Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

Returning to Hogwarts	By : TheSlytherinPhoenix Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Harry/Hermione Views: 56088 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 4
Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER OR ANY OF THE CHARACTERS AND DO NOT MAKE ANY MONEY OFF OF THE STORIES. I SIMPLY LOVE TO WRITE FANFICS IN THE POTTERVERSE CAUSE THEY ARE FUN AND ENJOYABLE TO ME. THIS IS SIMPLY FOR JOY AND PEOPLE TO READ FOR FUN.

Chapter List
- 6
- 7
A/N - so sorry about the long delay between posts. My computer had broken but no worries, it is fixed now! I hope you enjoy this next chapter. Your reviews have been the only thing keeping me going during the dark time of no computer!
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Hermione stood rooted to the spot unable to stop replaying it all in her mind, Harry had kissed her and she had kissed him back. Was she dreaming? Was everything different now? Would they blame the wine? Would he do it again? The world was upside down for her and now she had no idea how she was going to sleep at all. A part of her wanted to go knock on his door and do something, though what she would do was beyond her, while the other part wanted to run into the guest room and squeal and dance like a girl.
But there she stood staring at his door in dumbfounded awe. She had wanted to kiss him for years, imagined it, dreamed about it, thought about it and none of it had come close to what it had felt like to have it happen. She could still feel the stirrings of the fire he breathed life into beneath her skin, could feel the ghost weight of his hands on her, she swore she could taste his lips beyond the lingering hints of wine on her tongue.
Her fingers brushed against her lips and she shivered. Did he do it because of the wine? Did he do it because he felt for her? Did he do it out of impulse? How could she ever look at him and not feel him against her now? She made herself move and go into her designated room, the soft click of the door closing behind her reminding her that it was all real and not just a dream brought on by wine and falling asleep reading the book from earlier. It had happened. Harry Potter had kissed her! She was suddenly smiling, she felt like she was going to burst as she fell onto her bed and let out a small giggle that she stifled with her hand. Maybe it was the wine, but she did not care for now- she would care in the morning.
When Harry finally heard her door open and close he breathed in relief. He could not believe he had actually done it, but what made the moment more startling was that she had actually kissed him back. She had felt so perfect in his arms, so delicate and full of life. It was as if his soul had taken a breath for the first time in years and was finally alive again. He stood with his hand on the door, debating if he should go to her or go to bed but both options seemed silly. If he did go to her what would he do? Knock? Just walk in? Apologize- no never that. He could never be sorry for what had happened, even if it made things awkward from then on. He would have at least gotten one kiss from her, one moment where he could wish for the what-if. One moment where he could pretend she was his.
Sleep refused to come to his aid, leaving his thoughts to be muddled to the point that he gave up laying in bed and ventured back to the living room to stare at the uncleared chess board and fire beyond it. The empty wine glasses were still on the table, making him smile. So much for Gryffindor bravery, it had taken wine and impulse to make him act on years worth of desire. He picked up the Queen chess piece and toyed with it idly as his thoughts spiraled, could things ever be the same? Did he even want them to be?
Hermione gasped awake, her heart was racing and her breathing was shallow, the lingering sight of Harry dead in Hagrid’s arms had haunted her this time. She could feel the hopelessness dying away, Harry was alive and in his bed down the hall. Not dead. Not dead at all, she reminded herself. The clock on the wall said it was barely four in the morning and she groaned, there was no way she was going back to bed now with the hammering of her heart slowly easing to a dull ache. She sat up, rubbing her face with her palms. “Well at least it wasn’t Bellatrix.” She mumbled aloud, after stretching she cast a quick spell to clean her clothes from the day before and unwound the lose braid so her hair could be shaken out into its normal unruly self.
She found she was more self conscious than she had ever been before, she worried about how she looked in the mirror because she knew Harry would eventually wake up and after their stolen moment from hours ago she was fearful he would suddenly realize she was nothing special and just Hermione in her bookworm glory. Not beautiful or charming, just a quiet librarian. Normal when he could easily have the graceful beauties she had seen try to get his attention before. She left her room after a few moments of futile fussing over her hair and felt silly as she tossed her sweater onto the bed, there was no reason to be acting so juvenile she scolded herself as she ran her hands over the maroon tank top she had on.
She was planning on going to the garden to stare at one of the ponds till dawn but when she stepped into the living area to find her boots she caught sight of Harry asleep on the couch with a book on his chest. She smiled, his glasses were crooked, the book pages slightly crumpled against his chest as it slowly moved with his breathing. He looked like his father more when he was sleeping, his boyish features seemed more prominent in his relaxation. She shook her head, same old Harry with his habit of sleeping in his glasses.
She had left her wand in the bedroom, something she almost never did, so she tiptoed to him and with the utmost care she gingerly slid his glasses off his nose. He shifted in his sleep and she froze, but he did not wake up. She set the glasses on the table and then repeated the process with the book, slipping the discarded bookmark into it before setting it down. Harry gently took hold of her wrist as she turned to walk away, making her stop moving and swallow the lump in her throat, while his other hand took his glasses and slipped them on his face without a word as their eyes locked.
The tension that filled the air between them was nearly stifling, his thumb began to trace gentle circles over her wrist as he searched for the words to say to her. But her small voice beat him to it, “I didn’t mean to wake you Harry, I’m sorry.” He smiled at her, knowing she had meant to slip away in silence.
“I don’t mind.” His voice was thick with sleep still, but he could not help but notice she had not pulled away from him. “Another nightmare?” She nodded softly, a brief flash of shame flickering across her features that made him frown. “Do you want to talk about it?”
She shook her head quickly, there was no way she was going to tell him that the sight of him dead was haunting her sleep as well as Bellatrix’s tortures. “I’m alright, really Harry, it’s nothing.” Hermione tried her hardest to pretend that it was true, but the way he was looking at her said she failed. His fingers slowly shifted, going from the soft circles of his thumb on her wrist to sliding them between her own so he was holding her hand gently and intimately enough that her cheeks burst to color and her lips parted slightly to take in a breath.
“Anything you need, just ask and it’s yours.” His voice was gentle, the sleepy tone less prominent now that he was focused on her. He could see the blush on her cheeks, was watching her breathing quicken, everything about her was alluring to Harry. He wanted to erase the nightmares from her memory, to make her forget the fear in the night but he did not know how.
Hermione was lost in his eyes, she could see the sincerity and worry in them, the way he cared for her. The kiss slipped back into her mind again and she had to know if it was more than a fleeting moment among wine tinged impulses. Had to know if that moment had unlocked something thought to be forbidden as the fruit in Eden. She whispered her possible doom then, “Will you kiss me again?” and she could not believe she was bold enough to say it out loud and not just in her mind. Her eyes showed the uncertainty while her fingers laced with his fully, trying to savor the moment in case he regretted the move from the night before and denied her the one thing she wanted.
He smiled though, gently pulling her down to him as he leaned up to press his lips to hers. Where he had had doubts about their moment before they were all gone now, it had not been a mistake to act on his thoughts before bed after all. His free hand slid across her cheek during the kiss and it felt like the room around them melted away, all he could feel was Hermione and suddenly the past was gone.
The kiss was tender, something sweet and meant for moments under starlight. But slowly, it began to build to something more and full of unspoken words. He pulled her softly, guiding her onto him as he turned so they could be tucked into the couch with his back to the table. He had her and he would not let go of the moment, he couldn’t. Their hands broke their hold but in place of that he could feel her palm sliding over his jawline and her fingers twiddling with his hair while his arm slid around her to hold her to him tightly.
She felt perfect tucked against him, like she had molded to him in every curve they had. The lingering emotions from the nightmare were wiped away, all she could feel was the moment they were in and she never wanted to come back from it. Nothing had ever been so all encompassing before, not even a book that could suck her in for hours on end. She could drown in this and never regret it, could let the moment steal her sanity and never look for it again.
When the kiss stopped Hermione almost thought she was dreaming but his soft chuckle made her smile and she knew it wasn’t a dream. She was really curled into him on the couch, he was really holding her to him like she was something precious that could be lost. She could feel his heart pounding, or maybe it was her own, but all she wanted to do was hold on to him and pray that the daylight would not change this. She tucked her head in against his chest, closing her eyes to savor the moment and burn it into her memories as her fingers grasped hold of his shirt and arm, she felt him kiss the top of her head gently as she took a breath and memorized everything from the way he smelled to how it felt to be in his arms.
Being with him must have made her feel more safe than she ever had before because the next time she opened her eyes she was laying more on him than the couch with her ear pressed to his chest where his heart was beating a steady rhythm beneath it. Sun was peeking through the window curtains and the fire was nothing but hot coals and random flames trying to survive in the remains of the ashes. She could feel the gentle weight of his hand on her back and as she titled her head to look up at him she felt his fingers twitch and grasp her.
Harry was asleep, but still he tried to hold on to her and keep her near him. When she tried to move so she could see him better his arm tightened around her and the one he had been laying on under his head moved to match the other by wrapping around her waist. She felt the warmth in her cheeks but did not care, she was watching his features go from a slight frown to relaxing once more and it made her smile. She did not want to wake him, but she also knew from the sounds of things in the distance that Winky was making breakfast so she had to.
Harry felt the stirrings of awareness tickle at his mind, he did not want to wake up. He felt comfortable and warm, something that was rare in his sleep so he did not want to leave it. His face tickled and he felt his head shake but then he could feel fingertips brushing over the stubble of his jawline and his eyes opened when he heard her voice gently say his name. It took a few moments to truly take in the moment of her laying atop him, her gentle smile, the messy curls from sleep framing her face, the way her hand was pressing to his jaw but he loved it instantly and wished for every morning to be like that. His face turned slightly to press a gentle kiss to her palm and he adored the pink in her cheeks that it caused, “Morning ‘Mione.”
Seeing him fight waking up had been adorable, but when he kissed her palm she felt like butterflies had started a flurry in her stomach. “Morning Harry.”
“Guess we fell asleep again.” He smiled, watching her nod softly. “Was I a comfy pillow?” he teased.
She giggled and shook her head. “The absolute worst. I need to speak to a manager.”
He feigned being outraged before he began to tickle her, “Is that so?” She was instantly laughing and squirming to try and get away between the pleas to make him stop. She ended up beneath him somehow in her wiggling with him smirking in victory and a quickly stolen kiss once she was done giggling. When he pulled back and stood up he helped her to her feet before tucking hair behind her ear. “Smells like coffee is ready, better head to the table before Winky drags us to it.” She smiled, knowing the house elf would indeed do that.
“How did you know I was ticklish? I have gone to great lengths to hide that fact.” she questioned as they sat down at the table, though this time next to each other.
“Pearl.” Was his answer, but her eyebrow rose in question. “I noticed how you responded to her fur on your neck. It tickled so I assumed the rest of you was ticklish as well.”
“Observant and sneaky. I will have to keep my eye on you, Potter.” She pointed a stirring spoon at him playfully. Winky came out of the kitchen then, a tray of empty mugs and scones in her hand with a floating steaming kettle following behind her along with a bowl of sugar and carton of liquid creamer. “Good morning Winky.” Hermione smiled at her.
“Mornin Misses Hermione! Winky is so glad you stayed! I can make you eggs and bacon, or get some fruit from the greenhouse if you like!” She was an ecstatic little bundle of elf then, having chosen a purple dress and yellow socks to wear that day. “The scones are cinnamon! Made them fresh this morning!”
Harry had reached for one the moment Winky sat down and placed it on her plate.
“They smell amazing. I swear I am addicted to these things. Did you make a big batch this time?” He was talking through a bite towards the end and had the house elf smiling from ear to wobbly ear.
“Of course Sir! Winky knows how much you love them, Winky does. Made sure to make enough for you to take back with you.” She was beaming proudly and nibbling on her own scone.
After trying one Hermione had to agree that she needed more of them in her life and made sure Winky knew it. “Harry, I will be taking some of those for myself thank you, these will make the perfect snack for sure! I must give one to Minerva, she will be begging for them as well.” Winky blushed at the praise, something Hermione did not know was possible.
When breakfast was over Harry excused himself to the room with the paintings and Hermione picked up the book she had been reading and curled up on the couch, she didn’t know how long she sat there reading before Harry appeared again and sat on the couch with her, she had moved her legs out of the way but he guided them back to be on his lap after picking up the book he had the night before. She smiled at him and bit her lip, the small changes that were already happening between them were moments she had daydreamed about and she hoped they did not end.
An owl arrived not too long after and brought a letter saying Neville and Luna would be coming for lunch and when the time got close Harry had to fly to meet them so they could know which point to fly through to reach the cottage. While he was gone Hermione went to the paintings and sat on the circular couch, she was greeted by Sirius but did not see Lily or James. When she looked closer there were small figures on the beach in the painting on the far wall and she smiled, glad they could be together even if it was just a painting.
“Something on your mind, Hermione?” Sirius’s soft voice brought her attention back to him.
“We have to go back to Hogwarts today.” Sirius nodded, “I’m the Librarian now.” She smiled at him as he sat on the painted L couch from the living area.
“That suits you. You always did love your books.” He waited for her to speak again.
“Everything is different now.” She sounded farther away as she spoke, Sirius nodded and agreed with her. “I’m having nightmares,” she paused, “every night.” She sighed softly, looking to the beach painting as the small moving dots on the beach began making their way towards her and were slowly getting bigger. “The only time I don’t have them is when Harry is around.”
“I see.” He leaned forward, resting his chin on his hand. “And have you told Harry this?” She shook her head, “Why not?”
“I think he knows.” Sirius raised an eyebrow. “On nights that we don’t fall asleep talking we end up both waking up and meeting in the halls or the kitchen at all hours of the night and morning.” Sirius smiled tenderly at her. “He makes me feel safe, and now-” She trailed off.
“Now what?” Lily and James were becoming more visible in the painting now and waving at her, she waved back softly.
“I don’t know. Harry and I-” she blushed “We are… changing too.” She was not sure what they were but she knew they were more than friends now. She sighed, “What if I lose him, what if we don’t work. I can’t bare to think of it, with Ron we slowly stopped being friends when things did not work out. It was awkward, I can’t even think of that happening with Harry.”
Lily had gotten close enough to hear what was being said and stepped into the portrait with Sirius. “I would not worry about that Hermione.” She looked at the red haired woman and saw the comforting smile on her face. “Don’t tell him I told you, but in all of the stories he told us over the years you are the one he spoke of the most. It is your name that made his face light up, and they way he spoke of you does not begin to match the way he looks at you.” James stepped into the portrait next, moving to stand beside Lily. “It is like how James looks at me.” She looked to her husband and smiled.
“What is it that I do?” The man inquired, smiling between the two women and it made Hermione giggle as Lily shook her head and patted his hand softly. The three painted figures all turned their heads in the direction of the door at the same time and even though the painted one did not move Hermione heard the real door open and the distant dreamy voice of Luna. “Ah! More company!” James was ecstatic.
Hermione was shaking her head, Harry really was so much like his father. “Thank you.” She looked to Lily and Sirius, making James look between them all in curiosity.
“What did I miss?” She heard him asking and Lily telling him it was nothing as she left the room and closed the door behind her. She was barely two steps down the hall when she heard Winky’s wails of happiness at more guests and knew happy tears were being shed from the house elf.
Luna was shaking Winky’s hand as she entered while Neville was hanging up their coats on the rack by the door, but Harry was searching the room for her and when he found her she saw the same happiness light up his eyes as his father had when he stepped into the portrait with Lily moments ago. “Hello Hermione, lovely to see you.” Luna’s airy voice called out and Neville turned to smile at her.
- 6
- 7
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Returning to Hogwarts