Chapter 4
The next day went by rather uneventful. By five o'clock, Hermione was beginning to get nervous. She knew it was silly, but she couldn't help it. Harry was right, last time they had gone out it had been a complete disaster. Granted, at the time they were both so upset that they were liable to break down at the simplest of comments. They had also been only seventeen at the time.
She remembered that night clearly. While the whole wizarding world had been celebrating, Harry and Hermione had been mourning. She had felt very sorry for Harry. He had just defeated his parent's murderer, but couldn't celebrate because he had lost his best friend along the way. She and Sirius were all he had left, so she'd asked him out to celebrate. He had reluctantly agreed.
When they had gotten to the restaurant, Harry had relaxed a little. He seemed to have forgotten all about Ron and Voldemort. That was until someone recognized him, and congratulated him. Then reality seemed to come rushing back. After that he was somber, withdrawn, and quiet. Hermione had tried to cheer him up, but nothing worked. After awhile he had snapped at her and accused her of betraying Ron. That had really hurt her because 1) she had not meant to betray Ron and 2) she was in a very fragile emotional state. So she had retorted and accused him of being a baby. That had started a huge fight, and left them both miserable for two weeks.
I should probably get ready now, she thought snapping back to reality.
She went upstairs and took a shower. When she got out of the shower, she looked in the closet for something to wear.
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At quarter to seven, the doorbell to Hermione's apartment rang. She was ready to go, so she opened the door. Harry was standing there ready for their date.
"Hey, Harry," Hermione said.
"Hi," he replied.
"So, what are we going to do?" Hermione asked curiously.
"Oh, I thought we'd go to dinner, and then see the play you've been dying to see," Harry replied with a smirk.
"Really? How could you have gotten tickets so quickly?" Hermione asked incredulously.
"I'm Harry Potter. I can do anything," he said smugly.
"Right. Whatever," she said sarcastically.
"I'm serious. All I said was, `This is Harry Potter, and I was wondering if there were any tickets available for tonight's performance' and they said that the best they had available right now was a private box and was that okay with me. I told them that would be fine," Harry told her.
"You have got to be kidding me," she said disbelievingly.
"I'm not," he said.
"Oh, Harry, you're wonderful," Hermione said as she hugged him.
Harry looked both shocked and pleased with her response. "So where do you want to go for dinner?" Harry asked.
"Oh, I don't know, anywhere's fine with me," Hermione replied.
"You're real helpful," Harry said sarcastically.
"Okay, how about we go to The Leaky Caldron, since it's close to the theatre?" Hermione suggested.
"That's fine with me," Harry replied.
"Alright, it's settled then," Hermione stated. "Let's go." Then they Apparated out.
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They arrived at the Leaky Caldron, sat down at a table, and ordered dinner. They talked about various things until their food came.
"This is nice. We really haven't hung out alone in a long time," Hermione said while they were eating.
"Yeah, you're right, this is nice. I had been so caught up with Lindsey; I hadn't had much time for you. I apologize for that," Harry stated sincerely.
"It wasn't only you. I was busy with Alex. I apologize too," Hermione replied.
After that there was an uneasy silence. Both were thinking about their ex-fiancés.
"Harry," Hermione said quietly.
"Yeah?" he asked questioningly.
"I miss Alex," she said sadly.
"I know, I miss Lindsey terribly too," Harry replied, just as sadly.
"Oh, Harry, what are we going to do?" Hermione was close to tears now, and her voice faltered as she said this.
"Hermione, I don't know. I just don't know," Harry replied, running his fingers through his hair.
"Do you want to skip they play, and go to my apartment to talk?" Hermione asked.
Harry just nodded mutely. They paid for their food, and Apparated to Hermione's apartment.
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When they entered Hermione's apartment, they both sat down on the couch, and Hermione started crying almost immediately.
"Harry, I feel so awful. Why does everything always happen to us?" Hermione moaned.
"I don't know," Harry replied, "but I feel awful too."
"Are we really going to get married?" Hermione asked.
"I don't know," Harry said helplessly. "Whey can't anything in our lives ever be easy?"
"I knew when I first heard you were on the train that I shouldn't become friends with you just because you were famous. If I would have, I would have been set up for a hard fall," Hermione said, thinking back to the first time she had seen Harry on the Hogwarts Express.
"What are you talking about?" Harry asked her incredulously.
"When I first heard that you were on the train, I wanted to be your friend because I had read about you and you were famous. A little voice in the back of my head told me that those were the wrong reasons for becoming you friend, and it was right," Hermione explained.
"Oh," Harry replied.
There was a silence between them.
"Hermione, have you ever regretted being my friend?" Harry asked her. He knew he shouldn't, but he couldn't help himself.
"No. Sometimes I'll think, why on earth did I become his friend, but then I'll remember why," Hermione replied, smiling.
"Why did you become friends with me?" Harry asked curiously.
"Oh, honestly Harry. I became your friend because you're a wonderful person. You're smart, sweet, and funny. It's also a plus that you're the hero of the wizarding world," she added with a teasing smile.
"Oh, thanks," he replied sarcastically.
"It also helps that you're one of the hottest men in wizarding world," Hermione said playfully.
"I can't argue with you there," Harry replied, smiling impishly.
"You are so full of yourself," Hermione teased.
"I'm only stating the facts," he shot back.
"Uh, you can be so frustrating at times," she said, resisting the urge to stick her tongue at him.
"That may be true, but you love me anyway," Harry replied with a cocky grin on his face.
This time Hermione really did stick her tongue out at him, then she threw a pillow his way. It him in the face.
"Hey, you are going to ruin my beautiful face," Harry said with a teasing smile.
"Oh, it's only a pillow, honestly," Hermione replied as she threw another pillow at him. He threw one back at her. Soon they were both throwing pillows at each other and laughing. The scene was quite comical; they looked like a couple of little kids.
After about fifteen minutes, they both collapsed on the couch, clutching their stomachs, and laughing.
"That was so much fun," Harry gasped once their laughter had subsided a little.
"I agree," Hermione replied. She hadn't had that much fun in a long time.
"If it was so much fun, then how come I feel so guilty?" Harry asked.
"I feel guilty too, but I know why," Hermione told him.
"Why?" he asked.
"Because I just lost the man who was supposedly the love of my life, but here I am falling for my best friend," she said calmly.
Harry was quite surprised. "What?" he sputtered.
"I said I'm falling in love with you, Harry," Hermione replied.
"Good, because I think I'm falling for you too," Harry told her, looking into her eyes. They both instinctively moved closer together on the couch as their heads moved closer together for the inevitable kiss. As they got closer, Hermione's eyes fluttered shut. When their lips finally met, it was pure bliss. At first it was tentative and inquiring, but it soon got more intense. Harry slipped his arms around Hermione's waist, and Hermione moved her arms around his neck to let her fingers tangle in his hair. Soon, Hermione felt Harry's tongue slide across her bottom lip. She eagerly opened her mouth, wanting to feel more of Harry. When Harry's tongue slid into her mouth, Hermione moaned softly against his mouth. Their tongues were now exploring each other's mouths. Harry moved his hands from around her waist, to put his hands under his shirt slightly. Hermione's skin burned where Harry touched it. She moved her hands from his hair to his chest. Harry broke away from her mouth, and began trailing kisses up and down Hermione's neck and jaw line.
This is what they looked like when Ginny walked into the room. She was shocked to find Hermione snogging on the couch. "Sorry about this Hermione, but-" Ginny broke off as Harry and Hermione untangled themselves from each other. "Harry!"
"Hey Gin," Hermione said with an uncomfortable chuckle.
"Hi," Ginny replied still quite shocked. "Look, I'm sorry I had no idea, maybe I should just leave."
"No, no it's fine. Uh, what did you want to talk about?" Hermione asked.
"I think I'll go home," Harry said.
"Alright, bye Harry," Hermione said.
"See ya," Ginny added.
"Bye," Harry mumbled before walking out the door.
"So, what was that all about?" Ginny asked curiously.
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Awhile later, after Hermione had told Ginny all about her date with Harry, Ginny asked, "What did it feel like when you kissed him?"
"It felt absolutely perfect, like nothing I've ever experienced before," Hermione replied dreamily.
"Wow. Even better than when you kissed Alex?" Ginny asked.
"As much as it pains me to say this, yes," Hermione replied.
"Then, you must be in love with him," Ginny said, it wasn't a question.
"Yes, I think I am," Hermione said confidently.
"Hermione, can you keep a secret?" Ginny asked quietly.
"Yeah. What's up, Gin?" she asked, her voice filled with concern.
"Well, you see, there's this guy, and I think I might be in love with him. I think he loves me too, it's just my family might not approve of us having a relationship. We've been dating secretly for awhile, but I don't want to deep it a secret anymore. On the other hand though, I don't want my family to find out who he is. What should I do?" Ginny asked helplessly.
"Wow, Gin. You've got a lot on your plate. I think you should talk to this guy, and see what he wants to do. Then tell your family you want them to meet him, but tell them who he is ahead of time so they're not so surprised when they see him," Hermione suggested, wondering who it is.
"Hermione, it would never work. My brothers would kill him before we even got a chance to plan a date for them to meet him," Ginny replied, she was now close to tears. "Why did I have to fall in love with him?"
"Gin," Hermione said gently.
"What?" Ginny asked through her tears.
"Who's the guy?" Hermione asked.
Ginny took a deep breathe, to stop crying, and said, "Dr- Draco Malfoy."
"Oh, God. You're in love with Malfoy?" Hermione asked, very surprised. That was not what she had expected. When Ginny nodded, she continued, "How did you fall in love with him?"
Ginny started crying again. "One day, I was walking to my apartment, not really paying attention, when I ran into someone. We were both about to say something to the other, until we saw who the other was. I was so shocked, I couldn't talk. We just stood there, staring at each other, not saying anything. Finally, I broke the silence by saying that I'd never expected to see him again. He looked just as shocked as me. I also noticed that he looked a little different; his eyes didn't look as cold and filled with hatred as they used to be. He also hadn't insulted me. We decided to go somewhere to talk. We talked about what we'd done since we'd left Hogwarts. Then when I was about to leave, he said something that shocked me even more than seeing him. He apologized for all the things he's done while we were at school. I couldn't believe it, he had really changed, and he was actually apologizing. Then, he told me he had really enjoyed talking to me, and wanted to see me again. I told him I liked talking to him too. We made plans to meet again, and before he left, I kissed him. It had only been a quick kiss, but he had seemed a bit happier. After that, it was all downhill," Ginny told her, remembering that day clearly. She even smiled a little.
"Wow, Gin. Wow. Look, Ginny, he sounds really sweet, nothing like the Malfoy I knew, and you're old enough to decide who you want to date, so congratulations," Hermione said, smiling.
"Thanks, Hermione," Ginny said, brightening a bit. "Though, I don't think that's how my family will react, but thanks."
"Hey, don't mention it; I'm glad you found the perfect guy for you. Not that I would have guessed he was the one, but I'm still glad you found him. Now, on to the important stuff. Is he a good kisser?" Hermione asked mischievously.
Ginny giggled a bit. "Extremely good. You have not been kiss until you've been kissed by Draco Malfoy. Plus, he is incredibly sexy, and his smirk, my God. He is the best looking man I gave ever seen. I mean, I don't remember him being quite so hot at Hogwarts. All the girls thought he was cute, but I never thought he was anything special. Now, though, he's like Draco Malfoy, the sex god-"
She was about to go on, when Hermione interrupted," Ginny you must be in love."
"What makes you say that?" Ginny asked.
"You were babbling on about Draco Malfoy. It was getting kinda boring to listen to," Hermione explained.
"Oh, sorry. So, what about Harry? Is he a good kisser?" Ginny asked with a mischievous twinkle in her eye.
"Well, I've only kissed him once, but form what I can tell, that mouth may be more experienced than we think," Hermione answered giggling.
"Oh really?" Ginny said, arching an eyebrow.
"Yes, he's quite experienced," Hermione told her, giggling.
"What has our Harry been up to when we're not looking?" Ginny asked, giggling as well.
"Our Harry? Excuse me, but he is all mine. You can't have him. So there," Hermione said, sticking out her tongue, and feeling like a two year old who didn't want to share her toys.
"I'll make a mental note of that," said a male voice.
Both Hermione and Ginny spun around. Standing there in the doorway, was Draco Malfoy.
Hermione raised her eyebrows, "What are you doing here?"
"Well, I was looking for my girlfriend, who kinda forgot to show up for our date," Draco replied with a smirk.
"Oh, shoot, sorry. Hermione I gotta go, but I'll see you tomorrow. Bye," Ginny said rushing to leave. "Sorry."
Then they were gone. "Well that was an interesting evening," Hermione mumbled to herself while getting ready for bed.