Keeping with the Company

Keeping With the Company

by coven

Rated PG-13

Hermione offers her best friend Harry a place to stay after a girl discards him. Harry accepts, knowing that the arrangement is indefinite until he finds a suitable place for himself. But things take a strange turn when they both find out that keeping each other company is turning out to be a permanent thing after all.

Disclaimer: This is a Harry Potter fan fiction. Standard disclaimers apply.

Thank you for all your reviews! Here is the next chapter, enjoy!

Chapter 5: Love Fool

Harry looked forlornly at the boxes that were lying on the floor of Hermione's spare bedroom. Now that he had spent an hour manually moving them from the living room, he suddenly didn't know what to do. The most logical course of action was to unpack. However, he hated doing chores like so alone. It was too depressing to move especially things with sentimental value. You get one, you hold it in your hands, reminisce a little, then put it somewhere suitable. It was the same thing with packing. He didn't mind the `getting,' the `holding,' or even the `putting somewhere suitable.' The worst part of the process was the reminiscing. Harry had always believed that memories were best shared rather than stored. So as for the packing-unpacking business, either somebody would do it for him, or he would get somebody to do it with him.

Or he could just do it with magic.

Being able to do wandless magic with simple spells, Harry had only to wave his hand and his stuff began flying out of the boxes and began placing themselves in drawers, cabinets, and shelves. Within a quarter of an hour, he was done.

Suddenly feeling the weariness of the uncanny events that had happened last night and earlier this morning, he fell down on the bed. He replayed the images in his head and groaned as it got to the part of the prank Draco had played on him.

“Aargh!” he cried out to the solitary silence of the room. He quickly sat up and placed both of his hands on either side of his face. He could feel the warmth creeping from his neck to his cheeks. How could he be such a fool, overreacting in such a manner?

And of course, it turned out to be a joke. Boy, Hermione must have laughed at him, because Draco surely did enjoy himself. Or worse, what if Hermione had laughed WITH Draco afterwards?

There goes that feeling of jealousy again. He hated the way it made his chest feel heavy, and his throat dry. Why would he be jealous anyway? What was Hermione to him? She was just his best friend!

Then why was he feeling this way?

`Okay, too many questions,' Harry thought, a little frustrated. `Let's backtrack a little.'

But what if it was true? What if Hermione did get married to Malfoy? Did that mean his anger was justified? Except in Harry's heart, he knew that there wasn't even a need for anger.

“Because she would have told me,” Harry said. “No matter what would have happened, she would have told me…”

No matter what excuse he could conjure at the moment, Harry knew and acknowledged the fact that he felt guilty. For six months, he had gone off and lived with a woman, and had neglected his best friend shamefully. He owled her messages or he sent gifts on special occasions, but at the bottom of it all was that he had been a prat, big time. Yet, she forgave him. Again.

The worst part of it was this wasn't the first time he had taken Hermione for granted.

“What do you mean you're quitting?” Hermione asked.

“I'm so sorry,” he said, the words suddenly stuck at the bottom of his throat. “But I don't think you would understand!”

Hermione closed her eyes for a brief moment. Harry could see the different emotions she was trying to hide in them.

“Tell me Harry,” she pleaded. Hermione never pleaded. She persuaded, or she nagged, but she never pleaded. “Make me understand.”

Harry was starting to feel guilty about his decision to leave. He stood by the window of Hermione's room, letting the noise from the street below drown the ache in his chest. Hermione let him bide his time, that for which he was thankful. He would make her understand, even if it would take all night to talk.

“I'm tired,” he started. “I don't want this anymore.”

He turned to look at her and saw that she was waiting patiently for him to continue.

“All my life I have had other people decide which path I was to take. I had to spend my childhood in deprivation. I had to witness friends and family die for me. I had to the save the world. I had to be tough to survive. I had to do everything because it was what was expected of me. I had no choice.”

“But it wasn't your fault Harry,” she softly said.

“No, it wasn't,” he agreed sadly. He sat down beside her and took her hand in his. “Don't get me wrong Hermione. I never regretted anything. I wouldn't have met you and Ron. I wouldn't have met the Weasleys, Sirius, Remus, and the others I have considered my friends, and my family. But now that it's all over… I want to make my own choices. I don't know what I want to do, but I want to take a chance to find out what it is. If it is indeed being an auror, then I'll come back. But that would mean it was something that I wanted, not something other people wanted me to do.”

He heard Hermione sigh.

“I knew you just accepted Professor Moody's invitation to join because you wouldn't want to disappoint him and Professor Lupin,” she said. “I didn't say anything because I was so happy we'd be training together.”

“I'm sorry,” Harry said. “I thought I would be contented but…”

Hermione leaned her head on his shoulder. Harry felt an enormous tide of relief washing over him. Hermione understood. She always did.

They stayed that way for a while.

“You know you owe me,” Hermione finally broke the silence. “This means I would be training with Draco then.”

And they had both laughed at that.

He knew that it was painful for Hermione to accept what he said that night, but she tried to cover it up for his sake. He let her down by leaving her alone. For two years, he traveled the world and did some soul searching. But he didn't forget. He would apparate at Hermione's whenever he would feel like it, and Hermione had always been happy to receive him. At the end of his second year as a wanderer, he had watched Ron's first professional quidditch game. It was when he was scouted. At first, he wasn't convinced that playing professionally would end his search for whatever. But he did try, and found out that he loved it. The attention was something he would rather not have, but the thrill of the game was another thing altogether. Hermione didn't say anything as usual, just supported him one hundred percent.

He smiled at that. No wonder he loved her.

Harry's smile froze. He stood up and felt the room sway around him. The woes of realization! Harry flopped back on the bed, his stomach feeling a little queasy.

“Bloody great,” he said aloud to himself. “You realize you've fallen in love finally and now you want to throw up!”

Panic surged through his being. He said it aloud; the thought was now affirmed! What could he do? What would he do?

Harry James Potter had fallen in love with Hermione Jane Granger who was for sixteen years until now, had been his best friend.

`It'll come Harry. The future Mrs. Harry James Evans Potter will come eventually.'

“By Merlin's beard Hermione,” Harry muttered, still a little dazed. “You spoke too soon.”

No wonder he was so jealous of Malfoy! And also that incomplete feeling he had when he was with Bianca. It was all falling into place now. It was Hermione he would run to for problems. It was Hermione he would first tell good news to. It was Hermione he would share everything with. It was Hermione all along! He remembered Artie's questions. His face broke out into a wide smile. How daft could he be if a nine year old saw something that had been staring at him in the face all this time?

He stood up and started to pace.

“Hedwig,” he muttered. “I must get Hedwig first from the owlery… and Ron I have to talk with Ron. The old guy would probably torment me to death. Oh, I must buy Artie a present. Thank Merlin, for that child! And I should show Draco a thing or two about messing around with my girl. My girl? Bloody hell, Potter are you blushing? Shit, what the heck!”

Harry turned around, walked towards the bathroom and decided to have that bath he had intended to take after Hermione and Malfoy left. If he were to make progress, he had better move along. Whistling, and feeling better than he had for years, he went inside the bathroom that adjoined his room and Hermione's.

It was a mistake.

He regretted the minute he walked in as a very spicy scent wafted through his senses. Now, Harry was never a very conscientious student, but there were some things that he was able to pick up from his lessons. One of which was that the scent of cinnamon corresponded to lust. It also didn't help that he could see the reflection of Hermione's black lace underwear on the bathroom mirror. It shouldn't have bothered him. After all he had seen women's underwear lots of times -on the rack, in the bathroom, under the bed, on the bed, on the kitchen counter… Bianca who was never a tidy person, had tons of her unmentionables spilling out from her drawer. So it shouldn't have shocked him. But in this case, seeing Hermione's underwear was equal to seeing Hermione IN underwear.

No!

Muttering curses, Harry took off his glasses, violently yanked off his shirt, and stepped out of his track pants and boxers. Forget the bath! He got inside the shower stall and turned the knob on full force, letting the cold water wash out the suddenly unfriendly thoughts he was having on The-Girl-Formerly- Known-As-Harry Potter's-Best Friend.

XXX

“Viagra,” Draco read the analysis of the potions lab in the Auror Department. “What the bloody hell is that?”

Hermione cleared her throat to prevent herself from laughing out loud.

“Read on Malfoy, read on!” she said tapping the rest of the written words on the scroll.

“Drug commonly ingested by male muggles with erection problems…shit!” Draco cursed while scratching the back of his head. “We've been duped!”

This time Hermione laughed and slapped the baffled man at the back. “Maybe,” she said. “So Dr. Alacard seems clean enough. Draco, what's the matter?”

Draco's face was very much pale.

“He… er, he prescribed this according to the test result right?” he croaked.

“I believe so, yes.” It was Hermione's turn to be puzzled. Where was this conversation leading? Then it suddenly dawned on her… “Oh my god…”

Draco's eyes widened. He hurriedly pulled Hermione towards him and clamped her mouth shut.

“Sssshhhhh!” He hissed loudly, looking around if somebody was there. Still dragging his partner with him, he closed the door of their shared office space and said, “I'll let you go if you don't laugh.”

Hermione nodded. Draco slowly released his hold on her, though he mistrusted the sparkle in those eyes of her.

“I…”

“Don't laugh!” Draco griped.

“I'm not laughing!” Hermione replied.

“But you were meaning to…” Draco spat out.

“But it's so funny…”

“It is so not funny!” Draco cried in exasperation.

Hermione calmly sat on the edge of her desk and placed her arms across her chest.

“Okay, it's not funny,” she said. “But Draco, you did give them a sample right?”

Draco nodded silently. He was sweating under his Armani, and he didn't like it one bit.

“How was I supposed to know that's how you muggles do it?” He said. “I don't get it why I had to go inside that tiny space with a plastic cup and…”

“Well, you didn't have trouble you know, getting your pecker up?” Hermione almost lost it on the pun.

“Oh, you think you're clever, eh Granger?” he said. “Well yes, I had no trouble at all. And if there's one consolation in this entire misadventure, then it's that you muggles have creative magazines.”

“Why thanks,” Hermione rolled her eyes sarcastically. “So what are you griping about?”

“Expect a woman to understand, and she rolls her eyes at you,” Draco muttered. “Hermione, this IS a major problem!”

“Draco, I'm sure there is an explanation for uhmm… this problem of yours.”

“Well there'd better be,” he sulked. “Or my mother would be disappointed that there wouldn't be any little Draco's running around…”

“You want kids?” Hermione was surprised at that.

“Of course I do,” Draco snapped. “I'm the last of the line as is. Besides, it's about time Malfoy children get a different treatment by a father.”

“Sorry,” Hermione said sympathetically. She knew the whole story of Draco being maltreated as a kid, so it was no surprise hearing from Draco that he wanted a new child-parent tradition for the Malfoy family. “Dr. Alacard probably also based his diagnosis on the answers we gave during the interview.”

Draco shuddered. “Oh yes, the part where I had to answer yes to `Do you have premature ejaculation?' God, that was horrible, even for make-believe!”

“Oh you men and your big…”

Draco shot her a dirty look.

“…ego! You lech, I was going to say ego!” Hermione stuck her tongue out at him. “You know, you can just go to a mediwizard so you can allay your fears!”

Draco suddenly lightened up at the suggestion. He strode across the room, took Hermione in his arms and spun her around.

“Hey,” Hermione said, laughing. “Don't celebrate yet. What if you really do need viagra?”

“Oh how I hate you Granger,” he said as he opened the door. “I'm going to get you for this.”

“Serves you right for playing a joke on Harry this morning,” she replied.

Draco stopped and faced her.

“And she insists he is just his best friend. Well, I'm off to St. Mugo's. When I get back, we'll celebrate,” he added with a suggestive wagging of his eyebrows.

“Good luck,” Hermione waved. “Hope to find out there would still be little Draco and Dracolettes in the future!”

“Bye luv, and thanks for broadcasting it to the whole world,” Draco winced.

“Well,” Hermione sighed as she heard the door clicked close. “If that doesn't beat them all!”

She glanced at the clock on the wall and saw that it was already five. She decided to fix her things before going home. There was Ron's dinner later and she still needed to fix a quick desert. She hoped Harry had a restful day. Well there was only one way to find out.

With a poof, she disapparated, and moments later found herself in her apartment.

“Harry?” she shouted, tying her hair as she walked towards the kitchen. There, she found a note taped on the fridge:

Changed my mind. Had some business to attend to. Don't wait for me. I'll see you at Ron's.

Harry

P.S.

I missed you.

“Now what was that about?” Hermione asked at the postscript, feeling that tingling feeling again. “Oh shush, Hermione.”

She hated having to do this kind of thing. Blast Draco for always shoving the idea whenever chance he would get. What was the git doing? He was worse than Artie, if his analysis of the situation was correct.

“Matchmaking my bum,” she muttered. “Harry and I?”

Did she love him? Of course she did, but in that sense? That she wasn't sure of.

And vexed with herself for thinking such notions, she took ingredients out from the fridge and focused on the mundane task of baking instead.

“Oh darn,” she cursed as she set the fudge brownies on the counter an hour later. “I'll be late.”

She went to her bedroom and stripped off her clothes. She took clothes from her closet and dumped them on her bed. Grabbing a towel, she hurried to the bathroom.

It was a mistake.

She regretted the minute she walked in as a very male scent wafted through her senses. Now, Hermione was a very conscientious student, she learned that the scent of musk corresponded to strength and protection. It was so very much like Harry. It also didn't help that she could imagine a naked Harry in the shower. The picture she had conjured up had almost let her mouth salivate.

Muttering curses, she got inside the stall and turned the knob on full force, letting the cold water wash out the suddenly unfriendly thoughts she was having on Harry Potter - the man who was supposedly her best friend.

--> to be continued

A/N

Yes, I intentionally wrote the bathroom scenes in almost the same lines. I thought it would be funnier this way. No, Hermione hasn't realized that she does love Harry in that sense. But at least, she's noticing him on a more ahem, physical level. `Til next chapter, folks!