Chapter Six – Closer

For once, Harry saw a bit of the old Hermione the following week. They were going camping in two days. They'd gotten everything ready and were just relaxing. Harry sat on the floor in Hermione's room listening to her CDs while Hermione sat on her bed reading.

To his surprise, Hermione came to sit beside him.

"Penny for your thoughts," she said.

Harry lay on his back and looked up at her. He smiled at her as he continued to gaze at her. Lately he'd been staying up late trying to figure out just how he felt about her. He still couldn't quite figure it out.

"Just wonderin' what Ron's up to," Harry lied. To be honest, he was thinking of her. "He hasn't really given us any news."

"Probably having a great time," Hermione replied. As if she were in a trance, she reached out and took off his glasses. "Can I… Can I look at your eyes?"

Once again, Harry found himself having difficulty breathing. He gulped as she moved closer. He looked into her brown eyes, and then drifted down to her soft pink lips. Before he could stop himself, he was leaning up and moved closer to her. Soon, their foreheads were touching.

"Hermione," he was breathless.

"Yes… Harry?" she replied in the same tone of voice.

Before he could speak, the door opened and Mrs. Granger stood in the doorway. They moved away from each other quickly.

"Not interrupting anything am I?"

They both shook their heads.

"Well, I just wanted to say that lunch is on the table," she said before leaving.

Harry and Hermione stared at each other, their hearts pounding in their chests. With a quivering hand, she handed him back his glasses. Harry just stared at them.

"I'm er…" Hermione trailed off. "Do you… Do you want lunch?"

Harry remained silent. Hermione stood up and left the room, leaving Harry with his thoughts.

XxXxXxX

I can't possibly be… No, Harry thought as he shampooed his hair. The last couple of days had been quite awkward between Hermione and him. At least he had camping to look forward to. They were leaving in less than a couple hours. She is very pretty…

Hermione was also thinking about what was going on between them. She was getting even more confused as she thought about it. Absent-mindedly, she opened the door to the bathroom.

"AHH!"

"AHH!"

Hermione had pulled back the shower curtains unaware that someone was already in the shower. Though she knew she should've turned away, she was finding it rather quite difficult. She was frozen with shock and embarrassment.

"AHH!" Harry yelled again as he feebly tried to cover himself up. All he had was soap. "Hermione!"

She finally turned away. "I'm sorry! I'm—I didn't—Oh my—I'm sorry!" she ran out the door and into her room. "Why me?" she asked herself as she collapsed onto the bed.

Panting, Harry closed the shower curtains again.

And I thought things couldn't get worse. He resumed his shower, trying to pretend nothing had happened.

XxXxXxX

Before sundown, they were already getting into Millie's van. Next to Millie sat a dark haired boy who seemed very cozy with her. Harry and Hermione sat together in the back, not saying a word to each other.

Later on, the sun had finally submerged and was replaced by the round moon and bright stars. Millie and her companion were now fast asleep. Harry glanced at Hermione and saw that she was looking out the window, deep in thought.

"Erm… Hermione?" Harry made to reach out and told her hand, but decided against it.

She didn't look at him. "Yes?"

"Are you alright? You seem a bit… Distant."

"Hmm."

"Is everything okay?"

She nodded, still looking out the window. Harry didn't so convinced. He scratched his head. He desperately wished he could make her feel better, but he wasn't exactly in high spirits himself. With a quivering and rather clammy hand, Harry took hers. She finally looked at him, rather startled.

"What's the matter?" he asked, his voice soft.

Hermione sighed. I'm just confused… About some things…"

Harry nodded. "Well, I'm sure you'll figure things out sooner or later. You're a smart girl."

She gave him a faint smile before returning to look out the window. Wanting so much to comfort her, Harry moved closer and wrapped his arms around her. To his surprise, he felt a little better now too.

They didn't know how it happened, but from that point on, they knew that they were now closer than they were before.

Author's Note: Okay I know this chapter sucked so if I get flames that's okay. Lol.Hey, at least I updated. Anyways, thanks for the reviews! Love them! Thanks for reading and don't forget to review!

MarauderWormtail89