Suppression

Going Home

To say Harry was caught off guard by Hermione falling asleep on his shoulder was an understatement. Even so, he couldn't bring himself to wake her as she softly breathed in her sleep. He couldn't stop himself from admiring her face. As if it were possible, she had grown even more beautiful in the time they spent apart.

He recognized that they had a little over two hours left before Hermione was due home and relaxed in his chair. The tranquility of the moment nearly lulled him to sleep but he fought against it, not wanting to have Hermione wake to him in the middle of another nightmare. He settled himself into his chair and enjoyed the sound of Hermione's soft breathing.

An hour later, Hermione finally showed signs of stirring. She blearily opened her eyes to see a smirking Harry looking down at her and regained her senses in record time. Her blush came in full force but she steadied herself.

"Enjoyed your lie in?" Harry smugly asked.

She stuck her tongue out at him before swatting his shoulder. "I had no idea how tired I was," she admitted.

"I can see that." He was still smirking.

"What," she tried and failed to fight back a yawn, "time is it?"

"A little after eight," he regretfully said, not wanting her to leave.

She noticed the sadness in his voice and smiled despite her own. It warmed her heart to know he was just as saddened as she was at the prospect of her leaving, as terrible as it sounded. She was angry at her strict parents even though they were far more lenient than she could have asked them to be.

"I guess this is it." He didn't even try to hide his sadness.

She nodded slowly and clasped his hand in hers as she rose from her seat.

"Have you got an answer for me now?" She asked, harkening back to his original concession that he wasn't sure if he still wanted to be friends with her.

"About what?"

"Are...we still friends?" Hermione slowly asked, bracing herself for the answer.

Harry noticed her distress but seized the opportunity to make Hermione squirm a bit. He knew his answer was exactly what she wanted to hear but the opportunity to mess with her was like a golden snitch just waiting to be seized. He made a show of pretending to think, crossing his arms and putting his hand under his chin.

"Hmmmm, I don't know," he assessed her, "I guess."

The resulting swat on his shoulder told him she was uninterested in his joke but he laughed at her nonetheless. Soon enough, his laughter evolved into a full blown guffaw as she crossed her arms and shot her signature 'Hermione glare' at him. The very sight of it only reduced him further into a laughing fit.

"Harrryyy," she called before swatting his shoulders more, a smile playing at her lips.

"Ow, ow, ow, alright, alright," he raised his hands in surrender, "...to tell you the truth, I'm kind of reconsidering it now." He laughed again when she grunted in frustration and began smacking him again.

"I will strangle you, Harry Potter," she finally said as she stopped assaulting him. She mock-glared at him with her hands on her waist, the corner of her lip turning up slightly.

Harry recovered easily and decided to mess with her some more. He grinned widely at her and walked over to her with a predatory gait. He took pride in the fact that she recoiled back before defiantly staring up at him.

"You know?" He grabbed both of her hands, "I don't think you will."

He could tell she was flustered and smirked even more predatorily at her. She tried to whip her hands out of his but he held onto them tightly before baring his teeth in a full blown grin.

"Harry," she breathlessly whispered.

"I think you know what's about to happen," he told her after she tried again to break free from him. He took his chance and began tickling her, grinning as she tried in vain to fight him off. Her laughters were coming out unwillingly as she gasped for air from his unrelenting hands.

"Say you're sorry, Granger," he commanded whilst still tickling her relentlessly.

"N—n—never," she gasped out in between laughing fits.

"Wrong answer."

He mercilessly tickled her until she leant against him bonelessly, too weak from his assault. She was gasping for air as she fisted his shirt in her hands and he never felt happier. He allowed himself to wrap her into his arms and enjoyed the moment.

"We're still friends, Hermione," he honestly told her once her breathing went back to normal.

Hermione looked up from Harry's chest and beamed at him, tears of joy in her eyes. "Really?" she asked him as if she was a small child who was told she would be getting her favorite toy.

Harry grinned at her hopeful question and dropped a kiss on her forehead before his mind thought better of it. He nearly crossed that hallowed line of friendship, he reminded himself. If she didn't want him to do it, however, she wouldn't be smiling so hard right now, his mind reasoned with him.

"Erm, how are you planning to get home?" he asked.

"Knight Bus," she flatly responded before nestling into his chest once more.

"I think you have to let go of me to get on the bus," he joked.

Again, she was uninterested at his attempt at humor as she swatted his shoulder. Reluctantly, though, she finally dislodged herself from him, feeling the warmth leave her body in an instant.

"I'll walk you outside," he offered to her.

Hermione thought that she would have been barmy to deny herself the chance to be with Harry some more, and nodded her affirmation instantaneously. Quickly, she clasped her hand in his and waited for him to lead her out.

The summer night was warm but not uncomfortable as the pair stepped out of the house. Hermione felt her heart sink with each step toward the street but hid it well. Harry, however, couldn't contain his sadness as they kept walking. He had truly missed her more than he admitted to himself and was now finding himself unable to let go of her.

Harry watched as she slowly raised her wand, summoning the Knight Bus that arrived in a flash. They were greeted by Stan Shunpike, the conductor, but neither of them cared enough as they only had eyes for each other.

"I'll...see you later then, Harry," she regretfully told him before turning to step onto the bus.

Harry didn't let go of her hand as she turned and pulled her back to him. Then, he did something he had never done before and kissed her on the cheek. His mind drew a red alert at his actions but he ignored it. He really missed Hermione, he confessed mentally. Last year was downright miserable without her. Heck, even the summer was miserable without her until she showed up in his room.

"Bye, Hermione," he breathlessly said after pulling back from the kiss. "I hope you'll visit again," he quickly added before retreating back to his house in record time.

Hermione was left stunned by the kiss but a stupid smile came to her face as she watched Harry scurry back to his home. She did what she had set out to do when she left her parent's house in the morning. She regained her friendship with Harry. Nothing on earth would be able to take away the overwhelming joy she felt at that very moment.

As she sat on the Knight Bus on her way home, Hermione remembered Harry's final words to her. He'd hoped for her to visit again and, unbeknownst to him, she was already planning to visit him throughout the summer. If she was lucky as well, she would be able to convince Dumbledore and her parents to let him over for a weekend. At that thought, the girl sighed happily and settled in for the long journey home.