SIGNAL FIRE

Disclaimer: It all belongs to the one and only. The song belongs to Snow Patrol. If you haven't heard it, it's on the Spiderman 3 Soundtrack.

The perfect words never crossed my mind,
Cuz there was nothin' in there but you.
I felt every ounce of me screaming out,
But the sound was trapped deep in me.
All I wanted just sped right past me,
While I was rooted fast to the earth,
I could be stuck here for a thousand years,
Without your arms to drag me out.

There you are standing right in front of me
There you are standing right in front of me
All this fear falls away to leave me naked,
Hold me close, cuz I need you to guide me to safety.

No, I don't want to wait forever

In the confusion and the aftermath,
You are my signal fire.
The only resolution and the only joy,
Is the faint spark of forgiveness in your eyes.

No, I don't want to wait forever

---Snow Patrol

You could see it in the way they looked at each other. Quick glances from the corner of their eyes. A brush of the hand , a hug that would last a second longer than was usual for friends. They were crazy about each other. And they knew it.

Harry Potter was an idiot. He thought he knew what he wanted. He wanted Ginny Weasley…didn't he? He wasn't sure anymore. At one point in his life, he was sure he could have seen them happily married with children…and a puppy. Not anymore. No, now all he could think about was her. Her laugh, her smile, the way she flipped her hair over her shoulder. The way she huffed and tapped her foot when she was impatient. She was everything he wanted, everything he could ever need. Yet she was taken. By his best friend.

And it drove him absolutely mad with jealousy.

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Hermione Granger was an idiot. She had known…had always known she was in love with Harry Potter. There was a time when all she could think about was him. She never did anything about it though. She thought he saw her as just a friend. Someone who you can cry with, laugh with, talk with. But never kiss, never touch, never love. She was in love with him. Ron was in love with her. She could see it in the way he looked at her, defended her, held her. But he wasn't Harry. He just wasn't. No, Harry was with Ginny.

And it drove her absolutely mad with jealousy.

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Ron and Hermione were having a little get together in their apartment to celebrate their one year anniversary. Everyone they considered friends were there. The last couple to arrive being Harry and Ginny.

They looked perfect together. Like a James and Lily reincarnation. Hermione hated it. She wanted to strangle Ginny, cut all of her beautiful red locks and flush them down the toilet. Most of all, she wanted her to stop being Harry's girlfriend.

The entire night Harry threw glances at Hermione, willing her to look his way. She never did. As beautiful as Ginny was, she could never compare to Hermione. Harry studied her as she made her way across the room, being polite and making small talk. Her long dark brown hair was down, cascading down her back in layers. Her smooth cream colored skin was accentuated under the dim lights, her legs…her long shapely legs shown off by the tight blue jeans she was wearing. Her black halter top showed off her perfect cleavage and slim waist.

Harry wanted her bad.

Ron made his way over to Hermione and wrapped his arms around her from behind. Harry felt jealousy seep into every fiber of his being, consuming him. He gripped the sofa arm rest and glared daggers at the happy couple.

Ginny, who he had forgotten was with him scooted closer to him and began running her manicured nails up and down his arm sensuously.

"Not now Ginny." he said roughly, pushing him self up off the couch.

Ginny huffed angrily, but Harry paid no notice. Instead, he began making his way over to Hermione. Ron had finally let her go and was now chatting with Luna Lovegood.

Hermione was alone and now was his chance.

"Hello Hermione." he whispered in her ear. Hermione shivered involuntarily and turned around, taking in Harry's perfect figure. She finally met his eyes and without saying a word she gestured upstairs.

Slowly, they began making their way through the thick crowd of people. No one noticed them leave the party. No one saw them quietly sneak up the stairs. Everyone except one person.

Draco Malfoy smirked behind his cup of beer and took a large gulp. About bloody time, he thought.

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Hermione locked the door to her and Ron's room and cast an efficient silencing spell

Hermione turned around and looked at Harry.

"What are we doing?" she whispered, even though she didn't need to.

Harry stepped closer to her, inhaling her sweet vanilla scent. "I don't know, but it feels right."

With that said, all the pent up passion Harry and Hermione had held for years was finally released. Hermione grabbed Harry by his shirt and slammed him into the wall. She was on him in an instant, kissing with every fiber of her being. Harry grabbed her right leg and wrapped it around his waist, never once pulling away from her soft warm lips. Hermione pressed her body into his, wanting to feel her soft breasts pressed against his hard chest. Harry let out a low moan and pressed her hips against his own, wanting to feel every bit of her against him. She let her hands twist into his hair and pressed herself even more insistently into his hips. Harry pulled away and began unbuttoning her shirt. He clumsily pushed the blouse away from her shoulders, and then went at her again, kissing her with all his heart. Hermione let her hands trail down to his waist and pulled his shirt up and over his head, flinging it away where it landed somewhere on the other side of the room.

Realization finally dawning on her, Hermione let her leg fall from Harry's waist, and clumsily pushed herself away from him.

Harry reached out to grab her, but she stopped him. "Oh my god Harry, everyone will notice we're gone, they'll know…"

"No, everyone downstairs is either half or full drunk, they won't notice." he answered.

"Harry look at what we are doing! Snogging like there's no tomorrow, half naked!"

Hermione grabbed her blouse and hastily began to re-button it. She grabbed Harry's shirt and wordlessly handed it to him.

Hermione sat down on her bed and sighed heavily. Harry quietly sat down beside her.

"Look at what we've become," Hermione started, "cheating on people we care about."

Harry said nothing.

"We need to forget this ever happened. Forget it and move on." Hermione willed the tears away, hating that she had to be the one to say the truth. They could never love each other. Not when Ginny and Ron loved them both. No matter how much she hated it.

Hermione glanced at Harry and saw sadness in his eyes.

It's for the best, Hermione thought, trying to reassure herself. He can never know how I really feel; it would ruin everything.

Hermione got up and began walking toward the bedroom door, fighting the urge to run back to Harry and tell him she didn't mean it, that she really wanted him. That she loved him.

Hermione ignored her pleading heart and wrenched the door open, breaking the silencing spell. Once again Harry and Hermione could hear the music and laughter from the party below.

Without looking back, Hermione walked out into the hallway and down the stairs.

Hermione Granger would have made one fine damn actress.

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2 weeks later

"Ron proposed to me last night." Hermione stated, taking a sip from her mocha latte.

Harry stared at her with a mixture of astonishment and despair.

Hermione looked away. She couldn't bear to look into those eyes. His beautiful green eyes, which were now filled with sadness. She wished things could have been different, she really did. Yet she wasn't about to hurt a family who had done everything to care for her. A family that had taken her in as one of their own.

She couldn't. And she knew Harry couldn't either. No matter how much it killed them.

Instead, Hermione looked around the little muggle café Harry and her had discovered a year ago. Ever since then, the two would meet there every Sunday for a scone and a coffee.

All that was about to change.

"I said yes." she said when he refused to respond.

Harry finally looked away from Hermione and tried to will the tears away. He wasn't about to cry, not here, not in front of her. Why have I let things get this far? Harry wondered. Hermione and me…we've wasted so much time.

"Mrs. Weasley is finally getting what she always wanted," Hermione whispered.

"It's only a matter of time until you propose to Ginny…right?" Hermione asked, taking another sip of the latte.

Harry looked at her harshly and grabbed both of her hands. "How can you say that?"

His eyes were blazing with something she had never seen before, in all the time she had known Harry.

"Well what do you want me to say! Huh? What do you want me to say?" Hermione hastily wiped away the tears that were falling.

"I want you to tell me that this isn't real! I want you to tell me that you don't love Ron and your not going to marry him…I want you to tell me…" Harry faltered and tried to let go of her hands, but Hermione held on.

"Want me to tell you what" she asked, tugging at his hands.

Harry looked into her eyes, her dark pools of milky chocolate. Harry felt himself loose his will to lie, to say it was nothing. But he couldn't.

"I want…" he began shakily, "I want you to tell me that you love me."

The silence was deafening. Several moments passed, it could have been days. Harry slowly felt his resolve wither away into the depth corners of his heart, his despair once again consuming his soul until he felt he would suffocate from it. The despair, the silence, his want…it was killing him.

"It's not that simple." Hermione finally said, letting his hands drop to the table.

"Nothing about my life has ever been simple."

Harry sighed and ran a hand through his unruly locks.

"Harry," Hermione began, " perhaps once we could have…but it's too late don't you see? I have Ron and you…you have Ginny. We can't be selfish Harry…"

Harry interrupted her with a scoff. "Selfish…selfish? When have we ever been selfish Hermione Granger? We always look out for our friends, put other's well beings before ours. Why can't we have this, this one damn thing! I love you!"

"Don't you feel it," he continued, "when I look at you it's like nothing else matters. I think, screw Ron, screw Ginny, screw the whole damn world!"

Hermione shook her head, trying to block out his words, but finding it impossible. The coffee shop was quite as everyone listened to the drama story that was Harry and Hermione's lives. Harry didn't care though, he kept talking.

"Hermione, for once just do something for yourself. Do you feel good when your with me?"

Hermione nodded and felt the tears falling down her cheeks, washing away her sense.

"Better than I've ever felt with anyone else."

Harry grabbed her hands again and caressed them gently.

They made eye contact and nothing was said for a few minutes. All they needed to say was said in the way they looked at each other.

After a few moments, Hermione spoke up. "What about Ginny and Ron?"

Harry looked away guiltily and answered, "I broke up with Ginny a couple of days ago."

Hermione gasped, but felt like her heart was about to leap out of her chest and do a little dance. She squeezed his hands and said nothing, but the gesture said everything.

Harry finally paid for their coffees and Harry and Hermione strolled out of the coffee shop, arm in arm.

As they walked the cold dingy streets of London, Hermione rested her head on Harry's shoulder. He responded by wrapping his arm around her small waist. He could have held her forever, but he knew what they were about to face was going to be hell. Ron would hate him, but he knew it wouldn't last. Ginny was moving on, and Hermione and Harry were finally going to get what they always wanted.

And in the end, that was all that mattered.

All was well.

In the confusion and the aftermath,
You are my signal fire.
The only resolution and the only joy,
Is the faint spark of forgiveness in your eyes.

No, I don't want to wait forever.

A/N: So how was it? If you haven't heard the song, I strongly recommend that you do so you can get the mood of the story.