Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.
Author's Notes: Thank you to all of you who read and reviewed the first chapter. I appreciate every review more than I can say. Enjoy!
This chapter is for Jim, aka lightnote_blend- *hugs*
~The Reasons for Dating~
Part 2: Friendship
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
23 times.
That was how many times Ron had mentioned Hermione in the past hour and half or so.
And yes, Harry had been counting. He could hardly believe it either. If he didn't know better, he would suspect that Ron seriously fancied Hermione. Thankfully, he did know better, knew enough to know that Ron was using this less-than-subtle method in trying to persuade him to begin dating Hermione. Ron, bless his lack of cunning, had apparently decided that mentioning Hermione about every other sentence usually in the context of how clever she was or how nice, was the best way to convince him that he really wanted Hermione as a girlfriend.
Unfortunately for Ron, it wasn't exactly working. Partly because he knew exactly what Ron was trying to do. But mostly because nothing Ron said was at all new to him.
He knew Hermione was the smartest person he knew. He knew she was pretty, with her warm brown eyes and thick brown hair that was still bushy (as he preferred it to be) and the smile that never failed to brighten his day. He knew that she was kind and caring. He knew all that.
It was why she was his best friend and why he cared for her enough that he never wanted her to be lonely or sad. Which, of course, was why he'd decided she should have a boyfriend, who would appreciate her for who she was and would make her happy.
"I should have just asked Hermione, she would have known," Ron was saying now.
Harry stifled a grin at Ron's transparent plan, before he began, changing the subject, "I asked that co-worker of mine, Evelyn Scott, out to have dinner tomorrow night."
Ron stopped mid-bite of his shepherd's pie and simply stared at Harry. It was a moment before he managed to say, "You did?" in something approaching his normal tone.
Harry knew a moment of regret that he didn't have any plans to date Hermione if only for Ron's sake. "Yes. I've been thinking about it for a while now; you know I mentioned that she's pretty and she's been smiling at me recently in that way that sort of says she'd be willing to go out. So I finally asked her." He didn't admit that part of the reason he'd decided to ask Evelyn out at this particular time had been to discourage Ron in his insane idea that he and Hermione should be a couple. He didn't want Hermione as a girlfriend and he did want her, needed her really, as his best friend. Ron's idea that he should date Hermione threatened that and so he'd been glad to have this chance to gently break it to Ron, that he wasn't going to ask Hermione out.
Ron made a valiant attempt to hide his disappointment as he smiled, somewhat forcedly. "That's great, Harry. So what does she look like?" he asked, trying to inject some enthusiasm into the question.
"Ah," Harry paused, a frown passing over his face for a moment, as he tried to picture her in his mind, before he answered, "Well, she's got brown hair and hazel eyes. She wears glasses, too, although hers somehow just make her look stylish." He managed a grin. "Anyway, she seems to be clever and fun, too, so maybe this has some potential to become serious."
"Sounds good, mate," Ron said heartily, although Harry detected the forced note in it.
"Yeah, I'm looking forward to it. I'll floo-call or owl you to let you know how it goes," Harry promised.
And from there, the conversation drifted back into more usual topics, such as the latest Quidditch match of the Appleby Arrows which they'd both seen via Remote Apparition, especially as Ron had apparently decided to give up on the Hermione campaign after Harry's little bit of news.
~*~
Evelyn Scott, Harry decided, really was one of the nicest girls he'd ever met.
She seemed to share his liking for Quidditch and they were having an animated discussion of the relative merits of Colin Benedict, the Chaser for the Wasps, and George Helsen, the Chaser for the Chudley Cannons.
Harry smiled and nodded at her words and found himself wondering what Hermione was doing tonight. He hadn't seen her since the weekend and made a mental note to owl her to have lunch together, on Friday or Saturday. He glanced at the clock on the wall of the Camelot Café, deciding Hermione must still be at St. Mungo's, working. She really worked too hard, he thought, considering she generally arrived at St. Mungo's around 8 in the morning and stayed there until at least 8 or 9 at night. She was one of the rising Healers at St. Mungo's and gaining quite a reputation already for her breakthroughs in healing the remnants of Dark curses and hexes.
"Don't you think so, Harry?"
Harry mentally reined in his thoughts and thought back to what Evelyn had said, on how Helsen's ability as a Chaser seemed more due to his incredible creativity while flying that tended to completely confuse the opposing team's Keeper than to any other talent, while Benedict was a more traditionally talented Chaser. "Actually, you're exactly right; it's just what I've been thinking but hadn't managed to put into words just yet. Helsen is never really predictable in how he's going to try to make a shot or which hoop he's going to aim for. He's become my best friend, Ron's, hero, for how he's given the Cannons such an edge for the League Cup this year."
Evelyn grinned. "I have to confess I like Helsen for much the same reason."
Harry shared a laugh with her, wondering when he'd last been able to have such a conversation with anyone besides Ron. Oddly enough, in that way, Evelyn rather reminded him of Ron, with her love of Quidditch (and it turned out, her liking the Cannons) and her sense of humor…
He smiled at Evelyn at the door of the restaurant. "Thanks, Evelyn, that was fun. We should do it again sometime." He hesitated a little, wondering, before he bent and kissed her on the mouth, lingering there, testing things.
And felt nothing. She was pretty and she was fun to be with- but touching her lips with his left him unmoved. His eyes met Evelyn's and he saw the same realization in her eyes. "You didn't feel anything either?" he said and it wasn't quite a question.
She sighed a little and smiled ruefully. "No, I'm afraid not."
He laughed a little at himself and then just held out his hand for her to shake. "Well, it was still fun. Just friends, then, Evelyn?"
She shook his hand, returning his grin. "Definitely friends. See you at the Ministry tomorrow, Harry."
"See you, Evelyn." He stepped back, with one hand raised in a wave of goodbye as she turned slightly and Apparated away with a pop.
He Apparated back to his flat immediately afterwards, getting a bottle of butterbeer from the kitchen, before throwing himself onto the sofa in the sitting room, where he sat, idly studying the pictures on his mantelpiece.
That was what had been rather bothering him during the dinner, what had somehow kept him only half-concentrating on what Evelyn was saying. He simply wasn't attracted to her in that way. She was pretty, yes, and fun, and he liked her but there was no attraction. Talking to her, being with her, felt much like being with Ron, some of the same ease and familiarity. She could be his friend but not his girlfriend. He knew that now, as did she.
Ah well, friends were good too. He considered the pictures on the mantelpiece, pictures of himself and Ron and Hermione, mostly from their Hogwarts days, along with one picture of his parents with Sirius and Remus. He smiled slightly as his gaze focused on one of the pictures, this one of just him and Hermione, laughing together over something he'd just said. Just himself and Hermione, his best friend in the world. Yes, friends were good, quite possibly the best things in life.
He lifted his butterbeer in a silent toast to the pictures. Well, he thought, here's to friendship.
~*~*~
Ginny waited for all of ten minutes before her curiosity got the better of her. "Ok, Ron, something's bothering you. So spill it."
Ron started, blinking at her as if he'd forgotten she was there. "Huh, what?" he said with trademark eloquence, Ginny thought with a flare of amusement.
She bestowed on him the look of mingled exasperation and amusement which can only be seen among close friends or siblings. "You've been sitting there, staring at your bottle of butterbeer for minutes now. So either your butterbeer's talking to you or something's bothering you. And if you try to tell me your butterbeer's talking to you, I swear I'll use the Bat-bogey hex on you."
Ron grimaced. "It's Harry."
Ginny raised her eyebrows to give him a mildly questioning look. If Ron had said those two words at any time while she'd been in Hogwarts, she would have paled and bombarded him with anxious questions beginning with "Is it about You-Know-Who?" She was suddenly struck yet again, as she still was occasionally, at the difference in all their lives and ways of thinking since Harry had finally defeated the Dark Lord and recovered from his injuries in the final battle. Now, people felt safe, able to go about their daily lives without worry or fear. And now she, and the other people who were privileged enough to be part of Harry's close circle of friends, could relax, knowing that Harry's life was, at least for now, blissfully not in danger. It wasn't completely risk-free; he was an Auror after all, but in comparison to his Hogwarts days, it was a positive paradise.
"I've been thinking that he and Hermione would do well together," Ron explained, looking, as he felt, rather uncomfortable at talking about his two best friends in such a context. "See," he continued, "Harry's concocted this bloody idea that Hermione's lonely and should have a boyfriend, and he's determined that he's going to find one for her."
Ginny couldn't help a smile. "That's so like Harry, to be thinking about helping Hermione in any way he can."
"Yeah, yeah," Ron dismissed her comment impatiently. "The problem is that the more I think about it, the more I think Harry and Hermione are perfect for each other. And Harry, the bloody idiot, isn't cooperating."
"What did you expect? This is Harry after all and you of all people should know how stubborn he can be."
Ron made a disgruntled face. "I was hoping he'd come to agree with me. I mean, think about it, Harry and Hermione get along so well and care about each other so much already. I know that every person either of them has gone out with has been jealous of the other. And it's pretty clear that Hermione is the most important girl in Harry's life and probably always will be. Plus she's the one girl Harry knows who absolutely doesn't give a fig about his being the Boy Who Lived. Besides-"
Ginny cut off Ron's increasingly rapid words with a laugh. "Stop! Stop! You don't have to convince me, you know. I decided a long time ago that they were meant for each other."
Ron blinked, looking somewhat deflated, as if he'd almost wanted to have to convince her of the rightness of Harry and Hermione. "You did?"
"Yes." Ginny shrugged lightly. "Like you said, it's pretty obvious that they're the most important people in each other's lives. And the way they can practically read each other's minds just tells you how well they'd do together." Also, she added but only in thought, I'm sure Hermione wants to be more than just Harry's friend. Admittedly that last part was more of a guess on Ginny's part but somehow she was sure that Hermione harbored more than purely platonic feelings for Harry; it was just something in her eyes when she looked at him or talked about him…
Ron leaned forward, putting his butterbeer down as he gestured. "Exactly! But how can we get Harry to ask Hermione out, bloody stubborn prat that he can be?"
Ginny thought for a moment before smiling rather wickedly. "I think you should find Hermione a boyfriend who's not] Harry."
"What!" Ron stared at his sister as if she'd just announced her belief that Voldemort had really been a kindly, misunderstood old man.
Ginny held up her hands as if to block the torrent of protests she could see beginning to form in Ron's mind. "Hear me out! If you at least pretend to be helping Harry in his plan, he'll relax and let down his guard about dating Hermione. Then, find a guy whom Hermione will get along with, well enough that it'll be perfectly believable to think that they'll become a couple. And if I know Harry at all, he'll suddenly find he doesn't like the idea of Hermione dating someone else. The thing is, he's never had a reason to be jealous before; Hermione hasn't had a serious enough relationship to warrant jealousy. And until something makes him doubt his place in Hermione's life, I don't think Harry will realize just how much he cares about her."
Ron was silent, mulling over Ginny's words for a few moments, before he began to grin and then to laugh. "That's bloody brilliant, Gin! Harry and Hermione should start going out within the month, if this goes well."
Ginny allowed herself a smug smile. "Harry isn't going to know what hit him but by then he'll probably be too happy with Hermione to care."
Ron lifted his bottle of butterbeer in a toast. "Here's to Harry and Hermione. If they aren't dating soon, it won't be our fault."
Ginny lifted her bottle too in response but didn't say anything, only grinned conspiratorially at Ron, before changing the subject. "So when's Luna getting back from her latest excursion?"
Ron's expression changed to one of affectionate indulgence at the mention of Luna. "She floo-called to say she should be back by the end of the week. She's almost confident she's found proof that the Winged Fromgak exists and, when I talked to her, was already starting to plan the article she'll write about it in the Quibbler."
Ginny valiantly restrained her laughter at the mention of this latest new creature Luna was convinced existed. Luna never ceased to amuse her with her odd starts, although Ginny had to admit that Luna and Ron did well together, silencing any of those people who had snickered when they had first started dating.
Now if only this plan of theirs worked so Harry and Hermione could be as happy… Ginny sent up a silent wish for this plan to succeed. She was sure Hermione cared more for Harry than just as a friend and equally sure that Harry felt the same way about Hermione if he would only realize it…