Chapter 15: How much I care?
"Will you slow down?!"
"Huh? Ahh it's my stalker!"
"Wait don't run!"
"Ahhh!"
"Harry you jerk! Slow down, your legs are longer then mine!"
"That's the point!" Harry turned his head and yelled over his shoulder, he was getting closer to being safe inside the castle.
Hermione was starting to pant behind him, 'this is ridiculous!' she thought, then raised her wand and yelled, "Petrificus Totalus!"
Harry caught himself before he could fall forward in the full body bind, but then with a war cry, Hermione body checked into him.
"Ohumph," Harry wheezed.
Hermione was laughing and asked, "What kind of word is that?"
Harry raised his head from the ground as much as he could, "when you get off me, release me, you'll be so sorry, oh and do you mind me asking, what the hell's gotten into you?"
Hermione got up off his back, and turned him over, but she didn't release him yet, "You say my female poweress is a bad thing?"
"It is when it's violent towards me!"
"You brought it on yourself, you interrupted my studying," she raised her wand and released him.
Harry still lay in the ground, but propped himself up with his elbows, "Studying? Studying books, or Malfoy?"
"Oh Harry don't give me that, you know I was studying books, besides you accused Draco of the same thing before and it was dumb then like it is now," Hermione said as she offered him a hand to get up.
"Whatever you say," Harry grabbed her hand, started to raise himself up, when he jerked his arm and she toppled forward on top of him, "hah gotcha!"
Hermione tensed up, she was staring into eyes that had so many different depths of green, like the leaves on a tree. Dark green merging with light, it was entrancing.
"I'm not going to tickle you, relax," Harry misread her reaction for why she'd gone tense.
Hermione smiled, kissed his cheek and got up laughing, "Good game, let's end it before you get hurt."
Harry nodded and got up, he'd been kissed by Hermione before on the cheek, and he didn't understand why the feeling of her soft lips against his skin was making him feel out of breath. But it wasn't like the times before, this time it was the feeling of her body pressed against his, then seeing her brown eyes closer, and then feel the warmth of her breath on his cheek, the scent of her shampoo surrounding him.
"Harry are you alright?" Hermione looked at him puzzled.
"Huh? Oh yes I'm fine," Harry smiled at her, and offered an arm as they walked together back into the castle.
As they were walking through the corridors, Hermione debated about telling him about Draco wanting to see her later that night.
"Hermione can you please tell me?" Harry looked over at her.
"Tell you what Harry?" Hermione said, attempting to play the innocent.
Harry stopped and turned to her, "I know you're keeping something from me, can't you tell me what it is?"
Hermione was a little upset with his wording, "I'm keeping something from you? Since when do I have to tell you everything that I do or don't do?"
Harry realized she had a point, he wanted to argue back, but then she'd never tell him. What if it was about her wellbeing? He couldn't risk cutting himself off from her, if she wasn't going to be alright.
But he couldn't help himself, "Hermione I could argue back with you, but I wont, so I'm sorry for being concerned about you, I'm an idiot for caring," and with that said he started to walk away from her.
"Draco asked me to meet him tonight!"
Harry stopped but didn't turn around.
"Are you going?"
Hermione looked at her feet, "I don't know."
Harry sucked in a deep breath of air then let it out slowly.
He turned and faced her, walking slowly with each beat in his sentences, "you do know if what you're going to do, but did you think about why he wants you to meet him? Did you think that he might like you? Do you know what you do to a guy when you act like you don't know how he cares?
Hermione just stared at him speechless. She hadn't thought about the fact that Draco Malfoy might like her. Then she remembered what Harry had said last, 'Do you know what you do to a guy when you act like you don't know how he cares?' she looked up and into his eyes.
His eyes were full of caring, but they looked hurt and yearning for something that he hadn't known in a long time. She remembered the saying that 'the eyes a windows into one's soul' well right now she was looking right into Harry's soul. She saw the pain of being rejected by a person, who was the only one that it mattered if they loved him or not.
"Oh Harry...." She tried to find the right words, and then she reached up to him wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him close, and whispered in his ear , "Of course I know how you care for me, I hope you know how much I care about you too."
Harry just clung on to Hermione, closing his eyes resting his cheek against her soft hair; he slowly ran his fingers through it.
Hermione rested her hair against his shoulder, and barely swayed back and forth, breathing deeply in the fresh comforting smell that was Harry.
'I wish I could stay like this forever,'
"Will you slow down?!"
"Huh? Ahh it's my stalker!"
"Wait don't run!"
"Ahhh!"
"Harry you jerk! Slow down, your legs are longer then mine!"
"That's the point!" Harry turned his head and yelled over his shoulder, he was getting closer to being safe inside the castle.
Hermione was starting to pant behind him, 'this is ridiculous!' she thought, then raised her wand and yelled, "Petrificus Totalus!"
Harry caught himself before he could fall forward in the full body bind, but then with a war cry, Hermione body checked into him.
"Ohumph," Harry wheezed.
Hermione was laughing and asked, "What kind of word is that?"
Harry raised his head from the ground as much as he could, "when you get off me, release me, you'll be so sorry, oh and do you mind me asking, what the hell's gotten into you?"
Hermione got up off his back, and turned him over, but she didn't release him yet, "You say my female poweress is a bad thing?"
"It is when it's violent towards me!"
"You brought it on yourself, you interrupted my studying," she raised her wand and released him.
Harry still lay in the ground, but propped himself up with his elbows, "Studying? Studying books, or Malfoy?"
"Oh Harry don't give me that, you know I was studying books, besides you accused Draco of the same thing before and it was dumb then like it is now," Hermione said as she offered him a hand to get up.
"Whatever you say," Harry grabbed her hand, started to raise himself up, when he jerked his arm and she toppled forward on top of him, "hah gotcha!"
Hermione tensed up, she was staring into eyes that had so many different depths of green, like the leaves on a tree. Dark green merging with light, it was entrancing.
"I'm not going to tickle you, relax," Harry misread her reaction for why she'd gone tense.
Hermione smiled, kissed his cheek and got up laughing, "Good game, let's end it before you get hurt."
Harry nodded and got up, he'd been kissed by Hermione before on the cheek, and he didn't understand why the feeling of her soft lips against his skin was making him feel out of breath. But it wasn't like the times before, this time it was the feeling of her body pressed against his, then seeing her brown eyes closer, and then feel the warmth of her breath on his cheek, the scent of her shampoo surrounding him.
"Harry are you alright?" Hermione looked at him puzzled.
"Huh? Oh yes I'm fine," Harry smiled at her, and offered an arm as they walked together back into the castle.
As they were walking through the corridors, Hermione debated about telling him about Draco wanting to see her later that night.
"Hermione can you please tell me?" Harry looked over at her.
"Tell you what Harry?" Hermione said, attempting to play the innocent.
Harry stopped and turned to her, "I know you're keeping something from me, can't you tell me what it is?"
Hermione was a little upset with his wording, "I'm keeping something from you? Since when do I have to tell you everything that I do or don't do?"
Harry realized she had a point, he wanted to argue back, but then she'd never tell him. What if it was about her wellbeing? He couldn't risk cutting himself off from her, if she wasn't going to be alright.
But he couldn't help himself, "Hermione I could argue back with you, but I wont, so I'm sorry for being concerned about you, I'm an idiot for caring," and with that said he started to walk away from her.
"Draco asked me to meet him tonight!"
Harry stopped but didn't turn around.
"Are you going?"
Hermione looked at her feet, "I don't know."
Harry sucked in a deep breath of air then let it out slowly.
He turned and faced her, walking slowly with each beat in his sentences, "you do know if what you're going to do, but did you think about why he wants you to meet him? Did you think that he might like you? Do you know what you do to a guy when you act like you don't know how he cares?
Hermione just stared at him speechless. She hadn't thought about the fact that Draco Malfoy might like her. Then she remembered what Harry had said last, 'Do you know what you do to a guy when you act like you don't know how he cares?' she looked up and into his eyes.
His eyes were full of caring, but they looked hurt and yearning for something that he hadn't known in a long time. She remembered the saying that 'the eyes a windows into one's soul' well right now she was looking right into Harry's soul. She saw the pain of being rejected by a person, who was the only one that it mattered if they loved him or not.
"Oh Harry...." She tried to find the right words, and then she reached up to him wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him close, and whispered in his ear , "Of course I know how you care for me, I hope you know how much I care about you too."
Harry just clung on to Hermione, closing his eyes resting his cheek against her soft hair; he slowly ran his fingers through it.
Hermione rested her hair against his shoulder, and barely swayed back and forth, breathing deeply in the fresh comforting smell that was Harry.
'I wish I could stay like this forever,'