Harry had only two dreams on loop; the ones you-know-who plagued him with and the one his own subconscious tormented him with, dangling an unattainable fantasy in front of him. Painfully vivid, all too real, but wrong.

You were one of his closest friends, arguably the closest considering your shared time on Privet Drive, both before you were administered into Hogwarts. You’d been his one security through thick and thin, and you always felt like family, so why was he taunted with a dream of tasting your lips?

The same dream every time. It brought up a lingering sense of awkwardness when he’d see you in class, often blurting out the wrong words, his mind too scrambled around you to function properly. He’d made it his goal to avoid you, praying his dream would never become a reality. He couldn’t risk losing you.

Fate, may be it, put him in the exact situation his dream had been every time. It didn’t take long for him to recognize the scene unfolding. Some impulse had led him to the Astronomy Tower, your presence already filling the space there, leaning far too forward on the railing. He hesitated at the top of the stairs, the memory of his dream reeling in his thoughts. He would save you, arms secure around you, and how every damsel falls for the hero, you would kiss.

He planned on turning away, opting to spare himself from living his dream but instincts kicked in, watching your balance falter as you leaned over the railing. His feet were carrying him over to you subconsciously, at your side before his mind could catch up. He grabbed onto you, saving you from tumbling over the railing, gripping your waist with security and overwhelming sense of gentleness as you collapsed into his arms. Against his will, his eyes fell to your lips.