Here's another chapter before I go to school!

Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I don't own Harry Potter or anything from the magical world. However, I own the plot of this story!

Chapter Five

To think of your best friend as anything other than your best friend would be…well…wrong. They're your best friend after all, and you're not meant to think about your best friend in that way. But of course, when you're a teenage boy, with a pretty girl laying beside you, you can't help but think of her in that way. Even if she is your best friend.

Harry sighed and brushed a stray strand of hair from Hermione's face, tucking it behind her ear. He'd tried not to let it show for that last five days, but that didn't mean it was any less realistic. He was falling in love with his best friend. Heck, he was already in love with his best friend. And, frankly, it was wrong. He never even thought of Hermione as anything but…Hermione. She was never one of the girls, but now…now he was starting to think differently. So he'd told the Weasley's that he'd never date Hermione, that didn't mean he wouldn't. He'd ask her out, if it wasn't for the small fact that she was his best friend. There were boundaries, and once those boundaries have been crossed, there's no going back. Nothing you can do about it. Harry, of course, didn't want to cross those boundaries and risk a perfectly good friendship just because he was in love with her. The chances that she felt the same were about a million to one anyway.

Harry suddenly wondered why he was laying in the bed with her anyway. Surely that was wrong in…so many ways on its own. Not that he was complaining. How could he complain? He was just so sure that he shouldn't be laying next to her.

Despite the fact that Hermione was stirring and would wake up at any moment, Harry continued to play with her hair, twirling it around his finger, then letting it go again.

"Morning," he whispered, when her eyes finally opened. She sleepily looked up at him and smiled.

"Morning," she replied.

"What do you want to do today?" Harry asked, still playing with her hair.

"I was thinking. You've never really met my parents, have you?"

"Not properly…"

"Why don't I take you to my house and you can finally meet them properly?"

"Hermione, I don't know…" She propped her head on her hand like Harry had and stared at him.

"Come on. Just for a couple of hours. We don't even have to stay that long, if you don't want to. I just think it would be nice if my parents finally met my best friend." Harry looked away from Hermione and thought for a moment.

"If you really want me to…"

"I do. They've heard so much about you, I think they'd actually like to put a face to you, properly."

----

It was mid-day when the two of them finally arrived at Hermione's house. It was a nice quiet area and now Harry knew why she'd grown to love reading books. The silence was perfect. Hermione grabbed his hand and dragged him to the door.

They couldn't get hold of Hermione's parents, so they had just arrived, hoping they were here. Harry reached up and rung the bell. The two of them heard footsteps in side and the door opened.

"Hermione!" a woman's voice cried. Harry turned back to Hermione in time to see her being pulled into a hug. He stood there awkwardly for a moment or two before Hermione pulled away and turned to him.

"Mum, this is Harry," she announced. Mrs. Granger turned to Harry and smiled.

"Come in, both of you." Hermione grabbed Harry's hand again and pulled him through the front door, quietly closing it behind her. Three other people sat on the sofa. Harry guessed that the man was Hermione's father. The teenage girl, who was roughly the same age as Hermione, jumped up and ran to her. Harry looked around the room and when Hermione finally pulled away from the other girl she introduced him.

"So, this is the famous Harry Potter," Hermione's dad said. "We hear so much about you. It's nice to finally meet you."

"It's nice to finally meet you too, Sir," Harry replied.

"Harry, this is my cousin, Lilly and my Gran," Hermione said, smiling. Harry shook Lilly's hand and then, at Hermione's orders, followed him up to her room, with Lilly. He guessed that no other boys had ever been in Hermione Grangers room before and hesitated for a while before stepping in and he had to admit, it wasn't what he'd expected. It was far more 'girly' than he would have thought it would be. The two girls were already sitting on the bed, catching up. From what he heard, Harry guessed that Lilly didn't know about Hermione's little 'secret'. He walked along, running his hand delicately over Hermione's chest of drawers until he came to a picture of the two of them. He picked it up and turned round.

"When was this, Hermione?" he asked. The two girls looked up.

"It was the beginning of last year. You and Ron threw me that mini birthday party," Hermione replied. The picture had been taken with a muggle camera. Harry wished it moved. He leant back on the chest of drawers and looked at it. Hermione had her arms round his waist and he had his arm round her shoulder. Why couldn't they just be a couple? The Boundaries, Harry reminded himself. He set the picture back down the chest of drawers and continued looking around the room. There were various other pictures of him and Hermione, he observed and hardly any of Ron.

Harry's eyes finally settled on Hermione. His best friend of seven years. He saw the similarities between her and Lilly and then he reminded himself of the things that were different. They way Hermione knew more about him than he did. The way she was always right. The way she spoke, the way she smiled, the way she did everything! Of course, the reason why he loved her. For being her.

"Harry," Hermione said, clicking her fingers. "Are you alright?"

"Me? Yeah, I'm fine." Hermione frowned and Lilly asked the first question that popped into her head.

"So, Harry, have you got a girlfriend? Hermione always talks about you, but not your love life and all that." Harry smiled.

"I might have. After all, girls can't resist me," Harry joked.

"You wish!" Hermione replied, then looked at Lilly. "He hasn't."

"Got your eyes set on someone then?" Lilly asked, nodding her head towards Hermione, she didn't see. Harry gaped at her, but quickly regained his composure.

"I…err…possibly…" he replied.

"He has," Hermione interjected.

"How come you know so much about my love life?" Harry asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I…listen…"

"So, Hermione, do you have a boyfriend?" Lilly asked.

"I should hope not," Harry replied, before quickly clamping his mouth shut.

"When did you become my dad?" Hermione joked.

"I'm your best friend. I have a say in who you go out with. I hope…"

"You two are terrible!" Lilly giggled. "You know more about each other than you do about yourselves."

"I spend too much time with her," Harry moaned, flopping down on the bed between the two girls. Hermione slapped his arm.

"If you don't want to spend time with me, you can always leave. You know where the door is."

"I know where all your stuff is. You can't kick me out with your tr-stuff at my house." Lilly looked up.

"You're staying at Harry's house?" Hermione blushed.

"Yeah. He invited me over until we go back to our other friends house and then back to school." Lilly smiled, knowingly. Harry suddenly poked Hermione in the side and she squirmed.

"What the hell was that for?" she asked.

"I just wondered if it tickled you…" he replied, innocently.

"You can be a real idiot sometimes."

"Thanks. It's nice to know you appreciate me." Hermione rolled her eyes and Harry smiled.

"What?"

"I love it when you do that," he said. Hermione stared at him and then blushed, throwing herself backwards against her pillows to try a disguise it.

"You three. Dinner's ready!" Mrs. Weasley called. Glad to be out of the awkward silence, Harry jumped off the bed and walked towards the door. Hermione followed him, but Lilly grabbed her arm and held her back long enough to whisper one sentence in her ear.

"You are so in love with him!"

This left Hermione gaping at her bedroom door.

­----

Hermione sat next to Harry at her dinner table and picked up her knife and fork. Obviously, with Lilly there, they couldn't speak about Hogwarts.

"So," Mrs. Granger said. "Harry, we've heard so much about you." Harry looked at Hermione, who blushed.

"Really?"

"Oh yes, Hermione's always talking about you."

"She is?"

"Yes." Hermione was clearly mortified now and she had sunk so low in her chair, Harry was sure she'd slide off at any moment. Harry stabbed a piece of chicken with his fork and put it in his mouth. Hermione did the same.

"So," her Gran said. "You're Hermione's boyfriend?" The two friends choked on their food and looked up.

"Boyfriend?" Hermione asked. "When did I say that?"

"You don't have to dear. I know these things," her Gran continued.

"No, no, no. I'm not Hermione's boyfriend!" Harry interrupted, holding up his hands.

Not saying I wouldn't like to be though, he thought.

"I'm just Hermione's best friend."

"Oh, well that's a shame. You two would go so well together…" Harry rubbed the back of his neck before putting another piece of chicken on his fork.

"You do fancy her though?"

"Nan!" Hermione cried, making Harry jump.

"I was just checking."

"Well, please don't!" Attempting to change the subject, Harry finished chewing his piece of chicken and turned to Mrs. Granger, who was eying him suspiciously.

"This food is brilliant."

"Why, thank you dear. I'm glad some people appreciate my cooking." Harry had the feeling he'd just started another argument.

----

"My Nan is the most embarrassing person in the whole world!" Hermione ranted, when they were back on the Night Bus.

"Don't worry about it," Harry replied, wrapping an arm round her. "I thought it was quite amusing!"