A Kiss Can Save The World (Completed)

Chapter 1

The brown eyed, bushy haired girl was leaning against the corridor wall as she waited for her best friend to finish speaking with her favourite professor. While waiting, she couldn't help but ponder the changes in her life over the last few months, hell the last few years and realised that 'best friend' no longer covered what he meant to her – quite simply he was the most important person in her life.

She had finally admitted to herself that she loved him after their escape on Buckbeak. All her life she had been terrified of heights but when Harry held out his hand and looked at her, pleading with those gorgeous green eyes, she didn't hesitate. Riding behind him, while holding on tight of course, was the greatest thrill of her life so far and an instant cure for her phobia. So much so that they now repeated the experience, though on his Firebolt under the pretence of helping her learn to fly as part exchange for her input into his training for the tournament.

The Tri-Wizard tournament left her in a bit of a quandary; she couldn't make her mind up whether she hated it or loved it!

On the hate side the whole school, Merlin the whole country thanks to that bitch Rita Skeeter, thought that he had cheated his way into the tournament and was a poor lost attention-seeking child. Even his so-called best mate, Ronald Bilius Weasley didn't believe him and worse, wouldn't even talk to him; Hermione was sure that under Bilius in the dictionary it would say: jealous, insensitive, insecure, childish GIT!

Then there were the tasks themselves.

When she hugged him before he had to go and face a dragon, yes a bloody dragon - it took all of her willpower to let him go. Watching the seemingly tiny figure on his broom, dodging the flames, teeth and spiked tail of that monster gave her nightmares. It was even worse after the task when she flew back into his arms and, drawing on all her Gryffindor courage, was set to finally kiss her best friend when Bilius shows up.

He arrived with some mumbled half hearted apology and Harry, being Harry forgave him, she was left standing there with her arm still round Harry and trying to smile, while running through her head were some of the worst curses and hexes she knew.

Imagining what they would do to the red haired prat was the only way to maintain the phoney smile.

On the good side of the tournament it had brought Harry and her closer than they had ever been. One look at his face when his name was drawn from that flaming goblet and she knew he hadn't entered, she told him so before he left the hall to try and resolve the situation. When she found out later they were forcing him to compete she was livid, but volunteered to help with his training and anything else required.

With no one else speaking to Harry they spent all their time together and she was in Heaven. Harry also had a whole new, more mature attitude to studies, training and life in general which made her love him even more. The hours the spent together studying and training were some of the happiest she'd spent at Hogwarts.

When Harry forgave the prat, she had expected him to go back to goofing off with Ron and for her to be relegated back to her role of nagging big sister and homework helper. To her amazement Harry had continued their training and study schedule though he did offer Ron the chance to join them.

She had mixed emotions regarding this confrontation as Harry continuing with their schedule pleased her more than he knew, while Ron's quite verbal refusal that had finished her friendship with him there and then:

Flashback

Harry and Hermione walked through the portrait hole and were immediately pounced on by Ron