24. The way she curls in her armchair while reading

Harry came in to the room ready to ask Hermione… Something…

But he forgot what he was about to say upon seeing the love of his life curled in her favourite armchair, her head buried in one of her beloved books.

He closed his mouth and gulped.

Hermione often had that effect on him.

He crossed his arms and leaned against the door frame, never taking his eyes away from her, not even for a second. After several minutes of intense staring, Hermione must have felt his eyes on her because she raised her head and their eyes met, emerald green versus chocolate brown. Hermione smiled her warm smile that she reserved only for him, her eyes questioning him.

"Did you want something, love?" she asked when she realised he had no intention of speaking without a little urging. Harry shook his head as if coming out of a trance.

"I did, yes. I did but I can't seem to remember." He smiled sheepishly, tousling his already messy hair. Hermione smiled again, looking at him with affection in her eyes.

"Umm… Where is your t-shirt?" She asked lowering her eyes to his chest, the affection in her eyes giving place to lust. She licked her lips, clearing her throat. Harry looked down and suddenly smiled.

"Oh yeah, I was just going to ask if you've seen my favourite t-shirt. You know, with snitches on it?" Hermione smiled guiltily,

"I may have worn it last night."

Harry grinned. His favourite t-shirt was even more favourite now, what could be better than a Hermione-scented t-shirt.

"That's great."

Hermione nodded, smiling at his weirdness before going back to her book. Harry, deciding that watching Hermione is more important than putting on a t-shirt, went to the couch and sat down, facing the armchair.

She was sitting with her legs tucked under her, her eyes glued to a heavy-looking book which rested half on her legs, half on the arm of the armchair. She was absentmindedly twirling a strand of hair between her fingers. It wasn't an unusual sight but nevertheless, it always managed to capture his interest.

Harry sighed, leaning on the armrest, supporting his head with his hand. Hermione, curled in her favourite chair, reading a book was a beautiful sight, comforting, heart-warming, eliciting a feeling of being home, but it had a downside, too: She was sitting alone, away from him.

"Why are you sitting there?"

Hermione looked up, taken aback by the abruptness of the question.

"I don't know. It's comfortable, I guess… and the light is good for reading." She paused slightly, "Never thought about it before actually."

Harry nodded, seeming satisfied with her answer. After several minutes of reading (on Hermione's side) and staring (on Harry's side) he spoke again,

"Can I sit with you?" Hermione knitted her brows, looking at him as if trying to hear his thoughts to understand his intentions.

"Harry, this is a single chair." Harry got up from his seat and went beside his girlfriend.

"I think I can squeeze in."

Hermione shook her head, bemused at his odd request. She put her feet down and scooted over as much as she could to make room for him. Harry grinned at her lopsidedly, seeing the little space beside her. He bent down and scooped her up in his arms, making her shriek at the sudden movement, her book falling to the ground with a loud thump. He sat down on the armchair, placing her comfortably on his lap.

"Told you."

Hermione looked at his grinning face and laughed. Shaking her head,

"I'll crush you." Harry leaned down to stole a kiss from her lips.

"You won't crush me, but I can't say the same thing about that book of yours." Hermione laughed again and reached down to take her book, levitating it to float at her eye level. "Clever witch." Hermione smiled up at him before resting her head on his bare chest.

"I guess, I found my new favourite place to read." She said before planting a chaste kiss on his chest. He kissed the top of her head in response, taking in her scent.

"And I guess, I don't have to be jealous of an armchair anymore." He smiled at the sound of her laugh.

A/N: I know I started saying this a lot but I'm really sorry for the long wait and inconsistent uploads. It's just, I don't want to force myself to write and lately I have lots of things on my mind that I have to do, I just can't concentrate on writing. But that doesn't mean I abandon this story, I'll continue the uploads, just not as often as I'd like to unfortunately. And if you're a reader of my other story (Give Us a Shot), the same goes for it too but it looks like I may upload soon if I can finish the chapter I started (no promises though).

Oh, and Happy New Year! -xo