Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

Foreword: Alright, I still have time before it hits midnight. This is something I wrote for Valentine's Day. It feels like it's been awhile since I wrote a strictly romantic story between Harry and Hermione. I had several versions, but I scrapped each one until I eventually came to this. Ugh, it was frustrating, but I think I did well. Hopefully, you would all have the same opinion, heh-heh. Well, after this story, I'm going to get back to working on The Warlock of Slytherin.

One Step in the Right Direction

By Romantic Silence

It all began one night after second term started in their sixth year.

Harry's meeting with Dumbledore in his office ran on far longer than the two of them had intended. It had been his fault. Shortly after Dumbledore tasked him with retrieving Professor Slughorn's true memory of the time he told Tom Riddle about the Horcruxes, Harry further lengthened their discussion by asking a series of questions – many of them not even pertaining to the topic of their meeting. By the time their conversation had ended, it was well past curfew. Thankfully, Dumbledore gave him a note in case the prefects or Filch caught him in the halls.

By the time he reached Gryffindor tower, the common room was largely empty and the fire was beginning to fade. He described it as largely empty because there was still one person in the common room. Hermione was slumbering peacefully on the couch in front of the fireplace. Her book had fallen to the floor and was closed shut. She was still wearing her school uniform, making Harry assume that she had been patiently waiting for him to come back. Harry felt guilty for having made her wait.

He silently walked up to her, wanting to wake her so she could properly rest in her bed. Before he could, a thought stopped him from doing so.

Hermione is beautiful.

The light of the fire shined on Hermione's milky white complexion, giving her a beautiful, light glow. Her hair had been brushed aside in a manner that framed her face, emphasizing her features that she often hid because of her bushy hair. Her sleeping form looked so peaceful and content, a far cry of her usual prim or determined expression.

It was these factors combined that illuminated the idea in his mind that his best friend was a very attractive young woman. Instead of panicking him, it brought upon a fond smile. It made him remember the Yule Ball and how beautiful Hermione looked when she walked down those stairs. Back then, he could hardly believe his eyes that that was Hermione. Of course, the rest of the night became worse after that point. The Patil sisters never forgave him for being a crummy date. If he could, he would have asked Hermione instead. It would have made the Ball more enjoyable.

However, these sentimental thoughts soon took a turn for the worse when Harry began thinking about the year he and his friends were having so far. These thoughts revolved around the growing distance that was occurring between him and Hermione. Where was the girl that had always stood by his side and believed him when no one else would? They had been fighting so often lately and it was difficult to understand how it came to that. They had been so close before. What changed?

It was easy to blame everything on Hermione. She was the one that was shifting into a person he did not know. Though he didn't like Cormac McLaggen, it still shocked him that Hermione had cheated by sabotaging him. Still, it was not solely her fault. He had also contributed to straining their friendship for one another. When was the last time they had actually sat down and just talked? Before, they would always talk about an assortment of subjects. It was through these seemingly insignificant conversations that he learned Hermione's parents were dentists and that as a child she was bullied by her peers.

Hermione had no idea how much he appreciated her and all that she had done for him. Then it struck him.

Is that why I'm losing my best friend? Have I never showed you how much I care for you, Hermione?

Harry sighed and knew that was probably the case. It was no secret among his friends that he was very private with where his true thoughts and feelings lie. It had been a habit of his since he was a child to be reserved with showing what he felt. The Dursleys had treated him horribly and if he ever displayed his hurt, they would mock him for it. He acknowledged that it made him difficult to emotionally deal with. His fifth year was proof of that point.

His life was filled with so many different problems, there was no mistaking that. However, while he could live with a madman wanting him dead and the girl he had feelings for not reciprocating, he could not stand the thought of his once-close relationship fall apart any further. Getting the memory from Slughorn would have to wait; there was a far more important mission that he had to accomplish first. He needed to mend the rift between him and Hermione.

Harry needed to take the first step. Gently, he stirred Hermione from her sleep.

"Huh? Harry?" Hermione groggily murmured.

"Hey. It's a little past midnight." Harry told her smiling. "You fell asleep on the couch."

"Did I? Thanks for waking me up, Harry."

"No problem. Say, do you want to talk?"

Hermione stared at him curiously.

"Talk? About your meeting with the Headmaster?"

"No. Just… talk." Harry shrugged. "It's been awhile since we did just that. Are you up for it?"

Hermione gazed at him speculatively. Harry almost thought she would say no. But then, a shy smile appeared on her lips. Harry was stunned. It had been far too long since he had seen her smile like that. Her eyes had lit up with both curiosity and joy.

"I would love to, Harry."

Harry's heart nearly stopped.

The next few days have shown a dramatic improvement to Harry and Hermione's friendship. Since that night in the common room, things began shifting back to what it had been like during their fourth year. With Ron frequently spending more time with Lavender, Harry and Hermione were often left alone together. Harry didn't mind though. Talking to Hermione without the awkward tension between them again more than made up lost time spent goofing off with Ron.

To Harry, it was like getting to know Hermione all over again.

"I never understood why you spent most of the summer in the Burrow instead of with your parents, Hermione." Harry commented after Hermione told him the fun Christmas break she had with parents.

"To be honest, I would have loved to spend the summer with them." Hermione said sincerely. "I miss them a lot."

Harry frowned and furrowed his eyebrows. He asked, "Then why didn't you?"

Hermione blushed and turned away, hurrying her pace to Gryffindor Tower.

"I don't want to say."

"Come on, Hermione. You can tell me." Harry pleaded, desperate to know. Hermione always spoke about how open and loving her parents were. It always baffled him that she hardly spent any time with them during their summers over the last few years.

"I…I can't, Harry."

"I won't judge you."

"I know… but, I don't want you to feel guilty."

Harry stopped his pace.

"What do you mean by that?"

Hermione stopped and smacked herself on the forehead.

"It's nothing…"

"It definitely isn't nothing." Harry replied back sternly.

"I… wanted to be with you, Harry."

Harry was shocked.

"Me?"

"Yes. After… after Sirius died, I knew you would be devastated. I wanted to be there for you so I begged my parents to go to the Burrow." Hermione sighed. "There, happy now?"

Harry could do nothing but stare at Hermione. It had never occurred to him that Hermione had chosen the Burrow over her parents just to be with him. He never really thought about it before. In fact, he had just assumed that Hermione wanted to spend time with Ron given that they were attracted to each other. He didn't really know what to do.

So he did what Hermione would do.

"Harry," Hermione nearly shrieked, "what are you doing?"

He had always been uncomfortable displaying affection for others. Harry was just not accustomed to it. However, it was different now. He decided to forgo his discomfort and do what felt right. So, Harry hugged Hermione. There were no words he could eloquently say to describe the gratitude he felt for Hermione. Though he was guilty of the sacrifice Hermione made, he was grateful that he had such a wonderful friend. To think that he had been so close to losing her made him nauseous.

"You're brilliant, Hermione. Truly." Harry told her. "I don't know what I would do without you."

"I… err… Harry…" Hermione stumbled. "Thank you."

"No," Harry shook his head, "thank you."

"I don't know what to say, Harry."

Harry smiled and said, "Then don't. Just enjoy this. I don't hug often."

"No. Well, I suppose you don't." Hermione chuckled. "This is nice, Harry."

"Is it now?" Harry genuinely wondered.

"Yes, it's like having one big teddy bear to hold. You're a really good hugger, Harry. You should do this more often."

Harry released her and waggled his eyebrows.

"Perhaps I should."

"You're insufferable."

Harry grinned and chuckled.

"And you're brilliant."

Hermione turned red again.

By late January, the rift between Harry and Hermione had been mended. Harry felt he was closer to Hermione than he ever was before. There were a lot of things about Hermione that he had never realized or noticed before. She confessed having cancelled a family ski trip with her parents in order to be with him for Christmas last year because of the nightmares he was having. At the time, he had been far more concerned with the visions Voldemort had been sending him, but now, he fully understood the impact he had on Hermione's life and vice versa.

It made him feel ashamed of how neglectful or hurtful he had been to Hermione when she had done so much for him. He never realized how much he had taken Hermione for granted all these years. In fact, Harry had forgotten how much fun it could be to be with Hermione. Her idea of fun may have been different from Ron, but it was fun all the same. She had a witty remark for almost everything and it was funny to see her crack jokes. Sure, there were some jokes that he missed because of Hermione's rather dry wit, but on the ones he did catch, they were hilarious! He would never look at chicken roast the same again… well, not unless he wanted to think about Snape's greasy hair as well.

Of course, it was not always fun and games. Hermione was still Hermione after all. Still, she was not as study-crazy as she had been when they were younger. He had always have it in his head that Hermione was obsessed with studying and worrying about assignments and exams, but that was an exaggerated thought. Hermione was quite calm about it all. The only times she chose to be extremely frantic was a few days before exams and after the exam was over. Though, thinking over it that was not too different from how everyone else acted.

At the moment, they were currently working on Slughorn's homework assignment in the common room. It was an easy enough task, so Harry pulled out the Half-Blood Prince's book. As soon as he did, Harry caught the scowl that formed on Hermione's face as she glowered at the book.

"I wish you would stop using that book." Hermione commented.

Usually, Harry would tune out Hermione, but he was sick of it. Instead, he turned to her and asked her, "Why shouldn't I use it? And please don't make it some vague explanation."

"It's cheating." Hermione said simply.

"That's a vague explanation, Hermione."

Hermione rolled her eyes and continued,

"The reason why I don't want you using that is because it's dangerous and won't help you. While I can agree it's useful to know some of these shortcuts to making potions, but don't you think you're neglecting your education by not actually learning how to make these potions? You said you wanted to be an auror, and in that line of work, you need to know how to make remedy potions from time to time. What would you do if you didn't know how to make a basic healing draught?

"Furthermore, there are a lot of spells in there that I have never even heard of. Almost all of them don't have a description as to what a spell would do. For all we know, this Half-Blood Prince wanted his enemies to find his book and try to use some of the spells in it. He could probably have traps that would intentionally backfire on the caster."

Harry was silent. He was contemplating the reasons Hermione made for not using the potions book and… understood. She had a point. While he could disagree against all of those points, there was no denying that Hermione was correct in pointing that it would really not help him in the long run. Though, he wondered if Hermione was just being too paranoid with the backfiring spells bit. But it was not like he could know for sure.

He sighed and placed the Half-Blood Prince's book down.

"I get it." Harry said. "But I still think it's a helpful aide."

"How could you know for sure?" Hermione asked as she raised an eyebrow at him.

"Simple. We'll give it to Professor McGonagall and let her have a look at it. If she says it's dangerous, then I won't use it. If she says it isn't, then I'll still use it. However, I think you're right and I shouldn't rely on the shortcuts. I have to actually learn the material in it too."

Hermione beamed.

"You have no idea how relieved I am to hear that."

"Well," Harry crossed his arms, "you do have a point. Thinking about it, you've always been right when it comes to this sort of thing. This actually reminds me of the time in our third year with the Firebolt fiasco."

Hermione turned away and muttered, "Please don't remind me about that. I should have told you about giving it to Professor McGonagall first."

"I was thirteen; I don't think I would have listened. Actually, come to think about it, why couldn't you have just listed your points in the beginning? It would have spared you months of arguments."

Hermione had no answer.

"You didn't think about it did you?"

Hermione frowned and shook her head.

"Great, now it's exactly like the Firebolt fiasco." Harry laughed. "You can be really awkward when you're trying to be helpful."

"Harry Potter, don't be a git." Hermione shouted.

Harry could do nothing but grin.

Sometimes, Harry would catch Hermione staring at Lavender and Ron from afar. While she was largely inexpressive as she observed them, Harry could see the melancholy filling her usually warm, brown eyes. Again, he had noticed the attraction between Ron and Hermione before, but truthfully, Harry had never considered asking either of them to clarify how they felt for the other. Hermione looked so hurt, and if there was anything he learned in the past few weeks, it was that he didn't like seeing his best friend hurt.

"Hermione, do you like Ron as more than a friend?" Harry asked her out of the blue.

It was a Sunday night and any homework they had was all finished, leaving them to spend the rest of the evening in leisure. Hermione had taken to reading a book while he chose to spend his time coming up with new Quidditch plays for the team, being the captain meant he had to have a good strategy to win matches. So far, he was failing in his task, too distracted watching Hermione peek glances over at the couple nearby.

Hermione, surprised that she had been caught, slowly turned her head to him. Her brows were knitted together, presumably wondering if it would be alright to be open with him. Harry said nothing, opting to let Hermione make the choice if she wanted to talk about it or not.

"I was…" Hermione bit her bottom lip. "…attracted to him, but I don't know anymore."

"You were attracted to him?" Harry asked incredulously.

"I don't know. It's not like I have someone to talk to about this before."

"Well, you know you can talk to me." He offered her a smile.

Hermione took his smile and gave one back, replying, "I never thought you would have cared to know."

"Well," Harry ran his fingers through his hair, "before, I probably would have been hesitant to listen. But, you always listened to me before, so it's only natural that I should lend you my ear."

"That's nice of you, Harry, thank you. To be honest, I'm unsure how I should feel. When I look at them, I thought I would feel jealous, but instead, I just feel sad."

"It's natural you would feel sad since you wanted to be with Ron."

Hermione shook her head.

"No, I don't mean that. I meant, I feel sad as in lonely. It feels like we're all drifting apart. Not just you and me, but Ron and I as well. Seeing him with someone feels like I'm losing one of my best friends."

"Wow," Harry muttered breathlessly, "so maybe you don't really like him that way?"

"Maybe." Hermione shrugged. "I hate these… weird feelings. I never really cared much for boys or being in a relationship before but…"

"But…?"

"But I think I was just afraid to lose you both. Maybe I really don't like Ron that way. Maybe I was just frustrated that another girl took my friend away from me. I mean, despite all our fighting, I really do enjoy Ron's company. When we spent time together as prefects last year, we got to know each other a lot better. I'm just afraid that we're going to grow up and forget each other after we leave Hogwarts."

Harry snorted.

"Do you hear yourself, Hermione? You're the most mature out of the three of us and you're the one afraid of growing up? Honestly, where is the calm and collected Hermione that has saved my arse more times than I can count?"

Hermione locked eyes with Harry, her expression highlighting her disbelief. Then, after a few terse moments, Hermione burst out laughing.

"Oh, Harry. I think you made your point. It does sound like I've been a tad bit silly about all this, haven't I?"

"I always thought it was strange that you were acting pretty… un-Hermione-ish this year."

"Un-Hermione-ish? Is that even a word?"

"No, but I think it describes everything pretty well, don't you agree?"

Hermione rolled her eyes, but she still smiled nevertheless.

"I suppose I can. Thanks for talking about it with me. I feel like a weight has been lifted off my chest. It feels… good saying all that."

"Of course!" Harry nodded. "What are best friends for?"

"A lot of things apparently."

"So, are you going to talk to Ron about all this? Maybe even clear the air a bit?"

Hermione turned her head away to glance back at the kissing couple. Instead of the forlorn gleam in her eyes, he saw a flicker of peace.

"I think we should let Ron enjoy his schoolyard romance a little bit longer before we force him to spend more time with his best mates, don't you think?"

January gave way to February and winter decided to make its final push, battering Hogwarts castle with biting snowstorms. Thankfully, it was comfortable inside the castle walls, but Harry was becoming anxious spending almost all day indoors. The snowstorms cancelled any Quidditch teams from practicing at the pitch, making him worry that the skills of the rookies in the Gryffindor team would begin to deteriorate if they didn't get any practice done soon.

"I was hoping it would let up." Harry muttered to himself as he stared out the window and into the furious dance of wind and snow.

"Disgruntled that the Quidditch captain can't ride on his broom?"

Harry found Hermione standing nearby in the middle of the corridor. In her arms were several books that looked much too heavy for her to carry on her own. She was coyly grinning at him with one eyebrow raised up. Her hair was tied up by a band, resting lazily over her right shoulder.

Cute. Harry thought.

"Can you blame me? I haven't been out of the castle in a week. I'm going mad just sitting around." Harry told her, throwing his arms up in the air in an exaggerated manner.

Hermione lightly laughed and drew nearer to him. She asked him, "Can't you just sit down and study for once? Anyway, what are you doing wandering around this late? If you're heading to the library for something, it's already closed."

"Hey! I do study! Not as much as you though." Harry ribbed. "I don't really need anything in the library. I just thought it would be nice to escort you back to the back to the common room. Like you said, it is getting late."

"That's sweet of you, Harry, but I'm fine."

"Nonsense." Harry pointed to her books. "I believe you need some assistance."

"Harry, you don't have to."

"I don't have to, I want to." Harry insisted, scooping up her books from her grasp.

Hermione didn't fight any further and simply acquiesced his attempt at chivalry.

As they began to walk back up to the common room, Hermione casually asked, "So, Harry, do you still fancy Ginny?"

Harry nearly tripped, but had caught himself mid-step. Hermione was already at his side, gripping his shoulders worriedly.

"Harry! Are you alright?" She asked him, concerned.

"Yeah, I'm okay." Harry answered. "What made you ask me that?"

"Well, I was just curious. I remembered how much you stared at her a few months ago. I was wondering if you still fancied her or not."

His mouth was quick to begrudgingly confirm – because it's useless to lie to Hermione – his affection for Ron's sister, but if he was honest with himself, he hadn't thought about the beautiful, petite redhead. He had been far too busy trying to come up with a way to obtain Slughorn's memory and trying to fix his friendship with Hermione that he placed his love life on the back burner. In fact, in the few instances he had seen her with Dean or at Quidditch practice, there was no green-eyed monster rampaging in his chest.

"I'm not sure." Harry told Hermione honestly.

"How can you not be sure?"

Harry shrugged.

"Well, there's no mistaking that I really find her attractive. I was just amazed that the girl I saved second year grew up to look real stunning. Let's face it, Hermione, I'm a teenage boy, I can't help being attracted to pretty girls."

Hermione chuckled and nodded.

"You're right. So does this mean you don't want her to be your girlfriend?"

Again, Harry shrugged.

"Like I said, I'm not sure. I think I may still like her. She is a nice girl and all. But, you know, I think I was just nursing a small crush on her because she's pretty. Err, I hope you don't think I'm superficial, Hermione."

She shook her head and said, "No, like you said, you're a teenage boy. I was hoping I could help set you up with her as a thank-you for… being extremely nice to me lately."

A warm, soft feeling emanated from his chest as Hermione said those words. Harry reached his arm out towards Hermione, gently stroking her shoulder with his hand.

"Thanks for the thought, but I don't think I need a girlfriend. I would rather have the chance to spend time with my best friend."

They found their eyes locked in a gaze. Hermione's lips curved into a tender smile as she reached up and touched his hand. He felt an electricity shoot up his spine as her bared skin made contact with his own. There was an unfamiliar emotion in Hermione's eyes that he had never seen before. Harry found himself getting lost in her brown eyes. He was unaware that their bodies were slowly coming closer to each other.

"Hey! What are you doing out of your common rooms? It's past curfew!"

Harry and Hermione turned their heads and found Mr. Filch glaring at them with that impetuous scowl on his face. Mrs. Norris was in front of him, meowing menacingly at the two of them.

"We were just on our way back. Besides, I'm a prefect. I'm allowed to stay past curfew." Hermione explained primly to Mr. Filch. She flashed her badge, causing Mr. Filch's scowl to deepen.

Mr. Filch pointed to Harry and harshly said, "He's not a prefect!"

"No he isn't," Hermione agreed, "but he is helping me with my belongings. He has my permission."

Beaten, Mr. Filch glared at Hermione before turning away and muttering angrily. When he left, Harry let out a sigh of relief.

"You're amazing, Hermione."

"It was the only way to get him off our backs."

"I know. Still, you're amazing."

They looked at one another, both blushing as they remembered the moment they were having before they had been interrupted. Harry had no idea what to do or say. In fact, he didn't even know what they were about to do.

"We should get going, Harry." Hermione softly said.

Harry nodded and followed her stride. A jumble of emotions clouded his mind. He had never felt that warm sensation being around Hermione before. It felt too peculiar and weird. Harry felt scared, having never experiencing such emotions before. However, there was no mistaking how… nice and right it felt.

Something was changing between Harry and Hermione.

Over the course of a few months, many things changed.

Ron nearly killed himself with sabotaged mead that Professor Slughorn had after he accidentally took Romilda Vane's love potion. Harry had brought him to Professor Slughorn to cure, but the incident happened instead. Fortunately, the brunt of the damage was averted thanks to his quick thinking, having made Ron swallow a bezoar. Still, Ron had to be stay in the Hospital wing for a few days. It was during his time in the ward resting that the fractured friendship between him and Hermione was slowly being mended.

Then, in April, Ron and Lavender broke up after a much publicized fight in the common room. Ginny and Dean had also broken up, but it was a mutual agreement and they remained friends. Thank goodness too, Dean was still part of the Quidditch team and Katie Bell, whom had returned from her stay in St. Mungo's, was not up to shape to compete for the rest of the year. If Ginny and Dean had a messy breakup, it could have meant poor performance in their teamwork during a game. They were part of the Chaser line, after all. He even managed to finally obtain the true memory from Professor Slughorn during this time as well.

However, all those events paled in comparison to the budding romance that was happening between himself and Hermione.

Harry would be the first to admit that his experience with girls was lacking, but even he could see clearly what was going on between him and Hermione. That night in February opened his eyes and showed him that Hermione was not just his best friend, but a young woman that he could easily fall in love with. Frankly, the very thought of being together with Hermione terrified him. Never in his life had he expected that things would work out the way it did. Hermione was his best friend and he had never considered her as anything else before.

"Potter, do not slack off." Snape drawled.

Harry looked up from his cauldron scrubbing and glared pointedly at the greasy-haired git when he wasn't looking. Leave it to Snape to give him detention on the most important match of the year. It was Gryffindor versus Ravenclaw, whoever wins gets the House Cup. Not only was he unable to play and lead the charge against Ravenclaw, Snape's detention also disallowed him to watch the game as well.

Life was unfair.

There was a knock on the door. Snape stood up from his desk and opened, revealing Hermione standing on the other side holding a note. She lifted the note to Snape and said, "From Professor McGonagall."

Harry saw the scowl forming on Snape as he snatched the note away from Hermione and read it. He turned to Harry, sneering at him, and said, "It appears Professor McGonagall requests my presence. You are dismissed for tonight. Now leave."

Suppressing a grin that threatened to spill all over his features, Harry hastily left. Snape slammed the door shut, meaning Harry was now free from the clutches of that bat from the dungeon.

"I'm so happy you came to deliver that note from Professor McGonagall, Hermione!"

Hermione chuckled, shaking her head. She smirked at him and said, "It wasn't really from Professor McGonagall. I forged her handwriting so you can watch the game."

Harry stared at her flabbergasted. He clutched his hair and nearly yelled, "Do you have any idea how angry Snape is going to get with you once he finds out?"

"I do, but that doesn't matter! I think it's unfair of him to have given you detention during the big game. Even worse, you won't even be able to watch it."

"Well, yeah, it is unfair, but I didn't want you to be dragged into this!"

"I know, Harry, but it was my choice." Hermione told him determinedly.

Harry sighed, Hermione could be so stubborn. However, he had to admit that he was grateful that Hermione bailed him out. He would think about the consequences later, it was what he always did anyway.

"So, how far are we in the game?"

Hermione beamed.

"Well, when I left, Ravenclaw was leading by twenty points. If we hurry, we can catch Ginny grabbing the snitch!"

That was more than enough for Harry to hurry. Grabbing Hermione by the hand, they sprinted to the pitch. As they exited the castle, they could see the match still going on in the distance. They could hear the muffled roar of the crowd become louder as they drew nearer. As they reached area below the stands, Harry could hear the commentary being made overhead.

"GINNY WEASLEY CATCHES SIGHT OF THE SNITCH AND DIVES TOWARDS IT. CHANG IS CLOSE BEHIND. THIS COULD BE IT, FOLKS! WHOEVER CATCHES THE SNITCH MAKES THEIR TEAM THE WINNER OF THE HOUSE CUP!"

Harry stopped to catch his breath. Adrenaline pumped through his veins as he took in the excited shouts and screams of the student body. His heart raced as the excited cries of students cheered for their favorite team. He could imagine himself flying through the air at a speed few could fathom, searching for that golden ball amidst the chaos of the field.

"Harry," Hermione called for him, her fingers still interlaced with his, "we have to hurry!"

"CHANG ZOOMS PAST WEASLEY, HER ARM READY TO GRAB THE SNITCH!"

He slowly turned his head to Hermione, staring into the vibrant, brown eyes that made him melt inside. They were alone underneath the stands, the shadow of the tall bleachers bathing them with cool air in the warm, May afternoon. The crowd of excited students and faculty above them disappeared. To Harry and Hermione, they were the only two in their own little world.

Harry did not know what possessed him. It could have been the excitement of the game getting to him or it could have been the months of pent up emotions that he was feeling for Hermione. Nevertheless, Harry knew this was the moment to make things clear between them. Like in a Quidditch match, sometimes, you had to make a dive for the snitch.

"CHANG IS IN FRONT OF THE SNITCH! SHE'S ABOUT TO GRAB IT AND – WHAT'S THIS? WEASLEY IS BELOW HER. SHE SPEEDS UP AND GRABS THE SNITCH RIGHT FROM UNDERNEATH CHANG'S NOSE!

"GRYFFINDOR WINS THE HOUSE CUP!"

Hogwarts students and professors alike were in an uproar. Ravenclaw and Slytherin groaned at another win by Gryffindor. Most of the Hufflepuffs whooped with joy that Gryffindor won. It was Gryffindor that roared loudly at their victory. After such a narrow victory, it was natural that they were excited. They began chanting Ginny's name; she was the hero for the House of Gryffindor.

Underneath them all, ignoring the victory altogether, was Harry and Hermione. Their hands were intertwined and their bodies leaning towards the other. Despite the ear-shattering festivities over them, they were lost in a sea of their own emotions. Their lips were locked together in a passionate kiss; it was rough yet tender, lustful but still loving.

Harry and Hermione were far away from the world they lived in.

Everyone reacted the way Harry expected them to when he and Hermione revealed they were a couple the night Gryffindor won the House Cup. The entire House was surprised, but they all congratulated them. Ginny had been ecstatic, dropping everything to talk to Hermione about how the development occurred. To Harry, it seemed Ginny had truly gotten over her crush for him. He thought about how awkward it would have been if he still had feelings for her. She wouldn't have reciprocated!

Ron was a different matter entirely. The look on his face when Harry announced Hermione was his girlfriend was heart shattering. For the next several weeks, Ron ignored the two of them. Ginny later told him that Ron had feelings for Hermione and that those feelings were one of the reasons why he and Lavender broke up. He wanted to talk to him, but both Hermione and Ginny told him that it was better if to let Ron cool off.

Harry thought the year was going to end well and that he would finally have a normal year for a change. Then, Dumbledore was killed by Snape and Hogwarts was attacked by Death Eaters.

It was a tragedy that would have great consequences in the near future.

In the aftermath of the battle, Hermione discovered that the Half-Blood Prince was Snape. Ron also returned to his side, apologizing for his behavior. It had hurt him that Hermione didn't return his feelings, but he came to accept it. The Death Eaters in Hogwarts made him realize his mortality and told him that it was foolish to hold grudges over a girl. Since Ron actually apologized and came back to him without provocation that Harry sense that something changed in his best mate; it was a change for the better.

Dumbledore's funeral was a melancholic affair. After it was over, Harry stole away Hermione. They needed to talk.

"Hermione," Harry tentatively began, "everything is changing now."

Hermione sighed and nodded, taking a seat on the bed that had been made for them in the Room of Requirement.

"I know, Harry. It's… a lot to take in."

"I'm scared you're going to get hurt, Hermione. I'm afraid they'll use you to get to me. I don't want that to happen."

She glanced up at him, reading his anxious features.

"Harry, you can't force me to stay away. You know I will do no such thing. We're in this together. I know I'm a target, but you, more than anyone, know that there is nothing that will stop me from being with you as you hunt the Horcruxes."

Harry released a heavy breath.

"Is there no convincing you to just hide away?"

Their eyes met and Harry could see the stubborn look on Hermione's face.

"You tell me, Harry."

Harry understood. He wanted to end their relationship and have her far away from the fight, but Harry knew that would not happen. No matter where he went, no matter how dangerous, Hermione would always be there by his side. This time though, he vowed that Hermione won't be hurt like she did in the Department of Mysteries.

"I love you, Hermione." He told her, "I'm afraid I'll lose you."

She stood up and wrapped her arms around him, bringing him close. Hermione whispered, "I know, Harry. I love you too. As long as we have each other, we can find and destroy the Horcruxes and defeat Voldemort once and for all."

He squeezed her tighter, afraid to let go.

It all began that one night in the common room when he found her asleep. He wondered what would have happened if he hadn't consciously decided to strengthen their friendship. Maybe things would have been different. Maybe he would not be in a relationship with Hermione. Maybe he would not have known what love – true love – is. Harry could not fathom a world like that.

However, as he held Hermione in his arms, Harry knew that there was hope to get eliminate Voldemort for good. Best of all, he could hope for a future where he can begin a family with Hermione.

All it takes is one step in the right direction.

Afterword: Initially, this story was meant to only go up to Valentine's Day. However, I found that things would not be developed enough by then. Besides, I thought it would be pretty neat to write a scene where they kiss underneath the stands while everyone else was cheering for the game. I know a lot of my readers don't like Ron, but I like to think that Ron has several good qualities that make him not inherently evil like some people like to believe. In the face of tragedy like Dumbledore's death, I think he would understand it would be petty to hold a grudge against Harry for being with Hermione.

Also, I had Ginny be accepting of Harry and Hermione. It had always been my belief that she was actively trying to get over Harry in the sixth novel. However, that goes out the window once Harry kisses her. So, I speculated that if she saw Harry be with Hermione and are happy in the relationship, she would be content and would finally be able to leave behind her crush on him.

Anyway, it would have been easy to bash characters left and right, but I don't like bashing characters (unless it's a parody). I feel like it would detract from readers' attention from the plot. This story is meant to showcase the progression of Harry's feelings and Hermione's feelings shifting from the Weasleys towards each other in a realistic fashion.

Hopefully, I succeeded in that.