Come back
They were all gathered in the burrow for a dinner that Molly had decided to have to bring her family and a few friends together. It was a shame Harry couldn't make it this time, as he was out of London on a mission with the auror corps.
They had been out for four months trying to capture the criminals and not a day went by where everyone was worried, especially Hermione, since they had started working on the capture plan, Harry had not been able to communicate with anyone for all that time.
It was no secret to anyone that Harry and Hermione were in love, but they didn't want to admit it for fear of ruining their friendship. They were still the best of friends ever, though they sometimes slipped their cuddling in public and their friends cheekily joked with them, sometimes making them feel awkward.
This time almost everyone was present at the burrow for dinner, except Hermione, who had been late with her work at the ministry and had informed Molly that she would be a little late. They were chatting and joking in the living room, when there was a burst of apparition and they all turned to find that Harry had returned and was walking towards the burrow.
He looked exhausted, his auror uniform was dirty and torn in several places, his white, long-sleeved shirt was barely visible, since it was stained with dirt, and dried mud, he had some scratches, a sign that he was injured, his eyes they were swollen, they were tired and sleepless, his face was thin, his beard looked unkempt, and his indomitable hair honored his appearance, but in spite of everything, no one paid much attention to how he arrived, but rather to what was most important. He had come back alive.
Seeing the auror, all the Weasleys shouted excitedly and received the green-eyed man in a joint hug.
They had Harry surrounded inside the Weasley circle, between jokes, shouts of emotion and welcoming hugs, who did not hear the other burst of appearance, until the voice of a girl was heard and everyone turned to see.
Hermione had arrived, but she hadn't noticed that Harry had returned.
Ginny had invited Hermione to sleep over with her to keep her a little company, since it was obvious that her friend hadn't been sleeping much since Harry had spent more than a couple of days on the four-month mission without any sign of life.
Hermione barely slept and cried constantly missing Harry.
"Ginny!" Hermione exclaimed entering the house, and when she raised her head to stop listening to the commotion they had, she met Harry's gaze and the bag she was carrying fell with a crash, emptying all its contents on the floor.
Hermione's jaw dropped as she watched Harry's green eyes settle on her, and then her tears slipped down her cheeks at the sight of Harry's return. He was there, he had returned after months without hearing from him, he was finally in front of her.
For a brief moment she thought that this was her imagination, and if she woke up and it turned out to be a dream, she would curse what was in front of her for having played with her feelings and desires.
The green-eyed man felt his heart pumping hard, his feet anchored to the ground, his cold hands asking for contact with the person he had missed the most for months.
The silence settled cutting the air and becoming tense, the expectation of the couple was undeniable.
For Hermione, it was hours that she spent frozen at the entrance of the burrow, looking at Harry, unable to believe that he had returned. Without thinking of staying there another second, she walked quickly towards him, while Harry, knowing what was coming, braced himself for the onslaught that was not long in coming when the brunette threw her arms around him and buried her face in his neck, feeling as if he did the same and at the same time, he surrounded her by the waist tightly.
Harry buried his face in her neck, exhaling her scent, that scent he had missed so much during his four months away. He held her tightly and protectively, and it seemed that neither of them intended to let go .
Harry began to feel Hermione's tears falling on his neck and this led him to raise his head and place soft kisses on her brown hair, while he continued to wrap an arm around her waist and gently hold her head with the other.
Pulling away, Harry could see that the tears he had felt on her neck were still running down Hermione's cheeks and he wiped them away with his fingers.
"Hey," Harry said in a whisper, giving her a lopsided smile.
"Hey," Hermione answered with a smile and through tears of happiness, caressing Harry's cheek with her hand.
The brunette barely answered the greeting and their lips met in an explosive kiss. Hermione wrapped her arms around his neck and then tangled her fingers in Harry's unruly black hair, while he wrapped his arms around her waist, the grip was natural, and after a few seconds they both deepened the kiss without caring about having the whole Weasley family as spectators.
Without knowing how much time passed, because they were immersed in their kiss, in the distance they heard cries of emotion and their friends howling, so they reluctantly had to separate, although they still had radiant smiles on their faces.
As they parted, they brought their foreheads together and both smiled while still hugging each other.
Harry then cupped Hermione's face in his hands and gave her several small kisses on the lips, while in the background the Weasleys continued to cheer for their friends.
"Love you. I missed you so much…" Hermione whispered against Harry's lips.
"I love you too, and I missed you too," Harry answered, placing a couple more kisses now on the brunette's forehead.
"It took a while, huh…" Ron said smiling as he saw his friends blush when they came back to reality.
"It's about time lovebirds!" said George giving Harry a tap on the shoulder and Hermione a mischievous smile.
That night there was nothing and no one that could erase the beaming smiles on Harry and Hermione's faces. They loved each other and that love was for life. They just knew it.