"It's good to meet you, Connie, I've heard so much about you." Hermione said with a fake smile.
"You have?" Connie looked nervously to Harry's smiling face. "I guess Harry does talk to you about everything." She let out a nervous laugh.
Harry watched the exchange and realized he was being rude. He turned around and looked at the chairs on either side of where he wanted to sit then quickly made a decision. "Why don't we have a seat? Connie ..." He pulled her chair out for her and helped her sit down. Before Hermione could reach for her chair, Harry pulled hers out for her as well.
"Thank you." Connie said with a slight smile.
Hermione smiled sweetly at Harry as she sat in her chair. Harry quickly followed and smiled at Connie.
"What's this about killer paperwork?" Luna asked in amusement.
"One of my coworkers decided it would be amusing to transfigure one of my files into a copy of The Monster Book of Monsters!" Hermione snorted in derision. "The stupid thing started to attack my inbox and I had to spend the better part of the day repairing everything."
Harry put a comforting hand on her arm but pulled away self-consciously. "I'm sorry to hear that." He said apologetically. He glanced at Connie. She was blushing slightly and looking at her hands. Harry cleared his throat. "So, who's up for butterbeers?" He signaled Madam Rosmerta and she soon returned with enough mugs of the warm, savory drink for everyone.
"Hey! Ginny!" Ron stood and waved at his sister. Ginny glanced at the voice and scowled at her older brother as she stalked over to the table. "Join us for drinks?" He asked with a smile.
"I can't, I'm still on duty." She explained as she surveyed the room. "There was an unauthorized use of magic in the area ..."
"I read in the Daily Prophet that a Death Eater escaped from Azkaban." Connie said nervously. "Do ... Do you think they're around here?" She looked around with a look of fear in her eyes.
"I don't think the escapee could have gotten here that quickly." Hermione said in her Hogwarts sermon tone.
Harry put a comforting arm around Connie and squeezed her shoulder. "Hermione's right."
"Hermione?" Ginny looked to the other side of Harry and smiled. "I thought you had to work tonight?"
Hermione smiled. "I did, but I made a promise to Harry. He said he had something important to tell Ron and me tonight." She looked at Harry pointedly and cocked an eyebrow. "I had to fight with a book of teeth to get here, what's so important?"
Ron straightened at the news. "What are you and Connie going to get ... OW! Why'd you do that, Luna?"
Luna smiled apologetically at him then looked around the table. "Sorry, I've been trying to train tact into him ... It might be painful for a while."
Everyone, but Ron, laughed at her explanation. Harry glanced at his date and smiled wider at how she seemed to be adjusting to his friends. He didn't realize that he'd been staring at her until Hermione tugged at his sleeve.
"Well? What's this news then?" She asked in anticipation.
Harry grinned at her then looked around. "The team doesn't know this yet ..." He started conspiratorially. "And there's only one other person who knows of my intentions."
"What? Are you some sort of nobleman who inherited a family estate?" Ron blurted out followed by a snort of laughter.
Connie had just taken a sip of her drink and spit it out at Ron's joke. She looked up, mortified and grimaced at the butterbeer drenched Hermione. "I'm so, so sorry." She squeaked.
Hermione didn't look very happy at her current state but to her credit, she held her tongue and cleaned herself off with a quick wave of her wand. "That's quite alright." She said slowly.
Harry let out the breath he was holding and pinched the bridge of his nose. This just went downhill ... Didn't it?
He felt two hands, one on either side, land on his arms. He jumped at the contact and glanced at their owners. Connie was sporting an apologetic look and Hermione was looking at him with a mixture of emotions. The most dominant were apology, frustration, and caring.
"I'm sorry I'm ruining the evening." Connie said self-consciously. "M-maybe you should take me home ..."
He looked at her quickly and took her hand. "You're not ruining the evening, Connie." He said quietly then looked at Hermione.
"It's alright, really." She reassured the redhead across the table. "It could have happened to anyone."
"Listen, I'd like to hear what Harry has to say." Ginny said with a smile. "I've really got to get back to searching and everyone in here seems to be clean." She looked around again with her wand out before nudging Harry to continue.
Harry cleared his throat again and took a pull from his mug. "Right, well I talked to Madam Hooch at Hogwarts ... The next term I'll be the new flying instructor and Quidditch coach!" He smiled at the shocked faces of his friends and stopped to gauge Hermione's reaction.
"You're leaving Puddlemere?" Ron whispered in disbelief. "What about the World Cup?"
"I'll have plenty of time before the term to finish the season and if we can make it, I'll be there." Harry said with a smile. "I'm not going to put the team completely out of sorts. Marcus is being trained to replace me."
"I never thought you'd be a teacher." Connie said quietly then looked up suddenly.
"Why wouldn't he be?" Hermione asked quickly.
"I ... well ... I don't know. We haven't talked much, to tell you the truth." Connie stammered nervously.
Ginny clapped Harry on the shoulder. "That's great news, Harry. We'll have to talk later, though." She hid her communication crystal in her robes and smiled apologetically. "I was just called back to HQ. They tracked the culprit to Diagon Alley ... That must have been some strong deapparation to signal the Illegal Arts Department like that."
"I'm sorry you can't stay." Luna said with a smile. "See you for lunch tomorrow?"
Ginny nodded and with a wave, disappeared through the crowd and into Hogsmeade's cool, night air.
"Do you think Marcus can handle the strain of being first string Seeker?" Hermione asked concernedly.
"I think so." Harry said with a smile. "He's training up brilliantly." He glanced at the clock on the wall and then to Connie. He leaned over to her. "Do you want to get out of here?" He whispered quietly.
Connie blushed slightly and nodded almost imperceptibly.
"Well, that's what I wanted to share with you two." Harry said with a smile. Ron didn't look too pleased but Harry knew he was still processing the information. "Connie and I are going to finish our date." He stood and pulled out Connie's chair for her and glanced around the table. "I'll see you later."
"Harry, a word?" Hermione grabbed his arm and smiled apologetically. "Just for a moment." She added after a quick glance at Connie.
"Sure ..." Harry said suspiciously. He turned to Connie and smiled reassuringly. "Do you want to wait by the door? I'll be there in just a minute?"
Connie smiled and nodded. "Ok." She said simply and headed for the door.
Hermione stood and dragged Harry to a separate corner and looked around to make sure nobody was listening in.
"Please tell me that you think she's nice ..." He pleaded with her. "I'm sure she didn't mean to spit her drink all over you ..."
Hermione snorted and waved dismissively. "That's fine." She said offhandedly. "I was irritated, but it really could happen to anyone."
Harry sighed in relief. "Thank you for not hating her because of that ... So what did you want to talk about?"
"Harry ..." She said warily. "T-try to not fall to far for her yet." She said with a nervous stutter.
"What?" He stiffened at her request and looked at her strangely.
"Please, I don't want you to fall for her and she leaves you ... I don't want to see you hurt!" She explained as she took his hand.
Harry shook his head. "What if I already have?" He asked nonchalantly. "I'm hoping that she and I might officially get together, she's a wonderful woman, Hermione."
"I can see that she likes you, Harry, but ..."
"You don't like her." He said flatly.
"No, it's just ..." Hermione looked up at him and winced at the sadness in his eyes.
"She won't come between us, Hermione, she promised me that." He said quietly. "I hoped that you'd accept her ..." He sighed and hung his head. "Look, I've got to go and finish our date, I'll see you sometime."
"Harry ..."
But Harry had already left. He was walking through the crowd and met Connie by the door. Despite what had happened with Hermione a few moments ago, just seeing Connie lifted his spirits.
"Is everything ok?" She asked quietly and looked into his eyes.
He smiled and took her hand. "Everything's fine, why don't we get out of here? I have a blanket and a bottle of wine waiting by a certain lake ..."
She smiled at his suggestion and nodded.
He looked back to see Hermione watching their exchange and without a word, they apparated to the castle grounds.
"Did she say something to upset you, Harry?" Connie asked quietly as they walked along the base of the hillock.
He looked up startled and shook his head. "She just worries about me." He said with a sigh. "I've always appreciated her advice and there are some things that I want to do that surprise her from time to time."
Connie nodded and smiled at the scene in front of her. The blanket they'd used the previous day was under the tree and a small table with a candle was shedding light on a bucket of chilled wine and a book that was resting on the table.
"I thought we could see what happened ..." He said with a nervous smile. "I could read to you some more, we could enjoy the wine or the stars ..."
She stepped onto the blanket and looked back to him with a soft smile playing across her lips. "Why don't we see?" She said as the twinkles in her eyes brightened. He smiled and before he knew what he was doing, crossed the distance between them, pulled her into his arms, and pressed his lips against hers.
Connie wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled herself into his embrace. She slid her tongue across his lower lip and they soon found themselves falling hazily onto the blanket.
They didn't hear the crystalline music or the sounds of the crickets and frogs by the shore. The world faded from view as they rolled on the soft comforter reveling in each other's embrace. Her hands slid down his back and his to her cheek. They pulled apart to take another breath before he slid his fingers into her silky, red hair. His hand rested on the back of her head and he pulled her in for another kiss.
"Harry ..." She whispered seductively against his lips as he slid his hand to her waist.
"Connie ..." He whispered back and kissed her chin, then her jaw, and finally to the choker she was wearing. She mewled and moaned at each contact, arching her body into his. He found the jewelry obtrusive when it blocked her soft flesh from his lips so he deftly unhooked it and set it aside.
She gasped at the sudden touch of his tongue to the soft part of her neck near her collarbone and wrapped her long leg around his waist. "Harry ..." She whispered again with a low moan. "Harry ... Why'd you stop?" She asked quietly and looked into his startled eyes.
"What ..." Harry backed away from her as confusion began to overwhelm him. "H-Hermione?" He croaked in disbelief.
Hermione froze and lifted a shaking hand to her head. The ribbon had been pushed back when he'd slipped his fingers into her hair and her bushy, mousy brown hair had been exposed with straight, red hair falling behind the pink ribbon. She suddenly realized where his tongue had been and glanced to the blanket to see her choker laying next to her. She snapped her gaze back to him with a terrified look in her eyes. "Harry ... I ..."
"No!" He said angrily. "What the BLOODY hell?! Hermione?!" His confusion quickly transformed to hurtfulness and anger and his face began to burn. He shook his head, still in a state of disbelief.
"Harry, let me explain ..." She pleaded as she stood shakily. "Please ..."
"GET OUT OF HERE!" He shouted angrily.
Hermione winced and took a step towards him. "Harry ... Please, let me explain ..."
"You've been stringing me along this entire time?!" Harry spat vehemently. "HOW COULD YOU DO THAT TO ME?!" He glared at her angrily and pointed to the apparition point. "Get off of my property, Hermione." He growled warningly.
"Please, Harry, just listen ..." She said quietly with tearful eyes and reached for him.
Harry stepped away and threw his arm to his side. "Fine, if you won't go, I will." He growled through gritted teeth. Before she could stop him, he disapparated and appeared in his den.
"ARGH!" He shouted at the top of his lungs. He grabbed the chair by his desk and slammed it into the floor. "ARGH!" He shouted again as glanced at the clock above his mantle. He saw that she was traveling and he frowned angrily at the device. "Oh, no, you're not going to trap me here." He disapparated again and looked up the dusty road to the wrought iron gates of Hogwarts. He stalked up to them and stepped inside. He was officially a professor and would be starting the next term so he didn't fear the wards around the school of his alma mater.
He stormed his way to the Quidditch pitch and opened the broom shed. His old Firebolt was hanging on the wall where he'd put it the other day and without a second thought, he grabbed it and took off into the sky.
"What the hell just happened?" He growled to himself as the wind blew through his hair. "What game was she playing with me?"
Sadness mixed with the anger and disbelief as he corkscrewed through the air haphazardly. He could feel his old insecurities and low self-esteem start to overwhelm the confidence he'd been building up since he'd defeated Voldemort. He flew straight into the sky in a vertical climb and spun around into a frantic dive.
Even as he sped towards the perfectly trimmed grass of the pitch below, he felt his heart plummet even faster. Harry thought he'd finally found someone, someone who didn't care about his achievements and it took Hermione to show him that there wasn't anyone.
He pulled up at precisely the wrong moment and found himself rolling along the pitch with his broom buried half way up the shaft in the center. He'd taken spills before and knew he wasn't injured. Instead of brushing himself off and getting back on, he found himself looking up at the stars. The Dog Star wasn't in ascendance, Mars had long since disappeared below the horizon, but Venus was still on its way to its apex.
Harry wiped angrily at the tears streaming from his eyes. He laughed coldly as he remembered the ribbon he'd returned to his supposed best friend, the stories that 'Connie' had told him about her family and slammed his fist into the ground as her love of pasta flitted through his mind.
"Why didn't I see it before?" He hissed angrily. "Covert ..." He shook his head at the simplicity of her disguise and cursed himself for not realizing what was happening.
"Why? Why did she do this?" He whispered to himself. Flashes of how he felt when he kissed her flitted though his mind and he sighed when he realized how magnificent she had made him feel. His heart was breaking and he groaned in irritation.
He lay in the darkness for a few more hours going over events in his mind. He didn't like the conclusion that he'd come to and couldn't fathom why she did what she did to him instead of just talking. He summoned his Firebolt and dusted himself off before putting it away. Harry looked up at the castle longing for the days when life was far less complicated and after leaving the school grounds, disapparated.
The weeks flew by as Puddlemere United won their last few games that put them firmly in first place. Harry worked himself to near exhaustion in his attempt to train Marcus when they weren't training for the team. Harry knew he couldn't keep Hermione away from the games and he found himself glancing at her as he flew around looking for the snitch and each time he did, his heart shattered again. He'd made it his goal to catch the elusive, golden ball as quickly as he could so that he wouldn't have to look at her.
The team was celebrating at the Three Broomsticks over their final win that put them first in the league and therefore England's team for the Cup. The Department of Magical Games and Sports had disbanded the national team after half of them were found to be Death Eaters and they turned the nationals into a contest afterwards. The team who won the National Cup was the team to play for the World Cup on behalf of England. Competition soared and Quidditch fans all over the country were treated to some of the most fantastic games they'd seen. Ticket sales soared and there were questions as to why this hadn't been done earlier.
Harry jumped as a hand clapped him on the shoulder and he looked up to see Ron's frowning face.
"Don't even start, Ron." Harry said warning and tried to stand up. Ron shoved him back into his seat.
"She misses you, Harry." Ron said evenly. "Why don't you let her explain?"
"What's there to explain?" Harry said angrily and pulled out from under his friend's grip. He stood and turned on Ron but took a step back when he saw the anger in his eyes.
"She didn't do this to make fun of you, Harry." Ron said calmly. Harry could tell he was fighting to keep control of himself.
"I know that!" Harry said loudly. He looked around but nobody seemed to have noticed. Harry slid his mug onto the table and turned back to Ron. "Ron, if she truly loved me, she should have told me instead of making me think she was someone else!"
"You're too thick." Ron said slowly. "How would you have reacted if she told you?"
"I don't know that, now do I?" Harry spat. "She decided to play some ruddy mind game with me and now I don't even know who she is! I DON'T KNOW IF I EVER KNEW HER AT ALL!" Harry's temper won over his need to keep calm and the laughter and music around them died into silence. "Don't follow me, Ron." Harry said in a harsh whisper as he headed to the door.
"Fine, run away again." Ron called from behind him. Harry ignored the taunt and ripped the door open. He collided with someone who was coming in and they both fell to the ground.
"Sorry, I wasn't watching where I was go ..." Harry said apologetically as he turned to offer his help. His heart stopped and his words lodged in his throat when he saw that it was one Hermione Granger that he'd run into.
"Harry ..." She said quietly. "Please, c-can we talk?"
He closed his eyes and fought hard not to sneer. He was barely able to control himself as it was but he held out a hand to help her anyway. He flinched when she took his hand in hers and felt her weight as she got to her feet. He was about to pull away from her when she latched her other hand onto his arm.
"Harry, please don't run from me." She pleaded. "I'm sorry, I really am ..."
"Why, Hermione?" He said with a shaky voice, his eyes still closed. "Why didn't you just tell me that you loved me?" He heard her gasp and he shook his head. He yanked his hand out of her grasp and opened his eyes. "Did you think I would be too stupid to figure that out too?"
"Harry, you aren't stupid!" She said firmly.
"Obviously you think I am otherwise you would have just told me straight away!" Harry growled back. "You might have learned that I loved you too!"
"What?" She asked in a small voice. "Y-you love me?"
"I LOVED you Hermione." Harry said angrily. "I don't know you enough to say that now!"
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"You treated me like a friend and I didn't think you could have those kinds of feelings for me." He said calmly. "I thought you were my friend."
"Harry, I've never stopped!" She explained quickly. Harry was ready to leave and she was trying to stop him. "Please, Harry, can we just talk? I-If you want me out of your life after that, I-I'll understand."
Harry sighed and walked to the back of the inn. As soon as he found it clear, he slumped into one of the benches that rested along the back of the building. "Ok, talk." He said curtly.
Hermione sat nervously next to him and it looked as if she were going to put a hand on his arm but thought better of it and instead began wringing the corner of her cloak with her hands. She looked into his piercing eyes and found sadness and depression waiting for her. A tear streaked down her cheek and she looked to her lap.
"I'm sorry, Harry." She said quietly. "I didn't have the courage to tell you. When we were together it seemed like you didn't notice me, like I was your sister." Her voice cracked with the last word. "I thought that if I were prettier ..."
"Hermione, you are pretty." He said quietly.
Hermione snorted a laugh and shook her head. "I didn't mean for things to get so far out of hand." She continued. "But when you kissed me ... I couldn't think ... All I knew was you were actually kissing me and I didn't want you to stop." She wiped away a few tears that had fallen down her cheeks and looked up into his sad eyes again. "I love you, Harry." She said quietly and reached for his hand. "I didn't mean to hurt you ..."
Harry nodded and looked to her hand on top of his. "You used a time-turner that night, didn't you? That's why Ginny was there ..." He said quietly. He didn't have to look at her to know he was right. "You tried to warn me ..."
"I had to try and stop it from happening, Harry." She pleaded with him. "I didn't want to lose you ..." She withdrew her hand and looked to her shoes. "I guess that was inevitable ..."
"You haven't lost me, Hermione." Harry said quietly. "I realized that you were in love with me when I was flying around the Quidditch pitch at Hogwarts."
"That's where you went then ..."
Harry nodded. "I'm angry with you for playing this game with me." He said with a shaky voice. "It's going to take time, Hermione, for me to trust you again."
She let out a sob and hung her head. "Harry ..."
"Hermione, I still love you, but what you did to me hurt. It hurt more than anything I've ever gone through ... More than losing Sirius." He put a hand on her back and rubbed it slowly. "I need time to heal, Hermione, and we'll see if anything can happen after that."
He stood then and slowly slid his hand from her shaking back. "I do love you, Hermione, but give me the space I need right now." He said quietly and disappeared.