Chapter 5

Would the dawn of a new day be enough to wash away the pains of yesterday?

That was the question that Hermione asked herself when she woke up the next morning. She didn't get out of bed immediately, but rather sat there for a few minutes, thinking about the events of last night. Hoping that Harry had still been able to get a restful sleep. Wishing that she'd been here so that he would never have gone through whatever nightmare he had in the first place.

She sighed as she stood from the bed and went to gather her clothes for the day. All she could do was be there for Harry now, if he would allow it.

She was in for a surprise, though, when she walked out of her room to head for the bathroom, as Harry stepped out of his room at the same time, holding his own day clothes. The two of them were startled when their gazes met, obviously neither expecting to have crossed paths in the hall after waking. There was silence for a couple of seconds, as they stared at one another, before Hermione broke it.

"Hi," she quietly said.

"Hey," he replied. "Um, if you were headed to the bathroom, I can wait on you first."

His timid statement made her immediately want to reassure him. "You don't have to defer, Harry. Remember what I said the first night?"

His gaze softened a little bit, sparking a glimmer of hope in her heart. "I do, Hermione. But I don't mind, really. You've done so much for me that any little thing I can do for you, I will. So, go ahead. I'll wait in the guest room until you come get me."

A small smile grew on her face at his sentiment, and she warmly replied, "Alright then. Give me probably forty to forty-five minutes. And thank you."

"You're welcome." And with that quiet statement, he disappeared back into his room.

As Hermione walked into the bathroom and shut the door, the hope within her grew a little more. Maybe everything really would turn out alright.

A bit later, she walked out of the bathroom and back to Harry's room. Knocking on the open door as she stood in the entrance, she found him sitting on the bed with his back against the wall. He looked to her after she knocked before then glancing at the clock.

"About forty minutes exactly. Good sense of timing," he said with a bit of jest.

She playfully replied, "Well, I mean what I say, and I say what I mean."

He let out a quiet chuckle as he grabbed his clothes and stood from the bed. She stepped back into the hallway so he could leave the room, but before he could walk past her, she stopped him when she put a hand on his right arm. Seeing the confusion growing in his expression, she gave him the idea in her mind.

"Is it alright if I wait up here for you to finish, and then we can walk downstairs together?"

The expression he gave her was a mix of awkwardness and tenderness. Then, he whispered, "Yeah, that sounds good." She just gave him a nod, and then he walked into the bathroom and shut the door.

Hermione went back to her room and sat on her bed. This was definitely a great start to the day. Only time would tell if it remained that way, once Harry revealed to her what happened in his nightmare from yesterday.

She lost herself in memories of Harry again, and in what felt like no time at all, she heard a knock on the door and looked up to find Harry standing at the entrance to her room. The clock revealed that it had been about thirty minutes since he entered the bathroom.

He said, "Hey. Are you ready?"

She stood up and walked out into the hall. Before he could say anything, though, she decided to listen to another calling from her heart. And without a word, she hugged him in a gentle embrace, burying her head in his shoulder. Though it took a few seconds, probably due to confusion, she felt his arms go around her in the same soft manner, and the two stood there for a minute in silence.

When she finally pulled back and separated, the confusion was definitely palpable in his expression. "Um, not that the hug wasn't enjoyable, but what was it for?"

She looked at him with affection and replied, "Just… I'm glad that you're here."

While an obvious blush rose on his face, he gave her a small smile. "Yeah… I am, too. And thank you for convincing me to come."

She flashed him a beaming smile before looking to the stairs and tilting her head in that direction for a second. He nodded at the unspoken question, and the two of them walked down to the living room together.

Jack and Miranda were already sitting with each other on the sofa when Hermione and Harry entered at about eight o'clock, one after the other, and they turned to look at the two upon the arrival. Hermione moved to sit in her usual space in the middle of the sofa, next to her mum, but Harry's awkwardness seemed to return as he sat down in the armchair.

"Good morning, you two," the parents said together.

"Morning Mum, morning Dad," Hermione replied.

"Good morning, Mr. and Mrs. Granger," Harry said.

Miranda looked to Harry with some sympathy and said, "No need to fall back on formalities, Harry, remember?"

He gave a nervous laugh and responded, "Yes, sorry. Guess I wasn't so sure after what happened yesterday."

While concern grew a little in Miranda's expression, she simply asked, "Did you sleep well last night?"

Jack added, "Especially since we haven't seen you since that point where we first came home, so you probably went to sleep without anything for dinner."

Harry looked at the two parents for a second. Then, a hint of resolution fell over his face, as though he'd come to a decision. "Well, there was one hiccup at the beginning, where I thought I was going to have another nightmare. But it turned out not to be one, and I slept pretty soundly after that."

Hermione felt her heart grow wings that flapped with happiness for a few seconds. Maybe that was why he had appeared so tense when she walked into his room last night. And maybe she really did help him when she kissed his cheek good night and saw his face relax afterward. But she wouldn't say anything out loud until she and Harry were alone and could talk about things.

Jack stood up, with Miranda following suit right after, and said, "Well, we're glad that you were able to get some rest. And now, with you two up, we'll go prepare breakfast."

Miranda then looked to Harry and told him, with mock sternness, "And I hope, young man, that you will make sure to eat every bit we put on your plate, since you went to bed hungry last night?"

Though his response was courteous, Harry couldn't help the small smile that grew on his face. "Yes, Miranda. Yes, Jack. I will."

As the parents began leaving the living room, Miranda patted Harry on the shoulder and said jokingly, "Good answer."

Hermione was glad to see the smile on Harry's face grow a little bit larger, and to see him able to take the teasing in stride even though he had to know that her parents were still concerned about yesterday's events.

Once she and Harry were alone, he looked to the armchair and then back to her. Then, he got up out of the chair and sat next to her, exactly like when they'd read her history book together since he left barely any space between them. Her heart was now jumping for joy at the progress that was happening.

Gazing at each other, his expression then became timid as he quietly said, "You know, it's weird for me to have your parents so concerned about my well-being even when they have so many reasons to hate me. Not to mention… all those years growing up with the Dursleys, the years where no one put in any effort to check on me even though Dumbledore himself said that he knew he was basically leaving me in a hellhole, it always feels unbelievable when someone seems to actually care."

Hermione felt a sharp stab of pain in her heart. She had half a mind to jump up and Apparate to those miserable relatives of his and show them exactly what magic could do to them. But Harry himself was more important right now.

Without removing her gaze from him, she took hold of his right hand and intertwined their fingers. Then, she whispered, "That's what a real family does, Harry. Look out for one another. And you're my best friend, I worry about you. So, of course Mum and Dad would worry about you, too."

His expression became a bit dejected, and it took about ten seconds before he sadly replied. "Still… I guess it's one of those things that I'll just never get used to. I never could with the Weasleys, and your parents have been better in that they're nowhere near as… dysfunctional as the Weasleys, to try and put it somewhat nicely. And that kind of flaw is something which feels much more familiar to me when it comes to domestic life."

Her heart must have been slowly starting to take over because, without stopping to think, she immediately responded, "Then I'll just have to have you over here as much as possible so that you can get used to it, won't I?"

Her unexpected words only broke through to her mind when she saw Harry's absolutely stunned expression, but she schooled her face enough that her own shock didn't show. She would never, however, take the words back. She said that she would do anything to help him. And if being here gave him happiness, like she hoped it had so far going by his thanking her for convincing him to come during the holidays, then she would bring him to stay with her as often as possible.

After a minute, Harry finally whispered, "You would really do that?"

Hermione gave his hand a squeeze and softly replied, "Of course I would. It's like I said that night in the common room. I want you to be happy. And I'll do anything to help you so that you can be happy."

Tears began to build up in his eyes, as he looked down at their joined hands before raising his head back to her. Then, he tugged her forward before letting go of her hand and wrapping his arms tightly around her. She quickly responded and gave him a crushing hug. In the hush that followed, her logical mind was completely gone. In its place was one single thought from her heart.

Today. She would tell him her true feelings today.

Eventually, she felt Harry beginning to pull back, so she loosened her hold. When they separated and locked eyes, Harry's eyes were dry, but he still wore a sad expression. He said, "After breakfast, is there somewhere we can go and be alone? I… I'm ready to talk about what happened yesterday."

Well, apparently the universe wanted her to tell him today, too. Giving it some thought, there was one place that stood out above all else. "How about the Forest of Dean? There wouldn't normally be anyone else around. But in case someone did actually pass through, we could have all of the protections up that we used during the hunt so that we'll still be safe. In my beaded handbag, I've even still got the tent Bill gave us, if you would rather not just sit in the forest itself. How does that sound, Harry?"

After a few seconds of silence with Harry thinking over her idea, he responded, "Yeah, OK. That sounds fine."

She nodded before asking the last question on her mind. "So, what do you want to tell Mum and Dad? Since we have to Apparate, I would like to warn them that we'll be leaving so that they won't worry."

His eyes glanced away for a couple of seconds before he replied. "I'll just tell them the truth. That I wanted a private place to talk to you about yesterday. Considering how kind your parents have been to me thus far, they deserve that much."

She gave him a tiny smile as she said, "OK then, it's a plan."

At that point, they heard footsteps in the hallway and then a knock on the wall. They looked towards the living room entrance to see Hermione's parents standing there.

Jack said, "Food's ready, you two."

Miranda added, while looking to Harry, "And you remember what I said before we left?"

Unable to hide the cheeky grin that lit his face, Harry said with mock seriousness, "I will make sure to eat every bit you put on my plate."

The parents couldn't help their chuckles as they left for the kitchen. Harry and Hermione stood up and followed within a few seconds. When they arrived, the two of them noticed that the plate set at Harry's spot at the table had portions that were bigger by probably half. They looked at each other and both shook their heads in amusement before taking their places.

Breakfast was a quiet affair, with all being content to bask in the tranquil silence. Harry actually managed to finish his meal at the same time as the three Grangers. Jack spoke up when they were done, "Looks like you were hungrier than you thought, eh?"

Harry sheepishly said, "Maybe, but… I'm not sure I would have been able to eat yesterday evening if I'd even tried."

Hermione couldn't stop herself and, under the table, put her left hand on top of his right. He looked at her and gave her a sad smile, understanding what she was trying to do.

The parents knew that Hermione had done something to have earned the smile, but they decided not to bring mention to it. Miranda then said, "Like we told you last night, Harry, we're here for you if there's anything we can do."

Taking a deep breath, Harry replied, "Well, actually… while there's nothing you need to do, I wanted to tell you that Hermione and I are planning to Apparate to one of the places we went to during the hunt last year. I…"

He paused for a second, looking shamefaced down at the table. "I wanted a quiet and private place where I could talk to Hermione about what happened yesterday. And I hope you don't think less of me that I only feel ready to tell her right now."

Hermione curled her hand around his, trying to reassure him with her presence. Even with only knowing her parents for less than a week, he was worried that not giving them what was by all accounts very personal information would make it appear that he thought badly of them. In her mind, she cursed every single person that had played any part in utterly destroying his self-worth.

She heard the scrapes of chairs and looked up to see her parents moving to their side of the table. Hermione let go of Harry, knowing that he probably wouldn't want any unnecessary questions right now, but she gave his hand a couple of soft pats before pulling her hand away completely to try and let him know that she was still with him.

Once the parents had come around the table and were standing next to Harry, Jack kneeled down to be at eye-level. Then, he put a hand on Harry's shoulder and said, "We don't think that at all, Harry. If anything, we're glad that you trust Hermione enough to talk to her."

Miranda gave a sympathetic nod before saying, "You don't owe us anything, Harry. And if you aren't ready for anyone else to know, we'll never force you to tell."

Jack gave Harry's shoulder a squeeze before removing his hand and standing up. Harry looked up at the parents and, after a couple of seconds, hesitantly whispered, "Thank you. I don't know what to say."

Smiling at him, Miranda said, "Well, when did the two of you want to leave? That way, we can be ready for the crack when you disappear."

Hermione decided to jump in at this point. "After breakfast, so I guess we'll do it soon?" She said it in a questioning tone since she and Harry hadn't set a definitive time after breakfast of when to leave.

But she must have been right, as Harry turned to her and nodded. Then, he said, "Yeah, the quicker the better, I think. I've already got my pouch, and we can use the Invisibility Cloak while Apparating in case there might actually be someone else in that area."

"Alright then," she responded. "Just let me go grab my beaded handbag, and then we'll go."

A minute later, Hermione hurried into the living room, her handbag tucked into one of the pockets of her jacket. She found her parents on the sofa and Harry in the armchair. When she entered, Harry turned and, seeing her, stood up from the chair, holding his folded Cloak in his right hand.

Deciding not to waste time, she spoke before he could. "I'm ready when you are." He simply nodded and stepped into the space between the TV and coffee table. When she moved to stand in front of him, he unfolded the Cloak.

She then said in a loud and clear tone, "When you throw that over us, I'll count to three and then Apparate us. That way, Mum and Dad will be prepared for the departure, since we'll be invisible." He nodded and took a deep breath, but before anything else could be done, Miranda stood and spoke up.

"Wait. Just one thing before you leave."

Harry and Hermione turned their heads to her. She had a worried expression, one that didn't go away when Jack stood up and put an arm around her in comfort. After a couple of seconds, Miranda continued.

"I won't ask where you might be going. All I ask is… please be safe, you two. If anything would happen to you now, after everything you two have suffered over the years, I couldn't handle it."

Surprisingly, Harry beat Hermione with a response. He replied, fairly resolutely considering what they were leaving to do, "I promise you both, we will come back safe and sound. And I refuse to break a promise."

Miranda and Jack both gave him a smile, hers being a bit watery, and a silent nod. Sensing the conversation was over, Harry and Hermione turned back to each other. A second later, he threw the Cloak over them, and they crouched down to let it fully cover them. She took his hands and whispered for only his ears, "OK, ready?"

His only response was a nod.

Thus, she called out loudly, "Alright then. One… two… three!" And with a crack, the two of them disappeared from the Granger residence and landed in the Forest of Dean.

Back at the house, Miranda looked down at the floor and sadly shook her head. Jack gave her a squeeze with the arm that was still around her and gently asked, "What is it, honey? What's on your mind?"

She shakily replied, "I just wish there was something more I could do. You saw how terrified he was at the table when he told us he could only talk to Hermione right now. It makes me feel like I haven't done enough to make him feel comfortable in our home."

Jack pulled her into a full hug before saying, "Think of it this way. His worry about our reactions, as well as his honesty with telling us in the first place, shows that he thinks well enough of us to care about what we think of him. If it's somehow not that, then he at least cares about Hermione so much that he wants to be on good terms with us for her sake."

Miranda pulled back just enough to look up at him with pleading eyes. "Yes, I suppose I can't disagree with that."

He continued, "I think we're doing what we need to in treating him basically like a member of the family. We just need to keep at it. But I also think that it's really only going to be because of Hermione that Harry finally starts to heal. And you said it yourself last night. If there's anyone that can help him, it's our Little Worm."

She smiled at him before putting her hand at the back of his neck and pulling him down for a kiss. When they parted, she said, "Thank you, dear. I needed those words."

He returned the smile. "That's why I'm here. Even the best of us need a helping hand sometimes."

She chuckled at him before pulling out of the hug. Then, after a deep breath, Miranda said, "Alright, I mentioned in the bedroom last night about getting groceries sometime today. I think I'll go ahead and do that now."

Jack asked, "Do you want me to come with you, or should I stay here in case the kids come home?"

"Please stay here," she answered. "The last thing we need is for them to come home to an empty house, even if we would leave a note about where we are."

He nodded his agreement before a thoughtful expression crossed his face. "Do you… want to get those pictures developed while you're out?"

She shook her head. "Not until Christmas Eve. I don't want to miss out on anything good between now and then if I can help it."

He simply gave a silent nod at her plan.

Meanwhile, in the Forest of Dean, Hermione looked around under the Cloak but couldn't see anyone near them. Pulling out her wand, she whispered, "OK, I think we're alone. But just to be safe, as soon as you take this Cloak off, get your wand and start helping me set up our old protections."

He nodded before flinging the Cloak off, holding it underneath his left arm as he followed Hermione's order. And in no time at all, they had the entire clearing they were located in covered in their enchantments to keep others from finding them.

Once they were done, Harry folded up the Cloak and stuffed it back into his mokeskin pouch. He remained silent as he moved to a large tree and sat with his back to it, legs stretched out in front of him. Hermione was worried about the anxious expression on his face, as he stared towards the ground, and the shaky breaths he was taking. It was as if, now that he was here, the situation of what he had wanted to do was hitting him in full force all at once.

The tree was large enough to fit them both, so she slowly walked over and sat down next to him, on his right side. Her fears were amplified by how he never moved, like he didn't even realize she was still there. No, she couldn't let him start drowning himself in unneeded guilt.

Not moving her gaze, she joined her left hand and his right, once again linking their fingers together. That seemed to pull him out of whatever hole he was diving into, as he rapidly blinked for a second before glancing at their hands and then locking his eyes on her.

"Harry," she whispered, "if you think you still aren't ready to talk about yesterday, just say so. You don't have to do this if it's too much."

He shook his head and said, with a slight quiver in his voice, "No, I… if I don't do it now, who's to say I'll ever do it at all?"

Looking at him as sympathetically as she could, she replied, "Well, do you want me to pull out the tent from my bag and then set it up, so that we can sit in there?"

While it took a couple of seconds this time, he shook his head again. "No, this is fine. Just… will you please stay here, sitting at my side, while I do this?"

She scooted closer to him, leaving no space in between them as their legs and sides touched. Then, she gave his hand a squeeze and whispered, "You never needed to ask. I won't go anywhere."

He looked away, pulled his knees up to his chest, and wrapped his left arm around his knees. Then, he murmured so quietly that she would have missed it had there been any other sounds in the forest, "Can you be so sure?"

That threw Hermione off, as it was a question she hadn't been expecting. She didn't have enough time to respond, however, as Harry slipped his hand out of hers and put his other arm around his knees. Then, with his gaze locked onto the forest floor in front of him, he continued.

"There's something else about my nightmares that you don't know. I told you that my worst nightmares were always the ones that pushed me to go to the common room, rather than try and go back to sleep. But what I didn't tell you is that… my worst nightmares always involve you."

Her eyes went wide at the revelation, and she couldn't stop the gasp that left her. He'd mentioned the Department of Mysteries after saying that some of his nightmares were about their earlier adventures but with more people dying at the end. Was he watching her die, night after night?

Harry's next words, with the pain in his voice being obvious to anyone, confirmed her fears. "Watching you die in places like the Department of Mysteries or Malfoy Manor. Seeing you get fed up and leave because you think I'm hopeless or too much of a danger to your life, like when I dream about the Horcrux hunt. Or, or with you being one of the voices telling me that my only purpose is complete. Sometimes the clearest voice, like… like yesterday."

A pit instantly formed in her stomach. The shame he held within him was so great that he was torturing himself with the possibility of being alone without a purpose. What horrible things could her dream-self have said in his nightmare?

She took a deep breath, wanting to remain strong and support him, and gently placed her left hand on his upper arm. This caused him to blink a few times and turn his head just enough so that he could look at her with his right eye. Then, with as much tenderness as she could give, she whispered, "Harry… will you tell me exactly what happened yesterday? What happened in your nightmare and has terrified you so much?"

He turned a bit more, looking down at her hand on his arm a few seconds later. Then, her heart started dropping when he let go of his knees, appearing as though he was going to get up and walk away, still unable to talk to her. But he surprised her again when he remained sitting, merely stretching his legs out again, and then took hold of her left hand with his right, holding it like it was his last tether of salvation. He locked his despondent eyes onto her before speaking, the lump in his throat obvious from his tone.

"Do you have any clue about what your touch does for me? It's like… it's the one guiding light I have in my life. It shows me that you're still here, even with everything you've had to suffer over the years through knowing me. It tells me that, even with my lack of purpose, you're still at my side, and that there's still a single place that I can belong, whether it be as a friend or as… anything else."

While Hermione didn't let it show through her expression, the shock that ran through her at Harry's last statement was so great that she may as well have been struck by lightning. Was he having thoughts about their relationship, too? When he said as anything else, did he actually mean as something more than just friends?

She was pulled from her rapidly cascading thoughts when Harry continued. "But there's always a part of me that is afraid of what would happen if you were gone, especially with how distant I've acted this year. And yesterday, I was lying on the bed and trying to convince myself to be happy with how things were, because you've told me that you would never give up on me, and I know that you would never lie to me. So, I started taking deep breaths and closed my eyes, for what I thought was a few moments.

"But when I opened my eyes, I wasn't at the house anymore. I was sitting at King's Cross."

Hermione hated to interrupt him, but she needed to ask. "Do you know why it was King's Cross?"

His eyes glanced away for a second before he answered. "Because, if you recall everything I told you when the Battle of Hogwarts was over, after I let Riddle hit me with a Killing Curse," to which Hermione instinctually tightened her hold on his hand at the reminder of the miracle that Harry was still here, "that's where I woke up and ended up meeting Dumbledore, even if it may have all just been in my head from the old man's last words before I blacked out again and then became conscious of the fact that I was still lying on the forest floor."

Giving him a sympathetic look, she said, "So, because of that, did you think you were actually dead when you woke up and weren't at home?"

He gave a short nod. "Yeah, basically. I stood up in a panic and started saying that I was really still back at your house, that me being at King's Cross had to just be a dream. But then…"

He paused, turned away, and began looking at his knees. Then, after a few seconds of silence, he timidly said, "I heard a voice behind me, asking me whether it mattered if this was a dream. I turned around in fright, hoping with everything that the person wasn't who it sounded like. But it was… it was you."

He closed his eyes and started taking short breaths, looking for everything like he was close to a panic attack. Needing to comfort him, she reached over with her right hand to take his left, pulling it over until she held his hands just as she'd done in the common room that last night at Hogwarts.

When he opened his eyes and glanced at her again, she whispered with all the affection she could muster, "Always remember, you can tell me anything. I promise." And she squeezed his hands for a second to emphasize her statement.

While his fearful expression didn't change, he gave her a short nod. Then, after managing to take one long and steady breath, he continued, though it was obvious from his choking tone that he was desperately holding in tears.

"You started saying that dreams can sometimes give us messages that we are ignoring or haven't realized, and then asked what could the message there have been. At that point, I closed my eyes and pleaded to myself a few times to wake up. But when I opened my eyes, I was still standing there. Then, you started saying that maybe it wasn't a dream, and that everything I thought had been real was just a hallucination right before I died, but you also said this wouldn't go against the idea of my mind sending me a message."

He closed his eyes and hung his head. "And then, you stepped up to me, with an expression on your face as though I was complete scum, saying that you knew the message. And you asked me… what made me think that I would always have a place at your side?"

Because you do, Hermione thought. Because the only place that she wanted to be was by his side.

She never had a chance, however, to say anything. As much as it pained Harry to be talking about this, it seemed that he couldn't stop now, as though he'd fallen over the edge of a waterfall.

"When I tried to talk about how you said you would never give up on me, your response was to ask how I could be certain that you would never finally reach your breaking point with me. My only answer was that I had to believe it because I would be lost without you."

Tears then began flowing from his closed eyes. "That's when you said that I was already lost now that my purpose had been fulfilled, which is why I was clinging onto you so badly. That I'm much more dependent on you than you are on me. And I could only stand there and cry, until the real you started shaking my arm and pleaded for me to wake up. I had no rebuttal because it's completely true. I am and always have been so dependent on you. And that worries me for more than just not knowing what to do with my life.

"You said before that you would never give up on me, but what if I and all of my issues end up holding you back? You could be so great, Hermione, with your brilliance and resolve. There's nothing in the world that you couldn't do. You deserve the chance to see how high you can reach with your potential. A chance to have something better than being chained to me and my issues for however long it may take to get past them. Even if I would have to suffer alone, I would take that a thousand times over if it meant that you would be happy."

Harry finally became silent as he let go of her hands and pulled his knees back up to his chest. Then, he wrapped his arms around, and rested his forehead on, his knees. This was so much worse than his appearance that night in the common room. He seemed to have been completely broken.

Hermione had been too stunned to keep a tight grip on his hands. This was his torment over the last six months. He was afraid to lose her from his life but, at the same time, terrified about ruining her own with his problems. And he was such a noble idiot that he would rather destroy himself than place what he thought were burdens on her.

But he was wrong. Being at his side for all time wasn't a chain holding her back. And it was time for him to learn exactly why she would always be with him.

Just like earlier, she placed a hand on his arm and caused him to glance at her with one eye. This time, however, she stood up without a word before holding both of her hands out, palms up as an invitation for him. With tears still streaming down his cheeks, he stared at her hands for a second before looking back up to her. Then, with some reluctance, he took her hands and stood up from the forest floor. She was glad that he was still able to trust her, even when she knew he was questioning whatever it was she had planned.

She took a few steps backwards away from the tree, pulling him along with her. When she stopped them and let go of his hands, he just stared at her with all the sadness of the world in his eyes. Maybe he thought she was going to agree with his words about her life being hindered by trying to help him.

If that was the case, then he was in for the biggest, and hopefully happiest, shock of his life.

Still remaining silent, Hermione reached up with her left hand, placing it on his right cheek. Then, his eyes widened when she began to gently wipe the tear tracks away with her thumb. She started at his jawline and slowly made her way to his eye. When she finished and made sure that no new tears were falling, and without pulling her left hand away from him, she then brought her right hand up and repeated the process with his left cheek. And when she was done a minute or so later, she simply stood there, holding his head between her hands. While his eyes were now filled with confusion, she was glad to see that all of the misery within them had disappeared.

Only then did she finally speak, in a whisper. "Please, answer me this question, Harry. You said earlier that my touch lets you know that there's a place where you belong, whether as a friend or as anything else. But when you said 'anything else…' did you really mean as more than a friend?"

Sorrow returned to his expression and, though he couldn't turn his head within her grasp, his eyes glanced away. Then, he despondently said, "I should have known you would pick up on that, especially with how you know me better than anyone. But, yes… that's what I mean. And I didn't want to say anything about it because I have no right to ask more of you after how much you've been working to help me with this holiday break."

Her heart was screaming at her to kiss him right then. But there was one last thing she wanted to ask before finally taking that leap. "Well, then that leads to one more question, if you're willing to take it."

His eyes flicked back to her and, after a few seconds, he replied, "Sure, Hermione. Go ahead."

She took a long breath and then asked, "If I would do something stupid in the next minute or two that could potentially make things awkward, will you promise that our friendship won't be ruined afterwards?"

He was completely baffled at her question but instantly answered. "Hermione, I don't think you could ever do anything stupid, so you don't have to worry. But if you still need or want the words, then I promise that you will always be my best friend, no matter what."

Those were the best words she could have hoped for. It was now or never.

"Thank you," she whispered to him. And not wanting to wait even another instant in case she chickened out, she placed her right hand on the back of his neck. Then, she pulled his head down to her and kissed him full on the lips.

Even with her eyes closed, she figured that he was definitely shocked because he was as still as a statue. But as long as he wasn't trying to pull away, she would keep this going since there was a real possibility that it could be the only kiss that she would get from him.

But then…

His mouth began to move in response to hers, and she felt him wrap his arms around her before pulling her body closer to him. Her heart and soul were both jumping in euphoria that this was actually happening. She tried deepening the kiss, grazing her tongue across his lips as either a request for her or an invitation to him. He immediately responded and met her tongue with his own. No interruption in the world could have pulled her out of this moment.

A minute later, they pulled back and separated, gasping for air. Once they had caught their breath some, Harry was the first to speak.

"Hermione, why did… I don't…"

His expression showed that he was utterly baffled. And her next question probably wasn't going to ease his nerves, either.

Stepping up to him again until she was a few inches away, she said, "Harry, what if I told you that there is absolutely a place for you at my side as more than a friend?"

His eyes went wide, and she could see the shine of tears building up within them. He haltingly whispered, "What? You… do you mean that?"

She looked at him with a bit of fear before answering with another question. "Is that promise about our friendship still in effect?"

He seemed thrown off by the question, and his disbelieving tone confirmed that. "Of course, Hermione. Like I told you when we reunited at King's Cross, I won't break a promise to you."

She let out a nervous laugh. "Good. Because there's a high probability that things will get uncomfortable with my next words."

Hermione then took hold of his hands, almost more for her own sake this time. Taking one more deep breath, she looked up after a few seconds and locked eyes with him before finally whispering to him the phrase that she'd been holding back for the entire break.

"I love you, Harry."

He was completely dumbfounded. His eyes were larger than she'd ever before seen, and his jaw dropped in shock. He tried to speak a few times, but his mouth would just move a bit before dropping back down, no sounds leaving him at all. Wanting to help him like always, she took the lead again and just decided to come out with every detail.

"I know that it has to be a shock to hear that seemingly out of the blue. And I know that maybe it's still too early for me to even say that considering we've never talked about being more than friends before. But there's no better way to describe my feelings for you. No other way to describe how utterly important you are to me, and how determined I am to find a way for you to be happy, no matter what it takes.

"You say that you are more reliant on me than I am on you. I say that you're wrong, and that I could never survive without you. Harry, don't forget how I wanted to die with you, when you were going to meet Riddle during the Battle of Hogwarts, rather than live the rest of my life without you, even when I hadn't realized the depths of my feelings for you. And I only stayed behind because you begged me to, and I could never deny what we thought was your last request."

She could feel tears beginning to rise in her eyes now that she was finally confessing everything, but she trudged on through her words. "You say that you don't want to place any burdens on me. I say give me every burden you have, because you've been carrying the weight of the world for far too long. Let someone else carry you as you take a more-than-deserved rest from having to solve the problems of all of us."

His expression made him appear to be overwhelmed by her revelations. She saw a couple of tears begin to trickle down the right side of his face. Letting go of his hands, she placed her left hand on his cheek and began to wipe with her thumb, just like before. He smiled in gratitude for an instant, giving her a bit of hope about how things would go after she ended her speech. But there was still more that needing saying.

Without removing her hand from his cheek, she quietly said, "You say that staying with you, and helping you through your issues, will just be a chain that holds me back. I say…"

She choked up for a second as her own tears started to fall but was able to push through the lump in her throat. "I say that there's no better place for me to be, no other place that I want to be, than by your side. And even if it took longer than our entire lifetimes to resolve your problems, I would still be right there with you, every step of the way."

Harry's brow was furrowed in such a way that Hermione could tell that he was trying his hardest to keep from crying. And her final piece may just push him over that edge.

"So, if you don't think you're ready with your issues to try a deeper relationship, or if you even simply don't want to try for any reason, you will still always be my best friend, and I will be here to help you in any way that I can. But if you do ever want to take that plunge, then there's a spot reserved right at my side with your name on it, and it's not going anywhere."

With that, she pulled her hand away from him and became silent. The secret was now out in the open. She would accept whatever reaction he had or decision he made regarding her confession. While it would hurt if he ended up rejecting her, she meant every word about always staying at his side to help him.

Harry closed his eyes and hung his head, still trying to hold back sobs. Though Hermione wanted to let him have time to compose himself, her need to comfort him was too great. She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him to her in a gentle embrace. He immediately circled his own arms around her, holding her as tightly as a lifeline. She tightened her embrace in response, trying to silently tell him that she was right here for him.

When he finally spoke, his voice sounded as though every one of the tears he hadn't shed from his eyes was now coming through in his words. "I don't deserve at all to have someone like you in my life, someone that will unquestionably give so much of themselves for my sake."

She loosened her grip on him only just enough that she could look at him, causing him to do the same. As his emerald eyes stared into her chocolate-brown ones, Hermione whispered, "I think you do. I think you deserve so much more than all of us could ever repay. But even if you somehow didn't, do you remember my words on the train?"

His lips curled in a half-smile for an instant before he said, "That sometimes, it's just about what is."

She gave a small nod. Deciding to listen to another temptation from her heart, she placed her right hand at the back of his head and slowly brought him forward until their foreheads were touching, almost its own kind of kiss, and held him there. Then, she tenderly replied, "That's right. And Harry… I'm not going anywhere. I will never leave your life. No matter what."

He was overwhelmed again by her declarations and closed his eyes, though he at least wasn't trying to break away from her. When his eyes opened, although he still appeared as if he was holding in tears, there was a genuine smile on his face. And when he spoke, she could hear the undercurrent of happiness beneath his tearful tone.

"You've been my best friend for so long, even if I only just realized this year that it was actually you. You've done so much for me over the last seven years, and always looked out for me. You're an amazing, brilliant, and wonderful woman, Hermione. And… I would love to take that plunge to see where our relationship can go."

No words in the universe could convey the happiness that filled Hermione at that very moment. So, rather than attempting to speak, she let go of his head but then leaned her mouth forward to give him a deep kiss. He instantly responded this time, and there was nothing that could matter more to her than being here with Harry at this moment. When they pulled away, they were both wearing the same huge, bright smiles on their faces.

An idea popped into Hermione's head, and she shifted to hold Harry's hands again. Seeing the puzzlement in his eyes, she led them back to the tree where they had previously been sitting. When she looked to him and nudged her head at the tree for a second, he understood what she was asking, letting go of her hands and sitting down. After he had settled, she joined him by scooting into his right side and linking her hand with his again. Then, she closed her eyes and leaned her head onto his shoulder.

Harry gave a soft chuckle at her actions before then leaning his own head to rest against hers. Hermione opened her eyes and couldn't stop the content sigh that left her lips when he did so.

As they sat there, staring into the forest, she heard Harry murmur, "You know, I'm not sure what I was even expecting to happen today, but it certainly wasn't this."

She squeezed his hand for a second and tenderly said, "It may have been a surprise, but at least it was a pleasant one this time, right?"

He chuckled again and answered, "Probably the understatement of the century there." His tone then became completely serious. "Thank you so much for having the patience to stay at my side all this time."

She replied just as gravely, "No need to thank me for something I always would have done."

He simply tightened his grip on her hand a bit, a silent acknowledgement. No more words were said after that, and the forest was so tranquil that Hermione couldn't help closing her eyes again in happiness.

When she next tried to open them, she had to blink a few times, trying to get rid of the sudden sleepiness and heaviness in her eyes. Her head was still on Harry's shoulder, so she took a deep breath and said, "Harry?"

He answered with a question of his own. "Hey, you finally awake now?"

That caused her to pull her head up. Looking into his eyes, she asked, "So, I really have been asleep?"

He nodded. "For a while, yeah. I called your name at one point and you never answered. When I slowly moved my head enough that I could look at you, I saw you sleeping on my shoulder. But you looked so peaceful that I didn't want to disturb you. So, I just let you rest until you woke up on your own."

She was touched at his thoughtfulness and leaned in to give him a kiss, lasting for a few seconds. When they parted, he had a blush and a timid smile on his face, looking all too adorable.

"Thank you," she said.

He sheepishly responded, "Well, like I said, any little thing I can do to help you, I will."

She smiled at him. Though she had no idea how long it may take for his shyness to disappear, at least it was endearing and showed that he was being genuine. Then, remembering that they were still in the Forest of Dean, she asked, "What time is it? Do you have your wristwatch?"

He looked over to his left wrist and said, "One o'clock right now. You've been asleep for about two hours since I first checked, but I can't say exactly when you first fell asleep or even when we arrived here in the forest."

She was a little shocked at the time. "That means we've been here for almost four-and-a-half hours, since we left right after breakfast. Maybe we better go home, I don't want Mum and Dad to worry too much about us being gone for so long."

He just nodded and finally let go of her left hand before standing up. He pulled out his Invisibility Cloak and unfolded it as she went around the area and ended their protections. When she finished and walked back to him, he flung the Cloak over them, and they hunched down to let it fully conceal them.

Hermione then took hold of his hands again and said, "OK, I'll count to three and then Apparate us to my room. That way, we don't scare Mum and Dad too badly with the crack that may sound. But before that, I have one question."

Harry said, "Sure, ask away."

She nodded and replied, "What do you want to do about my parents when it comes to this new step in our relationship? Do you want to just tell them immediately once we get home, or would you rather wait a little bit?"

His response was a quiet chuckle, which perplexed her. He must have seen her confusion, as his answer quickly cleared things up. "Sorry for the out-of-nowhere laugh. It's just… you talked about us going home twice now, even though it's only your house. Combining that with what you said earlier about having me over way more often to get used to family that cares, it… it really does feel like there's a place where I can always belong. And I know you probably didn't mean it like that, and that I may have read too much into it – "

Hermione had been so touched at his comment that she refused to let him backtrack his way out. "You absolutely can read it like that. My home is your home, Harry. Wherever that home may be."

He appeared to choke up at how she really was willing to let him into her home. His response was a muted, "Thank you."

She simply squeezed his hands again without a word, and they stood there gazing at one another.

After a minute, Harry took a deep breath and said, "Alright, I guess we really should get going. So, to actually answer your question… would it be alright if we waited until tomorrow to confess to your parents? That's a conversation I would rather have after a full night's rest, especially after the large gamut of emotions I've already experienced today."

Hermione nodded and replied, "Whatever you want, Harry, we can do that. Alright then… are you ready to go home?"

He answered, "Ready when you are."

She nodded and began the countdown. And in a few seconds, they were standing in Hermione's room.

After Harry threw the Cloak off of them, Hermione went into the hall and yelled as loudly as she could, "Mum! Dad! We're home!"

Only a few seconds later, Jack reached the top of the stairs. Hermione was rushing towards the stairs herself but stopped when he appeared. Harry was only a couple of steps behind her, stopping to stand on her left side after she halted.

Jack said, "Miranda and I heard the crack but weren't completely sure if it was you. Glad to have you home again."

As if on cue, Miranda then arrived at the second floor. Upon seeing the two teenagers next to each other, she visibly sighed in relief and said, "Oh, I'm glad you're both here safely. While I know that the two of you can surely handle yourselves, I couldn't help but worry a little after a few hours passed with both of you still gone."

She then looked at the two with a bit more concern and hesitantly asked, since she wasn't sure if it was any of her business, "So, did everything go well with your talk, you two? You don't have to say anything if it's too personal, I don't want to pry."

Harry and Hermione looked at each other for a few seconds and smiled. Then, Harry turned his head back to Miranda and said, "Yeah, went better than I ever could have imagined. You should be proud of your daughter. She really is the best friend a person could have."

Hermione blushed and gave a sheepish smile. Before anything could be mentioned on that, Harry continued, "And Miranda, Jack. I'm sorry for making the two of you worry. That wasn't my intention at all. It required a longer talk to get through my issue, and then Hermione and I just enjoyed the peace and quiet for a while afterwards until we realized how long we had been gone."

Miranda walked up to Harry and surprised him by hugging him for a couple of seconds. When she let go and stepped back, she replied, "Harry, it's a parent's job to worry about their children. And while you aren't actually our child, you are the best friend of our child, which puts you in the same category to look out for. The key, though, is to still have enough faith in your children to not let that worry make you become overbearing and end up stifling them. Especially so when you know that the children are adults that have faced far greater dangers than you ever will, and that they can take care of themselves."

Harry was dumbfounded for a few seconds before timidly saying, "Thank you for thinking so highly of me, even when you have every prerogative not to with what's happened in your lives because of me."

Jack stepped up, clapped a hand onto Harry's left shoulder, and quietly answered, "No thanks necessary. You're important to Hermione, so that makes you important to us, as well."

Harry looked from the parents to Hermione and back again, with a smile that Hermione could tell was from trying to hold back tears at the great consideration her family already had for him. He remained silent, as Jack moved back beside Miranda.

Then, Jack asked, "Now, am I right in assuming that you two haven't eaten since breakfast?" He received sheepish nods from both teenagers and thus continued. "Well, I thought I would go get some takeout. The clouds have built up to the point that it could snow at any time, and depending on how much freezing rain and ice we get along with it, we might have to wait a few days before going anywhere afterwards. How does Chinese sound again, since it's close enough and also gives such large amounts of food? Of course, there's also a couple of leftover pieces of pizza from last night that we saved for you, Harry, just to let you know."

Harry's eyes glanced down at the floor for a second before he answered, "Takeout is fine with me."

Hermione agreed, "Yeah, that sounds like a plan, Dad." She then leaned into Harry's ear and whispered, "Try the sesame chicken this time. That might be my actual favorite."

He looked at her with a smirk but silently nodded at her idea.

-O-

No more than ten seconds after Jack walked back in the door with their lunch plates, snow began to fall in the neighborhood. Hermione always got that childlike feeling of wonder whenever it snowed in time for Christmas. It almost didn't feel like the holidays without seeing the houses and grounds covered in snow. She felt as if it gave a sense of tranquility to the environment.

After finishing their meals, with Hermione silently giggling at how Harry seemed to enjoy this one even more, she surprised Harry when she asked her father if they still had their old chess set in the house. After he went to check the bedroom closet, when she saw the surprise on Harry's face, she shrugged and said that he played it a lot with Ron at Hogwarts, so she figured they could do something today that he enjoyed. The affectionate smile she received with that comment told her that she completely made the right choice.

For the rest of the day, the whole group actually got involved with playing against one another, with the winner switching out for the next person. Harry had been confused about that stipulation until he saw Jack play and win very handily against Miranda in the first match. Hermione then revealed that her dad was far and away the best player of all of them, with Hermione having never beat him whenever she did play, and her mum only winning maybe five percent of the time against him. Jack's reply was that he actually liked it whenever Hermione and Miranda were able to challenge him and make him work for a win, since one won't actually improve if they only play people that can be beaten too quickly. Harry and Hermione both looked at each other with a bit of amusement, the same thought in their minds about Ron always playing the same people.

But all too soon, the time reached almost ten o'clock in the evening, and everyone decided to turn in. After saying good night to her parents and then brushing their teeth in the hall bathroom, Harry and Hermione stopped at the intersection of their rooms. They stood there for a minute, staring at each other, before Hermione broke the silence with what she'd wanted to confess regarding last night but had not yet had the chance.

Suddenly nervous since she wasn't sure how he would react to her having sneaked into his room, she timidly spoke, "Um, so… you mentioned this morning about starting to have a nightmare last night but then it went away and allowed you to sleep peacefully." He was baffled at where her statement was going but nodded that it was true, so she kept talking.

"Well, um… right before I went to bed last night, I actually came into your room to check on you. I saw that you looked pretty tense, so… like the first two nights, I kissed you on the cheek and then said, as quietly as I could so as to not wake you, for you to sleep well. I know that I probably shouldn't have done that since you weren't awake – "

Harry interjected at that point, smiling as he did so. "That was real, and not just in the dream? I woke up at King's Cross again and started panicking, even more so when I turned around and saw you standing behind me, just like in the nightmare I told you about. But instead of speaking, you smiled at me and then silently walked up before kissing me like those other two nights. It put me at such ease that, when I closed my eyes afterward, I never stirred until the time where I met you in the hall after getting up."

That was certainly not a response she'd been expecting. With eyes wide, she stammered, "Oh! Well, so… you don't mind that I did that?"

He shook his head and softly replied, "The way I see it, it just shows that you care enough to look out for me."

She couldn't help the beaming smile she gave to him. But then, hearing something in the hall, they both looked and saw Crookshanks scampering towards them. This time, after nuzzling the both of them, he rushed into Harry's room, obviously having chosen his domicile for the night.

Harry and Hermione looked back to each other with smirks at the cat's behavior. After a few seconds, Hermione became serious and said, "Well, if that's any indication…"

When she paused, she didn't hesitate in leaning up and kissing Harry on his cheek. Then, as she pulled away, she whispered, "Sleep well, Harry."

Before she could begin to step back into her room, she was surprised when Harry stopped her with a hand on her left shoulder. Thinking he had something important to say, she kept quiet, wanting to let him say whatever he thought was necessary. She grew concerned when he didn't say anything for at least five seconds, but then he gave her another huge shock.

He gently pulled her forward until her body was flush with his, circling both of his arms around to hold her afterwards. She instinctually wrapped her own arms around him but remained where she could still gaze at him. Then, he leaned in and gave her a gentle, chaste kiss on the lips, lasting for a few seconds. During the kiss, she blissfully closed her eyes at how he was already willing to show his affection like this. When he pulled his mouth away, instead of letting her go, he imitated one of her actions from the forest by touching his forehead to hers. Somehow, this felt more intimate from him than his actual kiss.

Then, as they stared into each other's eyes, he lovingly whispered, "Sleep well, Hermione. And thank you for always looking out for me."

She gave him a caring smile and placed her left hand on his cheek. "I always will, Harry."

He responded with a small smile of his own as they stood there for at least another minute, neither wanting this moment to end. Neither also realized that a head was poking out into the hall and had watched the entire sequence of events.

Finally, with a reluctant sigh, he let her go and slowly walked backwards into his room, shutting the door just enough that there was room for Crookshanks to exit.

When Hermione entered her own room and closed her door, she leaned backwards into it and sighed with contentment. So many things had happened today, and never would she forget the events that led to her and Harry actually officially getting together. Even if she died in her sleep tonight, nothing could ever take away the pure jubilation that her heart and soul were feeling.


A/N: Longer chapter this time! Hopefully, the events that took place on this day justify the length. The moment where Harry and Hermione finally get together should always be a high point in these stories.

On a note about the future, the upload rate may slow down for later chapters. I'm pretty far into writing Chapter 6 right now, but I've also hit a roadblock where I almost may have to go back through and change a lot of it. That combined with the fact that January is always the month where we're most swamped with tasks at my job means I can't guarantee the next chapter will be up in a week like all these previous chapters have been. Not sure how many of you may care, but I wanted to say something just in case.

For all that have made it this far, thank you for reading, and I hope you stay tuned for more!