Author's note: Sorry for the delay, again. Pesky real life…again. Some of you picked up on the fact in the last chapter, Hermione slipped up and called Harry by his real name. It wasn't a mistake on my part. It was intentional, as you will see with this chapter. I hope you enjoy. Thanks again for the great response!
Chapter Eight
You Can't Hurry Love
"How long must I wait
How much more can I take
Before loneliness will cause my heart
Heart to break?
No I can't bear to live my life alone
I grow impatient for a love to call my own
But when I feel that I, I can't go on
These precious words keeps me hangin' on
I remember mama said:
You can't hurry love
No, you just have to wait
She said love don't come easy
It's a game of give and take"
(The Supremes, "You Can't Hurry Love")
Later that evening, Eva stretched out on the sofa beside Sirius. They'd gone dancing at one of the local clubs after dinner. That coupled with spending most of the day on her feet and had left dog-tired. Sirius, though, didn't look tired. He looked deep in thought.
"Care to share whatever's on your mind?" she asked, leaning her head back against the sofa and closing her eyes.
"She knows," Sirius answered simply.
Eva turned to look at him. "What are you talking about?"
"Hermione," Sirius explained. "She knows who Harry is. Probably knows who I am, too."
"How do you know that she knows?" Eva asked, feeling as if she was in the middle of one of those Abbott and Costello "Who's on First?" routines. "Did she say something to you?"
"Don't you remember tonight when she was telling us about her boyfriend?" Sirius asked her. "She called Harry by his real name."
"She did?" Eva asked, trying to remember the conversation.
Sirius nodded. "Remus sure wasn't lying when he said she was clever. I imagine she figured it out pretty quickly."
Eva smiled. "Why do you suppose she hasn't called you on it?"
Sirius thought about this for a moment. "If I had to venture a guess, I'd say it was because she figures if we'd wanted her to know, we'd have introduced ourselves by our real names. She probably thinks it would be the polite thing to do to go along with us."
"Speaking as someone who finds it exhausting to remember to call you by your assumed names, I imagine it hasn't been easy for her," Eva commented. "I still think you and Harry should have just come clean to begin with. This place is all Muggles anyway."
"That we know of," Sirius reminded her. "You never know. Harry wanted a normal life without people wondering what he was up to and what he did. He's found that here. The boy's lived such a crazy life. He deserves some peace and quiet."
Eva rested her head on his shoulder. She knew that Sirius looked at Harry like his own son. She knew that he took his responsibilities as Harry's godfather seriously. It was one of his most attractive qualities.
"And he deserves love, too?" Eva asked softly.
"That he does," Sirius said wrapping an arm around Eva and pulling her close. "And I think Hermione's the one to provide that for him. I really do."
"They certainly did seem closer tonight," Eva said. "Like they'd known each other for years instead of a few days."
Sirius had thought the same thing as well. In fact, every time he'd seen Hermione and Harry together, he'd just been more and more convinced that they were perfect for each other.
"Are you going to tell her that you know that she knows?" Eva asked.
Sirius considered this. Throughout the evening, he'd wondered what the best course of action would be. He certainly could tell Hermione that she'd slipped up and called Harry by his real name. He could also tell Harry that the jig was up and Hermione knew the truth. But, that could derail all the progress that the two of them had made. Eva was right. All throughout the meal, Harry and Hermione talked and joked and laughed like old mates. There was definitely sparks flying between them. Sirius hoped Harry could see this.
Sirius shook his head. "I'm not going to tell her. I think I'll let Hermione and Harry decide when they want to tell each other the truth."
Eva laughed heartily. "I can't believe it. Now----you're going to let them decide on their own? Who are you and what have you done with Sirius Black? I swear, as long as I live, I don't think I'll ever understand you…"
Sirius stood up from the couch and offered her his hand. "Yes, but you love me for it."
"That I do," Eva said, taking his hand and getting to her feet. "That I do…"
****
****
****
****
A few days later found Hermione on a shopping excursion with Eva. Truth be told, Hermione had never been one for shopping, but Eva had invited her along on a girls only day on the island and Hermione couldn't refuse. She liked Eva very much and wanted the chance to get to know her better.
They were in a shop that sold local jewelry and Hermione was looking at some earrings as Eva looked at some necklaces.
"These are all hand-crafted?" Hermione asked.
"Yes, aren't they amazing?" Eva answered with a smile. "I could spend hours looking around in here."
"I imagine you don't bring Ben in here too much," Hermione said laughing. "He looked positively nauseous when you mentioned we were going shopping."
"Ben's not much for shopping," Eva said. "He's like most men, I guess."
"He really cares about you," Hermione said. "You can really tell."
"I still can't believe I found someone like him, to tell you the truth," Eva said, leading Hermione out of the shop and onto the sidewalk. They bought some ice cream cones from a sidewalk vendor and sat down on one of the benches.
"How did the two of you meet?" Hermione asked conversationally.
Eva grinned. "He came into the restaurant one day a couple of years ago and of course poured on the charm. I didn't fall for it at first. He seemed a bit arrogant to me, at first."
Hermione nodded.
"But, he sort of grew on me…well, once he stopped acting like he was God's Gift to Women," Eva said laughing. "Well, he wasn't that bad, but he had a sort of swagger to him. Confidence is what it really is---I mistook it for arrogance."
"When did you know you were in love?" Hermione asked.
Eva looked thoughtfully at the younger woman. "I don't know if Ben told you that I was married before…"
"He did," Hermione interjected.
"Well, it wasn't the best marriage to say the least," Eva said. "I was basically Martin's maid, chef, doormat…you name it. He never treated me like an equal. The only good thing I got out of that marriage was my son…Chris."
"You have a son?" Hermione asked, surprised.
"I do," Eva said proudly. "He's finishing up his first year in college in the States. He wants to be a doctor."
"Does he come down here often?" Hermione asked.
"He does when he can get away," Eva said wistfully. "Mostly for holidays and such. Thankfully, he and Ben get along really well. I was afraid about that. But, they get along like great friends and Chris really likes Jack, too."
Hermione smiled.
"But going through something like what I went through with Martin let me see what I didn't want. I imagine that doesn't make much sense, but I found in Ben what I didn't have with Martin. Ben makes me laugh and he wants to make sure I'm happy. And he does little things for me every now and then that shows me know he cares. It's nothing showy or fancy, but it can be something as small as bringing me a pint of ice cream or opening the door for me. I can't explain it, I just…knew. The first time he kissed me, I knew."
Eva looked at Hermione and blushed. "Sorry, that sounded really sappy, didn't it?"
"Its how you feel," Hermione said with a grin. "It must be nice to have that sort of connection with someone."
"It is," Eva said, nodding. "But you must have that with…what did you say his name was?"
"I didn't say his name before I don't think," Hermione said, shaking her head. "His name's Ron, actually."
"Ron," Eva said, pretending as if she didn't already know this from Sirius. "So you must have something like that with Ron, don't you?"
Hermione didn't answer. She averted her eyes from Eva.
"Did I touch a nerve?" Eva asked gently.
"Not really," Hermione said, taking the last bite of her ice cream cone. "It's just sometimes, I don't know if Ron and I…if we make sense."
"What do you mean?"
Hermione shrugged. "We have almost nothing in common. I know that's not always important, but we fight all the time. He usually wants to go out and I prefer staying at home and watching movies and getting takeaway. I like going out too, of course, but he always wants to go to some noisy, smoke-filled club and drink with his mates. I usually spend the evening sitting at a table while he goes off and plays billiards or darts or some silly drinking game."
Hermione laughed. "He plays Quidditch. You know what this is, don't you?"
Eva nodded. "Jack and Ben talk about it all the time. I wish I could see a game to see what the fuss is about."
"It's really exciting to watch," Hermione said. "I'm not much for sport, but it's a fun game to watch. With my job, however, I don't get much opportunity to go and see his games and that's a bit of an issue for us, too. But, if I went, I'd have to sit in the players' boxes with the other assorted girlfriends, wives, flavours of the month. These women and I have absolutely nothing in common whatsoever. Most of the time, I just pull out my organizer or a book and read. When the game starts, though, I do watch. But, Ron thinks I'm being anti-social, when I do things like that.'
"And you've been together for six months?" Eva asked.
Hermione nodded. "Yes. I sound so terrible talking about the bad things, but there are some good things, too."
Eva didn't seem too convinced when she said as normally as she could, "Like what?"
"Well, he's really funny," Hermione said with a slight smile. "He always has been able to make me laugh. He can be really charming when he's not sticking his foot in his mouth. He means well, but sometimes his mouth can get in the way. I'm still trying to teach him tact."
Eva smiled. "When you find out how, let me know. I need to teach the same to Ben."
Hermione laughed.
"Do you love him?" Eva asked seriously.
Hermione's laughed died down. "I don't know."
"Six months into it and you still don't know?" Eva asked.
"You sound like my best mate Lavender," Hermione said, leaning back against the bench. "She thinks I'm holding out for some mythical white knight. I suppose she's right. I mean, I like Ron a lot. I just don't know if I love him. I don't know…"
"Well, there's no need to make up your mind now," Eva said reassuringly. "When it happens for you, Hermione---you'll know. You'll feel it in your heart…you'll know."
"That's what everyone says," Hermione said. "Anyway, didn't you want to take me to that pottery shop?"
Eva nodded. "Let's go then."
Hermione followed her new friend down the sidewalk. "I wonder what Ben and Jack are doing right about now?"
Eva laughed. "We probably don't want to know…"
****
******
*******
What Harry and Sirius had been doing was fishing. They'd just finished up and were in the processing of securing
the boat at the marina.
"I think we did pretty well," Sirius said, still sitting on the boat.
"WE?" Harry asked, shaking his head in amusement. "You slept most of the time."
"Well, I didn't get much sleep last night," Sirius said with a wicked grin.
Harry covered his ears. "Stop! I don't want to hear it. There is something called 'Too Much Information' and you're about to cross right into that."
Sirius laughed. "You're just jealous."
Harry rolled his eyes. "Get your lazy arse out of the boat and let's go get something to eat. I'm starving."
"Now you're talking," Sirius said, standing up and getting out of the boat. "I wonder if Eva's back yet."
"Hermione said they were going to spend the whole day shopping," Harry said smiling. "I imagine they're not even halfway finished, knowing Eva."
"Probably not," Sirius said. They quickly made their way toward Café Oceana. "Maureen, my dear. Where is the love of my life?"
Maureen, who'd been wiping down a table, smiled broadly at them as they walked inside.
"Still shopping. Hello, Jack."
Harry nodded in her direction. He didn't to give her any encouragement.
"What can I get you boys?" Maureen asked.
"Iced tea," Sirius said.
Maureen nodded. "I should have known. Coming right up. How are you today, Jack?"
"Okay," Harry answered. He and Sirius sat down at the counter and when Maureen turned her head, Sirius batted his eyelashes jokingly at Harry, obviously trying to take the Mickey out of him. Harry glared at him.
Maureen turned back around and produced two ice cold glasses of tea. "Here you are."
"Thanks, Maureen," Sirius said politely.
"Thanks," Harry said, avoiding her penetrating gaze.
"No problem," Maureen said dreamily. "Um, Jack…I was just wondering…I was thinking of going to Max's tonight. You've not been in ages and I think it'd be really great if you went. We could even go together if you'd like…"
Sirius looked at his godson as if to say, "Alright, how are you going to get out of this one?"
"Um, I don't know actually," Harry said, shifting on the stool. "I actually have plans with someone else…"
"With that girl?" Maureen asked, trying to hide her disappointment. "That one who's staying in your guest house?"
"Yes," Harry said quickly. "With that very same girl."
"I didn't know you were dating," Maureen said, pulling a confused face. "She looked quite mad at you the other day…"
"Haven't you ever heard of a lover's quarrel, Maureen?" Sirius chimed in cheekily. Harry glared at him.
"Oh," Maureen said.
"Yes, well, I sort of promised her I'd take her to Max's," Harry said quickly. "But perhaps we'll see you there."
Maureen nodded. "Sure…I look forward to it. I, um, better go check on the other customers."
She walked away and Harry again glared at his godfather. "Thank you so much for all of your help, Sirius."
"Don't look at me," Sirius said, waving his hands. "That was all you, buddy boy."
"You could have helped me out," Harry said crossly. "You could have said that I had plans with you and Eva or something. Instead you left me out there alone and I had to make up some story about taking Hermione."
"Story my arse," Sirius said with a laugh. "You just wanted an excuse to see her again."
"Why would I need an excuse to see her again?" Harry asked defensively. "She's living on our island. I see her everyday."
"That's not what I meant and you know it," Sirius shot back. "Admit it, Harry. You like her."
"Of course, I like her," Harry said, picking up his menu and pretending to read it, much in the same manner Hermione had a few days ago when she'd been so mad at him for treating her badly. "As a friend, of course."
"Uh-huh," Sirius said, before taking a swig of his tea.
"What is that supposed to mean?" Harry asked, looking at him. "'Uh-huh'?"
"I don't know what you're talking about," Sirius said innocently.
"I mean, she's living with us for two months," Harry said defensively. "And she's good company. She certainly beats spending time with you."
"Uh-huh," Sirius said smugly.
Harry groaned. "Okay, fine. Old man, you win. I like her. But, it doesn't matter. She has a boyfriend."
"She's not married, is she?" Sirius answered.
"No," Harry said, "but I don't usually go after girls with boyfriends. Besides, she's leaving in a few weeks."
"Excuses, excuses," Sirius said dismissively. "If you like this girl, what harm can come from you pursuing something with her?"
Sirius quickly squelched the pang of guilt her felt about doing this to Ron. Of course, Ron had been cheating on Hermione, he told himself.
"It's complicated," Harry said.
"More excuses," Sirius said, shaking his head. "And if you're just doing this because you don't want me to say 'I told you so', that's even more stupid. Harry---"
He never got to finish his sentence as Hermione and Eva walked into the restaurant, carrying quite a few bags.
"Is there anything left on the island?" Sirius asked teasingly as Eva dropped her bags on the counter and kissed him on the cheek.
"Very funny," Eva said. "Hello, Jack."
"Eva," Harry said warmly. "Hiya, Hermione."
Hermione smiled. "You two should have come along. We had a great time."
"No thank you," Harry said with a laugh. "So, what did you get?"
"Mostly some souvenirs for my friends and family," Hermione replied, sitting down beside him at the counter.
"And she bought this beautiful dress," Eva chimed in.
"Eva made me buy it," Hermione corrected.
"Because you looked beautiful in it," Eva said. "With the tan you're getting, it really looks wonderful on you. Wait until you see it, Jack."
At this, both Harry and Hermione blushed bright crimson.
"Um, Hermione?" Harry asked. "Might I have a quick word?"
"Sure," Hermione said, following him to the back of the restaurant which was out of earshot of Sirius and Eva.
"I was wondering if you'd do me a favour?" he asked.
Hermione looked at him. "What sort of favour?"
"I need you to go to Max's with me tonight," he said.
"What's Max's?"
"A bar," Harry answered. "It's just I sort of need you to go with me to get Maureen off my back. She thinks you and I are sort of an item."
Hermione giggled. "You need me to save you from the big, bad blonde waitress?"
Harry laughed. "Yes."
"What's in it for me?" Hermione asked, enjoying the predicament Harry was now finding himself in.
"My undying gratitude," Harry answered, getting down on his knees.
Hermione laughed. "I'm going to need a lot more than that to be convinced, Mr. Evans."
"You drive a hard bargain, Miss Granger," he said. "Anything you want, I'll do…"
Hermione raised an eyebrow at him. "Well, with an offer like that, how can I refuse?'
Harry smiled and stood back up. "Thank you."
"You might not be thanking me after I have a think on what I want as payback."
"I'll take the chance," he said grinning at her. "So, do you think you'll be ready at about nine tonight?"
Hermione nodded. "Perfect."
*******
******
****
Ron was sleepy, but he'd wanted to write the letter before he'd gone to sleep. He figured that if anyone could help him, it would be his best friend. Harry would know what to do or at least say something funny to make him feel better. Ron felt like a complete shit for his behaviour over the past six months. Despite his intentions to stay faithful to Hermione, he'd failed miserably. Melinda was nearly relentless in her pursuit and Ron's willpower hadn't been strong.
Ron sealed the letter in the envelope and placed it on his bedside table. He'd give the letter to Lupin tomorrow and hopefully Harry would get it soon. Ron sighed. He needed his best friend's help now more than ever.