A/n- Okay wow, I can't believe Falling is ending.
First of all, I'm sorry for being so late with this last chapter, but I just couldn't bring myself to write it.
Second, Thank you to everyone who had stuck with this story because no story lives if no one listens, so Thank You, and I love you!
I hope you loved reading Falling as much as I loved writing it, and I hope you will forgive me for all the mistakes I made, grammar or otherwise, I'm sorry if I offended anyone.
But Thank you, all of you, I Love you.
Disclaimer- All I own is the plot. (Of the story, not of land)
Chapter 11- Falling In Love.
"You're supposed to talk to me, Hermione." He said again, as he watched her stand up from where she'd been sitting on the front step.
"Harry..." His name fell out of her mouth.
Harry was only vaguely aware of anything else but her, vaguely aware of the clouds gathering up again, vaguely aware of Remus disapparating after giving him a look of reassurance.
He stared at her, her eyes red from crying, her hair wet, her clothes drenched, and she was still the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen.
He unconsciously took a few steps towards her, and soon they were both standing on the same spot where he'd kissed her just a few minutes ago. It was hard to believe how much had changed in only a few minutes, he had kissed his best friend, had his heart broken, and was now standing in front of her with his heart in his hands and hope and resolve in his chest.
"Harry-"She tried to say, but he cut her off.
"No, you're not going to talk right now, I am." He said and she nodded, her eyes staring in his, "Hermione Jean Granger, I've known you for six years and I can probably count the times you've been wrong about something on my hand. And tonight is one of those moments. You are wrong about us, Hermione. We are meant to be, no matter what you think, and do you know why? Because against all odds, I've gone on and fallen in love with you."
Her mouth hung open on his blatant declaration, but Harry wasn't in the mood to hide anything.
"I'm sorry, Hermione."He said.
Her expression immediately turned to confusion, and she asked
"Sorry? You, Why?"
"For walking away, earlier." He said, she opened her mouth to interrupt but stopped when he continued to speak, "Hermione, I'm not a person who gives up easily, it's the Gryffindor in me, I guess, but I don't like to give up and do nothing, I fight. And just like we fought for the Philosopher's stone or just like we fought Umbridge, I'm going to fight for us. Though I'm probably not going to let centaurs drag you around, but I'm still not going to stop fighting for what we are and what we can be. I'm not going to stop fighting you for you. We are meant to be, and Hermione, my dad pursued my mom for six years with constant determination, and I'm his son, so I'm not going to let you walk away either."
Hermione stood shell shocked at his announcement, and Harry tried to stop himself from smiling because he knew that even if she said no tonight, she would, too, fight for them right along with him.
But his urge to smile vanished when her eyes filled with tears.
He crossed the distance between them and held her face in his palms, and asked softly.
"What's wrong?"
"I'm scared." She said, and it was barely a whisper, but it hit Harry right in his gut. He wiped away the tears that fell on her cheeks and mentally kicked himself for coming on too strong.
"I'm scared too." He whispered back, and she looked up at him with her eyes open wide.
"Hermione, you're my best friend, you are someone I've counted on for years, and blamed myself for putting you in harm's way. Hermione, Voldemort already knows how special you are to me, but when he figures out that I've fallen in love with you? He will use you against me, and I won't be able to save you. But Hermione, it's the fact that we're scared, you for our friendship and me for your safety, it just proves how much we mean to each other."
She laid her head on his chest, near his heart and he could feel her crying as he wrapped his arms around her.
"What are we supposed to do, Harry?" She asked, looking up, "I can't lose you as my friend, Harry, I'd rather die, and I know, that we won't be able to go back, I can't lose this, I can't lose us."
"You won't, Hermione. I can't promise you we would work, because I don't know what happens next. But I can promise you this; you are never, ever losing me. I'm not going anywhere. You are my best friend, and Hermione nothing can break that."He replied, his heart aching for her.
It was then that it started to rain again.
"Do you know why I love the rain so much Harry?" She said, holding her hand out to feel raindrops falling on it.
"Why do you love the rain so much, Hermione?" He asked, falling for her more and more with every moment that passed by.
"Because when it rains, it washes away all my pain, all my fears. When it rains and I can't feel anything but the water beating down on me and knowing that someone somewhere is doing the same, makes me feel as if I'm a part of a much bigger, a much more amazing story. Because when it rains, I can feel the ocean where this water once lived, I can feel every inch of my body to the point when everything goes numb. I can feel myself and not feel anything else at all." She said.
He was mesmerized by her, by her beauty and her mind. He was amazed by her depth, surprised by how much he didn't know about her, and by how much he wanted to learn everything, to understand everything.
She was staring at the falling raindrops as she spoke, but now with a smile she turned to look at him.
"I love you, Harry." She said, and he couldn't think of four words that had made him happier, "And I'm scared, but like you said, I'm not going to let this fear stop me from fighting, I'm going to fight every odd, fight every obstacle, because I love you, because you are everything to me. You-"
But he didn't want to talk anymore, he knew all that he wanted to, so he kissed her.
Harry had never felt happier, he'd never felt more at peace with his heart racing at about 100 miles an hour.
When they finally broke apart, the drizzling had turned to a full blown storm, Harry felt as if his face was too small for his smile, he put his forehead on her hers and said, "You, Hermione Granger, made me fall in love with you when you were falling from that broom, and I think it is the best way to fall in love."