Reality

Harry woke up screaming. Hearing his cry, Hermione bolted upright and saw Harry clutching his head with both hands, tears streaming down his face. Hermione hugged him fiercely, rubbing her hands up and down on his back. She noticed he was sweating bullets.

"No... no... no..." he chanted.

"Harry, what's wrong?" she whispered.

He only shook his head.

"This is all my fault... all my fault... I did this..." he chanted.

"Harry, please. Tell me what's wrong," Hermione pleaded, blinking back tears.

Harry continued to shake his head while tears continuously streamed down from his face. He cried for Mrs. Weasley. And though he thought Percy was a prat, he couldn't help but feel guilty since it was because of him they both got captured.

Hermione held her best friend as he clung to her like a lifeline. She had never seen him look this fragile. She never thought of him as weak. She cried for the boy- no, young man and clutched him tightly, silently reassuring him that she will never let go. She decided not to press him into telling her what was wrong until he had calmed down.

Harry was silently grateful when Hermione said nothing, he just wanted to cry in her arms. He shouldn't be, really, but he couldn't bring himself to stop the flow of tears. He cried and he couldn't be more relieved to have Hermione there beside him, to comfort him. He clung to her as she rubbed his back. He was secretly elated to be in the arms of the young woman he had secretly loved since he was eleven.

It felt like hours to both of them but it didn't matter. They only have each other now. Neither could bear to lose the other. They needed each other as they were the only ones left. Ron was a prat for leaving them when he promised Harry he would stand by him and help him finish the war. The red head only thought of himself. Though they knew he did what he did because of the Horcrux, they knew he had been feeling angry lately and he had thrashed out on them with the help of the locket. The Horcrux boosts the negative thoughts of the wearer, after all. And Ron was a selfish prat.

After a while, Hermione felt Harry calm down. His ragged breathing was reduced to only short breaths that told her he had fallen asleep. She brushed his hair and brought him to lay down with her. And for the second time that night, she kissed his cheek then soon joined him in a dreamless sleep.

The next morning, Harry woke up first. He tried to move but he felt a weight on his shoulder and arms wrapped around his waist. He turned to see Hermione. Judging from her light snoring, she was still asleep. Harry smiled. He brushed away a strand of hair from her face and lovingly stared at her. Even when she was asleep, she still looked as beautiful as ever. He wondered why he deserved such a beauty in his arms.

His eyes gazed down at her lips. They looked soft and kissable. A part of him wanted to find out if this was true by feeling her lips on his own and another part told him that would be wrong. Eventually, he decided to just stare at her. Even though he really wanted to kiss her, it would feel wrong to take advantage of something as small as a kiss. He silently cursed- and thanked- himself for being so noble. A normal teenager wouldn't just stare at their crush the way he was staring at Hermione now. A normal teenager would take the risk of getting slapped for just a mere peck. But he knew he wasn't a normal teenager.

At his age, he was forced to grow up if he were to receive a peaceful life. He had a so-called Dark Lord to vanquish and a war to finish. He didn't have a choice in the matter because the fate of the Wizarding World rests on his shoulders. It wasn't just for him, it was for the people he loved, especially Hermione. If he didn't have any reason to defeat Tom Riddle, he would at least do it for Hermione. He would do anything for her. He loved her like that.

Love is weird, he thought.

Hermione stirred and he knew she was waking up. Her eyes fluttered open for him to see those beautiful russet eyes of hers. She rubbed her eyes and noticed a pair of emerald green eyes staring at her. Her vision cleared enough for her to see Harry smiling at her. She smiled back.

"Good morning," his raspy voice said.

"Good morning," she replied.

She sat up and stretched. She didn't notice Harry staring at her front as she stretched. It was visible with the way she puffed out her chest. Harry ogled at her breasts. He noticed they were not that big but not small either. It was the perfect size. He wondered about what they would feel in his hands.

Realizing what he was doing, Harry quickly turned away and blushed. At the same time Hermione looked back at him and saw him looking flushed.

"Are you alright, Harry?" she asked.

He nodded and quickly excused himself to the bathroom. She only shook her head at him and began to stand up to prepare breakfast for the both of them.