Three Times

Tall, thin, and nicely toned. She was the picture perfect example of an athlete, and like every healthy-blooded male he had noticed. Her dark, midnight black hair cascaded neatly past her shoulders, thick bangs covering almond shaped eyes and her thin lips, curled slightly in a knowing smile. By all means, she was beautiful, and the first time he laid eyes on her it nearly took his breath away. She was a year older than him and despite the fact she had never originally shown interest, he was hooked.

He used to watch her as she walked through the corridors, surrounded by a large group of friends, and wish he was brave enough to speak with her. In his fourth year, he finally gathered his Gryffindor courage and approached her. He asked her to the dance and she said no. There was already another. It was Cedric Diggory, Hogwart's "true" champion, and he knew then he never really stood a chance.

In fifth year, Cedric was gone and she had looked to him to fill the empty void in her heart. His first kiss was with her, beneath the mistletoe in an empty room hidden deep within the confines of the castle, where no one could find them. No one could interrupt them. His first kiss with her was wet, and sloppy, and most certainly not what he had expected it to be.

The first time Harry Potter fell in love, it was with a lonely girl with a broken heart. Her name was Cho Chang, and as he stood there kissing her overly moist lips, he thought it would last forever.

She was short and had a fiery temper, with a nasty bat boogey hex to go along with it. He'd never paid much attention to her before, though he had saved her from the Chamber of Secrets in his second year. She was Ron's younger sister, and their family had basically taken him in despite having very little of their own to offer. He barely knew her then, except that she was shy and stuttered around him, and for one reason or another, he could never forget the picture of her chasing after the train and her brothers the year before.

Fifth year came and went, and although his heart sought another, he had gotten to know her just a little bit better. Sixth year was wild, and crazy, and despite it all his thoughts were suddenly on her. An angry, jealous beast had found its home deep inside his chest and the mere thought of her with another sent it into a wild frenzy. In his mind, he justified it as brotherly over-protectiveness, but not even he could deny the fact that she had grown from the small, stuttering little girl into a confident and desirable young lady.

Their first kiss together, his second overall, was unexpected. He hadn't planned on doing it, but yet again, that ugly beast inside him had reared its head and all but ordered him to. They kissed in the common room, in front of the entire Gryffindor house, and most importantly, in front of her older brother. Ron had given them his blessing, and for once in his life, Harry felt normal.

They shared many more kisses together, sometimes publicly, other times stolen between classes, or hidden away in dark corners at night. Being with her was like nothing he'd ever experienced before and despite all that was going on he'd say it was a good year. At night when he was alone in his bed, he would wonder what it would be like to be married to her, and having a family together. Would they have children? How many? Would they be a small family, or follow in her parents' footsteps and have enough to fill a large house.

The second time Harry Potter fell in love it was with his best friend's younger sister, a girl who gave him hope for a future other than fighting dark lords and their crazy followers. Ginny Weasley-Potter; he liked the sound of that. He imagined all the things they could do in life together and in his mind, he hoped it would last forever.

She was the smartest witch her age, and often times frustratingly stubborn. They'd known each other for years, and all that time, he had never considered her more than a friend. She was his best friend; feeling anything for her more than that was just absurd, right? Oh how wrong he had been.

The two met as first years, and despite barely knowing one another, he threw himself in front of a troll for her and from then on, they'd been all but inseparable. Later that year, with the help of Ron, they'd tackled the obstacle course and kept Voldemort from stealing the Philosopher's Stone. The next year she was petrified and the school was nearly shut down. But like he would come to later find, despite her condition, she'd come through for him once again. Clenched in her frozen hand was a small piece of paper, and it was with this clue that Harry was able to find the Chamber and put a stop to Voldemort's plans once more.

Third year was the first time they'd ever fought, and despite the fact that he had refused to show it, being away from her like that had devastated him. Luckily they soon made up, and it was with her help that he was able to save his godfather's life. In fourth year, he knew he would have never made it out alive, or sane, if it had not been for her. His fight with Ron and the ever accusing stares of the school had nearly driven him insane, and without her there to calm him down, he knew he would've done something he would later regret. If it hadn't been for her constantly pushing him to train and plan for the three Triwizard tasks, he also knew he wouldn't have come out of the first round in one piece. This was also the year she'd first kissed him. On the cheek, of course, but he knew that even back then, it had meant the world.

Fifth year was a rough one; rougher than it had ever been before. Between Voldemort's attempts to get into his mind and the Ministry's denial, he almost couldn't wait for the school year to end. And when the end finally came, he wanted nothing more than to go back in time and re-do it all over again. Sixth year was probably the worst, and for the first time since they'd known each other, he thought that he might lose her. And for what? A book.

There was no seventh year for them, just one long, lonely year spent in a tent scraping together whatever resources they could to bring Voldemort down. Midway, Ron had abandoned them, and for the second time he feared she would leave him. But she didn't. She stayed with him…for him.

Years later he'd look back on that time spent with her in the tent and realize that's when he began to figure things out. There were just too many other things going on at the time for him to really understand what he was feeling, and considering her relationship with Ron, he'd ignored it and told himself she'd be happier without him. He was doomed to die anyway. He could not offer her a future, or anything else for that matter.

Months later the battle was over and magical Britain was still counting its losses. The two had been volunteering one day and had apparated to his new flat for some much needed rest and food. Somehow, one thing had lead to another and the next morning he'd woken up in bed next to her. Instead of dread, he found himself smiling as he watched her sleep, snuggled peacefully beneath the layer of blankets.

He continued to watch her and mulled over his thoughts. She had been with him since the beginning, and he knew his life would not have been the same without her. He had been a lonely boy when they first met, and it was her caring, nurturing nature that had made him into the man he was today. She was his rock, his reason for living, and in his mind, he thought of her as the true savior of the wizarding world. He had rid the world of Voldemort and saved countless of people, but she saved his life every single day.

Suddenly, her eyes slowly began to open and they stared at one another for a moment or two. Suddenly, his heart began to pound loudly in his chest and he was afraid of what she would say. This was the third time he thought he would lose her, and this time he knew it would be true. She was going to hate him, he was sure of it. But as he began to pull away, she grabbed his hand and kissed it softly, smiling at him lovingly.

The third time Harry Potter fell in love was truly the first time, and he knew that he had never really loved anyone else before. Cho Chang and Ginny Weasley were long forgotten; it had been Hermione Granger all along. She kissed his hand again…

And he knew it was forever.

Hey! So, it's been awhile since I read the whole Harry Potter series, so I'm hoping I got, for the most part, the right events in the right order (aside from that last bit of course). It's not my best work, and I sort of rushed a bit at the end, but its a tad late and I just wanted to get this out there while I had free time. I still hope you enjoyed it and would love a review to see what you all thought of it.