Remembering

By H Harmon

Chapter #1:

What almost wasn't!

Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all of the characters in the HP book series is owned by JKR. This story is for fun and no money is derived from it.

As Hermione snuggled closer into Harry's chest she saw that faraway look in his eye, and after thinking for a few seconds she said "ya know I think about it quite often myself."

As Harry was not paying much attention he turned to her and asked "I'm sorry, what'd you say?"

Hermione giggled and replied, "I think about when we first got together also. I can't believe just how clueless we were."

That made Harry chuckle. "You know, if Ron hadn't gotten mad and left we might never have admitted how we truly felt for one another. I'm sometimes still amazed that you are in love with me. I'm the luckiest bloke in the world!" As he said that his mind wandered back to that night so long ago and he could see it all happening again….

"Mione, please don't cry, you know how Ron is? Harry said as he sat down and held Hermione in his arms and let her cry on his shoulder. He'll come to his senses and come back to you."

As her sobs subsided she said, while looking down to Harry's chest, "that isn't what I 'm crying about. Well not just that. It's just that he was right Harry; it is you and has always been you. I tried so hard and for so long for it not to be but I can't help it. I know that you could never feel that way about me, and that's OK because I'm happy to just be your friend, but as hard as I try I just can't feel that way about anyone else, not even Ron, even though I have tried. I'm sorry Harry I shouldn't be telling you all of this. I so don't want this to change our friendship. I couldn't bare my life without you in it! I am sorry I said anything."

They sat there quiet for a few minutes then Harry, who was lost in thought, felt Hermione begin to tremble slightly. This seemed to bring him out of his thoughts. He put his hand under her chin and pulled her face up to look at him. "Why would you think I could never feel that way for you, Mione?"

"I'm just your plain old bossy know-it-all pushy ugly muggleborn friend. I'm nothing like Cho or Ginny or any of the other hundreds of girls that you could have. I'm not stupid you know."

"Well in this case maybe you are. The only reason I even thought of those other girls was because I was sure someone as smart, confident, loyal, and beautiful as you would never want the likes of me. Mione, even though I didn't realize it until after Dumbledor's funeral I love you and I think that I have since that first day on the express. The first time I looked into your eyes, those chocolate orbs so confident, strong, and beautiful. While your friendship means everything to me, I didn't believe someone as wonderful as you would ever want me."

Harry took her face gently and pulled it to his and tenderly kissed her. When he pulled back and looked at her eyes they were still closed. He leaned down and kissed her again this time a bit more forceful and he could feel her kissing him back. As she deepened the kiss he slipped his tongue out to taste her lips and was pleased when she opened her lips to allow him entrance. As his tongue explored and tasted her he realized that she was doing the same to him. Harry reached up and fisted her hair while she threw her arms around his neck and both tried to pull each other closer. Finally, they both pulled back a bit needing air and look into each other's eyes.

With the look of love and joy in each set of eyes she whispered "I have and will always love you Harry Potter." When she said this both of them could feel warmth that could have only been love while they were enclosed in a brilliant pale gold aura. Neither of them understood what just happened, but neither of them cared as Harry turned Hermione and pulled her across his lap and began to kiss her with all of the passion that he had inside of him.

Then Harry said "no Mione this isn't a dream and you are already awake."

Hermione pulled back and asked "why did you just say that Harry?"

"I was just replying to your statement, why?"

"Harry, I didn't say anything, although I was thinking it."

"Mione, I clearly herd you say that if this is a dream please don't let me wake up."

"No Harry I do not think that you are crazy, but I did not say that out loud."

"What's going on Mione, how did you know what I was thinking?"

Then Hermione reached up and put her finger to Harry's lips and began to think "can you here this Harry? Just think about the answer if you can hear this, don't speak."

Harry got a shocked expression on his face before thinking "yes I hear you just fine, but you didn't say anything. If you didn't say anything then how could I hear it?"

"We can hear each other's thoughts, Harry. I'm not exactly sure why. I believe the only time that I have heard of this is between old married couples, but they are supposed to be soul mates or something."

"What does that mean?"

"Well, you know how everyone teases us about being connected, you know like when we know each other's feelings with just a look, or when we finish each other's sentences, or just know where each other is."

"Ya I know, it drives Ron mental, oh I'm sorry, go on Mione."

"Well if that is what it is then I believe that when we finally declared our feelings to each other we bound our souls together, you know that weird glow. If so that means we were meant to be with each other all the time like destiny. That's why we were always so close, and that's what we saw in each other's eyes on that first look on the express but we were too young to understand."

"Then what was that glow? And what does it mean?"

"I don't know for sure without research, but I believe that when we finally declared our feelings to each other somehow our magic bound together too. You hear people saying that they've found their soul mate all of the time, mostly girls really, but I believe that actual soul bonding is very, very rare."

"So now we share our magic?"

"Yes, Harry, but I think it'll be much, much more than that. I'll have to research it, but I think that while we are two people at some point we'll only be one person. Let's try an experiment, take your wand and call your patroness." Hermione turned and got off of Harry.

Harry pulled his wand and called "expecto patronum." A silvery light emitted from his wand and the biggest stag that he has ever seen materialized in front of them. "Now what?"

"Let it dissipate and give me your wand." Hermione took Harry's wand and turned and called "expecto patronum." Again a silvery light emitted from his wand and the stag was back and just as big.

"Wait a minute, how did you do that? Your patroness is an otter, isn't it?"

"I got a feeling it isn't any longer. Remember how Tonk's patroness changed, well I think maybe mine might too." she let the stag dissipate handing Harry's wand back to him. Then she took her wand and called "expecto patronum" another silvery light emitted from her wand and a big doe formed. Harry's mouth fell open. She let the doe dissipate and handed harry her wand. "Now you try it again only this time with my wand."

Harry took the wand and called "expecto patronum" another silvery light emitted from her wand and another big doe formed. He just stood there mouth open and not knowing what to say.

"See what I mean Harry? Have you known anyone that could call another person's patroness? Or even heard of someone using another's wand to even produce a patroness? That's what I meant by two people but one person." Harry fell back onto the divan and Hermione jumped up onto his lap smiling and putting her arms around him.

"Breath Harry, breath. This just means that we belong together and always have."

Harry pulled her to him and kissed her with all the passion that he had in him and she moaned into his mouth while kissing him back with the same passion.

After a few minutes they stopped and pulled apart. Harry, with a quizzical look on his face, asked "I know I love you and you love me, but what are we going to do with Ron and Ginny? I don't want to hurt them; so how do we tell them?"

"I'm not sure exactly, but this isn't the first time that Ron has ran out on you and hurt you, and he expected me to turn my back on you too, not to mention that he would hurt my feelings a couple of times a week. I'm not too worried about Ron, and for Ginny, you broke it off with her last spring. If they truly care about us they'll be happy for us. It is very rare to have a soul mate and even rarer to find them. If they're not understanding of that well that is their problem isn't it. I'm sure that they'll come around Harry."

"Ya, I guess your right as usual. It's just that the Weasley's have been the closest thing to a family that I have had except for you, and I don't want to hurt them, but I can't lose you."

"It will work itself out Harry just wait and see. I do Love you ya know."

"So, this means that we are together for the rest of our lives right?

"Well actually, longer than that. Our souls are bound forever, Harry."

"I still can't believe that you want me, Mione. As much as I've wanted you, I never thought that someone as perfect and beautiful as you would ever want me! And I was scared to tell you because I was afraid that it would mess up our friendship and I couldn't go on without you Mione, I just couldn't."

"Harry, you are everything a witch could want: You're handsome, brave, strong, smart, loyal, understanding, selfless, compassionate, and loving. Although, I still find it strange to here you say that about me. Harry, no one has ever called me beautiful before. I know that you liked me as a friend, even loved me as a friend or like a sister, but I never imagined that you would even consider someone like me romantically. I still can't believe we didn't see it. Look at all of the time that we have wasted, and all of the people who saw it since the beginning of forth year."

"Umph, do you know what this means Harry? Rita Skeeter was right for once and we didn't realize it, oh that shoots a hole in my self confidence, a big one."

He pulled her to him again and kissed her. They stayed like that snogging and touching and holding each other until Hermione fell asleep in Harry's arms with the most loving and contented look on her face that he had ever seen. He gently got up and carried her to her cot where he covered her before getting ready and going to bed himself. As he drifted off to sleep visions of that contented, loving look ran through his head and all that he could think about was how gorgeous she was.

It wasn't long before Harry was asleep and dreaming of Hermione and him first, talking and snogging under their favorite tree at the lake at Hogwarts, then walking hand in hand through a beautiful garden, then snogging on a beautiful white sand beach, but then it turned dark. Harry was chained to a wall with Voldemort seated laughing as he pointed his wand to a broken and disheveled Hermione who was lying in the middle of the room. Voldemort laughed and yelled CRUICO and Hermione screamed out in overwhelming pain. Harry screamed as he felt so helpless, so guilty. Voldemort turned to Harry and said "thank you so much Harry for providing this mudblood bitch. She brings me such exquisite pleasure that I almost feel indebted to you, almost. Then he flicked his wand and released the curse. Too bad you won't be around to collect the debt even if I did choose to reward you. "Don't want to accidently kill the mudblood yet we're just starting to have fun now, it wouldn't do for her to die…yet that is." Harry screamed again, the thought of Hermione being tortured because of him was almost unbearable. Then, just as Voldemort yelled CRUICO again Harry felt someone take his hand and when he looked up he saw Hermione's gorgeous brown eyes looking at him full of love and understanding. "How can you be here? You are over there being tortured because of me."

"No Harry, this is a dream and your fears and imagination have created this place and that situation. That is not me and that is not Voldemort. Harry, I'm laying on the bed next to you. Now please let's make this dream one worth having;" and with that the scene changed back to the beach and the two of them were snogging again only this time Hermione was topless.

"Is this how you dream of me she said chuckling?"

"Most of the time you're wearing nothing at all, Harry replied blushing even though this was his dream."

"Well then she said, let's get rid of the bottoms too!"

Harry had just enough time to look startled when the bottom of her swim suit vanished along with his trunks just before Hermione pulled him to her and began a very passionate snogging session that seemed to last for hours and hours. "In-between moans, Hermione said now this is what I call a dream!"

As Harry opened his eyes he felt Hermione lying next to him. She had her head on his left shoulder snuggling into his chest. Her hair was lying across his chest and schoulder and he could smell what he knew to be Hermione. It was the smell of flowers and vanilla, he so loved that scent. He decided at that moment that this is the way that he wanted to wake up every morning from now on.

Suddenly he was pulled back to the present by Hermione kissing him with all of the love and feelings that he had become used to over these many years. "I do love you so" he heard in his head while still kissing her.

Then when they pulled apart, Hermione was sitting on his lap and snuggling into his chest just like in the memory.