Playing Games Can Lead To Good Things

Playing Games Lead To Good Things

Hermione woke with a start. She couldn't sleep. This was the fifth time she was suddenly woken this night. All that was on her mind was he.

Harry.

Some may have said it was a little schoolgirl crush, but Hermione knew better than to fall in love with a celebrity, like with Gilderoy. She knew that the feelings she felt for him ran deeper than her half-muggle blood. She knew it was love.

Harry had too.

Never in his years had he even made friends with a girl (none-the-less a human indeed) who was so pretty and clever and down-to-earth. Back in his first year, he used to dream of having a "high school sweetheart" type of relationship with someone he loved, but he never fully understood he would be amazed when he met someone he loved so much.

Hermione couldn't stand it. She had to get out of her dormitory. It felt like it was suffocating her.

She got up, and put on her slippers and walked out into the common room. She quietly tiptoed out towards the couches. She aimed to sit on the couch next to the fire and was about to put her bottom down when she yelped from something... or someone underneath her. She jumped up and looked at the couch. Damnedest thing...she thought. Hermione could've sworn she saw a little slimmer of invisible something move around when suddenly out came Harry from his invisibility cloak.

"Oh, Harry! What were you doing with your invisibility cloak over you?" she asked.

"Couldn't sleep. I brought the cloak down with me in case one of the Prefects came down and saw me," he replied.

"Oh, very... wise of you," she said.

"Why did you come down?"

"I couldn't sleep either, but maybe for a different reason," she said the last part rather quietly then the rest of her sentence.

They looked at each other for a moment and then looked away. Something in Harry made him feel a bit uneasy. He wanted his old Hermione back, the one from a couple days ago. Something had been on her mind lately, but he couldn't pinpoint what. Then he noticed that her eyes were starting to shine a bit. He acted upon his only instinct.

"Up for a walk like old times?" Harry asked, wanting to know what was on her mind.

She smiled, "Sure."

~~

They walked down the corridors with Harry's cloak over them in case Filch or a Head would be walking around. She took in a deep breath and inhaled Harry's smell. It wasn't like she wasn't used to it, hanging around 2 boys for 6 years doesn't exactly make you unfamiliar to cologne, but lately... it just seemed different. And being that close to him wasn't helping much either.

They managed to get out to the Quidditch field without being caught. The grass was surprisingly dry, even with all the fog around them. Harry slumped down onto the grass, leaning his back against a hoop pole.

He finally asked Hermione, "So what's on your mind lately? You've been acting a little strange. Or should I say stranger than usual?"

He put on his best "I'm-just-playing-with-you" grin.

She smiled back warmly and even managed a little giggle, but stopped abruptly, scared that Harry might think of her as a Lavender or Parvati. She knew he didn't fancy them much.

Harry scrunched up his eyebrows in confusion and a little disappointment. She hadn't laughed like that in a while, and when she did, she stopped.

"No, really Hermione what's wrong? You've been acting up a lot lately," he said this as he reached for her hand to pull her down to sit with him. She shuddered and chills ran up her spine at the direct contact Harry was making. It was like fire and ice in a duel in her body. She sat down, afraid that she might lose feeling in her legs and topple down.

"I don't know what's going on either, Harry. One minute I'm happy one minute I'm gloomy. But I do know what it's coming from," she explained carefully so she didn't give her secret away. She felt like letting her emotions loose to him, but she couldn't. He'd be too curious, and she'd have to tell him.

"It's fine Harry, really," she choked out, smiling. She moved adjacent to him on the ground.

He grabbed her hands from his lap and held them in his.

"So you know what this 'source' is from?" he asked.

She nodded.

Well, what is it?" he asked tentatively.

Her eyes widened and she blushed a little. DAMN!

"Well...I think it's from love," she said in an uneasy voice.

"Oh, I see," said Harry, with a little disappointment in his voice. He let go of her hands.

Hermione brightened up a little bit as a wicked idea crept into her mind.

"Yes, and I do believe you know him! He's so very handsome, with black hair. And there's something special about him that sets him apart from the rest of the school," she said with the airy tune of Ginny.

I'll kill him if I ever find him! Thought Harry.

"Oh yeah? What house is he in?"

"Ours," she said as if it were so obvious.

Ron? He does have red hair... but that doesn't set him apart from his brothers or Ginny.

"Is it Ron?" he asked.

Hermione scrunched up her face in disgust.

"Eww Harry, no!" she exclaimed with a laugh. This time she let it out, she didn't care.

Harry was confused. Hermione had always made points that she didn't like any of the other 6^th year boys like THAT. It had to have been someone older or younger, or Hermione was playing with him.

"Well, I need another clue."

She smiled playfully. This was her chance.

"Well, I'm sure you know him. He's a really kind, caring and confident person. He does tend to get in trouble, but nobody's perfect. Everyone has the right the their mistakes. And of course some people despise him, but for the wrong reasons, well, they hate him for reasons that shouldn't matter. I know they don't matter to me. And if you look into his eyes, you get this warm, comforting feeling like you're just floating above everyone else, and no one matters but the two of you."

Hermione now realized she was staring into Harry's electric green eyes. She bowed her head down and blushed. Harry just sat there awestruck.

"Whoever this guy is, Hermione, he is really lucky."

"Yes, well... if he noticed."

Harry wished he could've bit his tongue. That was the wrong thing to say.

"What a bastard, then."

"What?"

"Well, have you told this bloke how you feel?"

She gave him a "isn't-it-obvious-Mr. -Blind-as-a-BAT."

Harry smiled. He was starting to get up.

"That's it, tomorrow morning you're telling him." He stood fully and gave a big stretch.

"Maybe I just did," Hermione said still looking down and fiddling with her thumbs.

Harry stopped mid-yawn and looked at her, confused.

"Huh?"

"Harry, isn't it obvious? I was talking about you! It was never anyone else, it's always been you!"

Harry's eyes grew wide with amazement, bedazzlement, whatever you want to call it. He was happy, astonished or perhaps dreaming.

"You're still playing games, right?"

She slowly shook her head a "no."

"Oh... ahem... Well then."

"I said the wrong thing, didn't I?"

Harry didn't know. Half of him wanted to jump up and down with giddiness and yell that he loved her too, but another thing was holding him back. Friendship.

"Hermione...I," he started, but didn't need to finish.

"No, Harry, it's my fault. Just like everyone else says, a little schoolgirl crush. I'm just surprised I'm not wearing two braids in my hair." She gave a little laugh. She got up and started to walk away, but Harry grabbed her arm and spun her around. His true feelings were overtaking his platonic ones.

"That's not what I meant."

She didn't understand.

"Then tell me what it is you do mean."

A little hesitant, but wanting it, Harry kissed her square on the lips.