Chapter Five DISCLAIMER: All characters belong to JK Rowling. Hermione was rushing off to Transfiguration. She was already five minutes late. She rushed up the staircases, but in her hurry forgot the trick step that everyone (except Neville) learned to skip automically. Shit, she thought grumpily. She pulled frantically at her foot but it was no use. Hermione didn't even notice someone had come to help her, and she flinched just a little when a pair of strong arms reached around her waist from behind, and gently lifted her out. She turned her head to see who her rescuer was. Harry? Harry grinned, and Hermione's heart melted. It was lucky he was still holding her up because she didn't think her legs could have done it on their own. "Er... thanks, H-Harry," she stuttered. Harry just continued to smile for a moment, and then kissed her on the forehead. Hermione just shut her eyes, deliriously happy, but then remembered where she was. "Um, Harry I have to go to Transfiguration now. So do you, buck up, we're really late." She pulled away from his arms and started to continue up the stairs, but before she had gone even five steps- "Hermione?" She whipped around to see Harry still standing there, with a sad expression on his face. Was it disappointment? Hurt? "Yes, Harry?" Harry reached her in two bounds, and turned to face her, on the next step down so his face was level with hers. Hermione's eyes shut, and she could feel Harry placing the lightest of kisses on her cheek. Her hearted practically skipped a beat as his kisses travelled to her neck. It was the most incredible sensation, sending crazy messages coursing through her body. She gasped a little. "Harry.." *** Hermione's eyes snapped open and she stared up at the ceiling from the spare bed in Ginny's room. Yikes that was some dream. It had seemed so real. She could almost still feel tingles on her neck. Wait a second... Hermione turned her head to the side, only to see Harry blowing air onto her neck, a mischievous grin on his face. "HARRY!" Harry just grinned, with a hint of a smirk. "Nice dream, Hermione?" Hermione's face turned beet red. "I'm going to get you, Harry Potter!" she exclaimed, and jumped off the bed and pushed him onto it, where she proceeded to pummel him with her fists. "You were smiling like nobody's business, you know," he teased, wrigging, making her shriek and pummel even harder. He stopped wriggling, looked at her and raised one of his eyebrows. "You don't wear an awful lot to bed, either." Too late, Hermione realised she was wearing nothing but a pair of maroon boxers and a singlet top. "Aah!" She flung herself back onto the bed and threw her blue floral blanket back on top of her. "Harry, if you know what's good for you, you'll get out of here this second!" Harry took her advice and walked out, although she could have sworn he had mumbled something like "..rather stay..." Nah, she concluded. Wishful thinking, on my part. *** Harry was just sitting down to breakfast when Hermione came down the stairs, now fully dressed in three-quarter jeans and a T-shirt, and smelling like apples. Must be her shampoo. Her hair was damp and shiny, in messy curls rather than untameable frizz. Man, she looks good. He looked over at Ron, who seemed to be looking at her with something like amazement. Ron likes Hermione? I should ask him later. Hermione walked over to where Harry was sitting at the table and Harry pushed back from it a little, as if to stand up. Hermione interrupted him by talking first. "Harry, I'm sorry I sniped at you before, I'm not exactly a morning person." She sat on his knees and Harry gulped. "That's fine, Hermione. Sorry I woke you up like that." "It's fine." "So we're still friends?" "Of course we are, Harry, you idiot." She hugged him from where she was sitting, which was a little awkward, but Harry didn't mind. He had just got the full whiff of Hermione's hair and deodorant. Apple and vanilla. Right at that moment, Harry wasn't worried about anything at all. He just wrapped his arms around her back and hugged right back. Ron coughed, and Harry snapped out of his little trance, reluctantly letting go of Hermione. A slight blush crept up onto his cheeks, and Hermione's seemed to do the same. She stood up quickly. "So... toast, anyone?" *** A/N: Ooh, some tension. I love tension. Be prepared for a bit more! ~Ange.