Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, it belongs to JK Rowling, etc, etc. Anyone who thinks I do own Harry Potter is an idiot.

A/N: There you go. Hope it was worth the wait! Let me know what you think please.

Steps Toward Something

Chapter Seven

Hermione really did try. She knew exactly what she was going to say, had been practicing the simple words all summer, but when it came time to say them, they got lodged in her throat like so many others had, time and time before.

Hello, Harry. How hard was that?

Instead she ended up flapping her mouth like a fish. On a positive note, she did manage to make a sound at least. A half audible, 'ah,' which she supposed was better than nothing.

Harry continued to smile reassuringly, which just made her feel worse. He was so great and understanding, and yet she still couldn't manage to speak to him. What was wrong with her? Feeling suddenly depressed after so much anticipation, she hung her head in defeat.

By this point, the rest of the Hogwarts student body began to file past them, some grunting in annoyance at fact that they currently blocked part of the entrance. It only took one ignorant, impatient someone, who roughly bumped her out of the way with his or her shoulder (Hermione wasn't sure if it was a boy or a girl) to take what should have been a joyous reunion and turn it inside out. The moment she was roughly shoved aside, she broke. The crowd continued to push against her, from all sides, and she was forced to cower, arms over her head, her cries lost in the chorus of voices and shuffling feet. She wasn't sure how she ended up against the castle walls, but she clung to them like a lifeline, shrinking away from the oblivious swarm of students.

It was only after the mass of humanity had passed and she was alone, that she realised, she wasn't alone. Harry was with her, and he crouched protectively over her, his hand resting ever so lightly against her back. She had been so consumed in her panic that she hadn't even realised. Had he guided her to safety? She looked up through teary eyes and into his face. He looked back with the softest expression she had ever seen, not pity, but concern and tenderness.

'It's okay,' he whispered, moving his hand from her back suddenly. 'They're gone.'

Harry, she thought, with such love she felt her heart might explode. She didn't think about what happened next, as she threw herself into his arms and buried her head in his comforting chest. He gasped in surprise, but quickly regained composure and put his arms gently around her. She cried quiet tears into his t-shirt, partly to expunge her fear, partly because she was so happy to see him, to have him here with her again.

He let her cry for a few minutes, humming and whispering encouraging words. Finally, she pushed lightly against his chest, and he immediately released her. The look of nervousness on his face made her feel terrible, as if he was worried he had gone too far in touching her. She only hesitated for a moment before she grabbed his hand and held it. The answering smile on his face made her heart leap in joy, and she smiled back in return. They sat by the entrance to Hogwarts, grinning stupidly at each other for another few moments.

Suddenly, Hermione remember that they were supposed to be going to the Great Hall for the welcoming feast, so she stood up, pulling Harry with her. She wiped her eyes free of tears and gestured towards the still open double doors. Harry followed her into the entrance hall, but he pulled her up short as she went to enter the Great Hall.

'Wait,' he said. 'Let's not. We'll have to sit at separate tables, and,' he paused and looked at their still linked hands, 'I'm not ready for that yet.'

Hermione looked at him, trying to convey with a look, well, what do we do then?

'I have something I want to show you,' he said with a wink.

Curious, she allowed herself to be led by Harry as he guided her through the castle. She felt naughty, going against the rules and ditching the welcoming feast, but at the same time, she agreed with him. She wasn't ready to let go of his hand yet either. The thought sent a thrill of excitement through her and she blushed to herself.

Harry led her all the way to an old statue of a knight bearing sword and shield. She watched in confusion as he brought out his wand and tapped it once on the end of the sword and then again in the center of the shield. She wasn't expecting what happened next. The statue gave a jerk, and then moved back, into the wall, which shuddered, and then descended into the floor without a sound. The passage revealed to her was wide and thick with darkness. It looked like the gaping maw of some horrible beast.

When Harry tried to lead her in, she dug her heels in, scared. He glanced back at her reassuringly and she chided herself for being a fool and a coward. It was Harry. She trusted him with her life. He waited patiently for her to take the first step, and then evening his pace with hers.

Hermione gasped with freight when the wall rose up behind them, shutting them in the darkness.

'It's okay,' Harry said soothingly by her wide, 'I'm here. Keep walking. Don't worry.'

Hermione wondered why Harry didn't use Lumos to light up the gloom, but he seemed to know exactly where he was going. She felt him guide her around a few bends before finally he stopped.

'We're here,' he said. 'Lumos Lucerna.' Sudden light blinded her momentarily. When her eyes adjusted, she saw several lamps set into the walls on either side of her, illuminating the space with a soft glow. Directly in front of her, a shimmering drape of black sparkled the light back at her, as if she was staring at the starry night sky. There was a large bookshelf set against one wall, and a long, comfy looking couch against the other. Off to one side were a table and two plush chairs. There was even a fluffy looking cream rug under her feet.

'Do you like it?' Harry asked.

Hermione looked at him and nodded with a smile of amazement. She let go of his hand and started to walk around, looking at everything. Behind her, the darkness was beaten back by the light, but appeared lurking at the edges as the corridor (for that was what it was, she suddenly realised) curved to the right. She glanced back at Harry. He was watching her with a small smile, enjoying her process of discovery.

Hermione focused on the bookshelf first, of course. She read a few titles, amused to find Hogwarts: A History among them.

'They're mostly my books,' Harry said. 'That's the copy you gave me, by the way.' He motioned to said copy of Hogwarts: A History.

Hermione traced the book's spine fondly. She had given it to Harry as a Christmas present last year. In return, he had given her a pearl necklace that used to belong to his mother. It was a little bit too big for her right now, so she kept it safely in her trunk, tucked away, ready for the day she would be able to wear it proudly.

'I figured we could do our homework and stuff here,' Harry said, standing by the table, his hands resting on the back of one chair. 'And if we want to get comfortable, we can relax there.' He pointed the sofa.

Hermione nodded and wandered over to the beautiful sparkling curtain of stars. She ran her fingers lightly along the surface, watching it ripple.

'There's another, well, room I guess, back there. It has a bed in case you ever want to sleep here.' Harry said it so offhandedly, but Hermione felt her cheeks redden anyway. She had a sudden image of them cuddling on the bed and focused on staring at the curtain, until her cheeks felt less hot.

'You really do like it, right?' Harry asked again, this time sounding a little nervous.

Hermione loved it, so she turned, despite her blush, and nodded enthusiastically. She pulled her wand out and conjured a quick piece of parchment and quill.

It's perfect, she wrote, and showed it to Harry.

Harry grinned. 'It's not the Chamber of Secrets, but it's ours. No one else knows this even exists. I only found it because… I'll show you later. You must be hungry, right?'

She nodded again. Yes.

'I thought you might be, so I've been sneaking food in here for the past few days. Nothing big, but I thought we could have a little picnic?'

Hermione wrote quickly, that sounds wonderful, with a smiley face.

'Take your shoes off and get comfortable,' Harry said. 'The rug is really comfy. I'll just get the food.'

Hermione did as he suggested. After removing her shoes and socks, she sat down on the rug and dug her toes into the fluffy material. A soft smile played about her mouth as she waited for Harry to come back. When he did return, he had a basket full of bread, jams, and fruits with him. He removed his shoes and socks as well and sat across from her.

As Harry began to divvy up the food, Hermione watched him, and finally felt at peace for the first time since leaving Hogwarts all those weeks ago.

She was home.