A/N: I'm once again so sorry about taking so long to update. I just had a really busy couple of weeks with midterms for two weeks and lab reports and all. Thanks so much for all the reviews! I really appreciate them and I'm hope you all continue to review and let me know what you think of the story.
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or ABC and I am in no way affliated with them.
Chapter 7:
Hermione woke up feeling refreshed after a good night's rest. Most of the girls were tired from their "date" with Harry and went to sleep soon after dinner. This gave Hermione some time alone and allowed her time to put her thoughts together. Hermione had talked to some of the other girls on the date but they didn't really seem to acknowledge that anything strange had happened. So it was kind of hard for Hermione to know if what Chloe had said was true. Her gut was telling her that Chloe could be right but she didn't have much to go on other than her own instincts. She made a promise to herself to investigate.
Hermione quickly went downstairs and noticed that she was the only one up and smiled because she really enjoyed this time to herself. She went into the kitchen and made a cup coffee for herself and was about to sit herself down to enjoy it, when she heard a light knocking on the door. She went to open it and saw a beautiful bouquet of pink roses with garnishing flowers placed outside the door.
'Who sent the flowers and who are they for?' Hermione thought to herself but before she had a chance to look for a card she heard a slight noise coming from the living room. She quickly rushed over to see what was the cause of the noise. She automatically went to grab her wand but remembered that it was safely hidden away in her closet. She wasn't even going to bring it with her at first but she had reasoned that it would be best to be prepared. She hoped that she wouldn't need it. She was glad that her parents had made sure that she had learned self defense. Once she got to the room she scanned the room to see if she could spot the intruder. She suddenly saw some movement behind this sofa and very slowly crept up and pounced on the person. Once she was near she could tell from the build that it was a male and kept on pushing him down as he struggled to get up.
"Who are you?" Hermione demanded.
"Get off of me." He grunted.
"Not until you tell me who you are and why you are here?" Hermione said in a dangerous voice.
The intruder lifted his head and when a pair of green eyes met hers, she quickly got off of him.
"What are you doing here?" Hermione asked.
"I was trying to surprise you" Harry answered as he dusted himself off.
"You surprised me all right. I thought that you were an intruder" Hermione responded.
"Obviously. You're really strong you know that" Harry added while rubbing his back.
"What were you trying to do? Give me a heart attack?" She asked softly.
"No I wanted to surprise my best friend by visiting her is that wrong?" He replied.
"Not technically but you're not supposed to be here" Hermione whispered looking around and dragged Harry outside.
"But that's all part of the fun" He replied.
"So did you send those flowers?" She inquired.
"Yes, did you like them?" Harry asked.
"They're very beautiful but you're going to get me into trouble" Hermione replied.
"Why?" He questioned.
"Because you're singling me out and they'll think that something's up between us" Hermione explained.
"Oh but its for a special occasion" Harry replied with a grin.
"What special occasion?" She asked.
"Do you remember what day today is?" He asked smiling.
"Today is… oh right today is the day that get together and have breakfast just to make sure that we're caught up in each other's lives. You remembered" Hermione responded with a wide smile.
"I wouldn't let a tradition like that slide and besides I missed seeing you" He added with a wink.
Hermione smiled as she remembered why they had started that tradition.
Flashback
One day during breakfast Harry blurted out, "I miss these breakfasts. We haven't had one in a while haven't we?"
"It was mainly your fault you know" Hermione answered matter of factly.
"Well I'm busy and you know that I didn't want to. It was very important business" Harry answered.
"I know. I've been busy too you know and I guess we just kept on missing each other that's all" She replied.
"I know and I don't like that at all" He answered.
"What can we do about it?" Hermione asked.
"How about each much we set aside a day where we will drop whatever we'll doing and just have breakfast together and talk about everything that has been happening in our life right now.
"That would be great. That way we would never completely lose track of each other and we would know what was happening in each other lives" Hermione said slowly after she thought about it for a moment.
"I really think we should do this" Harry added.
"Are you sure that you can?" She inquired.
"Of course I'm sure or I wouldn't suggest it" He replied.
Hermione just chuckled to herself.
"What's so funny?" He asked.
"It's just that this isn't something that you would usually think of" She replied.
"For you information I can be a very thoughtful person" He retorted.
"Right" She answered with a giggle.
"Well I always remember your birthdays and you always like my gifts" He reminded her.
"Yeah but you'll usually late and I wasn't even talking about that. Its just that sometimes you don't think before you talk and that gets you in trouble" Hermione answered.
"I can't help it if I'm honest and isn't that a good thing?" He asked.
Hermione just shook her head and said, "You're impossible you know that"
"But that's why you love me" He said with that magnetic grin of his.
" But honestly Harry your job is very demanding and you never know when you'll be called out to duty and where you're going to go. How can you be sure you can even make it every month?"
"I'll plan in advance and let them know that I can't go if it includes that day. Just trust me" Harry answered with confidence.
"You know that I do" Hermione replied.
"So are we going to do this?" He asked excitedly.
"Okay, let's do it" She answered with a smile.
end of flashback
"So you didn't enjoy all these woman falling all over themselves for you?" She teased him.
"No, not at all" He answered with a grin.
"Liar" She responded with a smile.
"Okay I admit that it is still really flattering at times but you know how I feel about this kind of attention. I know that it's all part of the show. I don't really know how to act around them but with you it's completely different. I feel completely at ease with you and I can talk to you about anything but I can't do that when the other girls are around. I just miss that feeling I get when we're just talking and hanging out." He replied.
"I love hanging out with you too and I know exactly how you feel because I miss it too. But they have kind of gotten to know you by now haven't they?" Hermione asked.
"A little bit but I'm still not sure about how to act around them. But you know what, none of them will ever know me better than you" He responded.
"I would hope not. We've known each other for 14 years now and we're still best friends. That's saying something. I hope that we will always be close" She answered.
"Always, nobody can ever change that" Harry added giving her a hug.
Hermione just sighed in contentment in being in his arms.
"So now its time for breakfast" He announced.
"Now?" She replied looking at her watch.
"Come one, where's you sense in adventure?" Harry protested.
"But they're be getting up soon and I really don't want to have to deal with all the questions" She explained.
"Please Hermione, its tradition" He pleaded.
"I know…but it really is getting late and you've missed them before" Hermione answered.
"That was a one time mistake." Harry retorted.
"I know but it was just to make a point" She replied softly.
I made your favorite breakfast of pancakes and juice and fruit." Harry added to tempt her with puppy dog eyes.
"Okay but let me put away these flowers first" She replied giving in because she was really hungry and she did want to spend some more time with Harry alone.
Hermione followed Harry over to his house. She could smell the pancakes and the juice as she walked in. She took in the table settings with all the fruit and steaming plates of pancakes and flower arrangements.
"It looks great" She replied amazed.
"I'm glad that you approve" He answered with a smile.
She took a bite of the pancakes and she commented, "You're getting to be an even better cook than I
remembered and way better than my own"
"Well I try" Harry responded with a smirk.
"What's with the smirk?" She inquired.
"Well it's not very hard to be better than you" He answered.
"You promised you wouldn't mention it again and you said that I was improving" She replied giving him a glare.
"I didn't mention it and you are improving" Harry answered.
"Thank you" She replied.
"They are now edible" Harry commented and received a smack in the head.
"I love this" Hermione added with a smile after a while
"I know. I do too" He answered with a smile and reached for her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze.
They continued to chat happily for about an hour before Hermione knew she had to leave.
"You really have to go?" He asked.
"Not that I want to but I have to but I'll see you later right?" Hermione asked.
"Yes I will for the group date" Harry answered with a grin.
Hermione gave a quick wave and headed back to the mansion that she shared with the girls.
Harry looked at his clock and grabbed a pen to write a letter to the ladies he was taking on this date.
*~*~*~*~
Hermione sneaked into the kitchen quietly relieved to see that nobody else was there yet and sat down to calm down. Her relief didn't last very long because a few minutes later the other girls came in to eat.
"You want anything?" Chloe asked her
"No thanks. I already ate" Hermione answered with a smile.
"Where did these flowers come from? They're beautiful." Lisa asked.
"I found these outside earlier, I think it's probably a gift from the producer of the show to lighten up the room" Hermione answered.
Nobody seemed to question this to her relief, however out of nowhere she found herself looking at Allie. Even though her mouth wasn't saying anything her eyes were. It was almost as if she knew something and that was truthfully starting to freak her out.
'Where did she come from?' Hermione asked herself but before she could think she heard the door close loudly.
"Look what I found outside?" Isabelle exclaimed waving a note in the air.
"What does it say?" Lisa asked,
It read:
Dear Hermione, Lisa, Isabelle, Christine, Stephanie and Debbie.
I hope you have all slept well and enjoy a delicious breakfast this morning. For a change in pace I'd like to invite you all out for an indoor outing because I know that not everyone enjoys the great outdoors. I also hope that you all have a sense of adventure and I'll be looking forward to seeing you all soon.
Harry.
'Harry it's not that I don't enjoy the great outdoors I just love to read' Hermione thought to herself with a smile.
"Do you have any idea where we are going?" Debbie asked.
"No but why would I?" Hermione asked.
"No reason you just looked lost in your thoughts" She commented.
"I was just thinking about some inside jokes that my best friend and I shared" Hermione responded.
"An indoor adventure? What does that mean?" Stephanie asked.
"It obviously means that we're going to do something that is fun and that it's indoors" Isabelle pointed out with a smirk.
"I knew that but if you're so clever why don't you know what we're doing" Stephanie shot back.
"At least I understand the English language and you call yourself a writer" Isabelle replied back.
"Are you implying that I'm dumb?" Stephanie asked angrily.
"You said it not me" Isabelle answered.
"It's going to be a long afternoon," Hermione said to Christine.
"Tell me about it" Christine replied with a smile and headed upstairs.
"I'm sure that it will die down" Chloe told her.
"I hope so" Hermione gave a weak smile and looked around for Allie but she was nowhere in sight.
*~*~*~*~
Harry knocked on the door to pick up the ladies for their group date. He was pretty excited about seeing Christine and Hermione today and hoped that they would like the activity that he picked for them today.
The door opened and his eyes met the bright smile that Hermione greeted him with her hair up in a knot on the back of her head as well as light colored khakis pants and a light blue blouse over a tank top. She did look every inch like a person who enjoyed an adventure and a very cute one at that.
"What did you think of the letter?" Harry asked with a grin.
"It was such a lame attempt at attacking me based on lies" Hermione responded with a grin.
"They are based on truths" He protested
"Your version of the truth" Hermione responded
"Maybe it is the truth but not the truth you want to see" Harry added
"I do love the outdoors and you know that I enjoy an adventure every now and then" Hermione answered
"The last thing was like an inside joke for us" Harry clarified.
Hermione just smiled as she heard the rest of the ladies come down the stairs.
Christine looked lovely in her light colored sweater and jeans with her hair tied in a french braid
"Are you all ready?" Harry asked.
"Definitely" Isabelle replied with a bright smile.
Harry smiled in response and held the door open and led them outside to the limo.
"So what's your favorite outdoor activity?" Stephanie asked.
"I enjoy things like hiking outdoors and just looking around the garden" Harry replied.
"I enjoy hiking as well. It gives me a chance to explore the surrounds and look at the plants and animals that are around" Isabelle added.
"I'm not that much of an outdoor person but I do enjoy walking outside a park and just feel the refreshing air outside" Lisa added.
"That's what I enjoy the most about the outdoors" Harry responded. He then turned to Hermione and asked, "So what do you like about the outdoors?"
"I enjoy the freedom of being outdoors and the cool breeze you feel on a light breezy day. Sometimes you see the most beautiful animals and flowers outside" Hermione answered.
"I definitely agree with you there. I have seen some amazing sites outside that are more beautiful than anything you could see in a painting or photograph" Christine added with a smile.
"So where are we headed?" Isabelle asked drawing attention back to her as she crossed her long legs.
He turned to face all the ladies with his eyes meetings Hermione's last and answered "We're going indoor rock climbing"
He noticed that Hermione looked a little nervous but that was because she never really liked heights.
"That's something I've always wanted to do" Stephanie replied.
"I'm glad that some of you will enjoy this" Harry replied with a grin and a few minutes later they arrived.
They all got out of the limo eagerly anticipating the activity they are about to embark in. They followed Harry into the building where they met a rock climbing instructor that began to tell them about all the safety features they had and how about to go rock climbing in the safest manner. The wall was pretty high and it got a little steeper near the top.
Harry turned around and asked, "Which one of you ladies would like to try first?"
Isabelle moved forward quickly and said, "I'll go first. I enjoy trying new things"
"That's great. So why don't we set you up" Harry replied warmly.
Isabelle smiled in response and headed over to get setup.
"It's not that we aren't willing to you just spoke up before anyone got a chance" Stephanie muttered under her breath.
"Okay so if you ever feel the need to look go just let go because you're connected to this safety wire and you'll be alright and I'll be right behind you okay?" Harry asked.
"Okay, let's get started" Isabelle replied with a nervous laugh.
"You have nothing to worry about. I'll be right behind you" Harry told her.
Isabelle slowly headed up and did quite well at first but as she got higher and higher she suddenly froze.
"Are you all right?" Harry asked concerned.
"It's just a little bit higher than I thought" Isabelle admitted.
"If you don't want to continue you can just let go" Harry reminded her.
"I'll be fine, I want to continue. I just need a little breather" Isabelle answered.
Isabelle then just took a deep breath and said to herself, "I have to finish this because there's no way I'm going to lose to that Stephanie person." She then slowly found her way to the next foot holding on the wall.
"That's it. You're doing great," Harry said.
And with those words and determination Isabelle made it all the way to the top.
Harry soon followed her up to the top and asked her, "So how does it feel to make it to the top?"
"It feels amazing. It gives me a feeling of accomplishment and happiness" Isabelle responded with a smile and spontaneously gave him a hug.
"It does feel great and I'm glad that you stuck through it. You're glad that you did right?" Harry asked.
"Definitely, I wouldn't trade this feeling for anything else" Isabelle responded.
Then they were pulled back down to the floor. Isabelle gave Stephanie is smug smile that lasted for only a second but it easily visible to the rest of the girls.
"I'll go next" Stephanie volunteered immediately.
"Hope you don't choke" Isabelle said quietly as she passed.
"Unlike you I'm not afraid of heights" Stephanie responded with a sweet smile.
Isabelle just glared at her in return.
"You ready?" Harry asked.
Stephanie nodded with a smile.
Once she was all set up she proceeded to climb up the wall very well at first. But as she reached near the top, she almost lost her balance as one foot slipped because she was climbing up too quickly. But she hung on because her other foot was firmly rooted into the wall.
"Are you okay?" Came the cries of Hermione, Christine and Lisa.
Isabelle however had a small smirk on her face.
"I'm alright" Stephanie replied.
"Are you sure?" Harry asked concerned climbing up near her.
"I'm fine really. It was just a little slip, nothing to worry about" Stephanie assured him.
"So you still want to finish up?" Harry asked.
"I do, I've never given up on anything before and I won't start now" Stephanie answered.
"Okay then whenever you're ready," Harry said.
Stephanie then slowly but steadily reached the top of the wall and let go and was slowly pulled down to the ground.
"So are you sure that you're fine?" Hermione asked.
"Never better. It was definitely worth it. It was like a rush of adrenaline came into my veins and I felt really you alive" Stephanie answered with a grin.
"She was so trying to upstage me for his attention" Isabelle muttered quietly.
"You think she tried to hurt herself on purpose?" Christine asked.
"She so knew what she was doing. She wasn't in any danger at all" Isabelle answered.
"You're just bitter and jealous and not everyone is like you" Christine told her and walked away.
"So Hermione why don't you give it a shot?" Harry asked with a mischievous grin.
Hermione was not going to give him the satisfaction of humiliating her so she said very calmly, "Sure I'm always up for an adventure"
"That you are" Harry said to himself with a smile.
Hermione quickly got set up and took a deep breath.
"You sure you're going to be okay?" Harry teased her.
"The only reason I don't enjoy flying is because it's not safe. Rock climbing here looks really safe so don't worry about me" Hermione shot back at him.
"Okay, okay" Harry replied with an amused look on his face.
Hermione proceeded to climb up the wall slowly one step as a time while she made sure that each foot was stable. She took a deep breath and just looked up because she knew that if she looked down fear would creep up on her and she wasn't going to give Isabelle and Harry the satisfaction of knowing that she was really scared. Harry would tease her about it for ages. But as she got higher she couldn't help but look down at her feet to make sure that they were okay and that was when she saw that she really was pretty high up and the rest of the ladies looked pretty small. She quickly told herself, "You've faced much worse stuff in you life. Get a hold of yourself. Come on you've faced Voldemort before so this was nothing really."
"Are you going to climb to the top Hermione?" Harry asked softly.
"Of course I am I just wanted to look around" Hermione answered back.
"I just thought that you were scared" Harry's voice teased her with a tinge of concern.
"I told you this is nothing really" Hermione protested.
"Okay, I believe you" He answered.
With that she continued up as she reminded herself of how many other fears she had faced and that it really was a really safe activity and she finally made it to the top.
"So you weren't scared at all were you?" Harry asked. He was really proud that Hermione had faced her fear of heights.
"No it wasn't that horrible really" Hermione answered releasing the breath he was holding and then grinned.
"So maybe you're going to try flying with me?" Harry asked.
"That I still won't do. It's not the same and you know it" Hermione told him as they headed down.
"Great job Hermione" Christine told her warmly.
"Thanks. Good luck" Hermione told her as she got ready to go up next.
"I've actually done this kind of thing once but it was a really long time ago so I've probably forgot just about everything" Christine told Harry.
"Don't worry about that. It's not at all difficult and you're probably pick it back up just like that" Harry assured her.
Christine very tentatively stepped onto the first foothold and started to climb up. As she was climbing she was flooded with memories of the last love of her life. His name was Nick. He was the one that had took her rock climbing. They were so happy and very much in love, he wanted her to be the best that she could be and encouraged her to go after her dreams even if that meant that they would have to separate. He had been in a tragic car accident a few years earlier and she had rushed back to see him and he had made her promise that she would live her life as happily as she could. He had wanted her to continue in pursuit of her dreams because she was so incredibly talented and for her to move on and find happiness with someone else. She couldn't imagine being able to find anyone else that could make her happy but she had tried for his sake. She didn't want to but she promised him she would and she never had lied to him before and wasn't going to start now. She had dated a couple of guys but they definitely weren't for her. Her thoughts then turned to Harry and how amazing he was and the connection with him that she felt. She finally felt like she had a real chance at happiness. It was still too early for her to know for sure but she had a good feeling about him and really wanted the chance to find out for herself.
She smiled to herself as she continued up the wall and reached the top without much of a mishap. She knew that Nick was looking out for her.
"Great job Christine, you looked great out there. Guess you didn't forget that much after all" Harry told her with a smile.
"I guess not. Thanks Harry" Christine responded.
"For what?" Harry asked puzzled.
"Just for being there for me" Christine told him and gave him a dazzling smile.
'She is pretty amazing' Harry thought to himself and returned the smile.
Debbie had gone next and didn't make it to the top before she lost her grip but she was very good natured about it and that had made Harry smile.
Lisa went last but she did extremely well because she had taught younger kids to wall climb before.
After they had left they all had bought something to drink before they headed back to the mansion.
Hermione was tired but very satisfied with the afternoon. Isabelle was hard to get along with what else was knew. Hermione also noticed that Harry didn't seem as attracted to Isabelle as he used to be. He had skillfully avoided talking to her by asking the other ladies questions. This made her smile. At least one of them was down.
"What are you smiling about?" Harry whispered in her ear
"Nothing. Just thinking how this afternoon had gone pretty well" Hermione answered with a smile.
"It did go well didn't it? So did you have fun?" He asked.
"I did have fun. Maybe I'll try rock climbing again some time" She answered with a smile.
"Really? If you do you better bring me along" Harry added.
"Why would I want to do that?" Hermione replied with a teasing grin
"Well since I introduced you to it, it's only fair and I really don't want you to get stuck up there in fear" Harry replied.
Hermione slapped him lightly on the arm and said, "I told you I wasn't scared, I was just taking a break and besides I did make it up to the top didn't I?"
"That you did" Harry admitted with a smile.
"You really do enjoy seeing me riled up don't you?" Hermione asked.
"You just look so cute when you are. I can't help it" Harry answered.
Hermione just shook her head and smiled at him and said, "You better join to other ladies now or they might get suspicious"
Harry had walked up to Christine and Lisa and started talking to both of them quietly.
Once they got back to the mansion, they had a quick dinner before they all headed to bed. Hermione was tired but happy. She had gotten to spend quite a bit of time with Harry and she was happy yet sad that he seemed to really like Christine. Christine did seem really nice and she hoped to get to know her better.
Harry had gotten back feeling pretty good about everything. He had been able to spend some quality time with his best friend and he was able to get to know Christine even better and he admitted that he really liked her. He wasn't so sure about how he felt about Isabelle anymore but he still felt like there was something inside of her that she wasn't letting come out. He had many decisions to make the next day but he was determined to make the best decisions he possibly could.
So what did you guys think? So as usual who do you guys want out? I've decided that you can now vote for anyone out if you want even Isabelle. I know how much you guys love her… haha. Now I was also wondering when you guys wanted the individual dates to start? I'm kicking of 3 more girls in the next chapter so there will be 9 left. Also I have noticed that a lot of you are very curious about Allie and who she is. Now you will find out more in later chapters. Not in this one as you have noticed. I have this idea but I'm not really sure if I'm going to do it but here it goes. Now I'm going to include the most important things about Allie in the story and by that I mean those that are important to the plot so I might not include Hermione's entire investigation in the chapters because they do get to be pretty long. But if you guys would like I could do that as a separate aside to this story that people can read if they want. If you would rather I include it into this story just let me know. If enough people want it I might write more on Hermione's investigation on Allie..