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Harry Potter and the End of Illusions	By : Christina_Potter_09 Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Harry/Hermione Views: 11159 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 7
- 8
- 9
- CHAPTER EIGHT -

What Everyone Else Knew

The first days at Hogwarts weren’t the ones Harry wished to have. He was happy to be back in the only place he had called home but everyone around him was trying to learn what he was doing every single minute. Students were trying to talk, meet, hear, see or just be close to him, and people from Hogsmeade who were trying to see him from afar. The Daily Prophet didn’t stay out of the game with daily reports about him, based on “sources” and “friends” of his. In all of this madness Harry was trying to get back on track with his lessons and make his Quidditch team from the beginning. He was feeling suffocated with all those people around him. Thank Merlin he could hide for a few hours in his and Hermione’s small common room and relax as he was studying.

He couldn’t believe he would ever relax during study but there is a first time for everything. When he was in the small common room, Harry was felt safe and Hermione was a great common room-mate. She was always quiet when he needed to relax. She helped him with his homework –like she always did- and had a nice cup of tea waiting for him when he was in the library. He was feeling like he did back in the tent with her but this time protected and safe from evil and she was calmer and happier at Hogwarts. She was studying again as she always liked to do and was helping him no matter what. Harry was happy to be with her as Head student too. They had their patrols at night when the prefects were sleeping, so he had the opportunity to walk around the castle in peace and explore new passages and doors he and Hermione had never seen before.

All this fame, however, was making him frustrated. The fame he had during his fourth year seemed like tiny spotlights before this situation. In lessons, his classmates from the other houses were whispering and throwing him small pieces of parchment with questions and comments about the months he was away from the castle. Hermione grapped his arms and tried to calm him down more than a few times when he was ready to hex other students when it was getting to be too much in corridors or even in classes. The professors were also trying to calm him down and punish the ones who tried things in classes but it didn’t help much. Ron on the other hand seemed to enjoy the fame he had as Harry’s best friend, but most of the time Ron was with Luna. Harry was fine with that, though he missed the times that Ron would just explode and relieve some of the pressure.

The first time Harry gathered some people he wanted to see on broomsticks for the team, half of the students of Hogwarts had gone out to the pitch to see him. Harry was ready to hex each and everyone of them but Ron kept him cool. After the small practice in front of half of the school’s students, Harry had found two new beaters and a chaser: Robert and Stuart Morris, third and second year brothers and Helena Halliwell, a tall fourth year girl. Ron would be the keeper again as Harry almost commanded his best friend because Ron was shy about the position. Ginny –who always acted like Harry was invisible, to his relief- would be the third chaser.

The fact that he and Hermione were the Head Boy and Girl was another reason for him and Hermione being in the papers. Students were commenting to the Prophet that they had seen Harry and Hermione on “Romantic walks under the moonlight” and having “Long conversations close to the lake”, indeed Harry and Hermione were walking around but that was happening during their patrols and as for the conversations close to the lake was a way the two had found just so they could relax when everything was silent around the castle. And even when Harry hoped she wouldn’t dare, Rita Skeeter started her “cute” reports again about a secret love between the two and now having the opportunity to live their love under the protection of Hogwarts. Harry was angry with all this but Hermione was really furious. She had a history with Rita and her lies, but the reporter dared to try them again since if they did something to stop her she would claim that they’re trying to protect their relationship. Harry wasn’t sure of how angry he should be but he was surprised to see Hermione like this. Students, the press, curiosity, new harder than ever homework and lessons along with Ron being gone with Luna all of the time were making Harry feel suffocated in Hogwarts…

Harry, Hermione and Ron had finished their lunch and Harry was ready to gather people at the pitch again since it was Saturday afternoon and the Gryffindor students were free. Once more, many students gathered at the pitch and filled the stadium. Harry tried to ignore them and focus on his prospective chasers. When Harry gave them the sign to make some movements on the air with their brooms, everyone around the pitch started clapping and beating at him as if he had just finished a particularly moving speech. He sighed heavily and tried to watch the students on the brooms even when students from the seats were calling or singing songs for him. Ron moved close to him and patted his shoulder.

‘Just relax mate, you can’t change it,’ Ron said smiling at him. Harry looked at him and was sure his best mate was enjoying the attention even if it wasn’t for him. Harry then looked around and found Hermione on a seat, watching him. She wasn’t smiling. She was actually looking angry at some girls next to her who were pointing at him and giggling.

Harry tried again to watch the players and finally decide which one would be the one for the team. He thanked the rest and kept Chris Bunton, a short fifth year, for the position. Only when he dismissed the team and left with Hermione and Ron for the castle did the students leave the pitch, almost following him. Hermione squeezed his hand gently, trying to calm him. She then let of his hand quickly when some Ravenclaw third years giggled, looking at their joined hands. Harry felt more angry for because of it. Ron left to find Luna so Harry and Hermione went into the castle together. When they reached the Entrance Hall, a fourth year Hufflepuff with long hair and rosy cheeks moved close to him and asked him and Hermione for an autograph holding a copy of the Prophet with a picture of the pair from their fourth year. Harry grunted, gripped the newspaper, and rushed with Hermione at his side for their common room.

When they were finally there, Harry threw the newspaper on the couch and sat down close to it. Hermione smiled sympathetically and gathered some quills. He was sure she was heading for the library. They would start practicing at Legilimancy and Occlumency on Tuesday and he was sure she was going to learn more about it before the lessons.

‘Just relax, Harry,’ Hermione said smiling, and he took a deep breath, almost angry with her as well for being so calm now. ‘I’m angry too, but we are the Heads and need to be good examples for the students, not scare them. They just don’t know what happened,’ Hermione went on and Harry, begrudgingly, agreed with her. ‘I’ll be in the library,’ she finished and brushed her hand against his shoulder as she moved away. Harry smiled at her and her return to her old ways: Library, advising, helping, being bossy... That was the Hermione he knew and he wouldn't have her any other way.

He wasn’t really in the mood for studying or planning the new team, even if the first practice would take place in two days and the first match against Ravenclaw in a week. He didn't feel like going to find Ron, since he was sure that Ron would be with Luna who knows where and doing who knows what. Harry was still surprised about this pairing, but on the other hand he had a crush on Cho and Ginny and those two crushes seemed so far away from him now.

It was as if some other Harry Potter had fancied those two girls; a Harry who had never faced Voldemort or spent months in a cold tent with enemies right behind him. He sighed at those thoughts and his gaze reached the newspaper close to him. He picked it up and looked at it. It had a picture of him and Hermione hugging each other before his first task. He smiled at the memory of him catching the egg and how happy he felt. He knew he wouldn’t have made it without Hermione. He looked at the picture and had to admit that they looked quite nice together. He closed the newspaper in surprise of what he had just thought. He looked at the piece of parchment again and started reading the article.

THE CHOSEN ONE AND THE HEROINE IN LOVE

It’s true, the two best friends are in love. Harry Potter, our savior, and his best friend Hermione Granger, heroine and best friend of his, are together. Many sources from the school are talking about love in hiding and two people made for each other. As our reporter Rita Skeeter had announced years before, the two young people have been together since their forth year and now they are finally free to be together in the open. (Chronicles of their friendship pages 2-6. Their newfound love and plans for their future from a person so close to the couple’s circles pages 6-10).

Harry shook his head and looked at the picture again. Why did everyone believe that he and Hermione were together? The entire community always believed that they were made for each other. Students, no matter how old or young they were, always giggled or whispered or looked at Hermione angrily because they believed that she is Harry’s soul mate. Cho, his first crush, was always sure that he cared for Hermione more than herself even if she was older and more mature. Victor Krum had tried to learn if something was going on with Hermione and Harry as the older and famous man was afraid that Harry and Hermione had feelings for each other. Even the Weasleys... Mrs. Weasley had sent a tiny Easter egg to Hermione because she believed that Hermione was playing Harry. Even Mrs. Weasley could see them as couple.

And of course Ron wasn’t sure of what Harry wanted from Hermione until some months before. Was his way with Hermione showing more than his mind allowed him to see himself? Why had Ron always believed that Harry and Hermione would end up together? Harry believed that Hermione and Ron were the ones that knew him better than anyone else and Ron was always afraid of Harry and Hermione being together. Ginny as well, some weeks ago had asked him why he was sure about Hermione being save and next to him during their absence.

Harry closed his eyes and tried to relax from all these thoughts but they kept rushing in his mind. Dumbledore had trusted and mentioned Hermione and only her when they had met each other again in Kings Cross right before the end of the War. What was that supposed to mean? Why hadn’t he mentioned Ginny, the one Harry wanted for months and thought in love with. They had talked about love and how Harry made it and Dumbledore had mentioned Hermione and her precious help to keep him cool when things were difficult. Harry opened his eyes and looked at the fire in the fireplace.

He had never thought of all this but he had to admit that Hermione was indeed always there for him. Many people could get confused... Harry couldn't be in love with Hermione. That was impossible, Hermione was his best friend. She was there with him, always, never leaving him because they were friends. She helped him with the potions in first year before he could reach the mirror of Eriset and talked to him about books, cleverness and... love. He had frozen at the sight of her petrified form in second year. She was there when they tried to save Sirius in third year and he felt pure fear for not listening to her voice when the Dementors surrounded them. He was more than grateful when she helped him with his first task and tried save her along with Ron in the lake’s task because she was part of him and he couldn’t leave her there. She was always there for him when Ron had cast him aside for the first time. He felt his heart stopping when he saw Dolohov cursing her in the Ministry. He felt his life returning when Neville said she had a weak pulse because they were friends, right?

He was angry with her only when she was lecturing for his potion book in sixth year and then they proved both to be right about it. The only time they fought for something was something really important and never had rows about stupid things like she had with Ron. Harry hid his face in his hands as thoughts kept reminding him what had happened in the past. He remembered her screams in the Malfoy manor, her voice not even being able to plead or beg. When Ron was just hitting their cage and screaming her name, Harry’s mind was filled with her screams. He could feel Voldemort inside his head, in and out of his enemy’s thoughts, and even then Hermione’s screams were the only reason for him to block Voldemort and find a way to save her, and he did. The only other time that had happened was when Harry was preparing Dobby’s tomb. The only other time Harry was able to block his mind was because of the death of his beloved friend. Could Hermione being more than a beloved friend?

Harry opened his eyes and let his hands fell from his face. He took the newspaper again and looked at Hermione and him hugging each other. He remembered the feeling of pure fear and panic when he saw Bellatrix Lestrange wounding Hermione’s throat so blood could drip from her body. And even then Hermione hadn’t betrayed them, any other would have but Hermione didn’t. She suffered the Cruciatus maybe even more than himself but even then, she didn’t betray him. Harry kept staring at the picture and thinking. Hermione’s voice was the one telling him what he did right and what wrong the last few years. Hermione’s voice was his conscience’s voice. Hermione was the one who hugged him after every difficult fight or situation. Hermione and Ron were the ones Harry wanted to find right after Voldemort’s fall, not Ginny. Only his best friends... Her. Harry left the newspaper on his lap but didn’t dare to take his eyes away from Hermione’s form, hugging his in the picture.

He remembered when he felt comfortable with Hermione and No one else, first at the Burrow and then at Australia. How good he felt when he broke down in front of her at the beach and how happy he was in her house. How he felt when he saw her in fourth year in her dress robes and just some weeks ago in her swimsuit. How his hand moved automatically to her scar on her chest and how he felt when her half-naked form was pressed against him. But could he really be in love with Hermione? She was always loyal, the first person who showed affection for him, the first girl who kissed him, even if that kiss was placed on his cheek and how he had felt. She helped him with the DA, even though the two of them would be the ones to be punished for all of it. He always admired her knowledge on spells, potions and historical facts even in the worst times. He always felt proud of her, and he always trusted her no matter what.

But Harry had told Ron, that Hermione was like a sister to him. Was that true? Harry was feeling tired but couldn’t stop wondering. Was it true? He had sisterly feeling for Ginny at first as well. Was Hermione like his sister or was she something more like a soul mate to him. Never away, always by his side, no matter her desires, her dreams, her will, her life… He was with her as well. He felt awful when he saw her leaving the common room when Ron was snogging Lavender. He had run to find her and tried to comfort her. She chose him over Ron back in the tent when Ron had cast him aside again.

Harry always knew she was the only one who would never abandon him no matter how wrong or unfair he might be with her. Harry didn't fight with Hermione like she did with Ron. He always respected her will and beliefs even when they could be pointless. He never judged or laughed at what she did, like reading tons of books and believing in the freedom of the house elves. She never judged or abandoned him even when he was taking Ron’s side in some of their rows. They were usually happy with each other and when something was going on, they were finding ways to settle it and not just ignore it like Ron and Hermione did. They always worked well together, as best friends, as a team, as co-leaders. As… a couple.

Harry's eyes grew wide. Couple. He liked Ginny because she was pretty and a way for him to forget his problems, a good snog for the hard times. But Hermione was always in the same problems. He never put Hermione in his “potential girlfriend” list because Hermione was always there. Because Hermione seemed to be the best friend when she could be the best girlfriend as well. Hermione, the bossy girl with the bushy hair and chocolate brown eyes, the one who was always next to him no matter what he decided and many times had the carriage to be against him when she he was wrong. The only one Harry always wanted to save and protect and at the same time never being away from her, always seeking her help. Harry hid his face in his hands again and sighed. He felt tired. Why now with everything back on track? Why like this? He lifted his head again and looked into the fire. He was in love with Hermione. He wanted her to be happy and always respected her. He always wanted her help and safety.

He always wanted her to be save and at the same time couldn’t think of what to do without her. Harry stood up and paced in front of the fireplace, his gaze stopping on the newspaper every once and a while. He never realized all those things before because he was always under the fear of no tomorrow. He always tried to find comfort and a way to be away from his problems through some girl and never looked at the problem directly. He may have always been terrified to see Hermione as anything more than his best friend because he was afraid of losing her. He always wanted to take himself away from Voldemort and the possibility of his death that he never realized that Hermione was the reason he had made it so far. In the face of death you see a life unlived. And Harry now could see his unlived life, his unrealized feelings and wants for the woman that Hermione was. He could now see all these feelings of trust, care, fear, compassion, need and interest weren’t just for a sister.

Harry had lied to everyone, his classmates, his professors, Cho, Krum, the Press, to Ron, to himself. Hermione was more than his best friend, Hermione was always the one who could help, cool down, care and trust like no other. Harry ran a hand through his hair and took a deep breath. He thought things couldn’t get more complicated but knew he was in the same place with the woman he loved.

Loved... The woman he loved. He had never imagined Cho or Ginny as “the Woman he Loved”. They were always “the girl he fancied”. Love was always out of the questions because he never had felt all the things he was feeling for Hermione. Butterflies in his stomach and chest monsters seemed ridiculous now. And now, he had to explore Hermione’s feelings and decide if he dared to risk his friendship with Hermione to take what he really want from her, her heart. He would sacrifice everything for her, like she would for him. He was sure because she had already done it when she decided between him and her parents and him and Ron. That thought filled his heart with hope.

He felt his knees growing weak when he heard the portrait opening and closing. He looked around and realized that many hours must have gone by without him noticing. Some moments after, the subject of his thoughts for the last hours, the woman he loved was in front of him, looking at him with a worried expression. The same woman who accompanied him when he saw his parents’ graves for the first time last Christmas. The woman whose wand worked for him as if it were his own.

‘Are you alright, Harry?’ Hermione asked as she set her books on the couch and moved closer to him and the fireplace. Harry tried to clear his throat and managed to nod. He was feeling nervous as if his forehead had been stamped with “Potter in LOVE with Granger”. He tried to move away from her but she was already right in front of him and reaching her hand out to touch his forehead. Harry closed his eyes at her touch. It was the first time that someone had touched his forehead and its scar and he felt great to have Hermione doing so.

‘You look pale, are you OK?’ Hermione asked more worried as she took a step back and looked at him more carefully. Harry opened his eyes and mouth and tried to find something to say.

‘I’m fine, just tired,’ he rasped out after spending hours in silence. He took a deep breath and decided to go up to his dorm. He needed to think things over and Hermione’s brown eyes weren’t helping him. He walked away, leaving a confused Hermione behind him. He needed to relax so he could sort out what had happened in his mind and heart and decide what he would do to survive the rest of his days with his feelings for Hermione in his heart and her in flesh right beside him for the rest of the term. However, the risk of putting their friendship in danger was the one thing making Harry’s stomach ache anxiously…
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Harry Potter and the End of Illusions