Drop in the Ocean

Author’s note: The idea for this one came to me at work one day and I haven’t been this excited about writing a story since I did “Circle of Friends” and the DD-universe with Heaven. I really hope that you all enjoy it. The title for this story changed many times, but I finally settled on a tried and true method of getting it from a song and since I happened to be listening to Michelle Branch when I was finishing this up, thus the title becomes “Drop in the Ocean”. Remember, it is alternate universe (AU). Please read and review!

Chapter One

The Reluctant Traveler

Hermione Granger stood with her arms crossed staring at the open, empty suitcase on her bed. Her flatmate, Lavender Brown sat on the edge of the bed with an amused expression on her pretty features.

“What are you doing?” Lavender asked, staring at her.

“Thinking that maybe this isn’t the best idea actually,” Hermione answered. “Two months is really a long time, isn’t it? We’re really behind you know and this probably isn’t the best time for me to be taking an extended holiday like this and I can just imagine what a mess that horrible Pansy Parkinson will leave the office in. Maybe I’ll owl them and tell them I’ve changed my mind.”

She closed her suitcase and walked over to her desk to write the letter when Lavender jumped off the bed and grabbed her arm.

“You’ll do no such thing, Hermione!” Lavender exclaimed, grabbing her friend’s arm. “Do you know how many people would give their right arm to go on a two-month holiday?”

“I know,” Hermione said, relaxing her posture. She sank down onto her desk chair. “But, it’s not really a complete holiday. Ostensibly, I’m going there to work on that article.”

Lavender rolled her eyes. “An academic article.” When she saw the hurt expression on Hermione’s face, she quickly covered. “Which is quite an honor and I’m very proud of you…”

“Liar,” Hermione said, laughing despite herself. She threw a folded up jumper at her friend.

“Hey!” Lavender said giggling. “The point of packing is to get the clothes into the suitcase not throw them at your best mate, Miss Bossy-boots.”

“Right,” Hermione said, getting to her feet and walking determinedly over to the closet and pulling back the doors. There were a few simple dresses and trousers and shirts and jumpers. Sensible clothing was the rule of the day. None of these outfits looked like a sensible wardrobe for a tropical, exotic island.

“What should I bring?” she asked, staring blankly at her clothes.

Lavender stood beside her and grinned mischievously at her. “You can never go wrong with the three S’s.”

“The what?” Hermione asked, pulling a confused face.

“Honestly, it’s a wonder you have a boyfriend at all,” she said, rolling her eyes. “The three S’s, my dear naïve friend are sexy, slinky and skimpy.”

“Lavender!”

Before Hermione could stop her, Lavender started flipping through Hermione’s clothes. Her nose scrunched up in disgust. “And all three are seriously lacking in your wardrobe.”

Although she certainly couldn’t see Hermione’s face since her back was to her, Lavender knew that Hermione was probably shaking her head.

“Hermione, you can’t very well go down to the islands wearing wooly jumpers and corduroys,” she said, finally turning to face her friend. “For someone so smart, you have zero fashion sense. Which is why you are so lucky to have me because I happen to have just had a brilliant idea!”

”What?” Hermione asked.

“You can borrow some of my summer clothes,” Lavender said, an excited expression coming over her face. “Between your stuff and mine, we’re going to have you looking fantastic.”

“I don’t know,” Hermione said, but Lavender had already disappeared out of the room. “Lavender—“she called out, but Lavender didn’t answer. All Hermione could hear was the sound of her friend dropping boxes onto the floor. Hermione laughed as she sank back down on her desk chair. There was nothing that pleased Lavender more than a fashion or beauty project and Hermione shuddered to think what sort of outfits Lavender would suggest. Although they were best friends, their styles couldn’t have been more different. Whereas Lavender always stayed abreast of the latest trends and styles, Hermione usually opted for whatever was most comfortable.

Hermione jumped as she heard a loud crashing sound coming from her flatmate’s bedroom.

“Lav? Are you okay?” Hermione called out.

“I’m alright,” Lavender answered back, her voice a bit muffled. “I just dropped a box. It’s okay!”

Hermione shook her head and started packing up some of the books and paperwork she wanted to bring along on her trip. She was definitely a reluctant participant on this particular holiday. Her boss at the Ministry was Remus Lupin and he’d suggested that she take a few weeks off to get her bearings back. She had one small panic attack and suddenly she was in need of a sabbatical?

Coming out of Beauxbatons Academy, Hermione had been offered a job at the Wizzengamot. The position was head researcher and as they’d told her when they’d offered her the job, if she took it, she’d be the youngest witch to ever hold the position. Of course, she’d accepted. So for the past seven years, she’d spent most of her days poring over case books of wizarding law helping the members of the department prepare their cases.

As cliché as it may sound, things seemed to be going too well. All hell, of course, broke loose two weeks ago on what had started out as a normal, ordinary day. Hermione shuddered as she remembered that horrible day in the office. As usual, she’d taken on much more than she should have and the stress had caught up with her and she’d been in the middle of presenting research to a group of aurors. Things had started out well enough. She’d started to present her findings to the assembled group when suddenly her hands began to tremble. The room seemed to start spinning and she felt as if she couldn’t catch her breath. Beads of sweat fell from her forehead on to the index cards in front of her. Everything became cloudy and the next thing she knew she was coming to on the floor. More embarrassed than ill, she’d wished her superiors had let her cast a memory charm on those witches and wizards who’d witnessed the incident. It hadn’t been her finest moment to say the very least.

The staff medi-wizard who’d examined her asked her questions about her schedule and how she handled stress. Hermione had explained that she’d been getting less than five hours of sleep a night and how her job was very demanding. When the medi-wizard had responded with an “I see”, Hermione had quickly covered and said that she thrived under pressure and this small incident was just a fluke and probably wouldn’t happen again. This, of course, was followed by another infuriating “I see” from the medi-wizard who’d recommended that she take some time off.

The idea of taking time off was foreign to her. Ever since she’d graduated from Beauxbatons, she’d been on breakneck speed running here and there and doing this and that. Logically, she knew that no one was going to last very long doing too much. But, she’d wanted to make a name for herself at the Ministry and she couldn’t do that by sitting around and twiddling her thumbs. She remembered how her father used to tell her time and time again that no one got anywhere unless they made something happen for themselves. Those words had become a sort of mantra for Hermione. Well, I definitely made something happen, she thought with a frown. I managed to turn myself into the office basket case.

She remembered coming out of the medi-wizard’s office and finding Remus Lupin sitting, waiting for her. He’d suggested she come into his office for a quick chat and her heart sank as she imagined he was going to fire her for the incident.

Hermione followed Remus down the hallway processing a million different scenarios in her mind. All of her hard work had been for nothing. With one small incident, everything she’d worked so hard for was going to fall apart. Lupin opened his office door and ushered her inside. He closed the door firmly behind them and asked her to take a seat. When he saw the stricken look on her face, he smiled reassuringly at her.

“I haven’t asked you in here to sack you,” he said sitting down at the desk.

“You haven’t?” she couldn’t stop herself from asking.

Lupin laughed. “No, not at all.”

Hermione looked thoughtfully at him. “Well, what did you call me in here for, Sir?”

“Hermione,” Lupin said, resting his elbows on the desk. “I think you may need to take some time off.”

“Is that what they told you?” she asked interrupting him. “Honestly, I’m perfectly fine. I just had a small fainting spell and it’s probably because I haven’t been sleeping well and I didn’t really get a chance to catch breakfast this morning and ---“

“Which is precisely why you need a break,” Lupin interjected. “You’re going to run yourself into an early grave if you keep up at this pace, Hermione. You’re only 24 years old, for Merlin’s sake.”

Hermione sank back into the chair. “Okay, I’ll take a couple of personal days.”

“No,” Lupin said. “You’ll take a couple of personal months.”

“Pardon me?” Hermione asked, sitting up straight. “Did you just say two months?”

“I did indeed,” Lupin replied.

“But, Sir,” Hermione said quickly. “I can’t take two months off!”

“You can and you will,” Lupin said firmly.

“But-“

“No, Hermione,” Lupin said, a compassionate look on his face. “I’m not going to change my mind about this. You need to take a break. Take it easy for awhile. Live life.”

Hermione stared back at him incredulously.

“Don’t look so serious,” he said chuckling. “You’ll thank me for this. And you’ll get the chance to write that article you wanted to for the law journal. Just promise me you won’t obsess over it and you will enjoy your time off.”

“Yes, sir,” Hermione said grumpily.

Lupin looked thoughtfully at the young woman he thought of like a daughter. An idea sprang into his head and he pulled a couple of photographs from his desk drawer.

“What are those?” she asked curiously.

“Photographs of the most beautiful place on earth,” Lupin answered handing her the photos. She looked through them and saw a picture of a sandy beach with the coolest, clearest water she’d ever seen.

“That place looks amazing,” she whispered.

“It’s even better in person,” Lupin said smiling at her as she handed him back the pictures. “I just had an idea. I happen to have a couple of friends who live on that island year round. They have their own private island. And I happen to have a guest house there.”

Hermione nodded.

“Perhaps you’d fancy staying there on your sabbatical?” Lupin asked.

“I-I couldn’t,” Hermione said. “Won’t your friends mind having a stranger show up out of the blue?”

“No,” Lupin said, shaking his head. “They’ll look out for you. I’ll owl them today if you give me the okay.”

Hermione certainly wouldn’t mind seeing a beautiful ocean like that up close. A smile played at her lips as she could imagine the sand on her feet. She certainly wasn’t crazy about taking time off from work, but she couldn’t deny how exciting it sounded to travel…especially to place as beautiful as this.

“I take it from your smile, you’re relenting?” Lupin asked, interrupting her thoughts.

She nodded. “What’s the name of this place?”

“Isla Solarte,” Lupin said as he pulled out a fresh piece of parchment. “It’s near the Abaco Islands in the Bahamas.”

“Isla Solarte,” Hermione repeated.

Lupin nodded.

“And you’re sure your friends won’t mind?” Hermione asked. “I don’t want to impose.”

“I’m sure they won’t mind,” Lupin said reassuringly. “I’ve known one of them since we were lads. And the other one is a son of a good friend. They’ll look out for you and help you in any way they can. If they do give you any trouble, you just owl me and I’ll take care of it for you.”

Hermione laughed, hoping he was joking. When he laughed too, she relaxed.

“Okay,” she said with a slight grin. “I guess I’m going on sabbatical.”

“I guess so,” Lupin said, winking at her.

Now, on the eve of her trip, she was wondering again if this was such a good idea. She didn’t have long to ponder on this as Lavender came running into Hermione’s bedroom just then clutching a few pieces of old parchment in her hand, her cheeks flush with excitement.

“What have you got there?” Hermione asked as she packed a couple of large tomes in a trunk.

“You’ll never believe what I found in my closet,” Lavender said giggling. “You remember those lists we made at school?”

“You’ll have to narrow it down for me,” Hermione said with a laugh. “I made a lot of lists at school.”

Lavender rolled her eyes. “You remember that night when we were all stuck in the castle because of the blizzard outside and you and I sat on my bed coming up with life lists.”

Hermione put a hand over her mouth. “Oh my God! You kept those?”

“I keep everything,” Lavender said smiling at her. She handed Hermione one of the pieces of parchment. “How young were we? Fourteen?”

“At least,” Hermione answered, smiling as she looked down at the parchment.

Lavender moved Hermione’s empty suitcase from the bed and sat down. She laughed as she read over her own list. “Life wish list for Lavender Brown,” she read aloud. “Number One, Fall in Love. Two, Fall in love with a very wealthy man who will keep me in the lifestyle with which I’ve grown accustomed to. Three, Travel to America some day and shop on Fifth Avenue in New York City. Four, have two boyfriends at once. Five, get Jean-Paul to ask me out. Merlin, I can’t believe I ever liked him!”

“Neither can I,” Hermione teased.

“I wasted the entire fourth year on that git,” Lavender said, shaking her head. She frowned at the other items on her list that in some way involved Jean-Paul. “Now, I’m beginning to wish I hadn’t kept these. Out of all these things, I only accomplished number one and number four.”

Hermione laughed as she set her own list down on her desk.

“Aren’t you going to read yours?” Lavender asked, getting up from the bed and picking up Hermione’s discarded list. Lavender grinned over the piece of paper at her friend.

“Okay, let’s take stock of your life, Miss Granger,” Lavender said. “Life wish list for Miss Hermione Jane Granger. Number One: Be the youngest Minister of Magic ever. Number Two: to teach classes at either a wizarding academy or a university. Number Three: become a well-renown author. Number Four: Get higher marks on the next Charms test than Anastasia. Number Five: To get my parents to increase my monthly allowance so I can buy new books. Number Six: Get my roommate and best friend Lavender Brown to stop talking incessantly about boys all the time.”

Hermione chuckled. “Well, I should have known Number Six was a washout.”

Lavender stuck her tongue out at her before continuing.

“Number Seven: Be Made Head Girl. Number Eight: Fall in love,” Lavender said.

“Okay, how many of those have you accomplished?”

Hermione set another pile of books in her trunk and looked up at her friend. She thought for a moment. “Five, six, and seven.”

Lavender’s mouth fell open.

“What?” Hermione asked.

“Don’t you wish to include number eight in that?” she asked.

Hermione’s cheeks reddened. “No,” she said softly.

“But you and Ron…?”

“We’ve only been dating each other for six months, Lavender,” Hermione said defensively.

“But you’re not in love?” Lavender asked probingly. “But he tells you he loves you all the time. I just assumed you’d said it back.”

Hermione sighed. Ronald Weasley was a professional Quidditch player for the Chudley Cannons. He was tall, athletic and very charming. Hermione had met him through his sister, Ginny. Ginny brought Hermione to the Burrow for dinner one night and Hermione met Ron. He’d poured on the charm immediately. For someone who hadn’t dated much in the past, she’d found it was quite nice to have such a handsome man pay so much attention to her. They’d started dating and their relationship had progressed slowly from there.

“It’s complicated,” Hermione tried to explain. “I like him a whole lot. We have a nice time together. But, he’s busy with his games and I’m busy with work and we haven’t seen much of each other recently and I’ve had a lot of time to think about it and I’m not sure if what I feel for him is love…yet, anyway.”

Lavender shook her head. “I don’t understand. You’ve been dating for six months. If you didn’t---or don’t---love him, what’s the point?”

“I don’t know,” Hermione said uncomfortably. “I’ve never been in love before so I don’t really have anything to compare it to, do I? How am I supposed to know what it feels like?’

Lavender nodded.

“And I know it’s going to sound so stupid and silly, but I guess I’m still waiting for someone to come and sweep me off my feet,” Hermione said, her cheeks blushing pink again.

“It’s not stupid,” Lavender said, patting her best friend on the arm. “But, if you’re waiting for some white knight to come riding in on a white horse, you’re going to be waiting for quite some time. Heroes are hard to come by.”

Hermione nodded. “You’re right. Maybe I’ve been unfair to Ron expecting him to fit my perfect image of what a boyfriend should be.”

“Yes, but you can’t make yourself love someone,” Lavender said. “It shouldn’t be like that. It’s something that you just…know.”

Hermione didn’t know what to say to that. Hoping to change the subject, she cleared her throat.

“So how about those clothes?” Hermione asked forcing a smile. “Did you find some outfits for me?”

Sure enough, Lavender bounded from the room and came back with a pile of shorts, dresses, tops, and skirts.

“I can’t take all that!” Hermione said incredulously as Lavender set the clothes into her friend’s suitcase. Lavender pulled her wand out of her pocket and muttered a spell at the clothes, which were quickly and neatly folded. With one more flick and swish of her wand, the clothes landed in the suitcase. “There you are, sorted.”

“You’re the best, Lavender,” Hermione said smiling at her.

“I am, aren’t I?” she said proudly.

Hermione laughed.

“And in honour of your last night before your trip, how about we order pizza and watch a movie?” Lavender asked with a conspiratorial wink to her friend. She pouted when Hermione looked reluctant to take her up on her suggestion. “Come on, Hermione. We haven’t done something fun like that in ages. Besides, you’re going to be all alone on some tropical, exotic island without your best friend to talk to. You’ll be missing me so much you won’t know what to do. So, humour me just this once.”

“Okay,” Hermione said, smiling at her.

Lavender clapped her hands together excitedly. “I’ll go order the pizza so you can finish packing.”

Hermione watched her friend walk out of the room. Her eyes fell on a photograph of Ron that was taken recently. He’d given her the small frame as a gift.

She’d seen him this afternoon for a quick lunch. He was leaving with the team for a few road games and wouldn’t be able to see her off tomorrow morning. He’d been his usual charming self, but had seemed somewhat distracted. At first, she’d wondered if he was still upset about her going on sabbatical, but he’d told her he was happy she was getting the chance to take it easy. He’d said that if anyone needed a vacation it was she. Shaking off her thoughts of Ron, she walked out of her room to check on Lavender.

She found her in the kitchen, reading the newspaper.

Hermione went to the icebox and pulled out a bottle of pumpkin juice.

Lavender giggled.

“What?” Hermione asked.

“The Daily Prophet’s latest Potter sightings,” Lavender said looking up from her newspaper.

Hermione sighed. Harry Potter had seemingly dropped off the face of the earth when he’d defeated Lord Voldemort. No one knew where he was or even if he was still alive. The newspapers consistently printed stories speculating about his whereabouts and what he could possibly be doing and who he could possibly be doing it with. None of their leads had proved substantial.

Hermione peered over Lavender’s shoulder at the paper and saw a photograph of The Boy Who Lived which was taken a few days before his graduation at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry. That had been taken seven years ago. In that time, no one had seen or heard from him.

Hermione knew of course all about Harry having read about him in a number of books. He was also revered in their world as its greatest hero. She also knew of him from Ron. Harry and Ron had been best mates at school and Ron had told her plenty about his best friend. The stories intrigued her and she had hoped that one day, she’d get to meet him. But, that didn’t seem likely. According to Ron, he hadn’t seen Harry in seven years. Supposedly, they still kept in contact through the post, but that was about it.

“So where are they saying he is now?” Hermione asked before taking a swig from her cup.

“Someone spotted him in New York City,” Lavender said. “They said he was a street musician playing for money in the subway system.”

“All that and he can sing, too,” Hermione said sarcastically. “Honestly, they should just leave him alone. Where ever he is, he’s getting a good laugh at all this. They should just leave him to his peace and quiet. If anyone deserves it, it’s definitely him.”

Lavender nodded.

“Well, I better order our pizza,” Lavender said, picking up the telephone. “Do you want the usual?”

“Yes with extra mushrooms and peppers,” Hermione answered. She folded up the newspaper and discarded it in the rubbish bin.

She excused herself to go and finish packing.

Again, her mind floated to Ron. Maybe this time away would help her reevaluate their relationship. They did say that absence made the heart grow fonder. Perhaps that would be the case this time.

Author’s note: I am so sorry for making you guys wait so long! I was a little stumped on how I wanted to do this chapter. I wrote nearly eight pages and scrapped that because I thought it was crap. Hopefully, you guys will like this chapter. I know some of you aren’t fans of Alternate Universe stories, and I admit I wasn’t at first, either. But, I do hope that you give this story and me a chance. Hopefully, I’ll surprise you. And word of warning: this chapter will end with something I’m a bit famous (or infamous) for. Please let me know what you think. I live for reviews!

Chapter Two

La Isla Bonita

Tropical the island breeze
All of nature wild and free
This is where I long to be
La isla bonita

(Madonna, “La Isla Bonita”)

The sun was just setting in the Abaco Islands as a green-eyed man sat down outside the Café Oceana. Absently, he began reading the newspaper that someone left on the table. He took a long sip of his beer and sat back into the comfortable chair. The early evening air was quite warm, but the ocean breeze kept it quite comfortable. This is going to be a nice night, the man thought to himself. This would probably be a night that would remind him why he’d come here in the first place over six years ago. It was nights like this that would remind him of why he’d decided to stay.

This place certainly wasn’t heaven, but it was the closest thing to it that could be found on earth, according to one Harry James Potter.

The people on these islands didn’t know him by that name, however. They knew him as Jack Evans. But, even if he’d decided to keep the Harry Potter name, he didn’t reckon anyone on this island of Muggles would bat an eyelash. There were no other wizards or witches on this island, save for his godfather Sirius Black. To everyone on these islands, he was just another tanned face in the crowd. Here, he could walk along the sidewalks or down on the marina and not have people approaching him asking to look at his scar. Here, he could walk into a restaurant or sit outside a café like this one and not have people pointing and whispering about him. For the past six years, here in the Abaco Islands, he’d managed to carve out a normal life for himself. There had been a time when he was in school at Hogwarts, when he didn’t figure a normal life would be in the cards for him.

The majority of his childhood years were spent preparing to fight Lord Voldemort. While most lads his age were concerned about grades, girls and acne, he was preparing to either kill or be killed. The war that had ultimately led to Voldemort’s defeat had been costly for both sides. It wasn’t a time that Harry looked back at fondly. He could recall lying in that hospital bed for days, bloodied, bruised and beaten---but alive. Everyone around him was celebrating, but he certainly didn’t feel like it. Many of his close friends had died in that war. Some had even died trying to protect him. It was quite a load to carry on a seventeen year old boy’s shoulders. Everyone kept asking him afterward how he was feeling and the only answer he could give them was that he felt…numb.

Lying in that hospital bed had given him plenty of time to think. The question he kept asking himself over and over again was “What’s next?” There wasn’t a shortage of options. Professional Quidditch teams offered him lucrative contracts with endorsement deals. The Ministry of Magic said any job he wanted he could have with no question asked. When word got around that he’d helped Fred & George with their joke shop, business owners and entrepreneurs started sending him business plans wanting his backing for one project or opportunity.

It didn’t take Harry long to figure out that none of those opportunities would give him what he truly wanted. What he’d always wanted was to lead a normal, peaceful life and be treated just like everyone else. In light of what he’d just done, he knew that would never be possible.

He sought advice from the three men whose opinions mattered most to him: Arthur Weasley, Remus Lupin and Sirius Black. They’d all listened to him and ultimately told him that the decision was his and his alone to make. They all told him that whatever he decided they’d support him and stand behind him one hundred percent.

It was Sirius who suggested the idea of traveling around the world after graduation. As Sirius pointed out, Harry hadn’t traveled before. This would be the perfect opportunity for him to see and experience what the world had to offer. The idea intrigued Harry.

No schedules to follow. No looking over his shoulder for the next impending danger. His mind was quickly made up and he excitedly began making plans for the trip. His best friend, Ron Weasley, briefly toyed with the idea of coming along, but the Chudley Cannons had other plans for him. They’d offered Ron a lucrative six-year contract to play Quidditch professionally. Ron, who’d always seen himself as another Weasley brother or Harry Potter’s sidekick, finally had the chance to make it on his own and he jumped at the chance. So, ultimately, it was Sirius who came along for the trek around the world.

And travel the two of them had. They’d started in Australia and worked their way around the globe. Harry had never felt more carefree and at ease. He found himself getting quite used to this. That one year flew by and when the time came to make a decision to stay or go, Harry knew there was no way he’d want to go back. Other than the Weasleys, he had no real ties to London.

Living out of suitcases and trunks had gotten to be a bit much and he and Sirius decided to settle down in one place. As both of them had quite enough of cold winters and rainy days, they’d decided pretty easily on a tropical, warm location. But, where?

The answer was found in Isla Solarte. Harry had fallen in love with it the moment, he’d set foot on the sand. This would be their private island. It was small, but big enough for two houses. The larger one housed Harry and Sirius. The smaller guesthouse was used by Remus Lupin whenever he visited.

Remus Lupin was the only person who truly knew where Harry and Sirius were. While the Weasleys were the closest thing Harry had to a family, he’d not told them where he was. He figured they deserved to live a normal, quiet existence without having to be hounded by the wizarding press about the whereabouts of “The Boy Who Lived”. He knew that the Weasleys were still asked routinely to give any details they had to the Daily Prophet.

As a necessity, Harry kept his letters to them deliberately vague in case his owls were intercepted. He did constantly reassure Molly Weasley that he and Sirius were safe, happy and healthy. His reassurances didn’t stop Molly from trying to send him on her trademark motherly guilt trips about why he’d not come home in such a long time.

To a casual observer, it may have seemed a bit paranoid for Harry to go to such extreme measures to protect his new life, but the last thing he needed or wanted was the wizarding press descending on his new life and home, threatening the peace and tranquility he’d worked so hard to find.

The Weasleys kept him abreast of the latest comings and goings and happenings in their letters. They’d even started to send him clippings from the Daily Prophet and Witch Weekly that printed speculation about where “The Boy Who Lived” had disappeared. Some of the “Potter sightings” had been quite bizarre and Harry and Sirius had quite a few chuckles about some of the places people had claimed to see him. Harry reckoned his favorite one had to be the one that claimed they’d seen him gambling in Las Vegas with two showgirls draped on each arm.

Despite not having two showgirls draped on each arm, Harry was quite happy here on the islands. Most of the locals were expatriates from all over the world who had come to the islands for varying reasons, but they mostly involved starting over, hiding out, or finding themselves. Most traveled here ostensibly for a short holiday, but found they liked the island culture and lifestyle and built their new lives here and set down roots. It wasn’t hard to see why. The crystal blue waters and warm climate were quite intoxicating.

While Harry thought he was just another face in the crowd, he kept attracting a bit of attention from both the local girls and the tourists who frequented the island.

Speaking of girls, Harry truthfully hadn’t had much experience with them at Hogwarts.

Other than Cho Chang, he’d never had a serious girlfriend. Theirs hadn’t really been that much of a relationship. Following Cedric Diggory’s death, they’d both turned to each other and the “relationship” had grown from there. But, she’d not been able to take the constant worrying about him and she’d put demands on his time and asked him to make promises that he couldn’t make, let alone keep.

He’d had quite a few casual relationships, but certainly nothing serious. He wasn’t looking to be tied down to anyone. He didn’t want anyone to put demands on his time. And this was what he wanted, or at least had been up until recently. A nagging voice in his head kept reminding him how nice it would be to have one woman to wake up to in the mornings and one woman to sleep with at night. That same voice kept reminding how he wanted his own family. He didn’t know where those thoughts came from, but they kept coming. He’d remind himself that he was only twenty-four years old, after all. If he settled down at all, that would come much later.

His thoughts were interrupted by Sirius’ arrival. He was, as always, joined by Eva Montague. She was the proprietor of Café Oceana and more importantly, Sirius’ long-time, and as Harry liked to add, “long-suffering” girlfriend. She was an American who came down here following her divorce from—as she put it---the most horrible man on the planet. She and Sirius met two years ago and it had been love at first sight on Sirius’ part.

Eva had olive colored skin and long black hair that she usually tied up in a makeshift ponytail or sloppy bun. As she’d been burned before, she’d been a little wary of taking up with someone else. But, Sirius had worn her down with some old-fashioned wooing and they’d been inseparable ever since. Harry was waiting for the day when the two of them announced an engagement, but Eva kept saying how happy she was with the way things were.

A few months ago, Sirius had confessed to Eva who he really was and what he and Harry were. She’d been shocked at first, to say the least. She’d also been quite mad to find out that Sirius had lied to her, but he’d explained that he hadn’t lied about his feelings. By then, she loved him too much to let this new news tear them apart. Harry was quite happy for Sirius. His godfather hadn’t exactly had an easy time of it over the past few years and the happiness that he so richly deserved was finally his. It also helped that Harry liked Eva as well.

“Harry!” Eva said, leaning down and pecking him on the cheek. “If you get any cuter, we’ll have to lock you up.”

Harry scoffed. “Not hardly.”

“New cruise ship just docked,” Sirius reported, sitting down beside Eva.

Harry rolled his eyes.

“What’s that for?” Eva asked. “I thought you’d be on the pull.”

“Not for some tourist,” Harry said with a laugh, taking another long sip of his beer.

“What a difference two months makes,” Sirius said, winking at Eva. “This from the very same bloke who used to beg me to come with him to the main island so he could scope out the new talent.”

Harry glared across the table at him. “It just gets old after awhile, doesn’t it?”

“You never know,” Sirius said with a nod to the docks. “The love of your life may have just walked off that ocean liner.”

“Two to one odds says she hasn’t,” Harry said.

Eva and Sirius exchanged a look. Perhaps now was the time to break the news to him that they’d been putting off.

“Or she could be arriving on Isla Solarte tomorrow morning to stay in Remus’ guest house,” Sirius said quickly. He looked at Eva. “Love, do you still have any of the salmon?”

“Hold on,” Harry interjected. “Just hold on a second. What did you just say?”

“About the salmon?” Sirius asked innocently.

“No,” Harry said shaking his head. “No, no. About someone coming to stay in Remus’ guest house?”

“Oh that,” Sirius said dismissively.

“Yeah, that,” Harry said staring at his godfather.

“Oh, well…Remus wrote a few days back and told me he was sending a colleague to stay with us for awhile,” Sirius explained. “Seems she’s stressed out about her job and Remus took pity on her and offered her the guest house for a two-month sabbatical.”

Harry leaned back in his chair. “When were you going to tell me about this? For that matter, why didn’t you tell me about this?”

“Maybe because I knew you’d act like this,” Sirius said with a smile.

“Act like what?” Harry asked angrily. “Upset that some girl---some witch----is going to be staying on the island? Why would that upset me? What if she knows who I am? Who you are?”

“She doesn’t,” Sirius answered. “You know as well as I do that Remus wouldn’t do that.”

“It probably won’t be as bad as you think it will be,” Eva said, reassuringly. “From Remus’ letter, she sounds like a lovely girl, Harry.”

“I hope you don’t expect me to watch after her,” Harry said firmly. “Sabbatical? Another bloody tourist. At least on Isla Solarte, we can get away from them. Now, we’ll have one living next door.”

Eva laughed. She and Sirius knew that this news wouldn’t go over well, but being as the girl was arriving tomorrow, there was no other way around it.

”We loaded up on some extra groceries for her,” Sirius said conversationally. “And you and I need to do some cleaning up. I imagine it’s quite dusty over there since Lupin was there last.”

Great, Harry thought to himself. He was already knackered from a long day of fishing and now he was expected to clean up Remus’ house for this strange girl. Two months? He hoped this girl didn’t think he was going to allow her to tag along on some great island adventure. He had better things to do with his time than play nursemaid to some daft girl while she was on “sabbatical”.

“We should probably head back,” Harry said, pushing back from his chair.

“Alright,” Sirius said. “Why don’t you go on back on the docks and I’ll catch up with you in a few minutes? I need to say goodbye to my girl.”

“Girl?” Eva said, slapping him playfully on the arm. “Sirius Black, I’ll have you know that I am not a ‘girl’ and haven’t been for quite some time.”

“You’re always my girl,” Sirius said flirtatiously.

Harry couldn’t help laughing. “Hey, people are trying to eat here. You’re going to scare her customers away.”

“Go away,” Sirius said, waving good-naturedly at his godson.

“Good night, Eva,” Harry said, giving her a hug before walking toward the docks.

It was nice night, Harry thought to himself as he walked along the dock toward the boat. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky and the night air was warm. It would be perfect if didn’t have to think about this stranger invading his personal space for the next two months.

If he was thinking the night couldn’t possibly get any worse, he was wrong. Trouble was sitting in his boat, her blonde hair blowing in the breeze.

“Maureen?” Harry asked, trying to be polite. “What are you doing here?”

Maureen Donnelly worked at Café Oceana and Harry had taken her out a couple of times, but he didn’t think they had much in common. He’d tried to let her down easily, but she’d not taken the hint.

“I saw your boat in the marina and I thought I’d take the chance of running into you before my shift started,” she said with a flirtatious smile. She wore a light blue sundress with spaghetti straps that accentuated every line and every curve.

“Well you did,” Harry said letting go of her arm and jumping into the boat.

“Are you waiting for Ben?” Maureen asked. “Ben” was the name Sirius went by when they were on the main island.

“Yup,” Harry said impatiently.

“Jack,” Maureen asked, pouting at him. “I don’t suppose you’d consider sticking around. It’d be nice to have a friendly face around tonight.”

Harry pulled an apologetic face. “I’d really like to, Mo. But, I’ve had a long day and I’ve just found out that we have a guest arriving…”

“Oh,” Maureen said, trying not to sound disappointed. “Someone from back home?”

“Sort of,” Harry said with a shrug. “A friend of a friend sort of thing.”

“Oh,” Maureen said.

Harry didn’t want to be mean, but he wished Maureen would just leave him alone. The last thing he wanted to do right now was make idle chit-chat with her. No, Harry mused to himself. The last thing he wanted to do was go home and prepare the guest house for some stranger who was going to invade his space for two months.

“Well, I guess I’ll see you around then,” Maureen said forcing a smile at him.

”Guess so,” Harry said, giving her a slight smile.

She gave him one last look before she headed back up the docks.

Harry sighed as he sat back on one of the benches. He looked at his watch and wondered what could be keeping Sirius. He knew, though, it had to be Eva. He was probably snogging her senseless at the moment.

A few drunk tourists passed by the boat and Harry couldn’t help but chuckle to himself.

If you’d seen one drunk tourist, well…you’d seen too many.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out Ron’s letter. It had just arrived this morning, but he hadn’t had a chance to read it yet. Since he had nothing better to do, he opened the envelope and unfolded the parchment inside.

Harry laughed as he saw the nearly undecipherable script of his best friend’s handwriting. When Lupin taught them at Hogwarts, he used to joke that Ron had the handwriting of a serial killer.

Harry!

Being as you’ve not written to me in awhile, I thought I’d be the better friend and write to you. Just kidding, mate! Mum sends her best as always, but asked me to remind you yet again that you haven’t been home in ages and she’d like to see for herself that you are doing okay. She’s even talking about getting Dad to find out where you really are so she can come and nag you like she does me. And Fred. And George. And Percy. Bill and Charlie, too. Oh, and Ginny, of course. She’s doled out your nagging to the rest of us and we’re all getting a bit sick of it, to tell you the truth. Again, just kidding, but not really.

Things are going well. The team’s on a five-game winning streak and we’re starting a particularly brutal road trip that will keep me away from home for nearly a month. This was okay before, but I’ve met someone and we’ve been dating for a few months now. I really like her. She was a bit much at first, I’ll admit, but she’s really okay.

It still hasn’t stopped me from playing the field, though. It’d be unnatural to not be on the pull when you’re on these road trips, Harry. You wouldn’t believe the offers we get. I’d be a fool to turn them down. I feel bad for lying to this girl, but I think I may be ready to settle down eventually. If I’d do it for anyone, I’d do it for her. She’s really great. Maybe if you get your sorry arse back to London, you’ll get to meet her.

Anyway, I need to finish packing. We leave tomorrow morning and I don’t know when I’ll be able to write you again. Stay safe! And as always, Mum says “COME HOME!”

Your friend,

Ron

Harry shook his head as he folded up the letter. Years may pass, but Ron never seemed to change. He was still trying to burn the candle at both ends, as it were. Harry felt sorry for this girl, whoever she was. It seemed to Harry that she may just be about to get burned.

*********************

**************

Hermione arrived on Isla Solarte at about 8 a.m. the next morning. She’d thought that someone---namely Lupin’s two mates---would have been there to greet her, but Hermione figured they were probably asleep or busy. Lupin told her that his friends kept strange hours. Luckily, Lupin had given her the keys and she didn’t have to intrude on her hosts to ask them to let her inside. Using a levitation charm, she brought her suitcases and trunk into the house.

For a guest house, it was actually quite posh, Hermione thought as she looked around. The house had two bedrooms, two bathrooms and open living/dining/and kitchen areas. The floors were hard wood and the best feature to Hermione was the exposed beam ceiling. She felt her breath catch in her throat as she caught sight of the beach through the sliding doors. The pictures Lupin had shown her didn’t do it justice. It was amazing. She couldn’t wait to walk along the beach and feel the sand on her toes and the ocean breeze in her hair.

The open living room was tastefully decorated in muted greens and beiges. A beige colored couch sat in the middle of the room with large comfortable looking pillows. Hermione could see herself curled up on that couch reading. The kitchen was even better than the living room with top of the line appliances, including a custom built-in refrigerator/freezer, huge stove, and a dishwasher. There was expensive cutlery and cookware in the cabinets and Hermione remembered that Lupin told her how he enjoyed to cook. To her delight, the refrigerator was stocked with fresh fruits, vegetables, and eggs and milk. Different snack foods, breads and tins lined the shelves. At least her hosts were hospitable, she thought. They must have gone to quite a bit of trouble to prepare the house for her stay. She made a mental note to thank them for their hospitality.

The master bedroom was to die for and Hermione nearly swooned at the queen-sized bed. The view from the bedroom was even more magnificent. It overlooked the crystal blue Atlantic Ocean. There was also an amazing stereo system and a bunch of old jazz and rhythm and blues compact discs. Not to mention the shelves that were lined with books that she’d never even heard of, which was quite a feat in itself.

Hermione, while still not happy about being away from work, thought that she’d stepped right into heaven with this house. She wondered if when the two month sabbatical was up, she’d be ready to leave.

She stifled a yawn as she set her suitcase on the bed. Truth be told, she’d not slept much the night before. She’d stayed up late with Lavender talking and packing. When she finally went to bed, she’d been too excited to sleep. She always got keyed up like that before going on a trip.

Deciding it might be best to take a kip before unpacking, Hermione moved her suitcase from the bed and onto the floor. She curled up on the comfortable bed and within minutes, she was fast asleep.

****

***

A couple of hours later, she awoke feeling quite refreshed. She was still a bit groggy from the portkey and thought a shower might wake her up properly. She grabbed the only towel in the cabinet and headed toward the bathroom.

*****

Harry could kill Sirius.

Their guest was supposed to arrive later that afternoon and instead of Sirius bringing the extra towels and blankets over to the house, he’d woken Harry up to perform the chore.

He’d been so angry, he’d not bothered to change clothes. The only thing he’d done was throw a t-shirt over his boxer shorts. What did it matter anyway? The dingbat girl wasn’t supposed to arrive until later anyway.

He’d grabbed the basket of fresh linens and walked the short distance to the guest house, grumbling under his breath the entire way.

If he’d looked back, he’d have seen his godfather staring out the window at him with mischievous grin. Sirius had seen the young woman arrive as he’d taken his early morning run on the beach. Lupin had been right. Harry wouldn’t know what hit him.

********

Hermione had just stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around her body when she heard what sounded like a door slamming. She heard footsteps approaching and with a shaking hand, she grabbed her wand and slowly tiptoed out of the bathroom.

****

Harry turned the corner and was nearly to the bathroom when something bumped into him.

“HEY!” he exclaimed, as he lost his grip on the basket. The freshly –laundered linens fell to the floor.

“WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?” a woman shrieked at him, a wand gripped tightly in her hand and pointed straight at him.

“WHO THE HELL AM I?” he asked in disbelief. “WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?”

Author’s note: Sorry for the week long wait. Real life rears its ugly head again. But I hope this makes up for it. And yes, it looks as if the songs are back…I hope you like. Please read and review! I am amazed at the response I’ve gotten so far on this one and I’ve only posted two chapters! Blows my mind! Thanks again for everyone who took the time to read it and tell me what you thought and especially to those who don’t usually read AU stories, but who are giving that genre and me a chance! So, without further ado…

Chapter Three

Sitting on the Dock of the Bay

“Sittin' here resting my bones
And this loneliness won't leave me alone
It's two thousand miles I roamed
Just to make this dock my home

Now, I'm just gonna sit at the dock of the bay
Watching the tide roll away”

(Otis Redding, “Sitting on the Dock of the Bay”)

“I’m only going to ask you this one more time,” Hermione said slowly, her wand trained on the green-eyed man before her. His bemused expression was making her madder by the second. “Who are you?”

“And WHO are you?” Harry asked folding his arms as the girl used her free hand to hold on tightly to the towel wrapped around her body.

“I asked you first,” she replied crossly.

He held out a hand to calm her, but she pointed her wand menacingly at him and he stepped back.

“Easy, easy,” he said an amused tone to his voice.

“What?” Hermione asked when he started to laugh.

He shook his head. “Why don’t you put that away before you take someone’s eye out?”

Hermione rolled her eyes. “I can assure you that I know how to use it very well and if you keep on acting like that, I won’t think twice about using it on you to hex you into the next century. I can do things with this wand…”

“Alright,” Harry interjected. He pulled a serious face. “See? I’m not laughing anymore. Now…can you please put your wand down?”

“Not until you tell me who you are and why you’re here,” Hermione said firmly.

Harry shook his head again. He’d humor this girl, but he was quickly losing his patience. Here he was trying to be a good host, albeit on Sirius’ orders, and he was being threatened by some crazy, wet woman in a towel. She actually had a nice figure, he thought to himself, but no sooner had he thought it, he wondered where in the world that thought had come from. He focused his attention back on the girl.

“You’re on my island,” he explained. “And I must say this isn’t the best way to treat your host—well, one of them anyway.”

With her wand still aimed at him, Hermione’s mouth fell open. “You know Remus Lupin?” she asked.

“Yes,” he answered. “Satisfied? Want to put that wand down?”

Still not looking convinced, Hermione studied Harry. “H-how do I know you’re not some sicko Peeping Tom?”

Harry laughed. “I guess you’ll have to just take my word on it. And if you look at it logically, there are only three people on this island. You, me and my godfather. Do you really think Remus Lupin would have sent you to an island where he thought someone would peep at you?”

Hermione hesitated for a moment before dropping her wand to her side.

“Thank you,” Harry said, bending down and starting to pick up the towels and blankets that were littering the floor.

“I’m sorry,” Hermione apologized. She watched him for a moment before bending down to help him gather up the linens. “You just startled me is all.”

“It’s no problem,” he said absently. “You’re early. We weren’t expecting you until much later.”

Hermione folded a towel and placed it neatly back into the basket. “There was some confusion about my portkey. Guess they forgot to take into account the difference in time zones.”

As he reached over to put another towel in the basket, he was treated to a rather nice view of her cleavage. Luckily for Harry, she was busily folding another towel and didn’t catch him staring. Harry quickly looked away.

“There you are,” he said clearing his throat. He got to his feet as he placed the last towel into the basket. He held out a hand to help the girl to her feet. She looked thoughtfully at him before gripping her towel tightly around her. Then she took his proffered hand and he pulled her to her feet.

“Thanks,” she said softly. She gave him a slight smile as they stared at each other, sizing one another up. It was Harry who broke the silence.

“So…do you have a name?” he asked. The way he was looking at her made Hermione suddenly aware of the fact that she was nearly naked talking to a complete stranger.

She blushed. “My name?”

“Yes,” he said, nodding. “Unless you prefer to be known as the random, daft, wand-waving girl.”

Her cheeks reddened even more. “My name’s Hermione. Hermione Granger.”

He nodded.

“Gosh, that sounded like I was James Bond or something. I’m sorry about that. But yes, that’s my name, Hermione. Some people have the worst trouble pronouncing it. I went out with this one bloke who kept calling me ‘Herm-own-ninny. ‘”

He was looking at her with an unreadable expression on his face. This only made her feel more nervous.

“Sorry,” she said shaking her head. “I tend to talk a lot when I’m nervous.”

“Why are you nervous?” he asked confused.

“Well, I’m not…really,” she said quickly.

He nodded. “Hermione, that’s a nice name actually. Your parents must have been fans of Shakespeare then?”

Hermione pulled a surprised face. She certainly hadn’t expected him to know about the origin of her name. She felt bad for passing judgment on someone she didn’t know.

“Yes,” she said with a grin. “The Winter’s Tale is my mum’s favorite. She toyed with naming me Paulina or Emilia, too, but thought Hermione was rather unique.”

“That’s a good play,” Harry said, nodding. “And your mum made a good choice. Hermione’s a nice name.”

He chastised himself for actually having a pleasant conversation with this girl. He wasn’t supposed to like her, was he?

“You’re surprised that I knew that, weren’t you?” he asked her. “That I know Shakespeare?”

“Yes,” she admitted sheepishly. “Pleasantly surprised.”

“Where would you like these?” he asked, picking up the basket.

“You can just leave them here,” she answered. “I can put them away later. I really appreciate you and your godfather doing this for me.”

“No problem,” Harry said. “I guess I’ll leave you to it then.”

He started to walk away, but Hermione called out to him.

“Wait,” she said. “You didn’t tell me your name.”

“I didn’t?” Harry asked, freezing in place. This girl was obviously a witch and from what he could tell, a rather smart one at that. What he didn’t need was her knowing who he really was and going back home to London and selling her story to the Daily Prophet.

“No,” she said, holding on to her towel. “You didn’t. Unless of course you prefer to be called ‘Sicko Peeping Tom’ or ‘perv’.”

He laughed. She obviously didn’t recognize him, which was a good sign.
”Please don’t call me that. If it’s all the same to you, I’d prefer you call me Jack,” he said, turning around to face her. “Jack Evans.”

He extended his hand and Hermione stepped forward to shake his hand. “Curious,” she commented as they shook hands.

“What? What’s curious?”

“You don’t look much like a ‘Jack’,” she answered simply. Something about him seemed somewhat familiar, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on what. He was quite handsome, despite his hair being a little disheveled. Something in his eyes seemed…

“What does a ‘Jack’ look like exactly?” he asked, hoping this girl didn’t recognize him. She was obviously quite clever and he made a mental note to be careful around her.

“I don’t know,” she said with a laugh.

“Okay then,” Harry said, scratching the nape of his neck. It would probably be a good idea to get out of here. “I’ll leave you to get settled then. If you need anything just let us know.”

“Thanks,” Hermione said walking him toward the door. “Thanks for letting me stay here and for the linens.”

”You’re welcome,” Harry said. “See you later.”

Hermione nodded and closed the door behind her.

I don’t think his name is really Jack Evans. He’s hiding something. But what?

She leaned against the door.

Whatever it is, it’s of no concern to me. I’m here to relax and not get mixed up in someone else’s life.

She sighed and walked slowly back to the bathroom, wondering what she would do first on this first day of her holiday.

*****

Sirius was sitting in the breakfast nook of their house, drinking a cup of coffee and reading the newspaper when Harry walked back inside. He tried not to hide the smile on his face as his godson helped himself to a cup of coffee and a bagel.

“I see you over there trying not to laugh you wanker,” Harry said. “You knew she was already here, didn’t you?”

“I can neither confirm nor deny,” Sirius said, turning the page of his newspaper.

“What are you playing at Sirius?” Harry asked, sitting down at the table.

“Nothing,” Sirius said pretending to be taken aback. “You are so suspicious, Harry. Always thinking the worst.”

“I wonder why,” Harry grumbled as he spread some cream cheese on his bagel.

“So…”

”So…,” Harry mocked.

“You gonna tell me how you liked her?” Sirius asked impatiently.

“No,” Harry answered.

“Which means you did like her,” Sirius said smugly. “She seems like a lovely girl.”

“How would you know that?” Harry asked.

“I don’t,” Sirius replied. “But Remus thinks quite highly of her. He wouldn’t send someone here unless he thought well of them, would he? And...”

“And you and Remus thought you’d do some matchmaking?” Harry asked sarcastically. He shook his head. He wondered again why hi s dad chose such infuriating people like this to be his best mates. He wondered how his mum would allow one of them to be his godfather. Meddling Marauders.

“We’re not matchmaking,” Sirius answered. “I just think it’ll be good for you to have someone your own age around here for awhile that you can talk to and show around…”

Harry put his coffee cup down and looked across the table at his godfather. “I’m not showing her around, Sirius. And I’m certainly not going to chat her up every day for two months. I have better things to do with my time than play nursemaid to some daft girl…”

“Like what?” Sirius asked, pushing back from his chair and getting to his feet.

“Important things,” Harry said flustered.

“Daft girl, eh?” Sirius asked amused. “For a daft girl, you certainly spent a long time over there.”

Harry laughed. “She’d just come out of the shower when I walked in.”

Sirius raised an eyebrow.

“Sod off, Snuffles,” Harry said. “She had a towel wrapped around her, for Merlin’s sake! We surprised each other and I dropped the basket and she helped me pick everything up. That’s all. Very innocent.”

“Innocent, my arse,” Sirius commented under his breath.

“It was,” Harry said defensively.

“Did you introduce yourself as ‘Jack’? Or did you go the honest route?” Sirius asked.

“Jack,” Harry answered before taking a bite of his bagel. “Lupin didn’t tell her who we really were, did he?”

”No,” Sirius said. “He just told her we were mates of his. That’s all. You know Moony wouldn’t tell her unless you asked him too. Why do you ask? Think she sussed you out?”

Harry considered this question. He felt safe to say that she hadn’t.

“No,” he replied. “But she’s quite smart and clever from what I can tell. We’ll both have to be on our toes around her.”

“Especially you,” Sirius teased. “Being as you fancy her…”

“I DO NOT FANCY HER!” Harry protested loudly. “I don’t even know the girl for one thing. And for another, she’s a complete nightmare! She nearly cursed me this morning. Does that sound like the beginning of a romance to you?”

Sirius just shrugged and watched his godson finish off his breakfast. No, Sirius thought to himself. That didn’t sound like the beginning of a romance to him. But, it was a start.

****

Later that day, Hermione had already unpacked her belongings and had decided to get some writing done, but she could hear the sounds of the waves crashing to the shore and the sounds of the seagulls outside. To say it was a beautiful day would have been a gross understatement. She quickly threw on her bathing suit and a pair of shorts.

She found a few fishing poles down by the docks and decided that she’d try her hand at fishing. She’d never done it before, of course, but how hard could it be? She smiled happily to herself as she walked down the dock carrying her fishing pole and a bucket of bait and hooks and a printout from the computer on fishing.

She sat down on the edge of the docks and read over the information she’d printed out. She was so busy reading she hadn’t noticed or heard the boat approaching the dock. That was, she hadn’t noticed until it pulled up alongside her.

“What are you doing?” Harry asked as he looked at her holding the fishing rod in one hand and a piece of paper in the other.

“Fishing,” she said absently.

He stared at her in amusement. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but paper isn’t really the best bait to use.”

She rolled her eyes. “I’m not going to use the paper as bait. I’m reading up on how to fish. I printed out some things from my laptop computer, if you must know.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” he said with a laugh. “You can’t learn about fishing from a computer or a book.”

“You can learn everything from books,” Hermione said indignantly.

“Not fishing,” he said, hopping out of the boat and onto the docks.

“Is there a purpose for you bothering me?” she asked.

“No,” he said with a laugh. “But you are rather amusing.”

“Leave me alone, please,” she said, picking out a worm from the bucket and looking at the fishing rod wondering how she was supposed to do this. She didn’t want this Jack to know that she had no real idea of what she was doing.

“Need some help?” he asked.

“No,” she said.

“Are you sure?” he asked her. “Because you’re doing that all wrong.”

“Oh for Merlin’s sake!” Hermione said exasperatedly. “Fine. I don’t have any idea what I’m doing. Could you please help me? Satisfied?”

He grinned and sat down beside her on the docks. “Immensely.”

Deftly, he baited her line and showed her how to cast the line into the water. She listened intently and couldn’t help but be impressed. He obviously knew what he was doing.

“What sorts of fish do you have out here?” she asked.

“Marlin, sailfish, tuna, mahi-mahi,” he answered. “They have a lot of fishing tournaments here actually. Those are mostly on the main island though.”

“Ever enter any of those?” she asked.

“A couple,” he admitted shyly.

”Won a couple, too, didn’t you?”

“Aye,” he said with a grin. “That I have.”

She smiled and couldn’t help but admit how much she liked being here. This was really a small piece of heaven right here on earth. She could get used to something like this. It also helped to have someone nice to talk to. Or at least he was being nice when he wasn’t being insufferable.

“You should try and go snorkeling while you’re down here,” he was saying.

She grinned. “I’d love that. I’ve always wanted to do that actually.”

“You should,” Harry said as he handed her back the fishing rod. “Now hold on tightly to that and if you feel something tug let me know. I’ll show you how to reel it in.”

“Okay,” she said. “But you don’t have to sit down here with me. I’m sure you have loads of stuff you’d rather be doing. You don’t have to baby-sit me.”

He laughed. “No, I don’t. But, I certainly couldn’t leave you down here reading to the fish, could I? I’d never catch another one the rest of my life.”

They sat in the hot sun, neither speaking for quite some time.

“Hermione?” Harry asked. “So, you work with Lupin?”

“He’s my boss,” she answered.

“And he sent you on a two-month holiday?” Harry asked. “Pretty good boss, isn’t he?”

“He is,” Hermione said with a laugh. “But to tell you the truth, I really didn’t want to go on holiday. Mind you, I like being here so far, but I’m a bit of a work-aholic.”

”No,” Harry said pretending to be surprised.

“I am,” she said nodding her head. “I’ve been that way most of my life. Well, all of my life actually. It sort of caught up to me recently and Lupin thought I needed a break to regroup as it were.”

“Sabbatical,” Harry said.

”Yeah,” she said, nodding her head. She explained to him about her panic attack and how she worried that she’d blown any chances of advancing at the Ministry by having a weak moment like that.

“I’m sure you’re making more out of this than anyone else is,” Harry said. “And you probably were working yourself too hard. There’s nothing wrong with taking a break every now and then. You’re too young to just be all work all the time.”

“That’s what Lupin said, too,” she said. “And I know he’s right, but it doesn’t make it any less easy.”

Harry nodded.

“So what brought you down here?” she asked conversationally.

“Right after I graduated from school, I took a year off to just travel and I sort of ended up here,” he explained, trying to be deliberately vague. “I fell in love with the place and haven’t had any inclination to go back home. This is my home now.”

“I could see why you’d love this place,” Hermione said looking around the island. “It’s really something.”

“Aye, but you’ve not seen it all yet,” Harry said. “You should see the main islands. They’d take your breath away.”

“I’ll have to go exploring soon then,” she said. “But I don’t reckon I can apparate.”

”No,” Harry said. “But if you want to go into the main islands, I could take you in the boat.”

“You’d do that?” she asked, surprised.

“Yeah,” Harry said, shrugging his shoulders. “Whenever you want to go, just let me or my godfather know and we can run you over there.”

“Thanks,” Hermione said. She was about to say something else when she felt something tug on the line. “Jack! I’ve got something!”

Harry got behind her and held onto the line and told her to begin reeling it in. She did as she was told and found that this was quite hard work.

“I think you may have something quite large,” Harry said, as he helped her.

Hermione grinned excitedly.

”Okay, pull,” Harry directed her.

Hermione finally pulled up on the line and one of the biggest fish she’d ever seen was at the end of the line.

“Well done,” Harry said impressed. “Not bad for a rookie.”

Hermione grinned. “What did I get?”

“You Miss Granger caught your first Marlin,” he said patting her on the back. “Not bad. Not bad at all.”

“Fantastic,” Hermione commented as she watched Harry take it from the hook. “That was really fun.”

“We just need to clean this little guy up and you should have a nice dinner,” he said. “Unless you’d like to find out about cleaning the fish from the computer, of course?”

She laughed and was about to say something when she saw a strange expression come over Jack’s face. She turned around to see what he was looking at and saw an older man staring at them from the deck of the main house.

“Who’s that?” Hermione asked turning back around to face Jack.

“My godfather,” Harry said, picking up the fish. “I need to get going, but I’ll clean this up for you and drop it by later.”

“Oh,” Hermione said disappointed that he didn’t want to show her how to do it. They were doing fine just a few minutes ago and now he looked as if he couldn’t wait to get away from her. She wondered if she was missing something. She didn’t have a chance to ask because the next thing she knew, Jack was retreating down the docks toward the house.

Author’s note: Sorry for the delay…real life had to take a bit of a preference…had a few headaches with purchasing the lease on my vehicle…but it’s all good. The vehicle is mine, all mine now! I hope you guys like this chapter. Please read and review!

Chapter Four

Don’t Get Me Wrong

“Once in awhile
Two people meet
Seemingly for no reason
They just pass on the street
Suddenly thunder, showers everywhere
Who can explain the thunder and rain,
But there’s something in the air…”

(“Don’t Get Me Wrong” by the Pretenders)

Harry didn’t make contact with his godfather as he made his way quickly up toward the house. He didn’t have to turn around to know that Hermione was also watching him. He hadn’t meant to leave her so abruptly. Truth be told, he’d been enjoying her company. She hadn’t been at all like he’d expected her to be. He couldn’t help the smile playing at his lips as he thought of her sitting on the docks with the computer printout about fishing.

As soon as that memory came to him, he quickly tried to quell it. The reason he couldn’t entertain any notions about this girl was looking down at him as he ascended the wooden staircase to the house. Sirius always thought he bloody knew everything, Harry thought crossly as he breezed past his godfather and into the house, without so much as a word of acknowledgement.

Once inside the house he mentally counted to three and sure enough, Sirius came walking into the kitchen behind him, a Cheshire cat grin on his face.

“Don’t even say it,” Harry said, as he turned the faucet on and began cleaning the marlin.

“Say what?” Sirius asked innocently. He leaned back against the refrigerator and watched his godson. When Harry didn’t reply, Sirius admired the fish.

“She caught that, did she?” he asked.

“Yes,” Harry said gruffly. “With my help.”

“Pretty good for a beginner,” Sirius commented.

“I suppose,” Harry said noncommittally. A few moments of silence passed between them and Harry couldn’t take it anymore. “Okay, Sirius. Why don’t you just go ahead and say what you want to say and have done with it?”

Sirius shrugged. “I have no idea what you’re talking about, Harry. I wasn’t going to say a word about our guest. I was only going to ask you how the trip to Great Abaco was this morning.”

”Yeah,” Harry snorted. “Sure you were.”

“I was,” Sirius said defensively. “You sure are in a sour mood. Of course, you certainly didn’t seem to be that way just a few minutes ago with…Hermione, wasn’t it?”

Harry rolled his eyes. “Yes, her name is Hermione. I helped her catch a fish. End of story.”

Sirius nodded. “Well, I’ll leave you to it then. I think I may just take a walk…see where it may take me…”

Harry looked up from the sink. “Sirius…” he said warningly.

“See you later, Harry,” Sirius said, without looking back at Harry.

*********

**********

~~~~~~~~~~~

Hermione was in the kitchen about to make a quick lunch when the doorbell chimed. She set her plate down on the table and walked quickly toward the door. It wasn’t Jack that greeted her when she swung open the door, but an older gentleman with a goatee and salt-and-pepper hair. He wore cargo shorts and a white t-shirt. Although he was dressed casually, he had an air of distinction to him and a mischievous glint in his eyes. He smiled warmly at Hermione and although she didn’t know why, she liked the man immediately.

“Sorry to bother you,” he said with a grin. “But I wanted to officially welcome you to Isla Solarte. I trust my godson hasn’t given you too much trouble, has he?”

Hermione smiled. She decided not to mention her earlier meeting with Jack. As she looked at the man, she couldn’t help thinking that he, too, looked somewhat familiar. Like Jack, however, she couldn’t place where she might have known his face from.

“No, your godson has been quite…,” Hermione said, searching for an accurate description. “Um, cordial.”

“Cordial?” the man said, laughing heartily. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard him described that way. I’m Ben Thatcher.”

He extended his hand toward Hermione and without a moment’s hesitation, she shook it.

“Hermione Granger,” she said warmly. “Would you like to come inside? I was just sitting down for a quick lunch. I’d love the company.”

Ben shrugged. “Sure, if it’s no trouble. I’d be delighted to join you.”

Hermione waved her hand and ushered him inside. Within a few minutes, the two of them were seated at the kitchen table enjoying turkey and Swiss cheese sandwiches and ice cold glasses of pumpkin juice.

“So,” Ben began with a grin. “Remus Lupin tells me you’re the brightest witch of your age.”

Hermione flushed, but felt an inward sense of pride as she always did when someone complimented her on her intelligence.

“I don’t know about that,” she said modestly.

“I do,” Ben said winking at her. “Remus Lupin is the smartest bloke I know so I imagine if he thinks you’re at the top of your game, he knows what he’s talking about.”

Hermione blushed. “He really said that about me?”

“That he did,” Ben said smiling at her, before taking the last bite of his sandwich. “So you’re going to be with us two months, isn’t that right?”

Hermione nodded. “I can’t thank you enough for…”

Ben waved his hand dismissively. “Oh, Hermione. Don’t even mention it. We’re both glad to have you here. Anything you need, you just ask.”

“I wouldn’t want to intrude,” Hermione said.

“Nonsense,” Ben said, leaning back in his chair. “What kind of hosts would we be if we weren’t accommodating. Though, truth be told, I spend a great deal of my time on the main island.”

“Oh yeah?” Hermione asked interested. She’d read up on the islands before coming here and she was dying to see what they had to offer firsthand.

“There’s so much to see and do over there,” Ben said with twinkling eyes. “You’ll really have to spend some time there while you’re here. My girlfriend Eva has a small café on Great Abaco that has the best food hands down.”

“And you’re not at all biased?” Hermione asked teasingly.

“Not in the slightest,” Ben bantered back.

Hermione smiled.

“And she’s dying to meet you, of course,” Ben continued. “She’s had to put up with Jack and me on her own for awhile and I’m sure she’ll like having another female around to even things out.”

Ben gave her a little bit of information about Eva and how she came to live on the islands. Hermione laughed at Ben’s narrative and could tell just by the tone of his voice and the gleam in his eyes how much this man loved that woman. She wondered if someday she’d inspire that in someone else.

“I don’t mean to bore you, love,” Ben said, interrupting her thoughts.

Hermione flushed. “You’re not! I’m sorry.”

“No need to apologize,” he replied.

Hermione looked thoughtfully at him and again racked her brain for why this man as well as Jack seemed so…familiar. She’d seen their faces somewhere before, but she couldn’t put her finger on where. She hated not knowing the answer. It was so frustrating.

“Ben,” Hermione said, leaning back in her own chair. “How long have you known Remus?”

Ben chuckled. “I sometimes think I’ve known him for far too long. But, we’ve known each other since we were 11. We went to Hogwarts together.”

“And you were friends with Jack’s father at Hogwarts, too?”

Ben looked at her with a quizzical expression. For a moment, Hermione wondered if he knew what she was really asking. Perhaps he was deciding if he could trust her, she thought.

“He was my best mate,” Ben said with a smile. “My partner-in-crime. Remus had to get the two of us out of so many scrapes. You know, he was the golden boy---always wanted to study, always wanted to be the best. Jack’s father and I sort of reminded him to take things easy and not be so serious all the time.”

“My friend Lavender is like that with me,” Hermione commented.

“And I imagine you try and get her to be more serious,” Ben said with a wink.

“I try,” Hermione answered laughing.

”You balance each other out,” Ben said. “That’s what friends are supposed to do. At least that’s what I used to tell Remus when he’d get on my case about being out after hours or when I’d nick food from the kitchens.”

Hermione nodded. She had heard Lupin’s stories about Hogwarts quite a few times. Most of them revolved around his adventures as one of the Marauders. Hermione tried to remember who other than Remus was included in this group. Remus Lupin. Peter Pettigrew. Sirius Black. James Potter.

James Potter. Sirius Black.

Hermione saw in her mind an image of Harry Potter. Just last night, she and Lavender had laughed about the Potter sightings column in the Daily Prophet. The picture they had of Harry Potter was one of a 17-year old Harry. The image flashed in Hermione’s mind. Green eyes. Raven-colored hair.

“How could I have been so stupid?”

“Pardon?” Ben asked, confused.

Hermione looked across the table at Ben and gave him a strange look. Had she just asked that out loud? From the look on Ben’s face, she definitely had.

“I—I was thinking of something else,” she said quickly. “I’m sorry. I guess I’m a little dazed from the portkey and getting used to the time difference.”

Ben nodded. “I can understand that. You probably need to just get your bearings is all. I’ll leave you to it then.”

Hermione stood up along with Ben and walked him to the door.

“Remember if you need anything, we’re just next door,” Ben said, shaking her hand again. He turned to walk away, but he stopped.

“Would you like to join Jack and me for dinner tonight?” Ben asked her.

“Dinner?”

“Yes, you know the meal that comes after lunch,” Ben replied teasingly.

Hermione giggled. “I know it quite well, thanks so much. And I accept your invitation.”

“Good,” Ben said, that mischievous gleam reappearing in his eyes.

Hermione could only nod and give a polite smile as she watched him walk back toward the house.

When he was out of sight, she quickly closed the door and made for her trunk in the bedroom. She’d brought along some books for research purposes and finding the tome that she wanted, sat down on the bed. Flipping absently through the pages, she found what she was looking for. The book was about Contemporary Wizarding History. Hermione scanned the various entries until she found it. She leaned back against the pillows and rested the book on her lap.

“The last living member of the Black family…owns 12 Grimmauld Place, the reported headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix…best friend of James Potter…godfather to Harry James Potter,” she read aloud.

Harry James Potter. Harry James Potter.

She turned a few pages until she found the chapter dealing with Harry Potter.

“Son of Lily Evans Potter and James Potter.”

“Evans….Jack Evans.”

She remembered seeing photos of Sirius Black and Harry Potter in the Weasley home. The entire wizarding world was wondering where the two of them were and here she was living on an island with Harry Potter and Sirius Black. She dropped the book to the bed and put her head in her hands.

How could I have been so stupid?

There were so many things she wanted to ask the two of them. What had it really been like to face Voldemort? What caused them to come here and leave a life of anonymity?

Though Ron hadn’t talked much about his best friend to her, Hermione could recall him mentioning one time that all Harry really wanted was to be normal and lead a calm, easy life. He has that here, Hermione thought to herself. They obviously didn’t know who she was or her connection to Ron. If they’d wanted her to know who they were, they wouldn’t have bothered using fake names.

And although she had millions of questions, she decided not to tell them that she was onto them. If they wanted to be known as Ben and Jack, that was what she’d call them. She just hoped she wouldn’t slip and call them by their real names. She’d definitely have to be on her toes.

*****

****
****

“Ohhhhhhhhhhhh,” Ron Weasley groaned as his eyes blinked open. He immediately shut them again and put a hand to his throbbing head.

He made a mental promise never to drink ever again in his life. It wasn’t worth it if you woke up feeling like you’d died, he thought miserably. He felt an overwhelming need to use the loo, but didn’t think he had the capability to move his legs. They felt as if they were made of jelly.

With his eyes still firmly shut, he slowly drew back the covers and felt a chill. A few moments later, he managed to swing a leg out of bed. With great effort, he managed to sit up and the throbbing in his head worsened. He was suddenly aware of the fact that he was starkers and he fumbled on the floor for his boxer shorts.

He wondered yet again why he’d let his teammates talk him into going to a pub after the game. Why hadn’t he just turned them down and gone back to the hotel like a good boy? He could have written a letter to his parents or even to Hermione.

Hermione.

Ron found himself dissolving into a shame spiral as he just thought about her. She was a great girl who deserved better than him. He’d been unfaithful to her from the start. He’d thought having a serious girlfriend would have made him change his ways, but that certainly hadn’t been the case.

She was never around, though. She didn’t want to go out to the clubs or even to a pub. She preferred staying at home to going out. When they did go out, she usually just sat at a table and drank her ale. She had to be coerced into having a dance. He’d started to resent her for it and he hated himself for thinking that way.

As he sat hunched over the toilet, he made a vow to change his ways. Starting today.

There would be no other women. There would be no going out to the pub after the games. He would read more. Or he’d play a bit more wizard’s chess. He wouldn’t put himself in the path of temptation.

No more cocking things up, Ron thought to himself, as he splashed some water on his face. He was always doing that, messing up the good things in his life. He had a rather bad habit of sticking his foot in his mouth at the least opportune times. He couldn’t count the number of times he’d done this with Hermione. Yet, she stayed with him. She was loyal. She was stable. She was the one. She was the one who would make him change. He could see that now.

His thoughts were interrupted by a persistent knocking on the door. Ron yawned as he swung open the bathroom door to reveal…his mind went blank. What was her name again?

“Do you mind if I come in?” she asked quietly. “I’m dying for the loo.”

“No,” Ron said, standing back to allow her to come inside. He started to walk out of the bathroom, but she laughed.

“No need to be a gentleman,” she said groggily. “After all, you saw every inch of me last night.”

Ron scrambled in his brain for some memory of this girl. He could recall walking into the crowded pub after the game. He remembered playing darts with a few teammates and he lost and had to buy the next round for everyone. After that, the details became quite fuzzy.

He leaned back against the door. The girl had shoulder-length blonde hair that was styled in a bob. She was slender and tall and at the moment was wearing only his shirt. Ron averted his eyes as she used the bathroom and only looked at her after she’d started to wash her hands.

“You alright?” she asked, giving him a quizzical look.

“Yeah,” he said nodding. “Just a little hungover.”

”I’m not surprised,” she said, breezing past him and back into the room. “You drank an awful amount last night.”

Ron followed her back in the room and sat down on the edge of the bed. “So, we….”

She laughed. “Yeah, we did. Three times as a matter of fact.”

“Three times?” Ron asked amazed. How had he managed to do that three times pissed out of his mind?

“You really were out of it,” she said leaning back against the pillows. “You’re quite funny when you’re pissed. “

“So, I’ve been told,” he said morosely.

“Are you sure that you’re okay?”

“No,” he said, putting his head in his hands. “I’m really sorry…”

“Why?”

“I have a girlfriend,” he said quietly. “And what happened between you and me…”

“So you have a girlfriend,” the girl shrugged. “I have a boyfriend. Big deal.”

“It is a big deal,” Ron said turning around to face her. “I really care about this girl. I’m such a shit…”

“Don’t beat yourself up about it,” the girl said soothingly. “You were drunk. Your girlfriend never has to know.”

“But that doesn’t make it okay, does it?” Ron asked shaking his head. “I’ve been screwing around on her for far too long. She’s the best thing in my life, and…”

“Do you love her?” the girl interrupted him.

Ron looked thoughtfully at her. “I don’t know,” he replied honestly. “We’ve not even been dating a year yet. She’s busy with her job and right now she’s on holiday. I don’t even know where she is…”

The girl pulled a confused face. “How long is she supposed to be gone?”

“Two months,” Ron answered.

“So you have two months to change your ways,” the girl said, chewing on her bottom lip. She put a hand on his shoulder. “That doesn’t give you much time. But, I think you can do it. Turn over a new leaf, as it were.”

“I suppose,” Ron said, wondering if he really could turn over a new leaf. Hermione was definitely worth it. He made a promise that when she returned from holiday, he would devote himself to her and only her.

“But, in the meantime…” the girl was saying as she ran her hand down his arm.

“Hmmm?” Ron asked.

“It would be a shame to waste this posh hotel room,” the girl said as she nibbled on his ear. “And I don’t really have to be anywhere until later this afternoon.”

“You don’t?” Ron asked huskily.

She shook her head and pulled him back further onto the bed. As he kissed her, Ron made a vow that his new outlook on life and his promise to be faithful to Hermione would start tomorrow.

*******

Harry had taken the boat back out that afternoon and returned a little after six. He saw the lights on in the guesthouse and he fought the urge to see what Hermione was up to. At the very least, he should have apologized to her for leaving her so abruptly earlier. But, that’s probably just what Sirius wanted.

He hadn’t seen his godfather since Sirius had went over to introduce himself to Hermione. Part of him wanted to know how that had gone, but the other part didn’t dare ask Sirius because it would give him too much satisfaction.

Harry walked into the house and saw a note scribbled on the kitchen table.

Harry:

Gone over to visit Eva. Probably won’t be back until the morning.

Sirius

Harry crumpled up the paper and threw it in the rubbish bin. He was on his own for the evening. He also had been out nearly all day on the boat and he certainly smelled like it. He grabbed a bottle of water and headed upstairs to take a shower.

~~~~~

~~~~~~~~

Hermione smoothed her sundress down as she walked over toward the main house. She’d debated about what to wear over there and had finally settled on a simple cobalt blue sundress and sandals. Her skin was still quite pale and she wished she’d spent a little more time on the beach earlier so she’d at least have some more color. But, she’d spent most of the day inside, reading and kipping.

She took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

At first no one came to the door, and Hermione wondered if anyone was home. Sirius had left a note that she should come by at around 7. It was exactly 7 p.m. on the dot. She lifted her hand to knock again, but that was when the door opened and she found a very surprised Harry Potter staring at her. He was wearing a pair of khaki cargo shorts and a white t-shirt. A towel was draped over his shoulder and his hair was still damp from his shower.

“Hermione,” he finally said. “What are you doing here?”

She looked curiously at him. “Your godfather asked me to come by for dinner.”

Harry frowned.

“Is something wrong?” Hermione asked. “He did say seven…”

Harry fumed. He was going to kill Sirius.

“I just bet he did,” Harry said, a touch of anger in his voice.

“Oh,” Hermione said, embarrassed. Harry obviously had no idea what his godfather had done and he looked as if he’d rather eat rat dung than eat a meal with her. “I guess I misunderstood. I’ll just go back to the guesthouse. Have a good evening.”

She turned on her heel and made it to the first step before Harry called out to her.

“Hermione, wait!” he said, coming up behind her. She turned around. “Ben has actually gone over to the main island for the night. It—it must have slipped his mind about you joining us for dinner.”

“Oh,” Hermione said, nodding.

“But, um, I haven’t eaten yet and I imagine you haven’t either so if you’d like to join me, I’d be much obliged for the company,” he said quickly.

Hermione looked uncertainly at him.

“Come on, Miss Granger,” Harry said, extending his hand. “Don’t make me beg.”

A smile played at her lips.

“Oh, she is going to make me beg,” Harry said, grinning at her. He wasn’t about to admit it to Sirius, but for some reason he liked this girl and truth be told, he would like to know more about her. “Please take pity on me, Miss Granger and allow me to cook for you.”

Hermione laughed. “That depends. Can you cook?”

“One way to find out,” Harry said with twinkling eyes. He held his hand out to her again. “What do you say?”

Hermione grinned and took his hand. “This had better be good.”

Author’s note: I really do apologize for the long time its taking me to post updates. Real life along with The Time of Their Life story I’m writing with Heaven is taking up much of my time at the moment. I hope this makes up for it and thanks again to everyone who has read and reviewed! Happy Halloween!

Chapter Five

My Life

I don't need you to worry for me cause I'm alright
I don't want you to tell me it's time to come home
I don't care what you say anymore, this is my life
Go ahead with your own life and leave me alone

(Billy Joel, My Life)

“YOU DID WHAT?” Eva asked incredulously as Sirius walked into the kitchen of Café Oceana that evening.

“Left him alone with her,” Sirius said innocently, but not even bothering to hide the mischievous grin on his face.

“Ben,” she cautioned, using his pseudonym since they weren’t alone. The chef was standing at the counter busily preparing an entrée. “He’s going to kill you for doing that.”

“No, he won’t,” Sirius said with a laugh. “I imagine he’ll be thanking me when I get back.”

“You’re quite optimistic,” Eva said, pouring some sauce into a dish. “They’ve only just met.”

“I know,” Sirius replied, leaning back against a counter. “But they’ve taken to each other already.”

“Jack’s told you this, has he?”

“No, not in so many words,” Sirius admitted. “But I know him. He likes her.”

Eva just shook her head. “If you keep this up, you’re going to scare that poor girl away.”

Sirius frowned. “Eva, I’m just giving them a little push. The moment Remus told me about this girl, I knew. I knew she’d be perfect for him.”

“And the fact that she’s dating his best friend?” Eva asked incredulously.

“Dating his best friend who cheats on her with anything that moves,” Sirius answered sarcastically. “Look, I really do like Ron, but he’s not serious about this girl. If he was, I certainly wouldn’t ---“

“Yes you would,” Eva interjected with a laugh. “You most certainly would.”

“Aye, you’re probably right,” Sirius admitted.

Eva laughed and shook her head. “I hope you don’t think you’re pulling one thing over on either of them. If this girl is as smart as Remus says she is, I imagine she knows exactly what you’re trying to do and I’m positive Jack can see through it as well. Face it, sweetheart, you’re about as subtle as a nuclear bomb.”

“Yes, but you love me for it,” Sirius said with a wink.

“That I do,” she said, shaking her head again. “That I do.”

**************************************

*************************************

In my entire life, I’ve never been at a loss for words. Why can’t I think of anything to say? On second thought, why do I even care? Maybe it’s because he is my boyfriend’s best mate and I want to make a good impression? No, that’s not it. He doesn’t know who I am and I’m not supposed to know who he is. This would be so much easier if I didn’t know who he really was! Why did I have to figure it out? Merlin, he keeps looking over here at me. Probably thinks I’m mental. Come to think of it, I think I’m mental at the moment.

Speak, Hermione. Speak. Say something intelligent. Say something witty. Say anything.

At least he has the cooking to keep him preoccupied. He doesn’t have to say anything. I, on the other hand, am sitting here on a stool—drinking red wine and feeling like a complete idiot.

“Are you okay?” Harry asked from his position at the stove.

“Hmmm?” Hermione asked, interrupted from her thoughts.

“I asked if you were okay,” Harry said, raising an eyebrow at her. “You’ve been awfully quiet.”

You should hear the conversation I’m having with myself.

“I-I guess I’m still a little tired from my trip,” she lied. “I’m still getting used to the time difference.”

“I can understand that,” he said with a smile. “It’ll take you awhile to get your bearings.”

Hermione nodded. “I’m sure a good night’s sleep is all that I need.”

Harry grinned at her before turning back around. Hermione took another sip from her wine glass and looked around at the kitchen. It was larger than the one at the guest house and had all the state-of-the-art appliances. Hermione looked at Harry who was expertly sprinkling spices on the fish. He certainly knew his way around a kitchen.

“You’re quite good,” Hermione heard herself saying.

He looked over his shoulder at her. “I get by.”

“You do more than get by,” Hermione said with a laugh. “You’re much better than me. I have trouble with anything you can’t microwave.”

Harry laughed. “Well, I’ve been cooking since I was a kid. My aunt basically thought of me as a chef-slash-butler-slash -jack-of-all-trades.”

Hermione knew, of course, that Harry had grown up with his Muggle aunt and uncle. Although she didn’t know what sort of people they were, she could tell from the tone of Harry’s voice that there was no love lost between them.

“I’d starve if it wasn’t for my flatmate. She’s a whiz in the kitchen. I, on the other hand…”

“I’m sure you’re not that bad,” Harry said.

“You’d think I wouldn’t be, wouldn’t you?” she asked with a giggle. “I mean, I did outstanding in potions. But, you put me in front of an oven and I have no idea what I’m doing. I was thinking I might try a few things while I’m here to see if I could improve.”

With a stricken look on his face, Harry turned around and looked at her. “Um, Hermione? Remus is sort of attached to his kitchen and I don’t think it’d be a good idea if you burned it down.”

“See! You don’t even know me and you know well enough not to trust me in a kitchen!”

“I was only teasing,” Harry said, putting a plate of food before her.

”Jack,” she said. “This looks fantastic. What is it?’

“Um, grilled marlin with port wine sauce,” he answered, sitting down across from her with his own plate. “And roasted vegetables. Best I could do on short notice.”

“If this is what you do on short notice, I’d love to see what you do when you have time to plan,” she said smiling at him.

They ate their meal in silence, save for Hermione gushing about delicious the food was.

“I don’t think I could eat another bite,” she said, as she pushed back from the table. “That was amazing.”

“Ah, I could have done better,” Harry said with a shrug. “You should try Eva’s recipe for this. I’m not even in the same league as her.”

“Eva’s your godfather’s girlfriend, right?” Hermione asked.

Harry nodded. “She’s great. She owns a restaurant on the main island. You should really check it out while you’re here.”

“I’d love to,” Hermione said excitedly. “I was looking on the Internet earlier about Great Abaco and I found all this great information. Green Turtle Cay sounds fascinating. I read about this little museum they have there that traces the entire history of the settlement.”

Harry smiled. “Did a little research, did you?”

She blushed. “A little. I just wanted to know what I should be looking for and what sorts of things and places the islands had to offer.”

“Well, I don’t fault you for that, but you’re really going to miss out on a lot of stuff that the tourists don’t know about because they’re being led around by some tour guide from a cruise ship or one of the resort hotels.”

“Like what?” she asked, intrigued.

“Well, there’s this certain stretch of the island where you can go snorkeling and you can see loads of coral reefs. View will take your breath away, Hermione. Not to mention the different caves and canyons.”

Hermione grinned. “You’ll have to write down some of the places I should go for me.”

“Why?”

“Because I’d never find them on my own,” she said, before draining her glass. “I’ll ask one of the villagers or something to point me in the right direction.”

Harry got up from his chair and gathered up their plates and silverware. “You’ll do nothing of the kind. Some of the blokes on the island would love nothing more than to send some naïve tourist on a wild goose chase.”

“Naïve tourist?” Hermione repeated, standing up and folding her arms. “I know I’ve never been here before, but I’ll have you know that I can more than take care of myself. Honestly! Naïve tourist.”

“Hey, hey,” Harry said, setting the plates in the sink. “I certainly didn’t mean to imply that I didn’t think you couldn’t take care of yourself, Miss Granger. I fondly remember you pointing your wand so forcibly at me this morning so I can vouch for the fact that you probably can take care of yourself. I’m just saying that you’ve never been here before and you don’t know where to go. Not everyone is so nice and honest. They’ll do anything to hassle tourists. And you may not be naïve, but you ARE a tourist.”

Hermione had to admit that he did have a point. “Okay,” she said reluctantly. “I will be careful.”

“Good,” he said, turning on the water and looking at her with a grin. “And since I don’t know whether or not to trust you, I’ll go with you.”

“What?”

“You heard,” he said.

”Yes, I heard you, but surely you’ve got better things to do than show me around the island,” she protested, but she was touched that he at least offered.

“Yes, but I don’t think I could do them if I was preoccupied with worry over your safety, now could I?” he asked cheekily.

She smiled. “I guess not.”

“Then, it’s settled,” he said, splashing some of the water from the sink in her direction. She gave him a stern look.

“What?”

“You did that on purpose!” she said accusatorially.

“What?” he asked innocently. “I’ve been a perfect gentleman the whole night.”

She shook her head and with a quick motion, ran her fingers in the water and splashed him back. “Now you’re a perfectly wet gentleman.”

“True,” he said, smirking at her. She noticed how green his eyes were. Okay where did that come from? Just another astute observation, is all.

“I, um, should probably go,” she said softly. “I wanted to do a bit of writing before I went to bed.”

“Oh,” he said, and Hermione wondered if she was imagining the hint of disappointment she heard in his voice. Stop this. This is crazy. You are mental.

“Would you like me to walk you back?” he asked.

She shook her head. “I’ll be okay. I’ve troubled you enough tonight anyway.”

“You haven’t troubled me, Hermione. Really, I enjoyed the company.”

She smiled. “So did I. Thanks for the dinner.”

He walked her to the door and they both reached for the doorknob at the same time. His hand lingered on top of hers for what seemed like an eternity. She didn’t dare turn around to look at him. Instead, she cleared her throat and he quickly withdrew his hand.

”Sorry,” he said awkwardly.

“No problem,” she said, turning the doorknob. “I-I guess I’ll see you tomorrow then?”

He nodded, a strange expression on his face.

“Good night, Jack,” she whispered before turning around and walking out.

What on earth just happened?

*******

******

It was early the next morning when Sirius finally made it back to Isla Solarte. Harry was still asleep when his godfather walked inside. Sirius was pleased to see an empty wine bottle on the counter along with two glasses. He smiled and settled back down at the table to have breakfast.

Harry stumbled into the kitchen a few minutes later, his hair a mess and when he saw his godfather he frowned.

“Good morning,” Sirius said pleasantly.

“Two words that shouldn’t ever be strung together,” Harry said crankily.

“And how are you today my little ray of sunshine?” Sirius asked teasingly.

Harry didn’t answer him as he poured himself a mug of coffee.

“So what did you do last night?” Sirius asked innocently. “I’m sorry for cutting out on you last night, but I wanted to spend some time with Eva.”

A smile played on Harry’s lips. If Sirius expected details, he was in for a rude awakening. Harry decided to have a little fun with his godfather. “Nothing much, really, I went onto the main island and found some girl. You’ll have to keep your voice down. She’s a bit of a light sleeper.”

Sirius froze. “What?”

“Yeah,” Harry said, sitting down at the table. “I was thinking of staying here, of course, but I got a little bored so I went onto Great Abaco and I must say I’m glad I did because she was…wow doesn’t even begin to cover it.”

“But what about…” Sirius began, but his voice trailed off.

“What about what?” Harry countered challengingly.

“Nothing,” Sirius grumbled, folding up the newspaper. “Nothing at all.”

“There’s no girl in my room,” Harry said before breaking out into laughter.

Sirius glared at him.

“Honestly, there’s not,” Harry said still laughing. “But you should see the look on your face. Well, if I had any doubts about you actually trying to match make, they’re out the window now.”

“That wasn’t very nice, Harry,” Sirius retorted.

“Yeah, well you know what’s also not very nice, Sirius?” Harry asked. “You thinking of playing puppet master with me and some girl. Really nice. Inviting her over for dinner and then forgetting to mention it to me---that’s certainly nice, isn’t it? And then you conveniently leave the island so I’ll be left alone with her. If you thought I was going to be fooled by that, you don’t know me at all.”

“So she did stop by for dinner?” Sirius asked intrigued.

“Yes, she did,” Harry said. “And don’t worry. I made up an excuse for you that it must have slipped your mind.”

“Good, good,” Sirius said happily. “So how was it?”

“You’re not getting details from me,” Harry said, before taking a sip of his coffee. “You’re lucky I’m even talking to you, you sick old man.”

“You had a good time then?” Sirius asked, ignoring the insult.

Harry had actually enjoyed himself with Hermione last night. He found her witty and charming and quite pretty in a natural way. She wasn’t like most girls he knew who painted their faces with so much makeup that they looked like a cartoon. She was honest and although he’d only just met her, he felt that he could talk to her about almost anything. He certainly wasn’t going to tell Sirius this…not after the stunt he’d pulled last night.

“Drop it,” Harry said, pushing back from his chair. “She’s a nice girl, but nothing is going to happen between us. The sooner you get that through your head, the happier we’ll all be. Besides, I’ve never had trouble getting dates before. I don’t think I need your help.”

“Need I remind you that I was one of the driving forces in getting your mum and dad together,” Sirius said smugly.

“No, you don’t have to remind me,” Harry said quietly. “You’ve told me so much I pretty much have it committed to memory.”

“Well, my track record speaks for itself I think,” Sirius said proudly. “Now if you don’t mind, I’m thinking of kipping before I head out on the boat later.”

“Fine,” Harry said dismissively.

Sirius grinned and headed out of the kitchen, leaving his godson alone with his thoughts.

Harry was contemplating going out on the boat himself and was just committing to the idea when there was a knock on the kitchen door. He turned to see Hermione standing at the sliding glass doors. She looked well-rested and happy as she waved at him. She’d pulled her long brown hair into a ponytail and was wearing a pair of khaki shorts and a white tank top.

Harry was glad Sirius wasn’t in the room to witness the smile that came on his face when he saw her.

“Hello Jack,” she said when he opened the door. “You look like you just got out of bed.”

Harry looked down at his white t-shirt and boxer shorts and nodded. “No, I always dress like this.”

She laughed. “That just got out of bed look is supposedly all the rage these days. At least that’s what Lavender tells me.”

”Yes, well I’m definitely a trendsetter,” he said with a roll of his eyes.

“I’m not too early, am I?” she asked.

He stared at her bemusedly. “Oh! I was going to take you onto the main island today, wasn’t I? Sorry, I’m not exactly entirely awake at the moment.”

“No problem,” she grinned. “I understand. So, you still wanted to take me today, didn’t you?”

Here was his out, he thought to himself. He could just tell her he was busy and had other things to do and that maybe they could do it some other time. But, she looked so excited and ready to go that he didn’t have the heart to lie to her. Besides, it might be fun, he thought.

“Yeah, of course,” he said, nodding his head. “Of course, I do. I just need to hop in the shower first.” He looked behind him and wondered if he should invite her inside. With his luck, Sirius would wake up and give her the third degree about the dinner last night.

“Is there a problem?” she asked.

He shook his head and gave her a weak smile. “There’s no problem. I—why don’t you come inside and have some juice or coffee while I take a shower? I shouldn’t be that long.”

She gave him a warm smile. “That sounds great.”

He stood back so she could come inside. “There are some bagels on the counter and we’ve got jam and marmalade in the icebox and you can help yourself to anything you like.”

“Are you sure?” Hermione asked teasingly. “You do remember me telling you how dangerous I could be in a kitchen?”

He laughed. “Yes, I do. But I think you’ll be okay with a bagel, don’t you?”

“I think so,” she said, sitting down at the table.

“Good,” he said. “I’ll just be a few minutes then.”

“Okay,” she said picking up Sirius’ discarded newspaper and beginning to read. Harry watched her for a few moments before leaving the kitchen and bounding upstairs. He showered, shaved and changed clothes in nearly record time. When he headed downstairs a few minutes later, he heard muffled voices coming from the kitchen. Sirius obviously hadn’t taken that long of a kip, Harry thought miserably.

Harry slowly made his way back into the kitchen in time to see his godfather and Hermione chatting like old mates at the kitchen table. As Sirius’ back was to him, it was Hermione who saw Harry first.

“Jack,” she said grinning at him. “Your godfather here was telling me some amusing anecdotes about your father.”

Harry shot Sirius a warning look. Surely, he hadn’t told this girl about the Marauders, had he? Hermione already knew Remus Lupin and he’d no doubt shared tales with her about the famous Marauders. She was a bright girl and he knew it wouldn’t take too much for her to add two and two together.

“I’m sure he was,” Harry said tersely.

Sirius chuckled. “Hermione was just being polite and listening to the ravings of an old man like me.”

Hermione patted his arm. “You were quite entertaining.”

Sirius beamed at her. “She thinks I’m entertaining, Jack. Did you hear that?”

“Yeah, I heard,” Harry said crossly.

“Hermione, I think you and I are going to get along just fine,” Sirius said, winking at her.

“I hope so,” Hermione said good-naturedly, but she could sense the irritation in Harry’s voice. She hoped she wasn’t the cause of this, but the way Harry kept shooting Sirius looks, she had a feeling that she was. She wondered if it was something to do with the fact that Sirius seemed hell-bent on matchmaking. She should tell him that she had a boyfriend so he’d stop, but she didn’t say anything.

“I won’t keep you two kids any longer,” Sirius said, looking at Harry. “I know you’ll want to get to Great Abaco as soon as possible. You’re going to love it Hermione. And make sure he takes you by Café Oceana so you can meet Eva. She’s dying to see you.”

“I’m ready to meet her as well,” Hermione said. “She must be some kind of woman to put up with you.”

“She keeps me on my toes,” Sirius admitted.

Without a word, Harry grabbed his bag and slid the sliding doors open. “Are you coming?” he asked, much more abruptly than he’d wanted to.

Hermione looked up, surprised. “Yes, of course.”

“Let’s go,” Harry said, walking out of the door and toward the docks.

Hermione quickly rose from her chair and grabbed her own bag.

“Hey, Hermione?” Sirius called out to her. Hermione turned around and saw him staring at her with a sympathetic look on his face. “Don’t take any of his crap, okay? And don’t take it personally. He’s not mad at you.”

Hermione nodded and wondered if that was entirely true. Either way, she had a feeling that what she’d thought would be a promising day, was going to be a very, very long one.

Author’s note: I know what you’re thinking…it’s not Sunday! Why is she updating now? Well, you’ll be pleased to know that I was able to get some free time to write and so here you have with the next chapter. And thanks to all who pointed out my huge goof last chapter---it was unintentional and I corrected it! Sorry about that! I hope I’m more careful this time! Thank you again to all who read and review—I take the time to read each and everyone and I try to respond to each and every one.

Chapter Six

Message in a Bottle

“Just a castaway
An island lost at sea
Another lonely day
With no one here but me
More loneliness
Than any man could bear
Rescue me before I fall into despair”

(Message in a Bottle, The Police)

Hermione quickly made her way down the docks toward the boat. When she finally made it, he didn’t even offer to help her come aboard. She gave him a strange look as she did it herself.

“Where should I sit?” she asked warmly.

Without looking back in her direction, he muttered, “Doesn’t matter.”

She finally decided to sit on one of the bench seats and awkwardly put on a life preserver, hoping that she’d done it right.

“You know I’ve never been on a boat smaller than a cruise ship before,” she said conversationally. “And I’ve only been on a cruise ship once with my parents for a summer holiday…”

Her voice trailed off as she realized he wasn’t listening to a word she had to say.

What is his problem? This morning he couldn’t have been more friendly and charming and now…

She was jerked back into her seat as he started the boat and they pulled away from the docks.

“How long does it take to get to Great Abaco?” she asked, deciding to try again to engage him in conversation.

He stood at the helm with his back to her. “About twenty minutes,” he finally said gruffly.

“The name of your boat is Padfoot, Moony & Prongs?” she asked, deciding not to give up just yet.

“Yes,” he said with a sigh.

“I hear that everyone names their boat something for a reason,” she said with a smile, wishing he’d turn around. It was hard to carry on a conversation with someone’s back. “What was your reason, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“It’s not important,” he said quietly.

Hermione nodded. Seeing as he obviously wasn’t going to contribute much in the way of conversation, she decided to concentrate on the beautiful view. It was shaping up to be a beautiful day. There was barely a cloud in the sky and the weather was warm, but not humid. Hermione reached into her bag for her sunglasses. When she looked up, she saw Harry jerk his head back.

Was he just looking at me?

Shaking off the thought, she put her sunglasses on and again tried to concentrate on the view and the feel of the wind on her face.

What caused the complete 180-degree turn? Was it something I did? Perhaps it was Sirius? If Harry didn’t want to take me to the island, why did he even offer? If he changed his mind, I wish he would have said before we left. I can’t imagine spending the entire day with Mister Mood Swing, here.

Realizing that she was perhaps being a little too harsh in judging his behavior, she tried to rationalize that perhaps he just wasn’t a morning person. She could certainly relate to that. When she was at work at the Ministry, she wasn’t even on cordial terms with anyone until after at least two cups of coffee. Maybe he was the same way, she thought. Deciding to give him the benefit of the doubt, she remained quiet, leaned back in her seat, and enjoyed the rest of the boat ride.

If she had thought his mood would improve once they reached Great Abaco, she was sorely mistaken. When they docked, he didn’t help her out of the boat and onto the dock. He immediately jumped out of the boat and after making sure it was secure, he walked toward the mainland. She scrambled to keep up with him.

The streets were surprisingly crowded for an early morning. Hermione figured that might have something to do with the three cruise ships docked a few kilometers away. She looked back and to her horror saw that Harry was increasing the distance between them. She could just make out his back in the crowd.

“JACK!” she called out.

“HURRY UP!” he called back over his shoulder.

Hermione couldn’t believe the way he was acting. Last night when he’d offered to show her around, she’d been pleasantly surprised. She had thought she’d have to do this all alone, but the idea of having someone around who knew where to take her and what to do, had excited her. It was always much nicer to have a friend along.

Perhaps I misjudged him. It certainly doesn’t seem as if he wants to be friends.

If she’d known he was going to treat her this way, she would have turned his offer down flat.

Although she had no idea where she was or where they were going, she certainly couldn’t keep up with him and she didn’t really want to. Hermione finally stood back and let the crowd take Harry away. She decided to take her chances walking in the other direction. Surely, she could find a nice place to maybe grab an orange juice or something and perhaps someone would give her directions to the museum or some other points of interest.

To her delight, she saw a sign for Café Oceana. She sighed in relief. This was Sirius’ girlfriend’s restaurant. She opened the door and saw that the café wasn’t crowded at all. The only other customer besides her was a gentleman in the back, reading a newspaper and having tea and toast.

Hermione sat down at the counter and a pretty, petite blonde waitress smiled warmly at her.

“What can I get you?” she asked.

“I’d love some orange juice to start,” Hermione answered, picking up a menu.

“Coming right up,” the girl said with a nod.

A few moments later, the girl came back with Hermione’s glass of juice.

“Thanks,” Hermione said. “Um, is Eva here?”

“She’s in the kitchen,” the girl said, motioning behind her. “Would you like me to get her?”

Hermione nodded. The waitress disappeared behind a swinging door and came back with an older woman with olive skin and long black hair. She wore a simple green sundress and an apron tied around her waist.

“Hello,” Eva said politely. “Maureen said you asked to see me?”

“We haven’t been introduced, but I’m staying on Isla Solarte with Jack and Ben,” Hermione explained. “I’m Hermione Granger.”

“Of course you are!” Eva said, shaking Hermione’s hand. “Hello, darlin’.”

Hermione smiled back at her, but couldn’t help noticing that Maureen was sizing her up for some reason. She’d been friendly enough when she’d thought Hermione was just some customer, but now that she knew where Hermione was staying, Maureen looked none too pleased.

Perhaps she’s dating him?

“I’m sorry for just dropping in unannounced like this,” Hermione said. “I just didn’t know where else to go and Ben raves about you and this place so…”

“Don’t you worry about it,” Eva said, patting her arm. “I’ve heard great things about you from Remus Lupin’s letters. And Ben thinks you’re quite charming. He told me so himself. Where is he anyway? Did he or Jack bring you over?”

Hermione fidgeted in her seat. “Jack brought me.”

Maureen grimaced at this bit of information.

“He did?” Eva asked. “Well, where is he?”

“I sort of lost him,” Hermione answered sheepishly. “Intentionally.”

Eva laughed. “Why on earth did you do that for?”

Hermione hesitated to answer at first. She certainly didn’t want to badmouth Harry in front of Eva. Sensing her hesitation, Eva grinned at her encouragingly. “You can tell me, Hermione.”

“He was being a complete and utter arse,” Hermione answered simply.

“He was?” Maureen asked, earning a warning look from Eva.

“Maureen? Why don’t you go and see if that nice gentlemen back there needs a refill on his tea?” Eva said through clenched teeth.

Maureen opened her mouth to protest, but a stern look from Eva sent her on her way. Eva walked around the counter and sat in the stool beside Hermione.

“Okay, out with it,” Eva said.

So, Hermione explained about the dinner the night before and Harry’s invitation. She also explained about how nice he was this morning when she’d arrived, but after he’d come downstairs from his shower, he’d been in a terrible mood. Hermione related the tale slowly so she wouldn’t slip up and call Harry and Sirius by their real names. She had no idea if Eva knew their true identities and if she didn’t, Hermione didn’t want to be the one to blow their cover.

When Hermione finished, Eva had her head in her hands.

“Jack, Jack, Jack,” Eva groaned.

“So, I just let him walk away and…here I am.”

Eva looked at her determinedly. “I’m glad you did, Hermione. How about I rustle you up something to eat in the kitchen? How does French toast sound?”

Hermione sighed. “Like heaven.”

“Coming right up,” Eva said, getting to her feet.

“I just need to freshen up, if that’s okay?” Hermione asked. “Where are your bathrooms?”

“In the back, second door on your left,” Eva said, pointing Hermione in the right direction.

Eva was nearly back in the kitchen when she heard the front door swing open and a rather agitated Harry come running inside. He scanned the restaurant for any sign of Hermione.

“Hiya, Jack,” Eva said pleasantly. She tried to remember that Harry’s sour mood probably stemmed from Sirius’ matchmaking efforts. But, she certainly didn’t think that warranted him taking it all out on Hermione. It wasn’t her fault.

“Hi Eva,” Harry said absently.

“Lose something?” she couldn’t resist asking.

Harry scratched the nape of his neck. “Aye, I did.”

Eva nodded. “Let me guess…she’s about five foot seven, slender, shoulder-length brown hair that is pulled back into a ponytail. Last seen wearing khaki shorts and a white top and sandals. She has a darling English accent, too.”

Harry stared at her. “She was here?”

“She is here,” Eva corrected him.

“Well, where is she?” Harry asked impatiently.

“In the bathroom,” Eva answered.

Harry sighed in relief. “I’ve been looking everywhere for her! She couldn’t keep up…”

“I couldn’t keep up?” Hermione interjected coming back into the dining area. “I couldn’t keep up?”

Harry shook his head.

“You have some nerve,” Hermione retorted crossly.

“You tell him!” Eva called out supportively, earning a glare from Harry.

Maureen had also come back into the dining area and she beamed when she saw Harry.

“Jack!” she exclaimed happily. “I didn’t know you were here!”

Harry ignored Maureen and sat down beside Hermione at the counter.

“I’m sorry,” he said softly. Hermione glared at him and picked up a menu and looked at it as if it was the most fascinating read on the planet.

“Maureen?” Eva said, pulling the girl’s arm. “How about you and I go finish up with inventory?”

“Yes, but—,“ Maureen tried to protest, but her words were cut off by Eva’s tug at her arm, pulling her into the kitchen.

Save for the lone customer in the back, Harry and Hermione were alone. Hermione swung her stool around so her back was to Harry. He knew that she wasn’t going to make this easy on him. If the situation was reversed, he didn’t think he’d be all that forgiving either. He’d behaved terribly.

“I-I was worried when I turned around and you were gone,” he began. She shook her head and snorted.

“You could at least turn around and look at me when I try to explain,” he said.

“You’ve got to be kidding me!” she retorted. “You treated me the same way on the boat…actually, you were worse!”

Harry nodded. “I deserved that. I-I’m sorry, Hermione. Really.”

She didn’t move.

“Padfoot is Ben’s nickname,” Harry said. “Prongs was my dad’s and Moony is Lupin’s.”

Hermione slowly swung her stool around to face him.

“You asked me why the boat was named that,” Harry answered, looking at her earnestly. “That’s why.”

A slight smile played on her lips, but she wasn’t quite ready to forgive him.

“What do you want me to say?” he asked her. “That I was a complete arse to you?”

She didn’t answer and for a terrible moment Harry thought she wouldn’t forgive him.

“Keep going,” she said, finally allowing the smile to break through.

He grinned back at her. “Wanker. Tosser. Twat…I’m all those things.”

“You certainly are,” she said, leaning on the counter. “Do you mind if I ask why?”

He sighed. “Surely you know what Ben’s trying to do?”

She stared at him in confusion.

He couldn’t believe this. He’d thought she was smart! If she hadn’t seen this, she was …

“Oh!” she said acting as if she’d just had an epiphany. “You mean how he’s trying to set you and me up?”

Harry laughed. “Yes, so you did pick up on that?”

“I’d have to have been deaf and dumb not to have seen that coming,” Hermione said with a giggle. “He’s relentless.”

“Tell me about it,” Harry said shaking his head. “He’s the closest thing I have to a dad and most of the time he treats me like a mate, but other times he acts like he knows what’s best for me and doesn’t rest until I see it that way too.”

Hermione laughed. “Well, my mum’s the same way. And perhaps I should tell your godfather that I already have a boyfriend so his matchmaking efforts are for naught.”

Harry nodded and wondered why he was disappointed to hear this.

“Please tell him that soon and he’ll give it a rest,” Harry said, leaning back in his stool.

“I will,” Hermione said, taking a sip of her orange juice. She glanced sideways at Harry. “So what about you?”

“What about me…what?” he asked.

“You don’t have a girlfriend at the moment or your godfather wouldn’t be so keen on setting you up, would he?” Hermione asked. “But that blonde girl sure looked happy to see you…”

“Maureen?” Harry asked, shaking his head and waving his arms. “No, that’s been over for a long time.”

“Someone should tell her that,” Hermione said thoughtfully.

“I’ve tried,” Harry said.

“Well, I can’t say as I blame her,” Hermione said, pretending to size him up. “You’re cute in a moody sort of way.”

“Am I?” he asked.

“Yeah,” she said, before bursting out into laughter.

Eva watched from a crack in the kitchen door as Harry and Hermione chatted.

She’d thought Sirius was bonkers before, but now that she saw Harry and Hermione interact with each other, she wondered if perhaps he knew exactly what he was talking about.

********

After they’d had breakfast at Café Oceana, Harry and Hermione set off for the local museum. Harry let Hermione talk him into it as his very own peace offering. He had to admit that he got more enjoyment out of watching her take in the exhibits and relics than from seeing them himself. She had such a spark and enthusiasm about her that was quite attractive. Her boyfriend was a lucky bloke Harry thought to himself.

After the museum, they walked along one of the beaches and Harry played a game with her where they tried to pick out the tourists and they had to come up with a story for that person’s life.

“What about that bloke?” Hermione asked, motioning toward a heavyset man, wearing grey swimming trunks and a baseball cap.

“Him?” Harry asked thoughtfully, watching as the man held a metal detector and walked slowly across the beach.

Hermione nodded.

“He’s probably a Yank,” Harry guessed. “And I imagine his wife brought him down here for a second honeymoon or something. He probably didn’t want to come, but now that he’s here, he’s enjoying it, but all the time is worried about how much the trip is costing him and about how much work he’ll have when he gets back.”

“Very good,” Hermione said, impressed. “You read people very well.”

“I sort of had to,” Harry answered shyly.

“Really?” she asked, curious.

He nodded. “I, um, fought in the war and we were trained to know our friends and our enemies. You had to know what you’re up against.”

A pained look came over his face and Hermione’s heart went out to him. She couldn’t imagine what he’d seen and done. They walked in silence for awhile and Hermione decided to lighten the mood back up again. She bumped into him with her arm.

“What about me then?” she asked.

“What about you?”

“Can you read me?” Hermione asked challengingly.

Harry shook his head. “No, you don’t.”

“Come on,” she said, pouting. “You can, can’t you? Let’s see what you’ve got, Evans. What can you tell about me?”

Harry looked thoughtfully at her.

“Come on,” she said, stopping and looking at him. “I’m a big girl, I can take it.”

“Alright,” he said. “Well, let’s see. You don’t like your job. You act like you do and at first you did, but it doesn’t excite you. It doesn’t challenge you like you thought it would. You’d like to be helping people and I imagine at one point you considered a career in teaching, but opted for the higher profile job because you feel as if you have to prove yourself. You have a warm heart and you hate to see others suffer. You also have a stubborn streak in you that can get you into trouble at times. “

Hermione stared at him in disbelief.

“D-did Lupin tell you this?” she finally managed to ask.

Harry shook his head.

“Look, this was a stupid idea,” he said, starting to walk again, hating that he may have overstepped his bounds.

“No,” she said, quickening her step to keep up with him. “I-I was just surprised is all, Jack. I-I’ve never told anyone that before.”

Harry stopped and looked at her.

“I wanted to be a teacher,” she said wistfully. “I had even settled on that before, but the job offer came from the Ministry and my dad was so happy about it and proud, I just…”

“Couldn’t turn it down,” he finished for her.

She nodded. “How could you figure all that out? You don’t even know me.”

Harry shrugged. “Your eyes.”

“My eyes?”

“Your eyes say a lot about you,” he answered. “You know that old saying that ‘a person’s eyes are the windows to their soul?’ I used to think that was codswallop. But, I think it's true, now at least, considering the experiences I've had.

Hermione smiled.

“So, um, how about we go snorkeling?” he suggested. “If you’re up for it, that is.”

“Sure,” Hermione said, smiling at him. “I brought my suit along just in case.”

“Good,” he said and without even thinking, he offered her his hand. Without a moment’s hesitation, she took it and they walked along the beach hand in hand.

Author’s note: Thank you so much for the incredible response I’m getting for this story. I really appreciate the reviews and I try to respond to them because if you’re going to take the time to tell me what you think, I’m certainly going to take the time to tell you thank you. I hope you guys like this latest chapter. It’s a bit longer than the last one and you get to see a little more about what Ron’s been up to. Thank you again! Inspiration from this chapter came from one of my favorite oldies songs by the Drifters, Under the Boardwalk. Bette Midler also does a version that was in the movie Beaches that I am also fond of as well.

Chapter Seven

Under the Boardwalk

“Oh when the sun beats down and burns the tar up on the roof
And your shoes get so hot you wish your tired feet were fire-proof
Under the boardwalk, down by the sea, yeah
On a blanket with my baby is where I'll be”

(Under the Boardwalk, by the Drifters)

Harry swore that the best place to snorkel was in Green Turtle Cay. As they made their way, he told her some more about what types of things she’d probably see. They were still holding hands, and she’d expected this to seem awkward, but it felt natural. If he didn’t have a problem with it, she certainly wasn’t going to draw his attention to it.

In fact, she was so caught up listening to what he was telling her that she forgot the fact that he was about to see her in a rather skimpy bathing suit.

Damn Lavender and her bright ideas.

She didn’t know what troubled her more---the fact that Harry was going to see her in a bikini or why she even cared at all. There was no way out of it. She usually didn’t care one way or the other about how she looked or what she wore, but for some strange reason she cared now. What would he think if he saw her stomach was a little flabby? Hermione wondered if perhaps she was worrying too much. Besides, it wasn’t as if she didn’t exercise. She did. For the past two years, she’d jogged every morning before work. That had been more for her health than anything and she’d found it to be a great stress reliever. Hopefully, it would have helped her figure in some way, as well.

Hermione couldn’t believe she hadn’t stood her ground that night with Lavender. It had been Lavender who’d suggested the bikini in the first place.

“Okay,” Lavender said pleased as she looked over the pile of clothes she’d managed to pick out for Hermione. “We’ve got you something for pretty much any occasion, but you’re still going to need a bathing suit or two.”

From her perch on the edge of the bed, Hermione got to her feet and walked over to the wardrobe and pulled out a simple, cobalt blue, one-piece bathing suit. Without looking at Lavender, she folded it neatly and placed it in her suitcase.

“YOU ARE NOT BRINGING THAT OLD THING WITH YOU!” Lavender nearly shouted.

Hermione jumped. “What? Lavender…”

Lavender picked up the bathing suit and walked over to the rubbish bin by Hermione’s desk and promptly chucked it inside.

“Lavender!”

“You’ll thank me for it later,” Lavender said smugly. She walked out of Hermione’s room and down the hall to her own. A few minutes later, Lavender came back into the room hiding something behind her back.

“I don’t see what’s wrong with my bathing suit,” Hermione said defensively. “I’ve had it for years.”

“Which is precisely what is wrong with it,” Lavender answered simply. “Hermione…this is a holiday you’re going on. You need to look your best. And you can’t look your best in that old, tatty thing.”

“So what do you suggest?” Hermione forced herself to ask.

Lavender smiled. “I just so happened to have a suit in my room that I’ve never worn because it was a little too conservative for me, but its just about right for you, I think.”

Lavender produced the suit and held it front of Hermione.

“You call that conservative?” Hermione finally managed to ask. “Lavender…my scarf covers more than that will!”

“I know!” Lavender said mischievously. “Isn’t it great?”

Hermione shook her head. “No, it’s not. Besides, I’m not going to this Isla Solarte to go sunbathe, am I?”

Lavender rolled her eyes. “Blah-blah-blah. Yes, I know. You’re going to work as well. Bollocks, Hermione. You’re going to have a good time if it kills you. And if you don’t…I’ll never speak to you again.”

“You’ve been using that line on me for how many years now?” Hermione countered.

“It always works,” Lavender said smugly.

“No, it doesn’t,” Hermione replied. “You’ve never followed through on it…”

“That’s because you always go along with me,” Lavender said with twinkling eyes. “Come

on, Hermione. This isn’t that bad…it’s not like I’m handing you a thong. This is a tasteful, nice swimsuit and I think it’ll look smashing on you.”

Hermione looked at the suit and felt her resolve fading away. It wasn’t that bad of a suit. Besides, she thought to herself, I’ll probably be too busy to ever wear it.

Hermione shook her head at the memory of it and couldn’t believe yet again that she’d let Lavender talk her into this.

“Hermione?”

Hermione looked up to see Harry staring expectantly at her.

“Yes?” she asked sheepishly.

“We’re nearly there,” he said, giving her a strange look.

Hermione nodded. “You know we don’t really have to do this if you don’t want to…”

“Yes, we do,” Harry said, leading her down the cay. “You’ve listened to me talking about it like a kid in a candy store and we’re not backing out now.”

When he saw the stricken look on her face, he gave her a reassuring grin. “You’re not afraid, are you? I seriously doubt we’ll see a shark or anything like that.”

“I’m not afraid!” Hermione retorted crossly, glaring at him.

Harry chuckled. “Okay, okay. Calm down. And you’re not still mad at me for acting like an arse earlier, right? I apologized for that…”

Hermione shook her head. “Yes, you did. I just don’t want to make you do anything you don’t want to do.”

He smiled at her. “You’re not. There’s no place else I’d rather be than right here.”

Hermione blushed. When Harry realized what he’d just said, he tried to cover.

“I mean, I wouldn’t have offered to take you unless I wanted to and I like to snorkel and I think you’ll enjoy it, too and…” he said, his voice trailing off, and his own cheeks reddening.

He dropped their gear down on the sand and took off his t-shirt. He started pulling the masks, flippers and snorkels out of the bag. Hermione stood there, watching him…unsure of what to do. He didn’t look up at her as he explained what she needed to do with the equipment.

“Right,” Hermione said, sinking down onto the sand and slipping out of her sandals.

“Okay,” Harry said, grabbing his gear and getting to his feet. He looked at Hermione expectantly, but she didn’t move.

“Is something wrong?” he asked her.

“No,” she lied. “I—“

He wondered if she was scared and was trying to put on a brave face for him. If she was worried, he wished she’d just say. He certainly wasn’t about to risk the wrath of Hermione by asking her again if she was scared.

She bit her bottom lip and carried on an argument in her head about what she was going to do. Deciding that being worried about his reaction to her in a bathing suit was beyond stupid; she slowly got to her feet and eased out of her shorts. Her hand was shaking a bit as she tugged at the bottom of her tank top. She didn’t dare look at him as she slowly lifted it over her head. She fought the urge to cover herself with her hands. The swimsuit itself was an aqua blue color with a red floral pattern design.

Without looking in his direction, she grabbed her own gear and headed toward the ocean.

If she had turned around to see, she would have seen a smiling Harry Potter admiring the view.

**** ***** *****

***** ***** *****

Later that evening, Sirius was upstairs in Eva’s apartment. Her flat was just above Café Oceana and he’d arrived only a few minutes ago. They were going to have an early dinner. Eva was just freshening up and he smiled as he watched her.

“You’re beautiful,” he whispered, leaning against the bathroom door.

“I’m a mess is what I am,” Eva said, running a brush through her hair. “They do say love is blind, though.”

”That they do,” Sirius said. “But I’m telling you the honest truth, Eva. You look beautiful.”

Eva smiled and leaned in for a kiss.

“And you are quite the charmer, Sirius Black,” Eva said, winking at him. “But you’re matchmaking skills leave something to be desired.”

“What does that mean?” Sirius asked.

“That means you need to butt out of Hermione and Harry’s business and just let nature take its course. I know you think you’re helping, but your guerilla-style methods are just pushing them apart. They’re doing quite fine without you.”

“How would you know that?” Sirius asked.

“I would know that because I met Hermione today,” Eva said, applying some lipstick. She explained to him what had happened this morning.

“I don’t get what his problem is,” Sirius said, shaking his head. “I’m just trying to point out to him what he already knows…she’s perfect for him. And he won’t listen to me…”

“His problem is you thinking you can run his life for him,” Eva answered wisely. “And I think he’s right. Don’t look at me like that, Sirius. You know I’m right.”

“But-“

“No,” Eva said sternly. “They talked before they left to go sightseeing and when they left here, they were both grinning at each other and carrying on like old friends. It seems to me that they do just fine without your help. If you keep this up, you’re going to screw up any chance the two of them have.”

Sirius frowned.

Eva smiled and put her arms around his neck. “I know you can’t stand to be proven wrong, but I know what I’m talking about. Just let it go and you’ll see.”

“So they were getting along?” Sirius asked.

“Yes,” Eva said, shutting off the bathroom light and taking his hand. “Like they’d known each other for years.”

Sirius resisted the urge to say “I told you so”. He’d give up trying to push them together, but he certainly wasn’t going to let it go as Eva suggested…at least not, completely. If he knew his godson, Sirius knew that every once in awhile, Harry just needed a nudge in the right direction.

“Guerilla-style methods?” Sirius asked, pretending to be taken aback. “I think that’s a bit harsh.”

“That’s spot-on,” Eva corrected, as she led him out of the front door and down the stairs to the restaurant. “I’m not knocking it. It certainly helped you nab me.”

“Yes it did,” Sirius said proudly.

Eva said some polite hellos to a few of the customers as she and Sirius took their usual table outside. They’d only been sitting there a few minutes when Harry and Hermione came walking up to them. Hermione was slightly sunburned.

“You’ve caught a bit of sun, darlin’,” Eva commented, standing up to give first Harry and then Hermione a hug.

“I did,” Hermione admitted. “Hello, Ben.”

Sirius grinned at her and squeezed her hand. He gave his godson a knowing look, but instead of getting angry, Harry just shook his head and laughed.

“Why don’t you two join us?” Eva suggested.

Hermione looked at Harry, who nodded and held out a chair for her. Sirius looked at Eva, who kicked him under the table.

“So how was it?” Eva asked.

”Fantastic!” Hermione exclaimed enthusiastically. “I’ve never seen anything more beautiful in my life. It’s like an entire different world down there. We saw so many fish and coral…it was amazing. I didn’t want to leave.”

Eva nodded. “I haven’t done it in ages. We’ll have to go sometime, Ben.”

Sirius smiled. “Perhaps we could all go together. Sort of like a double…ouch!”

“Sorry!” Eva said quickly. “Was that your leg, Ben?”

“Yeah,” Sirius said, wincing. “That was my leg.”

“Jack was really a great tour guide this afternoon,” Hermione said with a smile. “He even let me talk him into the museum.”

“As a peace offering,” Harry interjected. “I certainly didn’t go because I wanted to hear about the history of the island.”

“You enjoyed yourself!” Hermione teased. “You told me so!”

“I was being polite,” Harry said, pushing back from his chair. “I’m just going to go inside and place our order. What will it be, Miss Granger?”

“Oh, I don’t know,” Hermione said picking up her menu. She finally decided on a spicy grilled chicken entrée and a glass of white wine. Harry gave her a smile before going inside.

Hermione leaned back in her chair.

“I’m really glad you two had a great time today,” Sirius couldn’t stop himself from saying.

Hermione wondered if perhaps would be the best time to tell Sirius that she had a boyfriend. She and Harry had a fantastic day and the last thing she wanted was for Sirius to try and push them together again, which would only anger Harry more.

“Ben?” she asked, leaning forward. “There’s something you should know…”

Sirius exchanged a confused look with Eva, but nodded in Hermione’s direction.

“I think you may be trying to set Harry and me up, but the thing is-,” Hermione began, trying to choose her words carefully. “I sort of have a boyfriend.”

Sirius smiled. “Sort of have a boyfriend?”

“Well, I don’t ‘sort of’ have a boyfriend,” Hermione said quickly. “I do have a boyfriend.”

“I see,” Sirius nodded.

“I would have said something sooner-,” Hermione continued.

Sirius waved his hand. “It’s alright. Really, Hermione.”

Hermione smiled, relieved that this wasn’t going to cause problems between them.

“Have you been dating very long?” Eva asked conversationally. “If you don’t mind me asking…”

“No, it’s okay,” Hermione answered, as Harry came back to the table and handed her a glass of wine. “Thank you.”

He nodded and sat back down beside her.

“What were we talking about?” Harry asked.

“I was just asking Hermione about this boyfriend of hers,” Eva answered.

The smile on Harry’s face fell somewhat, but he quickly took a drag from his beer to cover.

“So how long have you been dating?” Sirius asked.

Hermione wasn’t all that forthcoming now that Harry was back. She bit her bottom lip, as she tended to do when she was nervous.

“Um, six months,” Hermione answered quietly.

“I imagine he wasn’t too happy to have you up and leave for two months,” Eva commented.

“He’s always telling me I should take it easy,” Hermione said with a slight smile. “He thinks I work too hard. I think he doesn’t work hard enough. We fight like cats and dogs most of the time.”

“Really?” Sirius asked, looking at his godson for any sign of how he was taking all of this. Harry’s expression, however, gave nothing away.

“But he’s really funny and charming,” Hermione continued, wishing they could stop talking about Ron. She felt guilty as she realized that this was the first time she’d properly thought about him in the past couple of days.

“And lucky,” Harry said, looking at her. Their eyes locked and Hermione felt as if her stomach was doing flips.

“So, um, how about you tell us some more about snorkeling?” Eva asked softly.

“What?” Hermione asked, reluctantly looking away. “Oh, yeah…right.”

Sirius leaned back in his chair, content and happy that his plan was going better than he’d even imagined.

***** ******** ************

******** ******** ******************

Ron walked out of the changing room with his teammate Tim Flynn. They were going to go back to the hotel and play a game of wizard’s chess. Ron smiled as he knew that this would be the first day of his life. From now on, he would be faithful to Hermione. She was the best thing in his life and he wasn’t going to mess it up.

“Great game, Weasley,” a familiar voice called to him from behind. He stopped in his tracks and turned around to see the girl from a couple of nights ago standing against a door.

At least this time he knew her name. She was Melinda Downey. She was 23-years old and worked as a waitress at a sports pub while she went to University. For the past three years, she’d been dating a curse breaker at Gringotts’ who spent most of his time traveling.

“Melinda,” Ron said with a smile. “What are you doing here?”

“A mate of mine was able to get tickets to the game,” she said flirtatiously. “I thought I’d come by and see how good you were in person.”

Ron laughed. “And how was I?”

“Quite good,” Melinda said with a grin. “I was very impressed.”

“Ron?” Tim asked impatiently. “Come on, mate. I’m knackered. Let’s go.”

Ron tore his eyes away from Melinda and focused on Tim. “Oh, Tim Flynn this is Melinda Downey. She’s a new friend.”

Melinda giggled. “Nice to meet you, Tim.”

”Pleasure,” Tim said politely. “Well, Ron and I were just on the way back to the hotel. Right, Ron?”

Melinda frowned. “Is that so? I was hoping I might talk you into coming round to the pubs with me? If you play your cards right, Mr. Weasley, I might even buy the first round.”

Tim shook his head in disbelief. If he’d been a betting man, he’d have been willing to wager that Ron was already well on his way to taking this girl up on her offer.

“Melinda, is it?” Tim asked, getting in between her and Ron. “Would you mind if I stole him away for just one second?”

Without waiting for her response, Tim led Ron a few feet away and stared at him.

“You’re really something,” Tim said, with a hollow laugh. “I thought you were serious when you said you were going to concentrate on your playing career and you were going to cut out the drinking and the carousing and the girls. Does any of this ring a bell, Ron? Do you even remember asking me to help you out?”

Ron nodded sheepishly.

“Normally, I wouldn’t care what you do, but we’re on the verge of winning the Cup, Ron,” Tim continued. “You’re one of the best keepers in Europe. What’s more important to you, Ron? Winning the Cup or having a quick shag with some girl?”

Ron wanted to say the Cup. And of course that was what he wanted. But surely one night with Melinda wouldn’t mess that up, would it? He knew he’d made a promise to start things over and be a better man, but surely that could start tomorrow.

Tim just laughed. “You fuck up our chances to win the Cup and so help me, Ronald Weasley, you’ll pay!”

Ron watched as Tim angrily stalked off and Ron knew that he should probably follow his friend and teammate, but he didn’t want to do that.

“Ready for that drink?” Melinda called, coming up behind him.

Ron nodded. “Just remember, you said you had first round.”

****

*******

***********

It was quite chilly on the boat as Hermione and Harry sailed back to Isla Solarte at just after midnight. Hermione wished she’d brought a jumper or a jacket, but she hadn’t thought she’d needed one. As soon as she’d thought that, she felt Harry’s hand on her bare shoulder.

“Cold?” he asked. She looked up and nodded.

“Here,” he said, handing her a jacket. “I found it down below.”

“T-thanks,” she said, with her teeth chattering.

“No problem,” he said, going back to the helm. He turned back around and looked at her with gleaming eyes.

“What?” she asked.

“Want to steer the boat?” he asked, smiling at her.

Hermione shook her head. “I have no sense of direction, Jack. I’d probably land us in Cuba or something.”

“Relax,” he said, offering her a hand up. “I’m going to be right here. It’s not as if I’m going to leave you to it and go have a kip or something. I’m not that stupid.”

She laughed and swatted at him. “Okay, what do I have to do?”

“Just stand here and put your hands on the wheel,” he said, standing behind her as she did so.

She smiled as she felt the wind in her hair and the power from the boat. She could also feel Harry’s breath on her neck and it was…

“You’re doing great,” Harry said, putting his hand over hers as they turned the boat to the right. He could make out the lights from Isla Solarte.

“I like this,” she said, turning to look at him.

“You’re a natural,” he said, locking eyes with her again. They held each other’s gaze for what seemed like an eternity, before Harry realized that he’d better take over. Hermione felt somewhat dazed as she sat back down on the bench seat as Harry docked the boat.

Once everything was secure, he helped her out of the boat and insisted on walking her back to the guest house.

“Thank you,” she said softly as they reached the front door. She took off the jacket and handed it back to him. “For the jacket and for the wonderful day.”

Harry smiled. “It was a great day, wasn’t it? Well, despite the terrible start, right?”

She nodded. “Good night, Jack.”

He leaned in and pecked her on the cheek. “Good night, Hermione.”

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.

Author’s note: Sorry, guys that I am posting this a day late…I kept putting this off and putting it off. I do have a bit of bad news, though. This will probably be the last update until after December 10^th. I have a huge exam coming up that I have to take to help me keep my insurance agent’s license. If I have some free time, I will try and update, but I do really need to spend most of my time studying for that. I hope you will understand! Special thanks to Excalibur for beta-ing this for me on short notice.

Chapter Nine

Drop in the Ocean

“Love took me by the hand
Love took me by surprise
Love led me to you
And love opened up my eyes

And I was drifting away
like a drop in the ocean
And now I realize that
nothing has been as beautiful
As when I saw heaven's skies
In your eyes”

(Michelle Branch, Drop in the Ocean)

Max’s was one of the most popular nightspots on the island and Harry liked it mainly for the music and the billiard tables on the top floor. He spent most of his time upstairs playing pool and rarely made it out onto the dance floor. He wondered momentarily if Hermione knew how to play pool and if she didn’t, he’d spend the evening teaching her. Hopefully, she wouldn’t want to dance.

He was waiting in Café Oceana for Hermione to come downstairs, where She and Eva had disappeared over an hour ago, and Harry had gone back home to get ready for the evening ahead. He was quite surprised to find that he was worrying over what he wore and what she’d think of it. As he was getting ready, a grey owl arrived carrying a package of letters sent by Lupin. Harry only had time to open the parcel to see that there were two letters—one from Lupin to Sirius and one from Ron to Harry. He didn’t have time to open the letter so he just set it on the table before leaving the house.

Harry was acting as if this was a date even though he reassured himself that it was about as far from a date as one could possibly get. Although he’d admitted to Sirius that he liked this girl, he still didn’t know what he was going to do about it. For one thing, she had a boyfriend and Harry didn’t usually go after another bloke’s girl. That was just asking for trouble… trouble that Harry didn’t want or need.

“How long does it take for someone to get ready?” Harry asked impatiently.

“My boy, you have so much to learn,” Sirius chuckled to himself. He and Eva planned a quiet night in and although Sirius wanted to be there to see what happened, Eva had told him, in no uncertain terms, that he was to lay off... or else. Sirius didn’t know what “or else” meant, but one look in Eva’s eyes and he had a feeling he didn’t want to find out. “Women tend to get a bit… fussy when they get ready to go out on dates. What am I telling you this for, anyway?” Sirius mused. “It’s not as if you’ve never been out on a date before.”

“Hold on,” Harry said defensively, “this isn’t a date.”

Sirius stared at him. “You’re a bloke. You’re taking a girl out to a club. Where I come from, Harry—that’s a date.”

“She’s just helping me try to get Maureen off my back,” Harry said, sitting down beside Sirius at the counter. “That’s all there is to it.”

*******

“Take this tissue and blot your lipstick,” Eva said, handing Hermione the Kleenex she’d just pulled from its box. They’d just finished doing Hermione’s makeup and Hermione was pleased with the result. She certainly hadn’t gone overboard and instead of looking made up, she looked natural. Hermione honestly didn’t know why Eva was going to all this trouble. It wasn’t as if this was a “date”.

“The moment I saw that dress I knew it would look great on you,” Eva complimented her. Hermione blushed but she had to admit that the dress did look rather nice on her. It was a misty pink color and had intricate beading along the straps and bodice. It was cut loose so it was quite comfortable but also accentuated every curve and line of her body. The color complimented her skin tone and the tan she’d managed to get the few days she’d been on the islands. The dress was short, but certainly didn’t make Hermione feel uncomfortable. Simply put, the dress suited her style and body perfectly.

“I have a really beautiful silver charm necklace that would go wonderfully with that,” Eva said, disappearing from the bathroom into her bedroom to find the necklace in her jewelry box.

“You really don’t have to do that,” Hermione said, following Eva into the bedroom.

“Nonsense,” Eva said with an incredulous glance. “Humor me, Hermione... I have a son so I never had the opportunity to do all this fun, girl stuff.”

“You and my flatmate, Lavender, would get along so well it’s not even funny,” Hermione said, sitting down on the edge of the bed as Eva continued to hunt around for the necklace.

“I hope I get the chance to meet her someday,” Eva said, grinning, as she finally found the necklace in her jewelry box. “Found it!”

Hermione admired the simple silver chain and its heart pendant. She grinned as Eva handed it to her and quickly clasped it around her neck.

“Perfect,” Eva said, smiling at her. “Jack isn’t going to know what hit him.”

Hermione looked bemusedly at Eva. “Eva, I’m not going out on a date with Jack. This is just me doing him a favor. That’s all.”

“Of course it is,” Eva said, with twinkling eyes. Hermione just shook her head as she put on her sandals. This wasn’t a date. Harry knew that. She knew that. It was just two people getting to know each other at a bar.

Sounds like a date.

“So what are you and Ben doing tonight?” Hermione asked, trying to get her mind off the date/non-date issue.

“We’re probably going to just watch a movie or something,” Eva answered.

“This place—Max’s Bar?” Hermione asked. “What’s it like?”

“It’s nice… it’s basically your one for all kind of bar,” Eva answered. “You can play billiards or you can have a drink and chat or you can dance. It’s got a little bit of everything. Jack likes it so much because not too many tourists know about the place.”

“He’s not one for tourists, is he?” Hermione asked.

“Not usually,” Eva said thoughtfully. She grinned at Hermione as they walked out of the apartment. Under her breath, she said “Until a certain someone came along…”

Hermione turned around and looked at her friend. “What did you just say?”

Eva waved her hand, ushering Hermione down the stairs. “Nothing, nothing at all... come on, you don’t want to be late.”

******

Harry looked at his watch one more time. Hermione hadn’t struck him as the “high-maintenance” type of girl so what in blue blazes was taking so long to get ready? He was ready to go upstairs and get her himself when he saw Eva come out from the kitchen.

“Hello, Jack,” she said with a knowing smile then looked behind her, but didn’t see Hermione. “Hold on just a second.”

Eva went back into the kitchen as Harry and Sirius exchanged confused looks. A moment later, Eva came back, but she wasn’t alone. Harry looked at the girl before him and a wide smile broke across his face. She looked… beautiful.

Hermione found herself blushing as he looked at her. Sirius and Eva stood proudly—and in Sirius’ case, smugly—watching the two of them.

“I’m sorry I took so long,” Hermione said finally. “My hair…”

“Is beautiful,” Harry interjected. This time it was his cheeks that reddened.

Hermione nervously touched her hair which Eva had styled in ringlet curls. “Really?”

“Yeah,” Harry said, nodding. “And that dress…”

“It’s a bit much, isn’t it?” Hermione asked.

“No, it’s just right,” Harry said, still smiling at her. They stood silently for a few moments, just admiring each other.

“You look really nice, too,” Hermione said softly. Harry was wearing khaki trousers and a short-sleeved, loose, brown shirt over a white t-shirt. He looked like he normally did, but for some reason, Hermione found him especially handsome tonight. She shook off the thoughts as she suddenly remembered that this wasn’t a date.

You have a boyfriend.

Her thoughts were interrupted by Harry clearing his throat. “Well, I guess we better get going... if you’re ready, that is?”

Hermione nodded. “Sure.”

She led them out of the restaurant but Sirius stopped Harry at the door. He asked Hermione if he could have a quick word with Harry and Hermione nodded before she stepped outside to wait for him.

“So, just to settle my curiosity,” Sirius began with a smirk. “This would still not be a date, right?”

Harry grinned. “Old man, you never change.”

******

Hermione struggled to keep up with Harry’s rather quick gait which wouldn’t have been so hard if she didn’t have to contend with the high heeled sandals she was wearing. “Jack,” she called out to him.

He turned around and gave her a sheepish smile. “I was doing it again, wasn’t I?”

She laughed. “Yes. It’s these shoes. I’m not used to them.”

He crossed the distance between them. “I could always carry you on my back… so your feet wouldn’t hurt.”

Hermione looked at him. “Yeah, and have my arse in the air for everyone to see? No thank you. I’ll do just fine as long as you slow down.”

“Deal,” Harry said.

They walked in silence toward Max’s and Hermione wondered what she should say. She had no idea Harry was worried over the same thing.

“It’s a nice night,” they said at the same time causing Hermione to giggle.

“Sorry,” Harry said with a laugh.

“Yes it is,” Hermione said, nervously. “It’s a very nice night.”

When Harry didn’t reply, Hermione decided to keep talking, figuring it would keep her mind off of her thoughts. “So, do you go to Max’s often?”

Harry nodded. “It’s a great place. I haven’t been in a few weeks though but I think you’ll like it.”

“I’m sure I will,” Hermione said, as they turned the corner. “Um, so Maureen… you dated her?”

“A couple of times,” Harry replied with a shrug. “She’s a nice girl, but there’s not a lot going on upstairs, if you know what I mean…”

Hermione smiled, pleased with this knowledge. It meant that Harry didn’t just want someone for their looks. Of course, the fact that this mattered to her in the slightest puzzled her. She could hear the sound of lively music getting louder as they got closer to the club. A few locals were standing outside the club smoking and Harry said hello to a few of them as he led Hermione inside.

The first floor of the bar was where the music was coming from and Hermione could see a band playing in the distance. The music was quite nice and a few couples were dancing in front of the stage. Harry explained that the second floor was where he spent most of his time and Hermione followed him upstairs where she found another bar and a dozen or so billiards tables. The night was still young and the place wasn’t crowded yet.

He led her to the bar.

“Jack!” an older woman said, grinning at him. “Where’ve you been stranger?”

“I’ve been busy,” Harry said with a smile. The bartender looked at Hermione and gave her a welcoming smile. “Hermione Granger, this is Colleen. She’s Max’s wife.”

“Nice to meet you,” Hermione said, shaking Colleen’s hand.

“Nice to have you on the island,” Colleen said. “Now, what can I get the two of you?”

“Beer for me,” Harry said. He looked at Hermione.

“I’ll have the same,” she said.

As they waited for their drinks Harry looked slyly at Hermione. “So, have you ever played?”

Hermione shook her head. “No, can’t say as I have.”

“I’ll have to teach you then,” he said, as Colleen returned with their drinks. They thanked her and headed for one of the tables in the back. Hermione received a few appreciative, admiring glances from some of the other men as she walked by and Harry pulled her protectively closer.

They set their drinks down and Harry grabbed two cues and handed one to Hermione.

“We’re playing billiards now?” Hermione asked.

Harry laughed. “That’s the general idea.”

Hermione rolled her eyes. “I thought you wanted to put on some sort of show for Maureen?”

“I do,” Harry said as he racked the balls. “But she’s not here yet and I don’t think it’s much of a good time to just sit around watching the door, do you?”

“Well, no,” Hermione answered.

“Let’s play,” Harry said. “Ladies first…”

Hermione gave a slight smile as she placed her bag down on an empty chair.

“Okay,” she said. “What do I have to do?”

“First, you need to the proper stance,” he said, coming up behind her. “Stand with your feet apart like that… and you want to be comfortable and relaxed, not stiff. There you go.”

He guided her back a bit and looked at her. “That’s perfect. Now you want to hold the cue…”

Hermione rested her cue on the table as Harry tried to show her where to position her fingers. “You need to grip the cue firmly—just like that… yeah, and put your thumb and first three fingers there. Perfect.”

He demonstrated how to break and what the cue ball was used for then gave her a brief description of the object of the game.

“So, that’s pretty much it,” he said as he racked the balls again. “Think you’ve got it?”

Hermione nodded.

“Let’s get started then,” Harry said, taking a swig from his beer. Hermione positioned herself as he told her and held the cue as he’d instructed. She hid a smile as she expertly slid the stick back and sank three balls with her break. Nearly twenty minutes later, Harry’s mouth was still open as he watched her sink the remainder of the solids, and he still hadn’t had a turn yet.

Sensing his eyes on her, Hermione looked up at him. “What?”

“Would you mind telling me why you didn’t mention I was playing with Minnesota Fats?” Harry asked, still awed by her performance.

Hermione shrugged. “Too bad we weren’t playing for money, eh? I could have cleaned your clock.”

Harry laughed. “Spoken like a true hustler. I am very impressed, Miss Granger. Where did you learn to play like that?”

“My father,” she answered. “He’s the local pub champion back home. I’ve been his practice partner for quite some time.”

Harry nodded. “I feel like such an idiot and you let me just carry on like that…”

“I enjoyed the lesson very much,” she said. “And I’m a firm believer in the fact that you can always learn something new…”

Harry shook his head and laughed. “You’re amazing.”

Hermione smiled before taking another shot. Harry was watching her when he felt someone tap him on the shoulder. He turned around to see Maureen beaming at him, looking beautiful as always. She was wearing a mint-green sundress and her blonde hair was pulled back with a clip.

“Hello, Jack,” she said softly. “I had a feeling I’d find you up here.”

“Hermione and I were just playing,” Harry said, as Hermione came forward to join them. “Right, Hermione?”

He put an arm around her and Hermione rested her head on his shoulder. “That’s right, sweetheart.”

Maureen gave a weak smile. “I hope she’s better at this than I am. I can’t play this game to save my life. Do you remember that time you tried to show me how, Jack?”

Harry nodded. “Hermione’s a natural, though. She’s actually taking me to school at the moment. My ego is taking a beating.”

Hermione decided to play this up since Harry had invited her here on the pretense of getting Maureen out of his hair. “It’s a little hard to concentrate on the game when he keeps leaning over the table,” she said, squeezing Harry’s bum. He looked at her in surprise, but when he saw out of the corner of his eye that Maureen’s eyes were fixed on him, he quickly covered.

“She should talk,” Harry said teasingly. “I’ve had a nice view of her cleavage every time she’s leaned over that table.”

Hermione blushed. He couldn’t be serious, could he? Had he really…

“So you guys planning on staying here long?” Maureen asked awkwardly.

Hermione grinned. “We’re sort of playing it by ear. But, we both agree on how the night will end, don’t we?”

Harry nodded as Hermione turned and looked adoringly at him. Her lips were slightly parted and without even thinking, Harry kissed her softly. To say she was surprised was a gross understatement. To say that she enjoyed the feel of his lips on hers, well she didn’t want to consider that at the moment. She had a part to play.

“You’re welcome to join us, of course,” Harry said to Maureen, but his eyes were still on Hermione.

“No, that’s okay,” Maureen said with a fixed smile. “I’d feel like a fifth wheel. You two enjoy your evening... I’ll see you around, Jack.”

Harry nodded and he kept his arm around Hermione until Maureen had left the room.

“You kissed me!” Hermione hissed when they were alone again.

“I know,” he said apologetically. “I’m sorry.” He was sorry for just kissing her out of the blue, but he certainly wasn’t sorry for the actual kiss. It was actually quite nice, he mused to himself. “It was just for Maureen’s benefit, of course.”

Hermione nodded.

Of course it was.

”Let’s get back to the game then?” Harry suggested. “Come on, Fast Eddie.”

Hermione laughed, but still felt somewhat unnerved by what had just happened.

They played a couple of more games, each won by Hermione and, later that evening as the club filled up, Harry asked if she wanted to go downstairs to listen to the band. She readily accepted and they were to found a table near the back. Harry explained that the band was local and had played at Max’s many times before.

“They’re really great,” Hermione said, raising her voice so he could hear her.

“What?” Harry asked. The band, while great, was also quite loud and with the combination of the music and the crowd, made it difficult to carry on a conversation.

“I SAID THAT THEY’RE REALLY GREAT!” Hermione practically shouted.

Harry nodded. This was pointless. He stood up from his chair and offered her his hand. She didn’t know what he had in mind, but she let him lead the way. It took awhile to get out of the club but they soon found themselves back on the sidewalk just outside.

“Sorry about pulling you out of there, but I didn’t think we’d be able to talk much,” he said apologetically.

“That’s okay,” Hermione said. “We did what we said we were going to do—get Maureen off your back, so to speak. We can go back home now, if you want to.”

Harry didn’t want to let her go just yet. He felt a twinge of guilt that she was someone else’s girlfriend, but he reasoned that bloke was thousands of miles away. Besides it was like Sirius had said, she wasn’t married to him and girls like her didn’t come along every day, Harry thought to himself.

“How about a walk on the beach?” he asked her. “You know, just in case Maureen comes back or something… she might see us.”

Hermione nodded. “A walk on the beach?”

“If you’re up for it,” Harry said, hoping that she was.

“I’d love that, actually,” she said, sitting down on the bench. “Let me take these sandals off first.”

“Good idea,” Harry said, sitting beside her and taking off his shoes as well.

“It’s really amazing out here,” Hermione finally said when they made it to the water’s edge. “I can see why you’d never want to leave.”

“It’s my home now,” he answered with a shrug. “I couldn’t imagine living anywhere else.”

Hermione nodded. “But, don’t you miss your family? Your friends?”

“Sure, of course I do,” Harry answered. “But I had to come here, Hermione. I needed… peace. Not too many people would understand that, of course, but it was something I needed and I had to do without it most of my life.”

Hermione couldn’t imagine what it must have been like for him. The fate of the entire wizarding world had been placed on his shoulders when he was just a baby and from all accounts, his childhood had been terrible. But the man before her wasn’t asking for a pity party or wanting everyone to bow at his feet. Harry was an incredibly caring man who had a great heart and wonderful sense of humor.

“What about you?” Harry asked, breaking her out of her reverie. “Are you planning on doing something about the fact that you hate your job?”

Hermione sighed. “I don’t know. I don’t really hate it, but I just don’t feel as if I’m doing something, you know? I feel as if I sit at my desk and do my research, but I’m not doing something. I’m not helping anyone.”

“But you are the youngest person to ever hold the position you’re in, right?” Harry asked. When she looked at him in surprise, he explained that Lupin had given her brief history in his letter to them.

“That I am,” Hermione said, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear. “It’s quite an accomplishment. My parents were really proud, of course, but... I don’t know… it’s just…”

“What?” Harry asked.

“I feel like I’d be letting them down if I did anything else,” she said. “They’ve always encouraged me to go out and do my best and I’ve always tried to prove myself to them, you know? With me being Muggle-born I had to do it at school too. Even to this day there are people out there who think because I’m not the so-called ‘pure-blood’, I’m not worth anything. I never let them see how much it hurt to be called ‘mudblood’, though. I always held my head high and kept my chin up. I’ve always felt I had to do more; to be the best. It’s like I’m always trying to prove something to someone—be it my parents, my colleagues…”

“You want to know what I think?” Harry asked her. She nodded. “I think you should stop wondering about other people’s expectations of you,” he said, hoping he wasn’t being too forward with her. There was the slight chance she’d tell him to mind his own business and leave his nose out of matters that didn’t concern him. “In the end, you should do what makes you happy. And it’s not like you can’t be the best at whatever that might be.”

“You make it sound so easy,” Hermione said, stopping and looking out onto the ocean.

“Believe me, I know its not,” Harry said, putting a hand on her shoulder. “When I… when I left school, I had so many things thrown in my direction. The Ministry, Quidditch, being an Auror… everyone seemed to have some idea of what I should do with the rest of my life.”

“Did you?” Hermione asked.

He shook his head. “I had no bloody idea what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. I guess I was just glad that I was still alive. But, that wasn’t enough for everyone else. They wanted to know what I was going to do next. So, Ben gets the idea that we should travel around the world. I’d never been anywhere other than the U.K., so the idea appealed to me more than you could imagine.”

“And you ended up here,” Hermione said.

“I ended up here,” Harry said. “I knew this was going to be my home the moment I saw it. It just felt right. I knew.”

“I’d like to feel that way,” Hermione said quietly.

“You can,” Harry said, smiling at her. “You’re only 24 years old, Hermione, it’s not too late.”

Hermione knew he was right. For far too long, she’d lived her life for someone else. Maybe it was time to do what made her happy.

“Pretty deep conversation, isn’t it?” Harry asked her.

“Yes,” she said with a laugh. “I know it sounds strange, but I feel like I can tell you anything. I mean, I feel like I’ve known you forever. Funny, isn’t it?”

Harry shook his head. “I don’t think it’s funny at all. I-I feel the same way about you.”

The breeze was starting to pick up and Hermione was fighting a losing battle to keep her hair from her face. She reached up to pull a strand behind her ear, but Harry beat her to the punch. His hand lingered on her cheek and for the longest time, he looked into her eyes. Hermione shivered, but it wasn’t because she was cold.

“Hermione,” Harry whispered, before leaning in and kissed her tenderly.

Author’s note: Thank you all so much for the kind words and prayers for me and my test. Thanks to all of your support and loads of studying, I did pass. And I promised you a new chapter and here you go…this one is really angsty…that’s your warning. And the song for this chapter is “Fire” that was written by Bruce Springsteen. My favorite version of it was done by Babyface and Des’ree. If you get a chance to listen to that song, listen to their version…it’s one of my favorites. A special thanks to Ash, Heaven and Excalibur for the feedback and the beta!

Chapter 10

Fire

“You had a hold on me
Right from the start
A grip so tight
I couldn't tear it apart
My nerves all jumpin'
Actin' like a fool
Your kisses might burn
But my heart...
Stays (stays)...
Cool (cool)”

(“Fire” by Babyface & Des’ree)

This is really, really nice. Sod that, this is absolutely fantastic.

Hermione didn’t know what she was doing. One moment, she and Harry were walking along the beach, having a deep conversation and the next moment, they were kissing. She couldn’t remember if she was the one to make the first move or if he did? She didn’t really know and at the moment, she didn’t care. The only thing she really knew was that she didn’t want him to stop. This felt much too good to stop.

When they finally pulled away from each other, Hermione felt breathless and dizzy. He was staring into her eyes with such intensity that Hermione wanted to look away, but she couldn’t.

“You’re shivering,” he said softly.

“I’m cold,” she whispered. “I always get cold when I’m nervous. Well, that’s one of the things I do when I’m nervous. I also babble, but you know that already. I can’t….”

Harry laughed. “You don’t have to apologize. I think it’s cute when you babble.”

Hermione blushed. “No one has called me cute since I was a baby.”

“Okay, I think it’s adorable when you babble,” Harry said cheekily.

“That’s a new one for me as well,” she said with a laugh.

“You are adorable and cute and beautiful,” he said, touching her cheek. “And if no one’s ever told you that before, they’re blind.”

Hermione cheeks reddened even more at this. He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and his hand returned to linger on her cheek once again.

”You don’t have to be nervous with me, Hermione,” he said softly. “If I did something to make you feel uncomfortable…”

Hermione shook her head vehemently. “You didn’t. It was a nice kiss, actually. Quite nice, really... I-I liked it.”

Harry smiled. “So did I.”

He leaned in and kissed her again, this time with much more intensity. Her arms looped around his neck and she gasped into his mouth as he pulled her even closer. It wasn’t close enough, though. Hermione was feeling so reckless right now and she’d never felt that way before in her life. She was always the sensible one. Everything was planned and thought out before she did it. This kiss certainly hadn’t been planned. Meeting this very handsome, very charming man hadn’t been on her agenda either, but look at her now. She was losing control and she could care less. This felt so right, so good.

But it wasn’t right.

Ron.

Oh, God. What am I doing? What have I done?

Hermione pulled away from him.

“What?” he asked breathlessly, his voice full of concern. “Did I do something wrong?”

Hermione shook her head. “No, you didn’t. It was me who did something wrong.”

Harry sighed. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”

She turned away, unable to look at him. This was such a mess and what she’d just done with Harry had made it even messier than it was. She’d been attracted to him from the start… before she’d even known who he really was.

Why didn’t I just tell him I knew who he was? Why didn’t I tell him who I really was? Why? Why? Why? None of this would have happened. This is my fault.

“If anything, it was me,” Harry said, coming up behind her and putting a hand on her shoulder. “I shouldn’t have… you have a boyfriend and I should have respected that, but Hermione…”

Hermione shook her head. “I think we should go back home, Jack. I’m really knackered.”

Harry nodded. “If that’s what you want…”

What I want is for you to kiss me again…

“I think that would be best,” she heard herself saying to him instead.

“Okay,” Harry said, trying to hide his disappointment. “Let’s go.”

**********

“What have you got there?” Hermione asked, coming into the Burrow. The Weasleys had family dinners at least once a week even though it was difficult getting the entire brood together with everyone scattered around the world. They always made a point to get together at least once a week---the entire family. Hermione had come along with Ron from the first time they’d started dating and she had to say she liked the get-togethers. Hermione was an only child and had always wondered what it would be like to have brothers and sisters. She quickly found out as the Weasley family welcomed her with open arms. They were a loud and boisterous group who liked taking the mickey out of you, but wouldn’t hesitate to have your back when it really counted. Hermione had come to love the Weasleys like her own family.

“A letter from Harry,” Ron said, sticking it back in the tatty envelope. “Lupin brought it by earlier.”

“The mysterious Harry Potter,” Hermione said with a laugh.

“Mysterious is right,” Ron commented, pecking her on the cheek.

“I still can’t believe you haven’t seen him in years,” Hermione couldn’t help saying.

Ron shrugged. “It’s what Harry wanted.”

“Don’t you miss him?” Hermione asked.

“Yeah, of course I do,” Ron said. A serious look came upon his face.

“What’s on your mind Ron?” Hermione asked.

Ron looked thoughtfully at her. “Don’t get me wrong, Hermione. I miss him. I do. But…”

“But what?”

“But if he’s not here, I don’t feel as if I’m just his ‘sidekick’ or the ‘also-ran’,” Ron said matter-of-factly. A pained expression came over his face. “I’m a shit for thinking like that, I know. But you don’t know what it was like. He was always… it was just that things always seemed to come so easy for him. Everyone expected greatness from him, and he never seemed to disappoint. I was always jealous of him because he always seemed to get what he wanted; even what I wanted.”

“Ron,” Hermione said, somewhat in disbelief. She’d had no idea he’d felt this way.

“But he didn’t do any of it on purpose,” Ron said, shaking his head. “He wasn’t mean or vindictive about it. He felt bad… he knew how I felt. He hated that and I hated being jealous of him. It’s just… I’ve always been his friend or Arthur and Molly’s son or Fred and George’s younger brother. It was like I didn’t even have a name, Hermione! With him gone, I’m able to have something of my own. I didn’t think I’d ever have that.”

Hermione honestly didn’t know what to say.

“I hate that I think like that,” Ron said, playing with the envelope. “He’s my best mate and I’d rather have him miles away than living here where I could see him everyday. I’ve never told that to anyone…”

“Does he know you feel like that?” Hermione finally asked.

Ron shook his head. “No, I’d never tell him that. And it’s not his fault I feel this way. It’s mine. And I’m not proud of it, Hermione. I’m not.”

Hermione had that conversation with Ron a few weeks ago. She’d been taken aback to hear what Ron had said, but she’d also been touched that he’d been able to share something so personal with her.

If Ron found out about what had just happened or how she was feeling…

She didn’t want to hurt him like that. She couldn’t hurt him like that. So whatever feelings she was having toward Harry, she had to find someway to get past them; to bury them. She didn’t want to be responsible for breaking up their friendship. They’d been friends long before she’d entered the picture.

Hermione kept hearing that conversation in her mind over and over as she and Harry slowly made their way back to Isla Solarte. The night air was cool and Hermione was shivering. Was it her imagination or had they been on this boat for hours? It had only been minutes, she knew, but the uncomfortable, awkward silence made it seem like an eternity.

“Here,” Harry said, breaking her away from her thoughts. He was handing her a jacket.

“Thanks,” she said, putting it on. “It’s a bit chilly…”

Harry nodded and his eyes locked with hers for a moment before he returned his attention back to steering the boat.

“Um, Jack…” Hermione said.

For the longest time, he didn’t answer.

“Yeah,” Harry finally said, still standing with his back to her. “Look, Hermione. I know what you’re going to say, okay? What happened between us back there was a mistake. It shouldn’t have happened. I overstepped my bounds. I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.”

Hermione didn’t say anything to that. She couldn’t.

A few minutes later, they were finally docked at Isla Solarte. Hermione waited for him to secure the boat, thinking they could walk back together.

“I’m going to be awhile,” Harry said, not looking at her. “You can go on ahead.”

“Oh,” Hermione said. “Okay. I guess I’ll see you then.”

“Yeah,” Harry said, finally looking up and giving her a weak smile.

“Good night, Jack.”

“Good night,” Harry said coolly.

Hermione quickly made her way back to the guesthouse and the tears she’d been holding back on the boat finally fell freely down her cheek. She fought the urge to go back down to the docks and tell him the truth; to tell him that she wanted him. But, she couldn’t do that. Not now.

********

***

A few hours later, Harry lay in his bed, staring at the ceiling, and replaying the night’s events over and over in his head. It had been going so well.

Admittedly, he hadn’t planned on kissing her so soon. But, it had been the perfect moment and he’d just gone with it. How could he have not kissed her with the moon shining down on them, alone on a secluded beach, and with the water gently lapping on the shore? The signals were all there, weren’t they? They’d talked—really talked—and he felt like she understood him.

There you go again, Potter, doing something before you think about it first. This isn’t the first time you’ve done that before. It never turns out well. You’d think you’d learn.

This boyfriend of hers… he obviously meant more to her than he’d thought. She hadn’t talked much about him, whoever he was, and what kind of bloke was this guy, anyway? He just let a great girl like Hermione leave for two months? If Hermione was his, Harry thought sadly to himself, he wouldn’t want to be away from her any longer than he had to.

But she’s not yours. And after your stunt tonight, probably never will be.

Harry knew he wasn’t going to get any sleep anytime soon. Suddenly, he remembered Ron had sent him a letter. Hoping that his best mate’s troubles would take his mind off his own, Harry got out of bed.

A few minutes later, he was sitting in the kitchen with a biscuit and a soda, reading Ron’s letter.

Harry,

I know I’ve said this before, but I’m really in it now. You know how I wrote to you about that girl I’ve been seeing, right? I told you that I wanted to stop fooling around on her because she’s such a great girl? Well, I really did want to do that. But that was before I met this girl, Melinda.

She’s really hot, Harry. We’re talking Hot, Hot, Hot. She puts Cho Chang to shame. Sorry to use her for a point-of-reference, but she was your first girlfriend, and I must say that you had excellent taste. Except for her choice in Quidditch teams. I still can’t believe she likes the Tornados. But that’s neither here nor there.

I’m trying to be good, but being on the road, we get offers right and left! But Melinda…well, she’s relentless. She has a boyfriend, too. But, she says “What’s the harm in the two of us having a little bit of fun?” I think she’s right, but I still feel like crap for treating Hermione like this.

Harry reread that sentence twice to make sure he’d read what he’d thought he’d read. Hermione…

That couldn’t be the same Hermione.

It’s not exactly an everyday name, is it?

Harry decided to keep reading.

Hermione’s everything I could want in a girl, Harry. She’s funny, smart, charming, and very pretty. She works with Lupin and I’m sure he’d vouch for me about how great she is. I know I’m being a tosser about this whole thing, but I have no idea what to do. I love Hermione, but I’m starting to have feelings for Melinda, too. My heart is telling me to end this with Melinda and concentrate on Hermione. But other parts of my body…they aren’t so willing to cut things off with Melinda…if you know what I mean.

What do you think I should do?

Your very confused and very mixed-up mate,

Ron

Harry re-read the letter three times and each time the reality of it sank in. Hermione was Ron’s girlfriend. The Hermione he’d kissed a few hours ago on the beach was Ron’s Hermione.

To say he was gobsmacked would have been a complete understatement. Hermione was the girl Ron had been dating that he’d been cheating on almost since the start, according to his letters. Questions filled Harry’s mind.

Does Hermione know who I really am? Why didn’t Remus mention who she really was in his letters? Surely, he’d have known since he knows Ron and he works with Hermione.

I wish I could talk about this with Sirius…

Sirius. Could he have known about this, too? Why didn’t he say anything instead of trying to push Harry and Hermione together at every opportunity? And if he did know who Hermione was, why on earth was he trying to match make? None of this made sense. He’d have to deal with Sirius later. Right now, he had to talk to Hermione.

The trouble was that he had no idea what to say.

****

In the guesthouse, Hermione wasn’t sleeping, either. She’d changed into her pajamas---a camisole top and a pajama bottoms, but hadn’t been able to fall asleep. She’d tossed and turned for quite some time before giving up and deciding to go downstairs and read.

She’d just picked out a book from Remus’ library when she heard a knock on the door. Seeing as she and Harry were the only two people on the island at the moment, she had a pretty good idea who was at her door. She hesitated just a moment before answering.

“Jack,” she said, trying to sound surprised.

“I’m sorry to call on you this late,” Harry began nervously. “But I needed to talk to you about something…”

”It’s okay,” Hermione said, standing back and ushering him inside. “I wasn’t asleep.”

Harry nodded and walked inside. He sat down on one of the plush couches and Hermione sat down beside him. He didn’t say anything for quite some time and Hermione wondered if perhaps she should say something first.

“I’m not who you think I am,” Harry said before she could open her mouth.

Hermione hadn’t expected that. Instead of acting surprised, she decided to be open with him as well. “I know. I-I know who you are, Harry.”

Harry looked up in surprise.

“How long have you known?” he asked.

“Since the first day,” Hermione said sheepishly. “I would have said something, but I figured I was your guest and I didn’t want to intrude. I figured that if you wanted me to know, you would have introduced yourself by your real name.”

Hermione put her head in her hands. “I’m sorry, Harry. I just…”

“What are you playing at, Hermione?” Harry asked angrily. “Thought you’d come down here and make me…”

“Make you what?” Hermione countered, feeling angry as she realized what he was implying. “Is that what you think I did? Came down here wanting to seduce the great Harry Potter? I’ll have you know I hadn’t given much thought in my life about where you were other than the fact that I figured wherever you were, you were probably getting peace and quiet---which I figured you deserved after all you went through! But, if you want to think I had some great scheme to come down here and…well, if you did, you don’t know me at all!”

Harry looked at her in disbelief. He’d had this problem when he was in school. He’d always had to wonder if someone was just being nice to him because of the scar on his forehead. He’d felt so self-obsessed to think like that, but he couldn’t help it. Being judged not on the merit of what you did, but on who you were or what your last name happened to be had been par for the course.

Harry wanted to believe her. He remembered how it had been her that pulled away tonight. If she had come down here to seduce him, she wouldn’t have stopped him. And she did tell him she had a boyfriend, almost from the start.

Even though her boyfriend is cheating on her with anything that moves and she has no idea.

Harry remembered loads of letters from Ron talking about wanting to remain faithful to this girl, but finding it nearly impossible. Now that he thought about it, he couldn’t understand why the two of them would be dating. Ron and Hermione were about as different as night and day. There was that thing about opposites attracting, but Harry wasn’t so sure.

”Are you just going to sit there?” Hermione asked impatiently.

“No,” Harry said, shaking his head. “I just think I have a right to be angry is all.”

“Fine, get angry!” Hermione retorted hotly. “But you have no place to come in here and accuse me of being some sort of…tart!”

“I didn’t!” Harry protested.

“You didn’t have to,” Hermione said, getting to her feet. “I’ll have you know that for the past six months, I’ve been dating someone. One man. One. I’m not the type to go cheating on someone. I’ve made a commitment to him.”

“I know that you’re dating Ron,” Harry said. “I got a letter from him tonight and he mentioned your name.”

Hermione froze. “But he doesn’t know I’m here…”

“He doesn’t know I’m here, either. And I’m fairly sure he doesn’t know we’re here together,” Harry interjected. “Why didn’t you tell me what your boyfriend’s name was? This could have saved us both a lot of trouble.”

“I told you I was following your lead,” Hermione answered. “And besides, the fact that I had a boyfriend in the first place should have caused you to back off…”

“What?” Harry asked incredulously. “That’s really rich, Hermione. Need I remind you that you kissed me back? Twice!”

“Y-you kissed me first!” Hermione stammered.

“This is crazy,” Harry said, shaking his head. He stood up, unable to sit down anymore. There was so much here to process that he didn’t know if he’d ever be able to wrap his brain around any of it.

“And then you all but call me some sort of tramp who was out to bag the great Harry Potter and go back to London and sell my story to all the papers,” Hermione finished.

“I didn’t say that!” Harry said exasperated.

“You didn’t have to,” Hermione said, walking toward the front door. “I think you should leave!”

“You’re in my house!” Harry retorted. He’d been hot on her heels when she’d walked away and when she stopped abruptly; he'd nearly crashed into her.

“Not for too much longer,” Hermione said, turning around, but not looking at him. “I’ll leave tomorrow morning.”

Harry looked at her in surprise. “What?”

“Do you honestly expect me to stay here after that?” she asked. When he didn’t answer, she held open the door. “GET OUT!”

Harry looked at her, wanting to say something to take this all back, but he couldn’t. He didn’t know what he could say. He walked past her in a huff and he’d not even made it to the first step when she slammed the door behind him.

Hermione sank back against the door, tears falling down her face. She couldn’t believe that he’d thought that about her. That she could be capable of doing such a thing. She angrily wiped the tears from her cheeks. He wasn’t worth her tears. She couldn’t believe she’d let herself start to fall for someone like that.

The best thing would be just to pack up and go back home…tomorrow. She could go home and recommit to Ron and their relationship. She hadn’t been very fair to him, had she? Well, that was going to stop right now. He was sweet, funny and charming. He didn’t deserve someone like her who forgot about him the moment a pair of green eyes looked her way.

She was angry at herself for not being honest from the beginning.

None of this would have happened if I’d just told them who I really was or told them that I knew who they were.

Or would it have? She and Harry still would have spent time together. They still would have gotten to know each other. She didn’t know if any of that was true, but she did know one thing. The sooner she got off of Isla Solarte, the better off she’d be.

Harry, too, was angry. He didn’t know who he was the angrier at---Ron, Hermione, Sirius, Lupin or himself.

Why couldn’t one of them have been honest with him from the start?

Hermione never lied to you. And you know she’s not a tramp or a tart or some scarlet woman, but you walked out of there tonight having her think that was exactly what you thought.

“Harry?” a familiar gruff voice called out to him from the darkness. Harry looked up to see Sirius and Eva approaching from the docks. “What’s going on?”

“That’s what I’d like to know,” Harry said, looking sternly at his godfather. “I think it’s time you and I had a nice…long…talk.”

Author’s note: Sorry for posting this so late…I was working on something else that occupied my time. I never in a million years dreamed that I’d be using a Hank Williams song for one of my stories, but this so fits our devious little redhead, I couldn’t resist. Thanks to Heaven & Excalibur for the beta! Please read and review. And I hope everyone has a very Happy Christmas!

Your cheatin’ heart,
Will make you weep,
You'll cry and cry,
And try to sleep,
But sleep wont come,
The whole night through,
Your cheatin’ heart, will tell on you...

(Hank Williams, Your Cheatin’ Heart)

To say Harry was angry would have been a gross understatement. Looking across the sitting room at his godfather, he didn’t even know where to begin.

For his part, Sirius just wished Harry would say something. Anything would be better than this silent treatment. Although he had no idea what actually went on this evening between Harry and Hermione, he had a good idea that the cat had somehow found its way out of the bag. He also had a good idea that neither Harry nor Hermione was all too happy about the fact that everything was now out in the open. Truth be told, Sirius wished he could get his hands on a time-turner and reverse this entire scheme. He should have listened to Eva. He stifled a chuckle as he could already picture her telling him how she’d told him over and over again that his meddling would not do anyone any good.

When the silence became unbearable, Sirius leaned forward and opened his mouth to speak, but Harry just shook his head and held up his hand.

“Don’t!” Harry said loudly. “Don’t even say it.”

Reluctantly, Sirius relaxed back onto the sofa.

“You don’t have to say it, Sirius,” Harry said. “I know exactly what you’re going to say. But, you can feel free to tell me that I’m wrong. I imagine you’d start out by telling me, ‘I was only looking out for you, Harry’. And then you’d probably follow it up with ‘I only had your best interests at heart.’ How does that sound, Sirius? Does that sound about right?”

Sirius nodded sheepishly. That was exactly what he’d been about to say when Harry had stopped him.

Harry let out a hollow laugh. “That’s just great. But what you seemed to have forgotten in your little scheme is that I’m not the only one involved here, Sirius. This isn’t just about me. This is about Ron. This is about Hermione. She’s his girlfriend, Sirius. Not mine---Ron’s.”

Sirius wanted to explain, but he kept quiet…for now. He had feeling that anything he said now would only serve to antagonize Harry further and that was the last thing Sirius wanted to do.

“What kills me about this whole thing is that you knew all along! You knew who she was and you conveniently kept that from me! You were the one person I always thought would shoot straight with me, Sirius! You were the one person I thought wouldn’t be afraid to tell me the truth no matter how much I didn’t want to hear it. You were the one person I thought wouldn’t hide things from me because you didn’t think I could handle it or you thought it was for my best interest. I expect that from a lot of people, Sirius. But, never in a million years would I have expected that from you.”

Sirius nodded morosely.

“I’m not a child anymore,” Harry continued. “I don’t need you, or anyone else for that matter, to figure things out for me or tell me how to feel!”

Harry sank down onto an armchair and put his head in his hands. Taking advantage of Harry’s silence, Sirius decided to finally get his say.

“What happened between you and Hermione tonight?” Sirius asked.

Harry looked up at him in disbelief. “Did you hear any of what I just said? It doesn’t matter---“

“Yes, it does,” Sirius interjected. “How you feel does matter. What happened?”

Harry sighed and leaned back in the chair. “I kissed her. Are you happy now? I kissed her. She pulled away from me and reminded me about how she had a boyfriend and so we came back here and went our separate ways. I come back to the house and read Ron’s letter. Ron tells me that he feels like a shit because he’s shagging anything with a pulse behind his girlfriend’s back, behind Hermione’s back! Seeing as that isn’t your everyday, garden-variety name, I put two and two together and went over to ask Hermione what the hell was going on. I didn’t handle it too well, because apparently I insinuated that she was some sort of tart who set out to shag and bag Harry Potter.”

“You didn’t!” Sirius said.

“I did,” Harry deadpanned. “Understandably, she wasn’t too happy with me. So, no matter what happened before, she now hates me. I hate myself for making her feel that way. I hate Ron for having this great, wonderful, beautiful girl and cheating on her. I hate him for having the one person that…”his voice trailed off as he realized what he was about to say.

“Say it, Harry,” Sirius encouraged. “The one person that…”

“The one person that I want,” Harry replied quietly, looking away. “I have never felt this way about anyone, Sirius. I look at her and I just can’t help smiling. She has this way of looking at things that…look, it doesn’t matter.”

“It does matter, Harry,” Sirius countered. “It does matter. It wouldn’t have mattered one jot if you’d known who she really was, would it? You still would have spent time with her. You still would have gotten to know her. It would have been best, I’ll give you that, if everything had been out in the open to start with, but it wasn’t. The simple fact remains, though, that you’re falling for her, Harry.”

Sirius knew he might be pushing things, but he had to say this.

“Harry,” he said, staring earnestly at his godson. “I’m not proud of what I did. I’m not. I shouldn’t have gone about it the way I did, but when your parents asked me to be your godfather I promised to look out for you. I didn’t go about it the best way this time, I know that. But, Harry…you’ve been happier than I’ve ever seen you and it’s because of her…you know that I’m right.”

“You’re not right. Nothing about this is right,” Harry argued.

“You said it yourself, Harry,” Sirius said. “Ron hasn’t been faithful to her. He’s cheating on her as we speak. But, you’re here.”

Harry shook his head. “I’m not going to let you talk me into betraying my best friend, Sirius! I can’t do that to him, no matter how much I want to be with her. At least it’s over now... before anything more can happen…”

Sirius started to protest, but Harry again held his hand up and just shook his head. “It’s over, Sirius.”

************

Eva had decided to not join Harry and Sirius for their little “chat”. For one thing, she knew Harry wanted to talk to his godfather alone, and another, Eva wanted to check on Hermione and make sure she was okay.

As she slowly made her way toward the guesthouse, she could hear music playing softly. Every light in the house was on so Eva knew Hermione was awake. She knocked on the door. There was no answer. Again, Eva knocked. This time, there was an answer.

“GO AWAY, HARRY!” Eva heard Hermione call out.

“It’s not Harry, Hermione,” Eva called back. “It’s Eva. I wanted to make sure you were okay.”

Hermione hesitated a moment before opening up the door. Eva’s heart went out to the young woman as soon as she saw Hermione’s face. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes were red. She’d obviously been crying.

“Hermione?”

“I’m okay,” Hermione said, forcing a smile. “Come on inside.”

Eva nodded and walked inside the guest house before Hermione closed the door. She didn’t say anything as she walked back toward the bedroom. Hermione turned the music off and Eva leaned against the bedroom door and saw to her alarm that Hermione was…packing.

“What’s going on?” Eva asked.

“I’m going home,” Hermione said resolutely.

“Why?” Eva asked, coming further into the room. “Hermione, I thought you were supposed to be on a two-month vacation?”

“I was,” Hermione said, determinedly folding a pair of trousers. “But things change. I think I should go home. It’s not a big deal…”

Eva shook her head. “Hermione, it is a big deal. What happened tonight to make you want to pack up and go home?”

Hermione continued to pack her clothes as if she hadn’t heard Eva’s question. Eva couldn’t understand how things had gone from great to bad in such a short amount of time. It had only been a few hours ago when she’d seen Harry and Hermione leave the restaurant, looking happy. Now, one of them was angry and the other was in tears, ready to go home.

“Hermione…”

Hermione sighed.

“Come on,” Eva said, looking around and realizing there was no room to sit down and talk in here. “How about I make us both a nice cup of tea and we talk about what happened?”

Reluctantly, Hermione nodded.

A few minutes later, she and Eva were seated on the back deck, both sipping cups of tea. Hermione hadn’t said anything, but Eva could tell that whatever had happened tonight was weighing heavily on her mind.

Hermione put her cup on the table and leaned back in her chair. “I don’t even know where to begin…”

“I think I do,” Eva said giving her a slight smile. “You know who they are, don’t you? You figured it out.”

Hermione looked across the table in surprise. “How…how did you know?”

“You slipped up one evening and called ‘Jack’ by his real name,” Eva explained. “Sirius caught it. “

“So you know about them, too?” Hermione asked. Part of the reason she kept quiet was because she wasn’t sure if Eva knew who Harry and Sirius really were, especially since she was a Muggle.

Eva nodded. “It was quite a shock when I found out.”

“How did you find out?” Hermione asked, curiously.

Eva grinned. “Sirius and I had been dating for quite some time. He knew about the drama I’d gone through with my ex-husband and that it was very hard for me to let someone in after all that I’d gone through. Sirius said he wanted to tell me for ages, but didn’t know how to come about it... and that he was afraid... afraid that if I knew who he really was, I wouldn’t love him anymore. He didn’t want to face that.

“I didn’t believe him at first,” Eva said, shaking her head. “I thought he was insane... then he showed me a few ‘magic’ tricks and I was amazed. I didn’t even know things like that were actually possible outside of movies and television and children’s imaginations, you know? But that wasn’t what bothered me so much. It was the fact that he lied to me about who he really was... the entire time I’d known him.”

“How did you get past that?” Hermione asked.

“I told him I didn’t want to see him anymore,” Eva said, grimacing at the memory of how horrible she’d been to him. “He thought I couldn’t handle the magic part, but that wasn’t it. I told him that I’d finally found someone that I thought I could trust and he totally took that away from me.

“But do you know the truth of it all? I was miserable without him,” Eva said, smiling at the mere thought of her boyfriend. “And I realized that although he hadn’t told me who he really was, he never lied about his feelings. He told me he loved me and that he didn’t want to be without me. And I…I felt the same way. I just knew. So, I took the son-of-a-bitch back…and some might say, I’ve been paying for it ever since.”

Hermione laughed.

“He loves Harry like his own son, Hermione,” Eva said seriously. “He’d do anything for him. Admittedly, he doesn’t always go about it in the best way, but he would do anything for him. He and Remus…they got it in their minds that you and Harry would be a perfect match and decided to do some matchmaking.”

Hermione stared at Eva in disbelief. Remus Lupin knew she was dating Ron Weasley. Why on earth would he try and set someone up if he’d known that? Why on earth would he try and set her up with Ron’s best friend, of all people---if he knew that?

“I don’t understand,” Hermione said. “I don’t understand any of this…”

“What happened tonight, Hermione?” Eva asked.

“Harry kissed me,” Hermione said, shivering not from the cold, but the memory of that kiss and how it had made her feel. She told Eva all about going to Max’s, playing billiards, and how they’d been having such a great time together. She told Eva about their time on the beach and how that had led up to not one, but two kisses. Then, she told Eva about how she’d pulled away.

“I should have left the moment I knew who Harry really was,” Hermione said sadly. “I shouldn’t have stayed. That way I wouldn’t have…”

“Wouldn’t have what?” Eva asked probingly.

“Wouldn’t have spent so much time with him and we wouldn’t have grown so close...and we wouldn’t have kissed,” Hermione answered quickly.

“But you did kiss,” Eva told her. “What was it like?”

Hermione leaned back in her chair and considered the question thoughtfully then shrugged. “I can’t really describe it because I really don’t have anything to compare it to, Eva. It was like nothing I’ve ever experienced before in my life. I sound like one of those awful romance novels, I know, but that’s the way it felt. I felt…I don’t know... safe and warm and…”

“And?” Eva asked.

Hermione shook her head. “And now I feel guilty. Ron’s a really great bloke, Eva. He’s really sweet and charming and what have I done to deserve any of that from him? I come down to this island and start having feelings for his best friend. What kind of person does that?”

Eva wished she could tell Hermione that her boyfriend didn’t deserve her loyalty. Seeing as she’d been married to a cheating husband for years, she felt compassion for Hermione. She knew all too well what it was like to have faith in someone and have it shattered in an instant when you find out what they’d been doing behind your back.

Eva didn’t tell her because it wasn’t her place to do that. The thing about cheaters, Eva mused to herself, was that one day they would get found out. Eva hoped that Ron would meet that same fate.

“You’re not a bad person, Hermione,” Eva reassured her. “You can’t help how you feel…”

“Yes, but I should have had the sense to know that I was getting in too deep,” Hermione interjected. “I should have known.”

“We can’t always have the answers, Hermione,” Eva tried to tell her. “Life isn’t always in black and white. Listen, honey…I would certainly understand if you wanted to go home, but I think that’s the last thing you need to do right now. You are on a much needed, much deserved vacation and you still have a month left.”

Hermione nodded, but she didn’t see how she could possibly stay here with all that had happened.

“I don’t know what to do,” Hermione said, putting her head in her hands.

“I have an idea,” Eva said, smiling at her. “You can turn me down if you want, but I think it will be the best thing for you and you’ll still be able to enjoy your vacation.”

Hermione looked at her quizzically.

“You could work in the café for me,” Eva said, grinning. “You could wait tables... it will get you off this island and you’ll have something to occupy your time, other than that article you haven’t even started to write.”

Hermione gave a weak laugh. “I don’t know, Eva…”

“Come on,” Eva said. “I need the help. You’d be doing me a favor.”

“I don’t know,” Hermione repeated.

“I think you should do it,” a male voice broke in, startling both Hermione and Eva. They both turned to see Harry walking up the deck stairs.

“Hello, Harry,” Eva said, standing up. She gave him a hug and Harry returned the embrace, but his eyes were locked on Hermione.

“So how tough were you on him?” Eva asked.

“He’s still breathing,” Harry said. “I could have been much worse with him…”

“His heart was in the…oh hell, you know how he is,” Eva said. “But we put up with him anyway.”

“It’s going to take awhile for me to get over this one, Eva,” Harry said seriously.

“I know,” Eva said, patting his arm. “I-I guess I’ll leave you two to talk. Think about what I said, Hermione.”

Hermione nodded and watched as Eva walked away. She couldn’t look up at Harry, though. She was still very much upset with him about what he’d said.

“Can I sit down?” he asked. Hermione shrugged so Harry took Eva’s now vacant seat.

“What are you doing here?” Hermione asked. “I figured you’d said enough…”

“I came to apologize,” Harry interrupted her. “I wasn’t very fair to you and I apologize for what I said. You’re an innocent victim in this just the same as me.”

Hermione hadn’t expected him to apologize. She stared at him for a few moments before finally speaking.

“I’m sorry, too,” she said quietly. “I should have said something before…”

Harry shook his head. “It’s okay. So…are you really going home?”

“I don’t know,” Hermione replied. “I’d like to stay, but I don’t see how I could after what happened.”

Harry looked at her earnestly. “I’m going to be honest with you right now, Hermione. Okay? I-I’ve never met anyone like you before. You came in here and you just…you turned my world upside down is what you did. And the more time I spent with you, the more I liked you. I don’t know if anything would have changed if I’d known you were Ron’s...”

His voice trailed off, unable to bring himself to say that she was Ron’s girlfriend.

“Well that you are with Ron. But, now we know who we really are and at least we found out before anything more could happen, right?”

Hermione nodded.

“I think you should stay,” he said. “You and I can just stay away from each other.”

He’d just admitted that he was attracted to her and she knew that he obviously knew she felt the same way about him. She didn’t know what to say to what he was proposing. The idea of being so near to him and not being able to talk to him or share a laugh with him actually hurt.

“Do you think we could do that?” she asked him.

“I think so,” Harry said, wondering exactly how he was going to be able to do just that.

Hermione looked thoughtfully at him. “I guess I’ll stay then.”

Harry smiled at her. “Great.”

“Great,” Hermione echoed.

“So I guess this is it,” Harry said, extending his hand. “I, um, hope you enjoy the rest of your holiday.”

Hermione shook his hand but wanted to tell him that she didn’t want it this way. She didn’t want to cut him out of her life, but for the sake of his relationship with Ron and her relationship with Ron, she agreed to it.

“Good night, Harry,” Hermione said, as he stood up.

He looked at her, a sort of dazed expression on his face. He didn’t tell her that he loved hearing her call him by his real name. He didn’t tell her that he wanted to hear her say it again and again.

“Good night... Hermione.”

***********

****

Lavender Brown was sitting in an outdoor café enjoying a late lunch. She had to get back to the office, but she was too busy enjoying the warm, summer air. She’d been quite busy over the past few weeks and things were going really well for her at the moment.

She was a fashion reporter for Witch Weekly and had just been promoted to Associate Editor. She wished she knew where Hermione was so she could owl her with the good news and hoped that wherever her best friend was she was having a great time.

Lavender folded up her magazine and threw some money down on the table. As much as she would have loved to stay outside on such a lovely day, she had to get back to the office. From across the street, she saw a familiar face and threw her hand up to wave, but her hand quickly dropped when she saw that he was not alone.

Ron Weasley had just come out of a shop and was followed by a pretty, petite blonde. Lavender might not have thought anything out of the ordinary until she saw the blonde snog Ron.

“That weasel!” Lavender exclaimed. “I can’t believe him!”

She’d always expected that Ron was the type to run around, but she never, in a million years, wanted it to be true. The last thing Lavender ever wanted to happen was to see her best friend hurt. Stifling the urge to cross the street and rugby tackle the wanker, Lavender watched as he and the blonde laughed and walked down the street hand-in-hand.

She stared after them with her mouth agape, desperately wishing she knew where Hermione was. Instead, she resolved that the moment she saw Hermione, she was going to tell her exactly what she’d just seen.

Author’s Note: Thank you to everyone who continues to read and review! I really appreciate it. As promised, here is the next chapter a few days early. I hope everyone has a Happy Christmas. A special thanks to Heaven & Excalibur for the beta---thanks you guys!

Chapter 12

Pass You By

Don't have to stay with someone
That makes you cry
You'll end up killing all the love you have inside
Can't hope to see the sun
If you don't open your eyes
Girl don't let real love pass you by

(“Pass You By”-Boys II Men)

It had been one week. One agonizingly long, awful week. There had been no contact. They’d not even glimpsed each other once, thanks to some careful planning on Harry’s behalf. He made it a point to leave the island first thing in the morning and not return until well past midnight.

Despite the fact that he hadn’t seen or spoken to her in days, Hermione was on his mind all the time. He wondered how she was doing. Sometimes, he wondered what her relationship with Ron was like. He kept trying to picture them together and he just couldn’t. He knew his best friend and he had come to know Hermione. They seemed the two least likely people to fall in love with each other. Of course, there was that old rubbish about opposites attracting, but Harry had never put much faith into that.

He’d even thought more than once about telling Hermione the truth about Ron. It would be so easy to show her the letters. But, Harry couldn’t bring himself to do it. Despite what Ron had done, he was still Harry’s best friend. And Harry didn’t want to “get” Hermione that way. He had a feeling if he showed her the letters; he may not “get” her at all. Besides, he reasoned, it wasn’t really his place to tell Hermione what Ron was doing.

He hadn’t responded to Ron’s last letter, either. What would he have said? Maybe something along the lines of: Ron, you lying sack of shit! You don’t deserve someone as wonderful, intelligent, beautiful, sweet, charming and incredible as Hermione! She’s a worth a million of those other girls you’ve left behind! Oh, and on a side note, I’ve fallen in love with your girlfriend. Take care!

That wasn’t a letter he could see himself writing without giving himself and the situation away.

He hadn’t been completely in the dark about what Hermione had been doing, though. He did know that she’d taken Eva up on her offer to work at Café Oceana since Sirius had mentioned it to him the other day. Harry hadn’t said anything in return because, at the moment, he wasn’t speaking to his godfather. He did know, however, that Sirius had been taking Hermione back and forth to Great Abaco so she could work at the café.

Harry had spent most of the day out on the boat, fishing. The late nights and early mornings were beginning to catch up with him and he decided to have a proper lie in tomorrow morning. He knew it was late, but he hoped Café Oceana was still open so he could get a bite to eat before heading home. He figured Hermione had already worked the day shift and there’d be no harm in coming here now.

The restaurant was nearly empty, save for a couple sitting in the back sharing a bottle of wine. Harry sat down at the counter and leaned back in the stool when he heard a voice. Her voice.

“Hi,” she said softly.

He looked up and instinctively, he smiled at her. She looked as beautiful as he remembered. She wore a simple, white, v-neck t-shirt and black trousers. Her hair was pulled back in a plait and she wore a half-apron around her waist. For the longest time, they just stared at each other, neither of them saying a word.

“It’s really great to see you,” Hermione said, at the exact same time, Harry said, “I’d forgotten you were working here…”

They both laughed nervously and looked away.

“You look like a natural,” Harry finally said, smiling.

She relaxed and grinned back at him. “Now, I do. You should have seen me a couple of days ago. In the span of one hour, I broke seven plates and two glass mugs.”

Harry tried not to laugh at this, but he found it futile.

“Go ahead,” Hermione said, joining in. “Laugh it up. It was pretty funny, actually.”

“I’m sorry for laughing,” he said. “It’s just the image of you carrying this large serving tray and having everything…it’s just funny.”

“Yes, ha-ha,” Hermione said, smirking at him.

“Well, look at you now,” he said, grinning at her. “An old pro.”

“I don’t know about that, but I am a quick study,” she said proudly. “I think I’ve managed to get the hang of it. Eva’s been fantastic.”

“She is great,” Harry agreed. “Sirius, on the other hand…”

“He mentioned that you haven’t been talking to him,” Hermione commented.

“I’m sure he did,” Harry said sarcastically. “You aren’t mad at him, too?”

“I was,” Hermione admitted. She leaned against the counter. “But, he and I had some nice chats when he’s been in here and when he takes me to and from the island. I think I understand where he was coming from, Harry. I don’t excuse what he did, of course, but I can see why he did what he did.”

Harry was surprised to hear this.

“He cares a great deal about you, Harry,” Hermione continued. A part of her wanted to tell Harry that she cared, too. She cared much more than she should.

The topic of Sirius clearly wasn’t a pleasant one at the moment for Harry, so he changed the subject.

“So, how are you liking your new job?” he asked her.

“It’s okay,” she said thoughtfully. “I’ve certainly seen some interesting…characters.”

Harry nodded knowledgeably. “I imagine that you have. We get all types around here.”

She nodded. “It’s certainly been an experience. And it’s also helped me keep my mind off of…”

“Off of what?” he asked. He had a feeling what she was talking about, but for some reason, he wanted to hear her say it. He supposed that he wanted to know that she was trying not to think about him, too.

“Off of…things,” Hermione said quickly and looked away.

Harry nodded. He knew exactly what she meant.

“So what can I get you?” she asked.

He gave her his order and tried not to look at her, but was finding it difficult. She excused herself to go and place his order with the chef and Harry watched her go. He knew he should have walked out the moment that he’d seen she was working, but, he couldn’t make himself leave. In his mind, he knew that being with her was wrong. It didn’t feel that way. When he was with her, it didn’t feel wrong... it felt… great. It felt like the most natural thing in the world to talk to her, to be with her, to hear her laugh.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the kitchen door swinging open. He looked up, expecting to see Hermione but it wasn’t her, it was Sirius.

“I wasn’t expecting to see you here,” Sirius said with a slight smile. He had hoped to engage his godson in conversation but Harry obviously wasn’t taking the bait. Harry picked up a menu and began pouring over it as if it was the most fascinating reading material on the planet.

“I’m actually glad to see you,” Sirius continued. “I had a bit of a proposition for you…”

Harry swiveled on his chair to convey to Sirius that he didn’t much care to hear any proposition Sirius might have but Sirius wasn’t about to be deterred. He simply walked over and stood in front of Harry.

“Yes, yes, I know I’m not your favorite person right now,” Sirius said. “You’ve probably been spending your time thinking of different ways to hex me, but before you do, I hope you know that I am truly sorry for what I tried to do for you. It was wrong of me to interfere. Come on, Harry. You know you’ve never been able to stay cross with me for very long…”

“Wanna bet?” Harry grumbled.

“HE SPEAKS!” Sirius said, putting a hand over his heart and affecting a dramatic, loud voice.

“Sod off, old man,” Harry said, scowling at him.

“Call me what you like,” Sirius said, grinning at him. “At least you’re talking to me again…”

“Is he now?” Hermione asked, returning from the kitchen carrying Harry’s beer. She set it before him and couldn’t help but smile at the happy look on Sirius’ face.

“I’m glad that you’re both here actually,” Sirius said, sitting down beside Harry. “I have something I wanted to ask of you…”

Harry shook his head. “Oh, no you don’t. We’re not going through this again, Sirius.”

“Calm down,” Sirius said quickly. “It’s not about me trying to set the two of you up again. That’s over and done with. I’m officially retired from the matchmaking game. Whatever does or doesn’t happen between the two of you is entirely up to you now. I could care less.”

“Bollocks,” Harry retorted.

“Okay, that last part was a bit of a stretch,” Sirius admitted. “But we’re getting off course. The thing I wanted to talk to you about involves Eva.”

“What’s going on then?” Harry asked, looking at him expectantly.

Sirius looked over his shoulder at the couple in the back of the restaurant and then over his other shoulder to make sure Eva wasn’t around. It was silly, he knew, since he’d just left her upstairs not five minutes ago. He wasn’t going to take any chances so he motioned for Hermione to lean in so he wouldn’t have to raise his voice above a whisper.

“I’m going to ask Eva to marry me,” he whispered.

“That’s fantastic,” Hermione said, echoing his tone.

“Well, she hasn’t said yes yet,” Sirius said, as Hermione came around the counter and gave him a hug. “With how I’ve been acting lately I wouldn’t be surprised if she told me to stuff it, but I’m really hoping that she’ll take pity on me and say yes.”

Hermione laughed and despite himself, so did Harry.

“But I’m going to need your help,” Sirius continued. “Both of you.”

“Us?” Hermione asked, exchanging a quizzical expression with Harry. “I don’t understand. What could we possibly do?”

“Well, I’m planning on asking her on her birthday,” Sirius explained, “it’s on the twelfth. We’re leaving for the States in the next couple of days because she wants to visit with her son, but we’re due back on her birthday. I was hoping that---“

“Hang on a minute,” Harry interrupted. “You’re leaving?”

Sirius nodded.

“When?” Harry asked.

“Two days time,” Sirius answered impatiently. “I’ve told you all of this already, Harry. I mentioned it to you the other day, but as I recall you weren’t speaking to me then.”

“And you’ll be gone for how many days?” Harry asked.

“Four,” Sirius said, wondering what the big deal about him leaving was.

“Oh,” Harry and Hermione said at the same time. They would be alone on Isla Solarte. Four days. Alone.

“So, um, where do we come in?” Hermione asked.

“I need your help to make this proposal…memorable,” Sirius explained. “I would really appreciate it if the two of you could have something nice and romantic set up for us back at the house when we get back.”

He waited to gauge the expressions on their faces before continuing. He couldn’t tell what they were thinking and since neither of them had told him to bugger off, he decided to keep going.

“If I leave this all for Harry to plan, I’ll be lucky to get warm champagne in a bucket,” Sirius joked. “Which is where you come in, Hermione. I definitely need the female perspective on this.”

Harry scowled at him, but he wasn’t really thinking about what Sirius was asking them to do. He was thinking about the possibility of being alone with Hermione. If they agreed to do this for Sirius, they’d be spending an awful amount of time together. This may just be inviting trouble, he thought to himself. And despite what Sirius said otherwise, Harry had a feeling his godfather knew this. Sirius is a sneaky bastard, Harry grumbled silently.

“I know that the two of you have agreed not to spend time together anymore, but I really do hope that you’ll consider helping me out with this,” Sirius continued. “This isn’t for me. It’s for Eva. She deserves a wonderful, romantic proposal. So, you’re not really doing this for me. This is for her.”

When neither of them replied, Sirius sighed heavily.

“As an added incentive, just think of all the fun the two of you will have planning this for me! You can spend the entire time talking about what a devious arse I am... you can’t pass that up now, can you?”

Hermione laughed. “We’d probably talk about what a devious arse you are regardless of whether or not we agreed to help you…”

Harry smiled at her.

“So does this mean you’re going to help an old bloke who doesn’t deserve it?” Sirius asked hopefully. “Please?”

The idea of spending time alone with Harry both terrified and excited Hermione. She knew that the logical, reasonable answer would be to say no. She was nothing if not logical and reasonable after all. Yet, when she opened her mouth to speak, she heard herself say, “I will if Harry will.”

Sirius beamed at her and then turned his attention back to Harry.

“So what do you say?” he asked him.

Harry looked at Hermione and then at his godfather. “Okay.”

Sirius hugged them both enthusiastically.

“Don’t get too excited, old man,” Harry said. “This isn’t for you. It’s for Eva.”

“Too right,” Sirius agreed. And he had been honest, he wasn’t deliberately trying to match make. This was more of a not-so-subtle push, he reasoned.

I knew they couldn’t stay away from each other.

********

*********

Two days later, Harry drove Sirius and Eva to the Great Abaco’s small airport. Eva was beyond excited to see her son and family. Sirius, of course, had grumbled the entire way about the merits of Wizarding travel over Muggle travel but when Eva had heard about apparition and the possibility of splinching oneself, she was put off the idea immediately.

“Give me stale peanuts and turbulence any day over that,” Eva had said firmly.

Although Harry had dropped the silent treatment with Sirius, he was still cool and detached when they spoke. Though, because of Eva, he at least tried to be civil.

After he’d seen Eva and Sirius off, Harry made his way back to Café Oceana. He knew Hermione had helped with the lunch shift and was scheduled to get off work in about five minutes. They’d made tentative plans to get together and discuss ideas for the proposal.

She was just finishing up when Harry walked inside the restaurant.

“Hey,” she said, smiling warmly at him.

He grinned back at her. “Hi.”

“Hello, Jack,” Maureen chimed in from the counter where she was refilling the salt shakers. If anything good had come from Sirius’ scheme, at least Maureen was no longer infatuated with him, Harry thought.

“Maureen,” he said, nodding at her. He turned his attention back to Hermione and for the longest time, they just looked at each other—both unsure as to what to say.

“Um, are you ready to go then?” he finally asked her.

She nodded and went behind the counter to grab her bag. Maureen winked at her and Hermione blushed, she apparently thought this was a date. After saying a quick goodbye to Maureen, he and Hermione exited the restaurant.

“So, we’re going back home?” Hermione asked.

Harry shook his head. It was slightly cloudy, but he thought it would be much better for them to be out, about and preferably surrounded by a crowd. That way, they wouldn’t be tempted to…well, he just didn’t think it would be a good idea for them to be alone. “How would you feel about heading over to Elbow Cay? We could grab a late lunch and talk about the proposal.”

Hermione hesitated for just a moment. Again, she wondered if she and Harry were treading into dangerous waters by spending so much time together, but, she reminded herself, they were both adults and could do the ‘just friends’ thing.

“Sure,” she said with a smile. “That sounds great.”

********

Lavender sat outside Remus Lupin’s office waiting for him to get back from a meeting. She’d thought long and hard about waiting until Hermione came back from her holiday to tell her about Ron, but Lavender didn’t think she could wait that long. This was her best friend and she didn’t like the idea that her best friend was being kept in the dark by a lying, conniving arse who didn’t deserve her.

From the very beginning, she hadn’t liked Ron Weasley. She’d always thought he was too slick and he tried too hard to say the right thing. There was something sort of fake and phony about Ron. If Lavender knew anything, it was how to spot a phony.

“Miss Brown?” Remus Lupin asked, as he spotted her on his way down the hall.

“Hello, Professor,” Lavender said with a forced smile. “I’m sorry to drop by unannounced.”

“No need to apologize, Miss Brown,” Remus said, opening his office door. “Please, come inside.”

Lavender nodded and followed him into his office where she accepted the invitation to sit in one of the leatherback chairs.

“So what brings you by?” he asked, smiling warmly at her.

”I really need to get in touch with Hermione,” Lavender answered simply. “I know you know where she is and I know its some big secret, but this is a life and death situation.”

Remus looked at her from across his desk, concern etched across his face.

“Well, it’s not that serious, actually,” Lavender said quickly. “It’s just that she needs to know something really soon.”

“Is it about her parents?” Remus asked.

Lavender shook her head. “Her parents are fine. This is about…Ron.”

“What about Ron?”

“I don’t really think I can say, but I need to get a letter to her straightaway, Professor,” Lavender said, pleadingly.

“Of course,” Lupin said, handing her some spare parchment. “I’ll leave you to write your letter. We can send it today if you like.”

Lavender nodded and thanked him before he left her to compose her letter. Lavender thought long and hard about what she wanted to say to her friend and finally started writing.

Hermione:

I really don’t know how to say this, but I feel that you really need to know. You know that I’ve never been Ron Weasley’s biggest fan and at first, I thought I was just being a paranoid, protective best friend, but the other day I found out that my suspicions about the redheaded louse were correct! Hermione, I hate to tell you this, but I really think Ron is sneaking around behind your back! The other day I was having lunch at an outdoor café when I saw him walk out of a shop, arm in arm with some blonde floozy! They snogged right out in the street like it was the most natural thing in the world to do and it took everything that I had not to run across the street and hex him into the next century!

I hate to tell you all of this by letter, but I really couldn’t wait until you came back. I know that if our positions were reversed, you’d tell me. You’ve always been a great friend to me. You are a wonderful, caring, loving person and you deserve nothing but the best, Hermione! The Ron Weasleys of this world don’t have a clue as to how special you are and they never will!

I miss you and hope that you take this news well. When you get back, we can plot full-scale revenge on the bastard! He’ll regret the day he ever messed around on you! I can guarantee that!

Your best friend,

Lavender

She read and reread her letter before folding it up and slipping it into an envelope. Ron Weasley was going to get his someday, and Lavender Brown just hoped she’d be there to see it.

*********

*****

Later that day, Harry and Hermione were sitting on the upstairs deck at Spinnaker’s Restaurant on Elbow Cay. Spinnaker’s was a casual establishment at one of the many hotels on Elbow Cay. The boat ride over had been rather quiet, each lost in their own thoughts.

To Harry’s surprise, Elbow Cay was packed with tourists. There was apparently some huge medical convention being held and Harry had heard from one of his buddies that nearly every hotel room was booked.

“Sorry about it being so crowded,” Harry said, apologizing to her as they sipped their drinks.

“It’s okay,” Hermione said as she looked up at the sky, which was even more ominous than it was when they set out. The entire time she’d been in the Abacos it had yet to rain and she had a feeling that was about to change.

“So, did you have any ideas?” Harry asked conversationally. “I’ve never asked anyone to marry me, let alone helped anyone do it, so I guess we’re leaving this up to you.”

“Neither have I,” Hermione said, with a laugh. “Unless you count Jean Claude from school. He said he’d marry me because I helped him with his Transfiguration essay.”

“Now that’s romantic!” Harry said, teasingly.

“I know,” Hermione said, pretending to wipe away a tear. “I get misty-eyed thinking about it even now.”

Harry laughed.

“But other than that one proposal when I was twelve,” Hermione said, still laughing, “I’ve never had any other experience with those.”

“Okay,” Harry said, smiling as she pulled out a notepad from her bag. She was one of the most organized people he’d ever met in his life. “So, romantic things…romantic things…”

“Did we want to do this on the beach or in the house?” Hermione asked, not realizing at first what she had said. Harry nearly choked on his drink.

Hermione blushed. “The proposal, of course. Did we want to set something up for them on the beach or in the house?”

“Right, right,” Harry said, still choking.

“I’m thinking we should probably set up something nice for them inside,” Hermione said, changing the subject. “Maybe a nice, romantic dinner where we could dim the lights, use candles and play soft music... I haven’t known Eva very long, but I don’t think she’s into the real showy-type gestures. She’s more of a simple, easy-going type of person. I think Sirius would be better off with something low-key, straightforward, and romantic.”

He nodded. “Okay, so we could have dinner waiting for them…this will obviously be left to me.”

She laughed. “Well, if I cooked, I’d probably send them straight to the hospital.”

“Which is why I think you should stick to the music and setting,” Harry said, smiling as she wrote this down.

“Okay,” she said. She began thinking of some nice, romantic songs she thought Sirius and Eva might like and wrote down some suggestions in her notepad. By the end of lunch, she and Harry had come up with many ideas. She was putting her notepad back in her bag when a clap of thunder caused her to jump.

“What’s wrong?” Harry asked with mild concern.

“Oh, nothing’s wrong,” she said dismissively.

“Well, that nothing that made you jump is obviously something,” he said with a slight smirk.

“If you must know,” she said in a hushed voice, “I'm not very fond of thunderstorms.”

“You're not fond of them? Why?” Harry asked.

Hermione looked embarrassed. “It’s silly, I know, but I'm afraid of them...”

“Oh, you’re afraid of them?” Harry asked with a more serious look. “It’s not silly,” he said reassuringly, “everyone has something they’re afraid of.”

“You don’t,” she said.

He laughed. “Yes, I do.”

She looked at him, unconvinced. “Okay, what are you afraid of?”

He shook his head. “I’m not going to tell you that.”

“Oh, come on!” she exclaimed. “I told you what I was afraid of! It’s only fair that you tell me something you’re afraid of, Harry James Potter! If you don’t reciprocate, I’m never going to speak to you again!”

“What are you? Eight?” he asked but it only elicited a glare from her. “Okay, okay,” he said. “But you can’t tell another living soul about this. No one knows about this. No one. Not one single person. Not one…”

“Will you just tell me what it is and be done with it?” Hermione asked impatiently.

“Okay,” he said then looked intently at the table and mumbled something unintelligible.

Hermione screwed up her face. “What are clummuboobles?” she asked, her eyebrow raised inquisitively.

"Clowns," he said, this time loud and clear. “Those creepy, unnatural carney-folk!”

Hermione stared at him. She’d certainly not expected his big fear in life were…clowns.

“Clowns...” she said, letting that sink in.

“Yes,” he said, turning red.

“Why?”

“Why?” he asked her. “Have you seen a clown before? Those are some freaky fuckers, Hermione! They’re—”

“You shouldn’t feel embarrassed,” she interrupted. “There’s actually a name for it. It’s called ‘Coulrophobia’. It’s the abnormal and persistent fear of clowns. It’s quite common, actually.”

“So I’m not alone then?” he asked, laughing.

“You’re not alone,” she said, smiling back at him.

Another rumble of thunder interrupted their conversation.

“We’d better settle this tab and head on back home before this gets any worse,” Harry said, getting to his feet. She nodded and followed him inside the restaurant. By the time they’d paid the bill, it had started to rain and they looked out the glass doors to see that the wind had really picked up.

“That’s really bad, isn’t it?” she said, worriedly.

“I’ve seen worse,” he said, trying to keep her calm. It did look quite bad, but he wasn’t about to tell her that.

“What do you think we should do?” Hermione asked.

“Let me check with the front desk,” he said. “Perhaps they know the weather report and when this storm will be over. You stay here and I’ll be right back.”

Hermione nodded and looked out of the glass doors again. If she was grateful for anything, at least she and Harry were safe on land when the storm came up. She didn’t think she’d have been able to handle it if they’d been on the boat.

Harry was gone for quite some time and Hermione was about to go and check on him when she saw him coming toward her. He looked quite apprehensive.

“What is it?” she asked.

He sighed. “The bad news? The storm is supposed to stay around awhile. The forecasters expect it to be an all-nighter.”

Hermione’s face paled.

“It’s okay,” he said quickly. “We’re going to be fine.”

She nodded, but didn’t look convinced. “Okay, well if you have bad news, there has to be some good news to go along with it, right? Please tell me you have some good news.”

“I do,” he said. “When I heard about the storm, I asked if they had any rooms available. At first, the desk clerk said they didn’t have anything, but it just so happens they had a cancellation.”

“Great,” Hermione said.

“Not so great, really,” Harry said.

“How so?” she asked.

“There’s only one room,” he said, producing a keycard.

“Oh,” she said. “So we’ll be…”

“Sharing a room,” he finished for her.

“Oh...”

“Yeah.”

“Well, it’s just for one night,” Hermione reasoned.

“True,” Harry said.

“We can do this,” she said, taking the keycard from him. “It’s not like anything would happen, right?”

“Right,” he said weakly. He was glad that she was so confident about this because he had no bloody idea how he was going to make it through the night. No bloody idea whatsoever.

Chapter Fourteen

Author’s note: Sorry for the delay in getting this out to you guys and I apologize ahead of time about how “short” this chapter is. This will probably be the shortest chapter of this story. I hope to make up for it later. I hope you guys like it. Thanks again to everyone for reading and for reviewing.

Chapter Fourteen

Broken Arrow

Who else is gonna bring you a broken arrow
Who else is gonna bring you a bottle of rain
There he goes moving across the water
There he goes turning my whole world around

Do you feel what I feel
Can we make it so that's part of the deal
I gotta hold you in these arms of steel
Lay your heart on the line this time

(Rod Stewart, “Broken Arrow”)

The next morning on Elbow Cay, the sun was shining brightly and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. It was hard to believe that just last night the island had been hit by a violent storm. Some employees from the resort were busily sweeping up debris. Hermione watched them from the restaurant, an untouched cup of coffee and blueberry muffin set on the table before her. She wasn’t hungry, but she’d thought she’d at least order something.

Hermione had woken up a little after eight. Not wanting to wake Harry, she’d showered and changed clothes and tiptoed out of the room. She needed to think and that certainly couldn’t be done while lying beside him in bed. It would be much too tempting repeat what had happened last night.

Last night...

They’d talked. He’d shared something with her that he hadn’t told many people and it meant something to her. HE meant something to her. All this time, she’d wondered what exactly he meant to her, but last night she’d gotten her answer. Was it possible to fall in love so fast? Seeing that she had never been “in love” before, Hermione honestly didn’t know.

She did know that no one had ever made her feel the way Harry did---warm, safe, protected, and most importantly loved. He’d been so gentle and caring last night.

Silently, she cursed herself for thinking about him like this. She wasn’t supposed to be falling for the best friend of her boyfriend.

Ron.

He’d been the furthest thing on her mind last night. Truth be told, she hadn’t really thought about him much since she’d arrived on Isla Solarte. What kind of person does that? she asked herself. Ron was nice. He was charming and he was funny. They had absolutely nothing in common and at the beginning that had been okay. As their relationship progressed, they fought about their differences. Ron liked to go out and have a good time with his Quidditch mates. Hermione was all for having a good time, of course, but she was much more at home in quieter places. To Hermione, a good time could be had spending time on the sofa watching old movies and eating take away. Her idea of a good time wasn’t watching Ron play darts with his mates while they all got pissed and told lame jokes. That was what they’d done on their last three dates.

And six months into the relationship, Hermione still had her doubts. She cared about Ron, but she didn’t think it was love.

But Harry? He was like no one she’d ever met. After the crummy childhood he had she wouldn’t have been surprised if he had grown to be a cold, distant person. But, he wasn’t like that at all. He was caring, compassionate, and open. When she was with him, she felt as if she could tell him anything. In fact, she’d told him things that she’d shared with neither her family nor closest friends. And he’d listened. He’d cared. It felt as if she’d known him all her life instead of for a few short weeks.

Thinking about Harry in this way was wrong, though. No matter what she felt, she knew she couldn’t be the reason that caused his friendship with Ron to fall apart. Long before she entered the picture, Ron and Harry were best friends. If Ron found about what happened, he’d never speak to either of them again. He certainly wouldn’t give them his blessing and wish them well. The conversation she’d had with Ron a few months back replayed itself in her head. Ron’s words echoed in her mind:

“I’m a shit for thinking like that, I know. But you don’t know what it was like. He was always… it was just that things always seemed to come so easy for him. Everyone expected greatness from him, and he never seemed to disappoint. I was always jealous of him because he always seemed to get what he wanted; even what I wanted.”

Hermione had known how Ron felt. Yet, she couldn’t help herself. She’d given into her feelings last night and in the process betrayed a man she’d committed herself. The guilt and shame she was feeling at the moment was making her stomach turn. She pushed the plate of food away from her and leaned back in the chair wondering what in the world she was going to do about this mess she’d created.

Hermione knew what she wanted to do. She wanted to run back upstairs to the hotel room and confess how she felt to Harry. But, he was, no doubt, going to feel bad about what they’d done as well. Ron was his best friend after all. So, she knew what she had to do. Go back upstairs and tell Harry that what happened was a mistake and it would never, ever happen again.

It would be a lie, of course. And she’d always been a terrible liar. If only Lavender were here or Eva, Hermione thought wistfully. It would be so nice to have someone to talk to about this. But, it wasn’t up to Lavender or Eva to decide for her. The decision ultimately was up to her.

~~~~~~

~~~~~~~

Harry awoke the next morning with a smile on his face. He didn’t know where his glasses were and at the moment, he could care less. Turning over on his side, he reached for Hermione but to his dismay, only managed to grab a pillow.

“Hermione?” he called out, his voice scratchy with sleep. There was no answer. Harry closed his eyes and sank back down into the pillows. She wasn’t there.

He didn’t know what that meant. Was she ashamed of what they’d done? Did she need time on her own to think about what had happened and what it all meant? It killed Harry to think that she would be feeling guilty about cheating on Ron when Ron had been cheating on her almost from the start.

Harry didn’t know when or why or how it happened, but he’d fallen for Hermione. Two months ago he’d no idea who she was. Now, he couldn’t imagine spending one day without her.

Sirius had always said that love was something that stumbled into you when least expected. Harry had always rolled his eyes whenever Sirius would say this and dismiss it for the cliché that it was. But, much to Harry’s chagrin, Sirius had been right. Of course, Harry would never tell the smug bastard that.

Harry certainly hadn’t planned or expected to ever meet someone like Hermione Granger. But, here she was. Well, at the moment, she wasn’t here. And he knew the reason why.

Ron.

No matter what Ron had done behind Hermione’s back, it certainly didn’t justify or excuse sleeping with Hermione behind his back. Harry could only imagine the sort of reaction he’d get from his best mate if he found out what had happened in this room last night. It certainly wasn’t as if Ron would shake his hand and wish him well. If Harry pursued any kind of romantic relationship with Hermione, he knew he could kiss his friendship with Ron goodbye.

Was he really willing to throw away a 13-year friendship for the love of a woman he’d not even known a couple of months? Harry honestly didn’t know.

But he did know what he had to do; what he must do if he wanted to keep Ron as a friend. The only problem was, Harry had no idea how he was going to do it.

~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~

The bloke on the minds of both Harry and Hermione was, at the moment, watching Melinda dress. She’d stopped by his flat on the way back from some meeting and one thing had led to another and they’d found themselves in Ron’s bed.

Melinda looked over her shoulder at Ron, who was sitting up in bed.

“So, your girl is getting back soon, eh?” she asked conversationally.

Ron nodded and wondered why Melinda was talking about Hermione.

“Two weeks,” he replied.

Ron was also wondering why Harry hadn’t bothered to write him back. He’d sent that letter days ago wanting Harry to give him advice. Harry wasn’t the most reliable pen pal, of course, but he wasn’t usually so slow in responding. As Ron watched Melinda pull her jumper on, Ron realized that getting out of this mess was going to be up to him alone. Besides, Harry didn’t even know Hermione. He couldn’t really give an objective answer, could he?

“So what is she like?” Melinda asked turning to face Ron properly.

Ron laughed. “You want me to talk about my girlfriend with you after you and I just shagged?”

“Why not?” Melinda shrugged. “Now’s a good time as any, right?”

“Not really,” Ron muttered. “What about your boyfriend? What’s he like when he’s at home?”

“Sean?” Melinda asked her features twisting in thought.

“He has a name!” Ron teased. “Sean. Okay, what else?”

Melinda sighed. “Well, our families have known each other for years. We’ve practically known each other since we were in nappies.”

“And?”

“And I love him very much,” Melinda said simply.

“You do?” Ron asked her. He was amazed by this. “But you’re doing the dirty to him, Mel. Come on, there’s got to be more to it than that. He’s got to be a drunk or something. Tell me that he calls you names or forgets your birthday or something. There has to be a reason why you’re…well, why we’re….”

Melinda giggled. “Has anyone ever told you that you’re cute when you get all flustered? Okay, okay. Don’t sulk, Ron. Sean isn’t a drunk. He always remembers my birthday and he treats me quite well. I love him with all my heart and soul.”

“But…”

“But nothing,” Melinda interjected. “That’s all there is to it.”

“But you and I?”

“Well, you and I are just having a bit of fun, right?” Melinda asked. “We’re two adults getting something out of an easy relationship, right? Besides, you said so yourself, you love this girl, Hermione. Why are cheating on her if you’re so happy?”

Ron had asked himself that same question over the last few weeks. The answer to it wasn’t going to make him look good in anyone’s eyes, least of all Hermione’s.

“I do love her, Mel. It’s just complicated.”

“I don’t think it is,” Melinda said, slipping on her shoes. “I don’t think you’re ready to settle down yet with anyone. You’re still ready to have fun.”

Ron shook his head vehemently. “That’s not true. I-I’m thinking of asking Hermione to marry me.”

Melinda laughed. “You?”

Ron stared at her with a hurt expression on his face. “Why are you laughing? I don’t think what I said was all that funny…”

“Trust me,” Melinda said, stifling her laughter. “You…married? I just don’t see it happening anytime soon.”

“It will you know,” Ron said determinedly. “In fact, I think it’s just what I need. If I have that commitment from her, I won’t need to look around for anyone else, will I? Why haven’t I thought of this before? This is what I’ve needed to do all along. I’ve just been repeating the same mistakes over and over again and hurting someone I love. The answer has been here all this time. Melinda, you’re a genius!”

Melinda stared bemusedly at him. “You’re right about me being a genius, but I don’t know what I said to make you think that you needed to go and propose to this poor girl. Ron, come off it. You will never change.”

“That’s where you’re wrong,” Ron said, pulling the covers back and getting out of bed. “I’m going to take a shower and then I’m going ring shopping.”

Melinda sighed and shook her head. “Good luck, Ron. I think you’re going to need it.”

Ron grinned and pecked her on the cheek.

He was going to do this. Ron Weasley was finally going to take that step and grow up. He was going to ask Hermione to marry him and they’d live happily ever after like they did in those Muggle fairy tales. Ron was giddy as he turned on the shower. He’d figured it out all by himself without Harry’s help.

Hermione Granger Weasley. Now that has a wonderful ring to it!

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hermione slid the keycard in the lock and slowly opened the door. Harry was sitting up in bed. His hair was as unruly and disheveled as ever. The prepared speech she’d gone over in the restaurant left her mind completely as she looked at him. This wasn’t going to be easy, she thought to herself as she closed the door behind her.

“I…um,” she began.

“Listen, Hermione…” he said at the same time.

Harry laughed nervously and Hermione suddenly became very interested in the pattern on the carpet.

“You go ahead,” Harry finally said.

“No,” Hermione said looking up. “You…”

“Okay,” Harry said. “I was worried when I woke up and you were gone. You don’t have to explain or anything. I can guess why you left this morning. I think I need to apologize…”

Hermione looked at him in surprise. “Why are you apologizing? What happened between us last night wasn’t your fault, Harry. I initiated it, didn’t I?”

“Maybe,” Harry said quietly. “But I certainly didn’t turn you down, did I?”

Sitting down on the edge of the bed, Hermione put her head in her hands. “It was my fault. I should have just gone back home to London when I had the chance.”

Harry knew he was treading into dangerous waters by asking what he was about to, but he had to know. He had to know he wasn’t alone in this; that she felt the same way he did. “And why didn’t you? Why didn’t you go?”

Hermione looked away. “Because I didn’t want to go.”

“I didn’t want you to go either,” he said softly, placing his hand on her shoulder. Despite the situation, Hermione smiled.

“What are we doing, Harry?”

“I wish I knew,” he replied, wishing that she would turn around and look at him so he could see her face.

“This morning when I woke up, I felt as if it had all been a dream. I know it sounds so corny, but I did. I was asleep in your arms and I just remember thinking that I never wanted to be anywhere else. And then…”

“…you thought about Ron,” Harry finished. His hand fell from her shoulder. The man whose name neither of them had mentioned was suddenly the biggest presence in the room.

“He’s your best friend, Harry.”

“Don’t you think I know that?” Harry snapped. Her back was still to him, but when he’d snapped at her like that, she’d jumped. Instantly, he felt bad for reacting like that. Harry’s own guilt was eating away at him, too. “I didn’t mean it like that, Hermione. I’m sorry.”

Hermione wanted to turn around and look at him, but she couldn’t move. She found it completely bizarre that last night, she’d bared her body and soul to him and now she couldn’t even force herself to look him in the eye.

“Hermione? Look at me, please.”

Slowly, she turned around and looked into his piercing green eyes. He scooted closer to her and cupped her face in his hands.

“Are we being honest here?” he asked softly.

She nodded.

“Okay,” he said. “Here goes. Last night was amazing. Being with you like that was amazing. I don’t think it was a mistake. If anything, it was the wrong timing. But, I don’t think what happened between us last night was a mistake. And I’m not going to apologize for it.”

“You’re not?”

He shook his head. “Being with you doesn’t feel wrong, Hermione. In fact, being with you feels about as right as it can get.”

Hermione hugged him and he held her in his arms for quite some time. Gently, he pulled away so he could look at her when he said what he was about to say.

“I want to be with you,” Harry said, tilting her chin up so she would look at him. “What do you want?”

A tear rolled down her cheek as she looked up at him. “I want to be with you too.”

Harry smiled and gently pressed his lips to hers.

“We’ll figure something out, Hermione,” Harry said softly, pushing back a strand of hair from her face. “I promise.”

When he said it like that, she almost believed him. Snuggling against him, she let out a contented sigh. Harry kissed the top of her head.

Hermione did the one thing she wanted to do since she’d woken up this morning. She kissed him and let herself relax into his arms. Their kissing became more intense and in a matter of minutes, Harry was undoing the buttons on her blouse again as she was running her hands through his hair.

Hermione arched towards him and they made love again, forgetting--for a while at least-- the guilt that both of them still felt about what they were doing and how it would hurt someone they both cared about.

*****

Later that afternoon, Harry and Hermione finally made it back to Isla Solarte. The island didn’t have much damage from the storm, save for some downed tree limbs and scattered leaves. A few lounge chairs were overturned on the deck to the guest house and Hermione made a mental note to do some cleaning up after she got settled in.

Harry was still down at the docks securing the boat. She’d offered to help, but he’d told her to go on because her being there would only distract him. With a lingering kiss goodbye, she’d walked back toward the guest house.

To her surprise, the moment she opened the door, she saw that she had a letter waiting for her. This was quite strange because she’d not told anyone where she was going. Only Remus Lupin knew and he’d only contact her if there was an emergency. Hermione’s breath caught in her throat and she wondered for an awful moment that perhaps something bad had happened to someone in her family or to Lavender.

Hermione walked over to the couch and opened up the letter.

Hermione:

I really don’t know how to say this, but I feel that you really need to know. You know that I’ve never been Ron Weasley’s biggest fan and at first, I thought I was just being a paranoid, protective best friend, but the other day I found out that my suspicions about the redheaded louse were correct! Hermione, I hate to tell you this, but I really think Ron is sneaking around behind your back! The other day I was having lunch at an outdoor café when I saw him walk out of a shop, arm in arm with some blonde floozy! They snogged right out in the street like it was the most natural thing in the world to do and it took everything that I had not to run across the street and hex him into the next century!

I hate to tell you all of this by letter, but I really couldn’t wait until you came back. I know that if our positions were reversed, you’d tell me. You’ve always been a great friend to me. You are a wonderful, caring, loving person and you deserve nothing but the best, Hermione! The Ron Weasleys of this world don’t have a clue as to how special you are and they never will!

I miss you and hope that you take this news well. When you get back, we can plot full-scale revenge on the bastard! He’ll regret the day he ever messed around on you! I can guarantee that!

Your best friend,

Lavender

Hermione read and reread the letter again each time trying to wrap her brain around the words. This couldn’t be true, could it? Lavender wouldn’t lie. Anger swelled up in Hermione as she thought about Ron’s excuses for missing dates. Suddenly it all made sense. Hermione felt like such a fool for not realizing it herself.

Harry knocked on the door. Without waiting for a response, he came inside.

“Okay, I know we said we were going to each take a nap, but I couldn’t let you go without one last kiss…”

He stopped in his tracks when he saw the look on Hermione’s face.

“What is it?” he asked concernedly.

Hermione handed him the letter. “You’re not going to believe this…”

Author’s note: I know this is a day late (okay two days late) and probably a page short (forgive that pathetic attempt at humor—it’s early and I need to get ready for work), but hopefully it will have been well worth the wait. And you do have a cliffie at the end---come on you guys know that I’d have another one (or two) left in me! Please tell me what you think! I apologize for not responding as well to the reviews as I have in the past but I did read each and every one and I am amazed and grateful for the response that I’m getting on this story!

Chapter Fifteen

Crash

Touch your lips just so I know
In your eyes, love, it glows so
I'm bare-boned and crazy... for you.

Oh, and you come crash into me
Baby, and I come into you
In a boy's dream
In a boy's dream

And if I've gone overboard
Then I'm begging you
To forgive me
In my haste
When I'm holding you so girl,
Close to me

(Crash, Dave Matthews Band)

She was staring out at the ocean taking in the breathtaking view. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky and the sun was reflecting off the ocean. It was a perfect day---outside. Inside, it was a completely different story. Harry had read the letter twice and he was literally at a loss for words. He didn’t know what to say. He was afraid anything he said would make things worse and after everything he and Hermione had been through, he didn’t want to do that.

“Hermione…”

“I woke up this morning feeling so guilty about what I’d done to him,” Hermione interjected, her back still to Harry. “I hated myself for what I’d done to him.”

Absently, she ran a hand through her hair. “I’m not saying that I really have a leg to stand on here, Harry. I’ve never been one of those people who used the old two wrongs making a right excuse. I always thought that was such a copout.”

“Hermione…”

She turned suddenly and looked at him. “Did you know about what he was doing? You’re his best mate after all. I’m sure he told you all about it; knowing him he probably bragged about it, too.”

Harry looked away and Hermione had her answer.

“That’s just great,” she said quietly. “You knew and you didn’t tell me.”

“How long?” Hermione asked him point-blank. “How long has he been doing this? From the start?”

Harry nodded.

“I can’t believe I was such an idiot!” Hermione exclaimed. “I should have seen this coming. He would cancel dates. He would show up late for certain things. And I never once questioned him. I thought it was because I wasn’t—“

“Wasn’t what?”

Hermione shook her head. “It doesn’t matter, Harry. I just---I’ve been feeling guilty for what happened. I felt like I’d betrayed him. And I have, but still…”

Inwardly, Harry groaned. While he was beyond glad that Hermione knew the complete truth now, he was afraid of what it would ultimately mean for them---him and Hermione. He felt like a selfish jerk, but it was how he was truthfully feeling at the moment.

As if there is even an “us” to consider. Our ‘relationship’ is over before it even had a chance to begin.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Hermione asked him, her eyes shining with tears.

There it was---the big question.

“It wasn’t my place to tell you, Hermione,” Harry finally answered. “I wanted to tell you so many times, but I just couldn’t do it.”

“Just go,” Hermione said, turning away from him. “Just go, Harry.”

Harry nodded and placed the letter back on the coffee table. He was halfway to the door when he stopped himself. If she thought he was going to let her go that easily, she had another thing coming.

“It wasn’t my place to tell you, Hermione,” Harry said startling her. She turned around and looked at him, her arms crossed.

“Not your place?”

“No,” Harry replied, shaking his head. “Hermione, he’s still my best mate. If you ask me, he’s a complete idiot for not realizing the kind of girl he had in you. If you were mine—I wouldn’t need anyone else. Look, I don’t know what to say to make you understand this, Hermione. I was angry when I found out what he was doing. In his letters, he never mentioned you by name until…well, until his last letter. When I found out it was you, I was even more pissed off.”

Hermione didn’t answer him. She just stared at him with an infuriatingly unreadable expression on her face.

This wasn’t going well at all and Harry suddenly had a feeling that no matter what he said he was going to end up looking like the bad guy.

“Look,” Harry started again. “Put yourself in my place, Hermione. What would you have done if your best friend was dating someone that you knew and you found out that person was cheating on her?”

“I’d tell her,” Hermione answered without a moment’s hesitation.

“But what if you…what if you were in the love with that other person?” Harry asked.

Hermione’s mouth dropped. “W-what?”

“What if you were…what if you were in love with that other person?” Harry repeated. His eyes fixed on hers.

Now it was Hermione who seemed to be at a loss for words.

“I…”

“It would complicate things a bit, wouldn’t it?” Harry asked her. “It was precisely because of that why I didn’t say anything. Don’t you think it would have been easy for me to just tell you straightaway? I wanted to, Hermione.”

“But he’s your best mate,” Hermione finished for him.

“Yeah.”

Hermione walked past him and settled back down on the sofa, hugging her legs to her chest. For the longest time, neither of them spoke.

“So what did his letters say?” Hermione asked quietly.

“He only mentioned your name in the last letter,” Harry replied truthfully. “Before you came down here he mentioned that he’d starting dating someone and that he wanted to be faithful, but he didn’t see how he could.”

He braced himself for her to come back with how he was able to tell her this now, but not before. No response came from Hermione though.

“I didn’t know it was you until in his last letter he mentioned you by name,” Harry continued.

“What…what did he say about me?”

“He asked for my help,” Harry said sitting down opposite her. “He wanted me to tell him what to do.”

“And did you?”

Harry shook his head. “I never wrote him back. I didn’t know what to say. If I told him to chuck you, you would have been hurt and it would have been for entirely selfish reasons, wouldn’t it? And if I’d told him to stop cheating and realize what he’d had in you, he would have done what he always does—which is whatever he wants. He doesn’t always think about the big picture before he acts. Never really has.”

Hermione smiled slightly. “That’s what I heard about you.”

“I was young,” Harry said smiling back at her. “I would like to think I’ve grown up a little since then.”

“You have,” Hermione said softly. “A little.”

Harry walked over to her and knelt down before her. Taking her hands in his, he looked solemnly at her. “I meant what I said, Hermione.”

“You didn’t actually say it,” Hermione whispered.

Harry smiled. “No, technically I guess I didn’t.”

“I do love you,” he said softly. “And maybe it’s too soon, but I wanted you to know that. And that I’m sorry for not telling you about…”

She put her finger on his lips. “It’s okay. I understand. I might not like it, but…but I understand why you didn’t.”

Harry tilted her chin and pressed his lips to hers. Hermione pulled away a few seconds later and rested her forehead on his. “Harry?”

“Yes,” he whispered.

“I love you, too.”

He smiled broadly at her and kissed her again; putting every bit of emotion he had into that one kiss.

When they pulled apart a few minutes later, Hermione gave him a slight smile.

“But…” Harry began, sensing that she had something else to say.

“I need to go home,” Hermione finished.

“What? Why?”

Hermione sighed and took his hands in hers. “So much has happened in such a short amount of time. I…I think we need….some time.”

“Time?”

Hermione nodded. “I need to break things off with Ron. Things weren’t working out with him long before I came here and met you and…fell in love…”

Her voice trailed off and she blushed.

“But why do you have to leave?” Harry asked her. “Stay. You still have a couple more weeks for your holiday….”

“You said it yourself, Harry. He’s your best mate. Do you really want to give up your friendship with someone you’ve known for so long for a girl you haven’t even known two months? I don’t want to make you choose between us, Harry.”

“But…”

Hermione shook her head. “You and I both know if he found out that you and I were together, he’d never speak to you again. He’d think it was just one more thing that you took from him. And we both know it wasn’t like that, but Ron---he won’t see it like that.”

He knew she was right, but he didn’t see how he’d be able to let her go. In the back of his mind, he’d always figured that Ron would be upset, but eventually would get over it and perhaps they’d even all be friends someday.

You are a complete idiot. That would never happen.

“I just think we both need to take some time apart and see what it is we really want,” Hermione said thoughtfully. “It won’t be easy, but I really do think it will be for the best.”

Harry touched her cheek. “These feelings aren’t going to go away, Hermione.”

“Of course they won’t,” Hermione agreed. “I’m not leaving to try and forget you, Harry. That’s never going to happen. Your home is here. This is where you’ve made a life for yourself. This is where you’ve found peace. I wouldn’t make you give that up.”

Harry wanted to tell her that none of that mattered. That he could see himself giving it all up just to be with her. He wanted to tell her that he wanted her to stay. He should have told her these things, but instead he kept quiet. The words froze in his throat.

Instead he heard himself asking her, “When did you want to leave?”

“Tomorrow afternoon,” Hermione replied. “I wanted to help you with Sirius’ proposal plans. I’m going to see about setting up a portkey.”

She stood up, but Harry grabbed her arm.

”What?” she asked softly.

“Stay with me tonight,” he whispered, leaning in for a kiss. “Just one more night…”

For an awful moment, Harry worried that she’d say no; that it would be easier to just say goodbye now. Instead, she closed the space between them and looped her arms around his neck.

“Okay,” she said with a grin. “I was hoping you’d ask…”

~~~~~~~

Two days later, Sirius and Eva docked their boat on Isla Solarte.

“So, you’re not going to tell me what you’re up to?” Eva asked, looking sideways at him as he helped her out of the boat.

“Why do you think I’m up to anything?” he asked her innocently. “I’m not always up to something, you know.”

Eva laughed. “Sirius Black. You are always up to something. And I can read you like a book. You haven’t given me my birthday present yet and you keep nudging me every five minutes to tell me that I’m going to love it and that it’s going to be the best birthday present ever. You have quite the flair for the dramatic.”

“Me?”

“Yes, you,” Eva said, kissing him on the cheek. “I cannot wait to lie down. I’m exhausted.”

Sirius frowned. “You can’t lie down just yet.”

“You wanna bet?”

“Actually I do,” Sirius said smiling at her. “Look, I need you to just sit down right here and I will be right back to come and get you when I make sure that everything’s ready.”

Eva stared at him. “You make it sound like I’m a dog.”

“You’re not a dog,” Sirius said dismissively. “Look, sit.”

He sat her down on the bench and ignored the look on her face. “Stay right here. And I will be right back to fetch…I mean….get you.”

“Sirius…”

“I’ll be right back, my love.”

Sirius was giddy with anticipation as he quickly made his way toward the house. He wanted to make sure that Harry and Hermione had everything set up. Sure enough, he could smell something fantastic coming from the house. Candles lined the walkway along with Eva’s favorite flowers, Heliconias.

Harry was standing at the door grinning at his godfather.

“Fantastic job, Harry!”

Harry shrugged. “So I take it I did well?”

“Bloody brilliant, is what you are!” Sirius exclaimed happily. “I can’t wait to see Eva’s face. She doesn’t suspect anything. Well, she knows I’m up to something, but I don’t think she knows what exactly.”

“Where is Eva?”

“On the docks,” Sirius answered, giving him a hug. “I told her to stay down there while I made sure everything was okay. She looked at me as if I was mad and maybe I am, but I just want this to be perfect.”

“It will be,” Harry said. “We’ve set everything up; the rest, Old Man, is up to you.”

“You’ve got a romantic dinner set up on the patio and there are fresh strawberries and champagne chilling in the kitchen,” Harry continued. “And the stereo is set to play all of your old jazz records that you love so much.”

Sirius beamed at him. “That’s fantastic, Harry! I don’t know what to do to repay you for all of this…”

“How about never meddling in my life again?” Harry asked, only half-joking. “That would be a start.”

“I think I can do that,” Sirius said impishly. “Well, don’t expect me to quit cold turkey, of course. Baby steps, Harry. Baby steps.”

Harry laughed. “Well, I guess I’ll leave you to it then…”

“Not just yet,” Sirius said, pulling him back. “Where’s Hermione? I want to thank her for all that she did, too.”

Harry’s face fell at the mention of Hermione’s name.

“Harry?”

“If you want to thank her, you’ll have to send her a thank you card,” Harry finally answered.

“What?”

“She left this afternoon,” Harry said quietly. Sirius looked expectantly at him for more details, but Harry just shook his head. “I’ll tell you about it tomorrow, Sirius. Just leave it for now. Go get your woman and ask her to marry you. Tomorrow I’ll take her to get her head examined.”

Sirius didn’t laugh. “Something happened, didn’t it?”

“Don’t worry about it now,” Harry said dismissively. “I’m going to stay in the guest house tonight. You two have fun. Good luck.”

“Harry…” Sirius said, but his godson was already walking away toward the guesthouse.

***************

Nearly an hour later, Eva and Sirius were finishing up their meal. Eva was still quite tired from the flight, but she was enjoying the fresh air and the company. She’d been quite surprised to see all the trouble that Sirius had gone to for her birthday celebration, but she had a feeling that he was up to something else. He had that gleam in his eye that he always got when he knew something you didn’t. It was one of the things she loved most about him.

“Okay, birthday girl,” Sirius said, pouring her another glass of wine. “How about some birthday cake?”

Eva shook her head. “Where would I put it? Sirius, I’m stuffed.”

He frowned. “You don’t have to eat any of it, Eva. Just blow out the candles.”

“Please tell me you didn’t put forty-five candles on that cake,” Eva said, narrowing her eyes at him.

“Are you crazy?” Sirius asked. “I don’t want to burn the place down!”

Eva glared at him. “Need I remind you that you are three months older than me?”

“No,” Sirius said grinning at her. “You don’t need to remind me.”

He disappeared inside to get the birthday cake and his hands were shaking as he placed the engagement ring in the middle of the cake. He pulled out his wand and lit the candles.

“Happy birthday to you,” he sang as he walked back outside carrying the cake. “Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday, dear Eva. Happy birthday to you!”

Eva groaned. “Well, I don’t love you for your singing…”

“Shut it you!” Sirius said, sitting the cake down in front of her. “Blow out your candles, my love.”

She smiled and did as she was told. When she looked down at the cake she saw something sparkling in the icing. Her breath caught in her throat as she saw the gold solitaire ring.

“Oh my God,” Eva managed to choke out. Sirius grinned.

“Oh my God,” she repeated.

“You said that,” Sirius said with a laugh. He took the ring from the cake and wiped it off with his serviette. He knelt before her.

“Eva,” he said softly. “I love you so much. Everyday I wake up and I am so grateful that I found you. I’ve never been good at all this mushy, romantic stuff, but what I’m trying to say—rather inarticulately is that I love you, Eva. I want to spend the rest of my life with you and I hope that you’ll take pity on an old soul and say that you want the same thing, too. Will you marry me?”

Tears were shining in Eva’s eyes as he slipped the ring on her finger. “Yes, Sirius. I’ll marry you.”

From the guesthouse patio, Harry watched the scene unfold. He didn’t hear what his godfather said, but he didn’t really have to. If ever two people were meant for each other, it was Eva and Sirius. As Harry watched Eva hug Sirius, Harry wondered if something like that would ever happen to him. Hermione was gone and there was a really good possibility that he’d never see her again. He didn’t like thinking of that.

After all these years, Sirius was finally getting what he wanted. He had the love of a good woman and he’d always been happy here on Isla Solarte. Harry had always been happy too, or so he’d thought. In the back of his mind, he’d always thought that something or someone was missing. He hadn’t really known what until Hermione had walked into his life. He wondered what she was doing now. Was she thinking of him? Had she seen Ron yet?

Harry closed his eyes and tried to block out images of her from his brain, but it was hopeless. She was there. Even being in the guesthouse was bringing back a flood of memories for him. The first time he’d seen her; their last night here. This wasn’t going to be easy, he thought as he walked back into the guesthouse.

**********

Ron was enjoying an early morning breakfast when he heard a knock on the door. Melinda had left a few minutes ago and he’d broken things off with her. They’d both decided it was for the best, especially since he’d bought the engagement ring a couple of days ago. His decision was made. Hermione would be back in a couple of weeks and then everything would fall into place. They’d get married, they’d raise a family and they’d be happy.

Ron smiled as he made his way to the door and picked up Melinda’s black, racy bra that she’d left behind and knew she was back for it. He began fantasizing about her newest attempt to detract him from proposing to Hermione and finally leaving his cheating days behind him. “Just one more go, Ron... For old time’s sake?” she’d ask. Ron would smile and shake his head but he’d still gaze at her perfect figure, her long, blonde hair, and full lips... It would be hard, but he’d tell her no, even though the thought of the encounter drove him mad with anticipation.

“Did you forget your bra on purpose?” Ron asked as he swung open the door. “It won’t work this time, Mel—“

“Hello, Ron, miss me?” Hermione asked coldly.

Author’s note: Guys, I am soooooo sorry for the long delay in updates. Life’s been really crazy and Heaven and I are working hard on the fourth and final story for the Dirty Dancing universe. I hope that you like this chapter. And I have chosen a country song for this one---they have the best cheating songs. Thank you for all the reviews and kind words---I appreciate them so much!

Chapter 16

Blame It on Your Heart

You've got a thing or two to learn about me baby
'cause I ain't taking it no more and I don't mean maybe
You don't know right from wrong
Well the love we had is gone
So blame it on your lying, cheating, cold dead-beating,
Two-timing, double-dealing
Mean, mistreating, loving heart

(Patty Loveless, “Blame It On Your Heart”)

“Hermione,” Ron said brightly. “What…what are you doing here? I thought you weren’t supposed to be back for a fortnight.”

She wasn’t looking at him, though. She was looking at the black, lacy bra in his hands. “Is that yours?”

“Is what mine?” Ron asked innocently.

“That,” Hermione said, pointing to the bra.

“Oh, this!” Ron said with a laugh. “There’s a good explanation for this actually.”

Hermione folded her arms and looked at him expectantly. She couldn’t wait to see what sort of excuse he came up with for this. She hoped that he gave her some credit.

Ron laughed nervously. He didn’t speak for quite some time and Hermione could practically hear the wheels turning in his head as he tried to come up with a believable excuse. “This is a fan’s. You know how they get, Hermione. They’ve taken to throwing their bras and knickers at us when we fly by.”

“And you liked this one so much you decided to keep it?” Hermione asked challengingly.

“No,” Ron said shaking his head. “Of course not! This must have stuck to my uniform or something. I was about to throw it in the rubbish bin when you knocked on the door.”

A smug expression came over Ron’s handsome features and Hermione could tell he was inwardly congratulating himself for coming up with what he believed was a convincing lie. Hermione resisted the urge to wipe that smirk off of his face.

“I see,” she said instead, pushing past him into the flat. It was as messy and disorganized as ever. Magazines and newspapers were stacked in cluttered piles on the coffee table and on the floor. Empty pizza boxes and takeaway containers were stacked haphazardly on the piles. Hermione had always hated going to his flat mostly because she always had the overwhelming need to clean. She’d once thought it was an endearing trait of Ron’s, but now she was just disgusted.

Hermione also noticed an empty bottle of wine and two glasses on the coffee table as well. She could hear Ron’s sharp intake of breath behind her as he realized what she’d just spotted. Turning slowly around, she smiled sweetly at him. “Did you have company?”

“Just a few blokes from the team,” Ron said quickly.

“I didn’t figure them for wine drinkers,” Hermione said raising an eyebrow at Ron. “They’re more the fire whiskey and ale type.”

Ron just shrugged and took Hermione in his arms. She flinched involuntarily, but he didn’t seem to notice or care. “I missed you, Herms.”

“You know I hate it when you call me that,” she said coolly, rolling her eyes. Ron pulled her closer and nuzzled her neck. Hermione pulled away and forced a smile.

“I can’t wait to hear about your trip,” Ron said, cleaning away a space on the sofa for her to sit down. “It mustn’t have been that great if you’ve come home early.”

He inched closer to her on the sofa and was hugging her to him once again. The feel of his hands and lips on her skin made her physically ill. She swallowed hard before pressing a palm to his chest to push him away. With calmness she didn’t feel inwardly, she spoke.

“My trip was…a real eye-opener,” she said thoughtfully. “I learned a lot about myself whilst I was there. And I met some really wonderful people…”

“That’s great sweetheart,” Ron interjected.

Hermione nodded. She was about to read him the riot act, when he held up a hand.

“Ron…”

He got to his feet and gave her a winsome smile. “I know you have loads to tell me, but there’s something that I need to tell you, too. While you were away, I had some time to think and I realized…well, hold that thought. I need to go and get something. Be right back, Hermione.”

Hermione watched him go and she wondered what he was up to. As it was, she was finding it hard not to smack him upside the head. He was actually carrying on as if everything was fine.

In his bloody, self-centered world I’m sure things are.

When she’d arrived home a few hours ago, she’d been dismayed to find Lavender at work. If she’d ever needed to talk to her best friend, it was now. Of course, Lavender didn’t know Hermione was coming home. So after Hermione dropped off her suitcases and freshened up a bit, she’d made her way to Ron’s flat. The sooner she got this over with, she thought to herself, the better.

As she waited for Ron to come back, her thoughts drifted back to Harry. She missed him so much. One of the hardest things she’d ever had to do was leave.

Harry had still been asleep when she’d awoken. Hermione stared at him for quite some time, trying to memorize every line, every curve of his face. Her fingers lightly traced over his scar as she marveled again at all that he’d been through and all that he’d done. He could have turned out so much differently than he did based on how he’d been raised and with all the glory and fame that had been bestowed upon him. But he was kind, caring and loving. It wasn’t a surprise to Hermione that she’d fallen so hard and so quick for him.

As she looked at him, she wondered if this was really the end. Would she ever see him again? She knew that they both had much to think about and they couldn’t do that here in such a romantic setting. Hermione wasn’t fooling herself though. This wasn’t an easy situation for Harry. He would be forced to choose between the woman he loved, but had only known for less than two months, and the bloke he’d considered his best mate and looked at as a brother. The Weasley family had also practically adopted Harry as one of their own. And they’d always made Hermione feel like another member of the family. If she and Harry pursued any sort of romantic relationship, they could probably kiss their relationship with the Weasleys goodbye.

Tears sprung to Hermione’s eyes as she thought of how unfair this was. She’d finally found the one thing she’d always wanted, but it was slipping through her hands and there was nothing she could do to stop it.

With a heavy heart, she dragged herself out of bed and quickly showered and changed clothes. She’d just finished latching her suitcase when she felt an arm on her shoulder. She didn’t have to turn around to know who it was. He put his arms on her waist and rested his chin on her shoulder.

“Hi.”

“Hi,” she said softly.

“Why didn’t you wake me up?”

“I didn’t want to,” Hermione said turning around to look at him properly.

“You were just going to leave without saying goodbye?”

She nodded. “I thought it would be easier this way.”

“Nothing about this is easy,” Harry remarked dryly. He kissed her softly. “What time is your portkey?”

She looked at her watch and frowned. “Five minutes.”

“Doesn’t leave us much time,” Harry said holding her close. “What are you going to do?”

“Break things off with Ron,” Hermione replied. “After that, I’m not so sure.”

“If it weren’t for me, would you---“

“It wasn’t working out for him and me for quite some time,” Hermione interjected. “We’re too different.”

Harry nodded, but still felt as if he was responsible for this somehow.

“Besides, I’m getting in the way of his extracurricular activities,” Hermione deadpanned. “I feel like such an idiot for not seeing it sooner. Though, to tell you the truth, we haven’t spent that much time together recently. Even before I came here, things were strained between us.”

“I think he does really care about you, Hermione—“

“In his own way, I think so,” Hermione said. “But if he’s being honest with himself, I’m sure that he wouldn’t have been able to put up with me too much longer. He always wanted to go out and I was more comfortable staying in. He wants to be the life of the party and I just prefer to blend in. We fought more than anything.”

“He’s a fool,” Harry said sincerely. “No, he is, Hermione.”

He cupped her face in his hands. “You’re amazing. I don’t know---I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I hope you know that I love you. I love you so much.”

“I love you,” Hermione whispered. “Will you, um, give my best to Sirius and Eva?”

Harry nodded. “I hate that you’re going to miss the proposal.”

“She’s going to say yes,” Hermione said with a grin. “It’s a sure thing.”

He kissed her once more.

“Go,” she said quietly. “If you stay, I won’t be able to leave.”

“I love you,” Harry said squeezing her hand.

Hermione blinked when she saw Ron had returned from his bedroom. He looked like the proverbial cat that ate the canary.

“Okay,” he said smiling at her. “As I was saying, while you were gone, I had some time to think, too. I know we’ve only been dating a few months, but they’d been the best months of my life…”

Hermione’s mouth dropped as Ron got down on one knee before her.

“You’re the one,” Ron said happily. “You’re the one for me, Hermione. You always have been. You’re pretty, you’re smart. You’re everything a bloke could want. And you’d make me the happiest man in the world if you’d agree to be my…to be my wife. Hermione Granger, will you marry me?”

He pulled a ring box out from behind his back and Hermione stared at it. She’d expected many things, but she certainly hadn’t seen this coming. Ron opened up the ring box and revealed a simple, solitaire engagement ring

“You…you want me to m-marry you?”

Ron nodded. “I know it’s sudden, but come on, Hermione. What are we waiting for really? When something is right, you know it. You don’t have to think about it. That’s the way I feel about you.”

“It is?” Hermione asked incredulously. “You want to marry me?”

“Yes,” Ron said enthusiastically. “I can hardly believe it myself, Herms—Hermione. But I just feel that it’s right.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me!”

Ron stared at her, a dubious expression on his face.

“Marry you?” Hermione said her nose scrunching up in disgust. “Why would you want to get married, Ron? You’re having way too much fun as a swinging bachelor, aren’t you?”

“I don’t—“

“No, you don’t understand,” Hermione interrupted. “Lavender saw you, Ron. She saw you walking on the street the other day with some girl---snogging on the sidewalk. How very utterly romantic.”

Ron paled, but quickly recovered. “That wasn’t me, Hermione. Lavender’s never liked me. You know I wouldn’t put it past her to make up some story to make me look bad.”

”The only person whose been making up stories has been you,” Hermione said angrily. “She saw you, Ron. She knows what you look like. She didn’t make any of this up or mistake you for someone else. So, cut the bull and tell me the truth for once in your life, please.”

Ron’s mouth was agape. “I..uh...well, I can explain.”

“I’m sure you can,” Hermione said, getting to her feet. “I’m sure you can explain it all away. You were weak, right? You had all these girls throwing themselves at you and hey, you’re only human! And it wasn’t anything serious, so why would it matter? But you know what, it does matter!”

“Hermione-“

“Don’t say anything to me,” Hermione interjected. “Don’t you say anything to me! I’m through listening to your lies, Ron. For once, you’re going to listen to what I have to say.”

Ron weakly got to his feet and sat down on the sofa.

“You don’t love me,” Hermione continued. “If you did, you wouldn’t have felt the need to cheat on me with anything that moved.”

“That’s not how it was,” Ron argued. “Hermione, look. I did cheat on you, but I’m not proud of it. I felt like a bastard after doing it.”

“But you didn’t stop,” Hermione retorted. “You wouldn’t stop. You’re not ready to get married, Ron. I don’t even know if you ever will be ready for that.”

Hermione was trying not to act superior to him. She had also cheated, but it had only been that one time and unlike in Ron’s case, she was in love with Harry. It wasn’t an excuse, Hermione thought to herself.

“I see what this is,” Ron said standing up. “You met someone on your holiday and you—“

“This isn’t about anyone else, Ron,” Hermione said. “This is about you and me. If you’re being honest with yourself, you know that we were never a good match. Even if you hadn’t cheated---we’d still have these problems.”

Ron frowned. “But we could work on it, Hermione. We could try. I think if we make this commitment, I’ll try and be faithful.”

“Try?” Hermione asked, shaking her head. “Oh, yes! That’s exactly what a girl wants to hear, Ron. ‘I want to marry you, but I can’t promise that I’ll be faithful, but I will try’.”

In frustration, Ron ran a hand through his hair. “You met someone else, Hermione. I can tell. You wouldn’t be thinking this if you hadn’t. So you’re trying to turn this around on me so you’ll feel better about yourself!”

Hermione sighed and picked up her bag. “Tell yourself whatever you want, Ron. I don’t care anymore. I do hope that someday you do meet that one girl that you can be faithful to. It obviously wasn’t me.”

“Hermione! I love you!”

Hermione laughed. “You don’t have the first clue about love, Ron.”

He took her hands in his. “I’m sorry, but we belong---“

“NO!” Hermione yelled, wrenching herself from his grip. “We don’t belong together! You can’t talk your way out of this, Ron. It’s over. Finished.”

Without looking back, Hermione walked out of the flat, slamming the door behind her.

*************

Later that evening, a few friends got together at Café Oceana to celebrate Sirius and Eva’s engagement.

“To Ben and Eva,” Maureen said raising her glass.

“I’ll drink to that!” Sirius joked.

“You’ll drink to anything,” Eva joked.

“I’ll drink to me drinking to anything,” Sirius said with a mischievous grin at his fiancée.

Eva rolled her eyes. “I can’t believe I said yes to you, you insane man. I don’t know what I’m getting myself into.”

”Yes you do,” Sirius said putting an arm around her. “You know what you’re getting into and you love every single moment of it.”

“I wouldn’t go that far,” Eva said with a laugh. “Not every moment of it. I love you, my sweet, but you can drive me crazy sometimes.”

“Rubbish,” Sirius said dismissively. “It’s all part of my charm.”

“Charm?”

“Yes,” Sirius said smugly. He kissed her soundly to the applause of all their friends. Everyone was happy and enjoying the great food and free drinks. Everyone save for the raven-haired man sitting at the end of the counter, nursing a beer and looking as if he’d just lost his best friend.

“Go and check on him,” Eva said looking sympathetically at Harry.

Sirius nodded and walked over to his godson. Sirius sat down beside him and patted him on the back. “Cheer up, Harry. This is a party after all.”

“I’m okay,” Harry said quietly.

“Sure you are,” Sirius said sarcastically. “And I’m Severus Snape’s best mate.”

Harry didn’t crack a smile.

“You know what your problem is?” Sirius asked.

“No, why don’t you tell me.”

“I will, smartarse,” Sirius retorted. “You miss her. You shouldn’t have let her go, Harry.”

“I didn’t have a choice.”

“Bollocks, you always have a choice,” Sirius said angrily. “She’s the best thing that’s ever happened to you.”

“You should never have done what you did—“

Sirius shook his head. “Maybe I shouldn’t have. I should have just left well enough alone, but Harry even if I hadn’t; I think the two of you would still be right where you are. I just gave you a push.”

“Shoved—more like,” Harry said dryly.

Sirius smiled. “Okay, that’s a bit harsh. I prefer enthusiastic push or gentle prodding.”

For the first time since Hermione left, Harry did laugh. “You’re unbelievable.”

“Thank you,” Sirius said smugly.

Harry watched as Eva laughed at something some of her staff was saying. “I am happy for you, Sirius. Eva’s great.”

”That she is,” Sirius agreed, looking adoringly at her. He turned his attention back to Harry. “You should go to Hermione, Harry.”

“She chose to leave, Sirius.”

“Maybe,” Sirius said. “Maybe not. But you miss her, Harry. I know she misses you. The two of you belong together. Whether it’s here in the Abacos or whether it’s in Britain. She’s what you’ve been looking for. I know you don’t like admitting I’m right, but you’ve got to give me this one.”

“You’re right,” Harry said reluctantly.

“I know I am,” Sirius said with twinkling eyes. “So, go and get your girl.”

“It’s not that easy,” Harry protested. “I’ve not been back home in years.”

“No time like the present,” Sirius argued. “And quit acting like a scared coward, Potter. You’re a bloody Gryffindor! Show some courage!”

“But—“

“Go, Harry.”

***********

“He has some nerve!” Lavender exclaimed hotly. “I’ve never liked him, Hermione. I knew he was a dog. Which just goes to show you; you should always listen to me.”

Hermione smiled. When Lavender came home from work, Hermione had told her all about confronting Ron. Lavender had listened intently and chimed in with her dry comments throughout. Now the two girls were sitting on their sofa, eating chocolate ice cream.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Hermione said with a laugh. “Thank you, Lav. For writing to me, I mean.”

Lavender shrugged. “You needed to know what a lying, cheating bastard he is. You’d have done the same for me.”

“Too right!”

“Do you know what we should do?” Lavender said, putting her ice cream bowl down on the sofa. “We should get dressed up in our sexiest clothes and go out to a club or something. As my mum says the best revenge is looking good. Come on, Hermione. It’s time we got you back out there.”

“Lavender—“

“What?” she asked. “Come on. We’re going to find the perfect man for you. And if he’s not Mr. Right, at least he’ll be Mr. Right Now.”

“You don’t understand,” Hermione said. “I don’t need to find the perfect man for me…”

“Of course you do,” Lavender argued. “Unless…”

Her voice trailed off and she looked sideways at her friend. “You met someone!”

Hermione blushed.

“HAHA!” Lavender said excitedly. “This is great! Spill, spill!”

Hermione looked uncomfortable at Lavender. She wasn’t so sure she should tell Lavender about Harry.

”Come on, Hermione. Was it some tall, dark and handsome island bloke?” Lavender asked excitedly. “I can just see you lying on the beach and this gorgeous hunk rubbing suntan lotion on your back.”

“You read too many of those silly romance novels,” Hermione said dismissively.

“Oh, don’t look so smug, Miss. You read them, too.”

Hermione sighed. “Okay, okay. Yes, I did meet someone.”

“Okay,” Lavender grinned. “Now we’re getting somewhere.”

“If I tell you this, you have to promise you won’t say anything to anyone,” Hermione said in a hushed, serious tone. “I mean it, Lavender. No one can know this.”

Lavender nodded. “I won’t say anything.”

So Hermione told her all about meeting “Jack” and “Ben”. She told Lavender about how she’d figured out who he really was almost immediately, but she’d kept quiet out of respect to their privacy. She told Lavender all about how Sirius tried everything he could to throw them together. She told her all about how she and Harry had first kissed. She told her about the guilt they both felt afterward. She told her about how when the truth came out, they’d tried to stay away from each other. She told her about the storm.

When Hermione was finished, Lavender was speechless.

“Say something,” Hermione said quietly.

“I can’t believe it,” Lavender finally said. “How could you leave him?”

“I didn’t want to,” Hermione answered. “I just thought we’d need space. And Ron is his best mate, Lavender. I don’t want to break their friendship up.”

“Oh, sod Ron!”

Hermione laughed. “Oh, if it were that easy…”

“It could be!” Lavender exclaimed. “Come on, Hermione. You love Harry and he loves you.”

“I know.”

“What are you going to do?” Lavender asked.

“I have no idea,” Hermione said sinking into the sofa. “I have no bloody idea.”

“

Author’s note: I am so sorry for the three-week wait! I had a touch of the writer’s block on this one and I didn’t know how I wanted it to turn out. I don’t know if I’m pleased with this chapter, but you guys can let me know what you think. I do sincerely apologize for making you all wait so long. Please forgive me!

Chapter Seventeen

I Deserve It

This guy was meant for me
And I was meant for him
This guy was dreamt for me
And I was dreamt for him

This guy has danced for me
And I have danced for him
This guy has cried for me
And I have cried for him

Many miles many roads I have traveled
Fallen down on the way
Many hearts many years have unraveled
Leading up to today

(Madonna, “I Deserve It”)

Nearly a week later, Hermione found herself back at work. Everyone asked how her vacation was and there were a few mumblings from co-workers about whether or not she’d had a nervous breakdown which caused her to take a leave of absence. Hermione normally would have told them that it was none of their business and they could get back to work. But, she really could care less what they thought. It didn’t matter.

She’d spent the last week of her holiday catching up with her parents and spending time with Lavender. Lavender decided it was her personal mission to get Hermione’s mind off of Harry Potter, Isla Solarte and the entire Ron Weasley debacle. This, of course, involved doing things Lavender loved which mainly involved what she called “shopping therapy”.

Lavender’s motto was “Nothing is so bad that trying on expensive, designer clothes can’t cure.” She kept saying this over and over again as she dragged Hermione into shop after shop handing her dresses, trousers, blouses and shoes. She’d even managed to cajole Hermione into buying some of them, lightening her bank account, but it hadn’t done much to lighten her mood.

The cold, hard truth was that she missed him.

She remembered the conversation she’d had with Lavender last night.

Hermione was reading in her favorite spot—the cushioned window seat in her bedroom. This was her comfort zone. On cold, winter nights, she’d curl up on the seat and wrap herself up in her favorite old blanket her gran had knitted for her when she was a little girl. On warm evenings, she’d open the window and just listen to the sounds of the city down below. Tonight was one of those nights.

“You know what you should do, don’t you?” Lavender asked, plopping down beside Hermione on the window seat. Hermione was so lost in her thoughts that she hadn’t even heard Lavender come in.

“I don’t want to go shopping again, Lav,” Hermione said, not looking up from her book. “And I can’t eat anymore ice cream or chocolate biscuits. And I haven’t rethought my decision not to follow through on that Ron voodoo doll suggestion of yours.”

“He deserves it,” Lavender scoffed. “But that’s not what I’m talking about, Hermione. I’m not going to take you shopping again or make you eat any more rubbish or even try and talk you into voodoo revenge on that weasel…”

“Okay then, what should I do, oh Swami of Love?” Hermione asked her eyes still focused on her book.

Lavender rolled her eyes and grabbed the book from Hermione’s hands.

“Hey!”

“I’ll give your book back, but you’re going to listen to what I have to say first,” Lavender said, dog-earing the page to save Hermione’s place. This was a pet peeve of Hermione’s.

“Bookmark, Lavender. Don’t fold the pages down like that.”

“Yes, yes,” Lavender said dismissively, setting the book on the floor. “Okay, do you want to hear my suggestion?”

“Apparently, I don’t have much of a choice.”

“Ha-ha,” Lavender said. “But here’s my idea—you should get off your arse and go back to Harry.”

Hermione just stared at her.

“It’s so easy,” Lavender continued, not really sure what to make of her best friend’s silence. “In fact, I’m sure you’re kicking yourself for not thinking of it on your own. But... that’s what I’m here for.”

She sat up straight and looked quite smugly at Hermione. “Well, what do you think?”

“I think that it’s not exactly that easy,” Hermione replied.

“Bollocks.”

“It’s not,” Hermione argued. “Harry and Ron are best friends. They were like that long before I even came into the picture. Harry’s known me for... what? A few weeks?”

“So, that’s it?” Lavender asked. “You’re just going to give up on the love of your life because your ex-boyfriend’s feelings might get hurt? He cheated on you, Hermione.”

“I cheated on him, too.”

“Just the one time,” Lavender said defensively. “And your relationship with Ron was practically over by then. You and I both know it.”

“Look, Lavender,” Hermione said gently. “I appreciate what you’re trying to do. You’ve been a great friend throughout this whole thing. I want nothing more than to be with Harry. If he wants to be with me, it will have to be him that makes that move. I’m not going to force him. People he cares about could get hurt if we’re together.”

Lavender groaned in frustration. “This is so unfair! For once in your life, Hermione, be selfish. I just don’t get it. He loves you. You love him. You should be together. This is what you’ve always wanted.”

“It is,” Hermione said quietly. “But unfortunately, it happened at the wrong time. I can’t sit here and think about what if this and what if that. I’ll drive myself crazy. It’s…”

“…unfair,” Lavender interjected, “stinking, bloody, unfair.”

And Lavender was right, Hermione thought to herself as she sat in her cramped office. It was unfair, but it was how it had to be.

She threw herself into her work, trying to catch up on all the things that she’d missed. The conversations she’d had with Harry kept replaying in her mind about how she wasn’t really happy in this job. She’d wanted to teach. But, this job had been too prestigious to turn down. It had been quite the accomplishment for someone so young, everyone had said. But teaching…

“I heard you were back,” Remus Lupin said with a wide grin. Hermione looked up from her work and laughed heartily. She stood up and walked around her desk to give him a hug. “I would have been here to welcome you, but there was an emergency meeting.”

“That’s okay,” she said. “I’m just trying to play catch up. I wonder if Pansy did anything while I was gone.”

“Not much,” Lupin said apologetically. “But I expected as much.”

“I’d have thought that she would have used this as her golden opportunity to show me up,” Hermione said shaking her head. “Then again my little panic attack probably made her year.”

Lupin laughed and sat down on Hermione’s sofa. “Well, how was your trip?”

“You mean your co-conspirator didn’t report the details back to you,” Hermione teased.

“It was all him, Hermione,” Lupin said quickly. “Sirius has never really had a great grasp of the art of subtlety. He thinks he does which can be quite endearing…”

“He certainly tried everything he could to get us together,” Hermione said softly. “He didn’t have to try so hard.”

“Clicked right from the start, did you?”

Hermione chuckled. “I don’t know if I’d say that, but we…I don’t know. It just felt like I’d known him all my life. It’s crazy, I know. But, I just felt like I could tell him anything.”

“Sounds to me like you fell in love,” Lupin said smiling at her. “And from what my ‘co-conspirator’ tells me, the feeling was mutual. Correction: is mutual. Sirius says Harry’s been walking around like he lost his best friend…”

“No, he’s still got his best friend,” Hermione mused.

“I’m sorry,” Lupin said genuinely. “Sirius and I really made a mess of things. We only had your best…”

“…interests at heart,” Hermione finished for him. “I know. And you might have given us the push, but we certainly didn’t fight it. It was like the more we tried to stay away from each other, the more we wanted to be together.”

“Maybe the same will hold true,” Lupin said encouragingly.

Hermione shrugged. “I don’t know. But at least, I ended things with Ron.”

“How’d that go?” Lupin asked. “If you don’t mind me asking…”

“About as well as can be expected,” Hermione replied. “He proposed…”

“He did?”

“Yeah, it threw me for a loop, too. Apparently, he thought that if we were married, he wouldn’t feel the need to run around with anything in a skirt anymore. Doesn’t that sound exactly like a great reason for getting married?” Hermione asked sarcastically.

“To Ron it probably did,” Lupin guessed. “He’s a good bloke, Hermione. He’s just…he…well, I don’t really know…”

“Nor do I,” Hermione said. “But he is Harry’s best friend.”

“And there’s the rub,” Lupin said.

“Yeah,” Hermione said, getting to her feet. “Do you know I’ve told myself to play these ‘what if?’ games because I can’t change any thing now, but I can’t help wondering what would have happened if I’d gone to Hogwarts instead of Beauxbatons? What would have happened if I’d met Harry first…?”

“I think Harry could have certainly used you at Hogwarts,” Lupin said with a grin. “He could have used your quick thinking to get out of some of those scrapes he got himself into on more than one occasion.”

“Someday I’d like to sit down with you and Sirius and you can tell me all about what he was like as a boy.”

“It’s a date,” Lupin said, standing up. “And I have a feeling that someone else will be there, too…”

Hermione gave a slight smile. She hoped that was the case.

***** ***** ***** ****************** *************** ******************

Harry wasn’t the type to sit down and weigh out the pros and cons before making a life-changing decision. He was usually the type who would do what he thought was right and just deal with the consequences---good or bad. But, here he was sitting out on the deck wondering if what he was about to do was the right thing.

This place had been his home for such a long time. It had been the only home other than Hogwarts that he’d ever truly known. It was here that Harry had finally been able to live a somewhat normal life. It was here that he was able to come to terms with what had happened with Voldemort. And it was here that he’d met Hermione. And it was because of her that he was leaving.

Perhaps, this was a mistake, Harry thought. The news media would no doubt have a field day with his return. The relative anonymity he’d enjoyed here on the islands would not exist back in England. But, as Sirius had reminded him, he was a Gryffindor after all. He wasn’t the type to let something he wanted slip through his fingers just so he wouldn’t be recognized on the street.

And no matter how many ways he looked at it, Harry knew that above anything else, he wanted to be with her. He just hoped that someday Ron would understand. Knowing Ron, it would probably be a long, long, long way off.

“What time does your portkey activate?” Sirius asked coming up behind him.

“About an hour,” Harry answered.

“You all packed?”

“Yes, Mum.”

“Smartarse,” Sirius said, with a laugh.

“I learned from the best,” Harry grinned.

“That you did,” Sirius said puffing out his chest.

They both fell silent as they looked out onto the beach. It was going to be another beautiful day on Isla Solarte.

“Great fishing weather,” Sirius remarked. “I was thinking I’d go out later.”

Harry nodded. “Sirius?”

“Yeah?”

“Do you think that I’m doing the right thing?” Harry asked. “I just wish someone would tell me.”

“You’re actually asking me for my opinion? This is a new one for me…let me savor the moment…”

“Will you give it a rest and tell me what you think, Old Man?” Harry asked. “Yes, I want to know if you think this is the right thing.”

Sirius looked thoughtfully at his godson. “I do. That job was custom made for you, Harry. And well, Hermione…that goes without saying.”

Harry smiled at the mere mention of her name. He wondered what she was doing now. Had she broken things off with Ron? Was she back at work? These questions led him to the inevitable questions about what their relationship would be like under ordinary circumstances---in everyday life. Would the same feelings be there when both of them had to deal with the mundane details of their lives? Was what happened between them made more special because it had happened in an idyllic setting?

It doesn’t matter. I want to see her. I want to be with her. I don’t care if it’s here or there. Wherever she is…that’s where I want to be.

“And it’s not as if you’ll never be back,” Sirius continued. “I mean, you’re the best man in my wedding. You have to come back for the stag weekend and to help me plan all this bloody stuff.”

“That’s a real romantic way to describe your wedding,” Harry joked. “Has Eva heard you talk like that?”

“She has and she still wants to marry me so bugger off,” Sirius retorted.

Harry laughed. “I am going to miss you, Sirius.”

“Of course you will, but it’s not as if you’re going away for good. You’re growing up, Harry. It’s time to make your own way.”

“Without any input from you?”

“Of course not,” Sirius replied. “Though I am trying to back off a little. You being away will help out a great deal with that.”

Harry smiled at him. “You can drive me mad sometimes, but I don’t know what I’d do without you. I’m going to miss you, Sirius.”

”I’m going to miss you too,” Sirius said smiling back at him. “Your life awaits you, Harry James Potter…”

*********** *************** ****************** ***********************

“You should go with me to that party,” Lavender was saying as she and Hermione walked back to their flat. They’d met after work for a late dinner. Lavender ran into some workmates on the way out and they’d told her about this party someone was having at a trendy club in Soho.

“I’m not really in the party mood,” Hermione said. “But you should go. I know you’re dying to.”

“I’m not really dying to, per se,” Lavender said defensively. “I would like to go, but how I could I possibly have fun when my best friend in the entire world is feeling blue?”

Hermione laughed. “You and your flair for the dramatic. I’m not feeling blue, Lavender. I’m okay.”

“Yes you are,” Lavender argued. “You need to get back out there and have a good time instead of moping in the flat about H-A-R-R-Y. Besides, there is going to be some really good-looking blokes there, Hermione.”

“Then you’d better get there before they’re all taken,” Hermione teased. “Come on, Lavender. I’m begging you. Go. You can have a good time for the both of us.”

“Are you sure?”

“Positive,” Hermione replied. “In fact, if you don’t go, I’ll never speak to you ever again.”

Lavender beamed and hugged her flatmate. “Well, if you put it that way, how could I possibly refuse?”

“Exactly,” Hermione said hugging her back. Lavender grabbed Hermione’s arm and they ran the rest of the way back to their building. Hermione was laughing as Lavender struggled with her keys and then swung the door open practically sprinting up the stairs to their flat.

“I just need to freshen up my makeup,” Lavender was saying breezily, as she went into her bedroom.

Hermione laughed and settled down on the sofa. She didn’t know what she wanted to do tonight, but going to a loud party with people she didn’t really know didn’t sound like much fun to her.

A few minutes later, Lavender came hobbling into the sitting room. She was wearing the highest pair of stiletto heels Hermione had ever seen. Lavender had also changed outfits from her black skirt and white top to a form-fitting, cleavage baring black dress.

“Lav?” Hermione asked from the sofa. “What was wrong with what you had on before?”

“Everyone has already seen me in that,” Lavender replied as if this was the most obvious answer in the world. “Besides, I’m looking to pull tonight.” She twirled around. “So what do you think? How do I look?”

“Mah-velous,” Hermione answered with a grin.

“Thanks,” Lavender said beaming at her. As she swung open the door, she called over her shoulder “Don’t wait up!”

“I won’t,” Hermione said with a laugh as the door shut behind Lavender.

Alone again…naturally.

Leaning back on the sofa, Hermione closed her eyes and wondered if perhaps it would be a good idea to just run a bath and then turn in early. It had been a long day. The more she thought about it, a nice, long bath sounded like a little piece of heaven on earth.

She’d nearly made it to the bathroom when she heard a knock on the door. Groaning in frustration, Hermione walked back into the sitting room and toward the front door.

“Lavender,” Hermione said, opening the door. “For the last time, I’m not going with you to that party…”

Her words trailed off as she saw who was at her door. But, it couldn’t be him, she thought to herself. It was only because she’d wanted to see him so badly that he was here, standing before her. This had to be some sort of dream.

“Hermione?” Harry asked her, a worried expression on his face. “I’m sorry for dropping by unannounced. But, I---“

“What are you doing here?” she blurted out before she could stop herself.

“Um, well,” Harry started, taken aback. “It’s, um, well the thing is…I missed you.”

Hermione smiled. “You missed me?”

“Yeah.”

She didn’t answer him back, just continued to look at him with an unreadable expression on her face.

“This is a bad time, isn’t it?” Harry asked. “I shouldn’t have come by like this. This is the last time I listen to Sirius Black, I’ll tell you that. It was just---“

“Shut up,” Hermione interjected.

“What?”

“Shut up,” Hermione said, coming closer and looping her arms around his neck. “And kiss me.”

Harry smiled and did as he was told. When they breathlessly broke apart a few moments later, Harry cupped her face in his hands.

“I can’t believe you’re actually here,” she whispered smiling shyly at him.

He touched her cheek. “I missed you.”

Hermione looked into his eyes. “Show me.”

With a mischievous gleam in his eyes, Harry dropped his bag by the door and then picked her up. He kicked the door shut with his leg and started to lead her toward her bedroom.

”Which one is yours?” he asked before kissing her. Not wanting to break the kiss, Hermione just pointed in the direction of her bedroom. As he opened the door, Hermione broke away and smiled at him. “Welcome home, Harry Potter.”

********* ********** *********** *************** **************

The Daily Prophet offices were as busy as usual. The editors were putting the finishing touches on tomorrow morning’s paper when Rita Skeeter walked in to the offices, nearly out of breath, but wearing a Cheshire cat grin.

“Stop the presses!” she chirped. “Stop the presses!”

“What are you on about now, Skeeter?” the editor-in-chief, Thomas Grant asked impatiently.

“Listen, Tommy,” Rita said. “This is going to be the lead story tomorrow morning and you’ll sell so many copies your head is going to spin.”

“What?” Thomas asked, folding his arms. Skeeter was notorious for trying to push her stories onto the front page, but most of the time they hardly warranted making the paper at all, let alone the front page.

“Harry Potter has returned,” Rita answered triumphantly.

Author’s note: Thank you to everyone who wished me a Happy 30^th Birthday. I appreciate it and it certainly made turning the big 3-0 much more bearable. I hope you guys like this one!

Chapter 18

If I Ain’t Got You

Some people live for the fortune
Some people live just for the fame
Some people live for the power, yeah
Some people live just to play the game
Some people think that the physical things
Define what's within
And I've been there before
But that life's a bore
So full of the superficial

Some people want it all
But I don't want nothing at all
If it ain't you baby
If I ain't got you baby
Some people want diamond rings
Some just want everything
But everything means nothing
If I ain't got you…”

(Alicia Keys, If I Ain’t Got You)

It must have all been a dream, Hermione thought to herself as she woke up the next morning. There was no other explanation for it. But, it had all seemed so real. She could still feel his kiss on her lips. She could still feel his gentle touch on her skin. She could see the look in his eyes when he’d made love to her. She could even still hear him whisper how much he loved her and how he’d never leave her again right before they’d drifted off to sleep in each other’s arms.

Dreams were always so much better than reality, she thought grumpily as she turned over on her side. She wasn’t quite ready to greet another lonely day.

“Ow!”

Hermione froze.

“You just elbowed me in the chest when you turned over, Miss Granger,” a familiar voice said behind her. “I don’t remember you being a combative sleeper before. But then again you are in your natural habitat here, aren’t you?”

Slowly, Hermione turned around and saw…it was him. He was here. It hadn’t been a dream after all.

“Are you just going to stare at me like that or are you going to apologize?” Harry asked teasingly.

Hermione couldn’t speak. Tears welled up in her eyes, but she had no idea why. She wasn’t sad—far from it.

“Hermione?”

“Yeah?” she asked her voice still scratchy from sleep.

“Everything alright?”

She nodded. “Everything’s fine. You’re here. You are really here, aren’t you?”

Harry reached over and brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes. “Yes, I’m really here.”

“But how?” she asked. There had been a million questions that she had last night, but there had been more pressing issues to take care of, so to speak.

“Portkeyed in yesterday morning actually,” Harry replied, as Hermione cuddled up closer to him.

“Yesterday morning?”

“Aye,” Harry said. “I had some things to take care of before I came to see you.”

Her first thought was that he’d gone to see Ron. Perhaps, to get his blessing or at least to break the news to him that he’d been dating Ron’s ex-girlfriend.

“I didn’t go see Ron,” Harry said. “I wanted to, but I just couldn’t. Not yet. I actually went to see a bloke about a job.”

Hermione sighed impatiently. “It’s like pulling teeth, Harry! Tell me.”

“I’m sure you’ve heard about all the job offers that were thrown at me right after Voldemort,” he began. “Anything you could imagine, Hermione. I was offered professional Quidditch, auror training. Ministry departments sent representatives to my bedside while I was in hospital throwing every job imaginable my way. It was crazy. To tell you the truth is one of the reasons why I went away in the first place. They didn’t want me working for them, Hermione. They wanted ‘The Boy Who Lived’. It didn’t seem to matter if I was qualified or not.”

Hermione rested her head on his chest and for awhile they just lay there in silence, both looking up at the ceiling.

“I didn’t want that,” Harry continued. “I didn’t want to be that person who just lived off of his notoriety for the rest of his life. That wasn’t the way I wanted to live my life, Hermione.”

An overwhelming sense of dread came over Hermione as she realized what his return would mean. She lifted her head off of his chest and looked at him.

“Coming back here, you’ll have to face all of that again, Harry,” she said quietly. “Once the press gets wind that you’re back, they’ll be all over this. You’ll want to leave again.”

“Hey,” Harry said softly touching her cheek. “They probably will be all over this like you say, but for now, they don’t know. The only two people who know that I’m back are you and Albus Dumbledore.”

“Dumbledore?”

“He’s who I went to see yesterday morning before I came here,” Harry explained. “There was one job that I was tempted to take all those years ago, Hermione. It was the one thing I could actually picture myself doing.”

“What’s that?”

“Well,” Harry said grinning at her. “Come September, you are looking at the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts.”

“That’s fantastic, Harry!” she said hugging him.

“So you know what this means, don’t you?”

“What?”

“You are stuck with me, Hermione,” he said rolling over on top of her. “Think you can manage that?”

Hermione looked up at him. “I think I can.”

Any doubts he felt about coming back here melted away. He’d spoken about all of this with Dumbledore and something that his mentor said to him kept reverberating in his mind. When Harry had complained that coming back wouldn’t be easy, Dumbledore had chuckled.

“Anything in life that is worthwhile---really worthwhile---is never easy,” Dumbledore had said.

Harry hadn’t really known what Dumbledore had meant until he’d knocked on Hermione’s door last night and saw the look in her eyes when she’d opened that door. He knew then as he knew now that he never wanted to be apart from her. And being with her was worth facing any publicity---good, bad or indifferent.

********* **************** ************* *****************

HARRY POTTER RETURNS!

By Rita Skeeter

He’s back.

For six long years, the wizarding world waited for Harry Potter’s return. The wait is over. The Boy Who Lived is back.

The 17-year old boy who defeated Lord Voldemort is now a 23-year old man apparently seeking advice from his old mentor.

Yesterday morning, Potter was spotted on the grounds of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry. Arriving shortly after nine, Potter spent nearly two hours in a secret meeting with headmaster Albus Dumbledore.

Hogwarts students were not at school to witness this monumental event as they are out on summer holidays until September.

Potter did however manage to meet with some of his old professors who were heard to heartily welcome him back and wish him well.

As the meeting with Dumbledore took place behind closed doors, the Daily Prophet cannot accurately state what this meeting was for or what was discussed. An unnamed source did say that upon escorting Potter from the castle, Headmaster Dumbledore shook Potter’s hand and said something about “this decision being the easiest one he ever had to make”.

Is Harry Potter home for good? Will the tragic hero finally find the happiness he so richly deserves? Has he put his painful past behind him? And just where has he been these past six years? And what finally brought him home? A job? A secret romance perhaps? Our readers can rest assured that the Daily Prophet will keep you up-to-date on all the Potter gossip.

~Please turn to page 3 for more Potter news and speculation~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Molly Weasley stared at the newspaper in disbelief. What had been a quiet breakfast with her husband had erupted into total chaos as she spouted off question after question to Arthur, who didn’t have any more idea where Harry was than she did.

“I just don’t understand,” Molly said folding the paper and placing it back on the table. “If Harry were really back, he would have come to us first, don’t you think?”

Her mind was racing with possibilities. According to the paper, he’d been back since yesterday morning. She and Arthur had both been home all day. She’d spent most of the day yesterday degnoming the garden and tending to her rose bushes. Arthur, of course, spent his day in the shed behind the house going over his collection of Muggle artifacts. It wasn’t as if they’d have missed Harry if he’d dropped by.

“Molly, you’re getting worked up over nothing,” Arthur reassured her. “I’m sure Harry is staying with Ron. He probably knew something like this would happen and he’s laying low so we wouldn’t have to deal with reporters all over the lawn.”

Molly smiled. “You’re probably right, Arthur.”

“If he’s not with Ron, he’d probably stay at Grimmauld Place.”

“I doubt it,” Molly said dismissively. “That place is dusty and hasn’t been lived in for years, Arthur.”

“It’d be a perfect hideaway, don’t you think?”

Molly shook her head as she walked over to the kitchen counter and began loading some pastries onto a plate.

“What are you doing love?” Arthur asked bemusedly.

“Stopping in to see Ronald,” Molly replied brightly.

“And to check on Harry,” Arthur teased. He watched as Molly loaded the plate down with muffins, biscuits, and for added measure—fruit. “And feed them both until the end of time?”

Molly scoffed. “Don’t be silly, Arthur. Ron will eat most of it anyway.”

Arthur just shook his head in amusement as his wife disapparated with the plate of food.

Their youngest son was still fast asleep when Molly arrived just outside his flat.

“RONALD! IT’S MUM!” she exclaimed knocking on the door.

From inside the flat, Ron covered his head with the pillow and tried to block out all the noise and the light that was breaking through his curtains. He’d spent another late night out with some of his teammates and now he had the headache from hell to prove it. Ron decided then and there that he was getting much too old for these kinds of shenanigans.

“RONALD! I KNOW YOU’RE IN THERE!”

If there was one thing Ron knew, it was that his mother wasn’t going to go away anytime soon. She was stubborn to a fault. Ron threw back the covers and grimaced as he sat up in bed. This was definitely not how he wanted to wake up every morning. Every bone in his body hurt and his head was pounding.

“RONALD!”

Ron blearily reached for a t-shirt on the floor and stumbled out of his bedroom and toward the front door.

“RONALD!”

Ron swung open the door. “Where’s the fire, Mum?”

The smile on Molly’s face fell as she took in her son. His eyes were bloodshot and he had a very severe case of bed head. His t-shirt was on inside-out and his pajama bottoms were wrinkled.

“You look horrible, Ron,” Molly said, momentarily forgetting the reason for her visit. “Are you ill, sweetheart?”

Ron shook his head. “Not really. I mean I feel like—“

Molly held up a hand. “If you were out drinking again with your mates, I don’t want to hear about it.”

“That’s good,” Ron joked. “The details are a bit sketchy to me at this point.

Molly didn’t laugh.

“Sorry,” Ron mumbled. He stood back so his mother could come inside and he watched as she cringed as she took in the sorry state of his flat.

“I’ve been meaning to clean up,” Ron said defensively as he shut the door.

Molly shook her head. “Honestly, Ron! You know that a few quick flicks of your wand and some cleaning spells and this place would be immaculate. You should at least let me come over once a week if you’re having trouble keeping this place up.”

“I’m not having trouble,” Ron said quietly. “I just haven’t had time to clean up. I-I was planning on spending the entire day tidying things up. Honest, Mum.”

“It’s okay,” Molly said sitting the plate down on the coffee table. “I understand. I mean, I’m sure the two of you had loads to catch up on.”

“The two of us?”

“Yes,” Molly said, watching as Ron cringed at the sight of the food. “You’re obviously hung over or ill if you aren’t tucking into this food. I just hope Harry looks a sight better…”

“Harry?”

“Yes, Harry---he’s here isn’t he?”

“Why would Harry be here?” Ron asked confused, pushing back a pile of clothes so he could sit down on the sofa.

“You haven’t seen this morning’s paper?” Molly asked.

Ron shook his head. “I haven’t really looked at the paper properly in days, Mum. Even when I do read it, I just look at the sport pages.”

Sighing, Molly got to her feet. She stepped over a pile of clothes and magazines as she walked over to the window to retrieve today’s edition of the newspaper. She handed it over to her son who took the paper mainly to humor his mother. He could just imagine that this was some rubbish about Gilderoy Lockhart finally getting his memories back or something like that.

The expression on Ron’s face changed as he read the article. His bored smirk changed into shock as he read and reread the article, skimming over the three of four paragraphs which gave background on Harry and his defeat of Voldemort.

“He’s back?” Ron asked finally. “But where is he now?”

Molly shrugged. “I don’t know, dear. I was hoping that he’d be here with you…”

“I haven’t heard from him in weeks,” Ron said quietly. “I wrote to him a few weeks back, but I never heard back. I was…it doesn’t matter.”

“Did the two of you have a row?”

Ron shook his head. “No.”

He wasn’t about to admit that he’d written to his best friend for advice on what to do about Hermione. He hadn’t said one word to his parents about the breakup with Hermione. As far as Arthur and Molly Weasley knew, he and Hermione were still happily together. Ron hadn’t really seen the point of mentioning it to them when he knew that this was just a momentary bad patch. Truth be told, he still held out hope that he and Hermione could work things out.

Molly folded her arms and looked thoughtfully at her son.

“Look, Mum,” Ron said leading her back over to the sofa. “This article is probably rubbish. “

To illustrate his point, Ron crumpled up the newspaper and threw it over his shoulder. “When was the last time this rag ever reported on anything resembling the truth?”

“They’ve gotten much better,” Molly said. “They’ve done some wonderful recipes in the food section and…”

“That’s recipes, Mum. This is about someone’s real life. The most famous wizard in the world. These people just want to sell papers, right? I bet wherever Harry is, he’d laughing his head off about this whole thing.”

“I don’t know,” Molly said.

“I do,” Ron said putting an arm around her. “Come on. You and I both know Harry. If he was back, we’d be the first people he’d want to see.”

“I suppose…”

“You know I’m right,” Ron said grinning at her. His appetite was suddenly back. He eyed the table of pastries. “Now, what did you bring me?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lavender Brown hadn’t seen the article in the Daily Prophet, either. She’d spent the night on a co-worker’s sofa after having a disastrous, dreadful night at the party. As she let herself into the flat, she couldn’t wait to tell Hermione about what a boring evening it had been. Hermione would no doubt tell her about the merits of spending a quiet evening at home.

“Hermione,” Lavender called out, hoping that her friend hadn’t gone into work. “You aren’t going to believe what a terrible time I had! You know that loser Chris, don’t you? He was there and I had…”

She let herself into Hermione’s bedroom and didn’t seem to notice or care that the room was pitch black with the curtains drawn.

“…such a horrible time. He even tried to talk to me! Can you believe that?”

“Hmmmm,” Hermione murmured sleepily from her bed. She and Harry had gone back to sleep after making love again and Hermione was seriously considering owling in sick. She’d never in her life called in sick. But, she’d also never been in love before---until now.

Lavender laughed. “Okay, who are you and what have you done with my flatmate? She certainly doesn’t have a lie-in. Come on, Granger. It’s got to be at least ten o’clock in the morning. Rise and shine!”

Lavender pulled the curtains back and sunlight filled the room. Hermione shot up in bed.

“Lavender!” she exclaimed, pulling the sheets tightly around her.

Lavender stared in disbelief as a man sat up in bed and looked myopically at her.

“Oh my,” Lavender whispered, her hand covering her mouth. “I guess this explains why you haven’t left for work yet.”

Hermione laughed. “I guess…”

“Holy Cricket!” Lavender exclaimed, pointing at Harry as he’d found his glasses on the bedside table and put them on. “You’re Harry Potter! Hermione! That’s Harry Potter!”

“Is it really?” Hermione asked looking at Harry and giggling.

“You must be Lavender Brown,” Harry said smiling at her. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“Not as much as I’ve heard about you,” Lavender gushed, coming over and sitting on the edge of the bed. Harry and Hermione exchanged an amused look.

“Lavender,” Hermione said trying to signal to her flatmate. Lavender, however, wasn’t paying attention to Hermione’s clues.

“It’s such an honour to meet you,” Lavender said offering him her hand.

“It’s nice to meet you too,” Harry said shaking her hand.

As if a light bulb suddenly flashed on in her head, Lavender finally focused on her best friend who was more than likely naked under the covers with a man who was probably naked as well.

“Oh,” Lavender said blushing. “You two would probably like some privacy.”

“That would be nice,” Hermione said smiling at her.

“You’ve got it,” Lavender said getting to her feet. “But I do expect full disclosure later, Hermione.”

Hermione blushed. “Say goodbye, Lavender.”

“Goodbye, Lavender,” she parroted with a wink at her flatmate before walking out of the room and closing the door behind her.

Harry laughed as he and Hermione lay back down.

“Sorry about that,” Hermione said softly.

“It’s okay,” he said, pulling her close. “Are you sure we can’t spend the rest of the day in here?”

Hermione looked up at him. “We could, but we will have to eat sometime and I really should send an owl to the office to let them know that I’m not going to be in today.”

“I know your boss,” Harry teased. “I could put in a good word for you.”

“Thanks.”

“Speaking of which,” Harry continued, running his hand up and down her arm. “Yesterday when I was speaking with Dumbledore, he mentioned that Professor Flitwick---the charms professor---is retiring.”

“Oh yeah?”

Harry nodded. “And he was telling me about how he was going to begin interviewing potential candidates straightaway.”

Hermione could see where this was going and although she couldn’t deny the excitement she felt at the idea of teaching at one of the world’s best wizarding academies, she certainly didn’t want to get the job because she was Harry Potter’s girlfriend.

“I know what you’re thinking,” Harry said breaking into her thoughts. “You’re thinking that I asked Dumbledore if you could have the job. But, I didn’t. I’m just mentioning it to you because I know how much you want to teach.”

Hermione looked at him. “I do, but it’s not so easy to walk away from my current job…”

“I’m just telling you that he’s interviewing candidates,” Harry explained. “You don’t have to do anything about it, Hermione. It’s all up to you. Regardless of what you decide, I’ll support you a thousand percent.”

Hermione kissed him. “Thank you.”

“But it would be nice to be teaching there together,” Harry said mischievously. “We could sneak into broom closets and snog. Or, we could meet behind the Quidditch stands…”

She hit him playfully in the chest. “I knew that you had an ulterior motive.”

”Always,” Harry said kissing her.

“HERMIONE!” Lavender called out from the other side of the door. “I’m sorry to interrupt but there’s something I think you should see!”

“If it’s how white is the new black this season, I think it can wait,” Hermione teased.

“Well, white is the new black, but that’s not why I need to see you,” Lavender called back impatiently. “There’s something I think you and Harry should see.”

Hermione groaned. “One sec…”

She and Harry quickly got dressed and made their way out of the bedroom where Lavender stood just outside the door holding today’s newspaper.

“What is it?” Hermione asked.

“This,” Lavender said, handing the paper to Harry.

Hermione stood beside him as they both read over the article.

“On the bright side, at least they don’t know where you are,” Lavender said helpfully after he’d finished reading the article.

“Aye,” Harry said sighing. He’d known that he couldn’t have made a low-key return to England and expect that no one to bat an eyelash. But, he’d not even been back a day before it had all started.

“Harry,” Hermione said putting a hand on his arm. “Who is this awful Rita Skeeter woman?”

Lavender laughed. “She’s a cow, is what she is, Hermione. She’s the worst kind of reporter there is. She gives the rest of us a bad name. I honestly don’t know how she comes up with the stories she does. From what I hear, she can take the smallest, most mundane details and blow them up into something sensational.”

“You should read the crap she wrote about me during my fourth year at Hogwarts,” Harry said shaking his head. “We never did figure out how she found out half the stuff she did…”

Hermione exhaled sharply. “She better hope she never meets me…”

“What are you going to do?” Lavender asked. “I mean, if I know Rita…she’s not going to rest until she finds out where you are.” She looked meaningfully at Hermione. “And who you’re with.”

Harry knew that he’d better talk to Ron before he found out about Harry and Hermione’s relationship on the front page of the paper.

Author’s note: Okay, you guys. The reason you had to wait so long for this one is because of the NCAA Tournament. My Tar Heels are the 2005 NCAA Champs and because of that I am very, very, very happy (and very sleepy for staying up and watching it). But I hope that you guys like this. It is the chapter that some of you have been waiting for. I would like to thank Excalibur and Heaven for helping beta this one for me and giving me suggestions, etc. Thanks guys! And to Neverisapromise14 because we chatted during the big game and kept me calm during the tense time (I know it’s just a game but come on! It was awesome!). Enough with this…on to the story. I hope you guys enjoy it!

Chapter Nineteen

Mr. Brightside

“I just can’t look its killing me
And taking control
Jealousy, turning saints into the sea
Swimming through sick lullabies
Choking on your alibis
But it’s just the price I pay
Destiny is calling me
Open up my eager eyes
‘Cause I’m Mr Brightside”

(Mr. Brightside, by the Killers)

Hermione looked at her watch for what must have been the twentieth time since Harry had left. She still felt guilty about taking a personal day but Lavender kept telling her Hermione was being foolish. As a show of solidarity, Lavender had also owled in sick.

“You really didn’t have to stay with me,” Hermione said once again when Lavender plopped down beside her on the sofa.

“Yes I did,” Lavender said. “I am your best friend in the whole world and I needed to be here for you. Besides, I really do have a headache from that party last night. So, I am technically ‘sick’.”

“Thanks,” Hermione said smiling at her. “You’ve been really great, Lavender. I appreciate it.”

Lavender waved her hand dismissively. “My motives aren’t entirely unselfish. You can give me all the juicy details—now that we’re alone. Is Harry back for good? Is he going to stay here with us? And the really important question: does he wear boxers or briefs?”

Hermione blushed. “Lavender!”

“What?” the blonde asked innocently. “Those are all really benign questions, Hermione. You can tell me you know. I’ve told you loads of things about the blokes I’ve dated.”

“You’ve told me way too much about the blokes you’ve dated,” Hermione said as she laughed. “Lavender, I really wish I could tell you, but aside from the boxers or briefs thing, I really don’t know the specifics,” she said after she’d calmed somewhat. She left out Harry’s plans of teaching at Hogwarts along with the possibility that she’d be doing the same.

“Well you might not know the specifics, but it’s quite obvious that he’s crazy about you,” Lavender said nudging her friend. “Anyone can see that.”

“Yeah,” Hermione said with a smile. “I’m mad about him too.”

Hermione sighed after another glance at her watch.

“He’s only been gone a few minutes,” Lavender pointed out. “Everything will be okay.”

“I don’t see how...”

“It will,” Lavender reassured her. “Besides, that weasely Ronald Weasley hasn’t a leg to stand on here after he cheated on you with anything that had a pulse. And it’s not as if you set off on your holiday to fall in love with his best friend. You had no idea Harry was going to be there, he had no idea who you really were, and when everything was out in the open the two of you tried to stay away from each other! But it was too late by then.”

“Something tells me Ron’s not going to see it that way,” Hermione said as she pulled her knees to her chest and hugged them to her like she did when she was a scared little girl.

Lavender slammed her fist into the couch angrily and looked Hermione straight in the eye. “Sod Ron! He cheated on you, Hermione! And it wasn’t as if the two of you were some great romance to begin with! You had almost nothing in common. And you fought more than you got along.”

“This isn’t just about me, Lav,” Hermione whispered. “This is Harry and Ron—best mates. They’ve been through hell together and made it back in one piece. But Ron’s always been a bit jealous of Harry and even though he hates himself for feeling like that, he still has those insecurities, Lav. When he finds out about Harry and me he’s going to see it as yet another thing that Harry Potter stole away from him.”

“And he’ll conveniently forget all about his role in all this?” Lavender sniffed. “He’ll forget about his inability to keep his bloody trousers zipped...”

“Lavender—”

“No, Hermione,” Lavender said getting to her feet, “you have something special with Harry. I’ve never seen you so happy and you shouldn’t give that up because Ron Weasley might feel inconvenienced or jealous.”

“I know,” Hermione said. “I do love Harry and I don’t want to be without him. I just know that telling Ron about us is going to be hard for him. The Weasleys are his family, Lavender.”

“I know,” Lavender said sitting back down. “I just want you to be happy. Both of you.”

“Me too,” Hermione said softly. “Me too...”

***** ************ ************

Harry stared blankly at the door to Ron’s flat trying to summon up some of that old Gryffindor courage. He’d been standing out here for nearly fifteen minutes, mentally going over what he would say. Different scenarios flashed in and out of his mind and not one of them ended in a good way.

He’s my best mate. It’s only a matter of time before the papers get wind of Hermione and me. If I don’t tell him now he’ll read about it in the papers and that’s not how I want him to find out. But how in the world do I even start to tell him this?

Taking a long, deep breath, Harry knocked on the door and a few moments later, Ron answered. He was wearing track trousers and an old Cannons t-shirt. The confused look on Ron’s face quickly turned into a wide grin.

“Harry James Potter!” Ron said hugging his long-lost friend. “So you sorry git, you are home!”

Harry let out a weak laugh and returned his friend’s embrace. “Yeah, I’m back.”

“Where the hell have you been?” Ron asked him with the “Molly Weasley” stern expression firmly in place. “Mum was a right sight when you didn’t stop in to see her and dad first... Come to think of it, so am I.”

“I know,” Harry said apologetically. “But there was something—”

Ron punched Harry on the arm. “There was a girl, wasn’t there?” he interrupted with a sly grin. “You probably weren’t back on British soil for more than two seconds before some bird threw herself at you, eh?”

Harry let out another weak laugh. “No, it’s not like that—”

Ron stepped aside and ushered his friend into the flat. “Mum was in a right nutter when she saw that article in the Daily Prophet! You should’ve seen her! But I told Mum that Skeeter was just making things up to sell papers. It looks like I was wrong for once! You are back!”

“Yeah, I’m back,” Harry said sitting down on the couch. He looked around the messy flat and memories of sharing a dorm room with Ron at Hogwarts assailed his mind: Ron’s mussed bedding, sweat-stained socks and T-shirts littering the floor, Quidditch magazines lying crumpled next to the nightstand that was full to overflowing with candy wrappers, and only a true diviner could tell you what lay in wait under the bed.

“How long are you back for?” Ron asked as he sat in a tattered, old chair that was directly opposite Harry. “Are you just visiting or finally back for good?”

“Back for good,” Harry replied.

“Brilliant!” Ron said smiling broadly at his best friend. He leaned forward and a conspiratorial look came over his features. “So, tell me...what finally brought you home? I promise I won’t sell the story to the papers...” Harry had just opened his mouth to respond but Ron cut him off. “It doesn’t really matter what brought you back,” Ron continued. “All that matters is that you’re here! Because, the truth is I need your help.”

“My help?” Harry asked.

“Yeah,” Ron said as he nodded. “You remember that girl I told you about? My girlfriend? Well, long story short, her flatmate saw me with Melinda and just couldn’t wait to share that information with Hermione... Needless to say, we’re kind of on the outs...”

“Kind of on the outs?”

“Aye,” Ron replied. “I wrote to you about this and was a little surprised when you didn’t respond. Didn’t you get my owl?”

“I did,” Harry said quietly. “But the thing is, Ron—”

“Don’t feel bad about not responding,” Ron said, mistaking the look on Harry’s face for regret at not replying to Ron’s correspondence. “It wasn’t like you could’ve helped me sort it all out. I just got too caught up with Melinda... But that’s over now. I know who I want to be with; who I’m meant to be with.”

“Ron—”

“I proposed to Hermione when she came back from her holiday,” Ron continued. “Can you believe that? Me? Proposing?”

“No,” Harry finally managed to say. “I can’t.”

How the hell am I going to tell him when he won’t let me speak? Every single time I open my mouth he bloody cuts me off!

“She turned me down though,” Ron said with a frown. “I can’t really blame her since I did cheat on her and all but she just doesn’t understand, Harry! What I had with Melinda was just sex. It wasn’t as if Melinda and I fell in love or anything we were just having a bit of fun!”

And I suppose that since it was just a bit of fun makes it okay?

Ron stood up and started pacing in front of Harry.

“I think I just took her by surprise,” Ron said, thinking out loud. “I think once she gets over this she’ll see that what we have is worth fighting for. Hermione and I have had our problems in the past but I think we can work past them.”

Work past them? If you’d just let me get a word in edgewise...

“Ron—”

Oh bloody hell!

“I know what you’re going to say, Harry. I was a complete idiot for running around behind her back,” Ron interjected. “And I was. But, Harry—if you’d seen Melinda! I really did try to be faithful, but Melinda...hmmm.”

A far away expression came over Ron’s face as he recalled some of his more memorable times with Melinda. Harry found it extremely difficult to keep his cool since the last thing he wanted to hear was Ron’s sordid details about his affair.

“...complete knockout, Harry! She has legs that go on for days...sexy as hell! Hermione’s a polar opposite. Melinda likes going out and having a good time. Hermione was happy just staying in and watching movies. That’s good sometimes, but I like to go out and have a good time as well!”

“Sounds as if you and Melinda had quite a bit in common,” Harry remarked dryly.

“We do,” Ron said with a slightly lecherous grin. “But Melinda has a boyfriend that she loves just like I love Hermione.”

Harry shook his head in disbelief. “You have a funny way of showing it.”

“What?” Ron asked in surprise.

“How can you say you love her when you ran around on her?” Harry asked.

Ron looked thoughtfully at his friend. He’d considered this question many times over the past couple of days and still didn’t have an answer—for himself or for Harry.

“I don’t know,” Ron said with a shrug. “I really don’t. I’m just a bloke! I was weak but I think what happened with Melinda is going to help me with Hermione. It helped me realize that what I have with Hermione is solid. She’s the kind of girl you settle down with to build a family.”

Harry stood up and nearly stalked to the window trying to keep his emotions in check with each step.

“If you’d seen Melinda, you’d have done the same thing—”

“Bollocks!” Harry exclaimed and turned to glare angrily at Ron.

“What?”

“I don’t understand how you can stand here and say you love Hermione when you cheated on her,” Harry answered. “The thing that kills me even more is that you’re saying that it’s actually going to help your relationship with her! You just don’t get it, Ron! You had a beautiful, funny, charming, sweet girl and it wasn’t enough for you, was it? Hermione is way too good for you...”

Ron took in what his friend had just said and stared back at him as if he was seeing him for the first time.

“How would you know how she is?” Ron asked, rounding on his best friend. “How would you know anything about Hermione? You’ve never met her.”

Harry stared back at him. He certainly hadn’t planned on breaking the news this way but, he couldn’t stand there listening to Ron trying to rationalize what he’d done. Harry looked away and Ron gaped at his friend’s back.

“Have you met Hermione?” Ron asked coldly. “Answer me!”

Harry turned and met Ron’s gaze. “Yes.”

Ron nodded. It suddenly made sense as the pieces of the puzzle finally fell into place: Lupin set up Hermione’s holiday and was the only one who knew where Harry and Sirius had been these past few years. Wherever they’d been, Lupin sent Hermione there. Ron didn’t want to think about where his train of thought was leading him.

“How long?” he asked.

“What?”

“How long was she there before you made a move on her?” Ron asked bitterly. “Two minutes? Three?”

Harry narrowed his eyes. “It wasn’t like that, Ron.”

“Oh really?” Ron asked then let out a hollow laugh. “Why don’t you explain what was really like then? Come on, mate, enlighten me.”

Harry exhaled. “I didn’t know who was she was when she first arrived. If you remember, you never mentioned her name in your letters—not until your last post—”

”I guess that explains why you never responded,” Ron said sarcastically. “You were too busy shagging my girlfriend.”

“Ron—”

“No,” Ron said, shaking his head. “Don’t you dare try and tell me that it wasn’t like that! How do you honestly expect me to believe anything that comes out of your bloody mouth?”

Harry groaned in frustration. “Ron, you act as if I had some sort of elaborate plan to seduce her! I didn’t know who she was until it was too late! When I found out, we tried to stay away from each other—”

“How very noble of you!” Ron spat.

Harry looked right in Ron’s eyes and decided to ignore that last accusation. It was time Ron had the whole truth.

“I love her,” Harry said. “Very much. You asked me for the reason I came back? It was for her, Ron. The last thing either of us set out to do was hurt you—”

“That makes me feel so much better!” Ron interjected loudly.

“It’s the truth,” Harry said quietly. “You can believe what you want, but that’s the way it is, Ron.”

Ron laughed and shook his head. “The truth? You want the truth, Harry? You...you’ve taken everything I’ve ever wanted or everything I ever had! Do you have any idea what it’s like to live in your shadow? Do you have any idea what it was like to fight right alongside you and not get any credit for it? They all think you did it by yourself, Harry, and you did nothing to try and correct them—”

”Yes I did,” Harry interrupted. “I tried to bring up your name. I said it wouldn’t have been possible—”

“You didn’t try hard enough!” Ron spat back coldly. “You wouldn’t know what it’s like for me because you were far too busy sucking up all the glory for yourself! Do you know the irony of it all? I believed you when you said you didn’t ask for any of it!”

“I didn’t!”

“You certainly took the hero’s role and milked it for all it was worth!” Ron retorted. “You didn’t have a family so you took mine. You didn’t have a girlfriend... Now look what’s happened...”

Harry wondered how long Ron had bottled all of this up inside. It was as if finding out about Hermione opened the floodgates and everything Ron had buried deep inside came spewing out of him all at once.

“I didn’t take your family,” Harry said in an attempt to reason with his friend. “They love you, Ron. They always have. Your mum and dad are really proud of everything you’ve done! You know that!”

“I don’t know anything,” Ron said. “I was sitting here in London while you were off shagging my girlfriend on some beach—”

“You were shagging some tart!” Harry retorted sharply before he could stop himself.

“GET OUT!” Ron bellowed. “GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY HOUSE!”

“Fine,” Harry said, glaring at him before walking toward the door.

Ron, however, wasn’t going to let him go that easy. He wanted to do something—to say something—that would hurt Harry at least a fraction of how Harry had hurt him.

“Hey, Harry?” Ron asked tentatively.

Harry had one hand on the knob when Ron called out to him. A voice in the back of his head told him to just walk out now, to cut his losses, but the pleading sound in Ron’s voice caused him to turn around.

“You know something? It’s a pity, really,” Ron said and stepped closer. With a sneer, he continued speaking. “This is the first time you’ve gotten one of my hand-me-downs... But I wouldn’t feel so special about it, she spreads her legs for anyone with a name. You must have been like the Crown Jewels to her... I mean, there was Viktor Krum, me, and then—”

Ron didn’t get a chance to finish because Harry’s fist connected hard with Ron’s eye. Ron fell back onto the floor, his hand covering his face protectively.

“DON’T YOU EVER TALK ABOUT HER LIKE THAT AGAIN!” Harry yelled.

“Woo, the great protector,” Ron said, wincing as he tried to get to his feet but Harry made no move to help him. Twelve years of friendship, in Ron’s case frustration and pent-up anger, stood between the two of them.

***** ******** ********** **********

Hermione was sitting on the couch attempting to read a novel but no matter haw hard she tried to concentrate on the now blurry words, her thoughts kept returning to one person. It was almost six in the evening and Harry had been gone for quite some time. Hermione wondered what his extended visit with Ron could mean. Lavender had left for the market to pick up some groceries only an hour earlier since she’d volunteered to cook dinner tonight and Hermione wondered if Harry would be back in time. A knock at the door pulled her thoughts away from her worries and she sighed in relief as she closed her book. After setting it on the coffee table, she hurried to the door and swung it open.

“Hey,” she said softly when she saw Harry standing before her, looking worse for the wear. She quickly ushered him inside and closed the door. “So,” Hermione said biting her lip. “How’d it go?”

Harry smiled weakly at her. “‘Not very well’ would sound like heaven compared to what happened.”

“That bad?”

Harry nodded.

“I’m so sorry, Harry.”

He reached out and gently touched her cheek. “It’s not your fault, Hermione. He’s been holding a bunch of stuff in about me. I think hearing about the two of us just opened that can of worms and let it spill out.”

She slipped her arms around him and hugged him tightly and he did the same. For the longest time, neither of them spoke—they just held each other, basking in the comfort each of them found in the other’s arms. After some time, Harry pulled away and led her to the sofa.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Hermione asked, curiosity driving her need to know what had happened.

Harry ran a hand through his hair. “Well, let’s see. I stood outside his flat for what seemed like an eternity mentally preparing what I was going to say which, I might add, was a complete waste of time because he really didn’t give me much of a chance to say anything.”

Hermione sighed.

“He proceeded to tell me about how he’d proposed to you,” Harry continued, “that you turned him down, and once you had time to get over what had happened between him and that other girl, you’d come around.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me!”

“I wish I were,” Harry said, shaking his head. “Then he told me all about this Melinda person and...”

“And?” Hermione prompted.

“And he said he loved you,” Harry said then looked away. “I couldn’t just stand there and listen to him go on and on about that so I blurted out that you were too good for him...”

“And?”

“He asked me how I could know this when I’ve never met you,” he said. “Then he sort of pieced everything together himself. Of course, he put a much different spin on it.”

Hermione shook her head. “The kind of spin that made him the innocent victim in all of this I’m sure.”

“Yeah,” Harry said quietly. “Then he had the gall to make some shite remark about you and I hit him...”

Hermione gasped. “You hit him?”

“I wanted to throttle him,” Harry said. He waited for her to ask him what Ron had said, but she didn’t. For this, Harry was glad. He didn’t want to tell her that anymore than she probably wanted to hear it.

“He was like a brother to me, Hermione,” Harry said softly. “Other than Hagrid, he was my first real friend. He said some things today that I think he’s been feeling for quite some time and I had no idea that he felt that I took everything away from him—”

“You didn’t, Harry,” Hermione said reassuringly. She’d heard Ron confess all of his insecurities about his best friend and knew how deep Ron’s wounds were. It couldn’t have been easy for either Ron or Harry to talk about these things, either for Ron to say it or Harry to hear it. Despite what Harry said, she couldn’t help feeling guilty for being the cause of their rift.

As if sensing what she was thinking, Harry leaned in and kissed her softly.

“I love you,” he whispered. “Nothing is going to change that.”

She smiled up at him. “I just feel as if this is my fault...”

“This wasn’t your fault,” Harry reassured her. “And I have no regrets.”

“Really?”

“Really,” he said kissing her forehead. “Well...Maybe just one...”

“What’s that?”

”That you’d gone to Hogwarts instead of Beauxbatons,” he said, grinning at her. “And that I’d met you first.”

”Me too,” she said softly, resting her head on his chest. “Can you imagine what that would have been like?”

Harry laughed. “I probably would have gotten higher marks and I imagine you’d have kept me in line. You might have saved my arse on a couple of occasions, as well.”

“Please,” Hermione said then began giggling. “If you’d known me back then, I probably would have saved your arse on more than a couple of occasions. I’ll have you know that I am, and I quote, ‘the brightest witch of my age’.”

“Why do you think I’m so crazy about you?” Harry teased.

Hermione laughed and leaned back against Harry while his arms encircled her waist. They both became silent. Each one lost in their own thoughts about what had happened between each other, between them and Ron, and what the future held for them now that they were finally together.

Author’s note: Sorry for the long wait, guys. I originally intended for you to see Sirius and Eva in this chapter, but they are going to have to wait until next chapter, I believe. As will Ron…I have something planned for him …mwhahahhahhahaha….

Anyhoo---I hope you like this chapter---complete H/Hr…

Chapter 20
She’s Got a Way---Billy Joel

She's got a way about her
I don't know what it is
But I know that I can't live without her
She s got a way of pleasin'
I don't know what it is
But there doesn't have to be a reason anyway
She's got a smile that heals me
I don't know why it is
But I have to laugh when she reveals me
She's got a way of talkin'
I don't know why it is
But it lifts me up when we are walkin' anywhere

She comes to me when I'm feelin' down
Inspires me without a sound She touches me
and I get turned around
She's got a way of showin'
How I make her feel
And I find the strength to keep on goin'
She's got a light around her
And ev'rywhere she goes
A million dreams of love surround her
ev'rywhere

Harry Potter had been back for a week...Seven whole days.

His name and stock photos were splattered on the front page of every wizarding world publication while reporters speculated his whereabouts. Despite the lone sighting at Hogwarts none had neither seen nor heard from him since. Well, nobody who’d blab to the newspapers.

Hermione and Harry spent most of their time in Muggle London enjoying trips to the cinema and various restaurants for clandestine dinners. Harry masked his scar with a concealment charm and covered his trademarked mop of messy hair with a baseball cap. It seemed what they were doing was working since nobody was any wiser to where he was.

The more time Harry spent with Hermione, the more he knew that his decision to return to England—to home—and to teach at Hogwarts had been correct. He and Hermione walked around the flat with goofy grins on their faces and on more than one occasion Lavender teased them that their sweetness had been giving her toothaches.

Yet they were still in that “can’t keep their hands off of each other” stage.

At the moment, this was making the simple task of getting ready for dinner far more complicated than either had intended. For one thing, this wasn’t just any ordinary dinner. Tonight, Harry was going to meet Hermione’s parents for the first time. He tried to deny his apprehensive feelings about this rendezvous but he was rather transparent and Hermione could see right through him.

“Okay, so maybe I am a little nervous,” Harry finally admitted while Hermione helped him with his tie after he’d become flustered when he couldn’t get it straight. Hermione had taken pity on him after watching him grumble and fuss in front of the mirror for the past fifteen minutes before offering her assistance.

Hermione laughed. “You have no reason to be nervous, Harry. My parents are going to love you.”

“You sure are sure of yourself,” Harry said as she looped her arms around his neck.

“I am,” she said with a smug grin before pressing her lips to his. “Because I know I’m right.”

Harry kissed her again, thinking he would like nothing more than to carry her back to bed and forget about dinner with her parents.

“We”—Hermione said in between kisses—“really shouldn’t start something that we aren’t going to be able to finish...”

Harry nodded and reluctantly released her. “Yeah, probably wouldn’t be a good idea to be late to meet your mum and dad.”

They both resumed their previous task so Hermione touched up her makeup and Harry attempted to tame his hair yet again.

“This is a lost cause,” he said, throwing the comb back in the basin.

“You could borrow some of Lav’s Sleekeasy’s if you want,” Hermione said as she opened the medicine cabinet. Harry gaped at the overflowing shelves that were overflowing with loads of different bottles and jars of varying sizes, shapes, and colors.

“What’s all this?” Harry asked.

“I’m not entirely sure,” Hermione said with a laugh. “And this isn’t all of it! What you see here is just a tiny fraction of what you’d find if you went into her bedroom. Then you’d see her vanity covered with so much gunk: hair gel, makeup, lotion and these strange gadgets for plucking, straightening...”

“Sounds painful,” Harry commented dryly.

“According to Lavender, beauty is pain,” Hermione said, shutting the cabinet. She walked out of the bathroom and down the hall toward her bedroom. They weren’t running that late and all she only needed to get dressed. Normally, she wouldn’t make such a fuss over her appearance but she wanted to make a good impression for both the man she loved and her parents. She was sure that her parents would love Harry as much as she did. They’d told her time and again that all they wanted was for her to be happy. Harry made her happy and that should be enough for her parents to see what a great man he was.

Harry followed her into the bedroom and grabbed his jacket from the bed and put it on while under Hermione’s watchful gaze.

“Has anyone told you how great you look in a suit?” she asked, wrinkling her eyebrows suggestively at him.

Harry laughed. “You’re the first.”

“That’s a crying shame,” she called over her shoulder as she went into the closet to put on her dress.

“So,” he said, sitting down on the edge of the bed. “On a scale of one to ten, how would you rate your father in “Scary”? One the complete pushover and ten the Voldemort clone...” From the closet, he could hear Hermione’s muffled laughter. “I’m serious, Hermione,” Harry called out. “It’s always good to know what you’re up against before you go into battle.”

“Battle?” Hermione asked. “Harry, you make it sound like you’re going to a duel instead of a nice, quiet dinner with my parents.” She slipped into her dress. “Honestly, Harry, he’s like any other father. Surely, you’ve met your girlfriends’ fathers before, right?”

Harry was getting tired of yelling his conversation with her so he got up and walked to the closet. Any answer he’d been about to give her floated out of his head when he saw her in the dress she’d chosen.

She was wearing a floral print black dress with a plunging neckline that would turn any man’s imagination towards more naughty thoughts. Her long, brown hair was curled and pulled into a messy bun with curly tendrils framing her face. Hermione looked up to see Harry staring at her and she smiled.

“What? Do I look that bad?” she asked.

Harry shook his head and stepped behind her where he placed his hands on her waist. “Miss Granger, you’re breathtaking.”

“Yeah, right,” she said, rolling her eyes.

”Take a compliment,” he said softly. She leaned against him as he planted kisses on her neck and shoulder.

“I love you,” he whispered, his breath warm on her skin.

“Mmmm,” she murmured, giving serious thought to skiving off dinner with her parents.

As if sensing her thoughts, Harry gave a little laugh. “I know. I know.” He chanced one last kiss on her shoulder. “We have to stop.”

“Yes,” Hermione said weakly. “We have to stop. But we’ll continue this when we get back...”

“Tonight then,” he promised with a smile and leaned against the closet door. “So, back to my original question, Hermione...”

“About my parents?”

“Yes,” he said feeling somewhat foolish. “More specifically your father.”

Hermione laughed while she pulled a cardigan over her bare shoulders. “He’s fine, Harry, honestly. He’s not a raving lunatic who thinks that you’re only after one thing, knows that I have good judgment, and if you’re good enough for me, you’re going to be good enough for my parents.”

”Really?”

For the first time, Hermione realized how nervous he really was. “Come on, Harry. It’s not as if this is the first time you’ve ever met your girlfriend’s parents. It—“

Harry suddenly became very interested in the pattern on the carpeting.

“You’ve never—”

He shook his head. “Most of the girls I dated on the island were tourists and they didn’t bring their folks with them. I-I’ve just never been so serious about someone that I’ve gotten this far...”

Hermione smiled. “Well, I’m glad that I’m the first.”

“First, last, and only,” he said, reaching for her hand.

She beamed at him before hugging him tightly. This was a mistake, however, because Harry soon began planting kisses on her neck again.

“I thought we... um... agreed...” Hermione whispered as she leaned against him. “Mmmmmm...”

With his free hand, he reached around and opened the front door. “Okay, okay...”

“Hello, Harry.”

Harry and Hermione both froze and looked up to see Molly Weasley standing just outside the door. They both turned every shade of red imaginable as they let go of each other. For what seemed like an eternity, no one spoke. No one smiled. They just stared everywhere but at each other.

“Mrs. Weasley,” Harry finally managed to say. “What...what are you doing here?”

Molly answered with a slight smile. “I suppose I should be asking you that question...”

Hermione covered her face with her hands. “Mrs. Weasley, we can explain.”

Molly shook her head. “You don’t owe me an explanation, Hermione. Ronald told me everything.”

Both Harry and Hermione exchanged a look. This couldn’t be good. Both of them wondered what sort of spin Ron could have put on this. No doubt, he would have left his part out in all of this, Harry thought bitterly.

“Won’t you come in?” Hermione said, forcing a smile.

“You look as if you were on your way out,” Molly said, “I wouldn’t want to intrude….”

“You’re not, Mrs. Weasley,” Hermione said. “We were just going out for dinner with my parents.”

“How are Robert and Karen these days?” Molly asked politely.

Harry hadn’t given much thought to Ron’s relationship with Hermione’s parents. He wondered what they’d thought about Ron. Had they liked him? He’d not asked Hermione about this. Suddenly, he began to wonder if they’d compare him with Ron throughout the meal. Say what you wanted to about Ron, he could be quite charming and funny when he wanted to be. Her parents probably loved him.

“They’re fine,” Hermione answered. “They’re taking a cruise in a couple of weeks and they’re both looking forward to it.”

“I’m sure they are,” Molly said. “I wish Arthur and I could do something like that, but he’s so busy these days.”

Hermione nodded and looked at Harry, both of them wondering what would be the right thing to say or to do. Molly wasn’t being outwardly mean or unfriendly. But there wasn’t something very businesslike to her tone.

For his part, Harry was happy to see her. She was the closest thing to a mother that he had and the least thing he wanted was for her to hate him; for any of the Weasleys to hate him. But they had every right in the world to do so. Ron was their brother and Weasleys stood by each other---always had and always would. Even Percy was welcomed back into the fold when he’d broken off ties with them.

“Mrs. Weasley…” Harry heard himself say. He knew she was going to believe what she wanted, but he didn’t want her to go without hearing his explanation.

To his surprise, Molly took a few tentative steps toward him and then smiled at him before giving him a big bear hug. He was so in shock by what she’d just done that at first, he didn’t hug her back. He wasn’t expecting this. For an awful moment when she’d been approaching him, he’d thought that she was going to hit him upside the head with her bag.

“We missed you so much,” Molly said as tears flowed down her cheeks.

“I’m sorry, Mrs. Weasley,” Harry said hugging her back. “For everything.”

Molly pulled away and looked appraisingly at him. “You’re much too thin, Harry. Haven’t you been eating?”

Harry laughed. “I have. You’ve always thought I was too thin.”

Hugging him again, Molly chuckled. “I hate what has happened to you and Ronald. The two of you shouldn’t be fighting like this not over…”

“…me,” Hermione interjected. “They shouldn’t be fighting over me, you mean.”

Molly turned around and looked at Hermione, but didn’t say anything. Hermione nodded and walked over to the sofa to retrieve her bag.

”I’m going to go,” Hermione said.

“Hermione—“ Harry said grabbing her hand.

“It’s okay,” Hermione said forcing a smile. “You should stay and talk to Mrs. Weasley. I don’t want to keep my parents waiting.”

With that, she disapparated.

Harry stared at the space where his girlfriend had stood just seconds before.

“I didn’t mean for her to leave, Harry,” Molly began.

Harry held up his hand. “I need to say something, Mrs. Weasley. I know you heard Ron’s side of things, but you didn’t hear ours.”

Molly stepped further into the room and sat down on the sofa. She’d come here for answers, Harry was going to give them to her.

So he started telling her about Hermione’s arrival on the island. How Hermione had sussed out who he and Sirius really were almost from the beginning. He told her how they’d started to spend time with each other and that an attraction had grown.

“She fought it,” Harry told her. “She didn’t want to betray Ron. And then when I found out who she was, I tried to fight it too. But it was too late. She wanted to go home and maybe I should have let her, but I couldn’t.”

“Ronald loves her too, Harry,” Molly said in defense of her son. “They’ve had some rows, but they had a good relationship…”

Harry just shook his head as he imagined what version of events Ron had shared with his mother. He collected his thoughts before he said anything else.

“Mrs. Weasley,” Harry said cautiously. “You know Hermione. Arthur knows Hermione. She’s really good friends with your daughter. Does that girl---the same one you welcomed into your home and treated like one of your own---sound like someone who would do something like that?”

Molly looked thoughtfully at him. “No, but…”

”But nothing,” Harry said sitting down beside her on the sofa. “Mrs. Weasley—there’s two sides to this story. And I’m not saying anyone is completely innocent in this---far from it. But, I think Ron didn’t tell you the whole story.”

”What didn’t he tell me, Harry?” Molly implored of him.

“I think you should ask him what he’s holding back,” Harry told her. “It’s not my place to tell you what he’s done or hasn’t done. That’s not going to get any of us anywhere.”

Molly nodded. “He’s on a road trip with the team. I guess he and I have plenty to talk about when he gets back.”

“How is he?” Harry asked.

Molly shrugged. “As well as can be expected. “

Harry didn’t know what to say to this. Thankfully, Molly didn’t give him much time to think about it.

”I should go,” Molly said, getting to her feet. “You don’t want to be late.”

“I already am,” Harry said with a slight smile. “Not the best way to make a first impression.”

Molly gave him one last hug. “Good luck, Harry.”

“Thank you,” he said hugging her back. “I think I’m going to need it.”

~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hermione exhaled as she entered the Cesca’s, the restaurant where she was meeting her parents for dinner. She’d been here loads of times, but could never remember feeling so nervous. This place held so many happy memories for her family.

Cesca’s was the place they always went to for celebrations---her father winning that golf tournament a couple of years back; her mother’s article being published in a dental journal; Hermione’s graduation from Beauxbatons and subsequent hiring at the Ministry. Tonight was supposed to be another celebration, but Hermione didn’t feel much like celebrating.

The entire way over here, she’d berated herself for running out of her own flat like she had.

Any why did I do that? That’s right. I couldn’t take the fact that not everyone was going to be thrilled about Harry and me. So, instead of walking in here on the arm of the man I love, I’m walking in here alone. And it’s my own damn fault!

“Buonasera, Hermione!”

She looked up to see Lorenzo, Cesca’s owner smiling broadly at he came over to welcome her.

“Hello, Lorenzo.”

“Robert and Karen are waiting for you,” Lorenzo said giving her a hug. “They told me you were bringing your new bloke.”

Hermione blushed.

“And they told me not to embarrass you, of course,” Lorenzo said putting an arm around her as he led her to her parents’ table. “Well, is your young man parking the car?”

Hermione opened her mouth to respond to him, but nothing came out.

“Here she is!” Robert said getting to his feet as he saw his daughter. “You look beautiful, sweetheart.”

“You do,” Karen agreed pecking her on the cheek.

Lorenzo excused himself to go and check on something in the kitchen, leaving Hermione alone with her parents.

“Is Harry parking the car?” Karen asked as they all sat down.

Hermione shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

“Hermione?” Karen asked exchanging a look with her husband. “Harry is coming, isn’t he?”

I wish I knew, Mum. You see the truth is…my ex-boyfriend’s mum stopped by unexpectedly and she was about to read me the riot act for throwing her son over for his best mate. I couldn’t take the pressure so I bailed. So, in answer to your question, Mum…I have no bloody idea if Harry’s coming.

As she looked at her parents’ expectant faces, she couldn’t very well tell them that exactly. But, she knew she needed to come up with something to explain Harry’s absence.

Sick? Family emergency? Nervousness?

They’d never buy any of that because I am the worst liar. Great at everything else, but telling a lie…I can’t do that.

Hermione took another deep breath and looked at her mother. “Well, you see the truth is….”

“Sorry I’m late,” a familiar voice said behind her. Hermione turned around to see Harry standing with Lorenzo who was practically beaming at them. Just seeing him here, Hermione wanted to jump up and throw her arms around him.

Shakily, Hermione got to her feet and pecked him on the cheek instead. Harry squeezed her hand and gave her a reassuring look as her parents walked around the table for a proper introduction.

“Mum, Dad,” Hermione said smiling at them. “And Lorenzo, of course…I’d like you to meet Harry Potter.”

“The pleasure’s mine,” Harry said shaking first Robert’s and then Karen’s hands. “I really apologize for being late.”

“Nonsense,” Karen said waving a hand at him. “It’s okay. We only just arrived ourselves.”

Hermione smiled. She knew very well her parents had been here for quite some time.

“Why don’t you all sit down?” Lorenzo asked them. “I’ll bring you a bottle of my best Sangiovese.”

”That would be lovely,” Karen said sitting back down. “Thank you, Lorenzo.”

Lorenzo left them and Hermione wished she could steal Harry away to find out what exactly he’d spoken about with Molly, but she knew he’d tell her when they were alone.

Please let my parents like him as much as I do.

“So, Hermione tells us you’re going to start teaching in the fall,” Robert began.

Harry nodded. “I’m looking forward to it.”

“At your alma mater, right?” Robert asked.

“Yes sir,” Harry replied with a smile. “That’s probably one of the reasons I’m most looking forward to it. It will be nice to be back there after all this time.”

Hermione wondered if now would be a good time to mention to her parents her Hogwarts interview tomorrow. She still couldn’t believe she was actually considering it herself. Her parents had been so proud of her job at the Ministry. She just hoped that they’d be just as happy that she was pursuing something she really wanted to do.

“Mum, Dad,” Hermione said nervously. “There’s something you should know…”

Robert and Karen looked at her and Hermione felt as if she was going to be sick. She’d never wanted to disappoint them. Harry squeezed her hand under the table and Hermione smiled gratefully at him.

“There’s a chance that I might be joining Harry at Hogwarts,” she heard herself say.

“What?”

“I—I have an interview tomorrow afternoon with the headmaster,” Hermione replied. “They’re looking for a Charms professor….”

“But you’re job at the Ministry…” Robert interjected.

“I’ve learned so much there,” Hermione continued. “But I think that teaching is where my heart lies, Dad. I’ve always wanted to do that. In fact, that was probably what I was going to do if I hadn’t been offered the Ministry job.”

“I see,” Robert said quietly.

Hermione wished she could read the expression on his face, but he wasn’t giving anything away.

“This might all be for naught,” she continued. “I haven’t even had the interview yet. The headmaster might think I’m not qualified or something. I just---I just wanted you to know what my plans were. And I really hope you’ll be happy for me.”

Lorenzo brought out the wine just then and he poured them each a glass. Hermione was grateful for the momentary distraction. Lorenzo signaled for a waiter to take their orders as well and the two couples looked over the menu quickly before deciding on their entrees.

Once they were alone again, Hermione looked hopefully at her father. “So what do you think, Dad?”

Robert considered her question as he leaned back in the chair. Hermione knew that she was going to pursue this with or without his blessings, but it would mean the world to her if he gave her support on this.

“You’re not just doing this to follow---“

Hermione shook her head, becoming angry that he thought the only reason she was considering this was to be close to Harry.

“Dad,” she said trying to stay calm. “Harry being at Hogwarts with me would be a plus, of course, but it certainly isn’t the reason I’m deciding to uproot my life and career. This is something I want for me. I hope you know that.”

Robert nodded. “You want to know what I really think?”

Hermione said that she did, not sure if she was ready to hear it.

“I think you’d be an excellent professor,” Robert said smiling at his daughter.

“You do?” Hermione asked in surprise.

“I do,” Robert said with a laugh. “I think Hogwarts…and Harry…are very lucky to have you.”

“Here, here,” Harry agreed putting an arm around her. “I agree wholeheartedly with that, Dr. Granger.”

“Thank you, Daddy.”

Robert beamed at her. “You’re welcome, sweetheart. You know that I only want you to be happy.”

“I am,” Hermione said looking over at Harry. “Very happy.”

“That’s all that matters,” Robert said raising his glass.

~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The meal was a great success. Harry got along famously with her parents and her father even invited him to play golf, a sport that Harry confessed he’d never played before in his life. This, of course, led to some gentle ribbing from Robert. Karen Granger had told Hermione in a whispered aside that Harry was quite charming and that she thought her daughter had met her match.

It had gone better than either of them had expected. And now they were walking back to her flat, enjoying the warm, late summer night.

“Not bad for a first-timer,” Hermione teased. “”My folks are officially in love with you now.”

“How do you reckon that?”

“Well, my father has never invited any of my boyfriends to play golf, for one thing,” she replied.

“He probably just wants to embarrass me,” Harry said. “I have been golfing a few times, but I never actually had the chance to play. My Uncle Vernon had me go as his caddie. I lugged around his heavy golf bag and would have to go running after drinks and snacks for him and my cousin.”

‘’Doesn’t sound like much fun,” Hermione said softly, resting her head on his shoulder.

“On the contrary,” Harry said with a smile. “My uncle and cousin were really terrible at it. In fact, they were both too lazy to actually finish the full 18 holes. They usually gave up around seven and would go back to the clubhouse and stuff their faces…”

“I’m sure you’ll have more fun with my dad,” Hermione said.

“I’m sure I will.”

They walked in silence for awhile, just enjoying the walk and being in each other’s company. It was Hermione who spoke first.

“I’m sorry for running out on you like I did,” she said quietly. “I just know Mrs. Weasley hates me now. And for good reason. From her perspective…”

Harry took her hand and led her over to a bench. “Listen, Hermione. She doesn’t know everything that happened. All that she knows is Ron’s side of the story. We both know what he must have told her.”

“I know,” Hermione said looking at him.

“She’s been like a mother to me,” Harry said. “She’s protective of me and she’s very protective of her children. She doesn’t want to see them hurt.”

“She thinks I’m going to hurt you.”

“She doesn’t,” Harry reassured her. “Hermione, I love you. Nothing or no one else is going to change that. You believe me, don’t you?”

She nodded. Harry leaned in and kissed her softly.

“I should get you home,” he whispered when they pulled apart. “You have a very big day ahead of you tomorrow.”

Hermione grinned. “Yes, I do.”

”I cannot wait to show you Hogwarts,” he said standing up and offering her his hand. “And introduce you to Hagrid…”

“And take me walking down by the lake?” she asked taking his hand.

“Most definitely,” he said. “A romantic, long walk down by the lake.”

He had a mischievous glint in his eyes and Hermione wondered if there was something he wasn’t telling her.

“You’re planning something, aren’t you?” she asked him.

He pulled his most innocent face and looked at her. “Who me?”

“What are you planning?”

He just shook his head and laughed. “I don’t have anything planned, Hermione. Trust me. Nothing at all planned except showing my best girl around my old school. Nothing more, nothing less…”

“Uh-huh,” she said not convinced. Perhaps it was a nice picnic down by the lake, she thought to herself. If he meant to surprise her, she wasn’t going to spoil it by guessing what it was. She’d just find out tomorrow.

************ *************** ************* **************

Author’s note: I hope you guys enjoy this one. You get to see Sirius/Eva this go around---finally! And Ron gets a visit from Fred & George & Molly. And something “fluffy” happens. I had a chance to respond to some of the reviews for the last chapter. Didn’t get around to responding to all of them, but I did read them! I hope you will continue to read and review! Song for this chapter is one of my favorites. I am partial to the Nat King Cole version as well as the Celine Dion/Clive Griffin version from “Sleepless in Seattle”.

Chapter 21

When I Fall In Love

When I fall in love
It will be forever
Or I'll never fall in love

In a restless world
Like this is
Love is ended before it's begun
And too many
Moonlight kisses
Seem to cool in the warmth of the sun

When I give my heart
I give it completely
Or I'll never give my heart

And the moment I can feel that you feel that way too
Is when I fall in love with you

It was nearly midnight and Harry was wide awake. Because they had such a big day tomorrow with traveling to Hogwarts, Hermione suggested they call it an early night. He’d been all for it, of course, thinking that a good night’s sleep was what they both needed. If only he’d been able to fall asleep.

Hermione, on the other hand, was fast asleep beside him---a content smile on her face. She looked so calm and peaceful. He wished that the same could be said for him. But, he’d been staring at the ceiling for what seemed like an eternity.

Tomorrow really was going to be a big day for the two of them. Harry was mentally planning how he’d show her the Hogwarts’ castle and grounds. Her interview was scheduled for 11 a.m. and he figured they’d arrive early so he could give her the grand tour. After the interview, he…well, that was what was keeping him up tonight.

It was a big decision. It was the kind of question that could make or break a relationship. And when he asked it, he wanted to do it in such a way that they would both remember that moment for the rest of their lives.

I’m thinking about this way too much.

He sighed and turned his head toward the bedside table where the alarm clock flashed the current time---12:01 a.m.

It wouldn’t be all that late in the Abacos. In fact, it would be around 10 p.m. Sirius was probably at Café Oceana, keeping Eva company. Gently pulling back the covers, Harry eased himself out of bed being careful not to wake Hermione.

He needed his godfather now more than ever.

~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sirius tried not to laugh at the expression on his fiancée’s face as Maureen related a tale about one of her cousin’s weddings.

“It was really a beautiful ceremony,” Maureen was saying. “She had around twelve bridesmaids and twelve groomsmen. Oh and four honorary bridesmaids.”

“Honorary bridesmaids?” Sirius couldn’t help asking.

Maureen nodded.

“What the bloody hell is an honorary bridesmaid?” Sirius asked her. Eva kicked him under the table, but he chose to ignore it. “Is that someone who wasn’t quite good enough to make it to the title of full bridesmaid?”

Maureen rolled her eyes. “No, it’s just say you have sixteen best girlfriends. And you can only have say---seven bridesmaids. Well, the other nine of your friends are going to feel left out, aren’t they? So, you make them honorary bridesmaids to sort of make up for it…”

Sirius looked thoughtfully at her. “So these other nine lasses just didn’t pass muster so they’re relegated to second-class status, is that it?”

Maureen shook her head. “Weddings are completely wasted on men. You have no understanding of them. None…whatsoever.”

“I’m just being a realist,” Sirius said, patting her hand. “And you don’t have to worry about me having sixteen groomsmen. I don’t even have sixteen blokes I’d consider to be good friends.”

Maureen laughed as she grabbed her tray. “That’s because you’re not a people person, Ben.”

Sirius shook his head. “Okay, what kind of world do we live in where we have the terms ‘honorary bridesmaids’ and ‘people persons’?”

Eva laughed as she got between Sirius and Maureen. “I think the two of you need to agree to disagree on this one. We won’t have to worry about having honorary bridesmaids, Maureen. I am only going to have one bridesmaid and Ben here is going to have Jack stand up for him. So, that’s all sorted.”

“Jack’s coming back for the wedding?” Maureen asked interestedly.

“With his girlfriend,” Sirius reminded her gently. “You remember her, right? The one he left the islands to be with?”

Maureen nodded. “Of course. That’s lovely.”

“Maureen?” Eva asked. “Why don’t you go and check on your tables?”

Maureen smiled and walked away leaving Sirius and Eva alone again.

“She’s still got it bad for Harry then?”

Eva shrugged. “She’s always holding out hope, I guess. But I guess….”

Her voice trailed off as Harry himself came sprinting into the restaurant from the kitchen. He was wearing pajama bottoms and a white t-shirt and his hair was in a complete state of disarray.

“Speak of the devil,” Sirius said in surprise. “We were just talking about you!”

Harry gave a slight smile.

“Nothing’s the matter, is it?” Eva asked, looking him up and down.

“No,” Harry answered. “Well, yes. I don’t really know.”

Some of the restaurant patrons were looking at him with bemused expressions on their faces and Sirius thought it best to get his godson upstairs to see what the trouble was. Harry didn’t put up much of a fight as Sirius led him through the kitchen and upstairs to Eva’s flat.

“Okay,” Sirius said when they were seated in the kitchen with two bottles of ale. “What’s going on, mate?”

Harry took a long sip of his beer. “I—I just had a lot on my mind and I needed your advise.”

Sirius smiled. “So contrary to popular opinion, I do sometimes know what I’m talking about then? You should tell Eva that…”

Harry laughed. “Listen, Old Man. I haven’t got much time. Are you going to help me or not?”

“Of course,” Sirius said, leaning back in his chair. “What’s on your mind, Harry?”

“What isn’t on my mind might be the better question,” Harry said dryly.

“How about you start from the beginning?” Sirius suggested. “You obviously spoke with Ron, right?”

Harry nodded. “A few days ago, actually. I told him about Hermione and me.”

“And I’m guessing he didn’t offer his blessings and well-wishes for the happy couple?”

Harry shook his head. “Not quite. He was very angry with me and I understood that, but then he started spouting off all this rubbish about me taking everything from him. And then when I was ready to leave, he made some shite remark about Hermione and I---I hit him.”

Sirius’ eyes grew large.

“Trust me,” Harry said. “It was really horrible what he said, Sirius.”

Sirius frowned. “I’m sorry about that, Harry. It’s not so easy when two blokes love the same girl. Or when one thinks he does…like Ron.”

“Yeah,” Harry said before taking another sip of his beer. “I hate this. I wasn’t expecting him to be all happy about it, but I just…”

“You miss your best mate,” Sirius finished for him.

“Aye,” Harry replied.

“You going to do anything about it?”

“I don’t know what I could do about it,” Harry said with a hollow laugh. “If the situation was reversed, I don’t know if I could forgive him. It’s just so cocked up, Sirius.”

Sirius understood all too well about this. But he wasn’t about to get into why with Harry---now didn’t seem like the time. And besides that, it wasn’t his place to say anything about it. If anyone should tell Harry about that, it should be Remus.

“And what about Hermione?”

Harry smiled just thinking about her. “She’s great. She’s interviewing at Hogwarts tomorrow.”

“The two of you together in the castle?” Sirius asked, raising an eyebrow. “Doesn’t take a Seer to picture the two of you snogging in the broom closet….sharing a stolen moment in the professors’ lounge….”

“Sod off,” Harry said laughing.

“Just remember to set a good example for the students,” Sirius lectured, his tone dry and humorless. “You are someone they’re looking up to after all…”

“Like I’m really going to take lessons in decorum from you,” Harry said sarcastically. “Mr. Marauder…”

“I’ll have you know that in my old, but very wise age, I have seen the error of my youthful ways…”

“Yeah right.”

“So you came over here to take the piss?” Sirius asked him. He had missed his godson the past few days. He hadn’t realized how much until Harry had gone.

“No, I came here for your advice,” Harry corrected him. “And so far, you’re not helping one bit.”

“Okay,” Sirius said, resting his elbows on the table. “Tell us what’s going on in that head of yours.”

Harry told Sirius about meeting Hermione’s parents earlier. How he’d been so nervous, but how he’d gotten along with both her mum and dad. And how he’d taken her father aside and asked him that big question…

“Dr. Granger?” he’d asked just outside the restaurant. Hermione and her mother had excused themselves to go to the ladies’.

“Robert,” Hermione’s dad corrected. “No need to be so formal, Harry.”

“Right,” Harry said nervously. “Well, I had something I wanted to ask you.”

Robert folded his arms and looked expectantly at Harry.

“I wanted to know if you’d be okay with…well, that is---if you’d be alright with me----oh bloody hell, this is hard to say…”

Robert looked at him bemusedly.

“I wanted to know if you’d have any objection to me…Hermione….you know, if I sort of asked her…to marry me?”

Robert stared at him for what seemed like an eternity. Harry wondered if the man was contemplating strangling him right there on the street. Surely, he wouldn’t do that. There were witnesses all around.

“You and Hermione have only been together a short time,” Robert finally said.

“Yes sir,” Harry admitted. “But I feel as if I’ve known her my entire life. And maybe it is too soon, but I don’t want to waste anytime. No one really knows how much of that they’re going to have, do they?”

Robert nodded.

“I love your daughter very much, sir,” Harry continued. “She’s the best thing that has ever happened to me. If I can make her half as happy as she makes me, I will be the luckiest bloke in the world.”

“Hermione’s not in some sort of trouble is she?”

Harry vehemently shook his head. “No sir.”

Robert relaxed and thought about what Harry had just said. “You make my little girl very happy. I’ve never seen her like this before.”

“I love her very much.”

Robert nodded and extended his hand to Harry. “That’s good enough for me.”

Harry stared at Robert’s outstretched hand not sure he’d heard him right.

”Thank you sir,” Harry said shaking Dr. Granger’s hand. “Thank you.”

Sirius laughed. “Quite the gentleman, aren’t we? Asking her father for his daughter’s hand in marriage? Very classy.”

“I wasn’t very eloquent,” Harry said laughing too. “I was afraid I was going to spew all over his shoes or something…but he was really cool about it.”

Sirius grinned. “My godson is getting married!”

“She might say no,” Harry said worry etched across his handsome features.

“Not bloody likely,” Sirius said reassuringly.

“I’m asking her tomorrow at Hogwarts,” Harry explained. “Right after her interview.”

Sirius smiled and wished Lily and James were here to see their son. He had no doubts that they would be proud of the man they’re son had become. Sirius liked to think he had a little something to do with that.

“Down by the lake?”

Harry nodded.

“Good choice,” Sirius said grinning at him.

“Thanks,” Harry said.

“Planning a wedding is no easy task,” Sirius said. “I can certainly attest to that. According to Maureen, we’re going about this the wrong way. She thinks we should have 600 guests with bridesmaids…honorary bridesmaids….”

“Honorary bridesmaids?” Harry asked, confused. “What the—“

“You don’t even want to know…”

******** ************ ************** *************

“And this is the Great Hall…” Harry said opening up the double doors and ushering Hermione inside. Her mouth dropped open as she took in the vast room.

“There are four houses…” he began to explain.

Hermione nodded and pointed to the table closest to the doors. “Slytherin.” She pointed to the table beside it. “Gryffindor---Home of Harry James Potter.” She worked her way down. “Ravenclaw. And then Hufflepuff.”

Harry nodded, impressed. “And the ceiling…”

“…has been enchanted to resemble the sky outside,” Hermione finished for him. At the look on his face, she laughed. “I’m sorry, Harry. I sort of read up on Hogwarts.”

“What book did you read?”

“Hogwarts: A History.”

“That book has to be at least a thousand pages,” Harry said in disbelief.

“I know,” Hermione said looking up at the ceiling. “I could hardly put it down…”

“Because it was so heavy?”

Hermione laughed. “No, because it was so interesting!”

“Hogwarts: A History?” he asked her.

“Yes.”

Harry just shook his head. “I guess there’s no point in giving you the tour, Miss Granger, since you know everything already.”

Hermione looped her arms around his neck. “I don’t know everything. Just a fair amount…and besides…nothing in a book can match seeing this place with you. It’s better than any book.”

Harry smiled at her. “You know there is something that I don’t believe Hogwarts: a History mentioned. “A little known fact, if you will.”

“Oh?”

“Harry James Potter,” Harry said grinning mischievously at her. “Has never kissed anyone in the Great Hall.”

“Never?”

He shook his head. “Not once.”

“Well,” Hermione said standing on her tiptoes. “I wonder if we could do something to remedy that. It is a shame that he’s never experienced that.”

Harry kissed her gently.

“Mmmm,” he whispered, pulling her closer.

Neither of them knew how long they stood there kissing, but the sound of someone clearing their throat behind them caused Harry to reluctantly pull away.

“I ‘eard you were comin’ round,” Hagrid said patting Harry on the back. Harry nearly toppled over, but he couldn’t help laughing at his old friend’s enthusiasm.

“Hello, Hagrid,” Harry said smiling up at him. “It’s great to see you.”

“I was nearly over the moon when I found out yeh were going to be teaching,” he said. He turned his gaze toward Hermione who was staring up at him in awe.

“And this must be ‘ermione,” Hagrid said offering her his large hand. She shook it and Hagrid beamed down at her. “Smart as they come, ‘arry said ‘bout yeh.”

Hermione beamed back up at him. “He’s told me an awful lot about you too, Hagrid.”

Hagrid blushed. “Course yeh gonna be teaching here as well.”

“Fingers crossed,” Hermione said doing just that.

Hagrid gave out a loud, hearty laugh. “Yer as good as in, ‘ermione.”

“Excuse me,” Professor McGonagall said coming into the Great Hall. Hermione had met the older witch earlier and had been quite impressed. She looked forward to talking to Minerva more about the school and teaching. Hermione had a feeling that Minerva McGonagall would be quite an ally and mentor to have.

If I get the job.

“Professor Dumbledore is ready to meet with you, Miss Granger,” Professor McGonagall said smiling at her.

Hermione nodded. She looked over at Harry. “I guess this is it.”

Harry pecked her on the cheek. “For luck.”

“Thanks,” she said squeezing his hand once more before following Professor McGonagall out of the Great Hall.”

“I like her,” Hagrid said nudging Harry.

Harry smiled. “Me too.”

After exchanging some more small talk with Hagrid, Harry realized he was going to need his old friend’s help. After telling Hagrid what he wanted to do and then comforting the giant when he began to cry tears of joy at the news, Harry set off for the lake to plan the biggest moment of his life.

****** *********** ************ ***********

Ron looked at the bedside clock and groaned. It was just gone noon and he was planning on getting as much sleep as he could. He’d spent the better part of last night drowning his sorrows in Firewhisky. And this morning, he was paying for it dearly. And now someone was knocking on his bloody door.

What does a bloke have to do to get some privacy?

Grumbling to himself, Ron stumbled out of bed and made his way toward the front door. When he looked through the peephole, he saw his twin brothers and mother standing outside.

“Go away, Mum.”

“Ronald Bilius Weasley,” Molly said in her most stern voice. “You open up this door right this minute.”

Ron seethed as he opened up the door. His mother was wearing a no-nonsense expression and Fred and George were grinning at him like a pair of hyenas.

“You look great, Ronald,” Fred said patting him on the shoulder as they walked inside the flat.

“Sod off, Fred.”

“And you have such a way of making someone feel welcome too,” Fred said grinning at him. “Could we have a cup of tea?”

“No,” Ron said closing the door behind them. “What brings you by?”

Molly pushed away some dirty clothes on the sofa and sat down. “This thing with you and Harry…”

Ron rolled his eyes. “I told you already, Mum…”

“Are you sure?” she asked him. “Because I don’t think you told me everything.”

Ron looked away. “What more is there to tell? My best mate took off with my girlfriend…”

“And that bird Melinda didn’t have anything to do with it?” George asked him, causing his younger brother to turn around.

“How did you---?”

“You aren’t exactly the most discreet person in the world,” George told him. “Lee saw you with her a couple of times.”

Ron paled.

”Ronald, how could you do something like that?” Molly asked shaking her head. “Hermione was a lovely girl!”

“At least Melinda wasn’t her best mate,” Ron said defensively. “Look, Mum. It didn’t mean anything. Not really.”

“It was still wrong,” Molly said looking at him. “You know that.”

“You went to see Harry, didn’t you?” Ron said switching into full defensive mode. “He tried to spin this so you’d feel sorry for him, didn’t he?”

“As a matter of fact,” Molly told him. “He did nothing of the sort. Yes, Ronald. I did go to see Harry. And he didn’t tell me what you’d done. He just told me that I needed to ask you.”

“And you took his side…”

Molly groaned in frustration. “This isn’t about taking sides, Ronald. I love you very much. I always have and I always will. I may not be happy with some of the things you’ve done, but no matter what you have or haven’t done---you are still my son. I care about you more than you can imagine. And I hate to see you bolloxing about your life like this. You are a great athlete, but you spend your time getting pissed in bars. It’s time you grew up and took responsibility for what you’ve done.”

“And Harry gets off completely unscathed?”

“No,” Molly said. “I’m disappointed in him as well. Look, Ron. You know that Harry would never intentionally do anything to hurt you. I know you don’t see it that way, but it’s the truth. And the two of you have been through so much together. It would be a waste for your friendship to be tossed into the rubbish bin over this…”

“She was my girlfriend---“

“Sounds to me as if you were the one who needed reminding on that one,” Fred said putting his arm around his brother.

“No one’s expecting you to get over this with the wave of a wand,” Molly told him. “It’s going to take some time. But you need to take a long, hard look at yourself, Ron. Do you like what you’re doing? You have so much potential, love. And your father and I were so proud when you were drafted to the Cannons. Don’t mess it all up now.”

Ron folded his arms, at a loss as to what to say.

“And you can start by cleaning this place up,” Molly said getting to her feet.

“What?” Ron asked her. “Now?”

Molly nodded. “No time like the present. Come on, Fred, George. We have our work cut out for us.”

Fred and George nodded and started to follow their mother into the kitchen when Ron grabbed a hold of Fred’s shoulder.

“Hang on a tic,” he said. “Fred, how on earth did mum convince the two of you to come over here and clean my flat?”

“Can’t we do something to help our brother?” Fred asked innocently. “You immediately think the worst! Like she had to bribe us or something to get us to come and help our ickle brother out.”

Ron raised an eyebrow at him.

“Chocolate and peanut butter biscuits,’” Fred said with a wink. “An unlimited supply.”

“And you wanted to take the piss…”

“That was just a perk,” Fred said throwing an arm around him. “Now, although I have agreed to help you out, there are some things I will not do. I am not, for instance, going to clean your loo.”

Despite himself, Ron couldn’t help laughing.

“You guys are mad.”

Fred sniffed his brother. “And you smell. Merlin’s beard, Ron. Don’t you ever shower?”

“I would if someone would clean my loo---“

*********** ************ ****************** ******************

Hermione followed the little house elf who had introduced himself to her as Dobby when she’d come out of Dumbledore’s office. He was dressed in a bright orange tea cozy and had spent the better part of the last ten minutes singing Harry’s praises to her. He seemed so keen on the task that Hermione didn’t have the heart to tell him that he didn’t need to convince her that Harry was a great man. She was already sold on her boyfriend being a wonderful man.

Dobby told her that Harry wanted to see her at the lake. Hermione couldn’t wait to see him and tell him the great news. The interview had gone better than she could have imagined. She and Dumbledore got along brilliantly and she’d asked him so many questions. At the end of the interview, he’d made an offer and Hermione hadn’t hesitated before accepting right on the spot.

To think, she thought as she followed Dobby out of the castle, that I will be teaching here in less than a few weeks. Everything was sliding into place. She couldn’t imagine how it could get any better.

Dobby had stopped walking and Hermione looked down at him. They were at the lake but there was no sign of Harry.

“Where is he?”

Dobby shrugged his small shoulders. “Good luck, Miss Hermione Granger.”

“But wait---“

Dobby, however, was already scampering away back toward the castle. For a second Hermione wondered if Dobby was playing some joke on her. Maybe this was what the professors did to initiate the newbies into the fold.

“Harry?”

“Professor Granger, I presume?”

Hermione turned around and smiled broadly at him.

“Yes,” she said launching herself into his arms. He spun her around.

“That’s my girl,” he said as he spun her around and around until they were both dizzy.

“I can’t believe it,” Hermione said breathlessly trying to regain her bearings. “This had to be one of the best days of my life.”

Harry smiled mischievously at her. “I wonder what I’d have to do to make it the best day of your life?”

Hermione smiled and leaned in for a kiss, but Harry shook his head. “How about a picnic by the lake?”

”Oh,” Hermione said smiling. “That sounds fantastic.”

“Good,” Harry said leading her behind one of the large trees where he and Hagrid had set up a blanket and a basket of food. There was a bottle of champagne chilling beside the basket.

“Champagne?” she asked him.

“I thought we’d have reason to celebrate,” he said popping the cork and then pouring them both a glass.

“We do,” Hermione said sitting down on the blanket. “And it’s such a lovely day too.”

“Beautiful day,” he said, feeling nervous for the first time today. He was afraid that she would tell him no and that it was too soon.

He didn’t have much time to think about it though as he and Hermione tucked into the picnic. He listened as she told him all about the interview with Dumbledore and meeting with McGonagall in the next couple of days to discuss lesson plans and expectations. As he listened to her, he felt himself falling more and more in love with her. He was sure about this. It was the perfect moment.

“I um got you a little something,” he said sitting up and motioning toward the picnic basket.

“You did?” she asked, thinking it was some dessert. “Something chocolate and positively sinful?”

Harry laughed. “It’s not chocolate and I don’t think you could call it sinful.”

Hermione giggled and reached inside the basket, expecting to see some fresh fruit. But her hands touched a small velvet box. Her breath caught in her throat as she lifted the box out of the basket. Harry’s eyes were trained on hers, but Hermione found herself incapable of moving or saying anything at the moment.

“Open it.”

Hermione finally met his gaze and with a trembling hand opened up the small velvet box. The most beautiful ring she’d ever seen in her entire life. It was a silver engagement ring with three radiant size diamonds. It was exactly the type of ring she would have picked out for herself.

“I suppose we should do this properly,” Harry said taking her hand and helping her to her feet. “Okay, you stand there. And I’ll just take the ring from you for a moment…and now I’m going to kneel…”

Hermione laughed.

“Okay,” Harry said kneeling before her. “Miss Hermione Jane Granger…I love you so very much. I don’t know what brought you into my life---fate, an annoying godfather, a panic attack on your part…”

Hermione smiled as a tear rolled down her cheek.

“I love you, Hermione,” he said looking up at her. “And I know I’m not doing this right or saying the right things…”

”You’re doing just fine…”

“I guess I should do like Sirius said and just ask the question,” he said taking the ring and offering it to her. “Will you marry me, Hermione?”

Harry waited for what seemed like forever for her to answer him. Tears were flowing down her cheeks and he wondered what was going on in that clever mind of hers. And then she said the word that changed his life forever.

“Yes.”

Author’s note: I apologize for making you all wait so long for an update. I am really sorry but I was on a much-needed two week vacation---to England, no less! I had a great time and I think it helped bring my muse back. Hopefully you will like this chapter. You will get to see Eva & Sirius and Ron “meets” someone new. And there might *wink, wink* be a cliffie…come on, you had to expect it J

This chapter is dedicated to Ash---Happy Birthday & Happy Graduation!

Also, please take the time to check out two yahoo groups that I happen to be a member of---you can read some of my stories as well as read work from some very talented authors.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/quills_and_parchment/

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BrainstormQuill/

Please read and review!

Chapter 22

Everything’s Not Lost

When I counted up my demons
saw there was one for every day
With the good ones on my shoulders
I drove the other ones away

So if you ever feel neglected
and if you think that all is lost
I'll be counting up my demons, yeah
hoping everything's not lost

When you thought that it was over
you could feel it all around
And everybody's out to get you
don't you let it drag you down

'cos if you ever feel neglected
If you think that all is lost

(Everything’s Not Lost, Coldplay)

“You know you really didn’t have to help me pack,” Hermione said as she put some books into a large box. She was cleaning out her office at the Ministry and to Hermione’s surprise Lavender had heartily volunteered to help. Usually, Lavender detested any sort of manual labor. In fact, Hermione had half expected Lavender to spout out the merits of packing with magic as opposed to doing it the Muggle way.

“I wanted to help,” Lavender said grinning at her friend. “And to check out that hot bloke who works in your department.”

“Finnigan?” Hermione asked.

“Is that his name?” Lavender asked innocently.

“You know very well it is,” Hermione said laughing.

“Well, he did volunteer to help us take the boxes back,” Lavender said. “And I just thought he was being really friendly and you know if he and I get to know each other in the process, well that’s...”

“Icing on the cake?”

Lavender smiled. “Yes, icing on the cake.”

“Well whatever your motives, I appreciate you doing this,” Hermione said.

“No problem,” Lavender said, as she took some more books off the shelves. These particular tomes were rather dusty and she cringed when some of the dust fell on her shirt. “How many bloody books do you own anyway?”

“A fair few,” Hermione said absently.

“They’re going to need to give you a whole new room at Hogwarts just to store your own books,” Lavender joked.

“Ha-ha,” Hermione said sarcastically.

“Speaking of which,” Lavender said grinning mischievously at her friend. “Are you and Harry going to be staying in the same quarters at Hogwarts?”

Hermione frowned. “I haven’t really given it much thought, actually. I’ve been so busy with packing and tying up loose ends here. I think I remember reading something somewhere about how they looked down upon unmarried professors’ cohabitating or something like that.”

“Cohabitating?” Lavender asked trying to hide her smile. “You make it sound so romantic.”

“It’s a school,” Hermione said looking at Lavender. “It’s not supposed to be romantic.”

“Says the girl who will probably get caught snogging her fiancé in the broom closet,” Lavender shot back.

Hermione blushed.

“You and Harry over the Christmas holidays,” Lavender pointed out. “It’s a technicality really. I think the headmaster should let the two of you live together...”

“I’ll tell him you thought so,” Hermione said laughing.

Lavender packed some more books into a box. “Well, are the two of you going to live at Hogwarts after you get married? Or are you going to get your own place away from the castle? Oooh, you should get a cottage, Hermione! They’re so romantic!”

A dreamy expression came over Lavender’s face. “But you know, living apart in the castle could be romantic, too. I can just see it now. The two star-crossed lovers sneaking in and out of each other’s rooms. Defying the rules so they can steal a few precious moments together and bask in their love...”

Hermione looked bemusedly at Lavender. “You have been reading way too many romance novels.”

“Maybe so,” Lavender said. “But you can’t expect me to believe that you and Harry will be the model of decorum. You two can barely keep your hands off of each other. Face it, Hermione Granger, rules were made to be broken. And that decorum you’re so fond of will fly right out the window when you’re walking down the hall and good old Green Eyes grabs you by the arm and whisks you away for a kiss or two...”

Hermione blushed and tried to busy herself with clearing her desk.

“A-ha!” Lavender exclaimed. “I knew it! Miss Goody Two Shoes is going to break the rules so she can get—“

“Lavender!”

Lavender scoffed. “Oh, please! You know I’m right.”

“You might be right,” Hermione said. “But Harry and I are going to be mature and discreet. And I wouldn’t say we were going to be breaking the rules. We’ll just be bending them a little. That’s all.”

“Uh-huh.”

“It is,” Hermione said. “And need I remind you that we are in the Ministry, Lav.”

“You don’t,” Lavender teased. “But you shouldn’t act all innocent, Clever Clogs. I imagine you and Harry have probably done it in this very office.”

“Lavender Brown!”

“You have!” Lavender said clapping her hands together. “Oh my!”

“We have not!”

“Have too!”

“Have not!”

They were so busy teasing each other they didn’t notice Ginny Weasley standing in the doorway watching them bemusedly.

“You two sure are having fun,” she finally said causing the two girls to turn around. The smile on Hermione’s face fell as she looked at her friend.

“Ginny,” Hermione said turning three different shades of red as she wondered how much of their conversation Ginny could have heard.

“I heard this was your last day...” Ginny said giving Hermione a shy smile.

Lavender looked between the two girls and decided that perhaps now would be a good time to make a hasty retreat.

“I’ll just go and say hello to Seamus then, shall I?” Lavender asked, shooting Hermione a sympathetic look before breezing past Ginny and out of the office.

“Wow,” Ginny said looking around the office which was now cluttered with boxes.

“I know I could have taken care of all this with one swish and flick of a wand, but I’ve always sort of liked packing,” Hermione said nervously. “But I’ll use levitation charms to get it back to the flat, of course.”

Ginny nodded and looked around, her gaze falling on Hermione’s left hand—more specifically the ring on Hermione’s left hand.

An awkward silence followed and Hermione wondered what on earth she could possibly say. She had come to know Ginny very well over the past few months and considered the younger witch to be one of her best friends. In light of what had happened, though, Hermione wouldn’t blame Ginny if she never wanted to speak to her again.

“So I guess Rita Skeeter finally got one right, eh?”

The news about her relationship with Harry broke a few days ago in the Daily Prophet. Apparently that awful Skeeter woman had followed them around and snapped their photograph as they were coming out of Flourish & Blotts. It had been quite a surprise to Hermione as she and Harry hadn’t engaged in any public displays of affection. As far as anyone knew they were just friends, but the newspaper article that followed the next day told everything. How they’d met, their plans to work together at Hogwarts, the engagement. Rita Skeeter somehow had figured everything out about their relationship and then some. As she’d read the articles, she’d made a silent vow to find out exactly how Rita Skeeter managed to learn all this information.

But at the moment, her schedule was full. She would be leaving this evening to join Harry at Isla Solarte. He’d left this morning to help with the wedding preparations. Hermione had a feeling it had more to do with the stag party, but she’d kept quiet about that. The less she knew about that, the happier she’d probably be.

“Some of it,” Hermione said quietly. “I mean, not everything, of course.” Suddenly, Hermione felt like such a coward for not telling Ginny about all this the moment she’d returned from the islands. Instead, Ginny had to find out about it in the newspaper and probably from Ron as well.

Ginny was silent and Hermione knew she was waiting for Hermione to tell her the truth about everything, but she just couldn’t seem to find the words.

”I can explain, Ginny.”

“You don’t need to explain. I know...”

“But you don’t, not really,” Hermione interjected. “The papers accused me of setting out to seduce Harry and trade up from Ron, but that wasn’t how it happened at all.”

“Hermione,” Ginny said laughing. “I think I know you well enough by now to know that isn’t your style.”

“You mean—”

“Ron’s my big brother,” Ginny said quietly. “He’s always looked out for me. And when I met you, I thought how happy you’d make him. How you might be the one person who would make him grow up. And that you and Ron would someday get married, and we’d be this one, big, happy Weasley family.”

Hermione nodded.

“And I don’t blame you for that,” Ginny continued. “Not at all. Especially after I found about Ron and those other girls. If anything, I should be apologizing to you.”

“No, Ginny—“

“It’s okay,” Ginny interjected. “I’m happy for you and Harry. Really. And who can blame you, really? He is pretty hot.”

Hermione laughed as she and Ginny hugged.

“I remember Fred and George teasing you about that valentine you sent to him one year,” Hermione said relived that Ginny didn’t hate her.

Ginny groaned. “I was 11 years old at the time. I thought it sounded very romantic...”

“How did it go again? Something about his eyes and a pickled toad?”

“Yes, yes,” Ginny said laughing. “I reiterate that I was 11 years old at the time and thought the sun rose and set where he walked. Give me a break.”

“We all do stupid things when we were kids,” Hermione said. “I once wrote a fan letter to Gilderoy Lockhart.”

Ginny looked at her friend in disbelief. “But he was a fake, Hermione!”

“I know,” Hermione said blushing. “But I didn’t know that at the time, did I? And he did win Witch Weekly’s Most Charming Smile five times in a row...”

Ginny laughed. “Yes, well if you bring up that pickled toad rubbish again; I’m going straight to Harry with that.”

Hermione extended her pinky to her friend. “It’s a deal—pinky swear.”

“Pinky swear,” Ginny agreed and then linked pinkies, giggling as they did so.

Hermione then looked as if she wanted to say something to Ginny, but didn’t quite no how to say it. The two of them had been friends long enough where Ginny could tell there was something else on Hermione’s mind.

“Spit it out, Granger.”

Hermione gave a half-hearted smile. “Do you...do you think Ron will ever come around?”

“I honestly hope so,” Ginny said, explaining to her friend how Fred and George went around to Ron’s flat with their mother a few days ago hoping to help their brother.

“Fred and George said he was acting like his old self,” Ginny explained. “He and Harry have been through a lot. They’ve always managed to come through it though. Just give him some time, Hermione.”

Hermione nodded. “You’re right. I just—I can tell that Harry misses him.”

”The feeling’s mutual,” Ginny said. “They just need some time and space. This can’t be easy for either one of them. And no matter what happens, you and I will always be friends, Hermione. I hope you know that. Even if you move miles away and I only see you on holidays.”

Hermione hugged her friend once more, tears welling up in her eyes. Maybe Ginny was right. Maybe with time and space, Harry and Ron could be friends again. And though neither Ron nor Harry would admit it, she knew that was what they both wanted—deep down.

*********** ************* ********************

Later that evening, Ron slowly trudged up the walkway to the Burrow. He could already smell his mother’s cooking and he instantly felt comforted at the thought of Shepherd’s Pie, boiled potatoes, fresh bread, and treacle pudding. Although the family was spread out all over the world these days, Molly made a point to cook for the entire family at least once a week. Everyone tried to attend when they could and Ron was looking forward to catching up with Charlie and Bill, who he hadn’t seen in quite some time.

He heard the muffled sounds of talking and laughter as he stepped closer to the house. Just being here always made him feel better. When he was a kid, he never really appreciated this old place. He was always thinking about how his family barely eked out a living. How he never had anything new. Everything was always a hand-me-down from one of his brothers or how his books and school supplies were always second-hand. But comparing his own childhood to someone like Draco Malfoy and Ron felt as if he had the better end of the deal. Whereas Draco had the top of the line in books, clothes and brooms, he didn’t come from a family that loved him unconditionally. And though Ron’s brothers and sister could get on his nerves to no end, he wouldn’t trade them for anything in this world.

Throughout all that had happened with Hermione and Harry, his family had stood by him. He knew they were disappointed in him and his actions, but they’d still let him know that he was still a Weasley and that they’d be there for him. As he made his way into the house, he made a silent vow never to take his family for granted ever again. When it really came down to it, they were all that he had.

“Ronald, is that you?” Ron heard his mother call out.

“Aye,” Ron called back. “Dinner smells delicious.”

Molly came out of the kitchen wiping her hands on her apron. She enveloped her youngest son in a big bear hug. “I’m happy to see you.”

Ron smiled and hugged her back. “It’s good to see you too, Mum.” He looked around the house and could see a few of his nieces and nephews playing in the sitting room. “Full house tonight?”

Molly nodded. “More than usual. Ginny brought a guest.”

Ron followed his mother into the kitchen. “Not Dean, is it? I swear the two of them are on and off all the time...”

He stopped talking when he walked into the kitchen and saw a beautiful blonde sitting at the kitchen table talking animatedly to Ginny. Her long hair was styled in ringlet curls that seemed to cascade down her back. She wore a pale blue shirt and blue jeans and Ron couldn’t help but stare at her. There was something strangely familiar about this girl, but he couldn’t put his finger on what.

As his sister had her back to him, it was the blonde who noticed him first.

“Hello,” she said softly giving him a warm smile.

“Uh—“

She giggled as did Ginny.

“That’s my brother,” Ginny said shaking her head. “He’s a smooth talker, isn’t he?”

Ron glared at her as he regained his composure. “Funny, Gin. Where’s Dean?”

“Working late,” Ginny replied getting to her feet. She hugged her brother. “You look good since you decided to shave. You really don’t look good with a goatee, brother of mine.”

Ron blushed wondering why his sister was taking the mickey out of him in front of her guest.

“Is there anything I can do to help?” the blonde asked Mrs. Weasley.

Molly smiled. “No, child. Why don’t you go and relax in the sitting room. You’re a guest and guests shouldn’t be put to work.”

“I don’t mind—“

Molly shook her head. “Go ahead and relax. You can even switch on the Wireless on if you’d like...”

“Okay,” the blonde said, smiling at Molly before walking out of the kitchen.

Ron stared after her for a moment, but quickly turned his attention back to the basket of fresh bread rolls on the table. He reached for one, but Molly slapped his hand away. “Those are for dinner, Ronald!”

“I was just going to take one,” Ron said defensively. “You know since I don’t live here anymore, technically I’m a guest. You should be as hospitable to me as you are to—” He trailed off as he realized he didn’t know who that girl was. What he couldn’t understand was why neither his mother nor his sister saw fit to introduce him to her.

“What’s the matter, Ron?” Ginny asked gleefully.

“To our guests,” Ron finished smirking at her. “To our guests, of course.”

“There’s only one,” Ginny pointed out. “One guest.”

Ron could tell his sister was enjoying the fact that she knew something he didn’t. Well, he wasn’t about to give her the satisfaction. “So where’s everyone?”

“Fred, George, Bill and Charlie are out playing Quidditch,” Molly replied. “Your father’s not home from work yet. Fleur’s coming along later and Percy and Penelope are taking a walk before dinner.”

Ron nodded and sat down at the table. Molly looked at her son. “Are you feeling okay, Ron?”

“Yeah,” Ron said with a shrug. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Well usually when you hear there’s a pickup game in the backyard, you’re out of here so fast my head spins,” Molly said walking over to him and putting her hand on his forehead. “You’re a little warm...”

Ron swatted her arm away. “I’m okay, Mum. And I’m warm because it’s hot in this kitchen...”

“You know what they say,” Ginny teased. “If you can’t take the heat...”

“Shut up, Gin,” Ron muttered, trying to get another roll, but Molly was too quick for him as she pulled the basket away from him grasp.

“So,” Ron said nonchalantly. “Who is our guest?”

Ginny smirked. “Just an old friend.”

“An old friend?” Ron asked.

“An old friend,” Ginny said turning away so Ron wouldn’t see the grin on her face. She was playing with fire, she knew, but something told her that her old friend was just what Ron needed.

“Mum?”

Molly smiled. “It’s just like Ginny said; she’s an old friend of the family...”

“But I’ve never met her...”

Ginny giggled and that was the last straw as far as Ron was concerned. He pushed back from his chair and decided to go outside for some fresh air. He could see his brothers and some of his nephews flying high in the air. For a brief moment, he contemplated joining them. But, he really didn’t much feel like it. He sat down at the picnic table and looked up, content to just watch the game for now.

“Are you okay?”

Ron turned to see the blonde woman staring at him with concern etched across her pretty features. He gave her a slight smile. “Yes, just a little knackered.”

She smiled. “Mind if I join you?”

He shook his head and motioned for her to sit down.

“I’m Ron Weasley by the way,” he said as she sat down. “My sister didn’t introduce us...”

The girl laughed, but shook his hand. “Well, she didn’t really need to introduce us, did she? We’ve known each other since we were kids...”

Ron stared at her. “We have?” he couldn’t help asking. He was sure that if he’d known this beautiful creature, he’d have remembered every little thing about her.

She laughed again. “Yes, we have, but in your defense, you haven’t seen me in quite some time. I’ve been off traveling. I just returned home a few days ago. I ran into Ginny in Diagon Alley today and she asked if I wanted to come for dinner...”

“We, um...,” he searched his brain for some way to ask this girl how exactly he knew her without offending her. He honestly didn’t remember her. “Did we go to school together? Did you go to Hogwarts, I mean?”

She smiled. “Yes, I did.”

Great, he thought to himself. This girl was going to be as forthcoming with the answers as Ginny was.

“You weren’t a Gryffindor?”

She shook her head.

“Certainly not a Slytherin...”

Again, she shook her head.

“You’re much too pretty to be a Hufflepuff...”

“What if I told you I was in Hufflepuff?” she asked flirtatiously.

“Were you?” he asked, cursing himself for asking that.

She shook her head. “No, but you should see the look on your face...”

He turned red. “Well, I guess by power of elimination, you were a Ravenclaw.”

“You got it,” she said, grinning at him.

“Okay,” he said enjoying her company, despite the fact that he felt like a complete idiot. There was something nice, sweet and calming about this girl. “You were a Ravenclaw. Were you in my year?”

“No, Ginny’s.”

He thought about some of the girls Ginny used to hang out with when they were in school. Most of her friends were Gryffindors, but Ginny also had a few friends in some of the other houses.

Seeming to take pity on his plight the girl reached across the table and put her hand on his arm. “How about a hint?”

“A hint would be perfection,” he said with a relieved sigh. A hint would be perfection? Where am I getting this stuff?

She laughed. “Okay, well...let’s see. When we were in school, I’m not so sure you knew what to make of me. But, you weren’t alone there...not too many people knew what to make of me. My dad likes to call me a free spirit...”

Ron listened to her, but he still didn’t know who she was.

“You used to always make me laugh,” she continued, a dreamy expression coming over her face. “I thought you were quite witty and charming...even at a young age.”

“Were?” he asked.

She smiled demurely. “Well, I don’t know you now, do I? But I suppose you’re still charming...”

He laughed. “So I made you laugh...”

“Yes,” she said. “And I suppose I made you laugh too, but not on purpose. You probably found my radish earrings funny or that lion hat I used to wear to Quidditch games...”

It suddenly dawned on Ron who this girl was. There was no mistaking those silvery grey eyes and that slightly dreamy expression on her face. And as he listened to her talk, he recognized her voice.

“Loony?” he asked interrupting her.

Luna frowned. “No one’s called me that in years, Ronald.”

Ron looked horrified at her. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that. I just...”

“You remember me then?”

“Yes,” he said, frowning. “Merlin, Luna I’m sorry...”

“Yes, well if you insist on calling me Loony,” she said softly. “I just might have to break out a chorus or two of ‘Weasley is our King’—the bad version.”

Ron smiled. “So can we start over?”

Luna pretended to mull this over. “I think we already have.”

****************** ********************** *************** ********************************

“I honestly wouldn’t mind if you went out with Remus and Harry,” Eva said, grinning at her fiancée. “In a couple of days, you will no longer be a bachelor. Don’t you want to take advantage of your last days of freedom?”

Sirius leaned back in his seat and shook his head. He and Eva were enjoying a late dinner at the beach house. Harry had arrived earlier that day and they’d gone out fishing, but Sirius had begged off a stag party saying he wanted to spend his evening with the love of his life. There was more to it than that, but Sirius really did want to spent time with Eva. He still couldn’t believe that this wonderful woman was going to be his wife in a couple of days.

“Are you trying to get rid of me?” Sirius asked teasingly, taking her hand and pulling her into his lap. “Do you and Maureen have some big hen night planned? Admit it, love. You want to go to some bar and stuff money in some oiled up bloke’s g-string?”

Eva scrunched up her nose. “Heavens no.”

Sirius smiled. “You know, we’re not even married and we’re already an old, boring couple...”

Eva scoffed. “We may be old, but we’re not boring. Things with you, Sirius Black, are never boring.”

Sirius leaned in and kissed her.

“Out with it, Black,” she said stroking his cheek. “Why aren’t you out with your godson and best friend? I know you were looking forward to it...”

Sirius sighed. He knew he could never put anything past her. “Remus wanted to talk to Harry about something.”

“Oh,” Eva said, leaning against him. “Well, I guess you’re stuck with me for the night...”

Sirius smiled, thinking that sounded like a perfect evening. “I guess so...”

“You know what we could do?” Eva asked, grinning mischievously at him. She patted his chest playfully. “You could get out your old g-string...we could play some disco music and you could dance for me...”

Sirius stared at her. “Eva, I hate to break it to you, but I don’t own a g-string...”

“You do now,” Eva said getting to her feet.

“Oh no you don’t!” he protested standing up and looking around for a way to make a hasty retreat. He started to back away from her. “I’m not wearing one of those, Eva.”

“Not for long anyway,” Eva said winking at him before walking over to where she’d dropped her bag by the door.

Sirius yawned dramatically. “Boy, am I tired!”

“You’re not tired,” she called out over her shoulder. “But you will be...” She turned around ready to tell her fiancé that it was a joke, but he was nowhere to be found. “Sirius? Sirius Black?”

She put her hands on her hips. “You are such a coward!”

“I’m not wearing it!” Eva heard him call from upstairs.

Eva laughed. “I was kidding!”

“Kidding?” he called back. “That is not funny, Eva!”

“You’re a big baby, Sirius Black. I thought you were supposed to be big and brave. Where’s that bravado now?”

“I am big and brave, but even I have to draw the line at some things. And this is most certainly a deal breaker, Eva.”

He came back downstairs and looked at her. “You really don’t have one of those things?”

She shook her head. “I was just having a go at you. Honestly.”

“Okay,” he said with a relieved sigh. “Thank God.”

“Still friends?” she asked, holding her hand out.

“Friends,” he said, pulling her to him. He kissed her soundly and when they pulled away, they were both quite breathless. “Now, if you wanted to wear something skimpy for me, I wouldn’t have a problem with that.”

“Sirius,” she purred.

“Yes?”

“Don’t press your luck.”

************ *************** *****************

Harry handed Remus a bottle of beer. “Nice night, eh?”

Lupin nodded. “Some stag party, eh? Without the groom-to-be, no less.”

Harry laughed. “Well, he’s getting too old for things like that...”

Lupin looked affronted. “Hey, he and I are the same age...”

“Exactly,” Harry said cheekily. He and Lupin were sitting out on the deck of the guest house, enjoying the warm, late summer air. All evening long, he’d thought that his friend had something to tell him, but didn’t know how to do it. “Something on your mind?”

Lupin leaned back in his chair. “You could say that.”

“Is it about Hermione?”

Lupin nodded. “It’s about Hermione. It’s about you. And it’s about Ron.”

“Ron?”

“Yeah,” Lupin said, setting his beer down on the table. “You and Ron, really.”

“What about him?”

“You miss him,” Lupin said getting right to the point.

Harry opened his mouth to say that he didn’t, but the words didn’t come out. He’d never been able to lie to Lupin. Despite everything that had happened, Harry did miss his best friend. He hadn’t admitted it to anyone until now.

“I suspected as much,” Lupin said quietly. “Sirius and I didn’t think about the consequences of our little matchmaking...”

“Your little matchmaking isn’t what ultimately brought Hermione and I together, Remus,” Harry interjected. “You might have given us a push, but it wasn’t down to the two of you in the end, was it?”

”No, but I should have known better,” Lupin said. “I’ve been in the same sort of position as Ron before. It’s never easy to watch your best friend take off with the girl of your dreams...”

“You and Sirius fell for the same woman?” Harry asked, wondering why Sirius had never mentioned this before.

Lupin shook his head. “No, it wasn’t Sirius. It was James. James and I were in love with the same girl.”

“Before my dad fell for my mum, you mean?”

Again, Lupin shook his head. “No, Harry. The girl was your mum.”

*************** ***************** *********************

Author’s note: I apologize for the long wait. Darn writer’s block! We’re getting down to the end of the story. I believe that there will be at least two to three chapters left. My goal is to be finished by the time HBP comes out. Hopefully, I can do that. Special thanks to Curt for the beta---thank you, thank you, thank you.

The song in this chapter is really one of my favorites and I thought it really fit Sirius and Eva. It’s really a lovely song !

Chapter 23

Into the Mystic

We were born before the wind
Also younger than the sun
Ere the bonnie boat was won as we sailed into the mystic
Hark, now hear the sailors cry
Smell the sea and feel the sky
Let your soul and spirit fly into the mystic

And when that fog horn blows I will be coming home
And when that fog horn blows I want to hear it
I don't have to fear it
I want to rock your gypsy soul
Just like way back in the days of old
Then magnificently we will float into the mystic
And when that fog horn blows you know I will be coming home
And when that fog horn whistle blows I got to hear it
I don't have to fear it
I want to rock your gypsy soul
Just like way back in the days of old
And together we will float into the mystic

(Van Morrison, Into the Mystic)

Ron couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt this way around a girl—so unsure of himself, so unsteady. He usually was the one in control spouting off lines and oozing wit and charm. But none of that would work with a witch like Luna Lovegood.

She wasn’t the type to fall for his lines. It was almost as if she could see right through him. All of the bullshit he used with the other girls wasn’t going to work with Luna. So, for most of the evening, words failed him when he was around her. For the first time he could remember, he was himself. He wasn’t trying to be someone he wasn’t and she seemed to like him despite all that.

Just as Hermione had, Luna fit in quite well with his family. They all took to her as if she was one of their own. She’d laughed heartily at Fred and George’s jokes. She even regaled Arthur with tales of the Muggle things she had seen in her travels—to which Arthur made her promise to bring some artifacts she had collected when she visited next. Ron’s numerous nieces and nephews were crazy about her as well. After dinner, Luna had their undivided attention and taught them how to make butterbeer cork necklaces. The elder Weasleys watched in amazement as their usually boisterous children sat in rapt attention listening to Luna’s instructions.

Ron even pitched in to help despite the fact that he didn’t have a creative or artistic bone in his body. While he didn’t usually like it when people laughed at him, he didn’t mind around Luna. He even joined in with self-deprecating remarks.

“So,” Ron said when they were alone. “I guess I didn’t do that bad for my first time, eh?”

Luna looked at the necklace around his neck and laughed. “You did fine. I just wouldn’t quit my day job if I were you.”

Ron laughed. “Yeah, couldn’t you just see the headlines in the papers? ‘Star Quidditch Player Quits; Pursuing Career as Jeweler’. I’d never hear the end of it.”

“Well,” Luna said throwing the leftover corks into a basket. “As long as it makes you happy, why would you care what other people think?”

With a shrug, Ron got off the floor and sat down on the sofa. “I don’t know. I never really thought about it...”

“If you ask me, you care far too much about what other people think,” Luna said softly. “At one point, you have to ask yourself, ‘Am I living my life for me or for someone else?’”

“It’s easy for you,” Ron argued. “You’ve never cared—going around like a mad thing wearing those necklaces and those wonky earrings and that lion hat at school. I never could have done that. My friends would have taken the piss...” Luna stared at him. “I’m sorry,” he said wondering what his problem was. Here he was trying to impress this girl and all he seemed to be doing was sticking his foot in his mouth. “I really...”

Luna waved a hand. “It’s okay, Ronald. I knew what people said about me, and I won’t lie to you, it wasn’t nice to have them make fun of me and what I wore and what I did. But, you know what I realized?” Ron shook his head. “I realized that I didn’t have to change who I was and what I enjoyed just to fit into the mould of what people thought was normal,” Luna replied. “You know I’ve always hated that word—normal. What’s normal to some people is strange to others.”

“I really was horrible to you when we were at school,” he said quietly. “I apologize.”

Luna smiled. “It’s okay. That was years ago. What’s done is done and you can’t change that. You can only move forward, right?”

“Right,” Ron said with a relieved sigh. He helped Luna collect the rest of the corks and clean up the sitting room. Although he wasn’t saying anything, his mind was going a mile a minute. He liked her—really liked her. He wanted to ask her out, but he had no idea how to do it without sounding like a complete jackass. In fact, he couldn’t remember feeling this nervous about asking a girl out since that fourth year Yule Ball.

“All right, Ronald?” Luna’s sweet voice interrupted his thoughts.

“Hmm?” he asked. “Oh. Aye, I’m fine.”

“Okay,” she said watching in amusement as he started to fidget in front of her. Ron figured he was turning every shade of red in the book under her gaze. Deciding to be a man and just do it, he cleared his throat.

“Um, Luna?” he asked his voice unsteady.

“Yes?”

“Well, I was just wondering,” he said nervously. “If you weren’t doing anything and I wasn’t doing anything, perhaps we could grab a bite together. You know, you and me in a restaurant...eating.”

“Isn’t that what people usually do in a restaurant?” Luna asked teasingly.

“Yes,” Ron said wondering why this was so difficult. “Well, what I meant was—or what I’m trying to do, Luna, is ask you if you might fancy going out for dinner some night with me?”

Luna’s expression was infuriatingly unreadable.

“Or lunch,” Ron suggested. “Maybe even breakfast? It’s up to you. I’m good for anything...”

“I’m—I’m not so sure that would be a good idea, Ronald.”

He certainly hadn’t expected to hear that. This was the same girl who’d fancied him all those years in school, wasn’t it? This was the very same girl who he’d talked to all evening and who he thought had been flirting with him.

“Oh,” Ron said with a frown. “Are you seeing someone then?”

She shook her head. “No, it’s not that. And it’s not that I don’t want to, but I just don’t think it’s a good idea, Ronald.”

“What is it then?” he asked.

“Ginny mentioned what happened with Hermione,” Luna said quietly. “And you’re on the rebound...”

Ron’s face fell and he nodded in defeat. He should have known.

“I’m not saying that to hurt you,” she said touching his arm. “It’s just that I don’t think now is the time for you to go jumping into a new relationship.”

His first impulse was to tell her she was wrong. That it wasn’t too soon, but deep down he knew she was right. He had a feeling the fact that he had a problem with infidelity was also contributing to her decision. He didn’t voice this concern to her because he knew that any mention of his past would get him all defensive and would only make him look worse. His past was killing any sort of future he could have with Luna.

Luna grabbed her bag from beside the couch and said something about it being late and that she should go. Before Ron could stop himself, he reached out for her. When he caught her hand, she looked at him, slightly startled. The look of surprise reminded Ron of the Luna he’d known when they were in Hogwarts.

“Luna?” he asked. “I really want to get to know you. And maybe it is too soon for me to get involved with anyone, but at the very least, couldn’t you and I be friends?”

The surprise slowly ebbed from her face and shifted to the same unreadable expression she’d worn before. For an awful moment, he thought she was going to turn him down for friendship as well but her face broke into a beautiful smile.

“I’d like that,” she said softly.

Ron practically beamed at her. “I won’t let you down, Luna. I promise.” For once, Ronald Bilius Weasley discovered the sincerity in his words.

****** ************ ************** ***************

Harry looked at his old, trusted friend—one of the last remaining links he had to his parents—and tried to comprehend what Lupin had just told him.

“You...you were in love with my mother?” he asked. “Did my father know? Was this before or after she and Dad were married?”

Lupin held up a hand. “In answer to your questions, Harry—yes, I was in love with your mother, no, your father didn’t know, and it was before they were married.”

“I still don’t understand though,” Harry said quietly. “Were you running around with my mother behind Dad’s back or...” His voice trailed off. For the life of him, he couldn’t understand why Lupin deemed it necessary to tell him this now.

“Perhaps I should explain,” Lupin offered and Harry let out a weak laugh.

“You think?”

For a few moments, Lupin was silent as he collected his thoughts. Harry leaned back against the deck railing, pondering what this all meant.

“Your mother was the first person, other than Dumbledore, to find out about me,” Lupin finally began. He chuckled as he remembered Lily confronting him one morning in the common room. “She noticed that I’d be out of classes for a few days and then return with scratches on my face, looking very much worse for the wear. She was very well-read, your mother. She never missed anything, Harry. It was one of her most infuriating and most endearing qualities. You couldn’t get anything past her if you tried.”

Harry smiled. Everyone had told him that about his mother.

”And I was so embarrassed someone had figured out my secret,” Lupin continued, “that was what I was most afraid of—people finding out what I really was, then I’d be shunned and treated like some freak of nature. But your mother, bless her, she promised me that she wouldn’t tell a soul. She volunteered to help me anyway she could.” Lupin smiled. “She even checked out a bunch of books from the library and we’d sit in the common room just going over them and having a laugh.”

Lupin smiled wistfully as he recalled the memory. “Up until then, I’d been so terrified that someone was going to find out my secret. But it was so great to have someone to talk to and she never treated me differently, Harry. She treated me the same as she always had. She sincerely wanted to help and be my friend. I’d never met anyone like her.”

“Sirius and James would take the piss whenever they saw us chatting in the common room or in the library,” Lupin continued. “And they’d tease me about spending time with mad Lily Evans. I told them, in no uncertain terms, did I like Evans like that; she and I were just friends.”

“Lily would just tell them to bugger off and leave us alone,” Lupin said. “Despite how immature and insufferable she thought they were, Lily said I really should let them know about my true nature. Well, I told her that I couldn’t do that. I said that I’d lose their friendship if I did and I didn’t really want to spend the rest of my time at Hogwarts with no friends, thank you very much.”

There was something Harry had always wondered. He, of course, knew how James, Sirius and Peter mastered the spells to become Animagi because of Lupin’s condition. But he’d never asked how Lupin’s friends initially reacted to finding this out. Harry thought it must have been quite the shock, to say the least. It wasn’t everyday that you found out your best mate was a werewolf.

“Well, your mother told me that I was being really silly and stupid,” he said with a laugh. “And that if my mates were truly good friends, they’d understand and wouldn’t care one way or the other about what I was. But she couldn’t understand why I’d be friends with someone as arrogant and self-centered as James Potter.”

“She took my hand and said that no matter what happened with James, Sirius and Peter that I’d still have one friend,” Lupin said softly. “I think that was the first time I felt something more for her than friendship. She was there for me at a time when no one else was, Harry. She had a way of seeing the beauty in someone even when that person couldn’t see it in themselves. With her, I didn’t feel different.”

“When I did finally tell them,” Lupin continued, not wanting to make Harry uncomfortable,

“They were more than a little wary at first. Peter, especially. He was convinced that I was going to transform in the middle of the night and gobble him up while he slept.”

”I wish you had,” Harry interjected dryly.

“Well, if I’d known then what I know now,” Lupin said with a weak smile. “But your father and Sirius were really curious. They asked me all sorts of questions about when it happened and why...if Dumbledore knew. I told them everything I could. They listened and didn’t hurl insults at me or tell me they never wanted to see me again.”

“Mum was right,” Harry said quietly.

Lupin grinned. “Yes, she was. She always loved to be right. She told me that I should always listen to her because she would never steer me wrong.”

Lupin leaned back in his chair and sighed. “My feelings for her grew after that. She and I were made prefects a couple of years later. We had to spend a lot of time together in meetings and patrolling the grounds. We talked about anything and everything on our walks. James started teasing her unmercifully after that. He seemed to really enjoy getting a rise out of her. I kept trying to get him to back off, but he wouldn’t listen. He said he was just trying to have a go with Evans and that he wasn’t doing any harm.”

“I didn’t know that he fancied your mum,” Lupin said. “And if he knew I did, he certainly never let on. When she and I were together on rounds, she talked about James mostly. She’d complain to me about how he would bother her and make drive her mad. She said, ‘Just once I’d like to put James Potter in his place!’”

“You were in the middle,” Harry commented.

Lupin nodded. “Right smack dab in the middle between the girl I fancied and my best mate. But I just let them both say what they had to say and that was that. I didn’t try to convince them otherwise, you know? And then James started asking her if she wanted to go to Hogsmeade with him or if she wanted to take a walk with him after lunch...”

“Well, Lily told him she’d rather walk with a blast-ended Skrewt than spend any time with him,” Lupin said with a chuckle. “Looking back on it now, I should have asked her to go to Hogsmeade or to take a walk with me as well, but I was so cautious. I thought she’d tell me to go jump in the lake.”

“And did you?” Harry asked. “Ever ask her out?”

“I wanted to very much and very nearly did so many times,” Lupin replied. “I thought my salvation had come when Dumbledore announced there’d be a Spring Ball one year. Despite the fact that I couldn’t dance to save my life, I saw this as my opportunity to finally ask her out. Well, I hemmed and hawed on it for days. I’m sure she thought I’d gone completely mad.”

Harry laughed. He knew all too well how nerve-wracking it could be to ask a girl out. It certainly took every ounce of bravery and courage one could muster.

”So I knew that after everyone went to sleep, your mother used to go downstairs and read in front of the fire. I thought that I’d sneak down there myself and just do it—just ask her.”

“And...?”

“And I snuck downstairs...it was the strangest thing. I could hear her voice, her laughter. I couldn’t imagine who she could be talking to. Imagine my surprise when I peeked out from behind the wall to see her sitting on the sofa with James,” Lupin shook his head. “I’d never seen them when they weren’t at each other’s throats, you know? So it was a big shock to see them talking and being so nice with each other.”

“I wonder what changed,” Harry thought out loud.

“Your mother always fancied your father,” Lupin replied. “And I think your father finally learned that the arrogant act wasn’t working so well with her. He changed his demeanor around her and she finally got to see him as more than an arrogant berk who was always out to impress her or show off.”

“It couldn’t have been easy to see them like that,” Harry said sympathetically.

Lupin nodded. “It wasn’t. And it was even harder to watch as he kissed her. I pinched my arm about a hundred times to make sure I wasn’t dreaming.”

”But you and my dad remained friends, right?”

“Yes,” Lupin replied quietly. “But I didn’t talk to him or Lily for days after I’d seen that. I kept to myself. I must have spent every spare moment I had in the library.”

“What made you change your mind?”

Lupin looked thoughtfully at him. “Well, as much as it pained me to see them together, I couldn’t deny the fact that the two of them made each other happy. You could see it in your mother’s eyes. You could see it in how your father talked about her. How was I going to compete with that? So, I asked myself if I wanted to be bitter and lose two good friends or if I wanted to try and move on.”

“You chose to move on,” Harry said, now seeing what Lupin was getting at.

“And maybe Ron can do the same...” Lupin said giving him a grin, “with time.”

Harry sat down trying to grasp what Lupin had just told him and wondering if Ron would ever be able to let this go.

“Sirius and I were wrong to interfere,” Lupin said. “And I should have known better...what with my experience in the past. But I’ve always had a blind spot where you were concerned. It was unfair to do what we did to Ron. I hope someday he will be able to forgive us—to forgive you and Hermione. I know he’s done some things that are unforgivable as well. Maybe he’ll see that, Harry.”

Harry nodded, but didn’t meet Lupin’s gaze.

“I should probably go on to bed,” Lupin said getting to his feet. “We have a big day tomorrow.”

When Harry didn’t respond, Lupin just patted him on the back and started back to the guest house.

“Remus?”

He turned around. “Yes, Harry?”

“Thanks.”

*********** ************** *****************

Hermione set her bags down just inside the foyer of the guest house and thought of taking a nice, relaxing bubble bath before getting to bed. She wasn’t expecting to see Harry until the next morning. As far as she knew, he was off with Sirius and Lupin for that wild stag party he’d teased her about.

She stretched her arms over her head and as she did so was surprised to see that the patio door was open. Hermione wondered if Harry must have left it open before the blokes left for the party. With a sigh she crossed the room to close the door when she saw Harry standing on the patio with his back to her.

A grin spread across her face and the exhaustion she’d felt from moving out of her office drifted away as she looked at her boyfriend.

She still couldn’t believe they were really engaged. It’s too good to be true, she thought to herself. A year ago at this time, I didn’t even know him. And now, I can’t picture my life without Harry...

Hermione stepped out onto the patio and wrapped her arms around his middle, resting her head on his back.

“Come on, Maureen,” he said without turning around. “We can’t. My fiancée is arriving any minute now.”

Hermione hit him hard on the shoulder. “You are so not funny.”

Harry turned around rubbing his shoulder. “Ow! Hermione, come on, I was only kidding. I knew it was you the entire time.”

“Yes, well...” she said glaring at him. “That was not funny, Potter.”

“Sorry,” he said reaching for her. “I missed you...”

“And I missed you,” she said looping her arms around his neck and kissing him softly. When they pulled apart a few moments later, he pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. “Did you get your office sorted?”

Hermione nodded. “Everything is packed away and waiting to be shipped to Hogwarts.”

“Now we just have to pack up the flat,” Harry said smiling at her. “And I promise not to leave you for that one.”

“You had a good excuse,” Hermione said, “Sirius’ last night as a bachelor.” She raised an eyebrow at him. “Wait a minute! Harry, what are you still doing here? You were going to have one last wild night on the town right?”

”We were,” Harry explained. “But Sirius is afraid of what his wife-to-be would do if she found out he was getting pissed in a bar while scantily clad women danced for him.”

“Ahhh,” Hermione said nodding in understanding. “I like the way Eva thinks. Remind me to compare notes with her.”

Harry chuckled. “Maybe that’s not such a great idea.”

Hermione smiled. “Well, we have a few months before we have to think about all that. You still have time to change your mind and decide you don’t want to marry that daft girl you barged in on while she was taking a shower...”

“How many times do I have to tell you that was an accident?” Harry asked her pretending to be affronted. “I didn’t know you were going to be here. I was just being a good little neighbor by bringing you fresh towels and things. Imagine my surprise when this crazy witch points her wand at me—”

“It was quite pervy of you,” Hermione teased. “And what do you mean ‘crazy witch’?”

“I meant that in the best way possible,” Harry answered impishly.

Hermione giggled. “You did, did you? Well, you’re going to be stuck with this crazy witch for the rest of your life. Do you think you can handle that?”

Harry pretended to mull the question over while Hermione glared at him.

“Yeah, I think I can handle that,” Harry said leaning in and kissing her. He snaked his arms around her waist and walked her backwards into the house.

“Mmmm,” Hermione said in between kisses. “So is this better than some stag party?”

Harry grinned and picked her up. “Without a doubt.”

********** *************** *******************

On the day of the wedding, Sirius decided to come clean with his friends on Great Abaco. Since Harry’s anonymity was no longer an issue, he figured it was time to tell his longtime buddies the truth about who he was. He wasn’t going to tell them about being a wizard, of course. Knowing some of the blokes on the island, they’d probably think he’d caught too much sun or had one too many cocktails.

So after speaking with Harry about it, Sirius decided to tell his mates on the island his real identity. He just hoped that it went better than he expected.

Café Oceana was open for breakfast but would be closing early for the wedding. Eva had left the restaurant in the capable hands of Maureen and her assistant chef. She was spending the morning relaxing with Hermione at one of the posh hotel spas on the island. And although she said she didn’t believe in superstitions, she wasn’t about to take any chances on the wedding she had been waiting her entire life for as she told him last night.

Sirius walked into the restaurant and smiled when he saw some of the regulars----Carl, Bradley, and Keegan. Those blokes were his best mates on the island. He’d lost count of the number of times they’d gone fishing together or stayed up all hours of the night playing poker and getting pissed.

“Benjamin!” Keegan said when he saw Sirius. “What are you doing here? I’m surprised Eva doesn’t have you locked away until the wedding…”

“Oh come off it,” Bradley said with a chuckle. “Ben’s not going anywhere. Eva’s got him good and whipped.”

“Shut it,” Sirius said sitting down at the table. Maureen didn’t even have to ask what he wanted. She poured him a cup of coffee and said she’d have his scrambled eggs, sausage and toast out in a few minutes.

Sirius reached for her hand. “Mo, can you stay here for a moment? There’s something I need to tell you too.”

“Sure,” Maureen said taking a seat.

“What’s going on?” Carl asked. “Everything alright?”

“Well, I hope so,” Sirius said giving them a slight smile. “There’s something I need to tell you guys. I know that we’ve all known each other for quite some time. We’ve been through a lot together. And I wish I could have told you this sooner; I should have told you sooner.”

Carl and Keegan exchanged confused looks with Bradley and Maureen just looked bored.

“See,” Sirius said. “I’m not who you think I am…”

“You’re not the biggest ass on the island?” Keegan joked.

Sirius glared at him. “No, that would be you.”

“What’s with the cryptic crap, Ben?” Bradley asked. “You’re holding up breakfast, you know?”

Maureen nodded. “Yeah, I need to check on my tables, Ben.”

“Speaking of which do you think you could get me some more bacon?” Bradley asked Maureen.

”I thought your doctor told you that you should watch your cholesterol,” Maureen chastised him. “Bonnie told me that I shouldn’t let you eat anything but the fruit plate.”

Bradley groaned. “Mo, come on. Be a pal. Just give me a couple of slices and I won’t tell Bonnie if you won’t tell my doctor.”

“For the love of Pete!” Sirius exclaimed hitting his fist on the table. “Would you lot listen to me? My name isn’t Ben Thatcher . It’s Sirius Black.”

Bradley, Keegan, Maureen and Carl looked at him as if he’d just lost his marbles.

“Serious?” Maureen finally asked. “That doesn’t really sound like a name Ben. That sounds more like a color. You know like I painted my nails with Serious Black…”

Sirius put his head in his hands. “Maureen, love. My name is Sirius. That is S-I-R-I-U-S Black.”

No one spoke.

“I didn’t mean to tell you like this,” Sirius said apologetically. “I should have told you long ago, but the thing is…”

Carl held a hand up. “So your name is Sirius. Big deal.”

“Big deal?” Sirius asked flummoxed.

Carl shrugged. “Yeah. Big deal. Sirius. Ben. Doesn’t matter to me. You’re still the worst card player on the island. Doesn’t matter what your name is.”

“It doesn’t?” Sirius asked completely gobsmacked.

Maureen nodded. “You look more like a Sirius than a Ben anyway.”

“I don’t get it,” Sirius said shaking his head. “Don’t you want to know why?

“Not particularly,” Keegan said thoughtfully. “We’re all here for some reason or the other aren’t we? I mean, I came here after I retired. Bradley’s hiding out from his ex-wives. Carl…well, Carl’s Carl. And Maureen…sweetheart, why are YOU here?”

“That’s kind of personal,” Maureen said playing with the strings on her apron.

“Of course,” Keegan said nodding. “I apologize…”

”Well, I went on a cruise right after my high school graduation,” Maureen interjected. A dreamy expression came over her face. “And I fell head over heels in love with the porter on the ship—his name was Scott. I had never seen anyone like him. You know he was really exotic looking and I thought the sun rose and set where he walked.”

”Oh,” Keegan said.

“Yeah,” Maureen said sadly. “Well, I tried to get on with the cruise line, but they didn’t have anything available. The next thing I knew Scott was leaving for school and I was stuck here. I could have gone home, but I wanted to start over. And I did that here.”

Maureen grinned at Sirius. “And you did too.”

Sirius nodded. “That I did.”

********** *************** *****************

Eva Montague looked absolutely radiant as she waited just inside the beach house. She peeked out behind the curtains to see a number of her friends and family sitting on the wooden chairs just along the beach. It wasn’t a large wedding by any stretch of the imagination. There were only around 30 or 40 guests but Eva and Sirius hadn’t wanted anything extravagant. They didn’t need something like that. Their wedding was going to reflect their personality---simple, but with a twist.

In just a few moments, she’d walk down that long aisle toward the man of her dreams; the one she’d waited her entire life for.

“You look really beautiful Eva,” Hermione said smiling at her friend. The bride wore a beautiful white floor-length dress with spaghetti straps and a chapel length train. She’d decided to go barefoot being as it was a beach wedding and she’d styled her hair in a chignon with tendrils framing her face.

As her maid of honor, Hermione wore a light blue floor length dress with spaghetti straps and a sweetheart neckline. Hermione wore her hair down and with a simple charm she insured that her hair wouldn’t be a bird’s nest by the end of the ceremony.

Eva smiled back. “Thanks Hermione.”

”Are you nervous?”

Eva shook her head. “No, I’ve never been more ready for something in my entire life.”

Hermione peeked out the window and saw Sirius and Harry now standing at the end of the aisle with the minister. Sirius wore a nice khaki colored suit and he’d even got a nice haircut for the ceremony. Hermione’s eyes traveled to her fiancée who was wearing stone-colored khaki trousers and a white dress shirt. He was nudging Sirius in the side and said something that made his godfather laugh.

“It’s time,” Hermione said handing Eva her bouquet of Calla lilies.

“Let’s get this show on the road,” Eva said beaming at Hermione. Hermione slid open the door and she slowly made her way down the steps and then down the aisle. Her eyes were trained on Harry’s and she couldn’t stop the huge smile from spreading across her face. In just a few months, they’d be taking this step too.

Sirius winked at her as she took her place just to the left of the altar. Eva’s son Chris walked his mother down the aisle. He had been the best thing to come out of her first marriage. And it did her heart good to know that her son and Sirius got along so well. Chris pecked his mother on the cheek and shook Sirius’ hand before taking his seat beside Maureen.

“We are gathered here today in the presence of friends and family to unite Eva and Sirius in marriage,” the minister began. Hermione caught Harry’s eye and smiled back at him. She then gave him a look that told him that he should be listening to the minister and not watching her, but his eyes didn’t leave hers.

”Sirius and Eva have decided to say their own vows,” the minister continued. “Sirius…”

Sirius nodded and clasped Eva’s hands in his. “I’m not the most eloquent bloke in the world so you’ll have to forgive me for that.”

Eva and the guests chuckled.

“But I’m told that’s part of my charm,” Sirius said with a wink at his girlfriend. “But the truth is that when I came here a few years back, I was looking to start over. I was looking to find a place that I belonged; to find a home. I found all of that and so much more with you, Eva. I don’t know what I did to deserve a woman like you, but I promise I will spend the rest of my life trying to make you as happy as you have made me. I love you with all my heart.”

Eva beamed at him wanting to kiss him right then and there, but she knew it was now her turn. She didn’t know how she could top what he’d just said, but she was going to try.

“I wasn’t counting on you,” she said. “I didn’t think I would ever open my heart to anyone else again. I’d built these walls around my heart so I wouldn’t get hurt again. But a few years back, you walked into my life and I knew that nothing would ever be the same again. Slowly, I let those walls down and let you into my heart and into my soul. Everyday with you has been a gift, Sirius. You make me laugh; you make me so very happy. Because of you, I believe in second chances. I love you with all my heart.”

Sirius grinned at her and then they made their vows to love, honor and cherish each other the rest of their lives. They exchanged rings and the minister finally pronounced them husband and wife.

“Sirius, you may kiss your…”

But the minister never finished his sentence. Sirius had waited long enough and now that it was official, he kissed his wife soundly on the lips.

“My little rule breaker,” Eva joked when they pulled apart.

The minister smiled. “Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you Sirius and Eva Black.”

************** ************** *********************

With the formality of the ceremony out of the way, the bride and groom set about having a good time celebrating their marriage with their friends and family. Keegan was in charge of the music and although Harry had his doubts, the man was playing some good music. Eva’s friends at Café Oceana had catered the event and everyone was either eating or dancing or talking. And it must be noted that Eva’s son Chris was apparently Maureen’s next victim. She’d latched onto him from the moment he’d arrived and they’d been inseparable ever since. Hermione had teased Harry unmercifully about it and he’d pretended to be morally offended that he could be forgotten so easily.

“She’s probably just trying to make you jealous,” Hermione said grinning at her fiancé.

Harry looked over on the dance floor where Maureen was dancing with Chris. Even though the song was a fast one, the two of them were slow dancing and completely oblivious to the fact that anyone else was around them.

“Yeah something tells me I could walk over there starkers and she wouldn’t bat an eyelash,” Harry said dryly.

“Now there’s an idea,” Hermione said taking a sip of her champagne.

Harry saw Eva and Sirius dance past he and Hermione and his godfather joked that Harry should get his arse on the floor and dance with his girl.

“Do you want to?” Harry asked turning to face Hermione.

”Do I want to what?” she asked innocently.

“Dance?”

Hermione pretended to mull this over. “I thought you’d never ask.”

Harry walked around the table and took her hand. “I don’t do this for everyone, you know.”

“I know.”

“Don’t tell everyone,” he said leading her onto the dance floor. “I have a reputation to protect.”

”I wouldn’t dream of it,” she said as the song that Keegan was currently playing came to an end. In his deepest voice he spoke into a microphone and announced that he was going to slow things down a bit with one of his best friend’s favorite songs.

“To Sirius and Eva!” Keegan announced.

“To Sirius and Eva!” the crowd echoed heartily.

Van Morrison’s “Into the Mystic” began to play. Hermione smiled. Eva had told her earlier that this song was their song and she hoped that her new husband remembered to have Keegan play it.

Harry pulled Hermione close. “You really did look beautiful today,” he whispered in her ear.

“Thanks,” she said softly resting her head on his chest as they swayed to the music.

They were silent for a few moments as they danced and Harry looked over and saw Lupin talking with Nymphadora Tonks who had apparated in for the ceremony. He’d never known Lupin to date much and he wondered how much that had to do with his unrequited love for Lily. Perhaps Tonks could be the one. The two of them had been thick as thieves since she’d arrived. But Harry wasn’t about to try matchmaking and from the looks of things it didn’t seem as if Lupin needed any help.

“Everything okay?” Hermione asked looking up at him.

Harry smiled down at her. “Yes.” He leaned down and softly kissed her. “Everything’s perfect.”

Author’s note: I am soooooooooooooooooo sorry for the long wait for this chapter. Feel free to flame me for that. Things have been quite hectic and I was a little (okay—a lot disheartened) by the fiasco that was HBP. But I really do love writing and I love these two characters. I’m not going to let the undelusional people get me down or stop me from doing something I enjoy. So here’s the latest chapter. This is a nice fluffy one and it does have a cliffie---you knew it was coming! Thanks to Kelly & to Curt for doing their beta thing for me.

Chapter 24

"You Set Me Free"

Can't you see?
There's a feeling that's come over me
Close my eyes
You're the only one that leaves me completely breathless

No need to wonder why
Sometimes a gift like this you can't deny

'Cause I wanted to fly,
so you gave me your wings
And time held its breath so I could see, yeah
And you set me free

There's a will
There's a way
Sometimes words just can't explain
This is real
I'm afraid
I guess this time there's just no hiding, fighting
You make me restless

You're in my heart
The only light that shines
there in the dark

'Cause I wanted to fly,
so you gave me your wings
And time held its breath so I could see, yeah
And you set me free

When I was alone
You came around
When I was down
You pulled me through
And there's nothing that
I wouldn't do for you

'Cause I wanted to fly,
so you gave me your wings
And time held its breath so I could see, yeah
And you set me free

(Michelle Branch)

Speculation on the ceremony began as soon as Harry’s engagement to Hermione made headlines in virtually every wizarding news publication. Where would it be held? What would the bride wear? Where would they go on their honeymoon? Would the bride’s jilted ex and Harry’s former best friend be invited? How many guests would there be? Would the Boy Who Lived—who was notoriously shy of the press—allow coverage of his wedding?

Lavender Brown had become their unofficial spokesperson, a role she was clearly enjoying. With the bride and groom sequestered away, teaching at Hogwarts, she was the one the reporters went to for answers. Hermione had to hand it to her best friend. She certainly handled the job with aplomb.

According to Lavender, reporters were camped outside their flat going through the skip trying to find out any information they could. Hermione apologized for putting her best friend through this, but Lavender dismissed her apology and said that she was having a good time sending them all off on wild goose chases.

Planning the wedding and settling into her new job at Hogwarts proved to be quite a challenge. Most people would have fallen apart with the sheer weight of the intertwined tasks. Hermione thrived under pressure. Weekends were spent on the wedding preparations and she coordinated plans with Lavender and Eva. She and Harry tried to make good use of their free time despite the fact that they weren’t allowed to share their quarters. They did, however, find ways to sneak in and out of each other’s rooms. If anyone knew about it, nothing was said and the couple never flaunted their relationship in front of the students. Although, there had been some close calls when Harry would surprise her in the halls and pull her into a dark corner and, despite her predisposition to follow the rules, Hermione couldn’t help losing a little control whenever Harry was around.

Time together had become somewhat of a precious commodity towards the end of the first term. They became quite busy the last couple of days with exam preparations and queues of students for extra instruction stretching down the halls long enough that it felt as if the lines ended at the Quidditch pitch.

After her last class of the day, Hermione was looking forward to a long, relaxing bath. She had just tidied up her classroom when she heard a knock at the door.

“Professor Granger, would you fancy a walk around the lake?” Harry asked from the doorway, a mischievous grin on his face.

Hermione looked at him as if he’d gone mad. “Harry, it’s freezing out there.”

“It’s not that bad,” he said dismissively. “Come on. I know for a fact you’ve already prepared your exams. You have nothing else to do this afternoon and what better way to spend your free time than huddled close to your fiancé while we walk by the lake on a beautiful, crisp winter’s day?”

Hermione looked thoughtfully at him. “How about sitting in front of a warm fire with hot chocolate and biscuits and...”

“We can do both,” Harry said coming around her desk and putting his arms around her. “Please? Please come with me? I promise I will make it worth your while. What do you think?”

Looping her arms around his neck, she smiled. “I think I left my heavy cloak in my room.”

“That’s my girl,” Harry said kissing her softly. “Need some help?”

Hermione laughed. “I’ve been getting dressed by myself for quite some time now. I think I’ve got it.”

“You sure?” Harry asked. “Because I know how tricky it can be...”

“I’m positive,” she said nipping at his lip. “You and I both know that if you went upstairs with me to ‘help me change’, we’d never leave.”

“I’m starting to rethink this whole walk by the lake thing,” Harry said.

Hermione shook her head. “No, no. The more you talk about it the more lovely it sounds. How about I meet you outside the Great Hall in about ten minutes?”

“Perfect,” Harry said giving her one last kiss. “You sure you don’t need any help?”

Hermione stepped away from him and quickly threw some papers and books into her bag. “I’m positive. I won’t be long.”

“If you’re not back in five minutes, I’ll send me as reinforcements,” he joked.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Hermione said, laughing as she walked out of the classroom.

A few minutes later, she came back downstairs dressed in her favorite apple red jumper, jeans and her snow boots. She was pulling on her red wool cap and heavy, grey cloak when she caught Harry staring up at her while she descended the staircase. He had a funny look on his face.

“What is it?” she asked. “Do you think I won’t be warm in this? I know I said I was just going to get my cloak but I didn’t think the blouse I was wearing and my robes would be enough...”

Harry shook his head then kissed her softly. “I was just hoping you would’ve taken a bit longer so I could have gone up and helped you is all.”

Hermione laughed. “Come on then. Let’s go brave the elements...”

It was bone-chillingly cold, but Hermione liked how peaceful, quiet and beautiful the grounds were. She hadn’t much time over the past several weeks to just enjoy the scenery. When they came back from their honeymoon and the Christmas holidays, she made a silent vow to take more leisurely walks like this with Harry.

They walked slowly and huddled close together. Hermione did most of the talking. She told Harry about her classes that day and how she had to give two Slytherin third-years detention for making paper airplanes in class and yet another after mouthing off to her when she’d told them to stop. She also told Harry about Lavender’s latest owl concerning the wedding preparations and, of course, the latest details about her friend’s burgeoning relationship with one Seamus Finnegan.

“You’re awfully quiet,” Hermione said nudging him with her elbow.

“Hmm?”

Hermione grinned. “You wanted to come out here for a nice walk and then you clam up on me. What gives, Harry?”

“Just thinking,” he said quietly.

“About?”

“About getting married in less than a fortnight...”

“Ah,” Hermione said nodding. She felt a pang of apprehension at the look on his face. Did he not want to get married? Did he suddenly realize that they were moving too fast? Did he want to postpone the wedding? Things had been moving fast, but she knew that she wanted to be with him more than anything. “The dreaded cold feet…”

“No,” he interrupted with a laugh. “I’ve got cold feet at the moment, but that’s not because of the wedding. That’s because it is bloody freezing out here.”

“So if you don’t have cold feet about the wedding, what are you thinking about?”

“How unbelievably happy I am that I get to marry you,” he replied with a grin. “I can’t believe my luck.”

Hermione felt a wave of relief wash over her. “I was afraid that you were going to tell me that you wanted to back out…”

“Not a chance,” Harry told her. “You’re not getting rid of me.”

“Always the sweet talker,” she said softly. “Always knowing what to say…”

“I don’t know about all that,” Harry said truthfully. “Most of the time I’m just playing it by ear. Sirius used to tell me that a good woman can see right through all the bullshit so I shouldn’t bother feeding her corny lines. I thought that was good because I can’t really spout off lines...”

“That’s one of the reasons I love you so much,” Hermione said, putting her arms around him. “You don’t need all that, Harry. You’re real. You’re you. You don’t need to feed me any lines.”

Harry smiled. “That’s good to know. I don’t think I could say any of that cheesy romance novel stuff with a straight face.”

“Read a lot of cheesy romance novels, have you?” Hermione asked while raising an eyebrow at him.

“No,” Harry said, vehemently shaking his head. “I have NEVER read any cheesy romance novels.”

“Oh,” Hermione said with a laugh. “You’ve just read the ordinary romance novels then.”

Harry groaned. “Okay, Granger. You want to know the truth? You want to know how I know about this?”

Hermione nodded. “I’m dying to know.”

“Okay,” Harry said looking down so he didn’t have to meet her gaze. This was embarrassing enough as it was. “There was this one summer before fourth year when I was staying with Ron at the Burrow. We were straightening up in the sitting room and we came across one of his mum’s books that was hidden behind a pillow on the sofa. It had some wonky title like ‘The Scarlet Woman’ or something mad like that. Ron opened it up and read a few pages...”

At the mention of his former best friend, Harry’s eyes clouded over.

”What?” Hermione asked touching his arm. “What is it?” It suddenly dawned on her that he wasn’t sure he could or should talk about Ron in front of her. Truth be told, they’d avoided the topic over the past few months.

“I’m sorry,” Hermione said quietly.

“It’s not your fault, Hermione,” Harry said, his eyes trained on hers. Despite the number of times he told her this, she couldn’t get past the feeling that she was. If not for her, Harry and Ron would still be best friends.

“He was my best friend,” Harry said matter-of-factly, as if he could sense her thoughts.

“You miss him,” Hermione argued. “I know you do.”

Harry sighed. “I do miss him, but so much has happened. Even if both of us wanted to, we can’t go back. He’s going to see this as yet another thing I swept in and took away from him... And I can’t forgive him for what he said.”

“I know you can’t go back,” Hermione said. “But you two have been through so much together. He was a big part of your life, Harry, and I want you to be able to talk to me about him without getting that stricken look on your face. Maybe if you tried talking to him again...”

Harry shook his head. “I appreciate what you’re trying to do, Hermione. But it’s not going to work. “

“Why not?”

Harry was silent for a few moments and Hermione wondered if perhaps he was constructing his argument. No matter what he said, she knew that he would like nothing more than to have his best friend stand up with him at the wedding. She couldn’t imagine getting married without Lavender. Of course, she and Lavender hadn’t had a massive row about shagging the other’s significant other either.

“I thought of him like a brother,” Harry finally said. “The first person my own age that I was friends with...”

“He thought the same of you,” Hermione said.

“But something happened,” Harry continued, “before you even entered the picture, Hermione. It was like we grew apart. We’d owl each other, of course, but it wasn’t the same. We weren’t a part of each other’s everyday lives anymore. Hell, I didn’t even tell him where I really was. I just thought I owed it to him to...”

“Part of the reason you left was because of Ron, wasn’t it?” Hermione asked, the picture suddenly becoming crystal clear to her. “One of the reasons you left London was for him, wasn’t it?”

Harry looked over at her in surprise. “I-I never told anyone about that, not even Sirius. All throughout our friendship that was our one bone of contention. He couldn’t understand why I got everything he wanted and he had no idea how jealous I was of him. He had the one thing I’d always wanted—a family. He had a mother and father and brothers and a sister. I’d have given everything up to have that; to have my mum and dad back.”

Tears welled up in Hermione’s eyes as she listened.

“And so after the war, I just decided I’d leave this world behind,” Harry said motioning absently toward the castle. “I’d give him the chance to shine in the spotlight. I’d let him have his moment in the sun. He needed that, Hermione. He needed to be seen as something other than Harry Potter’s best friend and sidekick. He needed to be something other than the youngest Weasley brother.”

Hermione nodded. This was the same thing Ron had told her when he’d confessed his inadequacies about being Harry’s friend and why he felt guilty for being happy that his best friend wasn’t around anymore. It couldn’t have been easy, Hermione knew, but Ron honestly had no idea what a sacrifice Harry had made for him.

Hermione leaned in and kissed him softly. “I love you, Harry.”

“What was that for?” he asked.

“Do I need a reason to kiss my fiancé?”

Harry laughed. “No, you never need a reason.”

“Okay then,” Hermione said, wanting to get his mind off Ron. “Come with me, Professor.”

”Where are we going?”

“We’re going to make snow angels,” she announced excitedly.

“I beg your pardon?”

“Snow angels,” Hermione repeated. When she was met with a blank expression, she stared at him. “You’ve never made them before?”

Harry shook his head.

“Not even when you were a kid?”

“I never really had the chance to play in the snow when I was a kid,” Harry replied. “The only time I was ever in it was when my Uncle Vernon made me shovel the walk and front steps or when I had to walk to school.”

Hermione scowled. She hated the Dursleys for how they’d treated Harry. If she ever got a chance to meet those horrible people, she made a promised herself that she’d give them a piece of her mind.

“Surely you played out in the snow when you were a student?” Hermione asked.

“Sure,” Harry said with a shrug. “We used to have snowball fights all the time.”

Hermione laughed. “Well, today you, Harry James Potter, are going to make your very first snow angel.”

“Okay...”

“Lie down,” Hermione ordered pointed to the ground.

Harry grinned like a kid opening up his presents on Christmas morning. He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively at her.

”Get your mind out of the gutter,” she said rolling her eyes. “Lie down.”

Harry obeyed and lay down on the cold snow. He looked expectantly up at Hermione. The ground was cold and wet and he was starting to think that perhaps her idea to spend the afternoon curled up in front of the fire had been the better suggestion.

Hermione positioned herself a few feet away from him. She turned to look at him, her cheeks red and her eyes shining from the cold.

“Okay,” she said. “You’re going to just brush your arms between your head and waist in a sweeping motion. Like this...and then you’ll just make your legs go apart and bring them back together...just like this...”

Hermione was laughing as she demonstrated what he was supposed to do. Harry had never seen her look so beautiful, carefree and happy.

”Come on Harry!” she called out breaking him out of his reverie. “You can’t just lie there!”

“Okay,” Harry said then mimicked her movements. He too started to laugh and they were both in hysterics as they made their snow angels. Tears were streaming down Hermione’s cheeks as she gently stood up to survey their work, Harry followed after a final sweep of his arms.

“Yours is much better than mine,” Harry commented thoughtfully.

“Yours is nice too,” Hermione said pretending to examine it very carefully. “The wing span leaves something to be desired...”

“Hey!” Harry exclaimed. “This was my first time! I’m sure with practice, I’ll be much better! Even better than you!”

Hermione shook her head. “You have a long way to go...”

“You should be very afraid, Granger,” Harry said, sliding his arms around her waist. “I’ve got your number.”

Hermione smiled and kissed him. “I’ve got yours...”

“You sure do,” Harry whispered, resting his forehead on hers. “What do you say we go back inside?”

“I’d say ‘What are we waiting for?’” Hermione answered.

They somehow made their way back to the castle; a task that was made even more difficult because they kissed nearly every step of the way. A little voice in the back of Hermione’s head tried to remind her that anyone could be looking out the window at this very moment and see how they were carrying on, but she could care less at the moment.

They did manage to control themselves when they got back into the castle and up the stairs to the staff quarters. Once they were in Hermione’s bedroom, Harry kicked the door shut with his foot and then took Hermione’s mouth in a fast, hard kiss. Their self-restraint puddled to the floor in much the same way as their clothes, they stumbled backward and fell in a tangled heap onto the bed.

Hermione laughed. “This is what we should have been doing all along.”

“That’s what I tried to tell you,” Harry said looking down at her. “But did you listen? No...”

“I can be quite stubborn,” she admitted.

“I know,” Harry said kissing her again. “One of the many things I love about you...”

“One of them?”

“Aye,” he whispered. “And there’s something else I love too...”

************** ******************** ********************

A few days later, the Christmas holidays were in full swing. Wizards and witches of all ages, sizes and shapes were packed into the stores all along Diagon Alley, as was most of the cobblestone-lined street. It was the kind of atmosphere that Ron Weasley usually detested. Shopping wasn’t his thing, save Quality Quidditch Supplies where he always stopped to look over the latest in racing brooms.

But today he hadn’t stepped foot in his favorite shop and found that he really didn’t mind. Ron and Luna struggled through the crowd in Flourish & Blotts so she could purchase some books for her father. Apparently, he was really into paranormal theory which prompted the purchase of four large tomes on the subject.

Ron struggled with the bag, wishing he’d thought to shrink it down, but he couldn’t reach his wand at the moment where it lay dormant inside his cloak pocket. It seemed fate had it in for him but he wasn’t about to let Luna know he was having a problem, that was, until he nearly spilled the contents of both bags when he opened the door for her.

“I can carry some of those you know,” Luna said as she walked past him.

“I’ve got it,” Ron said, forcing a smile. “No worries.”

Luna didn’t look so sure, but she didn’t say anything. She pulled out her shopping list and crossed off a few more names. She usually wasn’t one to leave her Christmas shopping until the last minute, but getting settled back in London then back into her normal routine had kept her preoccupied.

Ron had stopped by the Quibbler offices and asked if she’d fancy coming to lunch. Luna had told him that, in actuality, she was done for the day and had planned on doing a bit of last minute Christmas shopping. She’d been quite surprised to hear him volunteer to tag along but it had been nice to have the company.

Ron, however, had been mostly quiet throughout the day.

“You’re being such a Scrooge, Ronald.”

“I’m not,” Ron said defensively. “I’m just a little knackered from trailing after you all day. I never would have pegged you as a shopaholic, Loony.”

“I’m not usually,” Luna replied. “But I like shopping for my friends and family. I usually like making things for them, but I didn’t have the time this year.”

“What sorts of things do you make for them?” Ron asked.

Luna looked thoughtfully at him. “I’ve made some nice little bracelets for some ladies in the office and I’ll make biscuits for some of the blokes. My peanut butter chocolate chip biscuits are always a big hit.”

“You can bake?” Ron asked smiling at her. “Ron couldn’t believe his luck---she was beautiful, smart, and she could cook.

“Yes,” Luna said. “Ever since I was little, I kind of had to. My dad’s not much of a cook. We’d have had to exist on takeaway alone if I’d not learned a thing or two in the kitchen. I’m nowhere near as good as your mum, of course.”

“Maybe someday I can come by and let you know,” Ron asked feeling a little bold. He’d asked her out a few times now and each time she’d gingerly put him off. He knew she was reluctant to get involved, but he knew his reputation had a great deal to do with that.

Luna had made it quite clear that she wanted to remain just friends. The more time Ron spent with her, however, the more he came to realize how much he wanted to be more than that with her. She was unlike anybody he’d ever met before. Why had he not noticed it before? Why had he been such a jerk when they were at Hogwarts?

“That’d be nice,” Luna answered, surprising him. “Maybe we can get together after the holiday when things aren’t so hectic?”

He’d gotten so used to hearing her say no that at first he wasn’t quite sure he’d heard her correctly.

“I understand,” he started to say. “Maybe some other time...”

“I said yes, Ronald,” Luna said looking quizzically at him. “I think it’d be lovely to have you over. Daddy would certainly love to get to know you.”

“He knows me by now, doesn’t he?”

Luna shook her head. “Not really. Right now he just knows you as this crazy bloke who keeps skulking around after his daughter.”

“Is that what you think too?” Ron asked.

Luna looked thoughtfully at him. “No. Of course I don’t think you’re crazy.”

Ron beamed at her.

“Just a little strange,” Luna said dryly.

“Gee thanks,” Ron said nudging her with one of the bags. “Well I must be crazy to be traipsing around after you all day...”

“It could have been worse, Ronald,” Luna pointed out. “I could be trying on dress robes in one of those posh shops while you sat outside holding my bags.”

“Thank Merlin for small favors, eh?” Ron said with a laugh. “So, uh, where to next?”

Luna slowed her pace so Ron could catch up. “Well, we could either go into Madam Malkin’s to try on dress robes or we could go grab a bite to eat.”

“Oooh!” Ron exclaimed. “I vote for getting a bite to eat!”

Luna laughed. “You sure you don’t want to go and try on dress robes?”

”Positive,” Ron said. “I want fresh bread and beef stew. Come on, Luna, I’m dying here.”

“Okay then,” Luna said, pushing her way through the crowd toward one of the restaurants. The place was full and Ron wondered impatiently how long they’d have to wait for a table.

“I’m sorry sir,” an old witch with long curly hair told them. “We’re quite busy today. Let me just check and see if we can fit you in...”

The woman disappeared behind a curtain and Ron heard his stomach growling. He turned bright red when Luna looked at him with an amused expression on her face.

It seemed to take forever for the witch to come back and when she did, Ron took her smile as a good sign.

“We do happen to have a table in the back. There’s a young couple willing to share their table with you. He’s quite famous actually,” the witch said with a wink.

“Really?” Ron asked with a smile. “Cool. Perhaps we’ll be able to get an autograph.”

Luna giggled and they set off behind the witch through the crowded restaurant toward the table.

“Who do you suppose it is?” Ron asked Luna.

“I don’t know,” Luna said. “Maybe it’s Stubby Boardman!”

Ron laughed and was about to turn around to tell Luna that she couldn’t possibly believe Sirius Black was still Stubby Boardman when his eyes fell on the two people sitting at the table with two empty chairs. He blinked several times to make sure his eyes weren’t deceiving him. This couldn’t be happening. What were the odds that something like this would happen?

“Only to me,” he grumbled under his breath.

“Here we are,” the witch said brightly. She set their menus down at the table. “Sir?”

Ron couldn’t move.

“Hello, Luna,” the bloke said with a weak smile. “Hello, Ron.”

Ron glared at him. “Hello, Harry.”

Author’s note: I am sooooo sorry you guys for the long wait between updates. I should never have started this one when I was in the middle of co-writing the Dirty Dancing series. I am sorry for neglecting this one. I was stuck on what to do for quite some time. I’m not sure if I like how this chapter turned out. Please let me know what you think. I appreciate all the comments and there will be one more chapter after this, possibly an epilogue. I’ve already started writing that last chapter so hopefully your wait won’t be very long this time. Again I really do apologize for the long wait!

Chapter 25

Mad Season

I feel stupid - but I know it won't last for long

I've been guessing - I coulda been guessin' wrong

You don't know me now

I kinda thought that you should somehow

Does that whole mad season got ya down

I feel stupid but it's something that comes and goes

I've been changin' - think it's funny how now one knows

We don't talk about - the little things that we do without

When that whole mad season comes around

So why ya gotta stand there

Looking like the answer now

It seems to me - you'd come around

I need you now

Do you think you can cope

You figured me out - I'm lost and I'm hopeless

Bleeding and broken - though I've never spoken

I come undone - in this mad season

(Mad Season by Matchbox 20)

Awkward. Uncomfortable. Tense.

Those would all seem to be great words to describe the situation that Hermione found herself in at the moment. But, as she watched her fiancé and ex-boyfriend glare at each other, she came to realize that those words didn’t quite do this situation justice.

As luck would have it, it seemed that everyone in the restaurant was watching their every move, hanging on their every word. Fortunately, no words had been spoken except for a few short, but not sweet pleasantries.

Hermione and Luna’s “brilliant plan” now seemed like an error of Titanic proportions. Images of a knock-down, drag-out fight with punches and hexes thrown at will, filled Hermione’s mind. One look at her co-conspirator and Hermione knew she wasn’t alone in her doubts.

This had all seemed like such a good idea a couple of days ago in Ginny’s kitchen. Ron and Harry obviously weren’t going to make up on their own, so the two women had taken it upon themselves to make it happen. With a little help from Ginny, they’d devised a plan to get the two together and Ginny had suggested the restaurant seeing as the two boys wouldn’t want to make a scene.

They’ll be falling on their hands and knees to thank you two, Ginny had said beaming at them.

Note to self – Never, ever listen to Ginny Weasley.

“Isn’t this a nice surprise?” Luna asked, taking it upon herself to salvage the situation.

Ron snorted and Harry looked from Hermione to Luna and then back again. They both knew that this wasn’t a surprise and by the expressions on their faces, Harry and Ron didn’t see anything nice about this at all.

“Hiya, Harry,” Luna said taking a seat. She pulled off her cloak and draped it over her chair. “It’s been quite awhile, hasn’t it?”

Harry stared at her for a few moments before answering. “Um, yeah. It’s been quite awhile.”

“And you,” Luna said turning her attention to Hermione. “You must be Hermione Granger. I’m Luna. Luna Lovegood. It’s lovely to finally meet you. I’ve heard lovely things about you from Ron’s mother and his sister.”

Hermione, who had never been that good of a liar, found it extremely difficult to find her voice. Her hand was trembling as she shook Luna’s outstretched hand. “Nice to meet you too, Luna.”

“Oh come on!” Ron exclaimed suddenly.

“What?” Luna asked turning around and giving him her most innocent look.

“This whole ‘we’ve just met’ routine,” Ron replied rolling his eyes. “Nice try, Luna, but this is a little obvious, don’t you think?”

Slowly, Luna turned back around. “Harry, Hermione…I hope you don’t mind, but I need to steal Ronald away for just a minute. We’ll be right back…”

Ron found himself being led to the back of the restaurant by the blonde. When they were out of earshot, Ron turned on her.

”Luna,” he hissed, trying very hard to remain calm. “What on earth would possess you to do something like this? Did I royally piss you off? Have I come on way too strong? If I have, I will back off, because if this is how you’re going to pay me back…”

Luna folded her arms.

“I know that you’re a little out there,” he continued pacing in front of her. “I get that. And for the most part, I really do love that about you, but this…this…takes the cake!”

Luna stood and listened as he continued on his little tirade. When he finally stopped talking---but not before waxing philosophically about ex best friends and cheating girlfriends---Luna shrugged. “I have no idea what you’re talking about, Ronald.” She motioned over her shoulder toward the table where Harry and Hermione were sitting. “This is a complete and utter coincidence.”

Ron leaned against the wall. “A coincidence?”

Luna nodded. “Coincidences are funny things really. All these things have to happen for this one moment to fall into place. It’s kind of like this one time when I was around…”

“Luna,” Ron interjected in exasperation. “What are you on about?”

“Not a thing,” she replied taking his hand. “But don’t you think life is way too short to hold onto a grudge?”

“This isn’t just a grudge—“

“I know,” Luna said. “It’s a silly grudge. Look, Ron…do you remember how you used to make fun of me and call me ‘Loony’?”

“Are you still throwing that up in my face?” he asked. “For Merlin’s sake, Luna! I’ve apologized for that time and time again.”

Luna squeezed his hand. “I know you have. But where would you and I be, if I’d held on to a grudge? Where would you and I be if I still saw you as that crazy bloke who used to call me names and make fun of me all the time?”

Ron knew what she was trying to do. “It’s not the same, Luna. Harry shagged my girlfriend. It’s not as if he called me a bad name and made fun of me. This is much worse.”

“Kind of like what you did to Hermione,” Luna said quietly.

Ron felt like she’d kicked him in the stomach. She did hold that against him. That was probably why she hadn’t agreed to go out with him as anything more than a friend. She was afraid he was going to do to the very same thing to her.

“No one is completely innocent here,” Luna said gently looking intently at him, but he kept his eyes trained on the floor. “But you can’t forget that you played a part in this too.”

Finally, he looked up to meet her gaze. A part of him knew that she was right. The other, more stubborn part didn’t want or didn’t seem to be able to let this go.

“You and Harry went through so much together,” Luna said softly. “You grew up together. His friendship means something to you, even now. You miss him. And you want to be his friend again, but you can’t seem to make yourself take that first step.”

“What is it you want me to do?” Ron asked quietly.

“Just sit there,” Luna answered stepping closer to him. “Sit there and talk or at least be civil to each other. No one’s asking you to pick up where you left off. That’s not possible, but you can try and start again.”

“I don’t know if I can.”

“Try,” she whispered.

Ron thought about what she was asking him to do. She was right. He did miss his friend. And begrudgingly, Ron had to admit that he did play a part in this.

“How long have you known Hermione?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Luna said with a grin. “I just met the girl…”

“Right,” Ron said laughing.

“So what do you say?” Luna asked. “Will you do it? Will you try?”

Ron thought long and hard about what exactly Luna was asking him to do. Though he was loathed to admit it, he did miss his best friend. He had for quite some time. He’d thought quite a bit over the past few months about the boy he’d met on Platform 9 ¾. The same person who was now engaged to Hermione was the same boy who had been there for him time and time again. This was the same boy who had been his first real friend outside of his family. This was the same boy who he’d stood beside as he’d taken on the darkest wizard of their time. And this was the same boy he’d been afraid of watching die. In the course of one summer though, this had all changed. Or had it? Was it too late to go back? Was there too much water under the bridge to start over? Seeing him with Hermione now wasn’t as painful as it had been before and Ron wasn’t sure what that meant.

“Okay,” he finally said. “I’ll do it.”

Luna beamed back at him and he held up his hand.

”This is only because of you,” he said. “And because I’m bloody starving.”

Luna pecked him on the cheek. “I’m proud of you Ronald Weasley.”

“We haven’t made it through the meal yet,” he cautioned. This still had the very distinct possibility of turning out really, really badly. Nevertheless, he took Luna’s hand and led her back to the table. It was obvious that Harry and Hermione must have had a similar conversation because they stopped speaking abruptly when Luna and Ron returned and sat down.

Before anyone could say anything, a waitress descended upon the table wanting to take Ron and Luna’s order and to see if she could get anything else for Harry and Hermione. Luna and Ron took a few moments to go over the menu before both ordering club sandwiches and pumpkin juice. The waitress grinned and waited a few moments before leaving to place their order.

“She certainly seemed nice,” Luna commented.

“Nice?” Ron asked. “She’s probably planning on selling this story to the Daily Prophet. I can see it now, tomorrow morning; we’ll all see the big, bold, cheesy headline about ‘Potter Sidekick and Boy Who Lived Have Tense Lunch’.”

Luna laughed. “Don’t be silly Ronald.”

He stared at her.

“That’s a horrible headline,” she continued with a grin. “The Prophet writers aren’t THAT bad.”

Without thinking, Ron looked across the table and for a moment, he and Harry shared an amused, slightly bewildered expression at Luna’s comment. The moment passed quickly as both men quickly looked away.

“I understand you’re both teaching at Hogwarts,” Luna said. “I always thought you’d be a great teacher, Harry.”

Harry let out a soft laugh. “I don’t know about all that. It’s quite different being on the other side. The first day of classes I kept looking at their expectant faces wondering what the hell I was doing there. The first time one of them called me Professor, I turned around to see who was behind me…”

Luna laughed. “I know what you mean. But, I’m sure you’re doing wonderfully.”

“He’s really doing great,” Hermione said touching his arm supportively.

“Dare I say the curse of Hogwarts’ Defense professors will now be broken?” Luna asked. “You’ll last more than a year then, won’t he Ron?”

“Maybe,” Ron said shifting in his seat. This was the most uncomfortable he could ever remember being. He didn’t know what to say or where to look.

Silence again descended upon the table broken only by the waitress’ reappearance with Ron and Luna’s drinks.

“Your order should be up soon,” she promised giving them another look before walking away.

“She’s up to something,” Ron said.

“She’s not the only one,” Harry muttered under his breath.

Hermione knew that Ron and Harry weren’t going to get anywhere with she and Luna sitting here. An idea came to her and she pulled on Luna’s arm. “Hey, Luna. How about you and I check out the dessert cart, eh? They have a really delicious chocolate torte here.”

Luna grinned. “I think that would be lovely.”

Getting to her feet, Luna smiled reassuringly at Ron. “Well be right back.”

Once they were alone, Ron and Harry just stared at each other, neither of them seemingly willing or able to make the first move. Harry looked away and picked at the rest of his sandwich.

“Did you have anything to do with this?” Ron finally asked quietly.

“No,” Harry said shaking his head. “I think we know who was behind this.”

Ron nodded. “What do you think they were playing at?”

“They seem to think that we miss each other obviously,” Harry said looking over where it was completely obvious that Luna and Hermione were not interested in the dessert cart. Both women were staring in their direction and Ron wondered if perhaps Luna might have grabbed some Invisible Extendable Ears from his brothers’ joke shop earlier.

“I’m sorry Ron,” Harry finally said. “Contrary to popular belief, I do not want everything you have or had. I didn’t intentionally set out to hurt you. When I met her, I didn’t know who she was and by the time I found out, it was…well, it was too late.”

Ron didn’t say anything in response.

“I know that things are different between you and me,” Harry continued. “I know they probably will be and I know we can’t go back to being best friends like we once were, but maybe we could....I don’t know, start over and try and be friends again.”

Ron looked thoughtfully across the table at Harry. He wanted to be angry. He wanted to shout and push and shove his former best friend and tell him exactly where he could stick his apology. But he didn’t. Ron didn’t know whether it was because time had healed those old wounds or if it was because he didn’t want to close the door completely on his oldest and closest friend. It was probably a little bit of both, if he was being completely honest with himself.

“Start over?” he asked weakly.

Harry nodded.

“I don’t know,” Ron answered truthfully. “You’ve done…”

“Ron,” Harry interjected. “I never wanted any of this. I never wanted ‘eternal glory’. I never wanted to have people look at me while I walked down the street or for people to point and stare and whisper about me. I’ve apologized for that time and time again and I’m tired of doing it.”

“I know that---“

“I don’t think you do,” Harry continued. “Right after the war ended, I was about as low as I could ever remember being. I thought…I thought I’d finally have some peace. But I knew that it wasn’t going to be that easy and it could never be that simple. In many ways, it was going to be worse than it was before. Everyone wanted to know about what I’d done. And I tried, Ron. I kept telling those reporters and the aurors and anyone who would listen what you had done to help me; what you’d all done to help me.”

“You did?”

Harry nodded and leaned back in his chair. “They wouldn’t listen. It’s not my fault that they didn’t put it in the papers or in the books or in the stories that they told. So when I decided to leave, I knew that you’d finally have what you’d always wanted. The chance to stand on your own; to make your own glory. And you’ve done that, Ron. Believe it or not, I’m very proud of you.”

Ron let this sink in. “Wait…you left...you left because of me?”

“Partly,” Harry replied. “You were my best friend, Ron. The first person my own age who actually wanted to be my friend. And if it hadn’t been for you, I honestly don’t know what would have happened to me. I’d have probably been sorted into Slytherin and have the ferret for my best mate for all we know…”

Ron laughed at the image. “Perish the thought.”

The waitress returned with Ron and Luna’s sandwiches and Ron was actually angry with her for the interruption. It also seemed to hit home for him the fact that everyone had probably heard their discussion.

“Don’t worry,” Harry said after she’d left. “I cast a spell to make sure no one could hear us…”

“Good thinking,” Ron said in relief. “I guess Hermione’s rubbing off on you.”

Harry turned to look at his fiancée. “Aye, she is.”

“You really do love her, don’t you?”

Harry nodded. “I really do, Ron. She’s the best thing that ever happened to me.” Ron again looked down at the table and avoided Harry’s gaze. “I’m not saying that to hurt you, Ron. I just think you needed to know that. She’s not a prize or a possession that I took. She’s someone that I want to start a family with; that I want to grow old with; that I want to be with all the time.”

He reached down and pulled a box out of one of the bags at his feet. Ron watched as Harry pulled out a white envelope. He handed one to Ron. “It’s an invitation to our wedding. I’ll understand if you don’t want to come, but I’d really like it if you’d be there.”

Ron didn’t take the invitation. In fact, he wasn’t quite sure what he should do. With a sigh, Harry set the invitation down on the table. “It’s charmed to reveal the location of the wedding only on the day of the event.”

Ron nodded, but still averted his eyes from Harry.

Harry pulled out his wallet and placed some money on the table for his part of the tab.

“I’ll see you Ron,” he said quietly before picking up his and Hermione’s bags.

Luna and Hermione watched as Harry came toward them.

“Ready to go?” he asked his fiancée.

Hermione nodded wordlessly and said a quick goodbye to Luna before following Harry out of the restaurant.

They walked in silence through the crowds and Hermione was dying to find out how it had gone. But, Harry didn’t seem ready to talk about it. Hermione wondered if he was angry about what she and Luna had done.

“I’m sorry,” she called out to him. He was walking so fast, he was nearly fifty feet in front of him.

He stopped and slowly turned around to face her. “It’s not your fault.”

“I should have known better…”

“It’s okay,” Harry reassured her. “I am angry that you didn’t warn me this was coming, but I know you meant well. It’s just---he’s not going to forgive me, Hermione.”

“Harry---“

“I gave him an invitation to the wedding,” Harry said quietly.

“We saw,” Hermione said softly. “I’m sorry, Harry.”

Harry shook his head. “Hey, come on now. No more of that.” He leaned in and softly kissed her. “We’ve still got some shopping to do.”

**************

The wedding was to be held at a small church in Canterbury. It was the same church that Hermione’s parents had married in so many years ago and Hermione had always dreamed that one day she’d get married there too. The reporters who kept hounding them thought the wedding was taking place at Hogwarts and according to Dumbledore, there was a pack of them camped out just outside the gates of the castle.

The day before the wedding Hermione was enjoying a day of pampering at the spa thanks to Lavender. Hermione was happy to spend her last day as a singleton with her best friends and bridesmaids---Lavender, Eva, and Ginny. It also kept her mind off of what Sirius and Harry were probably up to with Neville, Seamus and Dean.

At the moment, Hermione was having a pedicure while Lavender received an herbal massage. Eva was having her nails done and Ginny was getting a mud masque.

“This is the life,” Lavender said happily. “I could do this every day and die a happy woman.”

“This is pretty heavenly,” Eva said grinning. “I haven’t done something like this in ages.”

“We should do it more often,” Ginny said. “At least three or four times a month.”

Hermione smiled and her thoughts went again to Harry. They’d agreed not to see each other today and had agreed to forego sex until their wedding night. She couldn’t wait to walk down the aisle tomorrow and become his wife.

“Earth to the bride,” Eva joked breaking Hermione out of her reverie.

“Hmm?” Hermione asked.

“You’re awfully quiet,” Eva said grinning at her. “Too busy thinking about the honeymoon, eh?”

“That’s a little hard to do since I have no idea where he’s taking me,” Hermione said laughing.

“All you need is someplace with a nice, fluffy bed,” Lavender teased. “You’ll never see the light of day if you play your cards right.”

“Lav!” Hermione exclaimed.

“What?” Lavender asked. “Your mum’s not here. You know that’s what you’re going to do, Hermione. And you better not have Harry drag you off to some boring, smelly museum while you’re there either. You are under strict orders to have a perfectly lovely time with endless shagging…”

Hermione blushed.

“We’re embarrassing the bride!” Ginny said leaning back in her comfortable reclining chair.

“It’s our duty to do that,” Lavender said. “We’re the bridesmaids. We can embarrass her all we want the day before the wedding and make her turn all different shades or red. The day of the wedding, we are to be the picture of decorum and support.”

Hermione smiled at her friends. “Thanks you guys. I really am lucky to have you.”

“So you’re not still mad at me for the bright idea I had?” Ginny asked.

“I should have known it wouldn’t have worked,” Hermione said. “Luna and I just thought we were doing what was best.”

“I wish I could slap some sense into my brother,” Ginny said shaking her head. “He’s so damn stubborn and proud.”

“He’s hurt,” Hermione said in Ron’s defense.

“After what that wanker did to you, he ought to be hurt,” Lavender said bluntly. “Sorry Gin, but it’s the truth.”

“It’s okay,” Ginny said. “He’s my brother and I love him dearly, but he is being a complete wanker. I wish that the plan could have worked.”

“It wasn’t easy for either of them,” Hermione said. “Harry figured out pretty much what I was trying to do the moment, Ron and Luna walked into the restaurant. And when Luna dragged Ron off, he let me know that he thought I was mental for thinking this would work. But he tried. He really did try. And there’s not much more he can do. The next step is Ron’s.”

“Luna’s still working on him,” Ginny said. “Hopefully, she’ll get him to come around.”

The women resumed their small talk and enjoying their pampering. Just as the woman finished with her feet, another woman came into the room.

“Miss Granger?”

Hermione looked up. “That’s me.”

“Soon to be Potter,” Ginny teased.

“There’s a phone call for you,” the woman said handing Hermione a cordless phone.

“Thanks,” Hermione said taking it. No one else knew she was here except for her mother. She hoped her mother wasn’t calling because there was some last minute emergency that needed taking care of. “Hello?”

“Hey you,” Harry’s voice came over the line.

“Harry!”

Ginny, Lavender and Eva giggled and mimicked Hermione.

“Shut it you lot!” Hermione said over her shoulder.

“Hermione…?”

“I’m here,” she said into the phone. “How did you know where I was?”

“Your mum told me,” he replied. “I missed you and I wanted to hear your voice.”

“Harry,” she whispered. “I miss you too.”

“And I was wondering,” he said. She could hear the smile in his voice. “If you’d meet me tomorrow morning at that chapel around noon? I’ll be the one in the suit down front…”

Hermione giggled. “How could I pass that up? You’re on. I’ll be the one in white with the veil.”

“In white with the veil,” he said thoughtfully. “Okay, I should remember that.”

“Come on Harry,” Dean called out to his friend.

“I’ve got to go,” he said apologetically. “But I just wanted you to know that I love you very much and I can’t wait until tomorrow.”

“Me too,” Hermione said softly. “Behave yourself.”

“I will,” he said clicking off the phone.

“Let’s get going,” Dean told his friend. “Sirius is waiting at the pub.”

“Right,” Harry said setting the phone down. “My last night as a bachelor awaits.”

Harry, Dean, Neville and Seamus threw on their cloaks. Dean opened the door and all four men froze.

“Hi,” Ron said quietly. His hands were in his pockets and he looked like at any moment he might be sick, but he was here. What they didn’t know was why. The last thing Harry wanted was to fight with his friend again.

“Hi,” Harry said. “What’s going on?”

“I, um, well I was wondering if you had…if you had room for one more.”

Author’s note: Again, a long wait. I apologize. Real life has taken its toll and I’ve been really busy writing Last Dance with Heaven. This is the last chapter, but there will be an epilogue. This is the wedding you’ve all been waiting for and I hope it doesn’t disappoint. Thank you again for the reviews and for the kind words of encouragement you’ve given me. I appreciate it more than you know and am proud to be a member of our ship!

Chapter 26

Forever & For Always

In your arms,
I can still feel the way you want me
when you hold me
I can still hear the words you whispered
when you told me
I can stay right here forever in your arms

And there ain't no way
I'm lettin' you go now
And there ain't no way
and there ain't no how
I'll never see that day....

'Cause I'm keeping you
forever and for always
We will be together all of our days
Wanna wake up every morning
to your sweet face
Always-----

(Shania Twain, Forever & For Always)

“You want to go with us?” Harry asked, still gob smacked that Ron was actually here, standing in the doorway.

Ron shrugged. “Well, you know, I was just….thinking….might be….you know…”

“You want to go on my stag night?” Harry asked, helping his friend out.

Ron absently began kicking the door with his foot. “I didn’t have anything else to do. I was just eating dinner with Luna and she thought, well she thinks that I…that we…”

“It’s okay,” Harry said giving him a slight smile. “I’m…I’m really glad that you’re here, Ron. I couldn’t imagine doing this without you.”

Ron finally met Harry’s gaze. “I feel the same. Or I would, if it were me getting married, but it’s not. It’s you and Hermione.”

“Are you okay with that?”

Ron didn’t answer at first. Seamus, Dean and Neville exchanged looks.

“I’m getting there,” Ron said truthfully.

“I don’t know about you two,” Seamus said walking in between them. “But this is Harry’s last night as a bachelor. We want to send him out in style, right?”

”Right,” Ron said grinning.

“I’ve already been warned not to get pissed the night before my wedding,” Harry reminded them.

“Which is why you have me along,” Dean said. “Remember all those great hangover potions of mine? I helped sober all of you up without the fuss and muss.”

“Something tells me Hermione will be able to tell,” Harry said.

“Are you scared of your wife-to-be?” Dean teased.

“Bloody terrified,” Harry said. “You obviously have never seen her angry. It’s not a pretty picture mate.”

“He’s right there Dean,” Ron chimed in good-naturedly. “You don’t want to be on the receiving end of one of Hermione’s arguments.”

Harry couldn’t believe this was actually happening. Ron was actually here and making an effort. And seemed to be doing well enough now that he could joke about Hermione. Things weren’t as they were before, but at least they were on their way back. It was a start.

***** ******** *********** ************* ***********

“I can’t feel my face,” Hermione said as Lavender slathered more mud masque on her face.

“You’ll thank me for this tomorrow morning,” Lavender said smugly. “This is going to make you look positively radiant, Hermione.”

“Like she’s going to need any help,” Ginny said looking up from where she was painting Eva’s nails. “She’s going to get one sight of Harry in his dress robes and she’ll be grinning so brightly we’ll be able to see all her teeth.”

Luna folded the latest edition of the Daily Prophet and set it aside. “I still can’t believe they think that your wedding is going to be at Hogwarts!”

“You can thank Lavender for that,” Hermione said with her teeth clenched. It was hard to move her lips with all that goop on her face.

“The queen of subterfuge,” Eva said grinning at Lavender.

Lavender took a bow. “Thank you, thank you. I couldn’t have done it without the---oh who am I kidding? I did it all by myself! Me? Little, beautiful, sweet me!”

Eva, Ginny and Luna laughed. Hermione would have done so too, but couldn’t at the moment.

“When is that pizza going to get here?” Ginny asked. “I’m starving!”

“The delivery boy said he would be here in about half an hour,” Luna said. “Relax, Gin. We just ordered two minutes ago.”

“Right,” Ginny said. “But I am a Weasley and we are known for our voracious appetites. Do you two still have any of those crisps left?” ‘

Lavender nodded. “In the kitchen, second cabinet on the right.”

Ginny excused herself to go and grab the crisps. “Don’t say anything important until I get back!”

“You know what this reminds me of?” Eva asked. “Do you remember ever having slumber parties when you were a kid? I remember when I was in junior high school; me and my best girl friends would stay at each other’s houses and eat all the junk food in the world. We’d watch these scary movies that were so cheesy and we’d play games like Truth or Dare and Light as a Feather, Stiff as a Board. And we’d give each other these horrible makeovers and talk about boys.”

“You Americans aren’t that different from us,” Lavender said giggling. “We did all that at Beauxbatons, save for the scary movie part. Of course, Hermione always wanted to spend her spare time reading, but luckily she had me around to show her that there were more important things…”

Hermione tapped her best friend on the shoulder. Lavender looked at her. “What?”

Pointed at her face, Hermione let out something unintelligible.

“You can wash it off now,” Lavender said handing her a towel.

Hermione rolled her eyes and took off for the loo.

“I imagine the boys aren’t having a night like this,” Luna said. She hoped that Ron and Harry were getting along and that everything was going okay.

“You don’t think they’re painting each other’s nails? Giving each other facials?” Eva asked.

“Probably not,” Luna said giggling.

****** ************** **************

“Neville volunteers to buy the next round,” Dean called out.

“I never said that!” Neville said loudly. “I never said that!”

”Yes but you lost the game,” Dean said slapping him on the back. They had been playing darts and drinking since they’d arrived at the Muggle pub. “That was the terms of the game. Loser buys the next round. You, my friend, have now lost three games in a row.”

“I’m not playing anymore,” Neville said grumpily. “I’m shite at it anyway.”

Ron drained the rest of his glass. “You’re not that bad.”

“Thanks, mate,” Neville said gratefully.

“So what if you nearly took that bloke’s eye out,” Ron said with a grin. “He was in the way.”

”The nerve of him just sitting way over there at the bar and minding his own business,” Harry joined in.

“I hate you both,” Neville said glaring at them.

Dean laughed. “I still can’t believe one of us is actually taking that big step. Marriage. I never thought I’d see the day.”

Seamus hit Dean on the shoulder. So far, they’d all avoided any direct mention of Hermione. As a result, the evening had gone quite smoothly.

“It’s okay,” Ron reassured them. “I’m not going to fall to pieces. I know that Harry’s marrying Hermione tomorrow. I wouldn’t be here if I wasn’t okay with it.”

Harry grinned across the table at his friend. “Thanks, Ron.”

“Well,” Ron said with a shrug. “That and the free beer and food.”

“Speaking of free food,” Dean said waving a barmaid over. “Could you get me and my mates another round? They’re on the surly looking bloke at the end there…”

Neville glared at him.

“Sure,” the barmaid said with a grin. Her eyes fell on Ron and she gave him a flirtatious look. “Is there anything else I can get you?”

Ron smiled back at her. The old Ron would be racking his brain at the moment for some witty line to charm her and possibly get her number or take her home at the end of the night. But, things had changed in more ways than one.

“Nothing for me,” Ron finally replied. “But my mate Seamus needs another drink…”

The barmaid turned her attention to Seamus. “Another beer?”

Seamus nodded.

“Coming right up,” she said winking at him.

Dean stared at Ron in disbelief. “I never thought I’d see the day when you would miss a prime opportunity like that. Who are you and what have you done with Ron Weasley?”

“Aye,” Seamus said. “Have we stumbled into some sort of parallel universe?”

“Yeah,” Ron mumbled with a shrug. “Well…”

“Ickle Ronniekins is growing up,” Dean continued to tease.

“Perhaps…” Ron said noncommittally.

“Happens to the best of us, Ron,” Harry chimed in.

Neville grinned. “Ginny tells me that we have Luna Lovegood to thank for this turnaround.”

Ron smiled at the mere mention of the blonde.

“He’s turning red,” Seamus cackled. “It must be lurve.”

“I’m not turning red,” Ron said defensively.

“You are definitely turning all sorts of red,” Seamus said leaning in for a better look. “Call it what you want, Ron. But I’d say you have it bad for one Luna Lovegood.”

Ron was silent for a few moments. There was no way to fool his oldest and best friends. He was in love with Luna. She was on his mind all the time and he wanted to be a better person for her. He certainly wanted her to be proud of him. If that wasn’t love, he didn’t know what was.

“Okay,” he finally admitted, turning even redder. “Yes, I have it bad for Luna. Happy now?”

Seamus gave Neville a high five. “I love being right.”

“Well, it happens so infrequently,” Ron said dryly.

“All kidding aside,” Harry said. “She has always fancied you. She used to watch you all the time in the Great Hall.”

“She did?” Ron asked, knowing full well that she had, but wanting to hear it just the same.

“And she is pretty hot,” Seamus admitted. “Even with that lion hat on her head, she was pretty in a quirky kind of way…”

“I might have had the slightest crush on her back then too,” Neville said quietly.

Ron glared at him.

“Well, I don’t have one now,” Neville said quickly. “I’m with Ginny and I couldn’t be happier.”

Seamus groaned. “Before he starts telling us all about his great love story with Ginny, how about we play another round?”

“I’m all for that,” Dean agreed and everyone turned their attention back to darts, save for Ron and Harry.

“You and Luna then?”

Ron nodded. “I hope so. She’s still not sure. I’m doing everything I can to convince her that I’m not the same bloke I used to be. I want to be the kind of person she deserves.”

Harry smiled. “It’s amazing what a good woman can do for you, eh?”

“Aye,” Ron said. “You’ve got yours already. Let’s just hope that I can get mine.”

~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next morning came with a fresh dusting of snow on the ground. Lavender was absolutely delighted when she peered out the window at the street below. It was still, quiet and peaceful and while it may be totally clichéd, Lavender thought, it did look exactly like a winter wonderland---which was perfect for Hermione’s wedding day.

Hermione’s wedding day!

Being careful not to wake any of the other bridesmaids who were asleep in the sitting room, Lavender crept out of her bedroom and tiptoed down the hall to Hermione’s. She knocked gently on the door. There was no answer. Hermione was notorious for being a heavy sleeper so Lavender wasn’t surprised.

“Hermione,” Lavender whispered opening the door. “Hello?”

Still, no response.

“Wakey! Wakey!” Lavender said standing over her friend and shaking her.

“Hmmmmph?” came a muffled voice from underneath the covers.

Lavender laughed. “Wedding. Big day. Happiest day of your life, hands down. Handsome, tall bloke with glasses and dark hair and a groovy lightning bolt scar. Any of this ringing a bell, Miss Granger?”

Hermione slowly opened her eyes. “Lav?”

“Yes,” Lavender said smiling at her as she sat down on the edge of the bed. “Your maid of honour, in the flesh.”

“What time is it?” Hermione asked groggily.

“Just gone nine,” Lavender replied.

“What?” Hermione shrieked pulling back the covers. She nearly launched herself out of the bed. “We’ve got so much to do! I can’t believe I slept in for this long. We have to go over to my parents’ house and I have to ---“

Lavender walked over to her and calmly put her hands on Hermione’s shoulders. “Breathe, Hermione. Breathe. That’s it. One…two….”

”Lavender---“

“I don’t want to have to slap you,” Lavender said with a stern look. “Come on. This is the happiest day of your life and you are not going to spend it running around like a mad woman. We have everything under control. All you have to do is take a shower and get ready to go over to your mum and dad’s where we will help get you ready for the wedding.”

“I know, but---“

“No buts,” Lavender cut her off. “Okay, I didn’t want to have to do this, but I think I should given the circumstances. I know you’re a control freak and most of the time it’s one of your most endearing qualities, but you have to just relax and go with the flow.”

”You’re not going to slap me, are you?” Hermione asked recoiling.

“No!” Lavender replied. “Not unless you give me a reason to. You, Miss Bossy Boots, are going to repeat after me.”

“Lav—“ Hermione started to protest, but with the look on her best friend’s face, she knew she should probably just be quiet and humour her.

“Okay,” Lavender said. “Repeat after me. ‘I, Hermione Jane Granger…’”

Hermione exhaled. “I, Hermione Jane Granger…”

“Will be calm, cool and relaxed,” Lavender continued.

”Will be calm, cool and relaxed.”

“And will take comfort in the fact that today, I am marrying the man of my dreams…”

Hermione grinned. “And will take comfort in the fact that today, I am marrying the man of my dreams…”

“And that nothing will or could go wrong today,” Lavender continued.

“And that nothing will or could go wrong today,” Hermione repeated.

“Because I have the coolest, prettiest, and smartest roommate, best friend and maid-of-honour in the world,” Lavender said with a grin.

“Because I have the coolest, prettiest, and smartest roommate, best friend and maid-of-honor,” Hermione parroted.

“In the world,” Lavender said folding her arms. “You forgot that part.”

“Sorry,” Hermione said with a laugh. “In the world.”

“Good,” Lavender said. “Are you ready to get married then?”

“Yes,” Hermione said. “I’ll just pop into the shower.”

“Good idea,” Lavender said making her way for the door. “Hey, Hermione?”

“Yes?”

“You’re getting married!” Lavender sing-songed.

“I am!” Hermione said doing an impromptu dance in front of the bathroom door.

****** ************ *************

The groom and his groomsmen were killing time before the ceremony in a small anteroom behind the chapel. Sirius laughed as he watched his godson pace back and forth in front of him.

“You planning on wearing a path into the carpet?” Sirius joked. “Because you’re well on your way…”

“Hmmm?” Harry asked, still pacing.

“Do you fellows mind leaving me alone with my godson?” Sirius asked looking at Dean, Seamus and Neville.

“Sure,” Neville said ushering the other men out. “We’ll just be outside.”

“Okay,” Sirius said once he was alone with Harry. “You want to tell me what’s going on then?”

“Nothing,” Harry replied absently. “I’m getting married in a few minutes.”

Sirius nodded. “And your pacing like your about to face the Wizengamot. You’re not having cold feet? Doubts?”

Harry shook his head. “Of course not, but it’s just that---“

“What?”

Harry finally stopped pacing and looked at his godfather. “What kind of life is she getting herself into? Do you think she knows?”

“What on earth are you talking about?”

“Hermione,” Harry said. “Me. Marriage to me.”

“She must,” Sirius said nonplussed. “She said yes, didn’t she?”

“Yes, but—“

“But what?” Sirius asked.

“You saw the trouble we had to go through to make sure no one in the press found out about where we were getting married,” Harry began to explain. “And if we have children, you know people like Rita Skeeter are going to be camped out in the hospital waiting room waiting to snap a picture of the Potter baby. Anything she does from here on out is going to be speculated about because of who I am. Not to mention the fact that Voldemort has some mad followers who still want to come after me for killing him. What if they tried to hurt her or worse?”

Sirius nodded as if he’d known this was what was troubling Harry all along.

“Sit down,” he ordered. Reluctantly, Harry did so.

“Okay,” Sirius said. “Harry, I’m sure I don’t have to tell you what a smart, intelligent, clever witch you’re marrying. I imagine she knows full well what she’s getting herself into. And I’m sure she’s had those same doubts, but you know what? She’s still here. She’s in a room down the hall getting ready to marry you. And you know why? Because at the end of the day, no matter who comes at the two of you or what trouble the two of you are going to face, she’s going to have you and you’re going to have her. And that’s a damn good thing to count on, Harry.”

Harry was silent for a few moments, letting his godfather’s words sink in.

“You can do it,” Sirius said, a twinkle to his eye. “You can admit I was right. Come on…”

Harry laughed. “You’re right.”

“I never get tired of hearing that,” Sirius said clapping him on the back. “And I’m proud of you, Harry. And James and Lily would be too, if they were here.”

”Thanks, Sirius.”

“Now,” Sirius said after giving him a hug. “Are you ready to get married then?”

“Not just yet,” Harry said. “I need to have a quick word with my bride.”

“You’re not supposed to see her until after the wedding!” Sirius called out, but Harry was already out the door.

Harry had no intention of seeing Hermione, but there was something he wanted to do and he wanted to clear it with her. He knocked gently on the bride’s dressing room door.

“Who is it?” Lavender’s voice called out brightly.

“Harry,” he answered leaning against the door.

“YOU CAN’T COME IN HERE!” Lavender yelled back in a stern voice.

“I don’t want to come in there,” Harry said with a chuckle. “I just want to have a word with Hermione. Could you at least let her stand by the door?”

It was quiet for a few moments and finally Harry heard Hermione’s voice. “I’m here,” she said softly.

A grin broke out on Harry’s face at the sound of her voice. “So you showed up?” he asked teasingly

“Yes,” Hermione said laughing.

“Good,” he said softly. “I can’t wait to see you in a few minutes.”

”Me, too.”

“There’s something I want to ask you,” he said with a hopeful tone to his voice.

***********

Ron sat in the chapel beside Ernie McMillan and Susan Bones. He hadn’t seen Luna yet, but he’d owled her this morning to let her know that things had gone well at Harry’s stag night and he and Harry had buried the hatchet, so to speak, and were trying to be friends again.

Neville tapped him on the shoulder.

“What’s up, Nev?”

“Harry wants to see you,” Neville replied. “Come on.”

“Okay,” Ron said wondering what Harry could possibly have to say to him now. He followed Neville out of the chapel and saw Harry waiting for him with Dean, Seamus and Sirius. “What’s going on? You’re getting married in ten minutes, Harry.”

“I know,” Harry said smiling. “But I can’t do it.”

Ron stared at him in disbelief. “What?”

”I can’t do it unless you’re standing up with me,” Harry explained.

“You want me to ---“ Ron said taken aback.

“Yes,” Harry said. “There’s a suit in that room. You’ll need to change quickly, but you’ve got time.”

“But, what about Hermione?”

“She’s okay with it,” Harry said. “Honestly, I asked her and she said that would be fine.”

“Are…are you sure?”

“Positive,” Harry said. “And I promise you I don’t have any of those grotty dress robes like you wore in fourth year waiting for you in that room.”

Ron was at a loss for words.

“Time’s a wasting,” Neville said.

“Okay,” Ron finally said with a smile. “I’ll do it.”

“Good,” Harry said grinning at him. “Get a move on then. I’m getting married in a few minutes.”

**************

The wedding procession began as the organist played “Canon in D”. The groom and his groomsmen took their place with the vicar at the altar. The guests turned in their seats to see the bridal party.

The first bridesmaid was Ginny. Like her fellow bridesmaids, she wore a Georgette spaghetti strap empire waist dress with a wrap. Ginny winked at Neville before taking her place at the altar.

Eva was next and she grinned at Harry and Sirius. She’d known Harry for quite some time, but she couldn’t remember when she’d seen him this happy.

Luna beamed at Ron as she slowly made her way down the aisle. Her heart swelled as she saw Ron standing alongside Harry. She’d never been more proud of anyone in her life than she was at him at this moment. She made a silent vow to show him just how much at the reception.

Maid of honor Lavender was next and she shared a secret smile with Seamus before taking her place beside Luna.

“Hermione?” Robert asked, taking his daughter’s hand. “Are you ready, sweetheart?”

Hermione nodded. “Yes, Daddy.”

“He’d better take good care of you,” Robert said choking up. “And if he doesn’t, well I’ll….I don’t care if he is some powerful wizard, I’ll take him to task for hurting my little girl.”

Hermione felt tears welling up in her eyes and she tried to stave them off. “Daddy…”

The wedding march began to play and Robert squeezed her hand. “I believe they’re playing your song.”

Hermione beamed at her father as the chapel doors opened. The guests all stood and turned for their first glimpse of the bride. She wore a white, strapless gown with intricate beading along the bodice and train. Her hair was up with curly ringlets and tendrils and she wore a small pearl tiara.

Her eyes locked immediately on the man at the end of the aisle who seemed transfixed by her appearance. She was glad her father was holding onto her because looking at Harry she wanted to swoon. He wore a black morning suit with an emerald green waistcoat. She could also tell that he’d had a haircut since the last time she’d seen him. The aisle seemed so long and Hermione had to resist the urge to speed up and sprint toward Harry.

Finally, they reached the altar and the vicar smiled warmly at Hermione and Robert. Lavender took Hermione’s bouquet.

“Who gives this woman to be married?” the vicar asked.

“Her mother and I do,” Robert replied. He gave his daughter a kiss on the cheek and then shook hands with Harry before taking his seat beside Karen.

“Hi,” Harry whispered as he took Hermione’s hands in his.

“Hi,” she whispered back with a wide grin.

“Friends and family,” the vicar began. “Today, we have come together to celebrate the marriage of Harry James Potter to Hermione Jane Granger.”

Harry squeezed Hermione’s hands and she felt tears welling up in her eyes again. This was it. They were actually getting married.

She tried to listen to the words the vicar was saying about love, marriage and relationships but she was finding it hard to concentrate. She wanted to remember every moment of this day and she made herself focus which was not an easy task with her husband-to-be looking at her with those green eyes.

“Harry James Potter,” the vicar said. “Do you take Hermione Jane to be your wedded wife? Do you promise to love her, comfort her, honor and cherish her for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and health; and forsake all other, be faithfully only to her so long as you both shall live?”

“I do,” Harry replied without hesitation.

“Hermione Jane Granger,” the vicar said turning his attention to her. “Do you take Harry James to be your wedded husband? Do you promise to love him, comfort him, honor and cherish him for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and health; and forsake all other, be faithfully only to him so long as you both shall live?”

“I do,” Hermione replied softly.

“What token of your pledge do you offer each other?” the vicar asked.

Harry turned to Sirius who handed him Hermione’s wedding band. Harry took Hermione’s left hand and slowly slid the ring on her finger. “Hermione, with this ring I thee wed and with all that I am and all that I have, I honor you.”

Tears welled up in Hermione’s eyes and her own hand was shaking as she turned to Lavender for Harry’s wedding band.

Her voice broke as she repeated the same pledge and slipped the ring on Harry’s finger.

The vicar smiled at the couple. “Harry and Hermione, by the giving of rings and the intent of vows you have expressed to each other in the company of these witnesses; therefore, by the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife.”

Hermione beamed at Harry.

“Harry,” the vicar said. “You may kiss your bride…”

“Finally,” Harry said putting his arms around his new wife and pulling her close, kissing her softly on the lips.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” the vicar said. “I give you, Harry and Hermione Potter.”

Everyone stood and started clapping and cheering. Hermione took Harry’s hand and they walked up the aisle.

“You’re stuck with me now,” Harry whispered to her. He couldn’t wait to give her a proper kiss.

“I think I’ll muddle through,” Hermione said happily. Once they were out of the chapel, he wasted no time in sweeping her up into his arms and spinning her around. “Harry! My train!”

He cut off her protests by kissing her soundly.

“You think you can shut me up by doing that?” she asked looping her arms around his neck.

“I wasn’t trying to shut you up,” he said impishly. “I wanted to snog you is all. I haven’t seen you in 24 hours.”

”Much too long,” Hermione agreed giving him another kiss.

“I want to make you so happy, Hermione,” Harry said softly.

“You have,” Hermione said resting her forehead on his. “You have, Harry.”

“Break it up,” Seamus said clapping Harry on the back. “Wedding night is quite a ways off and you have to be respectful since you are in a chapel.”

“Lovely,” Dean said. “This from the man who once---“

Neville nudged him. “Perhaps this isn’t really the place for that sort of story.”

Eva and Sirius came over to offer their congratulations to the happy couple.

“Welcome to the family, Hermione,” Sirius said giving her a hug. “You look beautiful, my dear.”

”Thank you, Sirius,” Hermione said tearing up again.

“And you,” Eva said giving Harry a hug and peck on the cheek. “Look so handsome!”

“Thanks,” Harry said with a laugh. “Bad hair and all.”

“Part of your charm,” Eva teased.

Lavender came over to inform them that the photographer needed the wedding party for pictures.

“We’ll be right there,” Hermione said. “I need to have a quick word with my husband.”

“Your husband!” Lavender squealed. “Take your time.”

The wedding party went back inside the chapel and Hermione smiled at Harry.

“So, you want to have me all to yourself, eh?” Harry asked.

”There’s that, but there’s something I need to tell you,” she said biting her bottom lip.

Harry felt a sinking feeling in his stomach. She only did that when she was nervous. “What is it?” he asked.

“It’s nothing bad,” she assured him. “I just wanted to tell you…”

“You’ve changed your mind?” Harry interjected.

She shook her head. “No, of course not!”

”What is it then?” he asked. “You’re scaring me.”

Hermione took Harry’s hands in hers. “Well, I just wanted to tell you that…well, I’m pregnant.”

“Just tell me,” Harry said. “Whatever it is…hang on….did you just say…”

Hermione nodded. “I’m pregnant. We’re going to have a baby. You’re going to be a daddy.”

Author’s note: Mwhahhahahhahha….evil cliffie, I know. But there will be an epilogue. And you will find out more about Ron and Luna and whether or not they actually did get together. I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter and I do apologize for the long, excruciating wait.

Authors’ note: Well, here it is…finally, right? Sorry for the delay, but my muse took a holiday for this one. I sincerely apologise for making you guys wait so long. But I hope you enjoy the chapter. I really did enjoy writing this story and can’t believe that it has finally come to an end. I’m trying to think of something new to write and have a couple of ideas so you might see a new one from me coming up in the next couple of months. You guys are the best! Thanks to Heaven for the beta!

All I have is all I need
And it all comes down to you and me
How far away this world becomes
In the harbor of each other's arms

I feel like I've known you forever and ever
Baby, that's how close we are
Right here with you is where my life has
come together
And where love has filled my heart

You know I'd go anywhere
As long as I have you to care

(Beth Nielsen Chapman---All I Have)

Three Years Later

Harry stood just outside the loo as he listened to his best friend retch. Ron hadn’t been this ill since right before his first professional Quidditch match. Even more puzzling was the fact that his friend hadn’t eaten anything all morning.

This from the bloke who’s appetite and bottomless stomach was something of legend. Harry could still remember how Ron would stuff himself at Hogwarts feasts and how his friend had once eaten six large pizzas all on his own and had tried for a seventh but his mates had cut him off not able to watch anymore.

Ron wasn’t like this because he was hung over or experiencing the ill effects of a stomach bug. No, Ron was nervous because in less than an hour’s time, he would be a married man.

Seeing as Harry had been in Ron’s shoes three years ago, he knew exactly what his friend was going through.

Thankfully, Dean Thomas chose that moment to come back into the room with a bottle of water and a vial of anti-nausea potion that Ginny had whipped up in a pinch. Dean winced as he heard Ron throwing up yet again.

“Maybe we should have an emergency bucket at the altar just in case,” Dean suggested to Harry. “Probably wouldn’t do for him to be in the middle of his vows and hurl all over the bride---“

“I HEARD THAT!” Ron shouted from the loo.

Harry shook his head. “I’m sure Ron’s going to be just fine after he takes this.” Harry opened the bathroom door and saw his friend hugging the u-bend. Ron was still wearing his t-shirt and jeans and his skin was quite pale and his hair was a mess.

“Here you go,” Harry said uncapping the vial and handing it to Ron. “Drink up.”

Ron took a whiff of the potion. He wondered why something that was supposed to prevent nausea should smell so bad that it made you feel like retching. The least Ginny could have done was make it smell nice like pumpkin juice.

“Drink,” Harry ordered.

Ron nodded and did as he was told. The cool liquid tickled his throat.

“Good lad,” Dean said standing in the doorway.

Ron leaned against the wall as the colour returned to his face and the sick feeling in his stomach started to go away.

“Ease up, Ron,” Dean counselled. “You’re going to be just fine. No need for cold feet.”

Ron took a swig of water. “I don’t have cold feet, Dean.”

“Could have fooled me,” Dean shot back.

“For your information,” Ron said glaring at him. “I do want to marry Luna, you wanker. I’m just…bloody scared that I’m going to cock this up as I’ve done with every other girl I’ve dated. For all I know, she’s probably sitting in her room wondering why she’d ever agreed to marry Ronald Sodding Weasley.”

“You’re probably right,” Dean said thoughtfully.

Harry sighed. Usually it was Ron who played the role of the tactless friend saying the first thing that came to his mind without thinking it through beforehand. And while this usually provided comic relief, the last thing that Ron needed at a time like this was someone who was going to make him question what he was doing.

“Dean,” Harry said taking charge of the situation. “Why don’t you go and check on the vicar? Make sure everything’s ready to go…”

“I think Ron’s mum was doing---“ Dean started to say, but he never got the chance t finish as Harry had pushed him out of the room.

“Thank you,” Ron said reaching for his water bottle again. He stood up and walked over to the mirror and groaned when he saw how horrible he looked. “How much time do we have?”

“Forty-five minutes,” Harry replied looking at his watch. “You should start getting ready, mate.”

“Right,” Ron nodded. He smiled at Harry. “Thanks.”

Harry shrugged. “What else are best men for?”

“Best man,” Ron said quietly. “Some might say the better man actually.”

“Ron—“

Ron held up his hand. “It’s true. I haven’t always been such a great friend to you, Harry. And after what happened with Hermione—“

Harry felt a little uncomfortable talking about this. It had taken time for them to get back to how they were before Hermione had come into their lives. But they’d talked about it that night before Harry’s wedding to Hermione and had make some sort of unspoken pact to not let it get in the way of their friendship again. And he and Hermione had even named Ron and Luna as their daughter’s godparents.

“Water under the bridge now,” Harry said to his friend.

“She’s with who she was always meant to be with,” Ron said stoically. “She and I fought way too much and when I had her, I didn’t realise what a great girl she was and I did everything I could to screw it up. I guess I’m saying all this because being with Luna has made me see how everything happens for a reason. I mean, there’s a reason why Hermione and I didn’t work out and there’s a reason why she found you when she did. “

Harry grinned. “Turned my life upside down.”

“And it brought you back here,” Ron said. “And for that, I’m thankful.”

“Me too,” Harry agreed. He and Ron didn’t usually do this---talk about their feelings. Usually, they talked about going to the pub or the latest Quidditch news. Regular bloke chat.

“And now that I’ve said all that philosophical crap, I guess I should get ready,” Ron said with a grin. “I’m getting married to Loony Lovegood.”

Harry laughed. “Ron, I probably wouldn’t call her that during your vows.”

“You’re probably right,” Ron said thoughtfully.

“I’m always right,” Harry retorted before leaving the room.

******

Hermione finished putting her daughter’s hair up in a pretty twist and walked her over to the mirror so the little girl could see.

“What do you think, baby?” Hermione asked.

Isabelle beamed at her reflection and clapped her little hands together. She was going to be Ron and Luna’s flower girl and she was so excited about carrying the basket of rose petals.

Isabelle Elizabeth Potter was two and a half years old going on twenty, as her grandparents liked to say. She had her mother’s brown curls and her father’s green eyes. Her most favourite thing in the world was to have someone read to her. Her eyes would light up whenever someone would offer to read her a story. And at bedtimes, she always made a point of picking the thickest book for her bedtime story.

And even though she was way too young to be able to read herself, she insisted that she could do it and would sometimes take over the storytelling. This usually resulted in her combining one or two or even three fairy tales into one big story.

She didn’t just love to read though. She enjoyed sport and loved to play catch. And she also loved to fly. Her father hadn’t told her mother about how he sometimes took her up in the sky with him. Hermione’s fear of flying was well-known and she’d insisted that no child of hers would ever fly because her heart just couldn’t take it.

But, Harry had taken Isabelle for a few broom rides when Hermione was at work and the little girl loved every single moment she was up in the sky. She loved the way the wind felt on her cheeks and how it blew her hair back. Most of all, she loved spending time with her father and feeling his arms wrapped protectively around her as he flew then higher and higher in the sky.

It was important to Harry and Hermione that their daughter grow up living a normal childhood. They’d kept Hermione’s pregnancy a secret as long as they could. It helped being ensconced in the walls of Hogwarts. But, it wasn’t too long before the media got wind of the news. The Prophet had story after story about the Potter baby watch. They had reporters and photographers camped out at St. Mungo’s lying in wait for the time when Hermione was brought in to have the baby.

Their wait though was in vain.

Isabelle was born on Isla Solarte away from the prying eyes of the Wizarding world. She’d been premature---arriving nearly a month before her due date. She spent the first two weeks of her life in the small beach cottage where her parents had met. That was one of the happiest times of Harry and Hermione’s life as they took care of their daughter without having to worry about the media, or their jobs or anything like that. This was their secret, special place that only a handful of friends and family knew about. This was their safe haven.

They’d gone back to Hogwarts toward the end of August and settled back into their everyday routine. A nanny watched the baby while both her parents were teaching classes. She was growing up as normal as could be expected and all that Harry and Hermione wanted was for her to be healthy and happy.

“Pretty,” Isabelle said softly.

“I’ll say,” Harry said from the doorway. His daughter and wife turned and smiled when they saw him.

“Daddy!” Isabelle squealed running toward him. Well, running as best she could in her pretty light blue flower-girl’s dress.

“Who is this pretty princess?” Harry asked picking her up. “I don’t recognise my sweet little Belle.”

Isabelle giggled and gave her father a kiss.

“How’s he doing?” Hermione asked.

“Nervous,” Harry replied. “But we gave him something for his stomach and I think he’ll be okay.”

Hermione smiled. “Luna’s practically floating on cloud nine. Wait until Ron sees her in her dress. He’s going to swoon.”

Harry couldn’t help smiling back at his wife. He could remember how he had felt when he’d seen her coming down the aisle toward him. And he can still remember how he felt when she’d told him shortly after they’d been pronounced husband and wife that she was going to have a baby.

”There’s that, but there’s something I need to tell you,” she said biting her bottom lip.

Harry felt a sinking feeling in his stomach. She only did that when she was nervous. “What is it?” he asked.

“It’s nothing bad,” she assured him. “I just wanted to tell you…”

“You’ve changed your mind?” Harry interjected.

She shook her head. “No, of course not!”

”What is it then?” he asked. “You’re scaring me.”

Hermione took Harry’s hands in hers. “Well, I just wanted to tell you that…well, I’m pregnant.”

“Just tell me,” Harry said. “Whatever it is…hang on….did you just say…”

Hermione nodded. “I’m pregnant. We’re going to have a baby. You’re going to be a daddy.”

He didn’t say anything straightaway. He was shocked. They’d talked about someday starting a family, but he figured that would be a few years down the road. They were still getting used to their schedules at Hogwarts.

“Harry?”

“Hmm?” He finally managed to say.

“You heard me right?” she asked hopefully. “We’re going to have a baby. I’m just a little over two months along.”

He still didn’t say anything so Hermione kept going.

“I was feeling a little peaked these past few weeks, but I thought it was a touch of the flu or maybe the stress of planning the wedding,” Hermione said. “And I went to see the healer and she said that…well, that we were going to have a baby.”

“Baby,” Harry said quietly.

Hermione nodded. “I’m due in August. It’s too soon to tell what we’re going to have. To tell you the truth, I like the idea of being surprised, but if you want to find out---“

Her words trailed off as her new husband walked away from her and looked out the window of the church. She hadn’t expected this type of reaction. Truth be told, she’d been shocked when she’d found out the news, but the shock had quickly given way to a wave of happiness.

“Harry, please say something,” Hermione said coming up behind him.

Lavender walked into the room. “Hi, guys! The photographer’s waiting---“

“We’re going to need a moment,” Hermione said to her best friend.

Lavender nodded. “Right.”

They were alone again and Hermione put her hand on her husband’s shoulder.

“Please look at me,” Hermione said pleadingly.

He hesitated a few moments before finally turning and looking properly at his wife.

“What is it?” Hermione asked gently. “You’re happy about this, right?”

“Of course,” Harry replied. “I just—“

“What?”

“I just don’t know if I’m the best bloke in the world to be a father…”

Hermione stared at him. “Why would you think something like that?”

“I don’t know,” Harry said with a shrug. “I lost my father at one. I grew up with the worst possible father figure on the planet. You really so sure that I’m going to—“

Hermione held her hand up. “Yes, I do think you’re going to be a great father. I’ve seen you with the children at school. And I know who you are on the inside. You have the biggest heart of anyone I’ve ever met despite all that you went through. And there’s no one else I’d rather have a family with than you.”

“Really?”

“Yes,” Hermione said smiling up at him. “You idiot---I just married you, didn’t I?”

Harry nodded. “I am an idiot. And I am very, very happy about this, Hermione. A baby…”

Before Hermione could say anything, Harry had picked her up and spun her around. The long train of her dress was snaking around him and she was worried that he might get tangled up in it and drop her. “Harry!”

“Sorry,” Harry said grinning from ear to ear. “Just a little happy is all.”

“A little happy?”

Harry kissed her. “Extremely, ecstatically happy.”

She laughed as Harry carried her out of the chapel and into the reception hall where their guests were waiting. “This is completely barbaric, you know,” Hermione whispered in his ear.

”I know,” Harry said still grinning as their friends and family clapped enthusiastically. “But you love it.”

Harry winked at his wife as he set Isabelle back down. She toddled over to the table where her basket of flowers sat.

“She’s really excited,” Hermione whispered to her husband. “She barely slept last night…”

“And you wouldn’t let her sleep in her dress,” Harry teased. Their daughter had fallen in love with her flower girl’s dress the moment she’d laid eyes on it. She’d wanted to wear it to sleep last night. Unfortunately for her parents, Isabelle had inherited her parents’ stubbornness. Hermione had finally managed to talk her out of it by telling her that by sleeping in the dress it would get all wrinkly and wouldn’t be as “sparkly”.

“I know,” Hermione said grinning at him. “I know. I know.”

They watched their daughter as she practiced her walk down the aisle. Isabelle did a little twirl as she reached her father.

“You’ve got moves, Belle,” Harry said proudly.

Harry mimicked her movements which caused both Hermione and Isabelle to laugh.

“I think you should try that at the reception,” Hermione said.

“And give Ron any more ammunition?” Harry asked. “I don’t think so.”

Isabelle tugged on her father’s arm. “Fly?”

Harry noticed out of the corner of his eye the expression on his wife’s face, but he chose to ignore it. She didn’t miss a thing, his wife.

“Fly!” Isabelle exclaimed again. “Up high in sky!”

“What are you talking about, baby?” Hermione asked.

“On broom,” Isabelle replied happily. “With Daddy!”

“What?” Hermione asked looking back and forth between her daughter and husband.

“Like lass time,’ Isabelle babbled. “High Sky!”

Hermione turned and leveled her gaze at her husband. “Like. Last. Time?”

“Kids, eh?” Harry asked giving out a nervous laugh.

“You’ve taken her flying?”

“Once,” Harry said sheepishly. His wife was still staring at him. “Okay, maybe twice…but it was just a couple of feet off the ground.”

“High,” Isabelle chimed in.

“Harry James Potter,” Hermione admonished.

“Do you hear that?” Harry asked. “I think I hear Ron calling. You know…a best man’s job never ends… see you, Belle…”

With that, Harry beat a hasty retreat out of the room leaving a grinning Isabelle and a frowning Hermione in his wake.

“Daddy’s silly,” Isabelle said looking up at Hermione.

“I thought that the first time I met him,” Hermione said picking her daughter up. “Come on you, let’s go watch Uncle Won-Won get married.”

*******

The wedding went off pretty much without a hitch. Ron’s worries did melt away the moment he saw his bride walking toward him looking every bit like an ethereal angel. And from the moment they’d been pronounced husband and wife, he’d not let go of her hand.

Isabelle was a hit too as the congregation grinned when the little girl slowly made her way down the aisle dropping her rose petals just as her mother had told her.

“Ronald,” Luna said as they danced their first dance as husband and wife. “I’m so happy…”

”Me too,” Ron said holding her close.

“I cannot wait until we’re alone,” Luna said dreamily.

“We’re alone now,” Ron pointed out. “On the dance floor…”

“You know what I mean,” Luna whispered in his ear.

“Oh,” Ron said grinning down at her. “That…”

Luna giggled. “Yes, THAT.”

“We don’t have to eat dinner,” Ron said thoughtfully. “And who needs to cut cake…”

“You’re actually turning down dinner?” Luna asked incredulously. “It must be love…”

“Priorities,” Ron said. “It’s all about priorities.”

As he danced with his wife, he couldn’t believe how far he’d come. Truth be told, he didn’t deserve someone like Luna. But for some unexplainable reason, she loved him and for her, he wanted to be a better man.

As he spun his wife around, he caught the eye of Harry and Hermione who smiled back at him. Things hadn’t turned out like any of them had planned, but in the end it didn’t really matter. This was where they were meant to be and this is where they hoped to stay.

Harry turned to his wife. “Would you do me the honour of dancing with me?”

Hermione turned away from him. “I’m supposed to be cross with you…”

”Come on,” Harry said tapping her on the shoulder, but she didn’t budge. “You know I wouldn’t let anything happen to Belle.”

“I know,” Hermione admitted.

”And I was going to tell you about taking her up---“

“I know,” Hermione said finally turning to face him.

“And you really, really want to dance with me…”

Hermione finally smiled at him. “I know…”

“So all is forgiven?”

”For now,” Hermione said before leaning in and giving him a kiss. “I love you, you know.”

“I know,” Harry said before leading her out to the dance floor. “I love you, too.”