Thanks again everyone for your fantastic reviews! I listed everyone at the end, and if I missed you I apologise, let me know and I'll be sure and put you in next time.
A few of you commented on the price that the fortune teller charged Hermione to have her palm read. My answer: Come on, haven't you ever been overcharged for something fun? Those people usually are scammers, and are just looking for money- plus, it was one of those nights where you just let things come as they are, and that includes a lot of money spending. Those Galleons are worth a lot of pounds aren't they ;)onl
As always, thanks so much to research_dome for her brit picking!
Chapter 4
"So," Hermione said as they walked along the semi busy streets.
"So, what?" Harry asked, when she said nothing else after a few moments. He could tell whatever it was she had to say she had been thinking about for awhile.
"I was just wondering… what made you decide to follow me today to ask me to spend tonight with you?" Hermione chewed on her lower lip as she looked up at him.
Harry seemed surprised at her question. "Well… I'm not totally sure," he replied, absentmindedly squeezing her shoulders. "I was attracted to you right from the start, to be honest. When you came in that room with your hair pulled back and that coffee stain on your blouse… there was just something about you I found intriguing."
"I was SO embarrassed when I saw that stain!" Hermione covered her face with her hands and Harry laughed. "Once I was at Hogarth's I charmed it off."
"Well, it was that, the ink stains on your fingers, and those fake glasses you were wearing." Harry smiled. "And then later on when I was talking to you while we were having lunch… I just had this feeling that I needed to get to know you better. So here we are…"
"Here we are," Hermione turned and raised herself up to kiss him briefly. "You want to know what my first impression of you was?"
"Sure," Harry replied as they began walking again.
"When I first walked into that hotel room, and I saw you laying on the couch while you made Colin pick up the room, I thought you were a lazy self centred git." Hermione started to laugh and Harry looked shocked.
"Hey I was tired!" he said in his defence. "I was hassled all morning by reporters much more vicious than you and it wears me out sometimes!"
"Well that was just my first impression." Hermione replied. "Once we started talking I realised I was wrong and that you weren't self centred at all. Just the git part was right," she started laughing again and Harry growled playfully and grabbed her around the waist.
"I'll show you a git," he said, tickling her sides. Hermione began to laugh harder and her eyes watered as Harry continued to squeeze her.
"Stop!" she shrieked, trying to catch her breath as Harry let up a little on his assault.
"Why?" Harry asked, grinning. "I'm just living up to my new reputation here."
"Honestly!" Hermione finally pushed him away, still laughing as she wiped her eyes. "Anyways, you were a git until you kissed me."
"Oh really," Harry replied, turning around to face her. She grinned up at him as he bent down and pressed his mouth to hers. Hermione's hands moved up his chest and her fingers buried themselves in his hair. She opened her mouth and flicked her tongue out against his lips; Harry was pleasantly surprised at her initiative and wrapped his arms around her waist, bringing her body up hard against his. His hand trailed up her back to tangle in her long hair, the bushy yet soft strands sliding through his fingers.
"What does that make me now?" he asked breathlessly, finally pulling away from her.
"A prat who can kiss really well?" she offered back. Harry looked back at her as his jaw fell and Hermione began to laugh. "You're so cute when you're shocked. I can't resist!"
"Honestly," Harry mocked her, but he wasn't angry. He kissed her again and they resumed walking.
"You never really answered my question earlier," Hermione said.
"What question?" Harry asked.
"The one about why you decided to ask me to spend tonight with you," Hermione replied.
"Yes I did," Harry said.
"No, you just said you found me intriguing and attractive." Hermione said.
"Women!" Harry threw his hands up in the air. "Always wanting a direct bloody answer!" Hermione shot him an innocent smile and he shook his head. "I find you more than attractive, when you walked in that room this morning, I thought you were one of the most gorgeous women I've ever seen. The coffee stain, the ink smudges… it really appealed to me- it made you real." Harry ran his hand through his hair. "And then later on when I talked to you and realised you didn't enjoy talking to me because of my name and what comes with it… made me want to get to know you even more."
Hermione felt her eyes swell with tears at Harry's words as he went on, but she no longer heard him. "Harry," she said softly, putting her hand on his arm. "That's… did you mean what you just said?"
He looked down and noticed her tears. "Yes," he muttered.
Hermione flew forward and hugged him so hard he was nearly knocked off his feet. "That is without a doubt the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me," the tears ran down her cheeks and disappeared into his sweater.
Harry was amazed that no one would have told Hermione before what an incredible person she was. "Hey," he said, bringing his arms up around her. "Come on, I'm not good with crying girls," Harry joked.
"I'm sorry," Hermione pulled away and wiped at her eyes. Harry used his thumb to brush across her cheek as she smiled. "I'm not normally so emotional,"
"Sure you aren't," Harry teased. "I meant what I said just now… all that was true."
"Thank you," Hermione hugged him again. She clasped his hand tightly in hers and they resumed walking. "Can we go get something hot to drink again?" she asked. The coffee they'd had only an hour earlier was no longer warming her inside out.
"Sure," Harry said. He laced his fingers with hers, squeezing her hand.
"Bloody Muggles," Hermione said as she shivered. "Why don't they have cloaks come into fashion? I don't even own a coat anymore." Early fall in England could sometimes be as cold as a winter day.
Harry grinned over at her, pulling her body next to his. "If I didn't know better I'd swear you were just saying that so you could get close to me," he teased.
"I don't need to be cold to get close to you, at least not now," Hermione answered as coyly as possible.
Harry made a face at her. "Good point," he kissed the side of her head as they saw a little pub a block away. He pulled her over to it and they went inside.
The place was warm, and there were several people gathered at tables crowded near the walls and a cluster in the centre of the room. There was a man singing up on a small stage, with his guitar as his only accompaniment. Harry ran his hands up and down Hermione's arms, trying to stop her shivering.
"All right?" he tried to speak in her ear but had to shout due to the loud noise.
"Yes," she replied. "What do you want?" she asked, nodding her head at the bar.
"Surprise me," Harry said, grinning as he watched Hermione approach the bar. His eyes roamed up and down her body as she leaned against the wood, talking to the bartender. He suppressed a large smile as he thought about still having hours on end to spend with Hermione and just the simple fact that he'd fallen in love with someone for the first time in his life.
Hermione waited patiently as the bartender got the drinks she ordered. She was unconsciously moving her body slightly to the music and was thinking about Harry, and therefore didn't notice when someone sat down on the stool next to her.
"Hello there," a male voice said in her ear. She looked over with a smile, thinking it was Harry and was surprised when an unfamiliar face grinned into hers.
"Hello," Hermione replied politely. She didn't want to be rude but she didn't want to encourage interest from anyone else either.
"I'm not normally the type to walk right up to a girl and introduce myself," the man said. "You just looked like a really nice person though." He held out his hand. "I'm Mark."
"Hermione," she shook his hand. "Nice to meet you."
"Yeah, you too!" Mark gazed at her with a familiar look in his eyes and Hermione turned back, wishing the bartender would hurry up with her drinks.
Harry watched Hermione with the other guy, crossing his arms over his chest. A sudden, sickening feeling rose in his stomach and he pushed it away. 'I am not jealous, I am not jealous, I am not jealous…' It would be positively ridiculous for Harry to be jealous of this other man. Hermione was spending the night with him, not this other guy. He bit his lower lip, trying to tell himself that it didn't matter; Hermione wasn't interested in someone else…" Harry was amazed at how suddenly scared he was about losing Hermione.
"I'm just being stupid," he muttered to himself. "I have no right to ask Hermione not to look at another guy."
Hermione was growing impatient and was about to snap at Mark when the bartender finally returned. "Thank you," she said to the bartender. "Nice meeting you," she said to Mark, cutting him off mid-sentence. She looked up at Harry with exasperation in her eyes as she handed him his beer.
"Sorry, I didn't know the bartender would take so long." She said, sipping from her own bottle. "I mean- two bloody bottles of beer!" Hermione shook her head.
"Who…" Harry started but his throat was dry so he took a quick swig. "Who was that guy up there?" he asked, trying to sound casual.
"What?" Hermione seemed surprised at his question. "Oh, just some guy named Mark." She replied with a wave of her hand. "He came up and introduced himself to me."
"Really," Harry said, trying desperately to keep that casual tone.
"Really," Hermione repeated, looking up at him. She stared at him for a minute and then her jaw dropped open. "You're jealous!"
"I am not!" Harry denied, too quickly. "I'm just curious that's all."
"Oh Harry," Hermione set her bottle down and hugged him. "That's really sweet," she leaned up and kissed him.
"I'm not jealous," Harry repeated. "It's not my place to be jealous."
"What do you mean?" Hermione asked. "Of course it's your place." She smiled up at him. "Or are you forgetting that you're stuck with me tonight? The entire night… you and me, me and you," she said in a sing song voice that made Harry's mouth twitch.
"Bloody hell woman," he gave her a full fledge grin a few minutes later when she wound her arms around his waist. "If I'd known how flirtatious you really are I'd…"
"You'd what?" Hermione rested her chin on his chest and looked up at him. "There are lots of things I wager you don't know about me yet."
"That's very interesting," Harry said, chugging back on his beer. "Care to indulge me?"
"Oh, perhaps," Hermione raised herself up and pressed her lips to his, while moving both his hands around her waist. "Maybe not in public," she almost purred and Harry nearly knocked over the table.
"Hermione!" Harry was shocked.
"What?" she asked innocently.
"I… nothing… I guess," Harry stammered, sucking back more of his drink. He shook his head at her, and she grinned back. They drank the rest of their beer in silence, and left the bottles on the table as they departed the pub without so much as a glance at the bar where Mark still stood, waiting for Hermione to come back.
Once outside, Harry began to laugh loudly. "Did you know he was watching us the entire time?" he asked.
"Yes," Hermione replied. "Honestly, he just wouldn't shut up when I was standing there even though I think I said about 5 words to him," she looped her arm through Harry's. "I had to put on a little show to get him off my case."
Harry snorted. "I think it worked," he said.
"I think so too," Hermione answered, putting her head on his shoulder. "What do you want to do?"
"I don't know," Harry answered. "I'm hungry."
"Why didn't you eat anything at the pub?" Hermione asked, not removing her head from his shoulder as she looked up at him.
"Because pub food is disgusting," Harry answered.
"I thought guys weren't picky about what they ate, as long as it was edible," Hermione replied back smartly.
Harry snickered. "Perhaps some guys are. I like my food with flavour in it."
"Well Picky, it looks like all the good restaurants are closed," Hermione said, patting his arm in mock sympathy.
"There's always one left open," Harry said, pulling her down the street. His stomach was growling pitifully as he saw lights coming through a foggy window. "Just like I said!" he smirked at her.
"Well who's the bloody genius now," Hermione quipped back as they went inside the warm all night café. "I have to use the loo," she kissed him briefly and went to the back of the room.
She closed and locked the door to the single bathroom behind her, turning on the yellow light. Hermione stared at herself in the mirror for a few minutes, and then jumped up and down as a huge smile stretched across her lips. Splashing cold water on her face, she reflected back on their evening so far.
She simply could not believe what was happening to her. Hermione Eliana Granger, a woman who focused on nothing but work, had no time for guys, had no time for appearances, had fallen head over knickers in love with (and this made her laugh) a Quidditch player. And not just any Quidditch player, but Harry Potter, bloody Harry Potter… Hermione brushed at her hair with her fingers, wishing for once it was straight.
"There's nothing saying he feels the same way about you," she told her reflection. "Just take what you can tonight and walk away with it tomorrow, knowing that you spent a night with a guy who likes you for you."
"Everything all right?" Harry asked minutes later when she slid into the booth. He looked up from his menu and smiled at her.
"Yes," Hermione replied, tossing her bag next to her.
"Good," Harry said, sliding his foot next to hers. She felt his shoe nudge her ankle and fought a grin back down. They both perused their menus in silence until the waitress came back over.
"I'll have the fish and chips, extra chips please," Harry said.
"Same here," Hermione decided. The waitress smiled and wrote it down, taking both their menus.
"Should be up shortly," she said, turning to go.
"Thank you," Harry replied, and then looked back at Hermione. "You know, I realised there's something we haven't really talked about yet."
"What's that?" Hermione asked, taking a sip of the water that had been placed on the table.
"Past relationships… current ones…" Harry said.
"Well I already told you I'm single," Hermione shrugged. "Just like you told me during the interview that you're single. And I should hope that you wouldn't have asked me to spend tonight with you if you've got a girlfriend."
"I'm not dating anyone." Harry assured her. "But I'm just curious is all, I mean, we've talked about a lot this evening but nothing really on past relationships."
"Well what do you want to know?" Hermione suddenly seemed testy. "There's not much to tell."
Ooh so what's Hermione hiding about her past relationships? I'll be posting mid next week, so stay tuned till then! :D
Thanks to all the following reviewers for chapter 3: Marguerite, Michie, cheering charm, coriander, harryherm84, Vicarious Leigh, spaz141, CurlyCutie, SoulShine, KypDurron, tanama, prue1912, Toodle Pip, rodrigo, Ramychan, Kali, Rebeca Franco, SilverFoot, dave gerecke, Euro, shawnpickett, Deer Run Sonata, Kaze, JRadcliffe, Golasgil Sindar, Amethyst Knight, Muirnin, SummrMagic, RavenclawChrissie, ItalianSoccerChick89, vanillapuf Felton, RonRoxLover, meme30, traydrvic, Danielle, Nappa, VWChica, glitterfairyxoxo, Cristina_1106, Clyde, katakali, Ash, Fiona, quietlylurking, Naveah, heavan, Ariana aka Rain, Phoenix Tears, Lexie14, LittleMissPerfect, Angel, MarenLP, silmarien, BAD BOY HARRY, jillee257, myman-harry526, sweetpup, Hermione, sweetygurl420, Sami Potter, KrystinePotterLover, aznpixie74, firestar9096, coolone007, Shani, Bookworm145, REALbluelightsaber, stacy, David M. Potter, Snidget-And-Co, Morgana10, Adrianne3, annonymissimo, harryandhermione4ever-38, justcallmeronnie, freedom fighter3, tweetysburrow, and Sarah.