Disclaimer: I don't own it. I want it but I'm not getting my hopes up.
"Harry!" Hermione wanted to die. She was hoping that this was a very bad dream. She turned back around and tried to get her door back open. Finally in defeat she banged her head against the door and covered her face. "Please leave Harry, quickly before I get sick."
"I thought you'd be happy to see me." Harry was hurt and confused by her actions. "I came right here after leaving New York."
"Please leave Harry!" Hermione cried as she ran from her door to her bathroom. Her stomach was reacting as violently as ever and she finally had to give in and be sick.
Harry didn't leave, he didn't follow her into the bathroom either. He didn't know what to do, but he knew he had to talk to her. She was the voice of reason for him, the one person who always helped him through his big decisions and he needed her now more than ever. He sat down and waited. He had always been patient.
Hermione looked at herself in the mirror. Her makeup was blotchy, her face was pink and damp from perspiration. She hoped that Harry had left but she knew in her heart that he hadn't. She knew Harry well enough to know that he wouldn't leave without an explanation. Draco's words came back to her and she knew she needed to just get it over with. If Harry didn't want her, she had other options now. This wasn't the end of her world. She washed her face, fixed her hair, brushed her teeth and walked to the door. She could do this.
"Harry? Are you still here?" She called from behind the closed door.
"Yes Hermione. I'm not leaving either." Harry stood up and walked toward her bathroom door.
"I'm going to come out now. I have to tell you something first." She knew she was being a coward by talking through a closed door but she knew as soon as she walked out and saw him there wouldn't be any time for explanations.
"I'm listening. Hermione, you can tell me anything."
"I know I can but this is hard. We've been friends for what? Fifteen years or so? Over the course of those fifteen years I have occasionally thought of you as more than a friend."
"Really?" Harry couldn't help but smile at this confession. He was surprised, but relieved that she had at one time had a crush on him.
"So. . . Because I'm still under the effects of that potion, when I come out there I'm going to have to kiss you. If I try to resist, I'll get sick again. I'm terribly sorry, I don't want to do anything to hurt our friendship but unless you leave, I won't be able to stop it."
Harry thought about what all this meant. He could leave, avoid her for a few more days and nothing would change or he could stay and possibly change everything. If he stayed, he would kiss his best friend. He would kiss Hermione Granger. His stomach started doing flip flops but he realized that they were a good thing. He liked the idea of kissing Hermione. He had wanted to kiss her in second year when she awoke from being petrified. He was only twelve at the time but he knew how he felt. He had fought off crushes on her because she was Ron's girl and then when she wasn't he was caught in a relationship with Ginny. It seemed their timing was never right. Of course that didn't mean the timing was right now either. Maybe she would just kiss him and that would be it. He was still with Ginny after all. Harry knew one thing. This might be his one and only chance to kiss Hermione and he wasn't about to let it pass.
"I'm not leaving." He called out to her.
Hermione sighed in relief. A part of her hoped he would be gone but this was her chance, probably her only chance. She had to take it. With her hand on the doorknob, she took a deep breath and opened the door.
Her eyes locked on his brilliant green eyes. Everyone said they were his mother's eyes but for Hermione, they were his alone. The nausea swept over her again, but she didn't turn to run. She walked up to Harry, the only man she'd truly ever loved and stopped. They were very close to each other and Hermione's breath hitched. It did that regularly when she was near Harry but this was different, this was going to lead to something, something she wanted more than anything in her life. Hermione placed her hands on Harry's chest, fingering the seams along the row of buttons. She looked down at her feet, working up to the inevitable.
Harry for his part stood still. He could hear her ragged breath and he shivered just slightly when she touched him. There was nothing unusual about her touching him but this was different. There was anticipation in every move and every breath. He ran his finger lightly down her cheek finally tipping her chin up so she would look at him. Time seemed to stand still as every part of his body reacted to her, his Hermione, his best friend.
Hermione couldn't stand it any longer and leaned in. When her lips touched Harry's it was as if the most beautiful song ever written collided with the most beautiful work of art ever painted. Hermione knew the difference now. She knew what the potion was all about. It was the best kiss of her life. She pulled back, breaking the kiss even though it was the last thing she wanted. She had to know, she had to see if he had felt it too. She looked into his eyes. She expected to see indifference, boredom, or at least a lack of interest. She didn't expect to see fire, passion, and affection.
Harry didn't want that kiss to end. He couldn't believe she would pull away but when she looked at him, he knew why. She was afraid. So was he, but he didn't care anymore. He lifted a hand to cup her cheek and pulled her back toward him, holding her close. Their lips met again, this time with more pressure, more passion. His hand pressed against her lower back, pulling her tighter against him as he tasted her lips. He wanted more and it was clear she did too as she willingly opened her lips allowing his tongue to meet hers. Neither could think anymore, it was all about feeling and it all felt so right.
Air finally became a factor and they reluctantly pulled apart, resting their foreheads together while they gasped for the oxygen they needed. Hermione was feeling very weak and stepped back to go sit on the sofa. It was all so overwhelming. She had just had the best kiss of her life from her best friend who was still officially still dating another friend and she had no clue how he was feeling.
He was in fact feeling very good. He was feeling very happy and content for the first time in years. He had just had the best kiss of his life and he needed more. He needed her. He followed her to the sofa and sat close. He reached for her hand and linked her fingers with his. He just needed to touch her right now.
"Harry?" Hermione finally broke the silence. "Are you all right?"
"I'm great, a little confused, but great." He smiled at her then and her heart felt like it was going to burst. She expected him to walk out the door, back to Ginny. She didn't expect to be the recipient of a dazzling smile that she rarely saw anymore.
"Thank you for kissing me." Hermione wanted to eat the words after saying them. How stupid could she be? Yet Harry continued to smile. "Harry? What brought you here? Last I heard you weren't going to be home until tomorrow."
"Right. Well that was the plan. I finally realized I was ready to come home though. These weeks away were really good for me. I was able to step back and evaluate everything. I was ready to come back. As to why I came here, I always depend on you to help me make my big decisions. I was hoping to talk things through."
"Talk what through? What decision did you make?" Hermione was starting to get a sinking feeling in her stomach.
"Well, it's regarding Ginny." Harry said slowly.
"Oh. Of course. Are you going to propose?" Hermione braced herself for the news. Of course Ginny would say yes and her own dreams would be crushed.
"No. I'm going to break up with Ginny. It wasn't until after one of our conversations that I realized I had other options. I thought it was cut and dry. I really thought that eventually I would have to marry Ginny and that would be my life. I didn't think that there were any other options for me. I finally realized that I could just break up with her and it would be over. For good this time. You know I don't trust that many people so the idea of dating makes me ill. I thought Ginny was my only choice. Do I have another choice Hermione?"
Hermione wasn't sure how to answer that. She wanted to scream at him that of course he had another choice and it was her! On the other hand, he didn't need another woman pressuring him. She was confident that the kiss they shared had meant something to him, but she didn't know how bold she should be. Once again, Draco's words came back to her. She stood up and started pacing the room. Finally she stopped in front of Harry and looked down into his eyes.
"When you kissed me the effects of the potion were over. The potion would expire when the time was up or I kissed my true love, whichever came first. Time's not up Harry. I love you. I always have and I always will. You do have another option, you just have to make your decision."
Harry stood up and pulled Hermione into his arms. "I think this is the easiest decision of my life." Upon whispering those words he leaned in for another kiss. It started out sweet and turned quickly to fire. Somehow they ended up back on the couch, bodies pressed against each other as they fought to take more from each other. They didn't talk about the future any more that night. Over dinner and wine they discussed New York and traveling. They both wanted to see the world and though neither said it, they knew they would see it together. Later they cuddled on the couch, just touching each other and whispering. If Hermione could pick the most perfect moment of her life, that night would have been it. Harry felt Hermione slip into sleep as he held her. Her whole body relaxed and she had a smile on her face. He slowly moved from behind her and lifted her into his arms. He put her down on her bed and covered her up. Just as he was about to go home, he decided he didn't want to leave her and slipped into bed beside her.
Hermione woke early in the morning to the soft sound of light snoring and a warm body pressed against her back. As this was a very unusual occurrence for her she had to take a few moments to process everything. She had to decide if it was time to scream and hex whoever was in her bed or if this was something she wanted. The memories of the night before came flooding back and Hermione realized that it was quite possible that Harry Potter was in her bed. She lifted up the blanket to check on her state of dress. A little disappointed that she was still wearing last nights clothes, she sighed and started to turn toward the now quiet form holding her a little tighter than before.
She sighed when she saw that it was Harry. It wasn't the first time they had woken up together, or slept in the same bed. During those months of Horcrux hunting, she had shared Harry's bed on several occasions, always completely innocent though. It was a horrible time for them and she would often join Harry or Ron in their beds. Sometimes all three of them would hold each other, Hermione always between them, wrapped in warmth. While it was the worst year of her life, it also held some of her happiest moments.
Sleepy green eyes met hers and she couldn't help but start to smile.
"Good morning my beautiful girl," Harry said softly as he pulled her even closer.
"Good morning Harry." Hermione said his name on a breath, not believing that he was still here. She reached out a hand to brush the messy hair from his eyes. "You're still here."
"I didn't want to leave."
"I'm glad you didn't." He leaned down to kiss her then. Normally she would be very concerned about morning breath but with Harry she didn't care. He'd seen her worse, he'd smelled her worse in fact. None of them smelled very rosy after camping out for all those months. Her lips met his eagerly and he slowly moved his body so he was over her. She couldn't get up if she wanted to and she really didn't want to.
Harry wasn't exactly sure what he was doing. He knew he wanted Hermione. It was as if all those years of uncertainty disappeared when he kissed her last night. The knowledge that he could have a life with his best friend was unbelievable to him. He tried to focus on the woman who was wiggling beneath him but thoughts of Ginny kept popping in. Panting, he finally stopped his devouring of Hermione and struggled to sit up. He was hard as a rock and as frustrated as a very turned on man could get.
"I'm sorry Hermione."
"You didn't have to stop." She whispered.
"I didn't want to. Believe me. It's just not fair to you. Not yet."
"I don't understand." Hermione got out of bed, leaving the warmth and walked over to stand in front of Harry.
"I need to deal with Ginny first."
"Oh." That was all she could think of to say. "Did you change your mind? Are you going to propose?"
"What? No! Of course not. I never wanted to marry Ginny. Never. I want to explore this thing between us Hermione. I want to be with you. Believe me."
"Then be with me Harry. That's all I've ever wanted."
"I will. We'll be together, I promise with everything that's in me. I just. . . " He trailed off as he stood up to start walking around the room.
"You just have to break up with Ginny first. Right?"
"More or less. Hermione, I do care about Ginny. She's been my girlfriend for years and I can't forget that. I need to go talk to her. I promised that I would let her pick out my dress robes for the ball tonight. I need to go. I'm sorry."
"I see. You are taking Ginny to the ball then?" Hermione couldn't hide her disappointment. She thought after everything they'd talked about, the kisses they'd shared, she'd at least be going to the ball with him.
"I just don't know if I can do this to her now. Not the night of the ball. I need to figure out how to break up with her. I need to do it the right way, and for good this time, but I don't want to hurt her too badly. Please understand." Harry took Hermione's hands in his and pleaded with her. "Please Hermione, let me do this and I promise I'll do it quickly. I love you."
"Oh Harry, I love you too. Go ahead. Deal with Ginny in you own way. I'll see you tonight." Hermione didn't want to let him go. She knew that Ginny would do anything to hold on to Harry and she knew she was risking everything by giving her the opportunity.
"Save me a dance." Harry gave her a quick kiss and left.
Hermione could only stand there hoping and praying that she didn't lose her true love before she even really had him. Hermione was never one to shirk off her duties even when wallowing in self pity. She quickly got the owls sent off, floo called Neville for any last minute issues and began to prepare for the ball. She did allow for at least an hour of moping in front of the telly.
()()()()()()()()
Harry didn't go right over to Ginny's. He flooed home to shower and change clothes before he went to visit Pansy. She opened the door in a bath robe and a blue facial mask. He wasn't sure whether to laugh or scream.
"Harry! You are back!" Pansy said with a stiff mouth. Her words were a little mumbled and cracks were formed when she tried to smile.
"Hey Pansy. Can I talk to you for a few minutes?"
"Sure. Let me just go wash my face." Pansy hurried off to scrub the mask off while Harry waited in the study.
"Oh! Hi Harry, I didn't know you were here." Blaise walked into the room surprised to see his friend.
"Hi Blaise, I came to talk to Pansy. She went to wash her face."
"Oh yeah. She's been walking around with that blue stuff on for a while now. She started getting ready for the ball before I even got out of bed. That's the good thing about being a guy. We just throw on clothes and go." The two men talked while waiting for Pansy, who eventually returned with a full face of make up.
"All right Harry, what can I do for you?"
"I was wondering if you had any more of that potion. The one you gave Hermione."
"Well, I did save samples yes. Why do you need it?"
"I don't want to tell you right now. I don't need the full twenty-eight day version, the short term version is fine. I just have to prove something to someone. Please don't ask."
Pansy studied Harry's face. She knew something was wrong, he looked conflicted. Harry didn't ask for much, his hard childhood had led him to be quite self-sufficient. All of his friends knew that when he needed something it was for good reason. "All right Harry. I'll go get it." She quickly returned with the vial. "You aren't giving anymore to Hermione are you? I think she's had enough."
"No, it's not for Hermione. Well, it is in a way, but she won't be taking it. Thanks Pansy. I'll see you both tonight."
()()()()()()()()()()()
Harry headed over to Ginny's flat next. He had promised her he'd be there that morning and he was a man of his word. Of course the fact that he was going to break up with her soon didn't say much for his character but he knew beyond a doubt that for the first time in many years, he had found what he wanted. He wanted Hermione! He couldn't believe that he could feel the way he did. He was excited about the future, about everything. He was in love, apparently for the first time. He just didn't know how to break Ginny's heart. He wouldn't do it today. He was sure Hermione understood. He'd have to play the doting boyfriend for one more night. Ginny had been looking forward to this ball for months and he couldn't do that to her.
"Gin? You home?" Harry called out as he let himself in her front door.
"Harry! Finally!" Ginny came rushing at him, dressed in a bathrobe and wearing a familiar blue face mask. "How was New York? Did you see anything wonderful? Was it as amazing as I hear? Come, tell me everything while I wash my face."
Harry followed her into her bedroom and sat on the bed while she cleaned up.
"So, did you just get back?" Ginny asked, coming out of the bathroom.
"I went home first to shower and change. It was nice to be in familiar surroundings. You said you wanted to tell me what to wear so I thought I'd come find out and then go home and get ready. I want to stop by the ballroom to make sure there aren't any last minute duties. I feel bad leaving it all on Hermione and Neville."
"Oh, they had help. They were fine. I have your robes right here, I picked out the classic black, but transfigured the tie to match my dress perfectly. You could change here, we could spend the day together." Ginny was still hopeful that Harry had come home with a ring.
"I really can't. I've got so much to do. I'll pick you up at seven." He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and headed for the floo. "Oh, I almost forgot, I have a souvenir for you. I'll bring it tonight."
Author's Note: I know some of you were rooting for Draco. Don't worry about him. He'll be fine. He is a Malfoy after all.