Just Really Good Friends Ch. 6

Hermione pulled away, leaning back into her chair, looking accross the table at her closest friend who sat, eyes closed, lips slightly parted, tense from surprise. Hermione put her hands on her cheeks, trying to cool them off and change the color of them back to normal from their current raspberry tint. She was surprised with herself that she would step out on a limb like that, but it had to be done. She had to found out if there was a spark. "There is...There is a big one." She breathed, her heart slowing back to normal.

"Uhh...Hermione, I know that neither of us are very experienced, but I don't think that's how one reacts to a kiss." Harry said, taking deep breaths. Hermione just looked at him, her mind spinning and her heart beating a little bit faster when she looked at him. She was shaking a little, but she had never felt better. She leaned over the table again and kissed him, letting her lips linger a little bit longer this time.

"Why did I wait this long?" She asked herself as she ran her fingers through his hair and smiled widely at him. Harry smiled back and put his hand on her cheek, kissing her again.

"Better late than never." He said, taking a small breath before sitting back in his chair and looking at her. The mood in the room had completely changed. Hermione leaned back and ate a bite of stew, wondering why she was so hungry all of a sudden. It was like a huge weight lifted off her shoulders, but it was quickly replaced with a twinge of guilt.

"Oh, my gosh, Harry..." She said, running her fingers through her hair. "Ron." She said, looking up at Harry. His face immediately fell and Hermione panickedly shook her head. "No, no, no. Harry, I mean to say that he's in the hospital." She said, trying to make him feel better. "He's going to be so mad when he sees us together."

"Hermione, he's going to have to come to terms with that." Harry said quietly. She didn't want anyone to be mad. Especially Ron or Harry. Ron's face was burned into her mind. That moment when he felt betrayed for the second time. She felt so bad, but it needed to happen. She didn't want to go the rest of her life with Ron without being able to return the feelings he had for her. She put her hands on her cheeks again, her body aching slightly with a mix of emotions. She put her head down and closed her eyes. "Are you okay, Hermione?" Harry said, moving to a chair next to her and putting his hand on her back.

"Just...Give me a second, Harry." She said quietly, trying to sort through everything. She broke up with Ron because she didn't love him. She loved Harry. He loved her back. That thought made her smile for a long moment, but she needed to focus. She broke up with Ron because she didn't feel the same way as he felt about her. She didn't want him to be with him. She'd be lying to him. She saved him a load of hurt by breaking it off now. She was doing a good thing, right? Hermione took a deep breath and looked up at Harry who was giving her a concerned look. "Harry, did I do the right thing? I mean, was breaking up with him the right thing?" Harry looked at her a second.

"You don't love him. At least not like that, right?" Harry said quietly, a little hesitantly. Hermione immediately shook her head. She didn't love Ron like that. She loved Harry like that. Harry put his hand on her cheek. "Then you were doing the right thing. Wouldn't it be better to do it now than do it years from now? It'd save you and him from a lot of heartbreak." She took a deep breath and smiled at him.

"All those years of me giving you answers and finally the tables have turned." She said with a small giggle before putting her arms around his neck and kissing him. She felt his hands move to her hips and then to her back, pulling her closer. Her heart was beating out of her chest and it made her wonder how it was that she had lasted this long. She thought about all the times he would talk about Cho kissing him or Ginny kissing him or Romilda having a crush on him. None of it mattered because she had her lips trapped in his, kissing perfectly like putting two pieces of a puzzle together. "Thanks, Harry." She said, pulling away and putting a hand on his cheek. She looked into his eyes and knew that these were the eyes that she could look into forever. They were the eyes that seemed so hopeless at times, but always managed to find a new fire, and right now it seemed like she was the new fire in his eyes. She held herself closer to him, keeping her lips on his and running her fingers lovingly up his neck and into his hair. That's when there was a loud burst of crying that came from upstairs. She pulled away and sighed a little.

"Come on." Harry said with a grin as he took her hand and lead her up the stairs to Teddy's room. "Who's my little man?" He said, picking Teddy up out of the crib. He bounced him for a moment before handing the stil crying baby whose hair burned a bright gold to Hermione. "Alright, just hold him like that and whisper into his ear. "Little man, don't you cry." He said quietly. Hermione paused for a moment before quietly singing into Teddy's ear. "We'll stay here by your side. Don't you worry night or day. You'll be here nice and safe." Hermione sang a little louder as Teddy's cries started to quiet. "Little baby boy just rest your eys. Just go to sleep you'll be just fine. Lay down your little head right in your crib. Mum and dad will stay here through thick and thin." Teddy was almost asleep, his hair turning blue. She smiled, laughing quietly, and looked up at Harry who had moved closer so that he was looking right at her. "Little baby boy now don't you cry. Close your eyes and keep them dry. Calm little child the time for sleep is now. We'll see you in the morning when the moon is down." Teddy was sleeping soundly, but neither Harry nor Hermione were really paying attention to the fact. Hermione was crying. She wasn't sure why, but there was something about it that made her cry and right now she couldn't stand being this far away from Harry. She set Teddy down carefully in his crib before walking to Harry and wrapping her arms around him, burying her face in his shoulder, letting his shirt soak up her tears. She stood there for a moment before straightening out and walking toward the door. The two of them walked out and closed it behind them before Harry put his hands on her cheeks, brushing tears away with his thumbs. "I love you, Hermione."

It was like the whole world slowed down. After all that time worrying that she would never have another chance at what she missed out on in that tent that night and it was all made up for in one day. She just looked at him and knew that things would be different from now on. She could face Ron again and she could do anything. Harry was with her. Harry was with her and he loved her. "I love you too, Harry." She pressed her lips to his tightly, wanting-no. Needing to be close to him. She put her hands on his chest lightly as she felt Harry's arms wrap around her. She was so happy, but something kept prodding its way into her mind. The image of Ron in the hospital. She kissed along his jaw and put her forehead on his shoulder. "We should go see Ron and tell him about us. Before he finds out from someone else or something." She started to pull away, but Harry grabbed her wrist and pulled her back into his arms.

"I'll go. I'll scout everything out and then you can talk to him tomorrow." Harry said quietly. She sighed and looked into his eyes. "Trust me. I'm sure he's fine. I'll talk to him and test the waters then you can sort everything out tomorrow."

"I don't know, Harry. I don't want to seem like I'm hiding behind you." Harry scoffed.

"Hermione, I think I've hidden behind you more than you've hidden behind me. Don't worry about it." He said, looking into her eyes and kissing her tightly on the lips. She opened her mouth to object, but all that came out was the sound of her stomach growling. "Come on. Go back to the table and eat. I'll be back in a little while. I love you, Hermione." He kissed her on the forehead and took her hand. She didn't want him to go, but she knew he was right. Harry could talk to Ron in a way that she couldn't. She needed to get her thoughts in line. She watched as Harry grabbed his coat and smiled softly before slipping it on and with a quick swish of his wand, he vanished with a small crack. It was quiet, but it left a sort of ringing in Hermione's ears. She realized that it wasn't that sound it was the feeling of blood pumping through her body so quickly. Her heart had been beating out of her chest ever since she put Teddy down. She stood there for a moment before realizing everything that had just happened. It was like she had done all of it, but she didn't recognize that it had happened, but it all came rushing into her mind and a huge smile broke across her face. She giggled and spun once, feeling happier than she's been in a long time.