Newfound Feelings
a Harry Potter story
by Hermione Eveningfall
By the time Harry, Ron and Hermione returned to the Gryffindor common room later that evening, Harry still felt half frozen. He hadn't stopped shivering the entire time they were at Hagrid's, no matter how close to the fire the half-giant encouraged him to sit, or the extra towel that reminded Harry more of a comfortor wrapped around his shoulders.
"We really should take you to see Madame Pomfrey," Hermione said softly, rubbing his arms vigorously as she and Ron eased him onto one of the plush, red chairs. The common room was empty now; it was fairly late, which meant everyone else was probably sleeping. Hagrid had brought the trio back to the castle himself, knowing their hides would be whipped if they returned from his hut alone.
"I'm f-f-fine," Harry insisted. He still couldn't believe he'd survived the second task...he definitely owed Neville one for the gillyweed suggestion! The sensation of being able to breathe easily under water was still fresh in Harry's mind; though his near drowning and the vicious attack of the merpeople was one incident he would have preferred to forget. Still, he was glad he'd rescued Fleur's sister as well as Ron; he couldn't have left the little girl to die!
"Ron," Hermione spoke up, after a few minutes of awkward silence. "You can go on up to bed. I'll sit down here with Harry till he's feeling warm again."
Ron blinked, as though he'd accidentally nodded off, and looked at Hermione. "Oh...yeah..." he stood. "Okay. Night, Harry." He gave a small wave, and Hermione watched as he disappeared up the staircase that led to the boy's dormitory. When they were alone, Harry looked at her.
"Hermione," he began, "I'll be fine. You really don't have to sit up with me. I can take care of myself, you know." He pressed the back of his wrist against his nose, sniffling. "HuhKshhh!" the sneeze that followed was not altogether unexpected, though it made his throat and chest ache afterwards. Hermione jumped at the noise, and immediately reached into the pocket of her robes for a pack of tissues.
"Bless you!" she said, handing the pack to him, and then wrapped her arms more tightly around his still-shaking frame. "You're probably catching cold," she sighed.
"HuhKshhhh!" Harry managed to pull a tissue out just in time, and groaned. "I'll be fine," he promised, blowing his nose. "I'm actually starting to feel a little warmer now." He gazed into the flames, feeling his cheeks growing warm. "Though..." he leaned his head against her shoulder, enjoying the coddling moreso than he thought, "I'm really tired. I should go up to bed. HehKshhhh! HuhESHH!" He gave her an apologetic smile, and was suddenly startled at how beautiful her deep brown eyes were right then. He gazed into them for a couple of moments, feeling a tingling sensation go through his body.
Hermione cocked her head to one side, smirking. "What's wrong?" she asked, laughing softly. "You're staring." She blushed, biting her lip. When he looked away, she touched his shoulder. "But I don't mind," she added quickly, and he turned to face her again. What are you thinking, Harry? Harry thought to himself. You're not actually starting to have...real feelings...for your best friend, are you? He coughed, smiling.
"So," he began, swallowing past his sore throat. "Are you and Viktor--um--together now?" He remembered how uncomfortable he felt when he saw Krum untying Hermione under the water.
Hermione frowned. "Together? Well, I don't think so. I mean, I wouldn't know, would I...he doesn't talk very much, like I told you before."
Harry chuckled, wiping his nose with the tissue again. "He's more of a physical being, right?" he teased, and she swatted his arm playfully.
"Why did you ask that, Harry?" Hermione asked, as a log in the fireplace gave a particularly loud *CRACK*.
He shrugged. "Oh, I don't know. Morbid curio...huh...EKSHHHh! Sorry," he apologized quickly. "Morbid curiosity." He turned away, his cheeks burning horribly.
She giggled. "Bless you again," she told him. "Harry, you're an awful liar."
He blushed, though it was hard to tell through the glow of the flames. "This is so embarrassing," he admitted. "Ron's going to kill me."
Hermione snorted. "Out with it, Harry," she teased. "You like me, don't you?"
Harry grinned, and then lowered his head, ashamed. "I'm so sorry I didn't ask you to the Yule ball," he apologized. "Believe me, you were the first girl I considered, but I wasn't sure how I felt yet, and I didn't want to make the night too awkward."
Hermione frowned. "You...you were really going to ask me?" she sat up a bit straighter. "You mean it?"
He stroked the ends of her curly hair. "When I saw you crying on the steps after what Ron said to you, I...I felt worse than ever, Hermione. I had an awful time with Parvati, though I should have treated her a little nicer, I'll admit."
Hermione laughed. "Yes, you should have heard her complaining about how rudely you and Ron behaved! But Harry, I...I don't know what to say."
"I don't know if this is the best time," Harry began slowly, "considering I still have one more task to get through, and I'm not sure if I'll survive it."
Hermione bit her lip, and hugged him. "Oh Harry," she sobbed. "Don't say that. You'll survive! How could you not, after you've been through so much already? I honestly didn't think you would make it through the second task, because of how little you prepared yourself for it, but you are brilliant, Harry."
He smiled. "I'm not brilliant," he chuckled, sniffling. "Most of that was pure luck."
"Well, whatever it was, keep it up, and you can get through the third task just fine," she promised.
"But what I was saying," Harry continued, "is...well, if you weren't dating Krum, I was wondering if, well..." he cleared his throat, wishing his nose would stop itching. "Blast, I'm sorry," he apologized, his expression falling. "HuhKESHHH!" he sighed.
"Bless you," she said softly. "Harry, are you asking me to be your girlfriend?" she smiled, and he looked at her.
"I don't want you to feel tied down to me," Harry told her. "but I would really like to move forward in our relationship. That is, if you don't really have feelings for Ron or anybody."
Hermione laughed. "Harry, Ron and I are just friends. You know that! We may bicker a lot, but it's more of a sibling rivalry bickering than anything else. I've always loved you, Harry, but I didn't know if you returned my feelings. I didn't want to push you."
"But Ron's always seemed so jealous about you and Krum," Harry began. "I don't want to get in the way if you really like him."
"Harry, Ron's just acting like a brother," Hermione insisted. "as I said before. "Believe me, I think we'd kill each other if we started dating. But Harry, I want to be with you. I..." she swallowed. "I want to love you."
Harry found himself drowning in her eyes again. "I would kiss you," he began, "but I don't want to give you this cold."
Hermione shrugged, and planted her lips against his. "I don't care," she replied, and Harry felt as though he were melting into her arms. He returned the kiss just as strongly, and hugged her tight.
"I love you," he whispered into her ear, and it was her turn to gaze into his green eyes.
"I know," she replied, and once again, they shared a kiss.
The characters names and places do not belong to me. They are the property of JK Rowling, and though she tries to deny it, the H/Hr pairing *is* canon ;)