Captivate and Mesmerize

Mesmerize; Part 2.4

Harry sat on the living room couch staring off into the distance. The television was still on, but he paid no attention to it.

He knew he would never, ever, ever forget the sight he had just witnessed.

Even if he was Obliviated he would never forget it.

Because, my God, Hermione's body was mesmerizing.

She was magnificently shaped, like a sculpture carved from marble by one of the greatest artists like Michelangelo. She had delicate shoulders which made way to graceful arms. Her stomach was flat, her waist narrow, and her hips flared out to shapely and long legs. And, my goodness, her chest. Harry closed his eyes when he remembered what he saw. Her breasts were full and pert and her nipples were taut when he saw them.

And then, there was her tattoo. An honest to goodness tattoo.

Of a Snitch.

A Golden fucking Snitch.

It was the sexiest thing Harry had ever seen.

That mark on the softness of her skin made Harry want to do very bad things to her.

Harry gulped and tried to clear his mind. He tried to calm his racing heart. He knew he shouldn't be thinking about his best friend like this, especially since it was a complete accident that he saw her naked. He intruded on her privacy, even though his intentions were noble. He was not meant to see her in the way that he did so, to be respectful and a good friend, he needed to stop thinking about it.

He needed to just forget what he saw and wipe the memory from his mind.

Harry sighed. No, he couldn't do it.

Hermione had been in his thoughts since The Incident. It was what he dubbed the event that had transpired at the Ministry of Magic involving Macnair from a couple of months back. It was the most distraught he had ever been. It was the scariest moment of his life, even more frightening than facing Voldemort. When he saw the curse hit, it was like his heart dropped. The most intense worry and dread filled his system followed by such incensed anger at the man who caused her harm. The following days when she wouldn't wake up despite what the healers tried were even more frightening. He felt so lost when Macnair, under the influence of the truth potion, told them there was no counter to the curse.

How could that be true? How could there be no cure?

That only meant that Harry would lose her, and he couldn't, wouldn't even consider the idea.

That whole ordeal sparked a startling realization within Harry.

Hermione was important to him.

Moreover, she was the most important person in his life.

There could be no Harry Potter without Hermione Granger.

He needed her and that fact seized him and enveloped his whole being.

He tossed and turned late at night trying to make sense of it; trying to see how it would fit into his life; trying to see how it would change anything.

And then he realized that it already made sense, it already fit, and that it wouldn't change anything.

She had always been the most important person in his life. For ever since they became friends in their first year at Hogwarts, Hermione had cemented her place at the top; both at the top of the class and at the top of Harry's existence. She was a great friend, a great confidante, his saviour on many occasions, his rock, his support, his foundation. For the fifteen years they have been friends, they hardly fought. Every momentous occasion in Harry's life was spent with her. When he's away on business trips, he couldn't wait to get back to London to see her. His happiest memories were with her, of her.

Hermione's simple act of being made Harry live and thrive.

And he knew then that his feelings for her were more than just friendly.

He loved her.

So, no, Harry could not forget what he saw just minutes ago. In fact, he had been imagining it so much lately. He wanted so badly to touch her, kiss her, caress her. He wanted her to know how he really felt about her.

Uncertainty stopped him from voicing his newly realized feelings. Hermione never showed any signs of feeling more towards Harry. She was just... Hermione.

What was giving him an ounce of hope that she may be feeling the same way was this new tattoo. For him personally, the tattoos on his body were a testament of importance and a symbol of remembrance. They were like a roadmap of his life. They were representations of things which made Harry Harry. Many of them were representations of the people he loved.

He could only wish that the tattoo of the Golden Snitch on her body held the same sentiment.

He hoped that she chose the illustration with him in mind.

Because if she did, then maybe, just maybe, she felt the same way.