A/N: Hello! So, after receiving a lot of pleas, I decided to write a sequel to "My Best Friend's Wedding." So, if you haven't read that one, I suggest you do.
Chapter 1 - One year is enough time... Isn't it?
He checked his watch for the fifth time. Twenty minutes. His best friend had actually spent twenty minutes babbling about Quidditch! He sighed and leaned back on his chair, trying to be patient. He was going to say it, eventually, wasn't he?
"And that was when Willis announced he was leaving the team. You should've seen Oliver's face. I thought he was going to kill him. He yelled half an hour and then locked himself in his office..."
He nodded, wishing that his friend would say already what he had come to say in the first place.
"Really, I don't know what we are going to do. The Season starts in two weeks and we don't have a Chaser..."
"Harry," Ron interrupted, finally, scratching his head. "Could you please just say what you really want to tell me?"
Harry stopped talking abruptly and stared at his best friend, who had the lop-sided grin of someone who knows more than you think. "I- What?" he blurted.
Ron sighed. "Come on, mate. You surely don't want me to believe that you came to my house on a week day, at ten p.m. to talk about quidditch, do you?" He chuckled at Harry's disconcerted face. "So, what is it?"
Harry's eyes widened slightly. He opened his mouth to speak several times, and then closed it again when no sound came up. Ron waited expectantly.
"You're right," Harry said, after a couple of minutes. "It's about Hermione..." he started, warily.
"Now you're talking," Ron said, leaning forward.
Harry ran a hand through his hair, as he always did when he was nervous. "Well... It's just that... I kinda... I want to..." he struggled with himself, looking for the right words. Ron observed him, clearly amused. "Fine. I want to propose to her," he said finally, and waited for Ron's reaction.
His friend, however, just raised his eyebrows. "That's it?" he asked when he realized that Harry wasn't gong to say anything else.
"What do you mean, 'that's it'?" Harry asked, totally puzzled by his friend's reaction. "That's all you're going to say?" he frowned.
Ron laughed. "Well, it's not like it's a surprise... I mean, it was pretty obvious you wanted to propose to Hermione from the very minute you two got together."
Harry blinked. "Am I that predictable?"
"Harry? Would you like a cup of tea?" asked a sweet voice.
Harry looked up and saw that Elizabeth had just came in the living room. Her big belly showed clearly her eight months pregnancy and she was smiling fondly at him.
"Honey, come here," Ron said, standing up and helping his wife to sit down.
"I thought you were having a guy talk," Elizabeth said, shifting her gaze from a still perplexed Harry to an amused Ron.
"Not really," said Harry, glaring at Ron.
"What's the matter?" she asked.
"Well, it's just that my friend Harry here, has come to give us a surprise," Ron said. Harry shot him a nasty look and Ron made an effort to keep his face straight. "He wants to propose to Hermione."
Elizabeth's face lit up. "Really?? That's wonderful news!" she clapped happily.
Harry smiled at her. "Now, that's the reaction I was expecting. Thank you very much, Liz."
"I'm so glad you finally decided to do it! Ronnie and I have been wondering for months what were you waiting for."
Ron started laughing again at Harry's frown.
"So, when are you going to do it?" asked Elizabeth, a glimpse of amusement in her voice.
"I'm not sure..."
"Why are you even waiting?" Ron snorted.
"It is a big step!" exclaimed Harry, angrily. "I want it to be special."
"Of course," approved Elizabeth.
"Do you have the ring?" asked Ron.
"No, not yet..."
Ron eye's widened. "Are you trying to tell me that you really just came up with this idea?"
Harry sighed. "Well, no... If it were for me, I would've marry her a long time ago. But I thought we needed to give this relationship a little time. We have always been friends, but it's only been a year since we are a couple."
"Well, that's more than enough time if you ask me," Ron commented. After all, he had proposed to Liz a month after meeting her. "Why don't you ask her tomorrow? You can take her out for dinner and then..."
Harry shook his head. "No, this week is not the best time."
"Why not?"
"Because, they're taking inventory in the Ministry... You know how it is. Hermione has to check all the files in her department..."
"Oh," said Ron, understanding.
Elizabeth, however, looked puzzled. "So what? Why is that a reason not to propose her now?"
"Oh, you don't know how Hermione gets," Ron said immediately. "Inventory is like exams back at school... She gets all snappish and stressed, and it is better to stay as far as possible from her," he explained, his face looking slightly frightened at the thought of Hermione behind tons of reports.
"I was thinking that this Sunday it will be a year since we got together," Harry said, smiling while he replayed that moment in his head.
Ron cleared his throat loudly. "We know. It's our anniversary, remember?"
"Since the inventory will be finished this Saturday morning, I could take her somewhere on Sunday and ask her then. What do you think?"
"It sounds perfect!" Elizabeth said, excitedly.
"Then, you have four days to prepare," Ron said.
"Yeah... four days," Harry repeated.
***
I had just finished revising the report number 327 when I heard the sound of someone apparating in front of me. Since I knew very well who it was, there was no need to look up.
"Where were you?" I asked, grabbing another report.
"I went to Ron's," Harry replied. I heard him going to the kitchen. "How is it going?" he asked from inside.
"Lovely," I muttered. Although I truly love my job, I don't enjoy doing paperwork.
"If you'd let someone help you, you wouldn't have to do all this alone," Harry commented, coming to the living room again, where I was comfortably lying on my green couch, surrounded by files and reports.
"You know I don't like to rely this kind of job on other people," I sighed. "Besides, with the jerks that work with me, I would've to do it all over again anyway."
Harry lifted my feet and sat down on the couch. He put my feet on his lap. "Do you want me to help you? I wouldn't mind spending a sleepless night reading reports about Death Eaters and criminals."
I lifted my eyes and looked at him. He had a tired look on his face, probably from the hard training he was having since the Quidditch Season was about to start. He grinned at me, with that adorable smile of his.
"I love you too much to torture you with this," I said finally, returning to my work. "Anyway, how was your day?" I asked, as I did everyday.
"Willis left the team," he said.
"What?" I lifted my eyes again, forgetting for a minute about McNair and his sentence. "He left? Why?"
"Well, I'm not quite sure," Harry said, adjusting his glasses. "I couldn't hear his excuse with Oliver screaming so loud."
I smiled slightly, but then frowned. "What are you going to do? You can't start the Season without your best Chaser!"
Harry smiled at me. I knew what he was thinking. Since when Hermione Granger knows that much about Quidditch? Well, it's not that I'm totally thrilled by the game, but since it's Harry's job, I like to be involved. I know every single player in his team, because I often bring them lunch. "I'm sure Wood will find a good replacement," he assured.
"But... you won the Cup last year! You have to win it again!" I said.
"You're amazing, you know?" he said, staring at me with his big, green eyes.
"Why?"
"Because no matter how busy or stressed you are, you always have time to listen to me. Even when we were at Hogwarts you were like that."
"Well, maybe that's because you've always been more important to me than anything else," I said, matter-of-factly.
Harry stood up and kneeled beside me. He pressed his lips against mine softly. Who could resist to that? I kissed him back, completely forgetting about my work. As I ran my hand through his hair, several of the files I had on my lap fell to the floor, not that we really cared.
I couldn't believe that I had realized I loved Harry this much only a year ago. It seemed as if we had always been together, like this. There was no one else, but him...
"Okay, that's enough," I said pulling away. Harry pouted with his eyes still closed. "As much as I would love to keep kissing you all night long, I have to keep working or I'll never finish this for Saturday... You wouldn't want me to work on the weekend, do you?"
Harry sighed in defeat. "You're right... Are you sure you don't want me to help you?"
I shook my head. "If you stay here, I won't be able to work... Besides, there's no way I'm letting you stay in my apartment for the night! Now go and have some good sleep for me, would you?"
"Fine, if that's what you want..." he said, standing up. "I'll be next door, in case you need me... Or get really, really bored."
I waited until he left to focus on the files again, now scattered all over the floor. Sighing, I prepared myself for another really long night...
***
The next day, I was at my office, once again buried under a huge mountain of files. It was a luck that this inventories were only once every two years, I don't think I could handle this kind of rythm every year.
I was starting to doze off, even though I had taken an Energy Potion that morning. I hadn't slept at all last night. I wanted to finish that tedious work as soon as possible...
My eyes were already closed when someone opened the door. I jumped, startled, and snapped my head to see who was disturbing me without even knocking.
"Geez... You look awful." The read hair and sparkling brown eyes of Ginny Weasley popped inside my office.
"Thank you," I muttered, too sleepy to come up with something else.
Ginny closed the door behind her and approached to my desk. She gave a glance to the file I had just revised. "Mmm, no wonder why you're locked up in here all day. This looks really appealing," she commented. I groaned. It was bad enough without her telling me that. "I know what you need," she continued, and the smile she flashed at me reminded me instantly of Fred and George when they offered me one of their 'experiments'. "You need to get out of here... So I'll sacrifice myself and take you out, what do you say?"
I glared at her, wondering what was behind that invitation. "What do you want, Ginny?" I asked in the politest voice I could, considering I was in the middle of a terrible week.
"I was thinking," she continued, as if she hadn't heard my question, "in going to the Cannon's pitch."
So that was it. Of course she wanted something like that. I should've guessed from the very moment she came to my office. And I was perfectly aware of what she wanted to see in the Cannon's Picth, or should I say who she wanted to see.
Ginny had met Alan Wagner, one of the Chudley Cannon's Beaters in Harry's birthday party, less than a month ago. Alan was very good-looking and she liked him immediately (No surprise there). However, Alan hadn't asked her out yet, so Ginny used every excuse to flirt with him and try him to notice her.
"Why do I have to go?" I protested.
"Oh, come on, you always go to the training! We can bring them lunch, so it will be more casual..."
"Ginny, I'd really love to help you, but I have to finish this. I can't be fooling around, losing time."
"If you come with me, I'll personally help you. I'll revise half of these files if you want! I promise!"
I considered her offer for a second. I could actually trust Ginny, I knew she would do a good job. It would be great if she could help me. Besides, I would get to see Harry...
"Fine," I said and she hugged me. "Let's go and buy something for them."
* * *
We walked through one of London's busy streets towards Tony's cafe. I always bought Tony's special sandwiches, the guy's favorite meal during their training. Besides, I knew that Oliver wouldn't let me even step on his pitch without them.
Beside Tony's cafe, there was a really expensive muggle boutique, which sold mostly party dresses. I never paid much attention to it, but that day in particular, they were showing off some gorgeous wedding dresses in the shopwindow.
I hadn't even realized I had stopped walking and was staring at them until I heard Ginny's voice.
"Hey, Herm, you've got a wedding dress stuck in your eye."
"What?" I asked, turning around to look at her.
She looked at the dresses and then at me. "What's so interesting about a wedding dress?"
"Uhm, nothing," I said, blushing. The fact was that a longing feeling had come over me. Had I actually imagined myself in one of those dresses?
Yes, of course I had, and it wasn't the first time either. Since a couple of months ago I had started to think a lot about marriage, even though I tried not to. But it was impossible not to wonder how would it be to be married to Harry... But he hadn't even mentioned the subject yet, meaning that he wasn't ready for a step like that. And truly, I didn't know if I was either. The fact of being a wife freaked me out a little. On the other hand, we have been together for a year already... It was enough time, wasn't it?
Ginny cleared her throat loudly. "Oh, I see... Hermione, you're not getting married and hiding it from me, are you?"
"Of course not! I'm not getting married, haven't even think of it."
"Then why are you looking at that shopwindow as if it was showing Hogwart's: a History, The Ultimate Collection?"
"I was not..." I argued, not very convincingly.
Ginny eyed me suspiciously. "Oh my... You actually want to get married, don't you?"
"What if I do?" I said, trying to avoid her eyes and sound as casual as possible.
"Why on Earth would you want to get married?" she asked, as if the mere idea was unbeliavable. I remembered I had once heard Ginny saying that she wouldn't get married for all the gold in the Wizarding World. "You're not pregnant, are you?"
"What!?" I exclaimed. "No!!"
"Then why?"
"So pregnancy is the only reason someone would want to get married?"
"Well, that and money... I know that's not your reason, though."
"If I want to get married, and I'm saying IF, it's because I'm in love," I said, turning to look at the dresses again.
Ginny chuckled. "Well, then why don't you just do it?"
"Because..." I started, but, actually, I wasn't really sure why.
Ginny's eyes widened. "Wait... Harry hasn't proposed to you? Still?"
I glared at her, slightly annoyed. "What do you mean 'still'?"
"Well, it's just that I was sure he had done it a million years ago, and you had been wise enough to turn him down."
"I'd never do that!"
"So, it's true, he hasn't." She shook her head. "Why not?"
"I have no idea," I sighed. "I've often wondered the same thing."
"Then you propose to him," she suggested.
I almost laughed at the idea. "God, I couldn't do something like that. I'm too old-fashioned."
"Okay, then, I'll give you an advice, just because you're my good friend." Ginny looked around, as if she was about to reveal the biggest secret in History. "The best way of having a guy on his knee, offering a ring to you is to pretend that you don't want him to propose."
"That sounds stupid. How could anyone dare to propose to someone who doesn't seem to want to get married?"
"Oh, Herm, Herm," Ginny said, smiling at my inexperience. "Listen to the Professional, here. This trick has always worked for me."
"Some has proposed to you?" I asked in surprise.
"Of course, three guys have already. Of course, I wasn't pretending I didn't want to get married, it was for real, but they popped the question anyway, and then, well, I had to dump them... But that's not the point. Follow my advice, in less than a week you'll have Harry begging you."
"Whatever, let's go to the Pitch," I said hastily. However, Ginny's words kept sounding in my head.
* * *
"Hey guys! Hermione is here! Food!!" yelled Johnny Bell, the Cannon's Keeper when he saw me walking towards them with a box in my hands.
The rest of the team, who were flying at lest six feet above, landed quickly and ran to where I was.
"I was wondering why you hadn't show up this week!"
"Yeah, we thought that Potter had you locked up or something!"
"Did you bring my tuna sandwich?"
"Hey, that one is mine!"
"Great, extra ketchup!"
"Hi Ginny," Alan Wagner greeted her, grabbing one of the sandwiches. Ginny waved back, flashing him a smile.
When the crowd that was stalking me and my sandwiches dispersed, I finally spotted Harry coming over. He had his broom in his right hand and was wearing the Cannon's Orange robe. His hair was totally messed by the wind.
"Hey... What are you doing here?" he asked, slightly puzzled.
"Well, if you want I can leave," I said, frowning.
He finally got next to me and gave me a soft kiss. "Who could want something like that?" he said, smiling. "It's just that I didn't think you would come this week, considering all the work you have..."
"I got myself an assistant whom I don't mind to torture," I said, pointing at Ginny.
"Oh, hi Gin! Did you come to see Al-"
"Yeah, it's great to see you, Harry," she cut him off quickly.
I gave Harry a sandwich and he sat on the grass. "I missed this," he said, taking a bite.
"Where's Oliver? I brought him his favorite."
"He's at the office," Harry explained when he swallowed. "I think he's talking with the new Chaser."
"You've got a new Chaser already? Who is it?" I asked, removing some grass strains from his hair.
"No idea. We have been training all morning..."
"Everyone, please come here!" that was, definitely, Wodd's voice. We all looked up. He had a satisfied grin on his face. "I have great, great news!"
Harry shrugged and stood up with the rest of the team. They approached to Wood who looked as if he had just won the lottery. Ginny and I remained where we were, but listening still. I was curious to see who they had acquired so fast.
"We have a new Chaser," Oliver announced. "Transferred directly from the China selection, she's really quite something..."
Ginny looked at me. "She?" she mouthed. The Cannons didn't have any women in their files.
"Let me introduce you to her..."
A tall and stunning woman came out of the office and approached to the group. Her long, black silky hair swinging on her back, and her exotic features shining in the sun's light. I recognized her immediately, of course, and I didn't need Oliver telling me who she was.
"Everyone, this is Cho Chang."
********