Harry Potter walked into the library. He wasn’t accustomed to the silence, and so he did his best to contain his voice when he saw Hermione slaving over her books once again. She had been in library studying for two weeks without a real break, even though N.E.W.T.'s were still weeks, almost months, away. Harry had a plan set in mind, and he refused to let Hermione talk him out of her well-deserved break time.



He found her engulfed in a massive stack of books with her signature expression on her face. The one where she is so concentrated on what she is reading, that her brow furrows and her eyes dart from word to word intently. After almost six years, he still couldn’t believe that someone could be so dedicated to waste a Friday night with some dusty old books. But then he thought, it’s Hermione here, and the normality doesn’t always apply.



Hermione didn’t seem to see him until he began to pick up her books and place them on the nearest table. She looked up at Harry, not alarmed in the least and began to get up. “Harry Potter, what are you doing?” She looked slightly serious, but then smiled, knowing exactly what he was attempting to do. But she knew that he couldn’t make her leave. She had made a pact before she began studying that she wouldn’t let her friends interfere. Harry had tried many times before, but she had always sternly shrugged him off.



“Hermione Granger,” Harry said with mock seriousness,” I’m taking you away from this dusty allergen hazard and giving you a well-deserved night off.”



Hermione was puzzled when he said ‘night.’ If it was just her being silly, he was meaning to stay the night with her. But she knew better than to think that. This was Harry here, he was too shy for such activity. Hermione knew better than to worry. So, for once, she let him put her books away.



Before she could control him, he picked up her overstuffed school bag, linked arms with her, and whisked her out of the desolate library. When they emerged outside, a cruelly cold gust met them and caused Hermione’s teeth to chatter. She reached for her jacket, but Harry was already attempting to put it around her shoulders.



What is up with him tonight? Hermione thought curiously. He always did his best to make her less feel stressed, but this was above and beyond his normal attempts. She was beginning to see a recent pattern in his behaviour that was different, but obviously this was not the time to talk, because before she could protest, Harry blindfolded her gently and began to lead her away.



“Harry! Where are you taking me?” Hermione laughed. He really was going all out tonight.



“Don’t get your knickers in a bunch, I’ve got you and I won't let you bump into anything.” Harry smiled to himself. He now had her all to himself. No Ron, no books, no teachers, no obstacles. He walked her through the hall, with the both of them giggling the entire way. Hermione kept asking questions, but all Harry would tell her was “You’ll see.”



Harry did his best to help her walk up the stairs, but he couldn’t balance his laughter and Hermione at the same time. Every so often, he’d trip up and miss a step, causing Hermione to miss a step, and the both would fall into an awkward heap. Harry thought about carrying her, but he didn’t want to embarrass her, so they continued their stair ‘climb and fall’ up to the seventh floor.



Hermione, being intelligent as she is began to become suspicious. “Harry, why are you taking me to the common room? I know what floor we were on and we could have saved a good lot of time getting there without this blindfold over my face.” Hermione smiled slightly but she did seem somewhat annoyed. But Harry knew better. He knew that they weren’t going to the common room.



Harry arrived at the Room of Requirement where he had become a habitual visitor. He told Hermione to stand against the wall and wait for him to guide her where they were going. Hermione now got the hint that they weren’t going to the common room, but with her mind so flustered with possible destinations, she entirely forgot that the Room of Requirement was also on the seventh floor. Harry was glad that she forgot.



The familiar brass handle appeared in its usual place after some generous pacing and thinking on Harry’s part. He went over the Hermione and guided her in the room. Inside was a room full of everything a person needed for a real night off. There was a blazing fire, a comfy couch placed just in front of the fire, and a table in front of the couch complete with fresh and steaming hot cocoa and biscuits. Scattered around the room were calming articles; there were sweet scented candles on every surface, and there was a beautiful view from an enchanted balcony that let you appear to be wherever you wanted, without the cold gusts of air.



Harry led Hermione over to the couch, and removed her blindfold. She blinked her eyes a few times, and then gasped as she looked about the room that enclosed her. All she could do was stare in awe, and when she could finally express her thoughts, she turned to Harry and grinned approvingly; “Harry, it’s lovely.” She stood up from the couch to inspect the room, and by her facial expression, Harry could see that she was satisfied.



“Harry, I know that I’ve been working hard lately, and I’m sorry that I haven’t had much time for you and Ron, but you really didn’t have to do this.” She looked at him with her big brown eyes. Harry found himself swimming in them. He held her gaze until she looked away and blushed slightly. She walked over to the couch, and patted her hand down on the cushion next to her, motioning for Harry to join her.



Harry sat down eagerly and picked up a cup of hot cocoa after Hermione did. She cautiously sipped hers, but only to find that it was the perfect temperature. She smiled at Harry, and now feeling completely relaxed, began to strike up conversation.



“It feels nice, taking a break from the library. I’ve been slaving for what seems like forever, and I’ve forgotten what the outside world was like.” She stifled a laugh, but on the inside she really was disappointed in herself for skiving out on her friends and cramping herself in the library all the time.



“Don’t worry about it Hermione. I’m just glad I got to you before the world lost you completely.” This time, they both laughed, and Hermione loosened up a bit more.



“I can’t believe that this year has gone by so fast! I mean, I feel like we’ve only been here a few weeks, but I guess being cooped in a library makes you lose track of time.” She laughed sheepishly at herself, and caused Harry to crack up. He was glad that she was feeling better, and glad that he had her all to himself.



Out of curiosity, Hermione jumped up from the couch and trotted over to the enchanted balcony. Harry waited a moment before following her. He watched her close her eyes and think of where she wanted to see. Right before both of their eyes, they were on top of a large mountain in the Andes looking at the night sky, which happened to be full of bright stars. As Hermione gazed at the stars, Harry gazed upon Hermione, smiling to himself.



Harry eased from the sofa, and walked silently over to Hermione. Just before she could turn around and smile at him, he wrapped his arms warmly around her waist. Hermione was quite startled at his gesture, but it didn’t take her long to go with the flow.



Hermione let Harry hold her for a little while, until she closed her eyes again to find yet another place. A fjord in Switzerland immediately appeared before them. They looked over the land, and both smiled sheepishly at the fact that they were intertwined. Then, Hermione did something that Harry wouldn’t have expected from her. She turned around, smiled warmly at him, and kissed him softly on the mouth.



Harry didn’t allow puzzlement to extract one moment of his time. He immediately kissed her back, but not overpoweringly. This act went on for some time, until Hermione seemed quite interested. She began to walk slowly over to the couch in the midst of kissing Harry, and managed to sit down, taking him with her. He felt confident enough that he could make a move of his own, so he proceeded to gently laid her onto her back until he was leaning over her face, still kissing her.



As Hermione slept in his arms, Harry smiled to himself. He was here with the girl of his dreams, and for right now, she was his. She had kissed him first, and had confessed to him her feelings. At the moment, everything was perfect. At the moment, nothing else mattered. At the moment, all that was present was a boy and a girl who simply needed each other.