Running Scared

You Made Me Your Own

When the fire finally died out and cast the tent into darkness, Harry felt Hermione pull on his hand to lead him back to his room. "Hermione, what are you doing?" he questioned with more than a little fear coating his voice. He wasn't exactly fearful of the implications of taking her to bed but it was his first time and he was sure it was hers too.

"I'm going to bed, Harry," she giggled from in front of him, "to sleep," she finished pointedly.

He was thankful for the darkness and the fact that she was in front of him as his blush reached the tips of his ears. "I'm tired," she told him. In truth, he was too and he found himself silently agreeing with her. A nap wouldn't be too bad, especially if she was going to be cuddled up with him.

He was sure his grin would split his face when Hermione pulled him into bed with her. He gingerly laid himself beside her and allowed her to lay her head on his chest. Slowly but surely, his arms wrapped around her tiny frame and they were off to the land of dreams only moments later.
———
Darkness had fallen over the world hours later and Harry's eyes opened before Hermione's. He drowsily looked around and reached for his glasses only to realize he never took them off. Readjusting them, he peered down to the sleeping mass on his chest and felt his heart soar.

He played with her hair as he waited for her to show signs of stirring. He tangled his hand in her soft curls and admired the bushy mane he so loved. When Hermione finally started to stir, he kept his hands tangled as she looked up at him. It was bloody adorable the way her head cocked to the side in confusion before realization hit and a relaxed smile made its way onto her face.

"Hi," he murmured breathlessly. She chuckled softly and laid back against his chest, pulling his arm to come up against her waist again. "You're so warm," she told him, almost in awe at him.

For the first time in his life, he felt contented. His hand was still tangled up in her wild curls and the soft sounds of her breathing made him as relaxed as he could be. He knew it was only temporary and they would have to get back into the hunt, but it was enough to enjoy the moment for a while.

"When did you realize?" Hermione's voice broke the comfortable silence. Harry knew immediately what she was asking and needed no confirmation.

"Bill and Fleur's wedding," he replied without missing a beat. "But I reckon I've always felt this way," he leaned down and kissed the top of her head, "just was too dim to realize it." She snuggled closer to him in response and he felt the need to ask his own question, "when did you realize?"

"I've had a crush on you for ages, Harry," she responded with playful indignation. "But I never let myself think it was love even though it probably was. I only realized it last night but honestly," she turned to look at him, "I think it was love for a while. Just didn't want to see it."

While it was nice to hear her own story, Harry felt like a right idiot for having never noticed the depth of her feelings for him. The signs were all laid bare in front of him and he chose to ignore them; for what reason, he did not know. He thought of all the time they wasted by virtue of him being a fool.

"I am an idiot," he playfully confessed, meaning every word of it. When she leant up before kissing his chin in response and smirked at him, he looked down in surprise. "You're my idiot, now," said Hermione with a flirtatious grin.

"I think I like the sound of that." He adjusted his position to get closer to her lips before soundly kissing her. He felt her hands wander into his messy hair and smirked against her lips.

"Why did we waste so much time not doing this?" he asked as they broke apart.

"Better late than never." Hermione winked before lying back against him.

Regrettably, they returned to normal and brought thoughts of the war and the ongoing horcrux hunt with them. They both could tell when each other realized that they couldn't stay in this blissful state forever.

"Maybe we should just stay here. Harry. Grow old," Hermione spoke first, breaking the tenuous silence between them.

Merlin knew he desperately wanted to take her up on that offer but the world was beckoning at their feet. He needed to rid the world of its Voldemort problem before he could ever hope to spend forever with her. Leaving the world to Voldemort and selfishly indulging in her would only be a short term solution to a long term problem. Even so, he felt the need to respond.

"I wish, beyond anything, that we can do that," he lazily stroked her hair, "but we can't." The words were bitter and he hated saying them but he knew she agreed. He silently cursed the very existence of Lord Voldemort for doing this to him but felt his resolve to defeat him strengthened. He was going to find a way to end the bastard for good because doing so would mean a future with the woman he loved.

"I'll be by your side," Hermione promised before turning and repositioning herself atop his waist. "Always," she firmly said.

His hands came up to hold her waist as they met each other's eyes. Her steely determination was matched by his as they wordlessly nodded to each other. Harry sat up and pulled her close so their noses were touching. "Always," he repeated her own promise back to her.

When the time came, they would rejoin the war effort and finally take Voldemort down. However, there was still one problem left. That problem came in the form of a certain redhead.

"What about Ron?" Harry asked with more than a bit of trepidation. He had known for a while that he was never going to forgive Ron for the things he said before he left but that didn't matter if Hermione wanted him to be apart of the hunt again. He would be willing to concede that they needed all the help they could get.

"He left us," she bit out through gritted teeth. He could feel the anger radiating off of her and rubbed her hips and sides comfortingly. "I don't care if he comes back, I don't want him to."

"Herm..." he started but was instantly quieted by her sharp look. He snapped his mouth shut as her angered form loomed over him.

"All he'd do is whine and complain about every little thing. I can't believe I ignored all that he did because of some schoolgirl crush. No," she shook her head vehemently, "we can finish this together."

Frankly, he was both scared and aroused at the sight of an angry Hermione but her words still managed to worm their way into his head. He gave her words some consideration and found that he absolutely believed her. Just like they did in third year, they could solve this problem by themselves. All they really needed was each other. He still had some concerns over her sudden mood shift, however.

"You're sure you're not just saying that because you resent him leaving?" He didn't think he could regret his words immediately after they left his mouth but the affronted look she gave him nearly made him wither. If looks could kill, he'd be buried.

"He left because he couldn't handle it. He couldn't make that sacrifice, the same sacrifice we both are making. Whatever it was that was between us died when he left and it's never coming back. You can count on it," she leant down and cupped his cheek none too gently, "you are my future. My place is with you."

With raised eyebrows and more than a little bit of fear and attraction, he nodded his affirmation to her. He unconsciously licked his lips at this new demanding side of Hermione and let his eyes rake over her body that felt downright terrific atop his waist. He caught sight of her smirk and grinned sheepishly. She knew exactly what he was thinking and he couldn't even deny it to her, she knew him all too well.

"Now come on, we have work to do." She tapped his chest and rose off of him with grace before languidly stretching her body out right in front of him. Once her little show was finished, Hermione turned to him with a sultry smirk written on her face before leaving his room with an added sway to her hips as she walked.

With a contented sigh, he left his bed and followed after her. He stepped into the living room before spotting her just outside. The moon was full and casted her in its glow, making him fall even more in love with her. He wordlessly walked towards her and embraced her from behind as the wind whistled through The Forest of Dean. A feeling of comfort and satisfaction washed over the pair as Hermione leaned back into his arms and he laid his head on her shoulder. Now that they had each other, they were no longer running scared.