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Harry woke up shaken to hear a lot of screaming around him. It took him a few seconds to realize that he was still in bed in his dormitory in the Gryffindor tower where he had slept the night before. The four heads of his friends were very close to his face and they had big smiles.
"Happy Birthday Harry!" they all exclaimed at once and hit him friendly on the head. Neville handed him his glasses so he could put them on.
"Thank you. What's all the fuss about?" he asked and sat up on his bed.
"Can't we be happy because our friend is having a birthday and we love him very much?" Ron replied. Harry gave him a serious look, making it clear that he didn't believe him in the slightest. "Okay, okay. I saw that you got some sweets and I was wondering if you didn't want to treat your best friend to some of that."
They all started laughing as Ron's ears turned as red as his hair. Seamus threw a pillow at him but the redhead was able to catch it in time before it hit his face. Harry directed his gaze to the foot of his bed where, indeed, several boxes of different types of sweets could be seen along with other packaging, one of them probably being Mrs. Weasley's classic sweater that he adored so much. He hurried over and snatched up a chocolate frog, then tossed it to Ron, who nodded his thanks before popping the whole thing into his mouth. Harry offered Neville, Dean and Seamus as well but all three told him they didn't want to.
Harry took a quick look at the rest of his gifts: Ginny had given him a black wand case with a few small gold details; Ron a Broomstick Servicing Kit and Hagrid a framed moving photo that they had taken with their entire group of friends a few months ago. Seeing what appeared to be a wrapped book, he smiled and rushed to grab it, but was too surprised to see the small note signed by Luna wishing him a happy birthday. He checked each and every one of the gifts but did not find any from the person he wanted the most. Harry tried not to think too much about it. Either way, he was going to see her in a matter of minutes. Especially if he hurried.
"I'm going to take a bath and then go have breakfast." He informed his roommates that they were deep in conversation about Quidditch. The only one who seemed to pay attention to him was Neveille.
Harry showered as fast as he could, choosing the first clothes he could find and using a drying spell so he wouldn't have his hair all wet and dripping off his shirt. He ran down the stairs and took a look at the common room. She wasn't there.
The twins came up to him and ruffled all his hair. "Today is the birthday of the Chosen One!".
"What would our life be if we didn't have him?" exclaimed George dramatically.
"We'd be lost." Fred replied as he wiped away a fake tear.
"So lost."
"Yeah, alright, very funny." Harry tried to put his hair back in place and look as normal as possible. It was an attempt in vain. "Have you seen Hermione?".
"Looking for your girlfriend, Potter?".
"Did she promise you a make-out session as a birthday present?".
"Or maybe something more serious, one of those things that only adults do behind closed doors."
"I think, George, we'll have to have a serious talk with them."
"You're right, Fred. After all, we don't want to have to take care of little chosen ones. Not right now at least."
"But in the future...".
"Enough!" Harry exclaimed a little louder than intended. A couple of students who were walking around looked at him strangely but didn't say anything. "I just want to know where she is to ask her about a essay McGonagall left us. And because, you know, it's my birthday…".
His cheeks turned red and he looked away to the side to hide his embarrassment. He had to endure another full minute of taunting before the twins responded.
"I think…" George started to say "She went to have breakfast with Ginny."
"Yes, yes. They went down to the Great Hall very early." Fred finished.
"Brilliant. Thank you very much." Harry left quickly while the redheads laughed behind his back and made kissing sounds.
Along the way, several people greeted him and offered their best wishes. Harry tried to be as nice as possible, but he didn't pay them much attention. His mind was focused on only one thing: finding Hermione.
Arriving in the Great Hall, he did a quick scan of the Gryffindor table but couldn't find her brown mane. What he could see was Ginny's characteristic fiery red hair, who was having a pleasant conversation with Luna. They both greeted him happily when he approached them.
"Happy Birthday Harry."
"Thanks. Have any of you…?".
"Did you get my present?" Luna interrupted him.
"Yes, very nice. Thank you Luna. So, have you seen...?"
"What did you give him?" Ginny interrupted again.
"A special copie on magical creatures. They have a very interesting chapter on Phoenixes. I heard you've been interested in that lately."
Harry was going to answer but once again the younger Weasley cut him off.
"How interesting! I was thinking of giving Charlie something like that. But about dragons, of course."
"There is an edition with exclusive photos about these creatures. It is really a beautiful book."
"Great! Do you think you could help me…?".
"Enough!" For the second time in less than an hour many students from different houses turned to watch Harry Potter scream. Even the few teachers who were finishing their breakfast gave him an exasperated look. Harry felt embarrassed again and tried to ignore that he was being the center of attention.
"Merlin, Harry. Calm down. What's going on?" Ginny asked.
"Do you know where Hermione is? Your brothers told me that you went down to breakfast together."
"Why didn't you ask before? Yes, we got here together but she ate faster than Ron, and that's saying something. Then she left."
"I was trying to ask but you guys wouldn't stop talking about magical creatures. Anyway, do you know where she went?".
"I think she mentioned something about going to the Library. What a surprise."
"Thanks."
Before either of them could open their mouths again, Harry was already in the corridor heading towards the Library. He had to slow down when he got there because if Madam Pince saw him running she would punish him until the end of the day, not caring that it was his birthday. Breathing fast from his running, Harry headed for the table in the back that he knew was Hermione's favorite. But it seemed that today, like almost every day of his life, he was out of luck. The table was completely empty and there was no indication that anyone had used it that day. He glanced around the nearby shelves, without much hope, until he came across Madam Pince.
"Mr. Potter. It's strange to see you around here."
Harry cleared his throat nervously before answering "Madam Pince. I was looking for Hermione, have you seen her?".
"Miss Granger didn't come to the Library today. The last time I saw her was yesterday at noon. Do you want to leave her a message?".
"Mmh, no. Thank you very much. I'll keep looking for her."
He turned to leave but her voice called out to him once more.
"Mr. Potter?".
"Yes ma'am?".
"Happy Birthday. I hope you have a good day."
"Thank you so much."
When Harry was in the outer corridor again, his stomach growled. He hadn't eaten anything since he woke up, except for a few sweets. If Hermione were by his side, she would tell him that that was not food, and that he had to eat a proper breakfast. But Harry couldn't go back to the Great Hall, it would take too long and he really needed to find her. The castle was huge and he could spend all day looking for her.
For another forty minutes Harry walked through empty floors and classrooms, looking through some windows in case he saw Hermione walking outside, but there was no sign of her. Frustration ran through his entire body. Just when he was on the sixth floor, pretty angry about the whole situation, he heard a voice calling him.
Not just any voice. It was her voice.
"Potter!".
He turned to see her standing on the bottom step of the stairway that led to the seventh floor. She was glowing as always. Smiling at him as she swayed from one foot to the other.
"Hermione!".
Harry ran the distance between them until his hands could touch her. He grabbed her by the waist and kissed her without thinking twice. Hermione wrapped her arms around his neck and grabbed his hair in her hands, ruffling it between her fingers and touching it in the way he enjoyed so much. They were kissing for several minutes, with the corridor empty and with no one to interrupt or tease them, but they had to separate due to lack of air.
"Happy Birthday Harry."
"Thank you."
"You are getting older every day."
"I know. Would you like to grow old with me?".
Hermione gave him a huge smile again and kissed him back. Their tongues met for another minute.
"I've been looking for you all morning. Where were you? Ginny told me you went to the Library but Madam Pince hasn't seen you since yesterday."
"I may have lied to Ginny. I was planning your surprise."
"My surprise?".
"Yeah..." Hermione grabbed his tie and pulled him closer to her body. They shared a deep kiss that left Harry a little dizzy. His hands tightened around her waist so she could feel the tension building in his lower parts "There may be a private party, near a certain tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy... But only you are invited."
"The Room of Requirement?" Harry's eyes darkened, remembering the few times they'd snuck in there after curfew. His pants looked like they were going to explode from how tight they were. "Let's go then..".
"Now? Harry is for tonight. I even asked Dobby to help me with dinner. Ron wants us to have a few beers in the afternoon at the Three Broomsticks."
"But Hermione, I need you." He pulled her tight against him and kissed her fiercely. Hermione moaned into his mouth making his erection grow.
"I guess we can make a little stop before we go."
"Totally agree. Otherwise, I don't think I can last so many hours with just my imagination."
"Me neither. My knickers are already soaked." She whispered in his ear in a very sensual way. Harry totally lost control and lifted her legs up, forcing her to grab onto his shoulders tightly, as she chuckled. He started up the stairs that led to the seventh floor as Hermione kissed his neck "Looks like someone is desperate."
"I spent many hours without you. And as soon as I find you, you provoke me like that. How do you want me not to despair?"
"If I knew you would react like this, I would have gone looking for you first thing in the morning. But I really had to prepare your gift well."
"I honestly thought you were going to give me a book."
"Oh, that too. There's a perfect copie about Quidditch waiting for you in the room."
Harry stopped as soon as they had gone up all the steps and looked at her "I love you."
Hermione's eyes looked at him with a depth that made him think she could see into him "I love you too. Too much."
Harry kissed her again "Then let's not waste time, let's go."