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Twenty Four year old Hermione Granger perched her chin on the heel of her hand and stared out of the window watching the clouds go by. She was on her way home from a trip to Australia, although she could have used a Portkey to arrive in a fraction of the time, she had chosen to use muggle transport and fly home. After all she had needed the time to think, and a twenty four hour long journey alone was the exact thing that would help her do so.

"Miss would you like anything from the duty free trolley?"

Hermione looked at the air hostess and gently shook her head before turning back to her window. Tears clouded her vision as she thought of how close she was to a confrontation she had been dreading since she left. She was on the last leg of her journey and she knew that in less than half an hour she'd be face to face with the one person she'd travelled to the other side of the world to avoid. In the thirteen years she'd known him, not once had she even contemplated leaving his side and as far as she knew vice versa. Not through the trials of fighting Voldemort or when she had ended her relationship with Ron and Ron had demanded he pick sides. Of course then he'd chosen her as he saw Ron as being completely unreasonable. Fortunately Ron had realised his mistake and they were now on better terms than they had ever been before. No, this was the first time since the beginning of their friendship that she'd physically walked away from him with the sole intention of not being around him.

Hermione sighed; Harry Potter would be the death of her. The man drove her barmy and it wasn't even his fault. Somehow within the past two or three years she had fallen completely and irreversibly, head over heels in love with her best friend and that wasn't even the bad part. Hermione being the determined woman she was couldn't not tell him. After about a year and a half of suffering she'd decided to tell him, not before first going out and getting smashed mind you.

The worst thing was, she'd walked into his apartment drunkenly declaring her love for him to find him kissing Ginny Weasley on his sofa. Apparently she'd burst in on a reconciliation of two people who'd been apart for over three years. Thus, she'd promptly run from the room, packed her bags and bought a Portkey to Sydney.

That was nine months ago, now she was on her way home. Hermione heard a ping and looked up; the seatbelt sign had been illuminated. As she fastened her seatbelt she could feel the descent into England and her stomach twisted into knots. She had no doubt that Harry would be waiting for her in the airport as she'd owled him with her flight details the day before and she knew he'd need to confront her. Whether or not he was angry at her was another question entirely.

Before she knew it, Hermione felt the wheels of the plane hit the asphalt of the airport runway. As the plane shuddered to a stop Hermione was startled to see how much she was shaking. She stood up to get her hand luggage but her shaking hands almost knocked her bag onto the head of the man beside her.

"Bad flyer are we?" He asked chuckling slightly at her.

"Y-yes I am, sorry sir." She replied blushing as she clutched her bag and made her way to the exit.

Walking through to arrivals had to be the most nerve-wracking thing she'd done in her entire life. She had thought she'd at least have to wait a while for her suitcase but it seemed lady luck was not on her side and hers had been the first to come through on the conveyor belt.

Hermione's stomach dropped as the first thing she saw was a head of messy raven hair and emerald green eyes glinting at her. Patting down her clothes to rid them of any wrinkles they may have acquired in transit she held her head high and strode towards her best friend.

"Well look what we have here! The wanderer returns." Harry quipped as she reached his side.

"Nice to see you too Harry." She replied looking at her feet, her fingers clenching nervously. Hermione jumped and looked up as Harry coughed, clearly nervous as he was rubbing the back of his neck. A trait Hermione had noticed that only appeared when he was extremely nervous. In the past she'd only seen him do it as they were about to face Voldemort. This slightly amused her, it wasn't as if she were anything near as scary as Voldemort.

"I missed you." Hermione looked at Harry and her eyes filled with tears. How could she have run away from this wonderful man who'd done nothing to wrong her in the thirteen years she'd known him.

"Harry I'm so sor-" Hermione's apology was stopped as Harry placed a finger over her lips and just as quickly as he had placed a finger upon her lips he had removed it and replaced it with a pair of firm very soft lips.

Hermione was startled as Harry pulled her flush up against him, her hands curled into fists against his chest as she furiously kissed him back until they were both breathless. Harry wrapped his arms around her and rested his forehead against hers looking deep into her eyes with such an intensity that it made Hermione's stomach flutter.

"Don't ever apologise for telling me the truth, especially when it's something as monumental as being in love with me! What I don't understand is why you left before I-" Harry sighed deeply and pulled her closer to him.

"Before I got a chance to tell you that I'm in love with you too, I have been for some time actually. About the last time we faced Voldemort and I thought I'd lost you for good. There you go, Hermione Granger I'm in love with you." Hermione gasped and tears filled her eyes.

"But what about Ginny?"

Harry let out a bitter laugh at this remark and stepped back from Hermione kissing her on the forehead.

"About Ginny, that night she'd come over to talk as her new boyfriend had just dumped her. We were drinking and all of a sudden she pounced on me. Unfortunately that was the exact moment that you chose to walk in. Literally seconds after you'd apparated away I threw her off me and came looking for you, but it seems you were one step ahead of me and had already gone to Australia."

Hermione's bottom lip began to shake as her resolve crumbled and tears began to fill her eyes.

"Harry I'm so sorry, that night I just felt like my heart had been torn apart."

"For that I'm so sorry but you have to know that I love you and only you." A little smile appeared at the corner of Hermione's lips.

"Pinkie Promise?" She asked as she stuck out her little finger in the way they had done hundreds of times in the past.

"Pinkie Promise." Harry choked out, giving a relieved laugh and linked their little fingers together. Harry grinned and wrapped his arms around her once more; resting his head on her shoulder and breathing in her heady scent of ink and more recently sun tan lotion.

"Welcome home Hermione." Harry sighed squeezing her to him.

"It's good to be back to him." She teased causing Harry to grin at her and kiss her once more, sealing their future together.