Chapter 8

Disclaimer: All recognizable characters are the sole property of JKR. I'm just playing with them and promise to return them, unharmed, when I'm done!

A/N: Sorry for the delay in posting. Summer break has been kicking my butt, figuratively speaking. I'm sure other moms would agree - keeping the offspring occupied, busy and happy is no easy feat. But school begins next week so I should be back to my frequent posting schedule then.

In the meantime, here is a short update to reward you for your patience.

Hope you enjoy it (despite its smaller length…) and in case you do, please don't forget to leave a comment. I love hearing from you and even if sometimes, I don't have the time to respond back to you, please know that I always read EACH and EVERY one of the comments and more often than not, they inspire me to write more. So please review. Thanks!

The next day was Sunday and the Gryffindors spent a fun filled morning having a snowball fight with some of the Ravenclaw's and Hufflepuff's that had also chosen to stay back at school for the holidays. Once they were all exhausted from their activities, they trudged back to their respective dorms to clean up and then headed down to the Great Hall for a hearty lunch.

While on their way down, Harry caught a glimpse of Malfoy making his way in the opposite direction, glancing around furtively. What was the ferret up to now? Nothing good, he was sure of it. All year long he'd been acting dodgy (well, more dodgy than usual). Despite Hermione's reticence, Harry was more than sure that Malfoy was up to something rotten - he just didn't know what it was. He made a mental note to discuss Malfoy's current suspicious behavior with Ron and Hermione later when they were alone and focused on enjoying his time with his friends for the time being.

After they all had their fill of the excellent meal, Hermione suggested going to the library to work on their Potions and History of Magic essays that were due at the start of the term. Ron, still on his best behavior in order to make up for his idiocy of last week, eagerly agreed – leaving Harry with not much of an option but to follow along.

Not that Harry minded, he didn't – not at all. Firstly, it might offer him a chance to discuss his suspicions regarding Malfoy with his friends. Secondly (and more importantly,) he'd been unable to stop thinking of Hermione ever since that little 'just about' smooch she'd placed on him yesterday. His entire body was on fire for her...had been since that moment yesterday morning since she'd wished him 'Happy Christmas.' He wanted her. Needed her. In fact, he was left with the overwhelming feeling that he'd die if he didn't have her. (And what the hell was he supposed to do about that, huh?) Pathetic as it was, he'd take any opportunity to spend time with her, even if that time wasn't private and involved one of his least favourite activities - homework.

All this - it felt like it had come entirely out of nowhere. He wasn't supposed to feel this way, not about her. His damn hormones needed to shut the hell up and learn to tow the line. He couldn't afford to make mistakes - not with her. He couldn't lose her, ever. She was the best thing that had ever happened to him. Merlin, why had he never realized that before?

He couldn't stop staring at her even now. God she looked perfect – even when she was dressed in simple jeans and a jumper, her face scrubbed clean of all make-up. She had an inherent beauty, a glow, that had nothing to do with artificial adornments. She was pretty much perfect and all he wanted to do was to strip off her clothes, pull her down in his lap and urge her to ride him until he was finally rid of this crazy obsession that he seemed to have developed with her.

Thinking back, he felt like the dullest person in the whole wide world. He'd spent all this time longing for Cho and then Ginny when the one person who knew and cared for him the most in the world had been right there beside him all along. Why hadn't he ever thought of Hermione in that way before? She had always been smart and loyal to a fault but having grown up with her, he'd been oblivious to all her good qualities - he'd sort of taken them for granted, he was ashamed to admit. And as for her looks, he'd never given them too much thought until recently. But he was slowly coming to the realization that she'd gone from a frizzy haired bookwork to a gorgeous woman overnight and he hadn't even noticed. (Well, he'd noticed how beautiful she looked at the Yule ball but in a very objective, 'best friend' kind of way. What he'd been feeling for her recently didn't feel very objective…or very best friend-like, for that matter.)

He pondered these questions and many more as they settled into their favorite spot in the library – a little nook that was secluded from the rest of the tables – and especially from the prying eyes of Madam Pince. Enough to at least offer them a modicum of privacy. They got out their parchment and quills, Hermione opened her notes and they all got down to the task of finishing their homework as quickly as possible. Potions was particularly tedious (no surprise there) giving him much more time to deliberate on his and Hermione's relationship over the years as well as their current dilemma.

Such as - why hadn't he ever noticed her before this whole ruse? And speaking of the ruse – was she still as focused on Ron as a romantic interest as she had been in the beginning? Just the thought made him sick to his stomach. She couldn't very well kiss him the way she did and then still dream about being with Ron, could she? Merlin, he hoped not. Besides, Ron didn't seem to share the same views, if he ever had to begin with. His conversation with Harry had been pretty straightforward in that respect.

And if Ron was entirely out of the picture, why didn't Hermione see Harry as someone she could have feelings for? She clearly cared about him; sometimes to the exclusion of her own well-being. She'd also never cared about his wealth or his fame, instead, focusing on him as an individual. She was bloody perfect for him, wasn't she? And she'd been right in front of him all along. Why had he never seen that? And now that he did see it, did he want to do anything about it? Did he actually want to pursue a relationship with Hermione, his best friend? Until yesterday, he'd have never even considered it as an option because somehow in his mind, she had very much been Ron's girl. But now that that had been ruled out as an option, the field was wide open, wasn't it? After all, Ron himself had given him his blessing.

So he could be with her if he wanted to. But did he want to?

Bugger! Speaking of Ron, he hadn't yet told Hermione about their conversation. Of course she knew that Ron had apologized; he'd apologized to her too; but she didn't yet know that he'd given them his blessing. Bollocks! She was going to be devastated that this whole plan, all that they'd done over the course of the last few weeks had backfired – spectacularly. Instead of making Ron jealous enough to realize his feelings for Hermione, it'd actually made him realize that he and Hermione didn't belong together and that she and Harry made a much better couple instead. Harry was not looking forward to having that conversation with her, that's for sure. And yet, it was unavoidable.

"Oi, Harry." Ron hissed urgently, breaking into his train of thought.

Harry started. "Wha? What?"

"Pay attention, mate. You don't have more than a few sentences written down and your girlfriend's scary as it is on a good day. And all signs point to her not having a good day right now - what's with that, btw? You two seemed positively chummy yesterday, yet today it seems like she's majorly frustrated. Don't tell me you can't keep your own girlfriend happy, Potter…"

"Shut up, Ron." Harry grumbled, his ears turning red.

Ron grinned slyly. "Anyway, as I was saying, you haven't been working on your homework and your girlfriend clearly seems more than a bit unhappy. Do you really want to piss her off more?"

Harry winced. Ron had a point. He looked around nervously. "Where is she?"

"She's gone to look for some more reference books. And look, I promised Lav that I'd take her for a walk by the lake. And I for one, know how to keep my girlfriend happy and satisfied, thank you very much and that involves not keeping her waiting, especially when she's made me some very naughty promises, if you catch my drift. So, er, I have to run. Will you please cover for me with Hermione?" He begged, using his puppy dog eyes to maximum effect. "Look, just tell Mione I'm almost done with my work. Besides, this will give you two lovebirds some alone time as well." He winked slyly.

Harry was at a loss for words. "Er, sure." Maybe he could use this time to talk to Hermione… fill her in on his and Ron's discussion yesterday.

"Great!" Ron didn't waste much time; he packed up his books and was off before Harry could change his mind.

Once alone, Harry turned his attention to his homework, trying to finish the essays as quickly as he could in order to avoid Hermione's wrath. While rifling through his bag for his notes, he came across the used copy of Advanced Potions – the book that had led to so many arguments between him and Hermione at the beginning of the year. He pulled it out, tempted to open it just to cross reference some of the list of ingredients in the Draught of Living Death. But he hesitated.

To be honest, he'd been avoiding using the Half-Blood Prince's book in recent times – ever since he and Hermione started pretend dating in fact, but he still carried it around with him – unable to decide whether he should get rid of it entirely or start using it again.

The forced distance he'd gotten from the textbook – courtesy of Hermione – had given him a different perspective on it – he still felt like most of the notes the prince, whoever he was had written, were useful but even he had to admit that some of the spells definitely had a dark feel to them. There was one in particular that was marked for 'enemies' called Sectumsempra – he'd been tempted to use it against Malfoy during their confrontation a few days back – but a voice in his head that sounded suspiciously like Hermione's had urged caution and restraint.

"Harry..." Hermione's stern admonishment brought his thoughts to a screeching halt.

Bollocks! He'd been caught with his hand in the proverbial cookie jar. She was going to skewer him alive.

"I can't believe you're still using that book." She huffed annoyedly.

Yup, there it was – the judgement. And yet, unlike earlier in the year, he could also recognize the worry that was the basis for the judgement. He could've smacked his forehead. Of course she was worried about him. Didn't she always? He couldn't believe he'd actually thought she was asking him to get rid of the book just because she was jealous of him. Some friend he was, believing the worst of the one person who'd always believed in him. What was worse, he'd actually prioritized a damn book over her and her feelings. He was disgusted with himself.

And now…after how close they'd gotten over the last couple of weeks, he couldn't imagine anything, much less a stupid book, being more important than her. She was, quite literally, the most important person in his life at the moment. Nothing and no one meant more to him. It sounded dramatic, but he couldn't help but feel like he'd probably wither and die if she wasn't a part of his life. A book wasn't worth the risk of alienating her – no matter how good or useful it was.

"Actually…I'm thinking of getting rid of it."

"You are? Oh, Harry!" She beamed at him happily – making him feel like the sun was shining down on him again.

Merlin, he was so so buggered. This obsession he seemed to be suffering from was getting more and more worse by the day. And yet, in the larger scheme of things, it didn't seem like such a big deal. He just wanted to spend more time with her. He wanted to hold her and kiss her some more. He wanted to be the reason that she smiled…the reason that she laughed. And who gave a damn about why he was feeling the way that he was?

"Will you help me?" he asked in a stroke of brilliance. He'd been wanting an excuse to spend more time alone with her all day. Well, what could be more appropriate than asking for her help? She definitely couldn't say no to that.

"Of course, Harry." She responded instantly, no trace of hesitance in her voice.

Yes!

Her brow furrowed in thought. "We need to hide it in a place where no one will ever find it, including you…"

"I…I was thinking of the Room of Requirement? And I think that you should be the one to actually hide it; obscure my vision somehow. That way, even if I'm tempted to get it back, I won't be able to find it."

"That's brilliant, Harry!" she squealed excitedly.

He flushed with pleasure. Her approval meant a lot.

"Come on, let's do it," he declared. After all, what better time than the present?

She seemed a bit hesitant. "Now? But…what about your homework?"

"I'll get it done later tonight, don't worry." Now that the decision was done, he didn't want to wait too much longer.

"But don't you have your lesson with Professor Dumbledore tonight?"

Ugh! He'd almost forgotten about that. That's how out of it he was lately – he was in danger of forgetting most of his assignments. All he could think about…care about was Hermione. And that was dangerous as hell. He couldn't afford to forget about his time with the Headmaster. The work they were doing there would one day (hopefully) save his life.

"Right. Well, how about I finish up quickly and then we go get rid of the book?"

She smiled, satisfied with that plan.

"Brilliant!" He couldn't help smiling back, inordinately thrilled that he'd managed to meet her high standards once again. Merlin, when had he become such a pushover for her? She said jump, he said how high. He was actually happy to finish his homework; all because it made her happy. Whelp! Ron would probably smack him silly if he admitted to wanting to do all his assignments on time.

Shaking his head in chagrin at his changed attitude, he focused on the task on hand.

With Hermione's help and encouragement, he was done with his remaining work in no time. Once they'd dropped off their respective parchments and books back in their dorm rooms, they made their way to the seventh floor corridor. Once they made sure that they were alone they walked over to the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy.

As discussed, Hermione walked past the hidden entrance to the Room of Requirement thrice, silently asking for what Harry assumed was a hiding place for an object that one didn't want found ever again. They'd both deliberately decided that she shouldn't fill him in on the specifics of the room she asked for – so as to avoid any future temptation for Harry. On her third turn, a door appeared.

"Should I go in alone?" Hermione inquired uncertainly.

"No. I'll come in with you. Just in case there's any trouble. Which; let's face it; there always is."

She gave him a quick smile. "Alright."

They subconsciously reached for each other, their hands tangling together instinctively. It felt right.

"Ready?" she questioned. He nodded decisively.

Hermione opened the door and led him into what was a vast space – bigger than any room he'd seen in the castle so far – filled to the brim with what felt like years and years of junk. There were towering shelves stacked with everything from old clothes and furniture to magical instruments, books, cauldrons and discarded potion ingredients.

Both Harry and Hermione stared around in disbelief. "This place is…" Hermione breathed.

"Disgusting…?" Harry supplied helpfully.

"Unreal." Hermione corrected. "I was going to say, unreal."

"That too, I guess. But wow, just look at this mess. Aunt Petunia would probably faint in horror if she ever saw this." Harry joked.

Hermione frowned. "Please don't mention your relatives Harry. Ugh, just thinking about them and the way they've treated you over the years…it makes me so mad!" she lamented.

"Alright, alright…no talking about the Dursleys." Harry soothed her. "So, what now?"

"Now, we hide the book." Hermione whipped out her wand and then seemed to hesitate. "I...I'll have to blindfold you to make sure you don't see where I put it. Is that okay?"

"Uh, sure. Just for the record this is not how - or why - I imagined you blindfolding me." Harry joked weakly.

"Harry!" Hermione screeched, scandalized. She wouldn't meet his eyes, her cheeks rosy with embarrassment. Merlin, she was just so bloody cute.

"What? I'm just being honest." he teased, unable to resist the temptation of making her blush even more.

"Obscuro!" She called out hastily, apparently unwilling to discuss the topic in further detail.

Harry's vision was instantly obstructed by a black blindfold. He was totally blinded, unable to see a single thing past her handiwork. He wasn't surprised in the least. Hermione's spellwork had always been impeccable.

Without saying anything else, Hermione let go of his hand. He felt an inexplicable sense of loss. Before he could dwell on it, he felt a gentle tug on the book that he was holding in his hand. "May I?" Hermione questioned softly. Of course, this was why they were here. Shaking off his sense of melancholy, he let go of the book and moved away.

"I..I'll be right back." She spoke in a hush. He could sense her moving away; her footsteps echoing in the cavernous room, sounding fainter and fainter with each step. His vision being impaired caused him to feel a bit out of sorts - he couldn't get a sense of where she was or what she was doing. This made him feel a bit uncomfortable to be honest. He'd just gotten so used to being constantly aware of her presence lately.

A few minutes later, she was back. "It's done," she intoned softly. "Now I just have to check one last thing. Accio book!"

She, of course, didn't have to specify which book. As with most spells, her intent was all that mattered to make the spell work on the right one.

Nothing happened. Or at least, that's what Harry thought. He, of course, couldn't see anything through the blindfold but he couldn't hear the usual zooming noise of the summoned item flying past him either.

She tried again, just to be sure. "Accio Half Blood Prince book!"

"Well…?" he questioned impatiently, when she didn't say anything for a few moments.

"It worked!" she squealed triumphantly. "The book didn't come when I summoned it."

"Brilliant!" Harry exclaimed. "I guess that's done now. No more short-cuts in Potions. You'll be the top student once again – Slughorn's new pet and the most sought after person in the Slug Club from our year."

"Oh Harry," She sounded horrified. "You know that's not why I wanted you to stop using the book, right? I didn't care that you were the best student. Well," she trailed off, sounding embarrassed. "I did care initially," she corrected herself. "I'm sorry..." She whispered morosely. "I've always been the best student in class - except in Defense Against the Dark Arts. But Potions - that was always one of my best subjects, despite Professor Snape's obvious bias towards the Slytherins. And it was hard being second best, you know, at least in the beginning. But later, once I'd reconciled myself with the fact that you were doing better than me, I began to realize that whoever wrote the book…that person didn't have much of a moral compass, you know? The way they spoke about enemies…and the spells they'd created... seemed kind of dark."

"Shh…I know Hermione." Harry assured her. "I was just kidding. I've known you for 6 years now and I've never known you to consciously pull your friends down. There's not one selfish bone in your body. Also, you have never been, nor will you ever be second best at anything, you hear me? The only reason I've even made it this far is you."

She slammed into him, her arms going around his neck for a crushing hug. "Thank you for saying that Harry," She whispered. Her breath puffed against his ear, making his body hum with delight. His arms went around her waist automatically, reveling in the feel of her body so close to his. It'd been less than a day since she'd last been in his arms but God, it felt like forever.

He breathed in her essence, his senses overwhelmed by her closeness. "So, are you going to end the spell and take the blindfold off or are you planning on having your wicked way with me, Ms. Granger?" He couldn't resist teasing her, but to be honest a secret part of him was actually hoping that she'd choose the latter option.

"Well…" she breathed, sounding thrilled and nervous all at once.

Harry almost choked. She couldn't be thinking…? Could she? "Hermione…?" he breathed, his voice betraying his need.

"Harry…" she responded, sounding equally breathless. "I...I know I was the one who came up with the no kissing rule…but honestly, I can't stop thinking of you. Merlin, last night I even dreamt of you. That kiss yesterday...great though it was, was nowhere close to enough. Merlin, I've been wanting to kiss you again ever since that moment. Honestly, that's all I've been able to think about today... how badly I want to kiss you again."

He stared at her dumbstruck. Merlin's ball, of all the things he'd been expecting Hermione to say or do, he hadn't been expecting that at all.

A/N: Hehe...I know, that was rather evil of me, ending the chapter there. Sorry, but the next part is going to be rather naughty and I wanted to give people to skip that bit if they're so inclined. So, even though the next part is almost written (just have to go back and edit it) I'll post it a few days later with all the appropriate warnings in place. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy this part and don't hate me...too much. Either way, I'd love to hear from you. In fact, the more you inspire me, the quicker you may end up getting the next chapter. ;) So what are you waiting for? Go, press the comment/review button asap!