was when their eyes would roll, snickers would be exchanged and then the question was asked again, this time with an added and often overemphasized Really.
But that was all to tell. It just did.
There was no big exchange of romantic sweetness, our eyes never met one day from afar and we never felt the urge to draw together and spend a blissful afternoon in each other's arms.
At least not at the beginning.
It began with his nightmares. They weren't the ones where you could just roll back over and go to sleep again. These were the kind that haunted you for weeks; the kind that made your eyes stubbornly stay open at night when you were tired and weary, just so you wouldn't have to meet the nightmares in your slumber again.
He had them nearly every night for almost a year and a half.
For all that time, He'd try to be awake, try to be aware, but you could see that something wasn't right.
We knew what it was, we just didn't know what would fix it.
I came to him the first time soon into sixth year. It was worse than usual that night, and he was just a ball of wracking sobs amidst the covers of his four poster. The boys just looked on with clueless expressions, obviously worn out of ideas.
I did what I could only do; wrapping my arms tight around him and crying with him until he calmed.
Somehow it worked, and he slept peacefully that night. As did I. By his side, in his arms.
I never slept alone in a bed at Hogwarts again, and he never had the nightmares again.
Of course, for most of that time, it was sleeping, and sleeping only. I'm not kidding.
I'm not.
We just... never managed to get ourselves into gear I suppose. Something about that night had changed our friendship, and instead of merely walking side by side, we'd walk hand in hand, and just think nothing of it. Rather than sit on opposite chairs by the fire, we'd sit in one, me curled up on his lap while he played with my hair.
And yet, nothing was going on.
We hadn't kissed, we hadn't groped each other (At least not on purpose, those four posters are only so big, You see), and we hadn't made any undying declaration of love.
But somehow, we just knew.
His company was the calm in the storm, and mine was the essence of normality for him with my endless nags about homework. We kept each other alive for those years.
At least what I thought was alive.
Then his lips touched mine on an autumn day, and alive took on a whole new meaning.
Even with the hammer of fate hanging above our heads; life seemed new, fresh.
Then the darkness ended, and life was good.
Life was him.
And that was it.
*
A/N - Eh, I'm not sure if I like this or not. Just an idea that came to me while I was on the search for smut bunnies. Do review if you wish, and thanks to those who have reviewed the previous parts :)