Chapter 4 - Plans
"Well, good night," I said when we arrived to my apartment. Harry had apparated along with me, as he usually did everytime we went out. Usually, we had a cup of coffee and talk until very late... But tonight I wasn't in the mood to talk to him.
Actually, I didn't want to see him at all.
I needed to think about what had happened. It was a fact that Harry had lied to me, but the reason remained a mystery. I didn't want to jump into conclusions, and that was why I needed a little time for myself.
Of course, I could have asked him straight forward why he lied. But, somehow, I couldn't bring myself to do it. I don't know why... When it comes to Harry, sometimes I can't have everything under control.
"Herm, are you OK?" he asked me, not moving an inch. His eyes were fixed on me, studying every reaction.
"Yes, I'm fine," I said smiling. "Just a little bit tired."
He lifted an eyebrow. "You've been acting weird for a while... Are you sure everything's alright?"
"Everything's alright, Harry," I said, sighing. "I told you, I'm just tired, it's been a really long day."
But Harry was still looking at me, not convinced at all. "Call it a hunch, but I feel like you're not telling me everything."
I couldn't believe his nerve! I wanted to yell at him "How you dare!" but I restrained myself. "Well, your hunch is wrong. I don't know what you want me to tell you, Harry. I'm OK, I'm fine, I don't have any problems that I don't want to share with you, and I really, really need to sleep right now."
Harry looked a little taken aback with my answer. He seemed about to say something else, but he knew me better than that. He had already realized that I was in a jumpy mood, and taunting me could be really dangerous.
"Fine. I'll see you tomorrow, then." And quite reluctantly, he left for his own apartment.
I bit my lip. I didn't want to have an argument with him. I didn't mean to be snappish and moody. But, deep down inside, I was really angry with him. Angry not only for lying to me, but for making me feel this way... Nervous, afraid and uneasy.
Nervous, because Harry never lied unless he had a really good reason to do it. And I really couldn't think of any good reasons for him to lie to me, so there had to be a bad one...
Afraid that this reason could take him away from me. Why I was thinking like that? Harry loved me. I loved him. We were happy together. There was nothing that could ruin this relationship.
Uneasy... Why was I uneasy again? An instant image of a woman with long, silky, black heard appeared in front of me. SHE again... Why did I keep thinking about her? She meant nothing to Harry or to me. She was just Harry's colleague. Nothing more...
"Oh, but she is," a voice in my head said.
"What do you mean?" I asked the little voice.
"You're an intituive person, Hermione. Your instincts don't fool you often."
"Yes, but I have been wrong before... And wait, who said anything about instincts? I have absolutely no instincts regarding Cho," reasonable Hermione said.
"If you say so..." the annoying voice said.
I looked at myself in the mirror and laughed. This was so stupid! Now I was actually talking to myself! I sighed and went to my bedroom. Tomorrow I would be able to think with my head straight. I was going to ask Harry. He would have a reasonable explanation and everything would be fine.
* * *
Harry laid on his bed, not able to sleep. He was disconcerted with Hermione's behavior. She surely wasn't fine, as she claimed to be. She was upset, or worried about something. He knew her too well to realize when something wasn't right.
But she was OK when they had gone to Ron's house. During the whole dinner, she had been her normal self. And then Ron and him had gone to the kitchen. Of course, his friend wanted to hear everything about the ring. They had spent quite a while talking about what Harry was planning to do this Sunday, and then they had gone outside, where Hermione was sitting with Liz...
And then, he noticed she was different. Something about her attitude had changed. She was a little bit colder, avoiding his eyes, remaining silent unless someone asked her something. Ron and Liz didn't seem to notice this change in her behavior, but she hadn't fooled him.
Something had happened to her after he had gone to the kitchen with Ron. But what? She had been talking with Liz all the time... Harry also noticed that the strange attitude was only towards him... Had Hermione been talking to Liz about him?
He sat up quickly when an idea crossed his mind. What if Liz had let slip something about the proposal? He was sure she wouldn't tell her, but maybe Hermione had found out, maybe she had read between the lines as she usually did and had just make the connection... But that couldn't be. If that was the case, which Harry hope it wasn't or his surprise would be ruined, why Hermione would be like that? Unless...
Unless she didn't want to get married.
"Come on Harry, don't panick now," he said aloud to himself. He was just thinking the worse. There was no reason why Hermione wouldn't want to get married to him. They loved each other, they had been together for enough time, they both had good careers and were perfectly mature to have a family of their own.
At least that was what he thought.
He tried to calm himself. He tried to convince his skeptical mind that something else was bothering Hermione and not what he had just imagined.
He would ask her tomorrow, straight forward. Wasn't that the kind of relationship they had? They always talked to each other about everything. This wasn't an exception. She would have a reasonable explanation and everything would be fine.
* * *
I woke up feeling a lot better. Thinking things over, I realized I was overreacting. From my experience in the Harry Potter World, I knew that the few times he hid things or lied it was for a special reason. And, I knew that, at some point he would tell me the truth. He always did. Back at Hogwarts, and later. I just had to forget about this incident, and wait for the right moment to discuss it with him.
After all, I was sure that it couldn't be that he was doing something wrong. And, certainly, Cho didn't have anything to do with this. It had been just a coincidence that she wasn't there by that time.
Glad that I had reached this resolution, I decided to go over to Harry's apartment to apologize for being so unpleasant with him the night before. But before I could even think of apparating there, three soft knocks on the door stopped me.
It was Harry, of course. It had been a while since he had knocked on my door instead of just apparating inside. I opened it right away, and found him leaning against the door frame, smiling sheepishly and eyeing me warily.
"Why did you knock instead of apparating?" I asked before he could say anything.
"Well, you were a little upset last night and I thought that..."
I threw my arms around his neck, cutting him off. He seemed a little surprised, but a second later he wrapped his own arms around my waist.
"I'm so sorry," I said. "I didn't mean to be like that with you."
"That's OK," he said, backing away a little to look at my face. "I was thinking that maybe I had done something wrong without noticing it. You know I can be an idiot sometimes..."
"No, you didn't do anything," I said, hugging him again. That would have been the perfect moment to ask him about the lie, but I had already decided I would let him go on with whatever he was doing.
I knew that he wanted to ask mw why I had been acting in that way. He hadn't believe the "I'm-just-tired" excuse. But he remained silent and kissed me on the forehead.
"Did you have breakfast already?" he asked.
Before I could answer, a crack coming from the fireplace startled both of us. We looked around and spotted Oliver Wood's face, smiling to us.
"Sorry to interrupt," he said, winking. "But since I didn't find you in your apartment, Harry, I thought that maybe there was a slight chance that you were at Hermione's... Had a good night?" he asked, grinning.
I rolled my eyes at him and let Harry approach to the fireplace.
"Good morning, Oliver," Harry said, ignoring Oliver's winks. "What is it?"
"What do you mean, 'what is it'? Have you already forgotten what day is today?"
"It's Saturday, August 30th," Harry replied, shrugging.
Oliver frowned. "Potter! Today is the Opening Party for the Quidditch Season!" he roared. "All the teams will be there, along with the press and some people of the Ministry... I just called to let you know it's going to be in the Puddlemere's Stadium, tonight at 8, SHARP!"
Harry groaned. "Do I have to go?"
Oliver glared at him. "Of course. You're my star seeker, you idiot! I want to show you off a little. Besides, you've never missed one of these parties. Most of your friends go there. Hermione will be there too. Why are you complaining?"
I looked at Harry. Oliver was right. Usually, he enjoyed the Opening Parties. I had gone with him to all of them and they were really fun. But Harry didn't seem very happy about it... And it was strange he had forgotten about it so suddenly.
"OK, I'll see you there then," Oliver said, when Harry remained in silence. "See ya, Hermione!" his head disappeared from the fireplace.
* * *
Harry stormed into his living room, and ran to the fireplace. He had told Hermione he had gone to look for a sweater, but that wasn't quite what he needed to do.
He threw some floo powder and shouted Ron's address. "Ron!" he called. The living room was empty. The damned house was so big, that he wasn't even sure if Ron could hear him. Maybe he was still asleep...
He heard someone coming into the living room from the front door. Two seconds later, Ron entered in the living room. He had a paper bag in his right hand and was wearing a cloak. He had been obviously out.
"Ron!" Harry called him, looking at the same time over his shoulder to make sure that Hermione wasn't there.
"Hey, Harry," Ron said, yawning.
"What are you doing up so early on a Saturday?" Harry asked.
"Don't ask. Liz wanted to eat some muggle stuff... Dontas or something..."
"Donuts?"
"That's it. I don't understand..."
"Ron, I need a favor," Harry cut him off quickly.
Ron stopped babbling and kneeled in front of the fireplace. "Sure, what is it?"
"I need you to take Hermione out for lunch."
The red headed looked at him puzzled. "Why?"
"Because I had totally forgotten about that stupid Opening Season Party! I was planning to do what you know tonight, but now I have to be there..."
"Yeah, I know, I have to go too, remember?"
"Sure... Well, I will have to do it earlier, or it won't be ready... But I can't risk Hermione being here. She could apparate any minute in my apartment..."
"OK, I understand... Don't worry, I'll ask her."
"Thanks, mate, I owe you one," Harry said, smiling.
"Just one?" Ron teased.
Harry said goodbye and dissapeared. Ron was about to go to where his wife was waiting for the Dontas, when other head appeared in his fireplace.
"Herm?"
"Hi, Ron, I'd never expected to find YOU up this early on a Saturday... I was hoping Elizabeth would..."
"Hey, give me a break!" Ron said. "Do you want to talk to me or to her?"
"To you, actually. I want you to take me out for lunch today."
Ron lifted an eyebrow. "What?"
"I need to do something, but Harry isn't supposed to know. I need an excuse to get away from him until it's done. Please!?"
Ron pretended he gave it a thought. "Alright," he said finally.
"Thank you so much! See you here at 2 o'clock, don't be late!" she disappeared.
"What are you laughing at?" Liz asked him when he finally went up to their bedroom with the bag of Donuts.
"Harry and Hermione," he said, and explained her what had just happened.
* * *
"Who was it?" Harry asked me when he apparated back in my apartment.
"Umm, Ron... He wanted to ask me for lunch... I think he wants me to help him buy a gift for Liz. It's their anniversary tomorrow..." I said quickly. It was, of course, our 'anniversary' too. Tomorrow, it would be a year since I had realized I loved Harry.
"Oh," he said. "Well, then I guess I'll have to have lunch on my own."
"Sorry about that. I'll be here as early as I can."
"Oh no, take your time," he said, smiling.
* * *
When Harry was sure that Hermione and Ron had left, he started. He had everything planned for tomorrow. He would take Hermione to a picnic and then propose to her.
He was going to cook a pumpkin pie, her favorite dessert, and put the ring inside. When Hermione ate it, she would find it and he would pop the question. Simple and surprising. She was going to love it.
Two hours later, the pie was ready. He had made two medium sized, one for each. He had marked Hermione's. He couldn't risk to give her the wrong pie. The ring was already inside. All he had to do know, was hide everything in case Hermione went to his apartment that night.
He heard the door bell ringing. For a second, he feared it could be Hermione, but then realized she never rang the bell. She would've apparated or at least knock three times. Curious, Harry opened the door.
"Cho?" he asked, surprised to see her there.
"Hi Harry," she said. "Do you have a minute?"
Harry motioned her to come in.
"I'm sorry for coming without calling first," she apologized.
"Don't worry about it. Do you want something to drink?" he offered, politely.
"No thanks, I won't stay... What were you doing?" she asked, when she noticed that Harry's face had some flour on it.
"I was making some pumpkin pie," he said.
"Oh, for tomorrow... The proposal thing?" she asked. Harry had told her his idea when she had met him in the ring's store.
Harry nodded. "I'm finishing it, would you mind to come to the kitchen with me while I clean? Then you can tell me what is it that you need."
Cho followed him to the kitchen, scanning the place. "It's very big," she commented.
Harry nodded absent-mindly.
"Well Harry, actually I came here to borrow the Quidditch Rule Guide from you," Cho said, smiling.
"The Guide?" Harry asked. It was a book that had all the rules of the Professional Quidditch in the United Kingdom. Oliver had given one to all the players from the Chudley Cannons. He had said he didn't want any of his men playing dirty and giving a bad name to the Team. "Didn't Oliver give you one?"
"He said he was going to, but he never did. And since we start the season next week, I want to be ready. China's rules are very different, and I don't want to mess up."
"You shouldn't have bothered coming here," Harry said. "I could have given it to you on Monday."
"Yeah, but I'm a slow reader, and I thought it would be a good idea to catch up a little this weekend. Besides, I was in the neighborhood."
Harry smiled. "Well, then, I'll get it for you, give me a sec."
He left Cho alone in the kitchen and went to his bedroom. He knew he had the stupid book somewhere... After five minutes looking for it, he found it under the bed. Hermione would kill him if she found out where he kept the books. He chuckled at the thought and went back to the kitchen.
"Here it is."
"Thank you so much, Harry, you have helped me more than you imagine," she said.
"I didn't do anything that special," he said, blinking.
"That's what you think," she whispered. "Well, I have to go. See you tonight at the party?"
"Yes, sure," Harry said.
Cho smiled at him again and left.
* * *
The place was crowded. We arrived half past eight and the first person I spotted was Liz, standing on a corner, looking at the couples dancing a few feet away. I waved at her, but instantly the flashes of different cameras blinded me.
"Mr. Potter!" the journalists yelled, each one of them trying to catch Harry's attention. "Miss Granger!" I was already used to this. Being Harrys' best friend and then his girlfriend had an obvious impact in the press.
"Later," he said, grabbing my hand and leading me to where Liz was.
"Hey guys," she greeted, smiling while she looked at Harry's annoyed face. "Having a hard time?"
Harry sighed and then smiled at her. "Where is Ron?"
"Here I am," Ron said, approaching with two glasses. He gave one to Liz. "You know, this party is a lot better than last year's."
"Do you want something?" Harry asked me. I nodded and he moved to the table where the drinks were.
Ron followed him with his gaze and then turned to me. "So, how did you manage with...him?"
You might be wondering who is 'him'. Well, *him* is my present for Harry. Ron went with me to retrieve it. I was going to give Harry a dog. A German Shepperd puppy to be exact. It was going to be our pet. I love dogs and Harry does too. This gift would create a special bond between us. My mother had said that it was the first step before getting married (Well, she's been asking me when I'm going to finally tie the knot with Harry even before we got together). Ron had laughed a lot when he found out that I was planning to give him a dog, but he didn't tell me what was so funny about it. Now, the adorable puppy was probably destroying my living room.
"He is OK. I don't know how I'm going to hide him until tomorrow, though."
We stopped talking because Harry was approaching to us, followed closely by Oliver and the Weasley Twins.
"Ah, there is our favorite lady," Fred said when he saw me. Then, he grabbed my hand and kissed it gallantly.
"What are you doing here?" I asked. Neither of them was a Quidditch player, nor part of the press.
"You are looking at the brand new sponsors of the Chudley Cannons," George grinned. "The Weasley Wizard Wheezes have finally set their eyes on one Quidditch team!"
"You don't miss the chance to go to a good party, do you?" I asked, smirking.
"Who? Us?" they said with a look of innocence.
But looking around the crowd, I realized that most of the people I knew were there. Ginny was talking quietly to a guy I didn't recognize on the corner. Wasn't she aiming for Alan? That girl doesn't change. I spotted Lavender and Parvati too, with some Quidditch players. And, to my great disgust, I saw Draco Malfoy standing with a smug plastered in his face, looking at us.
"Why is that git here?" Ron asked through gritted teeth.
"Who? Malfoy?" Oliver asked, looking at where Ron was pointing. "I heard he's going out with Lisa Myers, the Chaser from the Vortexs.
"Are you serious?" Ron looked shocked. "How on Earth did he manage to get a date with her?" He shook his head.
"Oh, there comes Chang," Oliver said.
We all turned to look at Cho, walking towards us. She looked really pretty, with her hair tied up. I tried to forget my stupid intincts and smiled politely at her.
* * *
She had been for nearly an hour there and hadn't got the chance to talk to Harry. Why was that annoying bookworm always stucked to him? Probably ready to hex anyone who came near him. After all, that was the only way she could stop someone from stealing him away.
"Hi Cho! Long time no see!"
Cho Chang turned around to see Padma Patil smiling at her. She remembered her from Hogwarts. She was a year below her, but they had been good friends.
"Hey Padma, how you've been?"
She heard patiently Padma talking about her current life, not very interested. She constantly turned her gaze to Harry and Hermione, who were now walking towards the big table where the food was.
"They are the perfect couple," Padma said, suddenly.
"Who?"
"Harry Potter and Hermione Granger," she said, looking at them too.
"Ummm, you think so?" Cho asked, frowning slightly.
"Sure. I've watched them a lot. I know all their routine."
"What do you mean?"
"Look," Padma said. Cho looked at Harry and Hermione. "They grab a dish and start putting food on it. Then, Hermione gives Harry the one she prepared and he gives her the one he prepared, because they actually prepared the dish for the other."
Cho looked in amazement when Hermione and Harry exchanged their dishes.
"Now, Harry pulls the chair for Hermione to sit, and he sits by her side. He offers her something to drink..."
"Are they always like this?" Cho asked.
"Sure. But you should see them when they're dancing."
* * *
Cho was having her fourth glass of champaign. Just as Padma had told her, Harry and Hermione were even worse when they were dancing. Right now "And I love her", from The Beatles was playing and Harry was actually singing in her ear. It was the most sickening sight she had ever seen.
"It's awful, isn't it?" a voice said right beside her.
She jumped and met a pair of grey eyes. She barely remembered that guy from Hogwarts... He was the Seeker of Slytherin.
"Draco Malfoy," he said, offering his hand. She shook it warily. He smirked and turned his gaze to Harry and Hermione. "I really can't understand that," he said.
"Me neither," she said, although she hadn't planned to.
"I know that. But I don't think you can do anything about it..." Malfoy said slowly.
"Why do you say that? You don't know me at all," Cho said, annoyed.
"No, but I know Potter. He's not going to ditch the mudblood for anything."
"I wouldn't be that sure," Cho whispered.
"Oh... Do you have a plan?" he asked.
She looked at him. It was as if he was reading her mind. How did he know that she wanted to split them apart? She had never even crossed a word with that guy.
"Sort of," she said, remembering what she had done that afternoon.
"I'll help you." It wasn't an offer. It was more an statement. Cho was about to protest, but he cut her off. "I know exactly what to do. Trust me."
******