Wow, no one is reading this! But for the one person who is (Anna) thanks so much for reading and your lovely reviews. I promise to keep writing it as long as you are reading! Thanks again! :)

It's Good to See You Too

Harry half walked, half ran through the whole Weasley house looking for Hermione. As he looked, all he could think of was the way she looked at him when he came in and the way she smiled at him at the breakfast table. He thought, there had to be something in that smile, there just HAD to be!. Then the fairly less comforting thought came to him, maybe there really wasn't. Maybe she just feels sorry for you with everything that happened last year.

Harry stopped in his tracks, horrified at that last thought. He was only glad he hadn't been calling out for her so she wouldn't even know that he had been looking for her. Because he planned to stay as far away from her as possible once Ron told her what they had talked about. Ron was his best friend, but he did have a big mouth.

"Harry!" he heard a girl's voice call out. He stopped just short of falling over when he realized it was Hermione. He glanced around his surroundings wildly. He didn't even remember coming outside, yet there he was…with Hermione…alone.

She looked even prettier than he remembered her looking at breakfast, which made his heart drop into his stomach. Especially when she smiled - and there she was, smiling at him and motioning for him to come sit down beside her on the grass. He walked over feeling the little fluttering movements his heart was making and thought, what are you getting so worked up about?! This is just Hermione! But the simple fact that it was Hermione was what made it so difficult, he realized. He thought about how worked up he had gotten himself over Cho Chang, and there wasn't even a friendship at stake to lose - but with Hermione…

He was barely aware that his feet were taking him closer to where she was sitting until he was sitting there next to her. "Oh, er…all right, Hermione?"

"I really am so happy to see you, Harry," she began - and Harry began to feel that warmth creep inside his very bones again - "But I hope you won't mind me asking…and we don't have to talk about anything you don't want to talk about, but I was just wondering how - well, how you were doing after…you know?" He immediately tensed up as he realized what she was referring to, but when he looked up and saw the true worry and compassion in her eyes he relaxed a little.

"Oh, well…it's been difficult, you know, and…" as Harry trailed off he began thinking about the Prophesy Professor Dumbledore had told him about a few months earlier. He couldn't figure out what was so difficult about sharing it with Hermione, since he always could tell her practically anything if she asked, but he knew he didn't want to hurt her. And he was pretty sure telling her that his death was a 50-50 certainty that depended upon whether or not he could defeat Voldemort once and for all would hurt her. I'll let her know when the time comes, Harry thought, and continued his reply to her. "…and, well, I'm just glad that you and the others are all right."

"Oh Harry!" Hermione exclaimed. She couldn't believe he was still worried about them when he had so much to think about on his own. "We all knew what we were doing when we went with you to the Department of Mysteries…all of us. We only did it because we care about you, and I know no one blames you for anything that happened!"

Harry didn't know how she did it, but Hermione always managed to make him feel better. The way that she let him know things were okay without actually bringing up Sirius was just a way she had…a way that must have been part of what had sent him looking for her. "Thanks, 'Mione. I guess I needed to hear that," he replied, meeting her eyes (and wondering why he had never noticed how very beautiful those eyes were before).

Hermione, sensing that he wasn't ready to discuss Sirius in any detail yet, reached out for his hand. Harry continued to stare into her eyes as she did so, and she was glad to see the flush on his face and the apparent look of gratitude in his eyes. Those eyes! she thought, I would do anything to see the spark in them again.

They sat contentedly for awhile, fingers laced together, until Harry's swiftly beating heart reminded him of why he had come looking for her in the first place. It was becoming increasingly difficult to look Hermione in the eyes, because he was afraid she would be able to read his thoughts, just as she always did, and he was thinking about nothing he wanted her to find out about at the moment.

"…Harry?" Hermione questioned timidly after some time, "Was there anything…else you wanted to talk about?" She bit her lower lip in worry and he wondered how he could have ever missed how cute she was. He must have been blind the last 5 years to not notice her.

This was his chance - his chance to find out if she felt the same he did, or if Ron's information had been way off. He didn't know what frightened him more - getting rejected and ruining their friendship, or never knowing in the first place if he could have had her or not. Meanwhile, she was staring him down, clearly expecting some sort of answer, but looking very uncomfortable as she did so. Why did I go and ask him that? she thought, if he didn't suspect your feelings before he sure does now!

Harry, wrapped up in his own thoughts, didn't even notice the pleading tone she used to ask him that all-important question, and didn't take any real notice of the tenderness in her eyes. "Ah, I just wanted…Hermione - it's, uh, good to see you too," he finally replied.