The Love Potion

f o u r

"Why stay?" Harry had asked her, and already Hermione felt light-headed. She didn't really know how to explain it, after all, even she didn't know why she stayed. Well, it's not like Hermione now regrets it, it's just that she wouldn't be able to explain it in words.

"I don't know." She admitted truthfully "The whole thing went down rather fast, and I stopped thinking...I just went with whatever felt right."

Harry looked like he wanted to say something but couldn't. Hermione had just decided that it was a long day for the both of them, and that he was just now getting tired. It was only seven o'clock, but Hermione knew that coming here and going through all of the old pictures of his family...it must've been a lot for him.

"Come on, Harry." she said and took his hand in hers "Let's go home. We did a lot today."

***

When they were back at the house, Hermione went to her room and read for a bit, while Harry stayed downstairs in the living room.

He kept on replaying the moment when Hermione took his hand and said 'let's go home'. As simple as it was to say, it meant so much. Growing up, he never really had a 'home'. He just simply lived with the Dursley's. Eventually, once he got to Hogwarts, he considered that his home, but even that wasn't ideal with Voldemort breaking in every year or so.

But now, finally, with Hermione, he had a home.

An hour or so later, Hermione came downstairs to check on him. He was laying on the couch, and at first Hermione had thought he was asleep, but as she got closer he opened his eyes.

"Hey." he said "Where've you been?"

Hermione smiled. "I was just upstairs, remember?" she said

"Oh, right." Harry said nodding in agreement "You were upstairs for a while."

At this point, Hermione guessed that Harry had been drinking, but she decided not to say anything as he had a hard day.

"Do you remember when I asked you why you stayed? You know, in the woods." he said, and Hermione nodded "I was really surprised you stayed. And if I'm being honest with myself, I started to...fancy you, I guess. I mean, at the time I thought it was because we were secluded in the woods but now I know that it's really because I wasn't affected by Ginny's love potion."

Hermione gaped. She hadn't thought about that before! Those months after he'd left her and went on a quest to find Voldemort's horcruxes, there would've been no way for her to be able to slip him the potion.

"I shouldn't have turned away." she said "After our dance, I mean."

There was a small moment of silence, and then Hermione did the (un)expected. She kissed him. And for the first time in months she was able to stop thinking. Stop worrying about her work or her job or her friends...all of those worries went away.