Harry Potter and the Desideratum Crusade [Harmione]

38. A Drink To Your Death?

After a quick visit with the twins and an abridged version of their visit to Little Hangleton, the three weary travelers headed back to the castle. They managed to avoid everyone else and made it back to their common room without incident. Ron grabbed the shower first, so Harry flopped on the couch and closed his eyes. He felt Hermione sit at the other end and opened one eye to see her resting with her eyes closed. He watched she licked her lips and he conjured a glass of ice water for her. The tinkling of the ice in the glass made her open her eyes, and she gratefully took the glass from him, and drank as Harry moved closer to her. She looked at him warily as he settled next to her. Harry was silent for a while; staring at his hands while Hermione finally relaxed and leaned her head back.

"Thanks for coming with me today," he finally said.

"That's what friends are for," she said without opening her eyes.

Harry watched her for a few moments before dropping back against the couch.

"I blew it, didn't I?" he asked.

Hermione sat up and looked at him, but didn't answer.

Harry looked over at her and she could see the remorse in his eyes.

"I care for you so much, and I didn't want anything to happen to you. That's why I tried to push you away."

"Oh, Harry," Hermione said as she reached out and touched his arm. Harry covered her hand with his own.

"Do you know what I found out? I can't get rid of you. I'm always thinking about you. You've invaded my mind, and my heart."

Hermione reached up and touched the side of his cheek. Harry closed his eyes, enjoying the warmth.

"I know I'm asking for a lot Hermione, but please give me another chance. I'm not too good at this relationship stuff, but I'm lost without you. I need you."

There. He had done it. He came as close as he could to saying 'I love you'. He was afraid to open his eyes, and even with the gentle pressure of her hand forcing him to turn his head, he refused to do so. He sat there, waiting for her to say something, and was shocked when he suddenly felt her soft, hesitant lips upon his. A thrill coursed through him, and he wrapped his arms around her, deepening the kiss, trying to show her what he couldn't say yet. When he finally came up for air, he gently cupped her face in his hands.

"I promise," he whispered, "I will never push you away again."

"You won't," Hermione smiled. "I won't let you."

Harry leaned in to kiss her again when the bathroom door opened. He reluctantly moved away from her as Ron came out.

"Who's next?" he said.

Hermione smiled and stood up, squeezing Harry's hand before heading towards the bathroom.

"You guys kiss and make up?" Ron said as he toweled his hair dry.

Harry smiled, feeling better than he had for days. "You could say that," he said.

❾¾ ❾¾❾¾❾¾ ❾¾❾¾❾¾

Harry's heart was lighter than it had been for months, even though they hadn't been able to exorcise the soul out of the cup. The sense of urgency to finish his task was always there, but the simple knowledge that he still had a chance with Hermione made the burden a little easier to bear. His training with Moody had improved greatly, and he had even managed to knock out the grizzly Auror a few times.

There hadn't been much news about Voldemort, except for the odd disappearance of a witch or wizard. The presumption was that they had gone to join Voldemort, or that they were perhaps under the Imperius curse. Harry woke up one night a few days after their trip to Little Hangleton, his scar burning fiercely. He figured that Voldemort had found out about the Riddle house. He was extra careful to keep his occulemency shields up. The paper had run a story about the fire, and according to the reporter, an eyewitness had claimed there was a gang of teens who knocked him out and torched the house for fun. Hermione laughed at that, saying that he probably didn't want to admit to the Dark Lord that he had started the fire.