Unconscious Confessions

Quality Time

~A Little Over A Week Later~

Harry walked out of the restroom toweling his hair and eyed his girlfriend who was lying under the covers watching him with hooded eyes.

'Mmm,' she purred 'lucky towel.'

Harry smirked as her gaze flicked to the larger towel tied around his waist. "Like what you see?" he teased with a sexy grin when she looked back up at his face.

"Very much," she replied, just before giving an impish grin of her own and pulling back her covers. "How about you? Do you like what you see?"

Harry smiled appreciatively as her firm body came in to view, clad in nothing but a bra and a matching pair of skimpy red knickers. Sauntering towards the bed he put his hand at the tie of his towel and slowly unknotted it, holding it on his toned hips with a single hand.

Ginny's eyes darkened appreciatively, 'Let go of the towel Harry.'

He licked his lips and tilted his head to the side, regarding her curiously as he waited for her to make a move. After a minute of just studying one another Ginny got on her knees and ran her hands up Harry's chest, placing kisses on each of his pecks before making her way to his neck. As her tongue worked magic on his throat, she reached down and pulled the towel form his grasp, letting it fall soundlessly to the floor.

"Mmmm, nice," she murmured in his ear as her hands reached down and squeezed his bum; Harry chuckled.

He slowly rubbed her shoulders and made his way down her back easily unhooking her bra along the way. Pulling the garment off of her shoulders as she pulled back, he dropped it onto the floor next to his towel and stared admiringly at her round chest.

"Mmmm, nice," he murmured, mimicking her earlier comments.

When she giggled he leant down and caught her lips in a deep kiss, as her hands tangled in his hair the alarm by the bed went off, signaling that they had an incoming floo. Harry groaned and dropped his head onto Ginny's shoulder.

"Ugh, ignore it," he grumbled, before kissing her neck once more.

"I can't it could be one of our jobs," Ginny panted, when he continued to kiss her she persisted, "or worse yet it could be my mum or one of my brothers. You know how they are Harry, if they don't get an answer then they're likely to apparate over just to check on things."

He pulled back and gave her a pained expression, "But Gin-"

"Harry just let me check, please?"

'It could be Michael.'

Harry frowned, "Who's Michael?"

"What?" Ginny quizzed with a startled expression.

Harry flushed, "Nothing, go check," he finished getting up from on top of her and taking a seat on the edge of the bed.

She gave him one last confused look before grabbing her robe and hurrying out of the room.

'Shite,' he thought 'I need to be more careful.'

Giving a sigh after several full minutes passed and she hadn't returned, Harry got up and got dressed. He had just thrown on a pair of boxers and a t-shirt when Ginny rushed back into the room.

"What's going on?" he asked as she made her way to her wardrobe and began rummaging around.

"Got called into work, two healers owled in ill and they need extra help," she answered while looking for a pair of matching shoes.

"But, you just worked overtime yesterday –I thought we were going to try to spend a bit of time together," he frowned.

Ginny threw a look over her shoulder and froze when she saw the upset look on her boyfriends face.

"I'm sorry sweetie, but… I can't just leave them without the help that they need."

"Why not? Those other two healers did –Gin, I feel like we never see each other anymore."

She sighed and shook her head, 'Contrary to what you may believe, just because you're Harry Potter, the whole wizarding world doesn't revolve around you,' Ginny thought in an annoyed tone.

"I'm sorry sweetie," she said aloud, "I really want to stay, I do. It's just that I'm just starting out and I need to prove myself. You understand that don't you?"

Harry scoffed and looked away as her wounding thoughts continued to ring in his head "Of course," he said softly while getting up and grabbing a pair of jeans. "Just take your time Gin, when you have a free moment ink me in."

"Oi! That's not fair Harry!" she exclaimed rising also. "You're just as busy as I am with all your Auror stuff, so don't act like it's just me who needs to ink people in!"

He looked at her, giving a disappointed shake of the head, "Whatever," –with a 'pop' he was gone.

------------------------

Harry gave Hermione an apologetic smile when she jumped at his sudden appearance in her room. "Sorry," he said sheepishly, running a hand thought his already disheveled hair.

"Harry?" she closed her book and continued to stare at him in surprise.

He sighed, "I had a fight with Ginny and I needed to get out of the flat –I'm sorry. You know, normally I wouldn't just drop in on you like this but considering most of the other people I would go to are related to her then…" he trailed off with a shrug and sat heavily in the chair by her desk.

"Not to mention a lot of places have a policy about not wearing shoes," Hermione commented giving an amused glace at his bare feet.

Harry blushed, "Yeah… that too." When she laughed his color deepened, "What? I had just gotten out of the shower and didn't have time to get fully dressed, I only had on time to throw on my shirt, my pants and my under...er, garments…"

She arched a brow, 'Aww, too bad you didn't remember the shoes and forget the pants.'

"That's rough Harry, well at least you were able to get almost completely dressed," Hermione said aloud as she readjusted so that she was sitting on the edge of the bed just in front of him.

"I-we-s," he sputtered, "I mean, I…uh, thanks –I guess."

She gave him a curious look but didn't comment on his speech issues, "So, what did you two quarrel about?"

Harry sighed and ran his hand through his hair again, "Work."

"Work?" she questioned with a frown, "What about work?"

"Actually it was more about working too much."

"Ahh –which side were you on?"

"I was on the 'We should spend more time together' side, while she was on the 'The whole ruddy world doesn't revolve around you' side," he answered dryly.

"She actually said that to you?"

"Well…not in so many words…"

Hermione arched a dark brow "Well, in how many words did she say it?"

He groaned, he should have never said anything about it to her. "Look it doesn't matter, basically the fight was that her job wanted her to come in for overtime and I wanted her to spend time with me."

"Well, maybe they really needed her," she offered amicably.

He frowned, "She worked this morning, overtime yesterday and twice last week, tonight was the only other night this week that we were both off and we had decided to spend some romantic time together."

Hermione bit her lip, "Well… so did you tell her? You know how important it was for you guys to spend this time together?"

"Yes," Harry replied in a clipped tone, "and she told me how important it was for her to help out at work." When she opened her mouth to comment her cut her off. "Look basically Ginny had a choice between putting me first or putting her job first and she choose her job."

'Then she's a twit,' Hermione thought.

"Well… then she's the one who looses out," she stated firmly. "Anyway, I'm sure that once you two have a chance to cool down you'll be able to talk things out."

Harry grunted.

"Come on," Hermione pressed, reaching out and grabbing his hands, "It couldn't have been that bad."

Harry looked down at their hands and sighed, "How did you know that something was going on with Ron?" he asked after hesitating for a moment.

She frowned, "Well, it was just –I don't know, his actions. The way that he was sometimes was a bit out of character and he started spending less and less time at home and more and more time wit– why? Harry you don't think that Ginny?…"

He sighed and shook his head "I don't know… I just think that there may be –I don't know…"

"Has she done anything? Said anything?"

"Not really, right now it's more like –like a feeling. I think that it may be someone she works with and that's why she wants all this overtime."

Hermione chewed thoughtfully on her bottom lip and Harry found his eyes transfixed on the sight. "Well, I guess the only thing you can do right now is stay alert and keep your eyes open. I'll do the same, I'll also do some info fishing if you like –I mean, I don't see Ginny as often as I used to since the breakup but…"

Harry pulled his gaze from her lips to look into her eyes, "That would be great Hermione, thanks for your help."

She grinned, "No problem."

"Hermione?" Harry questioned after a minute.

"Yes?"

"You don't think that maybe… I don't know I could have done something wrong do you? I mean she did mention how much time I spend on my Auror work…"

"Don't be daft Harry," Hermione responded with a wave of her hand. "You have never put work before anyone that you cared about… well, with the exception of that Christmas that you missed when you were still in training," she finished with a thoughtful expression.

He frowned, "Maybe –I don't know, maybe she doesn't think I'm attractive anymore."

Hermione's eyes widened 'Not attractive?! If that were the case, she wouldn't just be a twit she'd be a blind, daft twit!'

"Harry don't be silly, you're as gorgeous as ever –heck you've been WQ's number one hottest wizard since you were old enough to make the list," she commented.

"That's the whole hero status thing," he sighed; she snorted. "Well maybe I'm getting on her nerves, or she doesn't like my personality anymore, maybe-"

"Rubbish, all of it. You're as sweet as you've always been; you're also smart, funny, easygoing, outgoing and modest. So maybe you should just take me at my word and stop fishing for complements already before I have to rethink the modest part," Hermione finished with a smirk.

Harry laughed, "Okay, okay… I guess I should figure out if something is really going on before I spaz out anyway," he conceded. "Do you mind if I hang here for a bit? Ginny's probably already gone but I don't want to go back to the flat just yet…"

She grinned at him, "No problem Harry."

'Anytime.'

He blinked at the undertone he heard in the word before shaking his head lightly. "So, what were you reading?"

Hermione blushed a bit "Uh, nothing," she shrugged. "Just some cheesy romance novel," she finished picking up the book and waving it negligently.

"Well I'm sure it's not too cheesy if you're reading it," Harry smiled. "Tell me about it."

"I… er, o-kay… if you want…"

"I want."

She gave a light laugh and nodded her head. "It's called Forbidden Love-"

"Sounds kinky," he noted lightly with a teasing grin.

Hermione's face turned deep red and she reached out, smacking his arm lightly with the book. "It's sweet you git, not kinky." She reprimanded. "It's about a two best friends, who have been close since childhood, and their developing feelings towards one another. Th-"

"That doesn't sound too forbidden," Harry stated in a light tone, leaning back in his chair.

"I would tell you why it's forbidden if you stop interrupting me," the brunette frowned with an annoyed look.

He held up his hands in mock surrender "Sorry, please continue."

She glared at him for a moment longer before going on "As I was saying, they are close childhood friends that develop feelings for one another, but the problem is that they're both involved in relationships. One is dating a really, really close friend to both of them, and the other is dating someone who is still considered a good friend."

"Wow…" Harry muttered with a thoughtful expression. The story pulled at something in him sounding vaguely familiar, but he could not seem to pinpoint what.

"Yeah," Hermione nodded. "Then they reach a point where they can't fight their feelings anymore and that's when all hell breaks loose."

"Sounds pretty good…" the dark haired man said, getting up. He then flopped down on Hermione's bed and got comfortable. "Hermione?"

She turned and gave him a suspicious look. 'What is he up to? That 'Hermione?' sounded a bit too sweet for my tastes.'

"Yes, Harry?" she asked.

"Could you do something for me," he inquired biting his lip and giving her a pleading look.

She rolled her eyes.

'Damn you Harry Potter! Why do you have to look so adorable and bloody eatable while lying on MY bed!' she growled mentally. 'Crap, now I'm going to have dreams of the various something's I can do for you, for the next couple of weeks at least."

She gave an exaggerated sigh "What is it you want Harry?" she inquired in an exasperated, if not bored, tone.

Harry's brose rose and he worked to get his mind to process her verbal question and not the various something's she could do, that her thoughts implied. "Well…" dark brows drew together. "I… oh, right. I wanted to know if you would read to me… please?"

Against their will, Hermione's lips pulled into a small smile at the corners, "Read to you?"

He nodded.

"What? –This?" she held up Forbidden Love.

He nodded again, this time with exaggerated slowness.

Hermione laughed. 'Why do you have to be so adorable and so taken at the same bloody time?' she sighed mentally.

"Fine… but it is a romance novel. You know that, yeah?"

He grinned, "Why do you think I'm not reading it myself. Would totally lose man points. However if you read it to me, it's just adorably sexy," he winked.

Her ears turned a soft pink 'Is he flirting with me?'

'Am I flirting with her?' Harry asked himself in response to her unasked questions.

Hermione dropped her gaze. As she bit her lip and flipped through the book he silently studied her. "Fine, do you want me to start at the beginning so that I don't have to go through and explain everything?" she asked, not looking up at him.

Dark curly hair fell onto smooth pale shoulders that were exposed due to the size of her small blue tank top, and Harry was hit with the realization that not only was her flirting with her. He liked it. He liked the blush that turned her ears pink and the way her soft brown eyes would widen in the slightest sense in surprise. He liked the way she would laugh nervously or the way her mouth would sometimes drop, just a bit, in shock. Most of all he loved the little thoughts that flowed through her mind, the way that usually contradicted her words –and the way they sometimes mirrored his own.

"Harry?" Hermione asked, looking back up at him finally. "Start at the beginning, yeah?"

Emerald green eyes studied the witch in front of him a moment longer, and she shifted under his gaze "Yeah," he whispered in a voice that was thicker than he realized.

Hermione blinked and bit her lip before giving a jerky nod. "Okay, Prologue-" she cut off abruptly when Harry lightly caught her wrist.

"Lie next to me?" he whispered. "It's a pretty thick book after all, this could take a while."

'Lie next to you?! What, are you trying to kill me?!'

"Su-sure," she said aloud with a shaky shrug. "You have a point I guess."

A moment later she was nestled just under his right arm, her head lying in the crook and her sided pressed firmly against his. Harry closed his eyes and listened as she read the story of forbidden love… it wasn't until the sirens of sleep had him firmly in their grasp that it clicked what the tale reminded him of.

It reminded him of his relationship… with Hermione.

A.N. That's it for this chappy! Sorry for the late update, RL can be hectic at times. For those of you who didn't realize I just did a whole subliminal message/shameless plug for my other Harry/Hermione fic Forbidden Love. If you haven't read it then feel free to go check it out!! It's much longer than this one is going to be, I hope to have this story wrapped up in about 15chappys or less *crosses fingers* so here's to hoping! Please don't forget to review!! Ja ne!!