Title: All This Time

Summary: Hermione and Harry share an intimate moment in the tent following Ron's absence. With Ron's return, however, Harry pushes Hermione away in an effort to save her heartbreak and she is forced to return to Ron. In the months following the war and with Harry's life no longer in danger, Harry is not willing to let Hermione slip through his fingers again. The question is: Can he win her back?

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. No profit is being made from this work.

Chapter Soundtrack: "We Might Fall" by Ryan Star

After Harry has picked up Teddy from Andromeda's, the two headed back to Grimmauld place. Teddy hadn't stopped talking since he saw Harry, telling him all of his fun from the day. This was Harry's favorite part of the day. He loved the attention and love the tiny boy felt for him. Harry was an important part of Teddy's life. He thought of him as a father. And that filled Harry with such raw emotions that were almost too much to handle. The only other person who elicited these types of emotions, emotions that were hard to fight, was Hermione.

Hermione.

He knew the way he had acted towards her was uncalled for. But the second he saw her long, toned legs he couldn't help himself. Those legs had been wrapped around him years ago. They had purposely strode past him when he broke her heart (and his). And they had walked away from him when she had lost all hope. Harry hated what he had done to her but it had been a necessary hurt. Sure, he should've gained control of his hormones and not allowed himself to kiss her but when he had and she kissed him back, he couldn't restrain himself.

A part of him—a deeply hidden part—liked to think that Hermione only ended things with Ron because she remembered the connection they had shared. He knew that was part of the reason things had ended between him and Ginny. Ginny and he was created out of convenience. He had convinced himself to fall in love with her. But Ginny loved the idea of Harry. The idea of him being "The Chosen One" was what tied Ginny to him. She was a fan girl above all else and when that had died out her affections had turned elsewhere. Harry wasn't bitter over their breakup he just hated what it had done to the both of them. Even Ginny couldn't ignore the palpable attraction between Hermione and Harry as they tried to avoid each other at Weasley family functions.

Thankfully, before he could dwell too much in the past, Teddy pulled him to the present.

"Grandma Dromeda let me help her cook dinner! I got to smush the burgers!"

Harry smiled down at the boy as he opened the door to their home and made their way to the kitchen. "I bet their delicious!"

Teddy nodded. "She said they're the best she's ever made. I bet it's because I helped."

"Can I tell you a secret?" Harry leaned down to lift the boy and placed him on a stool near the counter.

The boy nodded happily. "Yes!" His voice lowered to a whisper. "I won't tell anyone!"

"Her cooking is much better when you help."

Harry watched as his godson's face lit up. A huge smile filled his youthful face and Harry couldn't help but mess his hair. Teddy's hands clapped together in joy and he did a little dance on the tiny stool. "I think so, too," he whispered.

As Harry went to work emptying their dinner out of the plastic bag and containers, Teddy took out a coloring book and went to work coloring a hippogriff that took up one of the grey pages. Harry smiled to himself, and though Teddy had heard the story a thousand times, Harry told him of the time him and Hermione had saved Buckbeak. He left out the gory details, of course. Teddy was much too young to know that Buckbeak was about to be executed. But Harry still made the story seem as if him and his heroine had risked themselves trying to save the animal.

At some point it had started to rain outside and the sound of water hitting the windows created a beautiful backdrop to the story. By the time he had reached the part where Hermione had thoughtfully grabbed some ferrets for Buckbeak to eat, dinner had been plated. Teddy seemed to enjoy listening to the adventure filled stories of Harry's past. Harry always made a big deal of making sure he acted them out as best he could. His arms moved animatedly and his did his best impressions, all causing the tiny turquoise headed boy to laugh.

For some reason the two of them worked. Harry couldn't imagine not having Teddy in his life and he was pretty sure the young boy thought the same of him. They had both suffered great loss, even if Teddy was too young to remember most of his. Harry often wondered if Tonks and Lupin knew they wouldn't survive the war and that's why they had put Teddy in Harry's care. If anyone knew how to rightfully treat an orphaned child, it was Harry. He made sure the child had everything at his disposal and knew how loved he was. Love was what had helped Harry though much of his life. Love had defeated the most dangerous wizard and had bonded him to the greatest friends a guy could ask for. Love had brought him Hermione.

Teddy took his last bite of his hamburger just as Harry finished up the story. He was about to declare they go inside and watch some television before bed when the doorbell rang. The two of them shared a confused glance before Harry stood up and made his way down the long hallway. He looked towards the tiny peephole but couldn't make out the figure that huddled in a raincoat.

He pulled open the door and almost fell backwards at the sight before him.

Hermione stood there, her once straight hair matted to her face and curling. She hugged her raincoat tight to her body as she fought off the rain. As the door opened, her eyes lifted to meet Harry's. She must've noticed the shock there but all he saw was fury in hers. Harry was in for it and he knew it. Thankfully, a tiny boy saved his life from the wrath of Hermione.

"Harry, who dat?" Teddy appeared at Harry's pant leg and looked at Hermione. His face broke out into a huge smile and he ran towards the object of Harry's affection. Harry couldn't help the future image the popped into his head as he imagined the three of them living in this house for all time. Teddy latched onto Hermione's hip. "Mione!"

The fury seeped out of her features as she lifted the boy. "Hi, Teddy!"

"Did you come to watch TV with us?"

Hermione smiled. "I came here to speak with Harry." Her eyes drifted over to Harry who was enamored with the scene in front of him. "If he ever invited me in out of the rain."

Harry seemed to remember himself. "Oh! Of course. Come on in."

As soon as Hermione stepped over the threshold Harry knew he never wanted her to leave. He also knew that was extremely selfish of him. They hadn't been anything less short with each other since the war ended and for the past two years they hadn't even said a word. It broke Harry to think he had caused all this. Hermione wasn't just the woman he loved, she was his best friend. Sure, Ron was, too. But Ron didn't understand Harry wordlessly like Hermione did. They didn't bond in the way he did with the beautiful woman currently bringing his godson into the living room.

"Can I take your coat?" Harry asked.

Hermione turned towards him and he could visibly see her internal debate flashing through her eyes before she nodded. "Thank you."

Harry helped her shrug out of the coat and noticed she was still in the navy dress he witnessed her in earlier. How was he expected to act like a gentleman when she was dressed like that? Already his jeans were feeling tight around his crotch as he hardened and stifled a groan. It took everything he had inside him to take her coat and dispose of it on the coatrack in the hall.

When Harry returned to the living room, some cartoon was playing on the television and Teddy was summarizing the concept to Hermione. While folding his arms over his chest, he leaned again the wall and looked on, mesmerized by the scene. Hermione was constantly asking questions which only furthered to amuse Teddy. Teddy seemed to enjoy being the know-it-all about his favorite show.

"How do they drink soda underwater?" Hermione asked with a delightful smile.

Teddy seemed stunned for a moment. His eyes darted back and forth as he pondered the question. "The cups!" He screamed, causing Hermione to jolt back. "The cups keep the soda inside."

"You're awfully smart, Teddy."

"Spanks!" Teddy smiled.

Eventually the show ended and it was time for Teddy to go to sleep. Teddy whined, of course, when Harry pointed this out. But once Hermione made a promise to see him soon, Teddy leaned over and kissed her cheek before walking towards Harry and taking his hand.

"I'll be right back."

Hermione nodded. "Take your time."

It wasn't until they reached the top of the stairs that Teddy whispered, "I like Mione. I wish she would come over more."

"Me too, Teddy." Harry answered. "Me too."

Once Teddy was asleep, Harry quietly tip-toed out of the room. He narrowly avoided tripping due to a stray toy on the floor. If he was being honest, all he wanted was to be barreling down the stairs—two at a time—in his urgency to see Hermione. But he thought that would make him seem a bit desperate.

He walked right to the living room only to find it vacant with the television turned off. Where could she be? Harry wondered. That was when he heard it. The faint sound of music coming from the radio in the kitchen. The irony wasn't lost on Harry as he quietly followed the sound of the Muggle music.

We should go to sleep now, You should stay the night
I'll be up to watch the world around us live and die
Lying on the grass now, dancing for the stars
Maybe one will look on down and tell us who we are

The song lyrics weren't lost on Harry. It took him immediately back to that chilly night on the rock cliff when they danced in the safety of the tent. It was a moment of solace during chaos. A moment Harry had ruined when he broke the beautiful girl sitting at his kitchen table's heart. He wished, as the lyrics did, that the star would've guided him that night. Harry had thought he had done the right thing ending things but seeing her here, lost deeply in though, made him question his judgment.

"Thought you would've learned from the last time I walked in on you listening to music." Harry stated.

Hermione looked up, her eyes sad. "Yeah, I really must be a masochist."

It shattered his heart into tiny little pieces to see her like this. She had seemed so strong and determined when she appeared at his doorstep but it seemed the memories of this place had gotten to her. Harry could read the heartbreak all over her features. It was then that he wondered if he would ever be able to heal the wounds he had inflicted on his heart.

Now that we are older, I remember you.
Reaching out to show me all the things that I must do.
Now that we are close to death and close to finding truth.
We might fall, we might fall, we might fall.

The music was the only sound in the otherwise quite house. When the song ended, Harry turned it off and made his way over to the table. He wondered desperately if she was aching for him as much as he was her. Now that he sat at the long table with her across from him, the distance seemed to be killing him. He wanted to touch her. He wanted to show her how sorry he was. Show her how deep his love for her ran. But with that heartache in her eyes, he feared a simple touch from him would send her running for the hills.

Thankfully, it was Hermione that broke the silence. "This place brings back a lot of memories."

"Yeah, it does." Harry agreed, wondering where she was going with this.

"I didn't feel so trapped by them the last time I was here."

The last time she was here, the house had been in full party mode. Family and friends were crammed into every corner and the house had been filled with laughter. It was very unlike the current predicament the two of them had found themselves in now. Harry was fully aware of the entrapment of memories. He lived here. The memories threatened to swallow him whole as he wandered through the darkness after Teddy had fallen asleep. With Hermione here, the memories were sure to win.

"There was a lot more going on the last time you were here. At night, with no other sounds, it's a lot different."

Her eyes finally landed on his. "How can you stand it?"

"I can't run from my past. My past decision, my memories… they're always going to be there. I have to live with it." Harry wondered if she knew he was no talking of two different things. He decided to get back to her question. "With Teddy here, I'm hoping to make new memories. Sirius would've liked that. He wouldn't want me to think of all the people who walked through these halls that are now gone. He'd want me to cherish the people I have left and build a new life."

If he understood her meaning, she wasn't letting on. "You're really good with him, you know. He really loves you."

"Thank you. It was hard at first, taking on such a responsibility after everything, but I think I owed it to them."

The silence passed between them once again. He didn't know how much longer he could stand it. Hermione hadn't always been this evasive. She seemed to be ignoring the big elephant in the room. The elephant that was holding a big sign that read "We slept together and then I ran away." Harry would rather have her screaming at him, cursing at him, anything but this damned silence.

"What are you doing here, Hermione?"

Hermione released a shaky breath and fiddled with her fingers in front of her. "I'm not sure really. At first I had hoped to storm in here giving you a piece of my mind but then I saw Teddy and I just ran out of steam. Plus, you seem to have given up on being cocky."

"The look on your face when I opened the door advised me against it."

She chewed her bottom lip. "Good."

"Can we talk about—"

But Hermione interrupted him. "Nobody meets their soulmate at eleven, right? I mean the whole hero and heroine love story is a bit overdone, don't you think? It wouldn't have worked. It's clichéd and predictable. No fun in that."

She seemed to have said all she had come to, and she stood and went to leave the kitchen. But, Harry wasn't having that. In a move that paralleled her own, Harry jumped out of his seat and grabbed her arm. Sparks passed between them and when she turned around, Hermione was flush against him with her heavy breaths fanning his face. Her mouth was so close he only had to move an inch and he would be back in paradise.

"I never explained myself that night." Harry stated and watched as her eyes jumped up to his before fluttering at the intensity of his gaze. "I thought I was protecting you from even more heartbreak but instead I ended up causing you more instead. I loved you then. I still do. You're worth everything to me even if we haven't exactly been on speaking terms for the past four years. That was why I pushed you away then."

Hermione frowned, clearly confused. "Where is this honesty coming from?"

"It took me some time alone to see it all clearly… It's okay to love you. I want you in my life. I want me, you and Teddy to be a family. I've known that I wanted to be part of your future from the second I saw you and you fixed my glasses on the train. But I've been fighting it ever since. Things were complicated before, but I can't apologize because I have no regrets. Yeah, I should've stopped myself before it went too far but I was too caught up in you. I walked away because I didn't need you dying with me at the hands of Voldemort. That would've been tragic."

Harry looked down at her, expectantly. She whispered, "I don't know what you want me to say." Harry's face fell. He was hoping she would've realized his mistakes and forgiven him. Then she would've sealed it with a passionate kiss. But that would've been too easy. "You really broke me, Harry. When you kissed me that night I thought all my dreams were coming true. I had only turned to Ron because you didn't seem interested in me. Then there we were, making love in the tent and it was beautiful and perfect and everything I hoped. But you ran away and I was forced to try it again with Ron… only he couldn't measure up. We tried so hard to make it work but we both knew the passion wasn't there. Now I'm here with you wanting to forgive you but knowing I can't."

"Why can't you?" Harry knew his voice was borderline desperate as he clung to her tiny hands. "I won't leave you again."

Her eyes fell to the floor. "It's too late."

With those final words leaving her lips she maneuvered out of his grasp and Harry listened as her heels clicked down the hallway and out the door. Despite his dejected emotions he knew he had to fight for her. Hermione was meant to be his. He was already hers in every meaning of the word. Now he just had to win her over.

A/N: You can all thank this video for the inspiration to write this chapter. It's amazing! - http:/www(dot)youtube(dot)com/watch?v=_dPssNpDSvQ&feature=player_embedded