Chapter 17
A Final Meeting and A Resolution
HARRY
After running through numerous corridors, one moment feeling excited and elated and the next feeling complete despair, Harry paused to
lean against a wall breathing rapidly. BR>
"Something the matter dear?" a voice asked conversationally near his right ear.
Harry looked around and saw a plump, kindly looking witch staring at him from her painting. She looked a little like Mrs Weasly and for
a moment Harry thought he was going to embarrassingly burst into tears.
"Um…er no it's nothing. Really…." Harry gulped.
The plump witch looked at him sympathetically and made tut tutting noises.
"Nothing hmmmm…..well dear it doesn't look like nothing to me, not with your hair all over the place like that…and oh is that tears I can see?"
"No!" said Harry angrily wiping hurriedly at his eyes with one hand. "I don't know what you're talking about"
The plump witch plopped herself down into a comfortable looking armchair and shook her head.
"Why don't you tell me all about it, you'll feel a lot better if you get it off your chest".
"It's just that, well…I…er….Hermione and I….um…", Harry began. "I love her but she loves someone else…I…I…want to tell her…
but…" and then looked up at the witch.
"But you're worried that she doesn't feel the same way?" the witch asked sympathetically.
Harry nodded and then looked up with a frown.
"Hang on a minute, I'm not telling a painting about all this", he said in frustration and turned around quickly to walk away in the opposite
direction to which he had come.
"It's alright deary…I can keep a secret," the witch called out behind him from her frame.
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Hermione didn't know where to go once she had left Parvati in the library. All she could think about was how stupid she had been. How
blind. There Harry had been all this time, right in front of her. All these years it had been Harry who had stood by her, comforted her.
They had been through so much together. Those countless times when Harry had looked at her with those green eyes and she had felt a
spark inside, she had simply brushed them away, never really daring to explore what she was feeling. Now maybe it was too late. How
could Harry possibly care for her after everything that had happened between her and Lockhart?
"He probably never even liked me as anything more than a friend in the first place," she thought miserably. "What am I doing thinking that
there might even be a slight chance for us? "
Hermione had been making her way towards the Gryffindor common room in the hope that she might find Harry there, but now she
turned in the opposite direction. There didn't seem to be anywhere to go, she didn't want to return to her room, or anywhere else where
she would have to see or talk to anyone. Slowly she wandered through a few hall ways which she was sure she had never walked down
before. Finally she stopped walking and stood against a wall tying not to think, lest she start crying again. For a moment back in the
library she had felt a moment of complete clarity but now she didn't know what to do.
"Oh dear, not another one" a voice said close to her.
Hermione gave a small jump and looked around to see who had spoken, sure she had been alone.
"You look just like that young man who was here a few minutes ago," said the voice and this time Hermione saw that it came from a
painting of a comfortably plump witch seated in a large armchair.
"I'm sorry, what did you say?" Hermione asked, walking over to stand in front of the painting.
"Oh nothing," replied the witch absently picking up some knitting and settling back into her chair. "Just that you look almost as miserable
as that boy with the green eyes and messy black hair".
Hermione stared at the witch in shock.
"Harry was here?"
"Well I can't say if his name was Harry, but he was mumbling about some girl he liked….what was the name again….started with an H
as well I think…"
Hermione leaned over and grabbed each side of the painting.
"What did he say!" she almost yelled at the plump witch who looked rather taken aback.
"No need to yell dear….see there you've gone and made me drop a stitch….," said the witch looking distractedly at her knitting.
Hermione suddenly let go of the painting and stepped back. Her mind was unexpectedly clear. She knew exactly what she had to do.
"Which way did he go?" she asked calmly.
"What was that deary?" the witch asked still looking at her knitting.
"Which way did he go? The boy with the green eyes?" Hermione repeated.
"Oh that way," said the witch pointing down the corridor. "But it doesn't go anywhere you know, just to the greenhouse,".
But Hermione had already started walking in that direction.
"Young people…" muttered the witch shaking her head "Always in a hurry, never any manners…'".
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Harry reached the end of the corridor and found himself confronted by two large glass doors. He had definitely never been to this part of
the castle before and wondered just how lost he was. Seven years of exploring what he thought was every possible corridor, secret
passage way, and room, and here he was somewhere totally unknown. Harry pushed one of the doors open and stepped into warm
humid air. The scent of some sweet perfume filled his nose as he looked around. He was in a green house, with glass walls and a high
domed glass ceiling. Around him were cascades of plants, flowers and bushes which he had never seen before. A tall graceful shrub with
long flowing leaves and large trumpet like pale pink flowers drooped over the paved path he stood on. The sweet smell was coming from
the beautifully shaped flowers. Their scent seemed to somehow soothe and relax him.
Looking around in wonder at all the plants, many of which boasted exotic and strange flowers, Harry slowly made his way down the
twisting path. The warm air was gentle on his skin and he strangely felt quite peaceful. After the turmoil he had just experienced it was a
relief to suddenly feel a sense of calm. He stopped and looked up at the glass ceiling through which he could see clouds moving across t
he sky. Closing his eyes Harry breathed in the warm fragranced air and let his mind drift.
He had no awareness of how much time had passed when he felt a hand gently touch his shoulder. Rather than it being a shock it felt
almost….expected. Harry slowly opened his eyes and turned around to face Hermione who stood there on the path before him. Her eyes
were wide and luminous and her hung down beside her face in soft waves. Harry thought her had never seen her look more beautiful. He
looked directly into her brown eyes and everything felt utterly right.
"Harry…I…" Hermione started to say but Harry reached up with one hand and gently placed a finger on her lips. Dropping his hand he
reached out and gently took her hands in his, their eyes never leaving each others face. There was a moment of perfect silence and then as
though they were both acting on the same impulse they moved together. Their lips met, hungrily and yet softly. To Hermione, Harry's
mouth was the sweetest thing she had ever tasted. Never had she felt such an intensity of feeling as at this moment.
For Harry, kissing Hermione was like completion. After all they had been through together this moment felt as though it was something
that was not being controlled by him, it felt as though it was written in the stars, as Firenze would have said. It was perfect in its simplicity,
perfect in the passion and love he felt for the girl in his arms. Slowly their lips parted and Harry stepped back.
"Hermione, I love you…I am in love with you", Harry said.
A tear slowly trickled down Hermione's cheek.
"As I am with you", she replied. "Oh Harry, it has always been you….only you. Why couldn't I realize that before?".
"It doesn't matter", Harry answered folding Hermione into his arms.
The feeling of Harry's firm, tall body against hers suddenly ignited something deep inside Hermione. They kissed once again, but this time
she felt as though she couldn't get enough of the taste of him, couldn't get close enough to him. They were both breathing deeply when
they finally pulled apart. There was an intensity between them that hadn't existed a moment before. Harry grasped Hermione's hand and
they began to walk quickly down the path. Taking a right turn, Harry stepped off the path and pushed through the lush green foliage. After
a few moments of being engulfed by leaves on either side they emerged into a small clearing. A tall shrub, almost a tree, stretched its
branches up towards the glass ceiling. Covering the entire plant were hundreds of soft white flowers with large downy petals. More
flowers had drifted to the ground, making a soft cushion around the tree.
Harry pulled Hermione over to the large pile of the soft petals and slowly lowered himself to the ground. Hermione moved down beside
Harry as he gently slipped her robe off her shoulders. Tenderly kissing her, he pushed her back into the softly yielding flowers. As he
leaned over, Hermione reached up and took Harry's glasses off. His dark hair tumbled over his face as he looked down at her with those
amazing green eyes.
"How could I never have realized…", Hermione said softly as she looked at Harry.
"Hermione…that's in the past….this is now", Harry replied slowly stroking her cheek.
"Make love to me Harry", Hermione said grasping his hand.
In reply Harry leaned down and pressed his lips against her, then slowly moved them across her face and down to her neck. Hermione
felt a delicious shiver as his lips lightly played over her skin. Harry pulled her top over her head as she reached out and undid the buttons
of his shirt. She moved her eyes over his well muscled torso, a soft light shining down through the glass ceiling reflecting off his smooth
skin. Sitting up Hermione slowly undid her bra and let it drop away. For a moment they were both still, simply taking in each other. Then,
as though something had ignited them both at exactly the same moment, they were pressed together, pulling at the rest of their clothing
until they were both naked and lying in each others arms.
Harry kissed Hermione down her neck and along the rise of her breasts as she pulled her fingers through his hair, feeling his mouth both
firm and moist move across her skin. His mouth slipped over one of her nipples and she gave a small cry of pleasure. This was beyond
anything she had ever felt with Lockhart and suddenly she wanted all of Harry, wanted to feel him inside her. Putting her arms around his
neck Hermione pulled Harry over on top of her. She could feel his warm hardness pushing against her stomach, and a delicious shiver ran
through her.
"Harry…", she whispered into his ear. "There has never been anyone else….I think…I think this was always meant to be and I'm not scared".
Harry looked up at her "Not even Lockhart?"…he asked in surprise.
"No, just you Harry…only you". She said and pulled his face down to hers, pushing her lips fiercely against his as she felt him move
between her legs, felt his hardness enter her. There was a brief flare of pain and then sweetness as they both cried out in pleasure and
Harry began to move, slowly rocking his hips against hers. They moved together slowly at first, Hermione feeling Harry deep inside her,
sliding over places that caused sensations she had never dreamed existed. As they pulled against each other, wanting to feel closer and
closer, they began to move faster, Hermione's breath coming in fast little moans. All at once she felt an unbearable sweetness spread
through her and cried out Harry's name over and over.
Harry dimly heard Hermione saying his name and then there was nothing but a sensation of utter pleasure flowing through him. They
moved together a few more times and then he relaxed and gently rolled to the side of her. Hermione pushed her warm body against his as
he wrapped his arms around her. She felt strangely tired, and yet completely awake. Harry gently kissed her and smoothed her hair away
from her forehead.
"I love you Hermione, and I'll never stop loving you", he said as he looked down at the face he knew so well.
"I couldn't stop loving you even if I wanted to", she replied gazing back into those green eyes, and this time knowing the feeling that they
gave her for what it was.
THE END