Chapter Two- It happened without warning

Hermione let her head fall back as she laughed her whole body shaking as she fought to breathe through the laughter. "I don't believe you." She said breathlessly.

Harry smiled. "Believe it Hermione. He fell right down the stairs, after lecturing me about how to be more graceful. It was classic."

Ron sat there sulking, refusing to even look up at the two friends as they laughed at his plight. "Enough. Remember the pact; we'd never do anything to hurt another person."

"Don't go there Ron," Hermione said with a stern look. "The pact isn't meant to be used to stop us from laughing at something you would laugh at too. You both know that I meant we would never do anything to physically or seriously emotionally hurt another. Your pride will heal Ron. Those bruises just might take longer." She said, Harry and her busting into laughter.

Ron stood up, wincing slightly, and stomped away. "Not funny," he mumbled again.

Harry watched him go and then turned to Hermione. She had once again settled down, turning her focus onto her homework. Once, not so long ago, Harry had felt an attraction to her. It was gone now but sometimes he saw her for what she was, instead of his friend. Her caramel brown hair had tamed and now floated lightly down her back and across her face. Her chocolate eyes scanned the pages of the book and her perfect hand took notes. She bit her bottom lip in concentration and hummed slightly. "You know," Harry said as he lightly pushed a strand of hair behind her ear and away from her face, "you really are beautiful."

Hermione's eyes tore away from the page to see Harry staring at her. He had gotten older and with age came the handsome qualities that manhood brings. His shaggy black hair hung just above his eyes, contrasting with the startling green that pooled there. He was tall, skinny, and altogether handsome. "I could say the same about you; just a little rewording would be required."

Harry smiled and without thinking leaned towards her. "Are you ever curious?"

She knew what he meant and she couldn't hold back the slight nod that she gave him. He leaned in gently, covered her lips with his in one gentle kiss. She sighed softly, her hand reaching up to play in his hair. He deepened the kiss, his tongue dueling with hers for control. She gave in and let him control the kiss, each one with their hand tangled in the other's hair. They broke away for air, both letting go of the other with a sigh. The tension filled the air as they both realized what had happened. Hermione was the first to speak. "We can't do this."

Harry looked up at her with lust filled eyes. "At the moment, I don't care." He said as leaned in again.

This time she pulled back and stood up. "Harry, we can't. First off, we are friends and everything would be ruined for something we aren't even sure exists between us. Second, it would really emotionally hurt Ron, which would break the pact." She sighed and sat back down, taking his hands in hers. "There's lust here Harry, because we are friends. But we will never have love, not the love that makes relationships. This ends now and we swear never to tell Ron."

"But that also breaks the pact. We promise we would always be honest and that we would always be able to talk to each other." Harry said, disappointment from her rejection clearly written on his face.

"This is an exception to the rule, Harry. If he knew, he'd hate us forever." Hermione sighed. "I fear that I will have to tell him the same thing soon. Each of us will always be friends, but not lovers. We can't be lovers without hurting someone."

Harry nodded and pulled her into a hug. "It can never be simple," he said quietly.