Ride to Hogwarts

Author's Note: This is just because I got tired of reading other peoples' H/H stories and was desperate to write my own...be warned I am obsessed with anything to do with H/H, and this is part of the product of my obsession....

Train Ride

Susie Bones

July 2002

Hermione was deep into another book, Harry noticed. Good. This was the perfect opportunity for him to watch her without her noticing him watching her. Ron had discovered the joys of piling up his textbooks to see how high they would go and so what if they fell and broke.

Harry smiled to himself, watching Hermione. Occasionally she would nod at something, or her eyes would widen as she took in a new source of information, or she just simply smile and turn the page. He loved her smile. It was sweet and innocent and Harry felt as though his heart would burst every time she directed her smile at him.

"Harry? Hey, Harry?" Harry started and looked around. Ron was still sitting on the floor of the compartment, but now he was looking at him and grinning knowingly.

"She's going to notice sooner or later," he said.

"Notice what?" Harry demanded defensively. Hermione glanced up.

"What are you arguing about now?" she asked. Harry felt himself go a brilliant red. Ron grinned wickedly.

"Oh...you know...comparing the sizes of our--"

"Stop, right there, Ronald Weasley. I don't want to know," Hermione interrupted, shuddering, "I don't need that image." She glanced at Harry, who smiled a little weakly. They sat in silence for a moment, before Ron stood up, looking vaguely annoyed.

"I have to find Seamus and Dean," he announced, standing up.

"Why?" Harry asked. Ron shrugged.

"Just...because," he replied, as if this somehow explained it. In a way, Harry supposed, it sort of did. Ron looked at Hermione pointedly. She had gone back to her book and did not notice.

"Tell her," he mouthed. Harry shook his head in terror.

"No," he said. Hermione looked at him curiously.

"Sorry," he said, "Go back to your book. Don't mind me..."

Hermione gave him another look and decided not to explore how Harry's mind worked at the moment. She turned back to her book. Ron let out an exasperated sigh and left the compartment. Harry watched him go, bemused. He and Hermione sat in silence for a long while, during which Harry went back to what was rapidly becoming his favorite pastime of watching Hermione.

At last, she snapped the book shut and grinned triumphantly. Harry pretended to be watching the landscape drift past them.

"Finished!" she announced, still grinning. Harry looked at her and smiled.

"Where's Ron?" Hermione asked, just now registering the absence of their red haired friend. Harry shrugged.

"Decided Seamus and Dean were more interesting than us, I guess," he said.

"How is that possible?" Hermione asked, smiling wickedly. She rose (Harry all the while admiring the grace in which she moved) to put away her book when the train gave a sudden lurch, sending Hermione flying into Harry.

He blinked and, quite abruptly, Hermione's face was only inches from his own. The book had been lost, fallen from her hands onto the compartment floor. He was only half aware that his hands were on either side of his slender waist, steadying her.

"Harry," she whispered, her warm breath sending tingles down Harry's spine.

"Yes?" he asked her softly. Her eyes were locked with his, never wavering.

"Would you please stop staring and kiss me?"

Harry felt himself go red, but a wide grin broke out over his face nonetheless. He did as Hermione requested.

He brought his lips to meet hers tentatively, terrified he might royally screw up. He kissed her gently and felt more tingles shoot through him. Hermione smiled and parted her lips under his. It was then that Harry was lost to her.

The next thing Harry was fully aware of was Hermione was seated firmly on his lap, legs on either side of his waist, straddling him. Both their jumpers had been discarded in a rather hasty fashion. Hermione's face was flushed, her hair was mused and she was breathing heavily. Harry could feel his own breath tearing out of him in a somewhat forced manner.

"Harry...oh, god, Harry," Hermione hissed as he moved against her, pressing into her through the skirt she was wearing that day. She buried her face in his neck, breathing him in. She waited until she could breathe easily, then pulled back and looked at him steadily.

"Do you love me, Harry?" she asked. Harry looked at her, for a moment too startled by the question to answer.

"I'm seventeen, Hermione. According to the adults, I don't know anything about love yet. But...I do know that this is not infatuation and most definitely not a simple crush. I've always had feelings for you, ever since you hugged me in our first year and told me I was a great wizard. I just never really realized it until after the third task fourth year. All the time I was battling Voldemort, I kept thinking about you. And how if I made it out of there, the first thing I would do was tell you how much you meant to me.

"But...then there was Ron. I woke up the next morning, knowing how much he liked you. I couldn't hurt him. He's my best friend. And so...years passed. Ron's crush on you faded, but I still couldn't tell you. Call it whatever you want, it all probably narrows down to cowardness."

He sighed.

"And I know that this is love. I do love you, Hermione. That's the only thing I'm sure of anymore," he added shyly.

Hermione seemed satisfied, for she leaned forward and kissed him softly. Then she pulled away, sighing shakily.

"Oh, Harry...I never thought you...I'd only dreamed...you have no idea..." She frowned, trying phrase her sentence. "I've loved you too, Harry. Since our first Halloween at Hogwarts, when you jumped on that troll to save me," she smiled, "I remember thinking 'That boy is both very brave and very stupid. But he's doing this for me. Not anyone else, but me.'"

She looked a little embarrassed. Harry smiled, and started to kiss her. He pulled back when a new thought occurred to him.

"What...what if Ron comes in?" he asked. Hermione shrugged.

"Right now, I could care less. The only thing that matters right now is that you are within kissing distance," she replied. Harry grinned widely again.

"Same here, Hermione. Same here."