A Summoner in the Wizarding World

I slipped out of the dormitory quietly, careful not to wake Ron, who was snoring softly in his bed. The common room was deserted, bathed in the flickering light from the dying embers in the fireplace. It was nearly midnight. My heart pounded as I made my way to where Hermione and I had agreed to meet.

I reached the bottom of the stairs and scanned the common room. Hermione was sitting in one of the squashy armchairs, her eyes fixed on the crackling flames. She looked... nervous? My heart pounded harder in my chest as I approached her.

"Hey, Hermione..."

She glanced up, her cheeks flushing a faint pink, unclear whether from the warmth or embarrassment. "Hi, Harry," Hermione murmured, her shaky voice barely above a whisper.

I sank into the chair opposite her, at a loss for words. The atmosphere seemed to be in a suffocating and delicate balance, just waiting for one to tip the scales.

"So..." I began, trying to meeting her eye. "Nice night, huh?"

I regret those words immediately as they are said. Oh well. Hermione seems to not mind, though, and nodded, still fixated on the golden glow. "Yeah, I guess," she mumbled, her fingers knotting and unknotting in her lap.

I waited for her to initiate the conversation. Hermione fidgeted with the hem of her robe, her gaze darting everywhere else but me. "Well, um, you know... it's about what you said over the summer. I think I'm ready to answer."

I reached out and, noticing Hermione's lack of resistance, took her hand, my heart pounding in my chest.

"It's okay, Hermione. "Whatever your answer, we'll always be best friends."

'No, we won't. And it will be extremely awkward either way...'

She finally met my nervous gaze, her warm brown eyes tinted with a mixture of emotions that I couldn't quite decipher. "I know, Harry. And... I've thought about it a lot."

I held my breath, waiting for her to continue.

After what felt like an eternity, she finally spoke. "I... I think we should give it a chance. I'm happy to be your girlfriend, Harry."

Relief flooded through me, so much so I could hardly hear the sound of the quest being completed. Hermione Granger said yes!

But her next words somewhat cooled down my excitement. "But, Harry, you need to understand that I'm... new to this. I mean, relationships. And I'm not... comfortable with, um, sudden physical contact." Hermione stuttered and gestured at the hand I was clasping slightly too tightly, her cheeks flushing.

"Oh... right! Sorry, Hermione," I smiled sheepishly, regretfully withdrawing but not before squeezing her hand gently. "We'll take it at your pace, I promise."

A relieved smile flitted across her lips, and for the first time, her eyes softened with newborn affection. "Thank you, Harry," she said. "Uhm... it's already late so... would you be sleeping here?"

I nodded mischievously and couldn't help but tease her slightly: "Is that an invitation, milady? Because I'm ready when you are."

Hermione suppressed her laughter, rolling her eyes playfully. "Oh, please, Harry," she replied, her tone playful, though her blushed cheeks betrayed her embarrassment. "Don't get ahead of yourself..."

Settling into the squashy armchairs, I muttered "Accio!" to summon my blanket and a spare from the dormitory. My new girlfriend gawked at the sight, her eyes alight with competition as I gave her one and put a finger over my lips.

"Get some sleep, Hermione. We have the whole tomorrow for you to pester me after all."

She pouted slightly at my reminder but accepted the blanket regardless. Mouthing "Good night", Hermione determinedly closed her eyes, relaxing in the coziness of the fireplace. I followed suit after taking my fill of her defenseless sleeping face, my consciousness slowly fading to black.

She pouted slightly at my reminder but accepted the blanket nonetheless. Mouthing a soft "Good night," Hermione determinedly closed her eyes, sinking into the warmth of the crackling fireplace. I followed suit after stealing one last glance at her peaceful sleeping face, falling into dream's embrace.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

Sunlight streamed in from the windows, brushing past both mine and Hermione's skin, the latter still fast asleep. Yawning exhaustively, I stood up and glanced around the common room. It's still early morning, and waking up early was a habit ever since I started the jogging before the sun is up. I lifted Hermione's blanket to cover her to prevent a cold and left for the dorm.

I heard a clattering sound from nearby, but dismissed it as just someone seeing something they shouldn't. While taking my robes, I noticed Ron still sound asleep. It seems like the sound was from the girl's dormitory, though that should not pose much problem.

After getting dressed and preparing for the day, I returned to the common room and settled into the armchair once more. With a stack of textbooks in hand, I began to read, occasionally stealing glances of Hermione.

The quiet serenity of the room reminded me of the honest joy and thankfulness, now also with the desire to guide Hermione, my first real connection, towards a brighter future, whatever it may be.