Chapter Text
Tap, Tap, Tap
Hermione stirred only slightly under her fluffy alternative down comforter.
Tap, Tap, Tap
‘What was that noise?’ she thought “Go away, I want to sleep more.” She said out loud to no one, for she was alone.
Tap, Tap, Tap
She finally opened her eyes, looked around the familiar yet foreign feeling room. Since the end of the war, Hermione decided to move back into her parent’s house for a while until she can either find and return her parents’ memories or she sells it. For now, she just wanted to be alone, away from the magical world, the “fame” of being a war heroine, the brains of the “golden trio”, the best friend to the boy-who-lived-again. She also needed some time away from Ron, although they seemed to finally gotten together, their last encounter left her feeling like maybe it wasn’t meant to be. They didn’t part in the most amicable terms, hence why she needed time away from him to think.
Tap, Tap, Tap
Hermione finally realized the noise was coming from the window a few feet from her bed. She sat up, threw the comforter to the side and swung her legs around to get up. Walking the few meters to the window, she glanced over her shoulder to the clock setting on the desk against the wall opposite the window. Before she realized the time, she pulled the heavy curtains back and sunlight immediately poured into the room. She closed her eyes and quickly let go of the curtain. She shielded her eyes before daring to open the curtain again. Hermione noticed an owl hovering outside the window, it appeared to be a ministry of magic owl by the small emblem hanging around the regal yet tired looking bird’s neck. It wasn’t too happy; it must have been waiting there for quite some time. As soon as she opened the window, it swooped in and landed gracefully on the perch she had near her desk. She had purchased one after first year in order to send and receive owl post from her friends. She was just about to close the window when another, more familiar owl flew through and perched alongside the other one. Hermione passed her hand over the small bowl and wordlessly cast a simple ‘aguamenti’ spell to fill the little water bowl for the owls to drink from and gave each of them a treat. She retrieved the scrolls from their legs and noticed neither moved to leave. She assumed then that they were expected to wait for a reply.
Hermione carefully opened the one from the ministry first. She broke the Minister of Magics personal seal and unrolled the scroll.
Dear Ms. Granger,
Your presence is requested at the trials of Lucius Malfoy, Narcissa Malfoy and their son Draco Malfoy, to provide any testimony you feel necessary to ensure a fair trial. Please arrive one hour prior to the start of the proceedings. To take place at 10:00 in the morning on Tuesday, July 8th. Please send your reply for your affirmation of receipt and acceptance.
Sincerely,
Kingsley Shacklebolt
Interim Minister of Magic
P.S. I hope this finds you well, Hermione, we all miss you.
Hermione smiled to herself at the friendly post script from the acting minister. She did want to see him again. She carefully unrolled the second letter which was tied by a simple red ribbon and immediately recognized the slightly messy handwriting. It was from Harry. Again, she smiled fondly at the piece of parchment and realized she has not smiled the entire time she has been at the house. She has been experiencing nightmares about her time at the manor and the battle of Hogwarts. She made a mental note to try and smile more, it felt good even for a short while. She looked back to the parchment in her hands to read it.
Hermione,
I hope you are enjoying your solitude; I know I would be. Although I miss you terribly, I understand your need to be alone and think. I have been to Grimmauld Place to do the same but since it used to be headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix, everyone can get in whenever they want. I might need your help to change that.
Anyway, the reason I am writing now, I assume you received the owl from the ministry. I would like to talk to you about it. If you are available this afternoon please send back, Hermes, with your reply of what time and where.
Miss you, cannot wait to see you again.
Love,
Harry
Another smile crossed her face and a warm feeling spread from her chest throughout her body. She had not realized the cold emptiness that lingered there until that moment. She missed him. Hermione grabbed a couple of spare pieces of parchment from her little beaded bag she still kept constantly packed just in case. She continued to feel around for a quill but could not locate one, she made another mental note to get a few new quills next time she was in Diagon Alley. So instead, she picked up a ball point pen to answer both letters.
Dear Sir,
I will see you at 9 o’clock sharp on the 8th of July.
Sincerely,
Miss Hermione Granger
P.S. I am doing well, miss you too.
She carefully rolled the parchment and attached it to the Ministry owl then walked to the window to let him back out. Harry’s owl, Hermes, looked a bit impatient until Hermione lovingly stroked his feathers. She stared at the owl a bit longer, it wasn’t as magnificent as Hedwig was, actually this owl was quite the opposite in color, size and attitude. The tawny colored owl reminded Hermione of the school owls, smaller than the great snowy owl with no real markings to tell the difference one from the other. Hermione thought that Harry may have chosen Hermes for that exact reason, less likely to be recognized as his. She sat back down at her desk to write back to Harry.
Harry,
I can’t say I have enjoyed my solitude but I definitely needed it. It is a bit lonely in my parent’s house, I will explain more when we meet.
Why don’t you come here, you remember where it is, right? I’ll change my wards so you can apparate directly into the sitting room. How about 3 o’clock.
See you then.
Love and miss you,
Hermione
She wanted to say more but thought better of it. She was still worried the owl would be intercepted by the media or other dark forces. Merlin forbid if Rita Skeeter got a hold of it.
Even though it has only been a few weeks since the final battle and Harry’s victory over Voldemort, living in the muggle world made it feel like it was a lifetime ago. She gently rolled the letter, tied it with a golden ribbon and attached it to Hermes outstretched leg. She gave Hermes another affectionate stroke of his feathers and walked him over to the open window. She watched as the owl soundlessly and quite gracefully took flight. As it disappeared from sight, she closed her window again and pulled the curtain closed. She had enough of the sun for a bit.
Hermione stood near the window and looked around the room, because she had obliviated her parent’s memory of her, this room, her room, was locked behind a disillusionment charm so the door did not appear in the hallway. When looking at it, the wall looked solid. She isn’t sure why she did that, maybe in hopes that once the war was over and she was able to reverse the spell, that her parents may want to come back and live here. Before she had erased her parent’s, memories and changed their identities, she had Kingsley help her get the paperwork altered to have the house in her name and any assets which she may need in order to live there if she chose to. It was much easier than she had suspected and since the records were kept in the muggle world, it kept the house safe. Until recently, no one had occupied the small two-story home for nearly a year. During the first week she was there she dusted and refreshed all the linens and aired out the house the muggle way using no magic and it felt good. It helped her ground herself, pull herself back together after everything. Although the nightmares still came, they were not as bad here, in her small childhood bedroom.
She padded back to her desk and switched on the small lamp which cast a soft glow throughout the room. She picked up one of the pictures she kept in a frame on her desk, it was a magical picture of the “golden trio” their first year, when they first became the best of friends. The three young faces smiled up at her and waved.
“How long ago that was, so much has changed.” Hermione stated out loud, again to no one.
She looked down at the clock and saw that it was already noon. She needed to get showered dressed and to the market before Harry arrived at 3.
Hermione gathered her things and made her way down the hall to the bathroom. She looked at the bare eggshell-colored walls as she walked slowly towards the bathroom door. The walls use to be covered with family pictures of her and her parents, now they were bare, devoid of any personal touches, any warm fond memories. After she obliviated her parents they moved to Australia and packed up the small things to take with them. They left all the large furniture; which Hermione was thankful for. That way she could live there if she wanted to or move somewhere else with less memories to haunt her.
She tried not to live in the past because she knew she could not change it. Right now, she needed to get dressed, go grocery shopping and prepare for Harry’s arrival. She actually was looking forward to seeing her best friend, she has missed him dearly.
Hermione turned on the tap and let the water get to the perfect temperature. She got in and let the water cascade down her body and through her hair. As the water started to soothe her, she had a sudden flashback of another shower she had taken not too long ago.
xxxxxxxxxxx
“Ronald, I said NO!” Hermione pushed Ron hard away from her. She wasn’t truly afraid of him but he was being a bit more aggressive than usual. Although Ron pulled away a bit from her, he still had her pinned down on the sofa in the sitting room at Grimmauld Place.
“But ‘Mione, I thought you loved me” he said in a very whiney boyish way. That did not rub Hermione the right way at all.
“RONALD, HOW DARE YOU!” She fumed. She put her small hands on his chest and pushed with all her might. Ron flew off the sofa as though hit with a stunning spell. Hermione stared wide-eyed at the boy on the floor and then her hands. They were sparking, and her hair was frizzed out omitting small sparks as well. Hermione had not lost control of her magic like that since before she got her letter to Hogwarts.
She stared at her hands and watched as the sparks faded. She recalled thinking if she could only get to her wand, she would send a hex or jinx at Ron to get him off her. She only thought it, didn’t she? She looked around for her wand, well Bellatrix’s old wand, and found it lying on the table across the room.
“What the fuck, Hermione? Is it wrong for a boyfriend to want to have sex with his girlfriend?” he yelled as he stood up from the dusty floor.
“Yes, it is wrong if the girlfriend has stated on multiple occasions, she wasn’t ready for sex yet. And what if she is wanting to wait a bit longer. The relationship is still new, we don’t have to rush things.”
“But we have been waiting for years…” he began to say and was cut off by Hermione.
“What do you mean, we have been waiting for years? You just told me you wanted to go out with me a week ago. Before that you were mostly with Lavender.” She was really angry now. She stood with her hands on her hips and glared at Ron.
Ron started turning a bright red which clashed badly with his hair color. Partially from embarrassment and partially from anger. He never knew when to stop, so he went on. “Lavender did more the first day we got together then you and me have this whole week.”
“We had funerals and other things to deal with more important than snogging or having sex. And how dare you compare me to Lavender!” She felt the magic coursing through her veins, the blood pounding in her ears and everything becoming a bit sharper or in tune.
Ron stepped towards her, grabbed her by her shoulders and pulled her into a kiss. It was not a gentle kiss but demanding and angry. She did not respond and again pushed him away. “Ronald, I don’t think our relationship is going to work. I thought I could love you, but if you cannot respect me and my wishes, then I can’t”
“But ‘Mione, I love you. I’m sorry.” He said as he stepped in again for another kiss. Hermione put out her hand and wandlessly and silently called for her wand, “Accio wand” she thought. It flew into her hand and she immediately sent a silent stinging jinx towards Ron making him yelp loudly in pain.
Ron looked at Hermione with saucer sized eyes and said, “You know what? You’re right, this isn’t going to work. I don’t love you.” He stomped from the room. She heard the fireplace in the study come to life and Ron’s deep voice call out “The Burrow” and then there was silence.
Once it was quiet and she was alone, she let out a loud sob and tears began to fall. Hermione made her way to the second floor of 12 Grimmauld Place, gathered her toiletries and clean clothes before heading for the shower where she let the water soothe her while she cried.
xxxxxxxxxxxx .
Hermione thoughts came back to the present. That was the day she decided to take some time and live at her parent’s house, well her house now, in the muggle world. She didn’t cry this time; she was done mourning over her losses. The loss of friends, Tonks, Lupin, Sirius, Fred, and many others and the loss of her relationship with Ron. She needed to move on to begin to heal. Once she could focus on healing herself, she could help either to get her parents memories back and/or heal the magically world from the war that is finally over.
Since the incident with Ron, Hermione has not performed much magic. She wasn’t sure why she lost control but she was just being cautious. When she performed the water spell wandlessly earlier she felt she had a bit more control of it, so she thought that maybe she should practice it a bit more. That might help control the magic in her veins. She also thought she would venture out to Diagon Alley and see if she could find any books on wandless magic at Flourish and Blotts.
She got out of the shower and began drying herself with the big fluffy towel she brought in with her. She always preferred towel drying her hair because she felt it was less likely to tangle. Since the summer before 6th year her hair seems to have relaxed a bit except when she was angry or performing a lot of magic. She finished drying her hair and putting in the combination of products to help keep her curls from becoming unruly before dressing in a pair of faded jeans and an old ‘Pink Floyd’ band t-shirt she stole from her dad when she was 14. She took a look into the mirror and shrugged.
“It’s as good as it’s going to get” she said to her reflection. She noticed she had dark circles under her eyes, her face was a bit too thin and she was paler than normal. She gathered her discarded clothes, hung up her night clothes and put the rest in the laundry basket.
She grabbed her purse, her wand and the key. She checked to make sure she had money and her debit card with her before leaving the house. She would have enough time to change the wards when she got back because it was only 1 o’clock. Her little house was about a half a kilometer from the open-air market. Hermione thought she might be able to convince Harry to stay for dinner after their afternoon tea. It would be nice to have a real meal with company. After gathering all the necessary ingredients for spaghetti with meat sauce, a salad, and garlic bread, she picked up two bottles of wine. She thought how nice it would be to have an adult meal and conversation. She also thought it might help when the topic of Ron came up, or their discussion regarding the Malfoy’s trials the next day.
When she arrived back at the house, it was 2:30, just enough time to change the wards and prepare tea. She put everything away and took out her wand to change the wards to allow Harry through to the sitting room. This was very advanced magic for a witch of 18 but this was Hermione Granger, not only the brightest witch of her age but also a quick study. When Kingsley originally helped erect the wards, she paid attention to the spell work and while she was away for the many months with Harry hunting Horcruxes, she read up on them. She wanted to make sure the wards she put around the tent they stayed in would be sufficient to protect them. Harry had to apparate in because her house was not connected to the floo network and she wasn’t sure if she wanted it to be. At least not yet, anyway.
Just as she was putting the tea set together on the tray, she heard the distinctive ‘Pop’ sound of someone apparating into her sitting room. She set the tray back down on the counter and ran into her sitting room.
“Harry!” She exclaimed as she wrapped him in big hug. The force almost toppled him to the floor. Harry steadied himself and enveloped her into his arms. They stood like that for a couple of minutes, each needing the human contact much more than they realized. It felt good to be held by someone who cares and doesn’t expect anything. Hermione finally stepped back and said “let me grab the tea tray from the kitchen. Make yourself comfortable. I’ll be right back.” She hurried from the room without a second glance back.
Harry sat down on the sofa facing the fire place and small coffee table. He noticed the house was devoid of any personal items, just furniture remained. It looked and felt a bit strange. He had visited once before 4th year and recalled how then the room felt warm and inviting, now however, now it was clean and cold. Grimmauld Place wasn’t “clean” but it felt a bit more like home than here. Even with its “doom and gloom” and loads of dust. He chuckled quietly to his self.
“What are you smiling about?” Hermione asked as she walked back into the sitting room. Harry didn’t realize he was smiling but answered her anyway.
“I was comparing the cleanliness of your home to that of Grimmauld Place.” That elicited a laugh from Hermione as well and Harry joined her. It felt “normal” to laugh with her.
Hermione filled a teacup put a bit of honey and lemon in it and handed it to Harry. He looked at the tea and back at Hermione, “How did you know how I take my tea?”
“Seriously Harry. I’ve known you for 7 years, spent a better part of a year in a tent with you, how could I not know?”
“I guess you’re right.”
“You know how I take mine, don’t you?”
“2 sugars and a splash of milk.” He admitted with a smile.
“See!” she smiled back proving her point. Harry noticed, not for the first time, but that when Hermione smiled it lit up the room and made him feel warm and peaceful inside, very peaceful.
“So, how has things been?” Hermione inquired while she was about to take a sip of tea.
“To be perfectly honest.” Harry began. He knew he could tell her anything and she wouldn’t judge him but he still hesitated a moment. He took a sip of his tea before continuing. “Things aren’t so great for me. After all the funerals, I thought I would begin to feel better knowing they all did not die in vain. That we secured the future of the wizarding world. Ginny was a comfort but I felt I needed to comfort her, losing Fred and all. I ended up feeling guilty about Fred’s death. Like it was my fault. I felt like I had to comfort the whole Weasley family. Molly did try her best to let me know that none of the Weasley blamed me, but I still feel extremely guilty. So sometimes, I just want to get away by myself to sort out all my feelings. I did try to go to Grimmauld Place but like I said every Order member can and still get in and it feels like Kings Cross Station instead of a safe haven.” He paused again. He really wanted to talk about Ginny and Ron but was apprehensive to bring up the subject. He took a biscuit from the tray took a bite and a sip of his tea before broaching the subject.
Hermione sat watching her best friend, she saw the grief, pain and confusion cross his features. He appeared reluctant to continue. But instead of bombarding him with questions she just sipped her tea and waited for him to continue.
“I don’t know what is going on with you and Ron but he told me to say he was ‘Sorry’ again.”
“I am sure he is but I’ve been thinking. I don’t know if I feel what he wants me to feel for him. I don’t love him, Harry. Not more than as one of my best friends. I don’t know if I can ever love him more than that. The war changed me more than I thought. I don’t want to…um…settle because everyone expects it.” She let out a big sigh and set her teacup down. She felt a bit guilty but completely relieved at saying it out loud to someone.
“I understand. I don’t think I love Ginny that way anymore either. I thought I did and we have been there to comfort each other. But when we were alone and began to snog, although it was nice, don’t get me wrong, there just isn’t a spark there like we once had. I don’t know what it is but I…” Harry looked down at his teacup and set it down on the tray too. “I don’t know how to tell her. I’m afraid of losing everything.”
Hermione reached out and touched his hands, “Harry you won’t lose everything.” And she smiled at him again. Harry felt that warm feeling in his chest once more.
Hermione decided it was time to change the subject, she figured, they can talk about Ron and Ginny and how to deal with them later. She wanted to know more about the trials.
“So, Harry, why was I called to provide testimony for the Malfoy’s?” she took another sip of tea and looked over at him with one raised eyebrow.
Harry was glad for the change of topic because he was getting confused with the emotions coursing through his body at the moment.
“Well, I told Kingsley that I wanted to speak on behalf of Malfoy and his mother. Lucius, I don’t really have much to say in his defense except that he left before the confrontation between me and Voldemort.”
“So, what are you going to say about Malfoy and his mother.”
“Well, Malfoy really had no choice in some of his actions plus he was underage at the time. He was lowering his wand before Snape killed Dumbledore. He didn’t give me away at the manor. Before I disarmed him, he wasn’t really dueling me, you know as well as I do, that Malfoy was a good dueler. He was mostly throwing defensive spells. Then when we saw him in the Room of Hidden Things, he could have done anything while I was alone. However, he just talked…I guess that’s why I saved his ferret arse from the fiendfyre.” Harry let out a little chuckle after the last comment before continuing. “I don’t think he deserves Azkaban for being born a Malfoy, even if he is probably still a right git. As for his mother, I think she wanted to protect her son and I don’t believe she had a lot of choices either. She did lie to Voldemort directly to his face that I was dead. She just wanted to know if her son was safe. Now Lucius, I think he is a horrid man, but he left with Mrs. Malfoy and Malfoy before the final showdown. I don’t think we can save him from Azkaban but maybe we can save him from a death sentence. There has been enough death.”
“So, what am I there for? Besides moral support for you?” Hermione looked at him with suspension.
“I thought you might have had some observations you could provide. You are a pretty good judge of character along with your ability to see people differently, with less prejudice than others.”
“Are you referring to Ron?”
“Well, yes mostly.” They both laughed at that.
“I’ll think about what to say. I agree with your point about Draco and Mrs. Malfoy. Lucius, I don’t think I can say anything for or against him. I have a hard time finding good in him.”
“Fair enough.” Harry said. He was beginning to feel more relaxed with the quiet and Hermione’s company.
“Harry, do you think I could talk you into having dinner here tonight. It would be nice to have a meal with somebody else for a change? Unless you have other pressing matters.” She said hopeful.
“Nothing pressing. Let me just let Molly know I won’t be there for dinner.”
“Great, I already bought everything for spaghetti and salads.” Hermione gave him a big smile.
“I’ll be back in 5 minutes.” Harry stood turned on the spot and disapparated to the Burrow to let Molly know he was going to be out late. He didn’t want to tell her where he’ll be just in case Ron overheard him. He owed that much to Hermione.
While Harry was at the Burrow, Hermione cleared the tea service from the sitting room and placed everything away. She decided to wait before starting anything else until Harry got back.
Five minutes later, she heard the ‘Pop’ of apparition and walked back into the sitting room to find Harry again.
“All set. By the way, I didn’t tell Molly where I was going to be. Although I suspect she knows but didn’t ask. I didn’t want Ron to know.”
“Thanks, I thought we might prepare dinner together. I figured we can have a bit of wine before and with dinner. “She was talking as she led the way to the kitchen. The two bottles of wine were a Riesling to enjoy before dinner and a Rose to have with dinner. She turned to retrieve two wine glasses from the cabinet behind her while Harry opened the bottle. He turned and poured the wine.
“To peace.” Harry said as he raised his glass.
“To peace.” Hermione said back as she raised her glass and clinked it with Harry’s before taking a sip. They worked in a comfortable silence cutting vegetables for the salad and setting the rest to cook on the stove. While they waited for the noodles to be done, Harry started watching Hermione move around the kitchen preparing the dishes and setting the counter top to eat. Apparently, she noticed the staring, “Harry, why are you looking at me like that?”
“Like what?”
“Like you are trying to figure me out or you are trying to say something. What is it?”
“Nothing, I was just thinking that you will make a great partner to someone one day, that’s all.” He said with a bit of a flush on his face. Again, he was a bit confused where the thoughts were coming from this is Hermione the bookworm, his best friend, his sister almost. But she is female and quite beautiful even if she did not realize it.
While they were preparing the meal, Hermione had turned on the stereo and started playing a few of her favorite muggle music. Harry noticed she did this all with a wave of her hand.
“When did you learn wandless and wordless magic?”
“I don’t really know, I just tried it one day and it worked. Since then, I have been practicing and refining it.” She shrugged. She didn’t notice the awe in Harry’s eyes. ‘Can she be any more amazing?’ He thought to himself while a slight blush crept to his cheeks.
Hermione took another sip of her wine and started swaying to the song coming from the stereo. It was (I’ve had) The Time of My Life from one of her favorite movies, Dirty Dancing. Harry watched her and smiled. It made him feel happy, yeah, that was it, the feeling he had not really felt in a while. He smiled to his self, got up from the stool and joined her in the kitchen. It reminded him of the time they danced in the tent. He came up behind her and tapped her on the shoulder, “Dance with me.” He said, more of a statement than a question. He took her right hand in his left and settled his right hand on her waist. They started swaying, he wasn’t great at dancing but he tried to do a few steps he remembered from the movie. Then he lightly pushed her away, made her twirl around and pulled her back in. This made her giggle and smile. He loved her smile. The song ended, and he was still holding her, just looking at her. Then she pulled away because the noodles began to boil over.
While Hermione tended to the rest of the meal, Harry just watched her. He knew now that Ginny wasn’t the ‘One’ because if he could feel more just being around Hermione, than he can with Ginny, then he didn’t really love her. He always thought ‘Love’ should be everything, happy moments, sad moments, even horrible moments. Then the person you love would be there through it all and turn every moment into a memory and be there to create more for a lifetime. He didn’t see that with Ginny, he experienced a few good times but mostly bad and horrible and very sad ones. Most he did not want to turn into memories which he would look back on some day. He has been in so much emotional turmoil for most of his life that he cannot help anyone past the bad parts or the sad parts. Ginny needed someone who can make her smile without all the baggage. Once he made this realization, he took a deep shaky breath and let out a big sigh.
“Harry, what’s wrong?” Hermione turned around and immediately said. She could always tell when something was bothering Harry.
“Nothing. Well not nothing….” He corrected himself, knowing Hermione could tell. “I think I just had an epiphany.”
Hermione, after seeing that Harry was not physically hurt, turned to get the plates she fixed and set them on the counter of the breakfast nook. “What sort of epiphany?” she probed.
“I don’t love Ginny.” He paused but rushed on to the next part. “Don’t get me wrong, I do care for her and love her as a friend, but I am not in love with her like I thought or at least I thought I should be. I started feeling different after Fred’s funeral. I just couldn’t pin it down. Until now. Dancing in the kitchen with you.”
“Okay…?” Hermione wasn’t sure where this line of thinking was going.
“It’s just that I should be able to do that with Ginny to make her smile but when I am with her, I feel like she expects a lot more, more than I really am or am capable of being. I am not as strong as she needs.” He let out another sigh. “I just don’t know what to do now.”
“Well, right now, we need to eat this food before it gets cold and finish the wine.” Hermione stated smiling while pouring more wine for the both of them. As she did that Harry fixed the salads and was grateful to Hermione for changing the subject once again and lightening the mood.
Hermione was watching Harry while she poured the wine ‘what is going on with him?’ she thought. ‘He’s acting a bit odd.’ When he turned back around, the look in his eyes appeared back to normal, so she mentally shrugged it off.
Dinner past with normal conversation, catching up with events that has happened, reported in the Prophet and what their plans were for the immediate future.
As they cleaned up after eating, Harry brought up the subject of the wards for 12 Grimmauld Place.
“Hermione, do you think you can help me change the wards and renew the Fidelius Charm to hide it again? I want to live there but I don’t want everyone being able to get in. I want my privacy.”
“Sure Harry. It won’t be too difficult, I’m sure. We can start tomorrow after the trials, if you want.” They moved into the sitting room again and sat down on the sofa facing the fireplace.
“That would be great.”
They have finished one bottle of wine and was almost through the second, Hermione was giggling and Harry was a bit giggly too. They had been regaling about some of their more fun adventures during Hogwarts.
Harry stopped laughing and was staring at Hermione again. She noticed and stopped laughing too. “What’s wrong Harry?”
Harry didn’t say anything as he leaned in closer to her. His hand came up to tuck a loose curl behind her ear. “You know, you are quite breathtakingly beautiful. I don’t know why I never really noticed before.” But before Hermione could respond, Harry’s lips were crashing into hers. It wasn’t a rushed or desperate, but soft and gentle. She involuntarily closed her eyes and kissed him back. As his tongue lightly caressed her bottom lip asking for entrance, her slowed mind caught up to her and she pulled away slowly.
“Harry….” She began.
“Hermione…I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have kissed you. I should leave.” He was a bit embarrassed. He started to stand, but felt a small hand grab his wrist.
“Harry, please don’t go. I do love you, you know, just not like that. You mean the world to me; I don’t want you to be mad or feel rejected. We are not meant to be lovers.”
“Hermione, I understand, I…I don’t know. It just felt right at the moment. I don’t want to lose you. I can’t live without you in my life.”
“I will always be here. Always, but as your best friend and sister. Is that enough?”
“Yes, I want that too.” He said as he leaned in and hugged her and kissed her chastely on the lips. She embraced him too and let her head rest on his shoulder.
“Hermione?”
“Yes”
“You are breathtakingly beautiful, by the way. I truly meant that.”
She blushed and said, “Thanks, Harry.”
Harry stayed in the spare room and woke up early to get back to the Burrow to get ready. Hermione woke up early too in order to see Harry off.
“See you in 2 hours. Meet me at Grimmauld Place and we can floo to the ministry from there.”
“Okay, see you then.” He planted a kiss on her cheek before disapparting.
Hermione went back upstairs to get herself not only physically ready but mentally too. She wasn’t sure how to feel about standing up for the Malfoys. She knew what she was going to say but she hasn’t seen them since the final battle and she wasn’t sure how she truly felt about them. She was glad Harry stayed last night, even with the kiss and conversation. It felt nice not to be alone in this house.