Chapter 4

Crying, she slid slowly to the floor...

Let's see what happens, shall we?

Harry had been watching the whole scene from under his Invisibility Cloak. At first he had found it amusing, but on seeing the intensity of Ron's emotions for Hermione, he had retreated further into the corner. As much as he disagreed with Ron forcing his affections on Hermione, he was uncomfortable, and didn't think it right to interrupt the two. In a way, he was pleased that Hermione wasn't romantically interested in Ron, though he couldn't fathom the reason for his personal pleasure of the situation. However, his joy didn't last very long.

Hermione's feelings disturbed him. When she said she was in love with someone else, Harry felt as if someone had hit him hard in his stomach, and something painful gripped his heart. On realising the depth of her emotions, Harry started to feel a little jealous of the lucky guy she was in love with.

I wish it was me, he thought. And that's when he realised that he loved her. He realized that however much he was trying to avoid her, he, Harry Potter, was in love with Hermione Granger. She was like the piece of a jigsaw puzzle that fitted perfectly into his life and made him whole. Someone who made him complete. And he wished he had realised this before.

He became aware of the sound of someone crying and perceived that Hermione was left alone on the Astronomy tower.

Unable to bear her tears, he went to her.

"Hermione," he said, "please don't cry. Tell me what's bothering you."

Lost in his own thoughts, Harry had not heard the reason for Hermione's tears. All he wanted to do now was to make her smile.

Confused, Hermione looked up to see who had heard the interlude between Ron and herself, and turned red with embarrassment on seeing it was Harry.

"What is it Hermione? Tell me what's wrong. I'll do my best to set things right for you."

Unable to control herself, Hermione burst into tears again.

"Oh Harry. Only you can set things right," wept Hermione.

"I'll do everything I possibly can to help you," said Harry, moving closer to her. Lifting his hands to her face, he gently wiped away her tears with his thumbs.

Hermione was touched by his gesture, but, no, she didn't want him only as a friend. Taking a step backwards, she said, "I'm afraid you'll stop talking to me if I tell you, Harry."

"You know I'd never do that to you, Hermione. You mean too much to me for doing something like that to you."

Moving closer to him, she said, "I know you wouldn't, Harry, but I'm willing to risk it."

Taking a deep breath, she whispered, "Harry, I love you."

"Hermione..."

"No, let me finish. Harry, when we first met, I never knew we'd be good friends. The silliness with the troll got us together and from then on, you, Ron and I were inseparable. Right from recovering the Philosopher's Stone to facing the Death Eaters in the Ministry of Magic, we have been together. When you disappeared in the maze during the tasks for such a long time, you have absolutely no idea what hell I went through. Seeing you back didn't help till I was sure that you were alive and well, and not, not ... as it looked. I nearly died that night. The thought of losing you made me realise that you meant much more to me than a friend. Leaving you alone at Privet Drive during the summer was not very thrilling either. Because I missed you so. And when you were brought to Grimmauld Place by the Order, I was so excited. I wanted to be with you, to share your agony, to increase your joy, to make you happy. But I don't think you realised it. Something at the back of my mind said that I should leave you alone, but Harry, I couldn't. I just couldn't get you off my mind. I've been meaning to tell you this for a long time now, and I just didn't. I was afraid to lose you as a friend. I know you don't love me and though it kills me inside, its O.K. I have seen the way you have been avoiding me and I know you have other things on your mind. Even though you don't love me, please don't end up hating me for what I have said to you today. Because I love you very much Harry, and I want you to be happy always."

Finishing, Hermione moved towards the door to leave.

Before she had taken two steps, a hand tugged at her own, and she felt herself being pulled towards Harry.

Caught off guard, she looked up to see him smiling at her.

"Hermione, you may be the smartest witch in Hogwarts, but you still have a lot to learn. Wherever did you get the funny idea that I don't love you? How can someone not love you, Miss Hermione Granger? Sure you can be bossy and obnoxious at times, but your good humour and caring for others less powerful than you far surpasses those qualities. How can I not love you, Hermione? My pillar of strength, the one who has always supported me even when my decisions have been so wrong, My Pole Star to guide me through the dark, the firm backing of logic in my life. I may have been slow on the uptake, dear, but I know something good when I see it. How would I not value something so precious, so close to me, an inseparable part of my life?

Hermione, I do love you, and though I may not be good at showing it, I'm willing to learn."

Looking into his eyes, and feeling the sincerity of his voice, Hermione was left speechless. This was more than she had wished for. She leaned forward at the same time as Harry did, and their lips met, knowing that they would always be together.

THE END