hi,

quick word...I have a song that Harry plays for Hermione later, and it'd be better if you listened to it online on your windows media player...or what ever music player you got...the singer is BEN JELEN, he's Scottish, I think...the song is called "FALLING DOWN."...if you listen to it, it's better, though you may not like him. (oh, and the name isn't "Hermione," obviously, it's "Isabel" you'll understand if you hear it, if you don't just skip that part.)

Enjoy!

A/N: It gets good soon!...oh before I forget, PerfectPotterPrincess, thanks for reviewing, and I know that they haven't talked much, but they do in this chapter, also the reason i don't have too much of Ron, is because i think he sometimes ruins things, though i still love him! Just he doesn't play a big role in this story. i give you cookies and warm milk...LOL...I wish!

oh and another thing before I forget...the Disclaimer...right...NOPE they aren't mine!...though I'll gladly take them

now here's the story...once again...Enjoy!

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Chapter 4: What Was Meant To Be

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September went to an end and Harry found himself sitting with Hermione under the big oak tree, by the lake. They both had their backs resting on the trunk and were wrapped in their black uniform cloaks, it was a bit cold as October approached. They watched Ron play a bit more Quidditch because he thought he needed more practice for their first game of the season, which was tomorrow, Saturday. Harry would of joined him if he didn't need to devote his Friday afternoon and evening to do his homework. He also felt quite confident, as well as everyone else, that they would beat Slytherin.

"I think he's gotten loads better." Hermione said talking about Ron.

"Yeah. Me too." Harry said as he smiled down to her beside him. "He thinks he needs more practice for tomorrow. I say he's great at it. Quidditch finally comes natural to him. After this last Summer we spent at the Quidditch camp, with the help of Oliver, he's become a great Keeper." Hermione smiled at back at him.

Harry was leaning into her. She looked adorable. Her cheeks in shade of pink and her sweater in powder blue. As he looked down at her he remembered his dream from a month ago, and pulling all the courage he could muster, he gently kissed her tiny pink nose. Hermione looked at him with astonishing brown eyes as he made his way to her soft lips and his hand down to her lower back while the other around her waist. With his hands he embraced her closer to him. Hermione got over the shock of what was happening and closed her eyes to allow him to deepen the kiss. As she responded Harry only thought that she tasted better than he could have ever imagined. (And she was letting him kiss her!) He never knew a taste so sweet. He knew that Hermione had never kissed Krum, because he overheard Hermione talking to Ginny about it when they broke up. And he prided himself for clearly being her first. Her cheeks turned from light pink to red when he pulled away to study her. He smiled at her and said:

"I know that could of been under better circumstances, but Hermione I want you to be my girlfriend. Would you let me be your boyfriend?" He nervously asked her, as he found a little dandelion beside his leg and gave it to her, smiling weakly. She looked bewildered at first but gladly took the little flower smiling and nodding back at him. And she kissed him back, thoroughly enjoying it as much as Harry. They were officially a couple.

"So. You and Cho are really over then?" Asked Hermione after ten minutes of a comfortable silence between them.

Harry wondered what brought her to bring this up. But nonchalantly just said: "Yes. Her and I are history. It could never work out between me and her. It didn't in fifth year, and it didn't last year. I don't think I could ever give it an other chance with her." Hermione said nothing and continued to watch Ron play.

Harry and Cho went out last year. She asked him out in December and Harry accepted it willingly since Sirius was gone he felt like he needed that sort of love. Then three months later Cho wanted to take their relationship further and they had sex a few times, before she called it quits with Harry a month later. She said that she thought they would work out because they had known each other for two years. And Harry had to admit that even though she was good in bed, she was far too emotional and she made the sparks fly right out the window quickly. She was also 17, a year older than Harry, which made her maybe more ready, than he was at 16.

"Why do you ask that?" Queried Harry wanting to know why she would ask something so bluntly. Especially after the nice moments they had shared.

"I don't know. I guess I was just curious." She said looking down at her legs, twirling the little flower in her fingers.

"Well after it was my fault Sirius left...I felt...like I needed to experience that sort of thing, you know before voldemort finished me off." He tried lamely to end his sad statement jokingly.

"That's not funny, Harry. Voldemort's a bastard. And it was not your fault that Sirius isn't here. Besides Voldemort is dead and won't ever come back." She said stiffly. She felt discouraged at what Harry had said. And once again they felt a barrier between them. The same one that was there just after Sirius died, that separated Harry from the rest of the world, but worst of all it separated him from his friends.

"Hermione I don't want to talk about this ok, not right now...I need to be alone for a while." And with that he got up and left his sad girlfriend behind. Hermione looked down at her flower and a single tear rolled down her soft cheek. She quickly brushed it away, then got up and left.

Harry wasn't at dinner, so after dinner Hermione made her way to the Astronomy Tower. Where she knew Harry would be. He was there often after Sirius's death.

Harry felt a small hand on his shoulder as he sat on the tower looking into nothing but the space in front of him.

"You know me too well." He said in a boring manner, he knew it was Hermione.

"I know you just feel like being alone. But please don't shun yourself out from us...from me again." She said sadly sitting next to him.

"Sorry. I never meant to do that to anyone, especially to you...but I still feel like it was all my fault...I know it was." He said solemnly.

"No. Harry it wasn't your fault. Voldemort just knew how to manipulate. But he payed in the end." She whispered soothingly.

Harry got up in a heartbeat, surprising Hermione with his fast action and said loudly. "Hermione you just don't get it! No matter what you say! No matter what Dumbledore says I know in the end it was my fault! I have scars that won't ever heal...And I will always feel guilty about it! I will NEVER forgive myself for being so stupid!"

"Fine! It was your fault! If you wouldn't have been so stupid as to actually think he was in mortal danger he would still be here! If you would have only listened to me then none of this would have ever happened!" She said equally loud as Harry, who just stared at her and processed everything she had just said. Then she added softly as her eyes became sparkly with tears. "...is that what you wanted me to say...that everything was your fault..." then after a small pause her voice grew stronger and still Harry said nothing. "Good. Harry because that's the last time you'll ever hear me say that. That's something I can never ever again say, because I don't mean a single word of it...just...don't throw this away." And with a couple of tears going down her left eye she hurriedly walked away. And hastily went down the Astronomy stairs with more tears stinging her eyes and rolling down her cheeks freely.

Harry kicked the wall for his stupidity. He realized that he was acting the same way from before and no one liked it, not even himself. He felt so guilty for making Hermione cry on the first day of their relationship that he kicked the wall two more times out of anger towards himself.

When Hermione got to her bedroom, she cried as she changed into dark blue pajama pants and a long sleeve white pajama shirt.

Harry left the tower an hour later, rethinking what he had just done. He decided that it was time to go see Hermione and do everything necessary to get her to forgive him.

"Fina Neptune." He walked inside the portrait hole into the common room. Hermione was no where in sight. Harry headed to the stairs and to her door. He knocked. Hermione hesitated in answering the door, she knew it was Harry, but then she stood up from her bed and brushed away a few last tears. She opened the door.

"Hermione can I come in." She nodded. Harry saw in her eyes that she had been crying and mentally kicked himself again for making her shed tears for him.

"Hermione...I'm...sorry..." He sat down on her bed and Hermione did the same thing, but said nothing and waited for him to continue. "Hermione. I know I'm acting stupidly, just like I've done before. And I hated it then, and I hate it even more now. At least then I knew I wanted to be alone after my god father died, but not now. Now I need you by me." He looked at Hermione for a sign that she would say something, but saw nothing but a calm sad pretty face and sparkly brown eyes. He cupped her small hands in his large ones "Please Hermione, if you are suffering as much as I am, please tell me...I would...I would do anything you ask." Again he looked for a sign that she would talk, but didn't, so Harry decided he would kneel next to her and beg her to forgive him. Drastic, but he loved her too much to let her go.

"No! Don't." Whispered Hermione, interrupting him before he got on his knees. "Harry I'm sorry, I should have left you to be alone to solve this, I know you wanted to be alone at the time –."

"No please don't ask me to forgive you Hermione, you haven't done anything wrong. You've only helped, if it wasn't for you, and Ron. I might of still been wallowing in myself pity...I don't ever want that again." Hermione looked at him with sad eyes and just hugged him.

After she let go of him she said, "Harry. You should go rest. You've got a game tomorrow, and you need to win." He nodded and kissed her goodnight. Then he was walking away and out the door.

"Wait. Not yet." He said turning around and back to her. "I want to show you something, that will hopefully tell you how much I really want you back." Harry said motioning her to go downstairs with him.

He sat down on the piano bench. He started to play, and Hermione had no idea that he could, he started to sing:

At a stoplight in the middle of the night

Stuck in first, and I wonder if I should stay

The right is history and to my left the choice is right

But this seems a little bit too hard.

And all the questions come running through my mind– will I see this another way?

The simple truth is I'm falling, falling down,

And I don't want to drag you through the bottom

No

Then she says:

"Sit in front of me, turn around you'll see, I'm everything you'd want

All you'd ever need, come back into my world, you know I'm always yours."

And she makes so much sense, when she says: "don't throw this away."

It's hard to know what's real when it all seems wrong

But I promise you I'll find what's going on

I just need to follow the sun before I know

If I'll see this another way.

The simple truth is I'm falling, falling down

And I don't want to drag you through the bottom

No

Still you say:

"Sit in front of me, turn around you'll see I'm everything you want all you'll ever need.

Come back into my world. You know I'm still your girl."

And she makes so much sense, when she says: "don't throw this away."

Hermione you thread so lightly, floating with your pretty tresses

Even though your words cut deep, I can't deny the truth in them

On the phone she talks a lot and me I listen hopelessly,

So directionless, I head into oblivion.

And then I decide to give another random memory

To remind her how we looked out upon into the sea

Oh, Hermione, you always understood me,

Please Hermione, forgive me now...

And all the questions come running through my mind– will I see this another way?

The simple truth is I'm falling, falling down.

And I don't want to drag you through the bottom,

No I don't want to drag you through the bottom...

Forgive me now...

He stopped playing and looked at Hermione

"Oh." She whispered. "It was...amazing." He got up to sit next to her on the couch. "I didn't know you could play the piano..."

"Remus taught me over the past two summers."

"When did you write it?" It seemed a bit odd that he could write such a beautiful melody, when they've been mad for about half a day.

"I wrote it in my head. I spent most of the time in the tower thinking of it...I felt guilty, for everything I had done...and it wasn't until you paid me a visit that I got it all down." He said smiling gently.

"It was great. It's amazing, brilliant that you could do that and not write a single word down." She whispered on his chest, because they were snuggling next to each other in front of the crackling fire. Harry smiled at her sheepishly.

And after that they did not want to let go, so they fell asleep there together...it wasn't until about 3 am that Harry woke up, feeling something warm by him. He was still holding Hermione. He picked her up careful not to wake her and he took her up the stairs and into her bedroom. She looked so peaceful. And after a moment of silent watching, Harry went to sleep in his room.

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