Unofficial Portkey Archive

DISCLAIMER: Sadly only one character belongs to me; all the familiar ones belong to the great JKR. Kyrsten is mine. She is my baby.

A/N: This was a one-shot that had been pulling at me for a while…after re-reading it, I decided to make it a general story followed by at least one point of view…the outsider's. Chapter 2 is from Kyrsten's point of view because she is the catalyst that brought H/Hr together. Depending on the reviews, I may decide to do a PoV from all the characters. This has been fun. I hope that you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

As per usual this has only been reviewed by me. Hopefully I haven't left too many errors along the way.

Thanks for reading. I look forward to reading your comments in the reviews.

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The Secret of Saturday Nights

Hermione had one friend from childhood that she could always count on. She was the one person who had accepted all of her little eccentricities without question. From as far back as Hermione could remember she had been organized to a fault. In first grade her desk was always the cleanest with not so much as an eraser out of place. Her homework was always done perfectly and she was reading books far advanced for most kids her age. All the other kids teased her incessantly about all those things…all of them that is, save one: Kyrsten. Kyrsten was the one who stood up for her; well, with her actually.

Hermione smiled as she remembered Kyrsten's words, "You know Hermione, you really shouldn't let them get to you. I mean, look at them. You are so much better than they are."

It took a long time for Kyrsten to convince her, but Hermione finally believed it and that was the attitude she took with her to Hogwarts. For so long she'd let others cloud her judgment of herself and when she finally got a fresh start she was determined to make the most of it. Even if she didn't make many friends, it would never be because of her own low self-esteem. If someone wasn't willing to look past her sometimes haughty attitude then it was their loss or their own insecurity and she had no intention of letting it bring her down. Until that fateful day that changed her life forever...

"It's no wonder she hasn't got any friends."

Just that one sentence had brought her world crashing down. It wasn't so much the words as the person who said them: Ron Weasley. Well, it wasn't really the person who said them so much as the person he said them too: Harry Potter.

For some unknown reason it had been important for Harry to like her. It had been a long time since she'd felt that way but with him she just couldn't help it. She tried to tell herself that it was because he was so famous, what with being The-Boy-Who-Lived and all. But no, that wasn't it. She never really thought of him that way, so it definitely couldn't be explained away that easily. No matter how close they got after the incident with the troll, she could never quite figure out what it was that drew her to him.

Eleven years later she still didn't know; lucky for her she'd given up trying to figure it out a long time ago!

Now 22 years old, Hermione was a beautiful young woman. She'd long ago left behind the mousy brown, out of control hair. On a whim she'd had her hair straightened a couple of years ago and she loved it so much that she religiously returned to have the new growth done every six months or so.

After spending the first couple of years after Hogwarts living with her parents she'd finally decided to set out on her own. She had her own flat for a while, but after having roommates at Hogwarts and then living with her parents she longed for the noise of a roommate. It wasn't too long before Kyrsten moved in and now she was having the time of her life. Neither of them currently had boyfriends so for the first time in a long time Hermione was able to enjoy having a girlfriend to talk to and hang out with.

She talked to Kyrsten a lot about Harry and Ron and their adventures at Hogwarts. Aside from her parents, Kyrsten was the only one outside of the wizarding world who knew she was a witch. She needed someone in her life to talk to who wasn't right in the middle of it all. As such, her desire to keep her worlds separate had thus prevented her from introducing Kyrsten to Ron and Harry. Whenever she got together with her boys they met somewhere, anywhere other than her place. She always thought she'd rather apparate to China to meet them before she'd allow them to come to her flat.

Of course the boys knew about Kyrsten. Hermione had told them all about her a long time ago when they were talking about the things they'd done over the summer holidays. They also knew how strongly Hermione felt about keeping that part of her life to herself and they tried not to pressure her to let them in. In a bit of an odd twist, neither of them had girlfriends at present. It was unusual, to say the least, that they were all single at the same time. It wasn't often that Harry and Ron were without their play toys…girlfriends…not play toys…girlfriends.

The trio often met at various times throughout the week and they were having mid-morning tea when Harry and Ron tried to persuade her join them the following night.

"Come on Hermione. Just go out with us this time. It's been three weeks since the last time you went. It'll be fun, you know that." Ron practically begged. This was the third time in a row that Harry and Ron had asked Hermione to join them on Saturday night and the third time they'd been rejected.

"No Ron. I told you that Kyrsten and I have plans, just as we have for the last two Saturday nights. And, for your information, just as we will probably have planned for the next several Saturday nights."

"Hermione? Why don't you just tell us where you're going? Maybe we could meet you there." Harry suggested. "We don't have any plans that can't be changed, do we Ron?"

"Uh…no, Harry. Guess not." Ron looked at him like he was crazy. Every Saturday night for the past two years they'd gone out to Seamus' Club to hang out and have a few drinks. It was a Saturday night ritual and until recently Hermione had always joined them in their bit of fun. It was the one night that the three of them got together without romantic entanglements. No one brought their pick-of-the-week and it was the one topic that was absolutely off limits all night. It was a night for friends and until recently it was a night not to miss. The fact that it was always the three of them combined with Hermione's flat out refusal to merge her two worlds prevented her from taking Kyrsten to the club. That would never be considered an option.

Catching Ron's tone Hermione looked at him and rolled her eyes. "It doesn't matter Ron because I'm not telling you two anyway. I know that Saturday nights were all about friends, but I see you guys so often during the week that practically everyday seems about friends. Saturday is the only night that Kyrsten and I can go out and I happen to enjoy the place we go and I don't want the two of you there embarrassing me."

"This isn't still because of your fear of keeping us separate from your friend, is it? What's wrong with her? Whatever it is, we promise we won't laugh. We'll be on our best behavior." Ron said as he exchanged a smile with Harry over the top of her head.

Hermione laughed. "Oh Ron. You are such a git! There's nothing wrong with her. She's beautiful. I'm sure you guys would like her." She said. Trying to turn the tables on them a little she asked, "Did it ever occur to either of you that maybe I don't want her to meet you because I couldn't bear the thought of losing one of you to her? I mean right now you just date floozies so I'm pretty secure in knowing you'll come back to me. What if you meet her and zap…it's all over for Hermione!" She looked from side to side at the two of them and laughed at their stunned expressions. "Oh come off it you two. I'm only teasing. I promise that some day soon I'll introduce you. It's getting harder and harder to keep up with this charade anyway."

"You had me there for a minute Hermione. Thought maybe you really were trying to sabotage me." Ron laughed as he gave her shoulder a squeeze.

"Oh no Ron. The only one sabotaging you is you." She said, returning his half hug. She looked at Harry who was watching them intently. "What's wrong with you Harry? Think I'm trying to sabotage you too?"

"What? Oh. No. Just thinking that's all." He reached out and gave Hermione a hug and held on just a beat too long before he pulled away. He looked at Ron and hurriedly asked, "So mate. You ready to go?"

"Go?" Said Ron. "What you ready to go for? I didn't know you were in a hurry."

Harry looked quickly at Hermione and back to Ron before he said, "Yeah, well, something came up and I need your help. You ready?"

Hermione looked concerned when she asked, "Is there anything I can help you with Harry? Is everything all right?"

Nodding his head to emphasize each word he replied, "Oh. Yeah. Great. Fine." He stood up and asked again, "Ready Ron?"

"All right. All right. I'm ready already." Ron said as he exchanged puzzled looks with Hermione. He shrugged his shoulders and kissed her on top of her head. "See you then Hermione." He said and he gave her a wave as he started to walk away.

"Okay Ron. Let me know if I can help." She called after him, returning his wave. She looked at Harry who was walking just a little ahead of Ron. "Bye then, Harry." She called to him.

Harry turned and waved back, his mind apparently still preoccupied with something else.

Hmm… She thought. I wonder what he's up to. She knew him too well to think anything was actually wrong.

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Harry and Ron had just turned the corner when Ron grabbed his sleeve and forced him to stop.

"Bloody hell, Harry. What was that all about?"

Harry was still preoccupied and the fact that his legs were no longer moving had barely registered with him. Ron shook him.

"Harry? Hello?"

He looked up, quite surprised to find Ron staring down at him. "What? What Ron? What's going on?"

"What the hell's the matter with you? It's been a long time since I've seen you act like this mate. Wanna tell me what's going on now or should I just beat it out of you? I'm not above doing that, you know."

Harry laughed. "Sorry Ron. I was just thinking…." he hesitated, trying to choose his words carefully. "Hermione's a bright witch, you know?"

Ron looked at him like he'd lost his mind. "Yeah. A right bit clever she is. Harry? What's going on? You're not making any sense."

Harry was looking down to where his hands nervously rubbed together, "Well, I just wonder…"

"Yeah…" Ron said getting impatient now.

Harry looked up at him and asked, "Do you think we could pull one over on her? I mean, do you think we'd be able to do something without her knowing we'd done it?"

"She might know us a bit too well for that mate. Why? What you have in mind?"

Harry looked at Ron conspiratorially, "Well, I thought we might…."

Ron laughed as Harry proceeded to tell him his plan. Although he was admittedly a little fearful of Hermione, Ron wholeheartedly agreed to it and they discussed the details over lunch later that day.

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Hermione was still a bit concerned about what was going on with Harry when she received a message from him later that afternoon.

Dear Hermione,

I'm sorry about the way I acted earlier. I don't really know what came over me. Maybe your talk about floozies made me miss Julia? Okay, no. That's not it. I'm just teasing. Anyway, I am sorry. I'd like to make it up to you. I know that you're busy tomorrow night, but how about meeting me for lunch tomorrow afternoon? You name the place and I'll be there. My treat.

Let me know as soon as you make a decision. I really hope you say yes. I'm looking forward to seeing you.

Love,

Harry

Hermione read the letter over and over. Something wasn't right about it. It wasn't often that she got notes like this from Harry and there was no mention of Ron. Still, curiosity got the best of her and a few minutes later she sent back the reply she'd written on the same bit of parchment.

Dear Harry,

I must admit that I am a bit confused by your behavior earlier. Although I don't really see a reason for you to `make it up' to me I am finding it hard to resist a free lunch with such great company.

There is a café I like to walk to on Saturdays. How about we meet there round about 1130? I'll send you directions later when I have a new bit of parchment.

Love,

Hermione

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Harry received the note from Hermione and excitedly opened it to find her answer. She'd mentioned her walks to that café before and Harry knew it wasn't far from where she lived. His plan was working perfectly.

He called out to Ron, "Hey Ron. She said yes. We have to be ready to go by 1100 so I can meet her at 1130. She going to be sending directions to that café she mentioned before."

Ron nodded his head and said, "Cool. We might just pull this off Harry."

"Let's hope so mate. Let's hope so."

"We need to hope we don't get caught. That's what we need." Ron said. "You imagine what she'll do to us if she finds out? I'm a little scared to even think about it, truth be told."

"It'll work Ron. It has to. She'll never find out."

"Now you better start hoping you don't have to eat those words, mate." Ron said, laughing at Harry's sudden change of expression. "Got you thinking about it now, don't I?"

His eyes were staring off into nowhere as he spoke, "I haven't stopped Ron. I know she'll kill me if she finds out."

"Don't worry mate. I got your back. Well, at least until she turns on me. Then it's all you. I ain't gonna lie. If that fury comes my way I'm telling her everything. It's a damn good thing you already got rid of…yeah well, you know. The wizarding world wouldn't know what to do without you otherwise. By the way, can I have your broomstick when she's finished with you?"

"Oh. Sure Ron. If she hasn't stuck it straight up my arse! And thanks for all that support mate. I don't recall you trying to talk me out of this, you know."

Ron's look of surprise struck Harry and he laughed. Ron's laughter took a moment to build as he processed what Harry said, "Damn mate. You're right. We're both going down if she finds out."

"Best not get caught then, eh mate?" Harry said, clapping Ron on the shoulder as he passed.

Ron stood there, thinking about what Hermione might do to them when an owl appeared with the note containing the directions to the café. This was it…there was no backing out now.

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Hermione had woken earlier than usual for a Saturday morning and her thoughts had been on Harry and his note ever since. She'd been trying to explain away her anxiousness all morning. She was sitting at the kitchen table thinking about it when Kyrsten joined her.

"What's wrong, Hermione?" Kyrsten asked as she sat down across from her with her cup of coffee. "You see Harry all the time. Why is this time any different? I haven't seen you act this way since you had that crush on Bradley in fourth grade. You don't suppose…" Kyrsten said thoughtfully, her eyes wide and eyebrows now hidden beneath her bangs.

Hermione watched her friend and laughed. "Oh yeah, Kyrsten. That's it. I have a huge crush on Bradley and it's making me anxious about my lunch with Harry." Hermione mocked.

The girls began to laugh. Kyrsten stopped when she saw Hermione's expression change again. She placed her hand on her friend's shoulder. "Really Hermione, what's going on? I'm getting a little worried about you here."

Hermione sighed, "I don't know. It's just…well…" she shrugged and shook her head before she looked at her friend again, "I don't know."

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say I was on to something a minute ago."

Hermione looked at her. "No, it's not that. Harry and I have always been just friends. Yesterday though, when I was with Harry and Ron he seemed…strange somehow. Then out of the blue I get an invitation to lunch. I don't know. Something just doesn't seem right, that's all."

"Well, I've read some of those books you have and you're not known as the cleverest witch of your time for nothing now, are you? Perhaps you are better off thinking about it a little more. Although, I'd have to say that if you haven't gotten anywhere yet, you're probably not likely to. If he's up to something, you're not going to figure it out sitting here."

"You're right Kyrsten. Thanks again for reminding me why I still enjoy having you around after all these years!" She laughed as she gave her old friend a quick hug and disappeared to get ready for her lunch.

She didn't hear Kyrsten whisper, "that girl's got it bad" as she got up to go to her own room.

A while later Hermione knocked on her door and called out, "Hey Kyrsten. I'm outta here. See you in a bit."

"All right, Hermione. Have fun. I'm just getting dressed. I'll see you when you get home." She called back.

"All right. I'll let you know what happened when I get back." She said as she walked away. Not that there will be much to tell, she thought, as an unfamiliar feeling of bitterness creeping through her. It is only Harry after all.

"Okay. I'll be here." She heard Kyrsten call out just before she shut the door and began her walk to the café. Normally the walk would only be about five minutes but she'd already decided to take the long way around.

She still regretted the day she'd let it slip to Harry and Ron about the café she liked to walk to on Saturdays. They were talking about the generalities of weekends and the things they did just sort of out of habit…

~Flashback~

"I don't do much different then at Hogwarts, really." Ron said. "I usually just sleep in, wake up, eat, take a rest, eat and then get ready to go out. Those are the best days."

Harry nodded his confirmation with Ron's assessment of his day. "Yep. That's about it for him all right. I can't tell you how many times I tried to get him up to go jogging or something. He won't budge. He can barely make coherent sentences before 3:00."

They all laughed and Hermione said, "Well. I generally get up and have a cup of coffee with Kyrsten. Then I walk to this little café not far from the flat to…" She stopped herself suddenly and looked at Ron and Harry. She'd never seen them listen so attentively to what she was saying. She dropped her eyes and cleared her throat before she said, "Yeah. Well. Anyway, I go to a café." She shot them a quick smile and silently prayed they weren't paying as much attention as they appeared to have been.

"So what's it called Hermione? The café I mean." Harry asked. His expression was one of innocence but one look into his eyes was all the confirmation Hermione needed…he had been listening.

"Oh. Um. I don't know Harry. I never really paid attention to the name. It's just a place I like to go." She'd said in a voice that wouldn't have convinced even someone she'd just met.

~~End Flashback~~

Looking back on it now she wondered, why did I tell him I'd meet him there today? He would've met me anywhere. Her conscious had an annoying way of butting in and this time was no exception, `You're losing it Hermione. Pretty soon it will all come crashing down and your lives will be merged no matter how much you fight against it.' "Great. Perfect." she mumbled to herself as she made the final turn toward the café.

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Harry and Ron arrived at the café around 1115. They had fifteen minutes; just enough time to start putting their plan into action. They talked for a couple of minutes before Ron turned and walked away.

Harry was waiting alone outside the café when Hermione showed up at 1125. He pulled her into a quick hug and asked, "Are you always so early Hermione? How is it you can appear somewhere looking so beautiful and never be late?"

Hermione blushed as she returned his hug and smiled. "Well, Harry. I told you I couldn't resist a free lunch with such great company. I wanted to make sure I could enjoy every minute of it."

Harry blushed slightly at her words before he opened the door so she could enter. He glanced over his shoulder as if looking for something before he shut the door.

They found a table in the corner of the café and waited until they ordered before they spoke.

"So…"

"So…"

They started at the same time making them both laugh. Harry gestured for her to go first.

"I was just going to ask about yesterday." She said.

"Oh. Should have known you wouldn't waste any time bringing that up." Harry laughed nervously.

"Well. Want to tell me about it?"

"Not much to tell really. I don't have any real explanation. I did apologize already though. That counts for something, doesn't it?"

"I don't know, Harry. You were acting pretty strange. Even by your standards."

"By my standards? By my standards?" His face reflected mock hurt as he put his hands to his chest. "That hurts Hermione. Really. Right here." He said, pointing to his heart.

Hermione laughed and acquiesced, "Okay Harry. I'll let you off the hook…" she looked pointedly at him as she added, "for now!"

"Okay Hermione. If that's all I can get, I'll take it." He said. She watched as his shoulders visibly relaxed.

Definitely something more going on here, she thought.

"So what were you going to say, Harry?" Hermione asked.

"Oh. I was just going to say that I like this place. I can see why you like to come here. It's nice. Quiet too." Harry said as he looked around at the small, cozy tables and the pictures that adorned the walls.

"Yeah, I really like it here. The food is pretty good too."

Just then the waiter brought them their lunch and Harry smiled gratefully. They ate their meal in a silence broken only by the occasional reference to the weather, Quidditch, or some other menial topic.

When their plates were cleared Harry looked at her, his eyes twinkling as he tried one more time, "Come on Hermione. Why can't you tell me where you're going tonight? What if I promise that Ron and I won't embarrass you? Would you tell me then?" He implored.

She looked into his beautiful green eyes and wanted so badly to break down and tell him her secret but she didn't think he'd understand and it didn't matter if he intended to or not, his presence there would be embarrassment enough for her. "No Harry. I can't. I just can't. Not yet." She looked up at him, hoping he would simply understand and drop it.

"Okay Hermione. You let me off the hook earlier and I'll do the same for you…" he smiled as he added, "for now."

Hermione laughed and nodded her head. "Okay Harry. We're even now. We'll leave each other be on those two things." She shook her head at him as he continued to smile at her.

"All right Hermione. I think I need to get back to the flat to make sure Ron's up. You know how he gets. If he sleeps too late he gets really cranky. Too many hours without food, I think. Maybe I'll pick him up a sandwich and hold it under his nose to wake him up."

Hermione laughed at the image of Ron sitting up to bite into the sandwich, eyes closed, still half asleep.

"All right Harry. Will I see you and Ron tomorrow then?"

"Yeah, sure. Give us a holler. Maybe we can do dinner or something."

They walked to the door and Harry held it open for her once again. He gave her hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"See you tomorrow then Hermione. Have fun tonight."

"Okay Harry. See you tomorrow then. You and Ron have fun tonight too."

She still didn't want Harry to know where she lived; she didn't want any surprises on her doorstep before she was ready to introduce him to Kyrsten. Just as she had before lunch, she headed in the wrong direction and took the long way home; looking back now and again to be sure he wasn't following her.

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Harry headed off down the street. He looked back only once to look for Ron. He waved to Hermione when he saw that she was looking at him. He quickly turned around and walked a little faster.

Ron was supposed to be in the coffee shop a few doors down watching for one of them to come out of the café so Harry didn't bother stopping to get him a sandwich on his way home. If Ron was anywhere near food then Harry didn't need to worry…he'd definitely already eaten.

When he got to what appeared to be a deserted corner he looked around. He didn't notice anyone near him so he silently apparated home to wait for Ron.

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A couple of hours later a happy, whistling Ron appeared at their flat.

Harry surprised even himself when he yelled, "Where the hell have you been Ron? I've been waiting forever."

Ron jumped, startled by Harry's outburst. "Oh. Yeah. Um. Sorry `bout that Harry. Um. Yeah. Uh. Lost track of time…and well…I'm here now." Ron stammered, playing with the collar of his t-shirt and looking everywhere but at Harry.

Harry fought to keep from laughing as he watched Ron struggle, "You know you're a lousy liar, Ron. Quit the act!" He said. "Well? Did you follow her or not? We need to know where she lives so we can follow her and Kyrsten tonight. You did find out, didn't you?"

"Well, Harry. You see…no! Not exactly."

"What do you mean not exactly Ron? You either did or you didn't"

"Well. Okay then. I didn't." Ron scrunched up his face and bit his bottom lip, waiting for Harry to explode. He was surprised by Harry's lack of acknowledgement.

"Yeah. I suppose it's just as well then, isn't it?" Harry said softly. "You probably would have gotten caught anyway. At least now I don't have to worry about spending the rest of my life with a broomstick shoved up my arse! Where've you been all this time then?"

Ron laughed. "Come on Harry. It's not so bad. I met this really great girl at the coffee shop today. She asked if I wanted to meet her at this bar tonight. I told her that we had plans and she asked me to bring you along too. She's going with a friend. It can be like a double date or something. Only yours would be well…sort of a blind date thing, wouldn't it?"

Sensing Harry's reluctance Ron turned to begging. "Aw. Come on Harry. Please. For me? Just one night. That's it. She's a really great girl, Harry and it's a Muggle club. I don't want to mess it up."

Harry sighed. "All right Ron. Since we weren't planning to go to Seamus' Club tonight anyway, I'll just follow along to yours. What time do we have to be ready and do I have to dress up?"

Ron's smile couldn't have gotten any bigger as he stood behind Harry and pumped his hands up and down a couple of times. "Yes!" He said softly to himself.

Ron quickly pulled himself together as Harry turned to look at him questioningly. "Well?" He said.

"Oh. Right. Yeah. Um. Round 8:00. Well, it's a bar. A Muggle bar! I s'pose just about anything would be all right, don't you? You know more about Muggles than I do. What do you think we need to wear?"

"Muggles Ron, yes. I definitely know more than you. Muggle bars? No. Definitely not. I'll just put on some clean jeans and a decent shirt. I suggest you do the same. You might want to clean up a little too. You smell a bit funny. By the way, what is that? Perfume?" He asked, sniffing the air near Ron.

Ron shot Harry a sheepish look before he raced off to the bathroom to get cleaned up.

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Hermione was in a right state by the time Kyrsten got home a couple of hours later. They were supposed to go shopping and hang out for the afternoon and she didn't know where she'd gotten off to. It was the first time Kyrsten had been late when she and Hermione had made plans and after so many years of being concerned for Harry and Ron, she naturally let that slip over to Kyrsten.

When Kyrsten returned to the flat Hermione cried out in relief at the sight of her. "I've been worried about you. Where'd you go? I thought we had plans for this afternoon."

When she didn't answer right away Hermione stopped to take a good look at her friend. She saw a faraway, dreamy look in her eyes and she shook her slightly.

Kyrsten appeared to come out of a trance and she looked at Hermione in surprise…the smile never leaving her face as she said, "Oh. Hi. I. Uh. Hi."

Hermione laughed. In all the years she'd known her, she'd not once known Kyrsten to be at a loss for words. "You okay, Kyrsten?"

"Oh. Yeah. Never better." She said. She turned to look directly at Hermione and she smiled brighter before she said, "I think I'm going to lay down for a bit. I'll be ready to go by 8. I'll see you then, okay?" Kyrsten turned to walk to her room; Hermione's lunch with Harry having been completely forgotten.

Confused, Hermione said, "All right. See you at 8 then." Well that was weird, she thought. Her concern for Kyrsten pushed away any further thoughts of Harry and Hermione retreated to her room to get lost in one of her books.

~~~A few hours later~~~

"Come on Hermione. Let's go." Kyrsten was sitting in their living room waiting impatiently for Hermione to get ready. She wanted to be there by 8:30 and it was already a little after 8.

"Okay. Okay. Jeez Kyrsten. What's gotten into you tonight?"

"If we don't get signed up early we won't get our chance. You know that."

"All right. I'm ready." Hermione walked out of her room wearing a tight pair of jeans with a pink tank top over the top of a gray one of a slightly different shape. Her hair was pulled up in a loose ponytail. A light dusting of makeup and cowboy boots completed the look. Everything fit her curves perfectly and Kyrsten smiled and whistled at her friend.

"You meeting someone there tonight, girl? You look hot." Kyrsten said, laughing as Hermione turned to model her clothes.

Hermione laughed. "You don't look so bad yourself in that little skirt and tight shirt. What about you? You meeting someone there tonight?" Hermione asked, raising her eyebrows suggestively.

"Guess we'll have to wait and see about that won't we Miss Hermione. You're so clever though…you tell me." Kyrsten said, returning Hermione's suggestive expression.

Both girls laughed again and hugged each other close. "I love you, you know. I'm so glad we've been friends for so long." Hermione told her.

"I know. Love you too. Now lets get going."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Harry and Ron had been at the bar for 15 minutes and there was no sign of Ron's date anywhere. Where is she? He wondered.

"Ron, are you sure we're in the right bar? This place is kind of…weird. Don't you think?"

"What do you mean Harry? Just cause those people are standing up there making all that awful noise doesn't make the place weird now, does it?"

"That's supposed to be singing Ron. It's called Karaoke. It's when ordinary people get up and make fools of themselves. I think it makes the listeners appreciate real music a little more or something."

"There's got to be a less painful way to make fools of themselves, you'd think." Ron said, covering his ears.

"Come on. Let's sit for a few minutes while we wait. Have you seen her yet? I'm not sure how much more of this I can take." Harry said.

Ron looked at him, his eyes a little clouded over as he answered, "Nope. Not yet. S'pect she'll be here soon enough though. It's not quite 8:30."

They found a table and Ron made sure to seat himself facing the door so he could see her when she entered.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

According to the clock above the bar Kyrsten and Hermione entered at 8:28. Kyrsten took a cursory look around and locked eyes with the man she'd been dying to see again all day. They had to pretend like they didn't know each other so Kyrsten was careful not to say anything to Hermione so as not to give anything away.

She saw him nod his head slightly in acknowledgement and she smiled.

"Hermione. Find us a table, would you?" Kyrsten said, pointing in the opposite direction of where her cohort sat. "I'll be right there. I already know what song I want to sing so I'm going to turn in my slip. Then I'll save the table while you pick."

Hermione nodded and set off to find a table.

Kyrsten turned around to make sure she was gone and headed off to turn in the piece of paper she held tight in her hand. She hadn't told Hermione she'd been there earlier in the day to get the number of the song. She was sure Hermione thought she'd be singing the same song she'd sung for the last two Saturday nights. Kyrsten smiled. She turned and directed an indiscreet wave toward her accomplice before she turned to look for Hermione.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Harry was starting to get impatient. "Come on Ron. Give it up. She's not coming."

"Not yet Harry. I forgot. She said she'd be here between 8:30 and 9. Let's just give it till 9 then, eh mate?"

"All right. But you owe me for this. I won't be able to listen to music the same way again."

Ron laughed. The relief that washed over him went unnoticed by Harry.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Good evening ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to Karaoke night. I'm Big Mike and I'll be your host for this evening. If you look around your table you'll see a book with a list of songs in it. Next to the song is a number. All you gotta do is fill out one of those papers tucked in the front there. Be sure to write that number down along with your name and bring it to me. When your name is called, make your way to the stage, grab a mike, and prepare to wow us. You've all heard the warm-ups now let the real singing begin."

"Lillian Stark you're up first. After her will be Brian Hampton."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Great! Harry thought as he looked at watch. 8:45…only 15 more minutes and we can get out of here.

Harry looked at Ron to see if he looked as ready to go as Harry felt. To his surprise, Ron was smiling and didn't look the least bit upset by the fact that his date had so far stood him up. It was just as well for Harry. He wasn't really interested in meeting the friend of a girl that Ron met just this afternoon. He never liked blind dates and if Ron hadn't practically begged him to come, he'd be at Seamus' Club right now drowning himself in firewhiskey.

At least this girl can sing, he thought…though there was little consolation in it.

The next guy, Brian, was really good so Ron took a look at Harry to see if he looked as miserable as he had earlier. Not bad, he thought. Thanks Brian. Ron would have thanked anybody as long as Harry sat there quietly and quit watching him to find out if he was ready.

He couldn't admit that she was there, but there was no way he was leaving right now. This was for Harry's own good.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After Brian, Big Mike called a couple more halfway decent singers to the stage and by the time Harry looked at his watch again it was 9:00. Freedom! He thought with a little too much excitement.

"Okay Ron. She's not here. Let's go. It's 9:00." He said, trying to prod Ron out of his seat.

Ron looked across the room and their eyes met again. She held up two fingers and Ron nodded once. "Okay, Harry. Hang on. I just wanna hear this. This ones not so bad."

Harry couldn't believe it. Apparently Ron had been listening too long and could no longer tell the difference between good and bad. Maybe he's got cotton in his ears and he's just looking for an excuse to stay longer, he thought as he made to look in Ron's ears.

Harry stood up. "I'm leaving Ron. I told you I'd stay until 9 and that's it. I can't take it anymore. I'm going home. Maybe I'll pick up where I left off last night in `Hogwarts: a History'." He looked at Ron to see if he was paying him even the slightest bit of attention. Ron looked at him and smiled and Harry knew he hadn't heard a word he'd said.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Okay. Thank you, Dave. That was very well done. Give it up for Dave everybody. Up next we have Laura Martin. Following Laura we have our first duet of the evening. Hermione Granger and Harry Potter.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Harry nearly fell over. "Ron? Hey Ron?" He said, smacking him on the shoulder.

"You better get ready mate. I'm pretty sure he just called your name." Ron said, struggling not to laugh.

"Ron. I don't sing. Did he say Hermione? Have you seen Hermione here?" He asked, his eyes surveying the room. It didn't take long before he spotted her and she was already staring at him. The look she gave him was one of complete and utter shock.

He shook his head and shrugged to indicate that he had no idea what was going on. She beckoned for him and Ron to join her at her table.

He got Ron's attention and told him they should join Hermione at her table. Ron got up quickly and headed in the right direction. How did he know where she was? Harry didn't have much time to dwell on that thought as he found himself fighting through the crowd to get there.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If looks could kill Hermione would have killed them ten times over with just that one look. "What are you doing here?" She asked them through clenched teeth.

Ron smiled. "Oh. Hermione. So nice to see you here. I didn't know this is where you'd be tonight." His eyes flicked briefly to Kyrsten.

"You know you're a lousy liar, Ron. Drop the act." She said, echoing the words Harry had used earlier.

Harry smiled at her choice of words though the smile dropped quickly the moment Hermione looked his way.

"I swear Hermione. I had no idea this is where you were going to be. I meant it today when I said I'd let you off the hook. Well, I didn't really mean it then, but when Ron came back and said he didn't do what he was supposed to do…then I meant it. I really did." He rattled on.

Hermione shook her head, trying to sort out what Harry just told her. She looked at him and said, "You know what?"

He shook his head and scrunched up his face, preparing himself for the onslaught.

"I have no idea what you just said. That's what. Doesn't mean you're off the hook. It just means that I don't want to sort it out right now. You wanna know what else?"

Harry wasn't sure how to answer her. She surprised him the last time and for that one he was grateful…this time he wasn't sure he'd be so lucky. "Um. Maybe?" He answered.

Unable to control it any longer Kyrsten and Ron burst out laughing at the exchange between Harry and Hermione. Silently they agreed…they got it bad!

Although she'd spoken to Ron only moments ago Hermione looked at both of them as if she'd just noticed they were there. "Oh. Kyrsten. I'm sorry. I guess you know by now that this is Harry and this is Ron." She said, gesturing toward them each respectively. "Guys, this is Kyrsten, my best friend from way, way back.

Kyrsten was still smiling. "Oh yes. Ron is the redhead. I remember that. It's nice to finally meet you both. Hermione has talked about you a lot. Although she's never mentioned how good looking you both are." She said.

Just as Hermione said he would, Harry liked her immediately. "It's nice to meet you too Kyrsten. Hermione has of course, told us all about you. I'm just sorry we had to wait so long to meet you." Harry said, reaching out to shake her hand.

"Not all about me I hope. A girl has to have her secrets you know. Although I do know what you mean; I've been after Hermione to introduce us for a long time now. You know how stubborn she can be though." She looked at Hermione and raised her eyebrows and winked.

Hermione laughed.

Ron gulped before saying, "Oh. Yes. Kyrsten. It is to meet you finally nice. I mean, it is nice to finally meet you." She laughed as he shook her hand. Her hand lingered just a little longer then when she shook Harry's. The look that passed between them did not escape Harry or Hermione this time around.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Hermione and Harry. You're up. Hermione and Harry. You need to make your way to the stage."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Harry panicked. "Hermione, I can't sing and there aren't a lot of Muggle songs that I know. You have to stop this."

"Oh no Harry. I can't. That was the other thing I was going to tell you. We have a song to sing."

"No Hermione. I'm not going."

"You have to Harry. Once your name is in there you have to do it."

"No."

Hermione, Kyrsten, and Ron started laughing. Harry had been fearless when he stood up to the most evil wizard of all time…someone who could have killed him and yet…he couldn't bring himself to get up on a Muggle stage in a Muggle bar in front of people who would likely never see him again. It was too much for any one of them to take.

Harry's expression remained petulant as he crossed his arms across his chest. He wasn't going to give in. He refused.

This brought more laughter from the others and people sitting at the tables around them had begun to stare.

Hermione finally took pity on him. "Hang on Harry. I'll be right back." She left the table to speak to Big Mike.

When she rejoined them Harry asked her, "Well, did you put a stop to it?"

"No Harry. I told you already. Once your name is in there you can't back out. You have to do it."

"But I didn't put my name in there. Someone else did." With that, Harry suddenly realized just what was going on. This was planned. I bet that girl Ron met today was Kyrsten. He looked at the two of them as they exchanged glances and he knew he was right.

"Come with me Harry." Hermione said, breaking into his thoughts. She grabbed his hand and led him away from the table and out the door.

In the background he heard Big Mike call a new name. "He's just pushed us back a little bit Harry. That's all. We do still have to do this. Come on."

They walked around the side of the building and after making sure that no one was around to see them Hermione produced her wand. Harry looked down at the outfit she was wearing and raised his eyebrows to her. "Don't ask." She answered.

"By the way Hermione. You look really hot tonight." Harry said. His voice was teasing but he meant every word.

"Yeah. Harry. So I've heard." She said offhandedly.

"What? Were there guys hitting on you back in the bar?" His tone took her by surprise.

"No Harry. There weren't any guys hitting on me back in the bar. Why? Is that what you were doing?" She couldn't believe the question came out of her mouth and she smacked herself as she brought her hand up to cover it.

"Maybe." He said. "Would it make a difference?"

Hermione's stomach began to flutter but she maintained a modicum of self-control when she answered, "Not right now Harry. We have a song to sing. Ask me again after we're done."

It was Harry's turn to be shocked.

Hermione placed her wand to his throat and uttered the incantation, "Cantor Condisco!"

A weird feeling came over him and he found himself suddenly ready to sing. "What did you do?" He asked.

"It's what I use on myself. It's a spell that gives you confidence to get out there because no matter what song you sing, you'll always know the words and the tune. You ready?"

Harry hugged her close. "You're brilliant Hermione. Simply brilliant." He kissed her on the cheek and turned to head back into the bar. She started to follow him when he abruptly stopped in front of her.

"What's wrong Harry?"

"I just remembered. There was something I wanted to tell you. I just hope you don't get too angry with me when I finish."

"Okay. I promise I won't. So tell me."

"Well, it really bothered me yesterday when you wouldn't tell me where you were going with Kyrsten tonight. I started thinking about it and…well…I didn't intentionally act weird yesterday but it was convenient. Inviting you to lunch sort of had a dual purpose. One was to apologize and the other was so Ron could follow you home so we'd know where you live and we could follow you tonight."

Hermione's eyes clouded over and she took a deep breath before speaking. "Okay. You don't trust me." She said irritably. Seeing the look on her face she quickly backtracked, "I know. I know. I promised. What else? I get the feeling there's more."

"Hermione. We do trust you. In fact, there's no one in the world I trust more than you, you know that. I just couldn't stand it that you had this secret. We always tell each other everything and…"

Hermione put up her hand to interrupt him. "We always tell each other everything…eventually Harry. Eventually. I told you at lunch today that I would tell you when I was ready."

"You're right Hermione. But by then it was too late. Ron was already set in place to follow you. Anyway, it took him a couple of hours to get back to the flat and I thought he should have been no more than thirty minutes behind me. When I asked him he told me that he didn't follow you. He said he met a girl who invited him to this bar tonight. I think that girl was Kyrsten, Hermione. I think they set this up."

Hermione looked thoughtful for a minute. "I bet you're right Harry. Kyrsten doesn't usually dress up so much when we come and she was really anxious to get here. I bet she entered our names to sing. She was in a big hurry to get to Big Mike when we walked through the door."

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" He asked.

"Oh yes, Harry. Turnabout is definitely fair play. Ron doesn't know the incantation either. It should be pretty interesting to hear him up there trying to sing. Don't you think?"

"Oh yes. Brilliant!" Harry smiled. "That's what I love about you, you know? You're bloody brilliant!"

Hermione lowered her head so Harry couldn't see her blushing. She pushed him forward and they walked back to the bar. Harry grabbed her hand and squeezed it. "Thanks Hermione. You always know how to bail me out."

She squeezed his hand in return and walked through the door he held open for her. She walked up to Big Mike's table and grabbed a slip. She whispered something as she passed it to him and he smiled and nodded his head. She turned and winked at Harry.

They returned the table and found Ron and Kyrsten in what appeared to be a pretty intense conversation. The moment they saw Harry and Hermione they stopped talking.

Ron's eyes were wide; as if he'd just been caught doing something he wasn't supposed to be doing. "So mate, you all right now? Did Hermione set you right? She's always been good at that, you know."

"Oh yes, Ron. I'm all right now. No problems at all." He said. He fought to keep his smile from spreading further across his face. "Hermione set me right. Just like the old days. Right Hermione."

Hermione only smiled and offered a brief nod before turning back to Big Mike. She looked at Harry and said, "He's going to call us soon. Are you ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be, I suppose." He answered.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Okay folks. We got a little off track there for a bit but now that I'm back from break let's get this thing rolling. Hermione and Harry. Are you ready now?"

Hermione grabbed Harry's hand and led him to the stage.

"All right. Let's give it up for Hermione and Harry. Tonight they'll be serenading us with their rendition of Shania Twain and Bryan White's popular duet `From This Moment'.

The music started to play and immediately Harry was familiar with it. He smiled at Hermione as they started to sing…

From this moment life has begun
From this moment you are the one
Right beside you is where I belong
From this moment on

From this moment I have been blessed
I live only for your happiness
And for your love I'd give my last breath
From this moment on

I give my hand to you with all my heart
Can't wait to live my life with you can't wait to start
You and I will never be apart
My dreams came true because of you

From this moment as long as I live
I will love you, I promise you this
There is nothing I wouldn't give
From this moment on

You're the reason I believe in love
And you're the answer to my prayers from up above
All we need is just the two of us
My dreams came true because of you

From this moment as long as I live
I will love you, I promise you this
There is nothing I wouldn't give
From this moment
I will love you as long as I live
From this moment on

Hermione couldn't believe the intensity with which Harry watched her as he sang. His voice cracked a couple of times but the confidence she'd given him with the spell did wonders for him. He looked as though he was enjoying himself. His voice was naturally beautiful.

Harry was astounded by the beauty with which Hermione sang. Is there nothing she can't do? He wondered. She constantly amazed him. His stomach began to flutter as he watched her watching him.

As the song progressed they moved closer together until they were only inches apart. They looked into each other's eyes as they neared the end of the song. Everyone around them had disappeared and this moment was theirs alone. How much truth is there in that song? They wondered.

They hung onto the last note for a few beats and lowered their microphones. They hadn't yet averted their eyes. They moved together into their first kiss. Never had anything felt so right. All those others were no more. Just as the song said, `from this moment on' there would never be another for either of them. All was finally right with the world. Well…almost.

As they broke from their kiss they were met with cheers and wolf whistles and catcalls. People around them were standing and applauding. Harry and Hermione looked at each other and laughed before they turned to take a bow and walk away from the stage.

When they returned to the table Hermione caught the tail end of the conversation Kyrsten had been having with Ron, "…did I tell you? I knew it!" She gave him a hug and they shared a kiss.

They kept their arms loosely wrapped around each other and Ron looked into her eyes. "You were right, Kyrsten. Just so you know, I've learned to never question that woman's intuition thing." He said smiling and kissing her again.

"Ahem." Hermione interrupted.

They looked up. Surprised to see that Hermione and Harry had already made it back to the table. They pulled apart quickly and Ron cleared his throat before speaking, "Um. Yeah. Great job up there you two. Especially right there at the end." Kyrsten started laughing and when Ron turned to look at her he couldn't stop himself from laughing too.

"Oh. Right. Thanks Ron. Kyrsten. This isn't over yet, you know. Not by a long shot." Hermione said. She turned to Harry and said, "I think I need a drink now. Harry want to join me at the bar?"

Harry looked from Ron and Kyrsten to Hermione before answering, "Uh. Yeah. A drink sounds really good about now." Hermione had already begun pulling on his arm.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

All right ladies and gentlemen. Apparently this is the night for duets. Can I get Ron…Weasley, is it? Yeah, Weasley. Ron Weasley and Kyrsten Jones up here?

Ron and Kyrsten looked at each other and then at Harry and Hermione who were sitting at the bar; the epitome of innocence as they looked to Ron and Kyrsten and shook their heads and shrugged their shoulders to indicate they had no idea what was going on.

Kyrsten and Ron looked at each other wide-eyed and together they said, "They know."

Kyrsten grabbed Ron's hand and pulled him to the stage, determined to make the best of it. Ron looked petrified as he looked to Harry and Hermione. He was shaking his head and trying to pull away from her.

Harry and Hermione were laughing as they watched them take the stage.

"All right, there they are. Hmm…this is a little unusual, this is usually only requested at kid parties. But okay. I have it and I'll play it. Here they are with a song from the hit movie, "Parent Trap" let's give it up for Ron and Kyrsten singing Nobody's Angel's `Let's Get Together'.

Ron had never heard of `Let's Get Together' and his panic mode went into overdrive as the music began to play and Kyrsten began to sing. She looked at him and urged him on. Ron looked up at the monitor and said "yeah, yeah, yeah" when he should have been saying, "have a swinging time." With the exception of Harry, no one saw the girl at the bar point a wand at the guy on the stage and whisper, "Cantor Condisco!" They did notice however, that his confidence grew immediately and he finished the last half of the song in time with Kyrsten just as if he'd been singing it forever.

Let's get together, yeah yeah yeah.
Why don't you and I combine?
Let's get together, what do you say?
We can have a swinging time.
We'd be a crazy team.
Why don't we make a scene? Together.

Let's get together, yeah yeah yeah.
Two is twice as nice as one.
Let's get together, right away.
We'll be having twice the fun.
And you can always count on me.
A gruesome twosome we will be.
Together, yeah yeah yeah.

"Cool." Ron said when they finished. Kyrsten leaned toward him and planted a kiss on his lips and smiled. "You know, having a friend like Hermione really pays off, doesn't it?" She said.

"Oh yeah." Said Ron. "It always has." He pulled her from the stage and headed to the bar.

"Well done mate. Congratulations. On all counts" Harry said as he looked from Ron to Kyrsten. Ron's arm was wrapped around Kyrsten's waist and he was holding her close.

"Yeah, you too mate. On all counts." Ron replied looking at the two of them. Harry's arms were comfortably wrapped around Hermione.

Hermione looked at her oldest and dearest friend and smiled. Together the two girls said just one word, "Thanks." Then they turned to their new boyfriends and kissed them affectionately. Letting them know, without words, that this was it for them. The boys smiled and wholeheartedly returned the message.

The secret of Saturday nights was out now and from this point forward they would all enjoy them…together.

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