Do I dare try to take the leap? -- February 1997

I couldn't believe what he was saying, unbelievable....knowing that he was thinking the same thing. Why didn't he ever say anything before that? I was pissed off and so was he, "JE--" He cut me off by a kiss that I didn't see coming at all. It surprised me to say the least. I kissed him back, it seemed as though we both knew what was between us and yet never acted on it. Which was weird. I loved being by his side. His warmth, his arms around me. I put my hands around his neck breaking the kiss. I looked to meet his eyes and I was smiling, " Well, I didn't expect that.....get me angry then make me stop talking.." I said with a smile as that all I could do right now. Hermione, you're acting like a little school girl here...

I couldn't help but laugh a little bit.  "To be honest, I expected you to smack me," I said, realizing we had never been this close to each other before.  My heart was pounding in my chest and there was no way for me to control it.  I really hadn't realized what I had decided to do until I was doing it.  And I really didn't expect her to kiss me back.  I gazed into her hazel eyes and wondered how dense I had to be to not see what I was seein gin them right now.  "I am so sorry," I told her quietly.  I wasn't apologizing for the kiss; I was apologizing for everything else.  She had no idea how horrible I felt about hurting her.

I laughed as I heard he thought I was going to smack him. " You should know I'd have done it already..." I said to him as I continued to laugh. We stood there staring into each other's eyes when he said it. I was really hoping to hear those words. " You don't need to apologize. "

"Yeah, I kind of do.  I was a first class arse," I told her.  Looking into her eyes, it felt like we were the only two in the common room.  I was sure that we were getting stared at or something, but I honestly didn't even care.  I finally had done it.  The what ifs didn't matter right now; all that mattered was that for the first time in my life, I had her.  I had the one who I longed for.  I had th eone who really already had my heart and didn't even know it.

I smiled, " Well, I wasn't going to be the one to say it." I said with a grin. Ron and Harry have changed me. " I can forgive the arse." I said as he seemed to beat himself up.

I laughed and rolled my eyes.  "You so would have ended up saying it at one point or another, Hermione," I told her.

Joining in on the laughter, " Yeah, I would have sooner or later." I said as he seemed to really know me more than I gave him credit. " Did the birds scare you?"

I laughed and sat down on the couch and pulled her down with me.  "Let's try to forget about those birds," I informed her.  "I'd rather not think about them."  I had had dreams about those damn birds for a week afterwords.