Chapter Two
Hermione lay awake her mind spinning. Had Jack really just proposed to her? She couldn't quite believe what had happened tonight. They had been out to dinner, they had come back to the house and she had put some music on in her room as they sat talking when Jack had looked at her intently, stood up and reached for her hand asking her to dance. It was perhaps one of the most romantic things ever to happen to her, yet she felt strangely detached from the scene, like she has been watching from the other side of the room while they gently swayed to the music and he whispered in her ear, "Will you marry me." She had stopped dancing and looked at him in shock. They had only been dating for six months and while their relationship was definitely serious, she hadn't expected things to progress so quickly, especially as she still hadn't been able to make herself tell him the truth. It had been too nice dating someone who was definitely not dating her for the fame factor, or just to get close to Harry or Ron, but he had to know she was a witch. She knew it had been a mistake not to tell him sooner, and she hadn't been able to ruin the moment tonight, she had just nodded wordlessly in acceptance of his proposal.
She crawled out of bed and stood for a moment observing Jack's sleeping face, before pulling on her robe and walking out into the living room. She took a deep breath and closing her bedroom door she leant against it her eyes closed. She stayed that way for several minutes, relishing the cool air of the room, she opened her eyes and began walking towards the kitchen to get herself a snack when she saw Harry fast asleep curled up in the window seat. She had no idea why he loved sitting there so much, but she's found him asleep there several times in the last few months. She grabbed the soft blanket from the back of the sofa and walked over to Harry she pulled it over him, gently placing a cushion under his neck so he wouldn't wake up with a bad neck for the Quidditch match. His unruly black hair fell into his eyes as he sleepily moved his head onto the cushion and she instinctively reached out to push back his hair, revealing his trademark scar, now faded but still distinct.
Hermione walked into the kitchen and reached to the top of the corner cupboard, pulling out the emergency cookie supply. She grabbed two cookies and made her way back to the living room where she sank into the sofa, her legs crossed, her head leaning back as she looked at the ceiling.
How to phrase it? `Jack, Surprise, I'm a witch!' No, definitely not. `You know when I disappear of without explaining, I do have a reason I promise, it's, well, I have magical powers'…no, everything sounded like an explanation from a bad comic strip. She sighed loudly.
"Must be bad if you've got two emergency cookies."
Hermione jumped. She hadn't realised Harry had woken up. She looked over towards him and nodded in the dim light. She held out her arms for a hug and he stood and made his way over to her, settling down into the sofa next to her, his arm around her shoulder as she handed him one of the cookies.
"Problem with Jack?" Harry asked softly.
"Ah, sort of the opposite…" Hermione mumbled through her cookie.
She looked at Harry, not sure how he would react to her news. If it had been anything else she knew she could count on Harry to be supportive, but he wasn't exactly Jack's biggest fan, though she had no idea why.
"He proposed. I said yes…but now I have to tell him the truth, and explain why I've been lying to him for six months." She said.
Harry felt as though someone had hit him with a full body bind hex. She was getting married. Stay calm. There's nothing you can do now, she's your best friend and she needs you, be supportive.
"Congratulations `Mione" Harry said softly, pulling her into a tight hug. Hermione felt a tear in her eye as she hugged Harry, she couldn't explain it but the hug felt like she was saying goodbye to something, but she supposed she was in a way. She was saying goodbye to a whole era of her life. Oh my god, I'll have to move out. She thought with horror. But I can't imagine living without my boys! We've been together for so many years.
"I'm scared Harry. Not just of how he'll react, but of everything. I don't want to leave you and Ron. I can't imagine not living with you, seeing you both every day…" She was crying lightly now.
"Oh `Mione. I don't want you to leave either, but if Jack will make you happy then you have to consider what he wants as well. I'm going to guess he wouldn't want to move in here with us considering that he's already jealous of your relationships with Ron and me." She nodded sadly.
"You'll be my best friend no matter what `Mione." He whispered.
They sat hugging each other in silence for several minutes before Harry spoke again.
"How are you going to tell him?" Harry asked her.
"I have absolutely no idea. I've been thinking through several approaches in my head but each one seems more ridiculous than the last…I need to tell him tonight or tomorrow though. I can't put it off any longer. I need to introduce him to the other side of my life." She said, sounding a little more confident now.
"You'll have to tell him about everything…Voldemort, what you really do at work…the battles, the fame, he'll know soon enough if you take him to a Wizarding event the way people act around us sometimes."
Hermione nodded.
"I know. People have approached me when I'm with him in Muggle London but I've always managed to escape, but he must have noticed something a little odd when complete strangers whisper and point or wave at me." Hermione said with a wry grin.
"Tell him now `Mione. Or you're just going to stay awake all night beating yourself up about this. I know you remember, and Ron and I need you in good shape tomorrow, we can't have our lucky charm falling asleep during the match." Harry teased her. She kissed him on the cheek.
"Thanks Harry. I know you think I could do better than Jack, but he loves me. Thank you for being here anyway."
Harry watched her disappear back into her bedroom. As the door closed his head fell into his hands. He'd lost her now.
He wandered back to his own room and quickly drank a vial of a potion for dreamless sleep, knowing that he needed to be alert for the game the next day, and not wanting his sleep to be filled with images of Hermione he drifted off into nothingness.