Ethereal

Harry admires her openly, revelling in the fact that he no longer has to pretend not to notice how beautiful Hermione is. Mione knows the truth now, there's no turning back. 

"How come you didn't tell me?" she asks, almost frustratedly clutching Harry's shoulders. 

"It's selfish; I always felt we had time. I had convinced myself in the back of my mind that we would be waiting for one other, even though you owe me nothing of the sort. When I realised you weren't going to stay single forever, you were already dating-" 

 "Alex! " Mione interrupts, raising a nervous palm to her temple. "Alex, oh god! What am I going to do? "

Harry sighs and lowers his head. He knows he has no right to ask Hermione any more questions, so he looks down, frightened to hear the brunette's response. 

"No Har. No, I don't mean that... I'm simply not sure how I'm going to tell him. But Harry... I want this," Mione says, gesticulating between them. "I'd like whatever this is." 

"What do you want this to be?" Harry puts his toe in the water. 

And Hermione is at a loss for words. Can she say 'everything'? Can she tell him she wants everything from him without driving him away? She wishes to grow old with him and remain by his side through it all. Enjoy their happiness and handle their suffering together. 

"Umm," Hermione pauses. "What do you want?"

Harry takes a bold step forward, "I want to be your friend, I want to be everything you would ever need. I want to be the person you hopelessly fall in love with. The one you come back home to each day. I want to be the thought in your head that brings a smile to your face, and the only one you let into the world trapped in your head."

Hermione tries to exhale, keep her breathing rhythmic because if Harry kept talking like that she wouldn't be able to trust herself to not do anything. 

Harry moves closer, his taller self crowding Hermione. He runs his hands up her arms and smirks as her breath hitches. 

"I want to know where to touch you, how to touch you so that my name is the only thing on your lips. I want to hear you make sounds and see you smile in a way that is only reserved for me. I want to fall in love with the part of you that nobody has ever seen."

His hand cradles her neck, and she kept help but nuzzle closer to the palm. Hermione can't think, she can't breath. 

"I want so many things Mione. I want your strength to keep me going. I want your smile to give me hope. I want your touch to give me life. I want you all to myself for as long as I can and never let you go."

His hand wounds in the back of her neck and he pushes her face so close to himself that she feels his breath on her face. It's warm and burning something in her. 

"I might not be a good person, I might not deserve you but one thing I have learnt is that it doesn't make me want you any less. Doesn't make me need you any less."

Hermione latches onto that one word, 'need', and crashes her lips on his. This time, it's different. While Harry had been tender, loving and gentle at first. Now, she felt him devouring her. It's like he has been dying to do this all the time, like he wants to memorise the way she tastes, the way she feels. 

His breathing is erratic and Hermione feels herself falling, falling apart with Harry being the only string tethering her to reality. 

Harry's hands travel down her back, learning each curve, each slope. Then he's kissing her neck, her throat. He feels her fluttering nerve pulse under his lips and it makes him latch on to that spot harder. Her hand wounds in his hair and it takes everything in Harry to not groan as he feels a tug. 

He pulls her up to himself and she feels her feet leaving the ground. She's in Harry's arms and her back is against the wall. Harry pulls back, drinking in the sight of her dishevelled hair, puffy lips and he brings his lips to Hermione's ears. 

"You're beautiful," he whispers, lips touching her lobes and she shivers in his embrace. "So unbelievably beautiful."

Harry's forehead is pressed against hers and his skin is flushed with heat. "I've wanted you for so long."

There's a wishful longing in his eyes and a glint of sadness that Hermione has the urge to wipe away. 

"I've wanted you too," she says, her arms around his neck. He puts her down but his arms tighten around her waist. "I have always wanted you so much that it has scared me. To feel so intensely, to feel guilty for wanting you all to myself. Wanting to keep you home, away from all the people you go out to help in your missions."

She sighs and buries her head under his chin. He places a feather light kiss on the top of her head. "We going to do this?" He asks and she laughs out loud, nodding. 

"I believe we should move now, you know with Teddy waiting for us in the other room and all that," Hermione said, making no efforts to move away. 

"Yeah I know," Harry snuggles into her, his nose in her hair. "Just a few more minutes."

"I think we're gonna have a lot of minutes."

Harry chuckles and mutters 'smartass' and then "You gonna with me forever Mione?"

"You wouldn't survive a day without me."

Hermione knows that tomorrow would be different, she would have to talk to Alex. Harry and her would have to talk about their schedule. They would have to talk to Teddy and tell all their friends but she knew for certain that end of the day, she would come back home to him.