Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. I own a set of the books, as well as the movies. But not Harry Potter itself. If only…if only…

Chapter 58

Two weeks after the First Task, Harry was lounging on his usual couch in the common room, his ankles crossed over one of the armrests while his head rested on a pillow atop the other one. He was tucked under an enormous scarlet blanket while a fireplace roared away across from him, providing the perfect atmosphere for him to get lost in whatever book he desired. Today, it was Extraordinary Trials in History for the dozenth time.

"Hey, you," A familiar voice greeted him, pulling him away from his book. He turned to see Hermione smiling warmly at him, placing her bag next to his on a nearby coffee table. "You look comfortable."

"Not to sound like the arrogant swine that Snape thinks I am," He grinned as Hermione rolled her eyes good-naturedly, "but I thought I had earned some time to relax. No deciphering golden eggs, no homework, nothing. I just wanted to unwind and read a good book for a little bit."

"All you wanted was to curl up with a book?" Hermione teased. "What happened to Harry Potter, jock extraordinaire? I think you've been spending too much time around me."

"I don't think that's possible," He fired back smugly. "Been in the library?"

Hermione nodded. "I went to try and crack the egg's code in the library. But I decided to leave after a bit when the Viktor Krum Fan Club arrived with their incessant tittering and giggling. They kept breaking my concentration, and I came close to yelling at the whole lot of them."

"Merlin help anyone who gets in between Hermione Granger and her books."

"I'm sure Viktor himself doesn't enjoy all those girls gawking at him in the library, but I do wish he would find somewhere else to spend his free time," Hermione continued to gripe. "He was sitting extra close to my table today, too. And he kept looking at me while I was reading."

"Are you saying Krum was checking you out? Is now the time where I'm supposed to start getting jealous?" Harry grinned, closing his book and lacing his fingers behind his head. "I'm surprised you didn't want to stick around and ogle Krum. He seems like your type."

"I'm sorry?" Hermione arched an eyebrow. "My type?"

"Well, let's see. He's quite famous. He plays Seeker. Plus, he happens to be a Triwizard champion and he's tied for first place in the tournament," Harry shrugged innocently, his impish smile widening as Hermione tried to glare at him. "He seems to have quite a bit in common with another bloke that I think you fancy."

"Do you really think," Hermione abandoned her lackluster scowl and gave him a small smile as she sat down on the edge of the couch, "that I find any of those qualities attractive?" Harry just shrugged again, and Hermione shook her head. She absent-mindedly ran her fingers through his messy hair, and he closed his eyes at her touch. "Not even close, Harry Potter."

"Do you mind if I ask what you do find attractive?" He asked in a lilting voice, his eyes still closed. "Besides old leather-bound books?" He winced slightly as Hermione punched him on the shoulder before she answered.

"If you must know," She sighed, "I quite like boys who are nice enough to let me sit with them on the Hogwarts Express. Especially when it comes right after Pansy Parkinson and her friends laughed me out of their compartment when I asked to join them."

"What?" Harry snapped his eyes open, his blood suddenly boiling. "You never told me that!" He reached out and yanked his bag off the table and began fumbling through it before Hermione could even react. "Where's the Map, I need to find Parkinson and launch her out of the – "

"Harry!" Hermione surprised him by letting out a small laugh. She placed a hand on his arm and slowly guided him back to his original position. He felt a portion of his rage melt away as she caressed his cheek for a moment, but he was still fuming. "It's alright. Really, Harry!" She appeased him as he prepared to say otherwise. Reluctantly, he closed his mouth and returned his head to the pillow behind him.

"You understand I'm only waiting, right?" He asked. "I'm just postponing my cold-blooded murder of Pansy Parkinson and her posse until after this conversation."

"Oh, you're so adorable when you're like this," Hermione smiled, and Harry rolled his eyes. "As I was saying, it's quite alright. I'm actually pleased that I didn't get invited into their compartment with open arms. I might have never met you, and never fallen in – fallen for you," She clarified hastily. Harry felt his eyebrows shoot up in concern as her cheeks suddenly flushed, but she waved him off. "Plus, I might have ended up befriending Pansy and her gang, and that would just be horrid."

"Do you really think you were capable of befriending someone as vile as Parkinson?"

"Probably not," She admitted with a shy smile. "You know you don't have to hex her for what she did, right? It was years ago."

"I know," Harry sighed nonchalantly as Hermione's hand returned to running through his hair. "But I want to."

"Stubborn prat," Hermione smirked. "Where were we?"

"Things you find attractive."

"Right," Hermione nodded, beaming at him. "I must say, I do like green eyes very much."

"Interesting," Harry tried to sound smug despite the fact that his face was heating up. "What color are Krum's eyes?"

"Oh, honestly Harry!" She huffed sarcastically, shaking her head in disbelief. "I haven't the faintest. Would you like me to continue or are you going to interrupt me every time?" Harry gestured for her to continue before dragging a finger across his lips as if he were zipping them shut. "I like messy hair because it's something I can relate to, and I don't feel as bad about mussing it up after snogging the daylights out of whomever the hair belongs to." Harry smirked at that. "I like boys who care about their studies, even when they're too embarrassed to admit that their passion for schoolwork makes them one of the smartest students in their year."

Harry's blush deepened, to which Hermione just giggled before pressing on. "I find bravery to be a rather attractive quality, even if it can be exasperating from time to time. I like it when someone is almost as stubborn as I am, whether that means they won't back down from hexing someone because they were mean to me or if it means they'll try and convince me not to ride a hippogriff with them." Harry smiled again. "Despite my attraction to stubbornness, I also like it when someone agrees with my fundamental virtues, like equality for all living beings and the importance of education. I like it when they not only understand that I won't budge on things like those, but they'll fight alongside me to advocate for them.

"But most of all, I like boys who save me from trolls. Boys who take on You-Know-Who at eleven years old to stop him from hurting people like me. Boys who slay monsters that dare petrify me, and boys who save me from a hundred dementors at once with the most powerful Patronus I'll ever see. I like boys who do all of those things for me, because they make me want to be a better person."

"Wow…" Harry took a beat to let her words wash over him. "Wow, Hermione, I…" He trailed off, unable to find anything to properly express how her words made him feel.

"Sorry…" Hermione blushed furiously, awkwardly retracting her hand from his hair and averting her eyes. "I got a bit carried away there, I should – "

Words were failing Harry Potter, so he decided to use actions instead. He cut Hermione off mid-sentence by sitting bolt upright and snaking a hand behind her neck. He cradled the back of her head –admiring how her endless curls seemed to swallow his hand whole – before he leaned in. He heard her let out a soft sound of surprise before she fluttered her eyes closed, meeting his lips halfway.

Their kiss wasn't the feverish one they'd shared two weeks earlier in the champion's tent. It wasn't frantic, nor was it desperate. It was still as passionate as ever, but it was tender, communicating so many unspoken words that an entire novel could have been written to transcribe the kiss itself. There were no panicked whimpers, no urgent moans in this kiss. It was peaceful, reminiscent of the serene and cozy common room around them.

It was perfect.

Harry pulled away after a few blissful moments, his breathing slightly erratic and his cheeks feeling hotter than ever. He couldn't help but smile as he opened his eyes and saw Hermione looking even more flustered than he felt. Her cheeks were burning scarlet and her eyes looked glazed over as she fiddled with a few errant strands of her hair.

"Hermione?"

"Hmm?" She turned to him, running her tongue over her lips in a daze.

"You make me want to be a better person too," He said, feeling a bit bashful as Hermione snapped out of her euphoric trance to fling her arms around him. "Assuming you're talking about me."

"Yes, you prat," He could practically hear Hermione roll her eyes as she rested her chin on his shoulder, still clutching him in a bone-crushing hug. "Believe it or not, I am attracted to my boyfriend."

"That is quite the relief," He smiled to himself as he rested his cheek against her hair. "Especially now that I have to fight for your affections with the likes of Krum – "

"Oh, stop it," She huffed exasperatedly. She pulled away from the hug only to maneuver herself so that she was curled into Harry's side, her slim frame squished between him and the couch cushions. "Do you mind?" She asked slyly as she slipped under the blanket and snuggled up next to him.

"Hermione, if I ever say no to that question, you have my full endorsement to push me off of the Astronomy Tower."

"Knowing you, you'd probably find some way to survive that anyway," Hermione smirked, pulling the blanket up to her chin and lying down. Harry followed suit, turning his head to face her as she shifted onto her side so she could gaze at him. "This is nice," she gestured to their blanketed selves and blushed a bit. "I think I could stay like this for a bit."

"I know how you feel," Harry winked. Hermione responded with a shy smile as she draped an arm across his stomach and nestled into him even more. She lifted her head so that it rested on his upper arm, just below his shoulder. He couldn't resist craning his neck to press a gentle kiss to her forehead, and his heart soared as she beamed up at him before letting her eyes drift closed.

It didn't take long for her breathing to even out, and soon enough she appeared to be blissfully napping the afternoon away under Harry's admiring gaze. He knew it was probably in his best interests to get some sleep of his own, but he couldn't bring himself to close his eyes and stop looking at his girlfriend.

He knew she needed to catch up on the significant amount of rest that she had been forgoing ever since the First Task concluded. From the moment Harry had opened the golden egg during his celebratory party and subjected everyone to its ungodly wail, she had been furiously researching all of the possible ways to figure out how that shriek was supposed to be a clue. Harry had happily joined her in the library every time except for today, and even he wasn't dense enough to miss her growing fatigue. Her worries about his upcoming task were just another burden she had shouldered, in addition to her ten classes.

Now, however, Hermione Granger didn't look like the stressed, frazzled girl she had been as of late. Harry's eyes roved her face, his smile widening as he saw her brow was no longer furrowed like it had been for weeks. Her forehead wasn't creased but perfectly smooth, parts of it shielded from view by a few runaway tresses. Her breaths came in and out in a faint melody, a melody that was music to Harry's ears.

As the firelight made her skin glow and her hair shimmer, he found himself wondering if she had ever looked so beautiful. So gorgeous. So mesmerizing. And not only was she stunning on the outside, but nobody could touch her on the inside. He remembered just a few minutes ago, how she had told him that she cherished him not for his fame, but for qualities he was proud to possess. She was so kind and compassionate and caring, and she liked him for being Harry, not the Boy-Who-Lived. Hermione Granger was truly beautiful, inside and out.

"Hmm…" She suddenly let out a sigh, burrowing further into Harry's side. "Harry…"

"Yes?" He smirked, figuring she was still asleep.

"Stay…" She moaned, her eyes still closed. She unconsciously tightened her arm around his waist as she spoke again, her voice a breathy whisper. "Stay with me."

"I'm not going anywhere, Hermione," He smiled to himself, giving here another soft forehead kiss. "I'll be right here."

"Mmm…" She sighed again. "I love you."

Harry's heart suddenly began hammering in his chest, and sweat beaded up on his forehead unrelated to the heavy blanket and the warmth of the fireplace. His mind began racing at a mile a minute, and his breath caught in his throat.

Then, he let out a long, pleased exhale.

He had no reason to panic, to worry, to overthink.

Harry couldn't understand how he hadn't spotted it before.

He was in love with Hermione Granger.

How could he not be?

All of a sudden, he wanted to leap off the couch and prance around the room, breaking into song and shouting his latest revelation at the top of his lungs. The rational part of his brain narrowly overrode that impulse, reminding him that he would disturb Hermione's nap. And, more importantly, everyone in the common room – or in the castle – had probably reached the conclusion that he loved his girlfriend already, based on their unsubtle jokes and giggles whenever the two of them were spotted together. So, instead of causing a ruckus in true Gryffindor fashion, he decided to restrain himself and soak up the joy of his epiphany. He couldn't wait to tell Hermione when she woke up.

He turned back to face her, his face lighting up just at the sight of her. A stubborn curl had drifted down and was hovering just in front of her nose. Gingerly, he lifted his arm and tucked the stray hairs back behind her ears and placed a quick kiss on the tip of her nose. She purred in her sleep, her lips twitching into an even wider smile. She looked so adorable Harry wanted to explode.

"I love you too," He whispered. "I love you so much."

"About time," Hermione murmured, fluttering her eyes open. Harry's eyes bulged out of his head and he almost scrambled off the couch in shock, but Hermione tightened her grip around him, her cheeks flushing a bit.

"H-Hermione?" He stammered. "You're awake?"

"I am," She tilted her head so that her chin was resting on his chest. She gazed up at him with an expression of total adoration.

"Since when?"

"I never fell asleep," She grinned sheepishly. "I just liked being snuggled up with you like this. And when you said that sweet line about not going anywhere, I couldn't stop myself. It was like a dam burst in my chest."

"Oh…wow…" He shook his head in disbelief. "How long have you waiting to say that?"

"Since…oh…" She blushed furiously and buried her face in his chest, her hands drifting up to grab fistfuls of his shirt. "Since second year. When you came to visit me in the Hospital Wing…while I was petrified. All those nights, after you would talk and say all those sweet things that just melted my heart, you always said that you weren't going anywhere. That you would always be right there.

"And the more you visited me, the more I was certain. I just knew. I was completely, hopelessly in love with you, Harry Potter." She paused, lifting her head from his shirt to reveal she was blushing something fierce. "I still am."

"Well…now I feel like a git," Harry chuckled, ducking his head. "I didn't put two and two together until you said it just now. But I know it for sure." He leaned in and pressed a tender kiss to her lips. "I'm in love with you, Hermione."

He grinned as Hermione's eyes lit up with a passion, with an elation he had never seen before. Tears immediately sprang to her eyes, but he knew without asking that they were happy tears. The best kind of tears, when one is bursting with so much emotion that the body simply has to express it. She inhaled sharply before breaking into the most dazzling smile Harry had ever seen on a person.

"Oh, Harry…" She whimpered. Suddenly, she flung her arms around his neck, harshly tugging his head forward as she lunged into him, her lips crashing into his. For the second time that evening, Harry found himself locked in a passionate kiss with his girlfriend.

It took all of his willpower to focus on the girl he loved and not burst out laughing as she kicked the scarlet blanket off of them in a very un-Hermione manner, leaving it in a crumpled heap on the carpet below. He slowly pulled himself into a sitting position, smiling into the kiss as Hermione adjusted accordingly and made herself at home in his lap.

"Harry…" She said breathily as she pulled away, resting her forehead on his and panting. He smiled, feeling his entire body tingle with a pleasant electricity when he heard her say his name like that. "Harry, I love you."

"I know," He whispered, snaking his arms around her and tugging her in for another kiss, which quickly evolved into several more kisses. After an eternity that still wasn't long enough, Harry forced himself to lean back and look at Hermione. He slid his hands up her sides, relishing every shiver he sent down her spine as he did so. Finally, he reached her face and cupped her cheeks, gazing at her with such an intensity she shivered again. "I love you, Hermione Granger."

He barely suppressed a laugh as Hermione swooned. Hermione Granger, the most studious girl in the entire castle and determined rule-follower barring special circumstances, actually swooned. She swayed backwards a bit, her lips parting as she let out a soft sigh that sounded to Harry like it had been uttered by an angel.

"As much as I would love to stay here, we should get to dinner," Harry said after a long, content silence. He pulled his hands away from her face as she nodded, and soon enough they were on their feet and walking out of the common room, hands clasped and hearts stolen.

"Nice of you two to show up," Ron grinned wryly as Harry and Hermione sat down across from him and Lavender. The rest of the Gryffindor Gang surrounded them, all having tucked into dinner already. "Harry, I assume you enjoyed your relaxation time? You better have, since you turned down helping me train for Keeper next year in favor of sitting your arse on the couch."

"It was sublime," Harry smirked, loading his and Hermione's plates with roasted vegetables. "Did you get some practice in?"

"Did he ever. Finally worked up the nerve to ask somebody else," Seamus grinned, jerking his head down the table. Harry glanced down and saw Katie Bell sitting with her friends, chatting away and laughing merrily. She caught Harry's eye and gave him a quick wave before returning to her conversation.

"Poor bloke missed the first five shots because he wouldn't stop drooling over Katie," Dean smirked, throwing Ron an elbow. The redhead scowled but his ears betrayed him.

"Shut up," He grumbled, eliciting several snorts from his peers. Eager to divert attention away from his now not-so-subtle crush, he turned back to Harry. "So, Harry Potter actually enjoyed sitting around doing nothing? I find that hard to believe. You're always up to something, right mate?"

"It's not like I did nothing," The bespectacled wizard fired back. "I did some reading and I took some time to reflect, and it turns out I rather needed it." He smiled to himself, his heart soaring once again as he thought about what that reflection had led to. He felt Hermione squeeze his hand under the table and his entire body was flooded with warmth, like he was in the presence of an anti-Dementor.

"Why does he look like he's been Imperio'd?" Neville asked warily. "He's all slack-jawed and his eyes are glazed over. Is he alright?"

"Harry's just really passionate about relaxing," Hermione said quickly to the rest of the group.

"Yep," Harry grinned, returning to the real world and placing his hand on Hermione's knee under the table. "I'm very passionate about relaxing. In fact," he turned to face her, and his smile widened, "I'm in love with relaxing."

A/N: So, this is one of those rare chapters that I actually had planned out prior to arriving to it. Still, it needed quite a bit of brushing up and such and I've been working a ton, so it needed a fair amount of time to write. I remember when I published the chapters of Harry visiting Hermione when she was petrified, I got a decent amount of disgruntled feedback saying it was agonizingly boring and such. As you've gathered from this chapter, I wrote those out with the intention of it being what made Hermione not just fancy Harry, but fall in love with him. Hearing him pour his heart out to her night after night surely had to have some effect, right? And it was pretty obvious dear Hermione was already crushing on our beloved boy wizard when that happened, so I had those nights catalyze her feelings. So, yeah. If you were one of those bored individuals, I hope this makes up for it.

Only one reference in this chapter, and it's the last few lines. In one of my favorite episodes of the American version of The Office, Pam attributes a sudden burst of affection from Jim to his passion for Italian food, and Jim tells the audience that he's not just passionate about Italian food, but he's in love with it. I thought it was fitting for this chapter and that it would serve as a nice ending. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. It was roughly two hundred and fifty thousand words in the making, so yeah.

To my loyal readers, I love you guys. Seriously. I cannot express enough just how much you guys mean to me, into making this story more special than I ever could have imagined. I mean, as I write this note Strangers has over 1,100 reviews, 1,200 favorites, and 1,800 follows. What the fuck, that is like ten times what I was expecting. You guys rock, seriously. You shatter my expectations with your loyalty and your ability to boost my morale, and I hope that I in turn can at least meet the expectations that you guys have for me and this story. Thank you all, and stay safe!