They had been dancing, laughing, having fun.
Hermione pulled away from him, just for a second. No more than a blink of an eye.
He was staring right back at her. There was something new in the bright green eyes of one of her best friends. A hunger, a curiosity, something more.
His gaze searched hers looking for something. Something that would tell him what to do. He found it. Hermione’s breath caught at the sudden confidence in his eyes. The sureness with which he looked at her, the rightness of it. He leaned down, and their lips touched.
It was… everything. Hermione stopped breathing, stopped moving, stopped living in the brief second their lips touched. His were chapped from too many days out in the wild, but tender as he pressed them against her own. It was only a second, a breath, a hint of what could be… Hermione felt a small tingle, a shock that seemed to jump from Harry’s lips to her own. One that raced through her blood, making her inhale sharply through her nose. Harry pulled back, his eyes full of wonder. Hermione was sure her face mirrored his in that moment. He felt it too, she thought. He felt it too.
Harry couldn’t believe he was holding a laughing, dancing, Hermine in his arms.
She pulled away from him, and Harry looked down at her, instantly falling into her eyes. She was looking at him, pupils blown wide. Funny, he thought I never noticed how long her lashes were.
He could feel it growing inside him. The need, the want, the hunger to feel her pressed against him. She was thinner than Harry had ever seen her; her already wild hair was completely untamed from weeks of Scourgify and brief dips in streams. Harry doubted he looked much better.
Harry searched her gaze, hoping, praying to Merlin, she felt something too. Just the barest hint of this. Of them. Her pink lips parted, her eyes wide and trusting. Harry bent down. Their lips touched and he marveled at her softness, the gentleness with which she let him kiss her. That’s when it happened, a small shock- like static on a winter’s day. It passed his lightly parted lips and made its way down his throat. It was hot and made his blood race. He pulled back to see her beautiful brown eyes staring at him full of wonder and hope…. She felt it too. He thought, she felt it too.
Harry wasted no time in dipping his head back down, pulling her close as he pressed his lips against hers.
Hermione tangled her hands in his hair, pulling him closer, as if she couldn’t get enough.
Harry’s hands were on her back, a slight pressure, and she found herself pulled tight against him. He wasn’t much taller than her, but Hermione thrilled a little as she was pulled to her tip-toes, their lips never once breaking contact. His hands moved lower, cupping her arse, then her upper thighs. A slight bend at the knees and a little jump found Hermione in his arms. Her legs wrapped around his waist as if they belonged there. Harry could feel her ankles locked in the small of his back and let out a little moan at the image that feeling brought to mind.
Hermione took advantage of that moan and swept her tongue into his mouth. They each groaned at the contact. It wasn’t long before his tongue and hers were tangled together, a parody of what they were moving very quickly toward. Harry took one step, then another, excided by how easy it was to carry Hermione. She was perfect, perfect for ME. He thought possessively. Another step and he was lowering her onto the bottom mattress of their shared bunk-bed.
Hermione had the fleeting thought that they were moving too fast. But kissing Harry was quickly becoming addicting. He felt like fire -a small sun bursting to life in her chest- and if she stopped kissing him, it would collapse into a black hole. One she would never return from.
Hermione wasn’t sure she was willing to take that chance. So when Harry pushed his hips against hers, Hermione pushed right back. His hands were on either side of her head, caging her in. Hermione had never felt so small and protected in her life. She shivered and slipped her hands around to clutch his back.
Harry broke contact then. His lips parted from hers and Hermione instantly felt bereft. One of his hands moved to tangle in her brown curls -pulling her head back- as he began to kiss the soft skin on the column of her neck.
Hermione moaned…. “Oh, Harry…”
It was as if saying his name aloud broke whatever spell they had been under. Harry’s lips left her neck, and Hermione felt her fingers relax their hold before falling softly back onto the mattress. Harry took one look at her disheveled hair, the way she wouldn’t quite meet his eyes, the mark he had left on her neck; and scrambled off of her. Hermione sat up and hugged her knees to her chest.
“Um… that… I-” Harry ran a slightly trembling hand through his hair. He didn’t want to say it was a mistake. It hadn’t felt like a mistake. It had felt right, like a missing piece had fallen into place. He looked over at her. Maybe I just miss Ginny. Harry thought to himself. It had been so long since he had seen her, since he’d held the fiery redhead in his arms. That must be it. The excuse was there on his lips, ready to spill over, when Hermione looked up at him.
Her eyes were glossy, as if she were already holding back tears, but they were steady on his. He just missed Ginny… But that wasn’t it. Because he hadn’t been thinking of Ginny, he had been thinking of her. Of Hermione. The one who had been with him through it all, who still hadn’t given up on him….
He opened his mouth again.
That bright, warm sun in her chest had quickly burnt out and was currently swirling, black and empty, in her chest. And it hurt. Good Godric did it hurt. Hermione bit her lip to keep from crying. She wouldn’t do that to him.
Logically, she knew why this had happened. It didn’t make it hurt any less. She watched as Harry fretted, surely thinking of ways to let her down easy. She couldn’t do it. Couldn’t hear the letdown, no matter how gentle he phrased it.
Hermione looked back at her knees, and took deep breaths. She could do this. She loved Ron anyways. Right? Right? She searched her soul for the answer. When she found it, Hermione wasn’t sure if she should laugh or cry. Brightest witch of her age and she had missed what was right in front of her.
It was too late now. He was in love with Ginny, and Hermione wouldn’t stand in the way of that.
She looked up at him, their eyes met. Harry opened his mouth, but Hermione beat him too it, unwilling to hear it. “It’s okay Harry. We,” she licked her lips. “We shouldn’t- can’t- do this. It’s… this happened because we’re out here alone, in the middle of nowhere. If- If we’d had other company, this never would have happened. Our emotions were getting away from us. It’s normal for hormones to react this way.” She nodded at the wisdom of her own words, ignoring the growing look of confusion on Harry’s face.
Hermione took a deep breath and scooted closer to him. Just close enough to put her hand on his shoulder. “I don’t blame you Harry. I wanted it just as badly as you did, but it’s done. We don’t have to tell anyone. It can be our little secret.” She moved away until her back was pressed against the tent wall.
Harry sat stiffly on the bed, not entirely sure what had just happened. He had been preparing to tell her he wanted to see where things could go. To see if they could become something… well something more than friends. He had been so sure she felt the same as him, yet here she was, letting him down. Giving him excuses so he could back out without feeling bad….
Harry blinked, then grinned. His grin turned to a chuckle. He shook his head at Hermione’s willingness to just let this pass because she thought he didn’t really want her. It might have worked too, if he hadn’t known her so well.
Hermione looked up at the sound of Harry’s soft laugh. She squeaked when he reached over and pulled her into his lap. She was cradled into his chest, his mouth against her hair. Even muffled by the curls, she heard him though. “You’re over thinking things again.”
Hermione moved to protest, but he gave her a quick squeeze, and kept speaking. “I wanted to kiss you, silly woman. Look me in the eye and tell me that didn’t feel right? Tell me you didn’t feel anything more than ‘horny and alone in the woods.’” He challenged her.
Hermione tilted her head and looked up at him. While his grin was smug, his eyes were sincere. She let out a small relieved huff. The warmth in her chest roared back to life and quickly spread through her limbs, warming every part of her. “Alright, you’re right this time I suppose.” Hermione felt herself smirk as the smug grin turned into a smile at her words. “It was more than horny and alone in the woods.”
Harry let out a short laugh and nipped her lip. “I don’t want this to be our little secret.” He told her, and pulled her back down on the small bed, still held tight in his arms.
@moonnott, @sableunstable @chiseplushie @siriuslyorionwicked @disillusionist9 @laisvega @indiebluecrown @henriasownbinder @m1sc1efmanaged I can’t thing of anyone else you might enjoy Harmony. Sorry if I missed you!
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