I close my eyes
And dream of you
A dreamers love of night.
The image of you
Dancing in my mind
Within my very core.
I'm spinning around
In a world of you
Don't wake me up
If this dream won't come true.
---
Harry, Hermione, and Ron sat in the back seat of a Ministry car that had been given to them. They were all traveling to the Burrow that way, now that the Ministry had finally accepted the truth about Voldemort. They were happy to offer all their services now to help the capture of the dark lord. The trip would take a few hours that way, but it was the best way that all of them could travel. Harry didn't really mind the trip either way. He was getting away from the Dursley's, and that's all that mattered.
Harry stared at out the window, watching the cars travel in and out of impossibly small spaces, even though he never felt any change within the car itself. He was curious to know how it all work, how they managed to get the car in the spaces that they went. Harry smiled at the irony of the situation. He had fought Voldemort almost every year ever since he entered Hogwarts, yet he was still amazed when he saw some of the simple things that were a part of every day wizards lives. He wondered if there would ever be a day when he wouldn't be surprised with something new that he saw in the magical world, but he somehow doubted that he would.
Harry turned and saw Hermione watching him carefully with concerned eyes. She blushed when their eyes caught each other and she turned away. Harry reached out to grab her hand before he had time to think about it. Hermione's head shot around to look at him, clearly surprised over his sudden action. It was Harry's turn to blush now, but as he went to pull his hand away, Hermione tightened her grip on it, not letting him go. Their eyes caught for a moment, and for that moment, Harry felt as if nothing he went though mattered as long as Hermione was with him.
"So Harry, how were the Dursley's?" Ron asked, clearly unaware that he had interrupted a moment between both Harry and Hermione. They both jerked apart, as if they had been caught doing something more than simply holding hands.
"Er.they were the same as normal. They pretty much just ignored me unless it was to make sure I was writing to Mad-Eye and to remind me that they were treating me kindly," Harry said, with an eye roll. He was trying desperately to sound normal, but the feeling Hermione had suddenly evoked in him had put him into a spin and he had developed a sudden and utter state of confusion.
"I'm so sorry mate. I wish you could come and stay with us, but Dumbledore says you can't every time we ask. Don't think that we don't want you!" Ron said, looking over at Harry.
Harry gave a small smile, but didn't say anything. Hermione and Ron didn't know why he had to go to the Dursley's, and he didn't know when he was ever going to tell them. The Prophecy, all that he now knew, it was all beginning to overwhelm him all again and he felt his chest tightening.
As if sensing that Harry was about to have a breakdown, Hermione reached over and grabbed his hand tightly again. She looked him in the eyes, comforting him without saying a word.
"It's alright Harry. You're not alone anymore. You have us. Whenever you want to talk to us, if you do, we're here," Hermione said, her voice soft and reassuring. It was a tone that she had used with him often, especially in the last year when he was angry and upset. Yet now, the tone seemed to feel a lot different, creating feelings that he never noticed were there before. What was wrong with him?
Harry shook his head, trying to banish the thoughts of Hermione as more than a friend. He gave her a weak smile and continued sitting quietly, though not letting go of his hand. The conversation stopped after that, Ron noticing that he had said something that upset Harry and didn't want to cause him anymore problems. Eventually, Ron drifted off into a heavy sleep. Harry and Hermione were left awake, hearing only a soft snore coming from Ron's direction.
"How are you, Harry?" Hermione asked, her voice soft so she wouldn't wake up Ron. "You've been distant from us the entire summer, and I feel as if I've missed out on so much of your life," Hermione added, squeezing his hand.
Harry looked at her briefly before starting out the window. "I.I was in a bad place. I don't even know if I'm out of that place yet," Harry said with bitterness in his voice. "Why me, Hermione? Why in the world did I have to be the one that Voldemort went after? My whole life has been ruined by him, and he seems to be working harder and harder by the day to make it worse.
"On top of that, I'm worried about the people that have become close to me. My friends.you. He knows that I care about you. That I would do anything for you.any of you, and he can take that to his advantage. He's taken Sirius away from me. Every day I'm petrified that I'm going to get an owl saying that you're dead.or Ron. I can't handle it. The though terrifies me and I don't know what to do! I can't imagine my life without you two in it, but I can't imagine forcing you to go through all that, simply because you made the mistake of becoming friends with me," Harry said, letting it all out suddenly in one breath. He sat back in shock. He hadn't expected all that to come out, and now he felt guilty. "I'm sorry. I didn't mea-"
"Shhhhh," Hermione said, placing a finger over his lips. "First of all, we didn't make a mistake of being friends with you. We [i]want[/i] to be friends with you. Don't you think that we would have done something about it long ago if we had a problem? Being friends with you isn't always easy Harry, I'll admit that. But we both love you, and we care for you. We want to help you every step of the way because you are a great friend. We have fun together, we've spent the last five years together. Do you really think that we're going to stop being your friend just because you've gotten us into a little bit of trouble?" Hermione said, smiling.
"It's been more than a 'bit of trouble,' Hermione. You two have both been hurt going off into fights with me. What if you two.what if you two get killed one day because of me?" Harry said, the last part coming out fast, as if he didn't even want to think about it, and he really didn't.
"It's a chance that we're both willing to take, Harry. We know the consequences, and we'll live with them. That's not a problem to us."
"But it is to me!" he replied, his voice slightly louder. "I don't even want to think about you two being killed because you were friends with me! It's not fair! I could never live with myself if that happened!"
The thought was overwhelming, and Harry's eyes began to water. He turned quickly, not wanting her to see him like this. Hermione, however, didn't seem to care. She pulled his head toward her and looked him straight in the eyes, her own eyes tearing up.
"Harry Potter, you listen to me and you listen close. Ron and I aren't going anywhere. After all, you're always around to protect us. Shush!" she said when he saw that he was about to protest. "I said listen. We're not worried about ourselves. We're more worried about losing [i]you.[/i] Where would [i]we[/i] be without you Harry? Where would I be?" she asked, the last part added in a whisper.
"You'd make it. You and Ron are strong. If I was ever.killed," he choked out, "you two would be able to go on. You don't need me."
"I need you Harry. I need you there for me. If you died.a large part of [i]me[/i] would die too," Hermione said, looking down at the end. She had just let out her heart. Over the past few weeks she had realized that her feelings for Harry weren't simply friendship feelings. She hadn't wanted to admit it before, but she knew that it was true. There was just something about him that made her want to protect him from the world, and kiss him senseless at the same time. She had begun to realize it when he said he had kissed Cho and she had to fight down strong feelings of jealously. Now, when he had distanced himself from them all, she realized it wasn't simply concern for a friend that had made her that worried and scared, but concerned for the one that she loved.
Harry's head shot up with those words, and he stared into her eyes, trying to see something there, though Hermione didn't know what. She looked back at him, meeting him eye to eye. "What are you saying?" he asked, his voice hoarse and trembling.
"I'm saying that I need you Harry. I'm saying that I don't want to be just your friend. I'm saying.I'm saying that I want to be more than your friend."
There. She had let it all out. Now it was all simply up to him, and Hermione didn't have a clue how he was going to react.
Harry say back in his seat, closing his eyes and not looking at Hermione for a moment. "What about Ron?"
"What about Ron?" she asked, puzzled about what their other friend had to do with the situation. "He's still our friend."
"Hermione, he likes you," Harry said, looking over at the sleeping figure next to Hermione. "He hasn't come out and said it yet, but I know that it's true. It's just something that I can tell. Don't tell me you haven't noticed it. That kiss you gave him before that match last year sent him off in dreamland for a week," Harry said, jealously creeping into his voice at the thought of the kiss.
"Ron?" Hermione said, disbelief in her voice. She looked over at his sleeping form, shaking her head. "I really didn't know that. I had no idea! That kiss was just an encouragement for the game. I mean, I knew that he was nervous. I didn't know that he would take it as something more," she said, looking over at Ron again. "But Harry, that doesn't change anything, you know that, right?"
"Hermione.can we do this? I mean.is it possible for you and I to have a relationship?" Harry asked, his voice soft and scared.
"Do you like me Harry?"
"What? Of course I like you Hermione. What kind of question is that?"
"Harry, you know that I mean. Do you like me?"
Harry stared at her, feeling a rush of new emotions pouring over him when he looked into her eyes. It was eerie, and undeniable. There was something there. Had it always been there? Had it simply been waiting for it's time to arise? It was so strange, and so strong. Something that hadn't been there with Cho. Cho had been lust. A simple crush. With Hermione, it was something stronger, something more plausible. And he nodded. Slowly at first, unsure, but it grew strong with time.
"Yes. I do."
And dream of you
A dreamers love of night.
The image of you
Dancing in my mind
Within my very core.
I'm spinning around
In a world of you
Don't wake me up
If this dream won't come true.
---
Harry, Hermione, and Ron sat in the back seat of a Ministry car that had been given to them. They were all traveling to the Burrow that way, now that the Ministry had finally accepted the truth about Voldemort. They were happy to offer all their services now to help the capture of the dark lord. The trip would take a few hours that way, but it was the best way that all of them could travel. Harry didn't really mind the trip either way. He was getting away from the Dursley's, and that's all that mattered.
Harry stared at out the window, watching the cars travel in and out of impossibly small spaces, even though he never felt any change within the car itself. He was curious to know how it all work, how they managed to get the car in the spaces that they went. Harry smiled at the irony of the situation. He had fought Voldemort almost every year ever since he entered Hogwarts, yet he was still amazed when he saw some of the simple things that were a part of every day wizards lives. He wondered if there would ever be a day when he wouldn't be surprised with something new that he saw in the magical world, but he somehow doubted that he would.
Harry turned and saw Hermione watching him carefully with concerned eyes. She blushed when their eyes caught each other and she turned away. Harry reached out to grab her hand before he had time to think about it. Hermione's head shot around to look at him, clearly surprised over his sudden action. It was Harry's turn to blush now, but as he went to pull his hand away, Hermione tightened her grip on it, not letting him go. Their eyes caught for a moment, and for that moment, Harry felt as if nothing he went though mattered as long as Hermione was with him.
"So Harry, how were the Dursley's?" Ron asked, clearly unaware that he had interrupted a moment between both Harry and Hermione. They both jerked apart, as if they had been caught doing something more than simply holding hands.
"Er.they were the same as normal. They pretty much just ignored me unless it was to make sure I was writing to Mad-Eye and to remind me that they were treating me kindly," Harry said, with an eye roll. He was trying desperately to sound normal, but the feeling Hermione had suddenly evoked in him had put him into a spin and he had developed a sudden and utter state of confusion.
"I'm so sorry mate. I wish you could come and stay with us, but Dumbledore says you can't every time we ask. Don't think that we don't want you!" Ron said, looking over at Harry.
Harry gave a small smile, but didn't say anything. Hermione and Ron didn't know why he had to go to the Dursley's, and he didn't know when he was ever going to tell them. The Prophecy, all that he now knew, it was all beginning to overwhelm him all again and he felt his chest tightening.
As if sensing that Harry was about to have a breakdown, Hermione reached over and grabbed his hand tightly again. She looked him in the eyes, comforting him without saying a word.
"It's alright Harry. You're not alone anymore. You have us. Whenever you want to talk to us, if you do, we're here," Hermione said, her voice soft and reassuring. It was a tone that she had used with him often, especially in the last year when he was angry and upset. Yet now, the tone seemed to feel a lot different, creating feelings that he never noticed were there before. What was wrong with him?
Harry shook his head, trying to banish the thoughts of Hermione as more than a friend. He gave her a weak smile and continued sitting quietly, though not letting go of his hand. The conversation stopped after that, Ron noticing that he had said something that upset Harry and didn't want to cause him anymore problems. Eventually, Ron drifted off into a heavy sleep. Harry and Hermione were left awake, hearing only a soft snore coming from Ron's direction.
"How are you, Harry?" Hermione asked, her voice soft so she wouldn't wake up Ron. "You've been distant from us the entire summer, and I feel as if I've missed out on so much of your life," Hermione added, squeezing his hand.
Harry looked at her briefly before starting out the window. "I.I was in a bad place. I don't even know if I'm out of that place yet," Harry said with bitterness in his voice. "Why me, Hermione? Why in the world did I have to be the one that Voldemort went after? My whole life has been ruined by him, and he seems to be working harder and harder by the day to make it worse.
"On top of that, I'm worried about the people that have become close to me. My friends.you. He knows that I care about you. That I would do anything for you.any of you, and he can take that to his advantage. He's taken Sirius away from me. Every day I'm petrified that I'm going to get an owl saying that you're dead.or Ron. I can't handle it. The though terrifies me and I don't know what to do! I can't imagine my life without you two in it, but I can't imagine forcing you to go through all that, simply because you made the mistake of becoming friends with me," Harry said, letting it all out suddenly in one breath. He sat back in shock. He hadn't expected all that to come out, and now he felt guilty. "I'm sorry. I didn't mea-"
"Shhhhh," Hermione said, placing a finger over his lips. "First of all, we didn't make a mistake of being friends with you. We [i]want[/i] to be friends with you. Don't you think that we would have done something about it long ago if we had a problem? Being friends with you isn't always easy Harry, I'll admit that. But we both love you, and we care for you. We want to help you every step of the way because you are a great friend. We have fun together, we've spent the last five years together. Do you really think that we're going to stop being your friend just because you've gotten us into a little bit of trouble?" Hermione said, smiling.
"It's been more than a 'bit of trouble,' Hermione. You two have both been hurt going off into fights with me. What if you two.what if you two get killed one day because of me?" Harry said, the last part coming out fast, as if he didn't even want to think about it, and he really didn't.
"It's a chance that we're both willing to take, Harry. We know the consequences, and we'll live with them. That's not a problem to us."
"But it is to me!" he replied, his voice slightly louder. "I don't even want to think about you two being killed because you were friends with me! It's not fair! I could never live with myself if that happened!"
The thought was overwhelming, and Harry's eyes began to water. He turned quickly, not wanting her to see him like this. Hermione, however, didn't seem to care. She pulled his head toward her and looked him straight in the eyes, her own eyes tearing up.
"Harry Potter, you listen to me and you listen close. Ron and I aren't going anywhere. After all, you're always around to protect us. Shush!" she said when he saw that he was about to protest. "I said listen. We're not worried about ourselves. We're more worried about losing [i]you.[/i] Where would [i]we[/i] be without you Harry? Where would I be?" she asked, the last part added in a whisper.
"You'd make it. You and Ron are strong. If I was ever.killed," he choked out, "you two would be able to go on. You don't need me."
"I need you Harry. I need you there for me. If you died.a large part of [i]me[/i] would die too," Hermione said, looking down at the end. She had just let out her heart. Over the past few weeks she had realized that her feelings for Harry weren't simply friendship feelings. She hadn't wanted to admit it before, but she knew that it was true. There was just something about him that made her want to protect him from the world, and kiss him senseless at the same time. She had begun to realize it when he said he had kissed Cho and she had to fight down strong feelings of jealously. Now, when he had distanced himself from them all, she realized it wasn't simply concern for a friend that had made her that worried and scared, but concerned for the one that she loved.
Harry's head shot up with those words, and he stared into her eyes, trying to see something there, though Hermione didn't know what. She looked back at him, meeting him eye to eye. "What are you saying?" he asked, his voice hoarse and trembling.
"I'm saying that I need you Harry. I'm saying that I don't want to be just your friend. I'm saying.I'm saying that I want to be more than your friend."
There. She had let it all out. Now it was all simply up to him, and Hermione didn't have a clue how he was going to react.
Harry say back in his seat, closing his eyes and not looking at Hermione for a moment. "What about Ron?"
"What about Ron?" she asked, puzzled about what their other friend had to do with the situation. "He's still our friend."
"Hermione, he likes you," Harry said, looking over at the sleeping figure next to Hermione. "He hasn't come out and said it yet, but I know that it's true. It's just something that I can tell. Don't tell me you haven't noticed it. That kiss you gave him before that match last year sent him off in dreamland for a week," Harry said, jealously creeping into his voice at the thought of the kiss.
"Ron?" Hermione said, disbelief in her voice. She looked over at his sleeping form, shaking her head. "I really didn't know that. I had no idea! That kiss was just an encouragement for the game. I mean, I knew that he was nervous. I didn't know that he would take it as something more," she said, looking over at Ron again. "But Harry, that doesn't change anything, you know that, right?"
"Hermione.can we do this? I mean.is it possible for you and I to have a relationship?" Harry asked, his voice soft and scared.
"Do you like me Harry?"
"What? Of course I like you Hermione. What kind of question is that?"
"Harry, you know that I mean. Do you like me?"
Harry stared at her, feeling a rush of new emotions pouring over him when he looked into her eyes. It was eerie, and undeniable. There was something there. Had it always been there? Had it simply been waiting for it's time to arise? It was so strange, and so strong. Something that hadn't been there with Cho. Cho had been lust. A simple crush. With Hermione, it was something stronger, something more plausible. And he nodded. Slowly at first, unsure, but it grew strong with time.
"Yes. I do."
