This story is being cross-posted from Ao3. It was originally posted on 29 January 2022.
Thank you to GaeilgeRua for allowing me to use her Grammarly! Any other mistakes are definitely my own..
Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling, Bloomsbury, and Warner Bros. No copyright infringement is intended.
Prompt: WritingFicariously request for Harry/Hermione - cutesy first kiss
HH August 2021 Harry Potter/Only One Bed
#HHBingo22 Square I5: Hogsmeade
#TropesAndFandoms22 First Kiss
After leaving Hogwarts, everyone was invited back for a special alumni dinner. Slytherin would be playing Gryffindor in the afternoon, and then there would be a grand feast in the Great Hall where alumni could mingle with the current students. Dancing and dessert would follow, and the entire wizarding community was abuzz with excitement.
At the last minute, Harry and Hermione decided they would try and find a place to stay in Hogsmeade. Unfortunately, everyone else seemed to have the same idea because everything was booked for the weekend.
"Ron was right," Hermione muttered after failing yet again to find a room in one of the many hotels in the small town. "We would have done better going to The Leaky Cauldron tonight with everyone else and then apparating here in the morning."
"Well, let's at least walk around a bit before we head back to London for the night," Harry suggested, offering an arm to Hermione.
Laughing, Hermione looped her arm through Harry's. "Okay, fine, but we're going into the bookshop."
"Your wish is my command," Harry teased, and then they wandered off laughing and chatting despite knowing they had to head back to the city later.
Eventually, they ended up in The Three Broomsticks, sipping on Firewhiskey and sharing an order of fish and chips. The night was growing late, and they had to leave soon if they planned on being up early enough to return the next day for the Quidditch game. Hermione had just mentioned that she saw Madam Rosmerta come out from the back when Harry slapped a palm down on the table.
"What?" Hermione asked, surprised at his outburst.
"We haven't asked about staying here yet," he explained, already sliding out of the booth. "I'll be right back, hopefully with good news."
Biting back a grin, Hermione watched as Harry chatted with Madam Rosmerta at the bar. The older witch laughed and was clearly amused by whatever Harry said. She nodded enthusiastically and handed over a single key. When Harry tried to hand her some galleons, she waved him off. Harry, of course, refused to take the room for free and left the coins on the bar before returning to the booth.
"Success!" He was grinning sheepishly as he held the key. "Shall we head upstairs and call it an early night since we're meeting Ron early tomorrow?"
Hermione quickly drained the remnant of her beverage. "Sounds good to me. I could easily fall right to sleep after all that searching. I'm glad we were able to get a room after all."
"Me too," Harry said as he led the way upstairs. "I know there are only a few rooms here, to begin with, so we got really lucky." Reaching a room at the end of the hall, Harry unlocked the door and let Hermione step inside first. When she stopped short, he nearly ran into her. "Everything okay?"
"Did Madam Rosmerta tell you there was only one bed in here?" Hermione asked, gesturing at the single queen bed in the centre of the room.
Harry shook his head. "No, I told her we needed a room and wondered if she had one left. She just said she had the one and gave me the key." Harry turned and gave Hermione a questioning stare. "Is this okay? I can sleep on the floor if you're more comfortable."
Hermione dragged Harry into the room and shut the door, rolling her eyes. "Don't be daft, Harry," she said teasingly. "We travelled around together in a tent together. So we can share a bed for a single night."
The next half hour was spent getting prepared for bed until Hermione finally turned out the light. They slid into the bed and laid side by side under the blanket, neither saying a word. Eventually, Hermione cleared her throat, causing her friend to glance her way.
"I wonder what the others got up to at the pub tonight," she asked, trying to make small talk to fill the slightly uncomfortable silence.
"I don't know, but I'm sure it involved shenanigans if I know Ron and Seamus," Harry replied, imagining the chaos that probably happened.
"Are you tired?" Hermione asked after another quiet moment.
"A bit…" Harry trailed off, unsure what to say next. "What about you?"
"I'm sure I could fall asleep if I tried. Hermine shifted around until she'd rolled onto her side. Now, facing Harry, she added, "Thank you for paying for the room. And dinner."
"You're welcome." Harry took a deep breath and then slowly let it out. Harry had known he felt something more than friendship for Hermione for a long time, but he wasn't sure if she thought the same. He also wasn't sure if now was the best time to bring it up, but part of him yearned to try.
Summoning his Gryffindor courage, Harry rolled onto his side and stared at Hermione, who was still facing him in the darkness. He reached out and tentatively brushed the curls away from her face, staring into her eyes as he did so. The little bit of light that was coming through the sheer curtains from the street outside allowed him to see her more clearly than ever before.
As if watching from far away, Harry saw his hand move from her hair so that his fingertips could trail down her cheeks. His thumb brushed gently over her plump lips. At her sharp intake of breath, his heart skipped a beat, and he felt rather than saw the subtle shift in her body as she leaned the tiniest bit closer.
Without another hesitation, Harry replaced his hand with his lips. As his eyes fluttered closed, he felt as if his heart was going to explode at the whimper that left Hermione. She kissed him back slowly at first and then with more certainty. Finally, after years of hoping and yearning, this kiss, their first kiss, was precisely what Harry hoped that it would be.
And at that moment, Harry and Hermione moved from friends to oh so much more.
When the brief kiss ended, Hermione grinned. "I certainly wasn't expecting that," she whispered, her cheeks very obviously flushed even in the darkness.
"Neither was I," Harry admitted, unable to stop himself from glancing at her lips again.
"What does this mean?" Hermione asked, biting her lower lip in thought.
"I guess it can mean whatever we want it to," Harry said, brow furrowing in thought.
Hermione looked almost worried as she asked her next question. "What do you want?"
Harry wet his lips and thought about what she asked. Then, shaking his head, a smile graced his face. "Hermione, I think I've known for ages that there was something more than friendship between the two of us. I don't even need to think about it; I want to be with you if that's what you want too."
"Oh thank, Merlin," Hermione breathed out before all but throwing herself into Harry.
He tumbled onto his back, allowing Hermione to wrap her arms around him, snuggling close with her head on his chest. "If I had known this would be your reaction, I would have kissed you ages ago."
"All that matters is that we're here together now," she replied, settling in as Harry rubbed a hand up and down her back.
"Goodnight, Hermione," Harry said, feeling content and sleepy with Hermione wrapped up in his arms.
"Night, Harry," she replied, already drifting off in the warmth that was Harry.
The next day, Harry and Hermione walked hand in hand from the small village up the path to where they were set to meet Ron at the gates of Hogwarts. If anything, Ron and their other friends were even more excited than they were that the two had finally decided to be more than just friends. All it had taken was a single kiss and the rest was history.