A/N: As if I didn't have ten thousand stories in the works already... Here's another oneshot! Ever since the movie, I have had this headcanon that SOMETHING happened in that tent. I've used it as backstory in a lot of my fics and it was time to actually write it down. So if you have read or plan to read any of my other stories and Harry/Hermione mention having hooked up in the tent, please reference this. This is how I imagine it went down.

The first bit is conversation from the movie itself.

Not even my lovely Alpha, honeysweetcutie, knows I've written this.

Forever unbeta'd

FB group: madrose_writing

Need You Now

"Stop!" Hermione reached for whoever she could get in her effort to break them apart. Tears clouded her vision as her fingers curled around someone's shirt and tugged. "Please. Don't…"

The tussle was over as quickly as it had begun. Harry's words made her stomach churn. "Fine, you want to go? Go!"

Hermione watched as Ron stared at him for a moment and then hurried to remove the locket from around his neck. He tossed it to the side and leaned down to grab his bag. Once it was slung over his shoulder, he moved towards the flap of the tent and turned to look at Hermione. "And you. Are you coming or staying?"

Hermione's breath hitched as her panic rose. She turned to look between Harry behind her and Ron in front of her. She wasn't leaving Harry; their quest was too important, but she didn't want Ron to go either.

Ron took a deep breath and shrugged, his eyes flickering to Harry before settling back on her. "Fine, I get it. I saw you two the other night."

A tear fell from her right eye as she shook her head. "Ron that's… That's nothing."

And it was nothing.

Harry was her best friend as much as Ron was. She loved them both, equally, but in different ways.

Hermione knew it was the dark magic of the Horcrux that made him leave, but all it did was intensify what someone was already feeling. She could understand Ron's jealousy though. She was closer to Harry than to Ron; he understood her better. She could talk to him about anything. It didn't help that things had been tense between her and Ron for some time now. A blame she would never pin solely on him.

As she sat on the step in the tent with her arms around her knees, staring at the lantern, she couldn't help but feel the guilt. Even the weeks that had passed since he left had done nothing to lessen it. Ron had offered her a choice and she had chosen Harry. No matter how much she justified it as choosing him for the greater good, she knew the chasm between her and Ron might be too big to ever come back from.

She caught movement from the corner of her eye and did a double take to see Harry approaching. His hand stretched out to her by the time he stopped in front of her. She stared up at him, curiosity furrowing her brow, but she took his hand and then the other, and let him pull her to her feet. Standing before him, she stayed still, watching him as he reached behind her and unclasped the chain of the locket. He set it down on the table next to the lantern, and pulled her to the middle of the tent.

She shook her head at him as Harry started to dance, never letting go of her hands. He simply cracked a smile and continued to dance. It was only a few beats before she smiled and went with it. Soon, he was spinning her and moving freely about the room. For a moment, all of her troubles seemed to fade away. But as he pulled her close and her chin rested on his shoulder, the guilt found its way back in.

Hermione tightened her hold at the same time he did. The moment stretched on, going far beyond their normal comfort. When Harry began to pull back, it was slow. The air shifted around them and there was hesitation from them both. Hermione gasped quietly as he began to move back in, tipping his head slightly to one side. She reared her head back, staring at him in question, but he never pulled away. After a moment, she swallowed hard, and leaned in, closing the distance between them.

The kiss was slow and sweet. They were quick to part their lips for one another, but each stroke of their tongues together was meant to savor, not devour.

This wasn't a kiss like any other. The ones she had shared with Krum had been simple. Just lips pressed to lips. Small pecks of affection because she was too young, too scared to take it further. The few she had had with Cormac were the opposite. Sloppy, hungry, desperate for more.

With Harry, it was a combination of the two. While it stoked an unfamiliar fire low in her abdomen, there was no sense of urgency. She was content on breathing his air and feeling his arms wrapped around her. But as his lips continued to tug at hers, she realized she needed this; needed him.

Needed more.

It was clear he had come to the same conclusion when his arms loosened around her so that his hands could settle at her waist. His fingers curled the hem of her jumper and she gasped into his mouth as his they brushed her bare skin beneath. He simply held onto the fabric until she gave permission with a brisk nod of her head. Slowly, he tugged it upwards, pulling until she had to break the kiss in order for it to be removed fully. She shivered as the chilly night air hit her exposed skin only to shiver again when his hands returned to warm her skin.

They didn't resume their kiss. Instead, their gazes locked as she reached for his shirt. He watched her as she lifted it over his head and let it fall to the floor with hers. When they were just down to their undergarments, Harry's hand found hers. With a simple press of his lips to hers, he stepped back, drawing her with him.

There was no hesitation when she followed. They ascended the small set of stairs and stopped only when they reached his cot. He pulled her closer and slanted his lips over hers. Resuming the slow burn of a kiss from earlier, she shuddered when his hands wound around her back to undo the clasp of her bra. As it fell to the floor, his hands smoothed over her skin until she could feel them beneath her breasts. She moaned softly into his mouth as his thumbs brushed over her nipples, the skin pebbling almost immediately.

But his touch was short lived and she was surprised by the whine that left her throat when he pulled away.

His smile was soft as took hold of her hands again and she followed his lead. She sat on the edge of the bed and then moved up so her head was on the pillows. She propped herself up on her elbows as and held his gaze as he pushed his boxers from his hips and stepped out of them. For a brief moment, curiosity got the best of her and her gaze flickered south, taking in the sight of him standing proud. He was hard and weeping already. The sight made her swallow hard and she took a deep breath as she met his gaze once more.

He held it as he knelt one knee on the bed. Her breath hitched and she dragged her bottom lip between her teeth has his fingers hooked around the band of her knickers. He tugged at them before slowly dragging them down her legs. She kept her knees bent with her feet planted on the bed. Harry leaned in and pressed a kiss atop both of them as his hand crept down the crevice of her thighs.

Her lashes fluttered against her cheeks as his fingers brushed over her core. Harry continued to watch her as he slipped one finger between her folds. Heat flamed her face at the noise it made when he found her wet center. She whimpered and closed her eyes fully as he collected some of the moisture onto his finger and dragged it up to her clit. Her body both relaxed and tightened at the same time, her thighs parting a fraction to give him better access to her.

After a moment, his touch was less experimental and more determined. The longer he touched her, the more her legs parted. As he came to kneel between her legs, he had found a rhythm that elicited the most reaction and added to it by pressing a finger into her. Her elbows came out from under her as she settled back among the pillows again. It was all too much, yet not enough. He added another finger and the moan that followed was deafening.

It wasn't long before her fingers were gripping the sheets so tight her knuckles turned white. Her head was grinding against the pillows as her body arched off the bed. Her hips moved in time to his ministrations and before she could even fully understand what was happening, she was crying out for him. A tidal wave rolled through her body, making her quake and quiver from head to toe.

When it was over, she opened eyes she hadn't realized were closed and stared up at Harry through the pleasant haze of her mind. She was panting for air as he slowed his movements and finally withdrew his touch altogether. The whine of protest was quickly replaced by a moan as he crawled over her, his weight pressing her down further into the cot.

She felt him twitch against her wet center as he settled and leaned in to capture her lips. Hermione reached down between them to grasp him, shivering at the way groaned into her mouth and thrust against her palm. She stroked his skin using the moisture collected from the tip to glide over his already velvety skin.

When he broke the kiss, his hand stole down to replace hers. She moved her hand to his shoulder to brace herself, moaning as he coated himself in her slick. He rested his forehead to hers, holding her gaze as he lined himself up at her entrance. With a nod from her, he moved forward, easing himself all the way inside of her.

Her nails dug into his shoulder as she gasped at the pain their union caused. He stilled once full seated and waited for her to adjust. She nodded beneath him and moaned as he pulled back just to push forward and fill her again. The more he repeated the action, the less it hurt. The pain was there throughout, but it was nothing more than a dull, throbbing ache.

Her legs clamped around his hips as she angled her hips to take him deeper. They both cried out from the action, but it spurred Harry to pick up the pace. His cheek slid against hers, enabling them both to mutter incoherently in the other's ear. Their moans were as in sync as the rest of their actions and it wasn't long before she was fully keening beneath him. That same sensation of falling into a void she'd experienced before was returning. Knowing what it would do for the ache in her soul, she welcomed it with open arms.

When she came, it was harder than the first one. Her body bowed off the bed, smacking against his. She could feel herself tightening around him, squeezing as if intent to keep him there and never let go. She knew that's what pushed him over the edge as he grunted her name. His hips stuttered and then he was still as he filled her with more than just his body.

He collapsed on top of her. He buried his face in the crook of her neck as her hands idly stroked his back. Her legs were still cradled around him though they trembled something fierce. As their breathing began to regulate, the reality settled in. Tears leaked from the corners of her eyes and fell back into her hair. But it wasn't long before she felt his tears wet her skin too.

It wasn't the guilt that made them weep. It was for the innocence lost. For their childhood having been stolen. For ever having been put in this situation where they were so desperate for comfort and so alone that they could only find it in each other.

But of all things, she was glad her first time had been with someone she loved. And after a brief kiss, Harry lifted his head and Hermione saw that he was thinking the same. They shared a smile before he pulled away from her completely, getting to his feet. She followed suit, choosing to head for the loo, picking up her clothes as she went.

She took her time cleaning up. There was a long stretch of time where she stared at herself in the mirror, wondering if people would see her differently now. If they would know. She didn't regret it. She decided that much as she slowly redressed. Even if the circumstances were different, she would never regret sharing this part of herself with Harry.

The ache between her thighs was strange, but welcomed as she vacated the loo. She paused upon finding herself alone. Summoning a blanket, she exited the tent. Harry sat in their usual spot when taking turns watching the perimeter. He had brought a lantern out with him to combat the darkness of the night. Even from where she stood she could see him shake despite his clothes and knew it wasn't just from the cold.

She approached him, careful to avoid tripping on anything lurking under the piles of leaves. He stared up at her as she sank down to the ground beside him and fluffed the blanket out. She wrapped it around both of them and curled into his side. His arm slid along her back to hold her close as it so often did when they sat like this. She laid her head on his shoulder and let her arm stretch out around his waist. They both relaxed into one another, both glad that the silence was comfortable and not awkward.

Hermione had needed him. Needed him in a way she didn't even know was possible and he had been there for her. It wasn't until they sat outside that she realized Harry had needed her too. And as the night wore on and slowly turned to day, it was clear that nothing would change between them. All it did was bring them closer and when she lifted her head to catch his gaze, it went unspoken that should they need each other again, they would be right there for one another.

Always.