"Gillyweed," Harry shouted. The Fat Lady gave a grunt of indignation as she allowed the portrait to swing open to give Harry entry to Gryffindor tower. Harry was in such a rush that he nearly collided with Lee Jordan who was running about tossing Exploding Snaps.
"There's our Head Boy now, where ya been, Harry?" Lee yelled joyously over the ruckus.
"What?" replied Harry as a mass of Gyffindors immersed Harry with handshakes, pats on the back, and one even shoved a bottle of Firewhisky into his hand. Harry looked up to see a miniature fireworks display over head which read in colourful spectacles: 'Congratulations!,' then in green shot, 'Harry Potter: Head Boy,' then in pink, 'Hermione Granger: Head Girl' and then in red, "Ron Weasley: Gryffindor House Favorite." Harry had forgotten all about the election announcement. He didn't even have a chance to feel a bit of pride before seeing Ron reminded him of why his head was throbbing with pain. As Ron worked his way through the cluster, he blurted out,
"Harry, what's going on? Hermione ran through here a few minutes ago bawling her eyes out and…." Ron paused as he took notice of Harry's bruised and bloody face, "did you take on the Whomping Willow on one on one or something?"
"You say Hermione ran through here?"
"Yeah, well, uh--"
"Ron," Harry said, pulling him over into a corner and dropping his voice as much as he could, "Go find a professor, ANY professor. Then get them down to the Slytherin dormitories, tell them Draco tried to hurt Hermione," Ron's mouth dropped, "don't ask any question, just go NOW! I need to take care of Hermione, go, and hurry before he wakes up!" Without another word, Ron raced out the portrait hole.
Harry wiped his mouth of the blood that was still dripping from it onto his sleeve. He panned the room until he found Ginny sitting on the couch with Dean Thomas, talking to him frantically about something. Harry had only three guesses as to what. Harry hurried towards them. Ginny's expression of alarm grew as soon as she saw Harry's state, but Harry spoke first, "How can I get up to the girl's dormitories?"
To Ginny and Lavender's dismay, Hermione had come bounding through the door sobbing bitterly. Without even acknowledging they were there, she had thrown herself onto her bed and buried her head in her pillow. All Ginny had managed to say was a very stricken, "Hermione--?" before Hermione had barked at them to leave her alone. Very much against their will, they had left the room quietly.
Hermione could hardly believe everything that had just happened. The entire graphically obscene event kept playing over and over again in her head. With each viewing, she could feel herself becoming more useless to fighting the sinking feeling it weighed into her stomach. Her wrists were still throbbing from their previous battery. Her cheek was still stinging sharply. Draco's body was still on her, and worse yet, she could still hear his vile words, "Does it kill you to know he doesn't love you back, Granger--To him, you're nothing and never will be." She knew she should run and tell someone what happened, but she just couldn't bring herself to for some reason. Not only had Draco almost…….but Harry……Hermione rolled over with a groan. Harry now knew. She wreathed tighter into her pillow and began screaming. She screamed and cried until she thought she was hoarse. Just when she thought she was to the point where tears were beyond her, she head the door creak open. Hermione gasped and held her breath.
"Hermione, are you all right?" she heard Harry whisper. The struggle of feelings which came over her were overwhelming. She did no want to see Harry at all right now, but at the same time, she could think of no better medicine for this pain than his embrace. Hermione sat up on the bed, legs cradled gently over the side, but she kept her back to the door.
"How did you manage up the stairs?" she asked, wiping a few tears away. Harry walked carefully into the room, just enough to close the door behind him. He wanted to make sure they wouldn't be disturbed if Hermione felt like talking. Harry thought they did have much to talk about indeed.
"I had to levitate on Ginny's shoulders in my invisibility cloak while she walked up the stairs," replied Harry with a weak laugh, "It was quite a feat." There was an awkward silence which made Harry's stomach lurch. He felt so helpless. He wished there was something, anything, that he could do. "Ron found McGonagall. He came and told me before I managed to come up. Draco's in Dumbledore's office right now. Ron says Dumbledore was furious and is making arrangements to send him straight home." There was another tense pause, and then slowly, Hermione turned to face Harry. He had never seen Hermione look so full of pain and vulnerability in his life; it felt like Draco had punched him in the stomach all over again. Harry really thought he could feel his heart break into a million pieces. It was the same feeling he had gotten as he watched Sirius die.
"I'm so….so….sorry, Harry," Hermione stammered. As if Harry couldn't be more floored, this was the last thing Harry had expected to hear her say.
"What?! You have NOTHING to be sorry for!" Harry stampeded to Hermione's bedside, but stopped abruptly when she continued,
"That…..was not…..my intention of…..I had no idea….I don't know what to say, Harry." Hermione slumped back onto the bed and covered her eyes with her hands. Harry cautiously sat on the very most edge of her bed, and when Hermione didn't protest, slid onto the end of it, closer to her.
"You don't have to say anything, Hermione," Harry replied. A moments, a very tense moment passed, and Harry could feel like he had to said something. "Why didn't you tell me, Hermione?" The words came quietly but also with a hint of firm gentleness. "Why didn't you ever say anything?" Harry leaned against the bed next to Hermione on his left side, and propped his head up in his hand. "You are a clever witch, Hermione, but couldn't you figure out--"
"I was afraid, Harry," Hermione interrupted, moving her hands from her face but not looking at him. "You never seemed to show me any signs that you wanted to be more than friends. What was I supposed to do? It was awful keeping myself shut up all these years. Draco was right, it hurt to know you--"
"Didn't return your feelings? Says who?" Hermione's eyes began to water with tears again.
"What did you say?" she asked quietly.
"Can I hold you Hermione…..will you let me?" Hermione slid slowly into the crook of Harry's shoulder and then curled her arm around his waist. This felt so good. So right.
"I have to be the most ungrateful, stupid, brainless prat in the world for not admitting to myself that there always has been something between us. Something more than friends." Harry paused and sighed as Hermione gave him a small squeeze. "I might have saved you from Malfoy today, Hermione, but it was you who saved me a long time ago." Hermione rolled her head off Harry's shoulder, and placing a hand underneath to cushion her cheek, rolled her head onto his chest. One would think their intimate behavior to be terribly sudden, but the two felt strangely at ease.
"What do you mean, Harry? Save you from what?" Hermione asked as she flipped an eyebrow in curiosity. Harry smiled at her cutely crooked expression.
"You saved me from a loveless life," he replies. The smile faded from his lips, but his eyes were still glistening. Hermione's expression changes as well. Fluttering butterflies welled up within her as Harry ran a hand through her hair. Hermione blushingly smiled and stammered,
"H-Harry--"but he cut her off. By no means was he finished.
"I am so sorry I gave you cause to feel you had to bottle yourself up for my sake. You loved me, Hermione, more and better than anyone else in my life." Harry began guiding Hermione's lips toward his as he whispered on, "But now I am telling you, 'Mione….." He trailed off as their lips met in their first kiss. It was deep, passionate, and pure. Hermione let herself lean in and be guided by the curl in Harry's lips. Harry's hands were embedded amongst Hermione's hair while hold her cheeks and jaw in balance. Hermione's one hand had braced herself on top of Harry's chest, while the other ran through Harry's black, matted hair. She clenched his shirt as her heart raced. When they pulled away, both were smiling, and Harry finished,
"I always have loved you back. I do not know why it took me al these years to admit it, but I do love you, so much." Harry then sat the two of them up slowly. "But you know Voldemort is after me, Hermione, and I can't promise you that---"
"Do you think I haven't weighed all this out in my head time and time again," she broke in. "You should know by now that I signed away a Voldemort and danger free life the day I met you." She slid in closer to him, placing her hands tenderly on his face. Harry's eyes were warm and penetrating. "I'm too involved now. Love is the greatest magic of all, Harry," she proclaimed gingerly, "And it has saved us both on multiple occasions. It's what has you here today." She ran a soft finger over the lightning bolt scar on Harry's forehead. "It was saving us to live for each other." She then threw her arms around him fiercely and held him tightly. Harry wrapped his arms around her a pulled her close.
"Together then," he whispered in her ear, "for whatever wicked this way comes." The two of them laughed as Harry drew her in for another kiss. Harry knew she was right. He knew there would be a tomorrow as long as Hermione was there to share it with him. His life was now worth saving for her kiss.
"There's our Head Boy now, where ya been, Harry?" Lee yelled joyously over the ruckus.
"What?" replied Harry as a mass of Gyffindors immersed Harry with handshakes, pats on the back, and one even shoved a bottle of Firewhisky into his hand. Harry looked up to see a miniature fireworks display over head which read in colourful spectacles: 'Congratulations!,' then in green shot, 'Harry Potter: Head Boy,' then in pink, 'Hermione Granger: Head Girl' and then in red, "Ron Weasley: Gryffindor House Favorite." Harry had forgotten all about the election announcement. He didn't even have a chance to feel a bit of pride before seeing Ron reminded him of why his head was throbbing with pain. As Ron worked his way through the cluster, he blurted out,
"Harry, what's going on? Hermione ran through here a few minutes ago bawling her eyes out and…." Ron paused as he took notice of Harry's bruised and bloody face, "did you take on the Whomping Willow on one on one or something?"
"You say Hermione ran through here?"
"Yeah, well, uh--"
"Ron," Harry said, pulling him over into a corner and dropping his voice as much as he could, "Go find a professor, ANY professor. Then get them down to the Slytherin dormitories, tell them Draco tried to hurt Hermione," Ron's mouth dropped, "don't ask any question, just go NOW! I need to take care of Hermione, go, and hurry before he wakes up!" Without another word, Ron raced out the portrait hole.
Harry wiped his mouth of the blood that was still dripping from it onto his sleeve. He panned the room until he found Ginny sitting on the couch with Dean Thomas, talking to him frantically about something. Harry had only three guesses as to what. Harry hurried towards them. Ginny's expression of alarm grew as soon as she saw Harry's state, but Harry spoke first, "How can I get up to the girl's dormitories?"
To Ginny and Lavender's dismay, Hermione had come bounding through the door sobbing bitterly. Without even acknowledging they were there, she had thrown herself onto her bed and buried her head in her pillow. All Ginny had managed to say was a very stricken, "Hermione--?" before Hermione had barked at them to leave her alone. Very much against their will, they had left the room quietly.
Hermione could hardly believe everything that had just happened. The entire graphically obscene event kept playing over and over again in her head. With each viewing, she could feel herself becoming more useless to fighting the sinking feeling it weighed into her stomach. Her wrists were still throbbing from their previous battery. Her cheek was still stinging sharply. Draco's body was still on her, and worse yet, she could still hear his vile words, "Does it kill you to know he doesn't love you back, Granger--To him, you're nothing and never will be." She knew she should run and tell someone what happened, but she just couldn't bring herself to for some reason. Not only had Draco almost…….but Harry……Hermione rolled over with a groan. Harry now knew. She wreathed tighter into her pillow and began screaming. She screamed and cried until she thought she was hoarse. Just when she thought she was to the point where tears were beyond her, she head the door creak open. Hermione gasped and held her breath.
"Hermione, are you all right?" she heard Harry whisper. The struggle of feelings which came over her were overwhelming. She did no want to see Harry at all right now, but at the same time, she could think of no better medicine for this pain than his embrace. Hermione sat up on the bed, legs cradled gently over the side, but she kept her back to the door.
"How did you manage up the stairs?" she asked, wiping a few tears away. Harry walked carefully into the room, just enough to close the door behind him. He wanted to make sure they wouldn't be disturbed if Hermione felt like talking. Harry thought they did have much to talk about indeed.
"I had to levitate on Ginny's shoulders in my invisibility cloak while she walked up the stairs," replied Harry with a weak laugh, "It was quite a feat." There was an awkward silence which made Harry's stomach lurch. He felt so helpless. He wished there was something, anything, that he could do. "Ron found McGonagall. He came and told me before I managed to come up. Draco's in Dumbledore's office right now. Ron says Dumbledore was furious and is making arrangements to send him straight home." There was another tense pause, and then slowly, Hermione turned to face Harry. He had never seen Hermione look so full of pain and vulnerability in his life; it felt like Draco had punched him in the stomach all over again. Harry really thought he could feel his heart break into a million pieces. It was the same feeling he had gotten as he watched Sirius die.
"I'm so….so….sorry, Harry," Hermione stammered. As if Harry couldn't be more floored, this was the last thing Harry had expected to hear her say.
"What?! You have NOTHING to be sorry for!" Harry stampeded to Hermione's bedside, but stopped abruptly when she continued,
"That…..was not…..my intention of…..I had no idea….I don't know what to say, Harry." Hermione slumped back onto the bed and covered her eyes with her hands. Harry cautiously sat on the very most edge of her bed, and when Hermione didn't protest, slid onto the end of it, closer to her.
"You don't have to say anything, Hermione," Harry replied. A moments, a very tense moment passed, and Harry could feel like he had to said something. "Why didn't you tell me, Hermione?" The words came quietly but also with a hint of firm gentleness. "Why didn't you ever say anything?" Harry leaned against the bed next to Hermione on his left side, and propped his head up in his hand. "You are a clever witch, Hermione, but couldn't you figure out--"
"I was afraid, Harry," Hermione interrupted, moving her hands from her face but not looking at him. "You never seemed to show me any signs that you wanted to be more than friends. What was I supposed to do? It was awful keeping myself shut up all these years. Draco was right, it hurt to know you--"
"Didn't return your feelings? Says who?" Hermione's eyes began to water with tears again.
"What did you say?" she asked quietly.
"Can I hold you Hermione…..will you let me?" Hermione slid slowly into the crook of Harry's shoulder and then curled her arm around his waist. This felt so good. So right.
"I have to be the most ungrateful, stupid, brainless prat in the world for not admitting to myself that there always has been something between us. Something more than friends." Harry paused and sighed as Hermione gave him a small squeeze. "I might have saved you from Malfoy today, Hermione, but it was you who saved me a long time ago." Hermione rolled her head off Harry's shoulder, and placing a hand underneath to cushion her cheek, rolled her head onto his chest. One would think their intimate behavior to be terribly sudden, but the two felt strangely at ease.
"What do you mean, Harry? Save you from what?" Hermione asked as she flipped an eyebrow in curiosity. Harry smiled at her cutely crooked expression.
"You saved me from a loveless life," he replies. The smile faded from his lips, but his eyes were still glistening. Hermione's expression changes as well. Fluttering butterflies welled up within her as Harry ran a hand through her hair. Hermione blushingly smiled and stammered,
"H-Harry--"but he cut her off. By no means was he finished.
"I am so sorry I gave you cause to feel you had to bottle yourself up for my sake. You loved me, Hermione, more and better than anyone else in my life." Harry began guiding Hermione's lips toward his as he whispered on, "But now I am telling you, 'Mione….." He trailed off as their lips met in their first kiss. It was deep, passionate, and pure. Hermione let herself lean in and be guided by the curl in Harry's lips. Harry's hands were embedded amongst Hermione's hair while hold her cheeks and jaw in balance. Hermione's one hand had braced herself on top of Harry's chest, while the other ran through Harry's black, matted hair. She clenched his shirt as her heart raced. When they pulled away, both were smiling, and Harry finished,
"I always have loved you back. I do not know why it took me al these years to admit it, but I do love you, so much." Harry then sat the two of them up slowly. "But you know Voldemort is after me, Hermione, and I can't promise you that---"
"Do you think I haven't weighed all this out in my head time and time again," she broke in. "You should know by now that I signed away a Voldemort and danger free life the day I met you." She slid in closer to him, placing her hands tenderly on his face. Harry's eyes were warm and penetrating. "I'm too involved now. Love is the greatest magic of all, Harry," she proclaimed gingerly, "And it has saved us both on multiple occasions. It's what has you here today." She ran a soft finger over the lightning bolt scar on Harry's forehead. "It was saving us to live for each other." She then threw her arms around him fiercely and held him tightly. Harry wrapped his arms around her a pulled her close.
"Together then," he whispered in her ear, "for whatever wicked this way comes." The two of them laughed as Harry drew her in for another kiss. Harry knew she was right. He knew there would be a tomorrow as long as Hermione was there to share it with him. His life was now worth saving for her kiss.