With Every Breath I Take...

Chapter Two: Heaven

Hermione gasped, "Harry..." was all she could manage to say.

The whole of Hogwarts watched as he made his way to the Gryffindor table. He took a seat next to Ron.

"Good show Harry!" Ron joked nudging his friend in the arm.

Harry smirked nervously.

"Hey Ron," he said. He bent over the table slightly and shot a glance at Hermione.

"Hullo 'Mione," he said, his emerald green eyes twinkling. Hermione's stomach gave a great lurch as she politely greeted him back.

"Bloody hell Harry, 'Mione and I thought you decided to skip this year,"

Harry gave a slight chuckle at this and removed his black hooded cloak that was hanging on him.

"And stay with the Dursley's? You must be mad," said Harry.

"Harry," Hermione said in a concerned voice, "who in the world was-"

"Snuffles," Harry shot a do-you-understand-what-I-mean look at Ron and Hermione, who both nodded knowingly, "got me at the Dursleys. It started to rain, and it wouldn't please anyone to see me with a 'supposed' mass murderer so, yeah, the cloaks were necessary. He brought me here on broomstick. It took a hell of a long time. We had to stop a couple of times to sleep," he said, setting the cloak on the part of the wooden bench next to him. Hermione was so occupied staring at him, she probably had not a clue what he said.

"Oy, why haven't you sent me an owl over the summer?" Ron asked, looking slightly rejected.

"The Dursleys wouldn't let Hedwig out of her cage. Complained she was making too much noise. Then they put her in a shelter, the gits. Took me a month to get her back," he said. "Sorry I didn't get to thank you guys for my gifts, they were wonderful. Thanks Ron, thanks 'Mione. I really appreciate it."

Hermione sighed in great relief. She had made a mountain out of a hill by thinking there was more explanation behind what had just happened. Was there? She mentally made a note to ask him later.

Ron nodded proudly and Hermione shot him a warm smile.

"Did you hear Harry?" Ron asked.

"Hear what?" said Harry looking slightly confused.

"Snape threatened Hermione on the Hogwarts Express..." Ron said, grabbing a chicken leg.

"Stupid git, he isn't serious," said Harry shunning the idea that Snape would ever think of harming Hermione.

"Sounded serious to me, din' it 'Mione?" Ron asked, turning his head to her.

"I don't know, I'm sure he isn't," she replied, though she would not ever fully trust Snape. Ron furrowed his eyebrows.

"We're talking about Snape, Hermione!" he said slowly as if he were trying to explain something to a six year old.

"Yes, but remember in first year when we thought he was trying to kill Harry and it wasn't so, instead he was trying to save him?" Hermione said trying to get her point clear.

Ron shot her a confused look.

"Snape tries to look and act threatening, but he isn't. He's just a sad, lonely man," said Hermione.

Ron shrugged.

"Just don't let him get to you,"

By the time Albus Dumbledore stood up from his seat in the front of the Hall, most of the kids had stopped staring at Harry and were talking amongst themselves.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," he started, eyeing each and every student in the Hall. "Now I would like to explain a few rules to our new first years,"

Dumbledore went on about the Forbidden forest and the other restrictions that applied to the students of Hogwarts. Then the sorting ceremony begaun. The old, tattered hat was brought out and placed on numerous students' heads. Finally, with about eleven new students in Gryffindor, the feast began.

~*~

Hermione, Ron and Harry talked about their summers and such, and ate and ate until they thought they'd die of fullness. After the feast, the students made their way to the house common rooms. Hermione had been made a prefect and led the first year Gryffindors to their dormitories and told them the password at the portrait hole.

After about an hour, the three teens finally got to relax by the fire in the common room. Hermione kept fidgeting with her hair, which she had charmed to make it less bushy. She glanced at Harry and then looked into the fire and waited for the right time when she could finally build up enough courage to say what she was about to. How was she going to do this?

"Harry, I need to tell you something," she said softly.

Harry looked up from the fire into her eyes.

"Yeah?" he asked curiously.

At that moment Hermione thought she'd melt. She didn't see the boy she met four years ago on the Hogwarts express, she now saw a matured young man who had eyes hot enough to melt glaciers.

Hermione looked at Ron who seemed to be sleeping.

"Er, can we go over there?" she asked gesturing towards the staircase that led to the dormitories. Harry got up and walked to where she had pointed to, Hermione followed close behind. He stood facing her, looking into her cinnamon eyes. Her heart skipped a beat, and then her words came out of her mouth as if she had been holding her breath for four years.

"I like you Harry, I always had, and it's hard to say this because I feel I would be ruining our friendship doing this and I don't want to because I-I..." She had stopped talking when Harry held her chin; he held her head upwards to face him. Hermione thought he was going to kiss her until her started talking.

"Hermione," he said sighing and smoothing his naturally messy hair, as if he were about to explain to a young child where babies came from. "I...I had feelings for you too, and I was, er, sorta embarrassed to admit them. And then reality slapped me in the face. If I ever liked you like more than a friend, Voldemort would try to hurt me through you and I just can't let that happen. I'm so sorry. I-" He paused as he saw the pained look on Hermione's face. "I really am..."

Hermione heard these words but she didn't want to believe them. She felt tears sting her eyes and she felt foolish as she looked deep into his.

"And I... I really want to-"

Hermione couldn't take it, everything she was, everything she'd ever want in her life had just turned her down. It wasn't supposed to happen like this.

A tear fell down her pale cheek and she ran up the stairs to the girls dormitories, not looking back, not bothering to consider what she had just done. Just crying and pulling at her hair. She went to her four poster bed and fell into it. She sobbed into her pillow and tears soaked the soft material. She didn't care if she woke up the other girls, nothing mattered and she felt like dying. She was stupid. Stupid for even thinking she had a chance with Harry.

So she lay there eyes full of tears and sobbing. Pains that felt like daggers poked and pricked at her heart. "Stupid..." she muttered to herself.

"'Mione?" said a nervous voice from the end of her bed. She looked up with a tear stained face to see Ron.

"You alright?" he asked

But her eyes had told him everything. He sat down on the foot of her bed.

"How'dyougetinhere?" she asked very quickly, narrowing her reddened eyes.

"Er, you left the door open..."

Hermione shot a look at the door to her dorm room.

"Oh..." she moaned and stuffed her face into her pillow.

"I kinda heard everything that Harry and you said down there," He said, "and I just wanted to say, maybe Harry doesn't like you, er, more than a friend, but I've finally realised it last year... and again on the train, and it may sound mad but..." he paused and nervously came closer to her.

"I do..."

Hermione looked up at him in disbelief. But he didn't say anything. He took her in his arms and held her tight. She embraced him back. Her body became tingly as she looked into his eyes. Before she knew it, his lips had locked with hers.

And baby you're all that I want when you're lying here in my arms

I'm findin' it hard to believe

We're in heaven

His arms slipped gently around her waist and she realised that she too was kissing him. Her arms went around his neck as she pulled him closer. He was surprisingly a good kisser, and soon he became more passionate in the kiss. She pulled him so close to her tingling body, she was lying down and he was on her. He reached for her shirt, and slowly pulled it off. Her body became red-hot as she did the same to him. Slowly, he moved his mouth to her neck giving her small kisses there. Oh, I can't do this, it's too rushed, she thought as she stared into his brilliant hazel eyes, But I can't stop now...

And love is all that I need

And I've found it there in your heart

It isn't too hard to see

We're in heaven

~*~

The next morning Hermione woke up to see Ron still next to her, his arm over her chest. She was fully aware that they were half-naked, and suddenly lost her memory of what happened the night before. But it was obvious. What have I done? she thought bringing her hands to her face.

"'Mione..." she heard Ron whisper.

"Ron, what happened?" she asked, facing away from him, her face in her hands.

But she knew perfectly well what happened. And its not that she didn't like it, its that she didn't understand how the smartest witch of all the fifth years at Hogwarts could have let herself go, so fast, so soon....

"'Mione," he said looking at her. "I-I love you..."

Tears bitterly stung Hermione's face as she turned to look at Ron. He looked back sincerely, and made Hermione feel warm.

"I don't know Ron, it wasn't supposed to happen. I was upset and...oh god Ron, it was an accident...." she said blinking and then tears fell silently down her pale cheeks.

Ron looked like he had been shoved in the gut.

"So that's it then," he said braking his gaze on her.

"Just a bloody accident, was it?"

He got up and pulled on his shirt. Thankfully the other four girls in the dorm were still sleeping.

"Too bad it wasn't an accident to me," he whispered loudly.

Hermione felt a surge of guilt and sorrow all at once.

"Ron..." was all she could manage to say. He opened the curtains that fell around the bed and got up to leave.

"I thought you loved me, Hermione," he said painfully.

"I was wrong wasn't I?"

Hermione had fancied Harry from the time she saw him, and fixed his pathetic glasses until the day before, yet she never really realised what she really wanted was right in front of her face. And she had lost him, just as quickly as she had won him.

~*~

Hermione was broken. It was the second day of her fifth year at Hogwarts and she didn't attend a class the whole morning. It must have been around noon and Hermione was still in her bed, crying tears of regret and sorrow. All for Harry, all for Ron. It never occurred to her that she was the one who had made it like this.

It was an accident, it wasn't supposed to happen....

The words she oh so utterly loathed were imprisoned in her head. And she had asked herself why she had said that. But she didn't know why, she just had... But did she really think it was an accident? She couldn't answer.

"Hermione..." said a small, female voice.

Hermione looked up from her dampened pillow to see Ginny, Ron's little sister.

"What happened, Hermione?" she asked with a look of deep concern in her eyes.

Hermione sat up, her blanket over her bare chest. She wiped the cold tears from her face with the back of her trembling hand.

"It's-Ron-we..." was all that came out of her mouth before she broke out in sobs.

Ginny placed a warm, caring hand on Hermione's shoulder. Her deep hazelnut brown eyes stared into Hermione's.

"It's going to be alright 'Mione, I promise," Ginny said rubbing Hermione's shoulder in a friendly way.

Hermione looked up to her with red eyes, bloodshot from crying.

"Ginny, I love Ron..." she muttered "I pushed him away and now he hates me..."

"No, no..." Ginny said leaning in to hug her friend.

"He doesn't hate you Hermione. He's just as upset as you now. It took you two four years but you can see now, you're meant for each other," she said soothingly.

Hermione looked at Ginny in slight confusion. Ginny giggled and tossed her head back, her flaming red hair falling in thin layers.

"Believe me, I'm quite a romantic. You two are destined to be together. It's meant to be,"

Hermione hugged her friend back as more harsh tears fell from her eyes.

"Thanks, Ginny..."

~*~

It was just about time for dinner and Hermione built up enough courage to leave her bed. She had missed History of Magic and Arithmancy, but for once in her life, it didn't matter to her. She avoided Ron and Harry for a better part of the day, only saying things like 'hello' to Harry. But Ron had avoided her gaze, as did she. So she spent the day walking and talking with Ginny.

"So you think he does fancy me Hermione?"

They were having a discussion of Ginny's love life. Hermione wasn't selfish enough to stray from the subject matter due to her position. Ginny was rambling on about how Neville disturbed her, yet infatuated her in an odd sort of way.

"Why not? He seems rather fond of you if you asked me..."

"Yeah, right, and Draco Malfoy is in love with Dumbledore," Ginny joked.

"Now," said Hermione lifting her eyebrows, "That's just gone way too far..."

The girls broke into a fit of giggling, but stopped abruptly when a cold voice sounded from behind them. Looking down the dark corridor, Hermione and Ginny spotted a dark figure.

"So if it isn't Mudblood and Weasel?" said a lazy drawling voice.

Without even seeing him, the girls could conclude that the figure was none other than Draco Malfoy. The boy they had just cracked about. His silverish-blond hair was almost the same color as his vanilla skin. His gray eyes lacked feeling and stared at the girls maliciously. Behind the amazingly handsome Slytherin, were two buffed up boys. Malfoy's sidekicks: Crabbe and Goyle.

"Wouldn't be talking bad about weasels, Malfoy, they are your distant relatives, you being a ferret and all," Hermione said coolly.

Ginny gave her an approving look.

"Heh. Bad choice of words Granger," said Malfoy, crossing his arms in front of his chest. He snapped his fingers and a cold smirk spread across his face. The two lumpy boys went over and behind to Ginny and Hermione and grabbed their arms and held them tight behind their backs.

"Argh, get off!" Hermione shrieked. Ginny tried to kick Crabbe, who was holding her but he just maintained his hold on her small, delicate arms. Goyle squeezed Hermione's arms back so tightly, she thought they'd pop out of their sockets. She let out a gasp of pain. Looking very satisfied indeed, Malfoy inched closer to the girls and slipped his icy w, she looked white hand into the pocket of his robes.

"You know what I just cannot bear to stand?" he asked, continuously coming closer, and eyeing each of the distressed girls.

"It's an insignificant Mudblood, who thinks she's got it all,"

Hermione gave a slight snicker at this and shook her head. So she was the one who thought that. What rubbish.

"And also a small rat, with a muggle-loving father who gets put into the ministry, nonetheless, for something so fucking stupid. Pathetic Muggle-lover,"

Ginny cast him an evil stare, something Hermione had never seen her do. She was always the quiet, shy one who was oblivious to the world around her. Now she looked capable of murder.

"You don't know how long," Malfoy whispered menacingly into Hermione's ear, "How long I've waited for this moment. To finally obey what my father stands for,"

Malfoy pulled out his wand, and pointed it at Hermione. She struggled but to no avail. "Please..." she moaned as tears came into her frightened eyes.

"Now it's my turn to teach you a lesson, Mudblood!" he shouted.

"Avada Kedrava!"

"NO!!!" Ginny screeched but the green light flashed, and went soaring towards Hermione. She closed her eyes and waited for the coming pain. She heard thumping footsteps hastily make their way to where Ginny and Hermione stood. She heard a loud thud and opened her eyes. Malfoy snapped his fingers and Crabbe and Goyle let go of their victims, and ran away, leaving Ginny screaming in terror. Hermione's hands flew to her mouth. Her knees became weak and buckled underneath her body. Lying on the floor in front of her was Ron.