Fully illustrated! After his name came out of the Goblet of Fire, Harry woke to a disturbing reality. The wizarding world only saw him as an expendable pawn, his carefree attitude towards studying left him struggling to survive, and he had never tru...
"I'm not leaving you alone this summer, Harry." Her eyes blazed with determination. "No matter what."
Hermione's words kept repeating in Harry's mind throughout the rest of the train ride.
No matter what.
When was the last time someone had made a declaration like that about him? He couldn't remember... when it came to his life, it was always filled with empty platitudes or worse—indifference. Which adult at Hogwarts didn't know that Harry Potter was a skinny, malnourished little boy when he had first come to to the school? Surely, someone had to have taken note that he always filled out during the school year and yet came back from each summer looking as impoverished as ever. During second year, the twins had told their parents of the bars on his window, but nothing had been done about it. During third year, no one had asked what on earth had prompted a thirteen year old boy to blow up his aunt and run away from home...Fudge had gone as far as to dismiss it as youthful joke. During the summer of fourth year, he had been on the brink of starvation and relied on the birthday cakes from Ron and Hermione to satisfy his hunger.
At this point, Harry had accepted that he would return to his childhood prison every summer and no one would ever say anything about it. For those months, being completely separated from the magical world was a foregone conclusion and the loneliness that plagued him was inevitable. It wasn't a big deal. He could always endure—he was good at doing that.
But here was Hermione now, telling him that he didn't have to.
She wasn't going to leave him alone.
Why am I so surprised? He asked himself suddenly, looking at the bushy haired girl who sat in front of him. She never has.
Not after his name came out of the goblet of fire, not even when he was writhing in pain on the graveyard floor. Somehow, she always found her way to his side.
No matter what.
Harry covered his face briefly, trying to control his facial expressions and hoped that Hermione didn't notice the strange shift in his mood.
No matter what.
But try as he might to calm down, the turbulent waves in his chest refused to settle down, and his heart raced for reasons he couldn't understand—was too afraid to understand.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
No matter what. No matter what. No matter what.
Harry was both relieved and distressed when the train finally reached the station. As soon as he got on to the platform and spotted the Dursleys, the distress won out and he felt his heart grow heavy.
"I guess that's it then," he said, attempting to smile but not quite succeeding. "Goodbye."
"Bye, Harry!" said Hermione, and she did something she had never done before, and kissed him on the cheek.
Harry froze for a second, unable to process the feel of her soft lips against his cheek and her scent surrounding him. Hermione was always a very physical person around him and he was no stranger to her tight hugs, but there was something different this time. Something sweet and tender about the way she had tiptoed slightly and held down his shoulder before leaning up to give him a small kiss on the cheek. Something that made his heart pound and an unstoppable blush sweep across his face.
The station was suddenly too hot, and time couldn't stand still long enough for Harry's mind to unfreeze and process what had just happened. What should he say? Should he kiss her cheek back? Should he tell her—
But in the time he took to make up his mind, Hermione had already stepped back and turned away to go.
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And before he knew it, he was pulling her back and cradling her face with his hands.
"Harry?"
He kissed her.
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It was clumsy and slightly awkward at first. Harry had never kissed anyone before and knew little about how it was supposed to go. His eyes fluttered to a close and he focused on the sensation of his lips lightly moving over hers. All he knew was that her lips were soft and warm. All he knew was the steady beating of his heart, echoing in his ears. All he knew was Hermione's hands suddenly winding around his neck and bringing his body flush against hers and—his hands shook before they wrapped around her back just as firmly—she was kissing him back.
"What on earth is that boy doing?" A high pitched voice rang out and Harry was faintly reminded that they were still on the platform and he had no idea how long he had been standing there with Hermione in his arms. He couldn't really bring himself to care.
Unfortunately, the voice seemed to have brought Hermione back to her senses for she was the first to break the kiss.
"Harry?" she asked again, but this time there was a breathless quality to her voice and her cheeks were tinged with pink.
"I—I—" Harry stuttered. What was he supposed to say? How could he translate all of the emotions inside of him at that moment into actual words?
"I'll miss you," was what he ended up whispering.
"Oh, is that all?" Hermione grinned at him, her eyes shining.
"And..." Harry touched his lips a little sheepishly. "I really should have done that a long time ago."
She laughed loudly and reached up to kiss him again. Only this time, not even the repeated shrieks of Petunia Dursley ("In public, Vernon! No common decency whatsoever—well, I never!") could get her to let him go.
Fin
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Author's Note: Hope you guys liked these extras and the artwork. (The Sirius scene and art is my personal fave lol). Which ending do you prefer and why?
I still stand by the original ending, but maybe this alternate version can give people who wanted it to end differently a little more closure.
Also, I'll be posting another Harmony story called "Home is Where the Heart Lies" soon so follow my profile and keep an eye out for that ❤️ Edit, it's now up here: https://www.wattpad.com/story/264815140-home-is-where-the-heart-lies-harmione
