Oblivious

Harry got out of the bathroom with a towel around his waist. He was shivering a bit as he decided to bathe in cold water to get rid of his 'problem'. Hermione has just finished making breakfast and was about to grab a towel to take a bath when she turned around and saw Harry with only a towel to cover his nether regions. She gaped. His ebony black hair was dripping wet and clung to the sides of his face. But what caught her attention was his body frame.

It was apparent he had grown up into a fine young man. He was taller, standing at 5'10, and more muscular than when he was younger. He had defined muscles and they weren't too bulky either, it was perfect. He also had a 6 pack, courtesy of Quidditch. Water cascading down his pale frame made Hermione's mouth dry and unconsciously lick her lips. Her heart began to beat faster and there were butterflies in her stomach. Harry ran a hand through his hair.

'Sexy,' she thought.

Realizing what she thought, her cheeks reddened. Before Harry could notice, she quickly grabbed her clothes along with a towel and rushed to the bathroom, much to the confusion of the young man. He merely shook his head and proceeded to wear his clothes for the day.

A few minutes later, both were sitting at the table eating breakfast composed of eggs, bacon, and orange juice. It had been months since they had a decent meal. It was a good thing Hermione bought some supplies from the village when Harry was still asleep. Harry thanked her profusely for the food.

Harry was sneaking nervous glances towards Hermione. He thought about the dream he had last night, thinking he should tell Hermione as soon as possible. He sighed and decided to just get it over with.

"Her-Hermione?" he asked, anxiety coursing through his veins.

"Yes?" she said, wiping grease from the corners of her mouth with a tissue.

"A-About last night..."

"It's okay, Harry. You don't need to tell me right away. I can wait until you've calmed down enough to talk about it."

"No, I have to. It's important."

At this, Hermione's brows furrowed as she considered the seriousness in his voice. Harry took a deep breath to calm his nerves. He stood up, took Hermione's hand, and led her to the couch. He sat her down while he went back to the kitchen to levitate the dishes on the sink to be washed later. He then went back to the couch and sat next to a patient Hermione.

He pinched the bridge of his nose and rubbed his palms together. His eyes met hers.

"Last night... I had a dream- about You-Know-Who. He was in Malfoy Manor. Lucius and Bellatrix were there. Lucius said something about continuing to search for me, then... Bellatrix..." he trailed off.

"Bellatrix, what?" she pressed.

He sighed,"She has one of the Horcruxes. It's Helga Hufflepuff's Cup. She has it in her Gringotts vault."

Hermione's eyes brightened considerably but she said nothing as she knew there was more. Harry wouldn't just scream himself awake because of one of the Horcruxes. She was right.

"M-Mrs. Weasley and Percy were there... Fenrir had them... he... he asked her where I was. She refused to tell him, and..." Harry's voice cracked as he held back the tears.

Hermione scooted closer to him and rubbed his back.

He continued,"He... He cast the C-Cruciatus on her."

Hermione held a hand over her mouth in shock. Harry held his head in his hands.

They stayed like that for a while. It was difficult to digest the shocking news. Throughout the silence, Harry had already made a decision on their next course of action. Little did he know that Hermione thought the same.

"We should help them," they chorused.

They gaped at each other in amusement. It didn't take them long to end up laughing at their blunder.

"I'm glad you agree," Harry wheezed.

They laughed for a good minute. It felt good to both of them. It has been a while since they last laughed and they missed it. They missed the exhilarating feeling of having to laugh at something though it felt like nothing. They enjoyed it. It was the first time in months that they were able to lighten up and just feel alive even for just a few moments.

Finally, they composed themselves though they were still sporting silly grins. They silently thanked each other for the abrupt but enjoyable moment through staring silently at each other.

Harry felt his heart flutter under her gaze. He was glad he got to hear her laugh again. It felt like hearing an angel sing. It was music to his ears. And what made it better was that he was the reason she got to laugh again. His heart swelled in pride at being able to make the one he loves happy.

Hermione was also grateful that she got to hear him laugh again even by a small blunder. He needed to lighten up and get rid of all the negative feelings residing in him. She wanted him to be happy. After all, they are best friends.

'Are you sure you only see him as a friend?' a voice in the back of her mind said.

She shook the thought off but she couldn't fight the thought of her being with Harry. It sent butterflies to her stomach. As she thought of it, she tried to ignore the strange feelings that emanated from the thought itself. She dismissed them as only brotherly feelings towards Harry. Besides, she still thought it was wrong to think of him that way. He has Ginny.

This thought confused her to no end. It felt weird that Harry would suddenly like a girl who he rarely talked to. What did Harry see in her? Sure, she was tall, had an athletic figure, and had a stunning comparison to his mother through her flaming red hair, save for her eyes, but what captured Harry's attention? This brought a negative feeling but Hermione couldn't quite figure out. Was it anger, dread, confusion, sadness, or jealousy?

No, it can't be. She couldn't feel jealous towards Ginny. Harry isn't hers to begin with. She dismissed the thought again, this time thinking she was just feeling overprotective.

Harry saw the swirl of emotions in her eyes.

"Hermione, are you alright?" he asked worriedly.

Hermione blinked and it took her a second to register the question.

"Y-Yeah," she said.

Harry didn't quite believe her but decided to drop the subject since she would tell him if she were ready. He wouldn't nag her about it. He nodded and stood up. Before he could walk off, however, he felt a hand grab his wrist. He turned to look at her and saw her chewing her lip in deep thought as though she was pondering if she should tell him or not. He waited patiently for her to say something.

Taking a deep breath, Hermione took the plunge.

"Harry, when have you started liking Ginny?"