Disclaimer: You know who owns the Harry Potter characters. (And it isn't me.)
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For the next week, Harry and Hermione avoided each other. Harry hated himself for doing it, but he couldn't help it. Hermione was his best friend, what on earth had possessed him to try and kiss her?
Though he avoided her, he didn't stop thinking about her. Day and night, she dominated his thoughts. He was beginning to lose sleep; he knew if this behaviour kept up much longer, his marks would begin to drop.
Harry was in love. He knew it. He was in love with one of his best friends. During Potions one week later after the incident, Harry weighed out his options.
He could tell her, or he could let it slip and spend the rest of the year, and possibly the next several years of his life, trying it ignore it.
Tell her. Definitely. Yet he shuddered at the thought of it.
But there were risks. And chances are, he realized somberly, that she would tell him they were just friends.
Or it could be one the best things that'll ever happen to me.
He sneaked a look at Hermione, who was sitting a few desks away, working with a surly-looking Slytherin girl. Hermione had been looking at him, but just as their eyes connected, she quickly looked away.
Harry waited until class was over to talk to Ron. He pulled him aside as they made their way to Herbology.
"Ron, what would you do if you liked a girl and wanted to tell her, but was pretty sure that she didn't like you that way?" Harry cut to the chase.
Ron's eyebrows raised in surprise. "Who do you like?"
"That's not important. Just tell me, what would you do?"
"Well…" Ron began, obviously thinking hard. "I guess, if I really liked her, I would have to tell her." He shrugged uncertainly. "Is it Cho Chang?" he asked.
Harry made a face. "No," he answered shortly. Cho Chang was Harry's ex-girlfriend. At 18 years old, she was supposed to have already graduated from Hogwarts. However, at the end of her fifth year, her boyfriend was murdered.
Naturally it was a horrible experience for her, but to everyone's surprise, she went off the deep end. Mid-way during September of her sixth year, Professor Dumbledore suggested that she take as much time off as she needed to deal with Cedric Diggory's death.
For the last month of his fifth year and for a large portion of his sixth, Harry dated Cho. Their relationship ended, however, when she said she "didn't like him 'that way' anymore."
"Well, who is it?" Ron asked eagerly.
"I'm not going to tell you."
"If you're not going to tell me, then how do you expect to tell her?" Ron countered.
Good point, Harry thought. "I don't know, I'm going to…look, just forget I mentioned it, all right?"
"All right. If you say so," Ron said. Harry looked at him; Ron was fighting off laughter. "Oh, shut up," Harry muttered, but even so, he couldn't help laugh with him. They'd been best friends for years. Shouldn't he be able to tell him anything?
"It's…" Harry began. Ron looked up. "It's time for Herbology," Harry said, chickening out.
That night, hours after everyone had gone to sleep, Hermione was once again sitting by the fire. This time, Harry wasn't there. He hadn't been sitting in a chair when she came down, as she hoped he would be. No, tonight, she was by herself.
She stared into the fire, not really seeing it. Why did she have to care so much? And why had she fallen for her best friend? Why did it have to be Harry, of all people?
She sighed miserably. The more she avoided thinking about it, the more it haunted her. She was in love with him. She had been for a long time. But it wasn't the same type of love she thought it would've been. It wasn't like the fairytale romances she'd grown up with. Instead of making her happy, it was pulling her down. It was extra weight.
Hermione sat there for a while, until she realized how late it was. Luckily it was Friday night—or rather, Saturday morning—and she didn't have classes. As she headed for her dorm, she noticed Harry standing in the stairwell.
"Harry!" she said, surprised. "What are you doing up?"
"I couldn't sleep," he answered, coming closer to her.
"Neither could I," she said softly. She dared to look into his eyes.
There was something there. Something she had never seen in his eyes. They were still bright and brilliantly green, but there was something else. She looked deeper into them. What was it?
"Harry," she began. It was almost a flashback of last week, but this time, it was real. She knew what was going to happen.
He kissed her. Just like that. The briefest, lightest kiss possible. He stepped back.
"I'm sorry," he mumbled, turning red. "I've wanted to do that for a long time."
Hermione put her hands in his. He looked up curiously at her, but held onto her hands. She moved closer to him and this time, she kissed him.
Their lips met each other's. His lips were soft and warm on hers. It started out slowly and tenderly, but as the time went by, the kiss grew more intense. Passionate.
Harry released her hands so he could pull her closer. Her arms slid up to his shoulders. She held on tightly, scared to let go and find it was just a dream. But as he held onto her just as tightly, she knew it was real.
Finally they drew apart slightly, but didn't let go. She leaned against his forehead. "I've wanted to do that for a long time," she admitted.
He laughed softly. "Then why didn't we do this a long time ago?" he asked.
"I don't know."
"Will it happen again?" he wanted to know.
"It will."
Yay, I finished chapter three! I hope it wasn't too fluffy or too rushed or anything. Ch 4 coming soon!
