Captivate and Mesmerize

Mesmerize; Part 2.5

Hermione emerged from her bedroom silently. She looked to the living room and saw that Harry had turned off the television and was instead reading one of her books on the loveseat next to the sofa with one leg bent on top of the other knee. He looked so utterly relaxed it unnerved her. There was a steaming pot of tea on the coffee table and a mug of familiar orange potion. She bit her lip and quietly padded towards him. The sound of approaching footsteps made Harry look up from his reading material.

He gave her a smile. "Hey," he said.

Her mouth twitched. "Hey," she replied back.

She crossed the floor and sat down on the sofa. Hermione didn't know what to say. Should she apologize for what happened? Or should she pretend none of it did? Which was the path of least resistance?

"Harry -"

"Hermione -"

They laughed when they spoke together. Harry set the book on the table and gave a nod of his head. "You go first," he said.

Hermione conceded. "I want to say I'm sorry for... screaming and startling you earlier," she began. Her face coloured and she continued. "I was... surprised at something and I shouldn't have reacted as such and made you worry. God, I'm so embarrassed. But yes. I'm sorry for um... that."

Harry nodded. "Alright, but I'm not sorry."

She blinked. "What?"

"I'm not sorry."

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked. Her brows were furrowed and there was a small frown on her face.

Harry smiled at her. "I'm not sorry about what happened."

Her lips parted. "Why not?!" She asked almost accusingly.

"Because I saw your tattoo."

His reply took her by surprise. She wasn't expecting that. She didn't even know Harry had seen the new mark on her skin. He had seen everything else, yes, but she didn't think he saw her tattoo. And truthfully, she felt more vulnerable than embarrassed at knowing that.

Hermione liked her body. She tried to take good care of it and kept a regular regimen consisting of jogging and going to the gym. She wasn't shy when it came to her assets even though she preferred to keep them hidden. She's had many boyfriends before and most of them have seen her naked so she wasn't a prude. She was more embarrassed about the awkwardness the situation had caused than the fact that he had seen her naked.

But her tattoo was different. It was so personal. Alright, so she didn't remember it was there since she was so inebriated last night. But, she knew exactly why she had chosen the Golden Snitch even if she were not of sober mind. She didn't need to be sober to know she loved Harry. If she was to get something so permanent engraved on her body, then it needed to hold meaning and importance. It needed to be special. So, in her drunken state, she chose the Golden Snitch because it reminded her of the one she loved the most. It reminded her of Harry Potter.

It was the shock of his finding out about the tattoo that made Hermione feign ignorance. "Tattoo? What are you talking about Harry?"

The hue of his emerald green eyes darkened to a deep forest green. "The tattoo at the back of your right shoulder," he said. "It looked exactly like a real Snitch, even the size is the same. I would know - I'm a Seeker," he added with a small smile. He'd played many a Quidditch game, and always as a Seeker, to know what a Golden Snitch looked like. He had held probably thousands of them by now. He so badly wanted to take hold of this one too.

At her silence, Harry decided to continue his questioning. The flicker of hope in his chest was growing into a larger flame. Her evasion about the tattoo led him to believe that it did mean something more than just a decorative mark on her skin. He just needed to know what it was that it symbolized. "Why did you get it, Hermione?"

Hermione's eyes turned downcast. She tried to look anywhere but into his eyes. Was this what she needed to do? Was this the something different that would make Harry realize she was in love with him? If he found out that she chose this permanent illustration because it reminded her of him, and that it was like having him with her all the time, would he finally know what he meant to her?

She breathed in deeply. A small smile graced her lips and she raised her head to look directly at him. "Because it reminds me of you. I want you by my side all the time, Harry. The Snitch is like your presence. It's... it's nice feeling that you're with me."

The flame of hope spread across his body. It reached his fingertips, his toes, the strands of his hair. He felt warm all over when the dawning realization that she may feel the same way enveloped his being.

"May I see it?" He asked.

"Oh," Hermione said. She blinked. "Oh yes, of course!" 

xoxoxox

Micca's Notes: Explicit scenes are coming up ahead.