Hermione's All That

Harry woke up early on Sunday. He had lots to do and prepare for the day. Why? Because today was Hermione's birthday.

He couldn't wait to get started on it. He had had everything planned for a few weeks now. The whole day was mapped out down to the very last detail. He wanted today to be perfect, and today it would be perfect.

He knew Hermione deserved this and she was going to be surprised. Harry knew, even though Hermione never said anything, that Hermione never really had a birthday party with friends, at least not in Hogwarts. He knew her life had been lonely, and he was sure her birthday was like that too.

Hermione's birthdays were completely different from his. He usually had a grand party with many guests. He did this every year, well every year since his third year when Sirius came into his life.

The thought of Sirius made Harry laugh. He wrote home to him all the time and he had mentioned Hermione a few times. Sirius was his eager self, telling Harry to invite her over so that he could meet the girl who had stole Harry's heart. Of course, Sirius was over exaggerating. Harry never said anything about how he liked Hermione, just that she was a friend, but Sirius always drew his own conclusions and he was sure that Hermione was special.

Harry shook himself of his thoughts. He had things to do. Getting dressed quickly, he made his way down to the kitchens. He needed to talk to Dobby to tell him to make breakfast for Hermione.

He didn't know exactly what to make for her, so he decided to make her a little something of everything. He hoped she would like it.

He almost skipped down the halls, which were nearly deserted because everyone was sleeping in. He knew Hermione usually rose fairly early, so the night before he had made hot chocolate for the both of them, in which he slipped her a bit of dreamless sleep potion. He needed her to be well-rested and relaxed for the day. Everything had to go just right.

As he walked in silence his mind drifted off to the last time him and Hermione had done something alone. That was the night Xander had shown up. It had been a little over a week when he found out that Xander wasn't really Xander; that someone was impersonating him. He still had his suspicions of Malfoy, who seemed to be very edgy around Harry lately. His eye had healed nicely, and Harry had even asked him again how it happened, and Malfoy stuck to the same story about the fight with a Slytherin.

Things just seemed a bit weird lately, and with his mind on who Xander really was, he hadn't even had a chance to tell Malfoy that the bet was off. That three letter word seemed to be the farthest thing from Harry's mind right now.

Tickling the pear, he entered the kitchens to be immediately bombarded by the house-elves. Harry smiled at them.

"Is Dobby around?" Harry asked when they all started to back off and get back to work.

"Did Harry Potter call Dobby, Sir?" the little house-elf said. He was dressed in a bright green shirt that went past his knees. He had on blue pants, a pair of miss-matched socks, and an odd looking hat.

"Hello Dobby, I have a favor to ask you. Can you please make me a special breakfast this morning? It's my friend's birthday and I want to surprise her," Harry asked him and Dobby nodded his head furiously.

"Dobby will do anything for Harry Potter. Dobby will make it right now," Dobby said as he jumped up and down in excitement. Harry chuckled a bit. He always had a soft spot for Dobby. He made him think about second year when he had set him free.

Harry waited on a stool as Dobby disappeared. He reappeared a few minutes later with a breakfast tray. On it was a plate of eggs, two pieces of toast, some jam, and a couple pieces of sausage. There was a small glass of orange juice, a bowl of mixed fruits laid on the side, and a cute napkin was folded with a knife and fork on top.

Harry looked at it and thought it was perfect, but it was missing one thing. "Dobby, do you have any fresh flowers here and a small vase?" Harry asked and Dobby nodded.

Harry took the tray from Dobby's hands and Dobby took off for the items. He returned with a purple vase with three lilies and two daisies inside it. "Dobby, this is great! Thanks!" Harry exclaimed, placing the vase in the corner of the tray.

"Anything for Harry Potter, Sir! And tell Harry Potter's friend a Happy Birthday!" Dobby exclaimed. He was positively glowing from the knowledge that he just helped out Harry Potter.

"I will, thanks Dobby!" Harry said as he made his way down the hall. He was hoping he wouldn't spill anything, so he walked a little more slowly, even though he was eager to get to Hermione's room.

He finally arrived at her room and smiled. He knew her password, and he hoped she wouldn't mind if he came in, uninvited.

It was a little after eleven, so he figured Hermione would be well rested. He just hoped she wasn't up yet. He wanted to rouse her from her dreams.

Harry said the password, and the door opened. A little bit of light filtered in the room and he saw the silhouette of Hermione's body on the bed. He pushed the door open quietly and crept inside. He laid the tray down on the table and closed the door shut. The room was caped in darkness again, but his eyes began to adjust.

He stared at Hermione's sleeping form and sighed. She looked so peaceful and serene, he hated to wake her up. She had a slight small on her lips and he wondered just what she was dreaming. Could she be dreaming about me? Don't get a big head now, Potter!

Her hair was fanned out behind her head and from what Harry could see, she was wearing a plain t-shirt. He brushed a few strands from her face, and reveled in the soft feel of her skin. He wanted to lean down and give her a quick kiss, but opted against it. What would happen if she woke up to me sitting on her bed kissing her?

He smiled as he pictured Hermione's dazed and confused look that would probably turn into one of embarrassment and anger.

How to wake her up? Should I shake her? Open the blinds letting the light wake her up? Should I toss a little water on her? Should I jump on the bed? Shout in her ear?

Maybe I should go and get my invisibility cloak and scare her? He chuckled again at the thought, but decided he better not scare her on her birthday.

He walked over to her bed and began shaking her lightly. She started to stir a little bit, but she didn't open her eyes. Harry smiled at her face.

"Hermione," he said quietly. She moved a little bit more so Harry said her name just a little bit louder. "Hermione."

Her eyelids began to flutter and when they came up she stared at his face. He smiled and she moved her hands up, rubbing her eyes. She moved them down, and looked up at Harry.

"Harry?" Hermione inquired. She began to sit up a little bit. "Am I dreaming?"

He chuckled. "Only if you want to be, I guess. But I think you might want to wake up. I have something for you."

Hermione raised her eyebrow at Harry. "For me? What for?"

"Well I do think it is someone's birthday," Harry said, and Hermione smiled.

"You…uh…you knew my birthday?" Hermione asked, stunned.

"Of course I did. Did you think I wouldn't know when your birthday was?" Harry asked her, turning his head a bit.

Hermione nodded her head. Harry reached out and ruffled her hair a bit playfully. She grinned and Harry was glad. He wanted to see her smile, especially today.

Harry stood up from the bed. "Well birthday girl," Harry began as he moved over to the table and picked up the tray. He walked back over to Hermione who's eyes were now open wide. She was sitting up fully in her bed.

"Harry," Hermione said, eyeing the tray. "You didn't have to do this."

Harry sat on her bed and put the tray on her lap. He turned and looked into her eyes, which were now sparkling. "I know, but I wanted to." They kept eye contact for a few more moments and then Hermione looked down at the food.

Harry knew that she felt uncomfortable, so he broke the silence. "Well, I didn't know what you would want, so I got Dobby to make a little bit of everything. So eat up!" Harry said, clapping his hands together.

"This looks great! Thanks, Harry," Hermione said genuinely. She looked back up at him. "Help me eat it?" she asked with a lopsided smile. Harry thought she looked so adorable.

"How can I resist food?" Harry said and Hermione laughed.

"Good thing Ron isn't here, this food would already be gone!" Hermione commented and Harry laughed with her. They ate their food, all the while, Harry looked over at Hermione. The smile seemed to be permanently embedded on her face and her eyes sparkled with a mixture of laughter and joy.

After the food was all gone and their stomachs full, Harry put away the tray. "So, ready to begin the day?" Harry asked.

Hermione looked confused. "Huh? There's more?"

Harry gave her a grin. "Of course there's more! What do you take me for?" he asked mock-accusingly.

Hermione smiled at him. "Ready?" he asked her again.

"Harry, I've got to get ready!" Hermione said throwing the covers off and hopping out of bed, revealing the cute pajama bottoms she was wearing, which were covered in little rabbits.

Harry looked at them and smiled. Hermione obviously saw this and started to blush. "I can't believe I let you see me like this!" she exclaimed, crossing her arms in front of her to try and hide a bit of herself.

"Hermione, I think you look just fine," Harry said, honestly.

Hermione gave him a cute smile. "Well, let me get ready and then we can go, ok?" Hermione asked and Harry nodded.

He grabbed the tray and headed for the door. Turning the knob he was about to walk out when Hermione called his name. He looked back to see that her eyes seemed to have glazed over, but she was smiling. "Thanks," she said to him and he nodded. No words were needed, and he left.

Thirty minutes later, Harry sat on the couch waiting for Hermione to arrive. He had made small talk with Ron and Lavender for a bit, discussing the plans for the day. Finally he saw her coming down the stairs.

He got up to meet her. She was dressed in jeans and a cute blue shirt with a pink camisole over it. Her hair was down her back in curls and she wore a slight hint of eye shadow and lip gloss, but Harry thought she never looked better. The one feature that did stand out for him was her smile. It stretched across her whole face and he knew that the day had started out great.

"So, ready to go?" Harry asked and Hermione crossed her arms over her chest.

"What's going on, Harry?" Hermione asked and Harry could tell she was trying to decided what the day would entail.

"You'll see. So let's go," Harry said as he walked over, grabbing her hand in his, and walking out of the common room.

"Where are we going?" Hermione asked Harry as they continued down the corridors.

"Well, I decided we could go into Hogsmeade for awhile," Harry told her.

"Harry, we're not allowed to go to Hogsmeade. It's a Sunday," Hermione told him and Harry gave her a cunning smirk. Hermione raised her eyebrow. "Alright, what do you have up your sleeve?"

"I happen to know a secret passageway into Hogsmeade," Harry told her, grinning. He pulled her along until they reached the statue where the passageway was hidden. He was going to take her by the whopping willow, but he wasn't in the mood to dodge swinging branches.

He pulled out the Marauders Map. Taking a quick look around, making sure that they were alone, Harry pulled out his wand. "I solemnly swear I am up to no good," Harry said and the map came alive.

Hermione's face seemed to light up with amazement and she turned to him, wanting an explanation.

"Later," he mouthed, as he checked the map, making sure the coast was clear.

Seeing that Filch was a floor above them and no teachers were around, Harry decided now was the time to go.

"Dissendium!" Harry said, and the statue moved. Hermione jumped a little at the sudden movement, but Harry just grabbed her hands, pulling her into the hidden area.

Once inside, darkness encompassed them. "Lumos," Harry said and his wand lit up, giving them a bit of light.

Harry put his arm around Hermione's waist, holding her tight against him as they made their way through the narrow path. Harry smelled her aroma, breathing in the scent of her shampoo. She smelled great and the feel of her in his arms was magical. He couldn't keep the smile off of his face.

They came up through Honeydukes, stopping to look around. Harry bought Hermione a couple packs of chocolate frogs and sugar quills, even though she continued to refuse the offer, he insisted.

Coming out onto the path, Harry began trekking up toward the Shrieking Shack. As they got to the gate, Hermione stopped.

"Hermione, what's wrong?" Harry asked, seeing the apprehension on her face.

"Harry, that place is haunted. I don't want to go there," Hermione admitted, biting her bottom lip.

"Hermione, it's not haunted," Harry began, but seeing that she didn't look any more comforted he held out his hand. "Trust me?"

Harry watched as Hermione eyed his hand. He began to think she would refuse, but finally she reached up and griped his outstretched arm.

Pulling her along, Harry opened the gate and began walking down the grass-covered walkway.

Once they reached the house, Harry stopped and pushed opened the door, entering it.

The light filtered into the room through the dust-covered windows and cracks in the wood that lined the house.

The floors creaked beneath their feet, giving off an eerie sound. If Harry wouldn't have known the actual story behind this place he would have thought it was haunted. And not just because the townspeople thought so, but by the way it looked, it seemed as if it jumped right out of a muggle horror film.

Silence filled the area, tensing the scene and making everything seem even that much more uncomfortable.

"What are we doing here?" Hermione whispered. The sudden noise startled Harry a bit and he whipped around to Hermione. Hermione gave him an odd look and he just smiled.

"I'm assuming that you haven't been here before, right?" Harry asked and Hermione nodded her head. "Well, I wanted us to do something different and exciting and I thought I would bring you here."

"How did you know it wasn't haunted? All the villagers…" Hermione started to say, but Harry cut her off.

"The villagers think it's haunted, which was exactly the reaction they were going for," Harry told her, leading her through the room. They passed old furniture and tables that were overturned and covered in dust.

"Who were going for?" Hermione inquired. Harry turned back to her and saw her looking at everything with a peculiar eye.

"The Marauders!" Harry exclaimed, giving Hermione a quick wink. Harry saw her smile, a bit embarrassed, and it caused him to smile. Are her smiles contagious?

"Who?" Hermione asked, perplexed. Harry knew she was trying really hard to think if she had read about them in a book somewhere.

"Well, they were a group of students here, four actually, before we were born. One of them was my father," Harry began. He pulled her to the stairs and began to walk up them. They stepped lightly, the steps didn't look sturdy at all. "And another one was Professor Lupin."

"Professor Lupin?" Hermione said, amazed.

Harry nodded. "The one and only," Harry exclaimed, as they walked into the room where Lupin stayed during his transformations. When Harry walked in, the memories came flooding back. He pictured himself standing here with Ron, Malfoy, Professor Lupin, Sirius Black, and Peter Pettigrew.

He immediately clenched his teeth in anger as the thought of that "rat", literally, entered his head.

"Who were the other two?" Hermione asked. Harry's anger fled immediately when he turned back to look at her.

"Well, the one was a traitor named Peter Pettigrew. And the other, well, have you ever heard of Sirius Black?" Harry asked.

"The murderer who escaped from Azkaban and who is now clear of all charges?" Hermione asked and Harry nodded.

"Well, he's my godfather," Harry said and Hermione's eyes widened.

"So he tried to kill you in third year, but he was your godfather?" Hermione asked, confused.

"Well, let me start from the beginning," Harry said. He led Hermione over to the bed, and they sat down. He began the tale about the Marauders being illegal animagus, how Lupin was the "ghost" of the shrieking shack. He told her about how they found out how Sirius was actually innocent and how he now lives with him and he couldn't be happier.

Harry could tell Hermione was entranced by the story. She asked plenty of questions about the map and what happened to Peter. She was also angry when she found out how he had betrayed the Potters.

After he was done, almost two hours had passed.

"Wow. I didn't know any of that. I had only heard the basic story about Sirius getting off," Hermione said, still with an amazed look over her face. "Your godfather sounds so cool. It seems like you two have a great relationship."

"Yeah, we do. He's always been there for me, well at least as long as he could have. He gives me great advice and he cares for me. That's all that really matters to me," Harry told her.

Hermione smiled. "I'm glad to hear that, Harry," Hermione said to him. Harry smiled, glad that she understood.

Harry looked around for a minute. "Well, I think we spent enough time in here. Ready to go?" Harry asked and Hermione nodded.

They left the same way they came and headed back up to Hogwarts. Harry led her to the Qudditch Pitch. "Alright, I'm just going to run in and get my firebolt," Harry started to say and he could see the slight hesitation in Hermione's features. "Don't worry, we don't have to fly far to get where we're going." Hermione nodded. "Stay here, I'll be right back."

Running inside, he ran to his locker. Opening it up, he pulled out his firebolt. Everything is going so great! I hope she loves what I have planned next. He smiled to himself, enjoying the fact that he was able to provide Hermione with a great day, just like she deserved.

Going outside, he spotted Hermione leaning against the wall. "Ok. I know you don't want to do this, but we won't be on it long," Harry told her as he straddled the broom.

"That's ok. It's not so bad when I'm with you," Hermione told him, as she got behind him.

Harry felt his cheeks redden a bit at Hermione's comment. He felt her arms go around his waist. Turning his head back so he could see her face, he said "Ready?"

She nodded her head and he pushed off, pulling them into the air and high above the pitch. Hermione's arms tightened, but he didn't care. He loved the feeling of her behind him while they were soaring in the sky.

He headed over the pitch, flying toward the trees. Going over the tree-line, he saw the clearing up ahead. Landing in the green grass, Harry shrunk his firebolt and pocketed it.

"Getting good at that I see," Hermione said, giving him a slight smirk.

"All thanks to you," Harry told her. He grabbed her hand and led her over a little hill. "Alright, close your eyes."

She obliged and Harry moved them farther down the hill. Arriving at his destination, he turned to Hermione. "Open your eyes."

Hermione opened her eyes upon Harry's request and gasped. In front of her was a large blanket spread out on the ground. There were plates set out with glasses of pumpkin juice. A large picnic basket sat in the middle, and Hermione could see that it was filled with all kinds of snacks.

To the left, Hermione saw Ron and Lavender standing there. They both had huge smiles on their faces.

Above the picnic, written in the clouds, was 'Happy Birthday Hermione!'. It rotated colors every five second.

Hermione could feel her eyes glazing over. She never expected this.

She never expected any of this.

When she woke up, the last thing she would have thought of was that Harry Potter would say Happy Birthday, bring her breakfast in bed, take her to Hogsmeade, share some of his secrets with her, and then this picnic. Everything was just so overwhelming.

To be honest, she didn't think anyone would even know about her birthday. She didn't want to say anything about it, but inside her heart was flipping with joy knowing that Harry put all this together for her.

She never really had a birthday party. She had some great ones with her parents before they died, but she never really had any friends over to celebrate it. And while in Hogwarts, she never had one person come up to her and say Happy Birthday.

Covering her mouth to suppress a sob, she felt the tears flowing down her face.

"Hermione, is something wrong?" Harry asked. He couldn't stand the sight of her crying.

She shook her head, unable to speak, and smiled. "Thank you," she finally whispered.

Lavender came up to her first and wrapped her up in a hug. "No one deserves this more than you, Hermione. You're a great person and the only regret I have is that I didn't get to know you sooner," Lavender told her.

The words touched Hermione's heart. "Thanks Lav," Hermione answered.

Next, Ron came up and grabbed Hermione into his arms. Hermione's face was buried in his chest.

"She's right, Hermione. You really do deserve this. I hope you like everything!" Ron exclaimed.

"I do. Thanks Ron," Hermione said. Ron moved back to look into her eyes.

"You're welcome, but it was mostly that green-eyed git's idea!" Ron exclaimed, motioning to Harry, who was standing to the side.

Harry watched as Lavender and Ron greeted Hermione. He had made her cry, but it was out of joy. He was so glad he could make her happy.

Hermione turned toward Harry and they made eye contact. She slipped out of Ron's arms and walked over to Harry. Before either could think about what they were doing, they were hugging each other tightly.

"Thank you so much, Harry. This means more than you know," Hermione said into his shoulder, her voice cracking with emotion. I can't believe he did all this for me. He really does care for me.

"No problem," Harry said, not really knowing how to respond. If he had his choice he would have kissed her right then and there, but he refrained.

"Well, let's eat!" Ron exclaimed and Hermione pulled out of Harry's grasp.

She looked at him through teary eyes and laughed. "Yeah, let's eat."

They ate their food and chatted for a while. Hermione couldn't remember the last time she had this much fun, well besides the outing with Harry the first time.

Harry then pulled out a cake at the bottom of the basket. It was chocolate, Hermione's favorite, and she couldn't wait to eat it. It was decorated with little books around the edges and the words Happy Birthday Hermione were written in pink icing.

Ron led the musical rendition of "Happy Birthday To You", and Hermione laughed at his awful singing.

There were candles on the cake and they all told her to make a wish. Hermione closed her eyes. She knew exactly what she wanted to wish for. I wish for Harry, Ron, and Lavender to have long and happy lives and be with their true soul-mates, whoever they may be. And I hope Harry's mine! She laughed at herself for the wish, but hey, it was her birthday, right?! She opened her eyes and blew out all the candles.

After eating, Ron and Lavender both gave her a couple gifts. One was a book she had wanted all year. Another was a brand new planner for next year, which she really did need seeing as how her other one was completely full, and a couple boxes of candy.

"Thanks. You two didn't have to give me anything. You just being here is present enough," Hermione told them.

"Hermione, you must be kidding! We didn't even get you enough," Lavender commented.

"I know, a planner, book, and candy. That's what I always wanted," Ron said sarcastically.

Hermione gave him a mock-glare and then smiled. "Well, they are perfect for me, and I love them!" Hermione replied.

Hermione didn't want to say anything, but she wondered if Harry had gotten her anything. He didn't make any movement to give her a present nor did he say anything about it, but she thought that what he did today was enough.

He put all this together, took me out for the whole day, so this is present enough.

Harry watched as Hermione's talked with Ron and Lavender. He hadn't said much because he couldn't keep his mind off of Hermione long enough to string together some words to form a sentence.

He wanted to wait to give her her gift when they were alone. He patted his pocket gently, making sure it was still there. He felt the form of the box and smiled. I hope she likes it.

They talked for a little bit longer, then darkness began to set in.

"Well, I think me and Lavender are going to head back. We have some, uh, stuff to do," Ron said, blushing a bit.

Lavender's cheeks were a little red. "Yeah, we should," Lavender said. They all stood up.

Lavender hugged Hermione again. "Happy Birthday Hermione! I hope it was a good day," Lavender told her.

"It was a great day! Thanks so much," Hermione exclaimed, grinning.

Ron hugged her again. "Yeah, Happy Birthday Hermione!"

"Thanks Ron, for everything!" Hermione said. She then reached up and pecked him on the cheek.

He gave her a smile, and the hopped on Ron's broom, and disappearing out of sight.

Hermione turned back to Harry. "Thanks for a great day, Harry," Hermione said. "Are you ready to go in?" She didn't want the night to end, but she thought Harry would be tired by now.

Harry stood there for a second and shook his head. "Well, I thought we could stay out here a little bit longer. I have one more thing for you."

Hermione raised one eyebrow up at him. "What else could you possibly do, Harry? You've already done so much."

Harry reached out and laced his hand with hers. "Well, I think how much I do for you is up to me."

Pulling out his firebolt, he put it back to its usual side. They both climbed on, and Harry took off back to the pitch.

"I think the view here is great and at night it is spectacular," Harry told her.

Hermione looked up at the sky and was enchanted by the ghostly scene. Clouds barely visible, sliced through the blackness in total randomness. The stars speckled the sky, some really bright, others faint. The moon was bright and beautiful, leaving a streak of light across the field.

If Hermione didn't know what she was looking at was real, she would have thought she was looking at a painting masterpiece. The sight seemed so perfect that it couldn't be real, almost like this night, but in reality, it was; it was as real as Harry and Hermione were.

Harry gave Hermione a minute to look up at the sky. He was trying to think of what to say to her when he gave her the gift. He only hoped she wasn't mad that he invaded her privacy.

Finally finding the courage to speak, Harry cleared his throat. Hermione turned to look at him, seemingly startled by the sudden noise.

"Hermione, I wanted to give you my gift," Harry told her and Hermione smiled.

"But Harry, I thought my gift was this day," Hermione told him.

"Well, it was in part, but I have one more thing for you," Harry said, uneasily. The anticipation was killing him. He had to get this over with, and now.

Pulling out the box from his pocket, he slid it into Hermione's delicate hands.

Hermione looked down at the small, black box. There was a small red bow tied around it and Hermione didn't know what to expect it to be.

She lifted the lid and saw inside was a small, gold locket. On the front was and engraved H.

Pulling it out slowly, she turned it over. On the back was engraved : Happy Birthday Hermione. Love, Harry.

Hermione couldn't help the tears that pooled in her eyes. She didn't know why today she seemed to be more emotional then usual.

Harry watched with nervousness as Hermione opened the gift. He watched as she inspected the back. Moving closer to her, he could see that her hands seemed to be shaking a bit and her eyes were teary.

"Open it," Harry said. He could feel his own hands shaking. Please don't be mad, please don't be mad.

Hermione opened the locket and couldn't help the sob that escaped her lips. Inside was the picture that Pansy had destroyed. It was small, but she could still see the faces of her parents. On the other side, was a picture of her and Harry. They were standing outside Hogwarts, Harry's arm was draped over her shoulders and her arm was around his waist.

Hermione could feel the tears streaming down her cheeks at the moment.

Harry's eyes widened when he saw her crying. Oh great! I should have never of taken that picture! Now she probably hates me!

"Hermione, what's wrong? If you're mad I took the picture, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have been going through your things, but I didn't know what to get you and I saw the box there on your desk. It's not even the original, I duplicated it…" Harry tried explaining, hoping it would calm her down.

Hermione listened as Harry rambled on, but she wasn't mad, on the contrary, she was so happy inside it hurt. To think that Harry Potter, who once was a boy she could only dream about talking to, would do all this for her and give her such an extravagant gift, she just couldn't even comprehend the idea.

"Harry," Hermione said, her voice a bit muffled. "HARRY! Stop!"

Harry stopped talking at Hermione's voice.

Hermione's head was filled with so many thoughts right now, she couldn't sort them out.

She walked a little out onto the pitch. She could feel Harry's eyes on her back at the moment. She didn't know what to tell him, but one thing was for sure. Now was the time, no time was better than now. He deserved to know and she needed to talk about it.

"It happened in the summer before sixth year," Hermione started to say. She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and crossed her arms over her chest, but she didn't turn around.

Harry was perplexed. What was she talking about? "What?" he asked, quietly.

She didn't say anything for a few minutes and Harry sat, staring at the back of her form. The breeze seemed to pick up, and her hair was blowing around.

Two strands caught Harry's eye. He watched as they danced, twirled, moved together in the wind; together in an intimate dance with each other. They whirled, tangled within one another. They moved as if they were the only things in the world, because in a way, they were. They didn't know about the pressures of life or dealing with emotions, they didn't know about evil wizards like Voldemort or the threat of danger wherever they went, they didn't know about having to keep good grades so that they could have the career they wanted; they didn't know any of that, but what they did know was each other, and that was all that mattered

Harry found himself admiring the strands of golden hair; admiring their ability to be free of the world and it's problems, and only to be able to think about the one they loved, the one they could share everything with no matter what life threw at them.

The strands continued to dance, picking up speed when the wind blew a little harder, but they never let go of each other; they held on tighter, afraid of losing the one thing that they had in their grasp.

Harry realized at that moment, that the strands were like him and Hermione, only they didn't know it yet. Or at least they hadn't admitted it to each other. His eyes trailed back to Hermione, her back still toward him, and he knew, right then, that they were meant to be. The realization made his heart soar, and all he wanted to do was pour his soul out to her, expressing everything that he could about the way she made him feel. But now was not the time for that. He had to hear what she was going to say first.

Hermione looked out over the ground, trying to find the courage to say the next sentence. It seemed as if ever since that day she had been trying to say these words, but never could. The words seemed to stick in her mouth and she wasn't able to voice them, for many reasons.

But the main one was fear.

Fear of what people would say, of having to face the reality again, fear of dealing with that day, dealing with everything she kept locked away in the depths of her soul.

She knew it was time though. How? She didn't know, but it was time. And Harry was the one she was suppose to tell it to. Had it always been him? Did the fates bring them together so she would have the perfect person to tell him the story to; to get her to open up after these last couple years? Was it because Harry would understand better than most?

All these questions soared through her mind, but finally she pushed them away. Stop wasting time Hermione and do it!

She turned back to him then, and watched him watch her. His eyes were clouded with concern and uneasiness. She knew he had no idea what to say at the moment, but she was glad he was silent. He didn't push her, and that's what Hermione wanted. The chance to say it when she was ready. And ready she was.

Wiping her eyes again, even though knowing the effort was useless. The tears still seemed to fall, even though she willed them to stop.

She looked to the sky. Mom, dad, please be with me on this. I need your help. Help me voice everything.

Feeling a burst of strength in her, she looked back to Harry who hadn't moved. Taking a breath, she sighed. "The death of my parents."