Chapter 13
It took a few moments for Harry to digest what he had seen. He'd come expecting a happy reunion with his daughter but had now come face to face with his best friend, whom he had not seen for the last nine years.
"Err…Hi", he said. He had never had to be awkward with Hermione. The two of them shared happy, sad, good and bad times together but the current situation did not fall in either of those categories. Hermione herself did not know what to do. She tried to reply but words did not come out. She just stood there open mouthed.
"Daddy, have you and Miss Hermione forgotten how to speak?" asked Harry's daughter. The other kids started laughing. Slowly they moved away leaving the two of them alone. Hermione finally spoke.
"Nice to see you again Harry", she said and walked away. Harry did not know what to do. His mind told him to take his daughter and go away. But something was stopping him. If he went away he would have lost Hermione again, probably forever. Luck had given them a second chance. Their paths had crossed once again. He couldn't just go away like a coward. His heart stopped him from doing so. He asked Lucas for an extra tent who gave it willingly. Harry and Hermione didn't see each other for the remaining day. In the night Harry was reading to his daughter when she spoke.
"Daddy, you've been inside a tent all day. You know that's not good for health. It would do you good to jog around the campsite", she said.
"Too late now", Harry replied.
"Now don't be lazy Daddy. You always tell me that. What kind of an example are you setting for me?" she said in a preachy voice.
"Okay! Okay! I'll go. You be a good girl and go to sleep", Harry said getting out of the tent. He started jogging. He didn't see his daughter clenching her fist. This was the time Hermione Granger took her round in the campsite. And sure enough Harry and Hermione bumped into one another. Again there was awkwardness. But Harry wouldn't let go this time.
"Hermione why have you been avoiding me?" he asked.
"I'm not. You know how difficult it is to manage so many kids", she said.
"Do you mind if we sit down and have a chat? It's been a long time since we had one", Harry said.
"Sure. No problem", she replied. The two of them sat down on the grass. So much time had passed since they had last spoken. They had both tried to forget each other but had failed miserably. The last few days had proved that.
"I see you are engaged. May I ask who the lucky guy is?" asked Harry, looking at her ring.
"It's Seamus. Seamus Finnegan, you remember, at Hogwarts?" she said.
"Oh okay", Harry said, "Does he love you?" he added.
"Yes, very much", replied Hermione shortly.
"And do you love him?" asked Harry. Hermione didn't answer. She had loved just one person in her life. She couldn't just tell him a downright lie that she loved someone else. Harry repeated his question.
"We're getting married Harry. Seamus is a very nice person", she said quickly.
"You didn't answer my question but if you don't want to you needn't", said Harry. They sat together for quite some time not knowing an eager pair of eyes was peeping from behind a tent.
Hermione White Potter slapped her forehead with her hand. She rushed to her grandmother's tent. Diana was the one who had asked her to eves drop on their conversation.
"Bad news Granny. They are both acting as though they are seeing each other for the first time. They were so formal with one another", said Hermione. She narrated all that she had heard. Surprisingly Diana didn't think it was bad.
"It is not a bad sign at all. Even after all these years they could talk about love. It shows that there is something special between them", she explained to Hermione.
Over the next couple of days Harry became very popular with the kids. He showed them his skill in quidditch which they enjoyed very much. He also shared with them some adventures He had had with Ron and Hermione at Hogwarts. He played a lot of games with them since he had nothing else to do. In the nights he and Hermione would take a walk together and chat a bit after that. Slowly the awkwardness was going away.
The photo session was taking place. Though plenty of days were left two kids were leaving early. So Hermione had brought forward the photo session. Lucas was the photographer. Everybody sat down in a group. Even Harry and Diana were asked to join in.
"Smile. Say cheese", said Lucas and clicked. A nice photo appeared immediately. "Now one photo of yours Miss Granger. The children will like that", he added.
"Why me?" said Hermione.
"Come on Miss Granger", persisted Lucas and clicked again. He looked at the photo and shook his head, "Something is missing. The photo is incomplete", he said. Harry, who was standing nearby sat down besides Hermione. He put his arms around her.
"Is it complete now?" he said looking towards Lucas. Lucas smiled.
"Perfect", he said and clicked for the third time.
That night the kids decided to have a match of quidditch in their toy broomsticks. It would be boys versus girls. They even asked Harry and Hermione to join in. The condition was that Harry could only use his left hand. Hermione of course was no better than the kids. Unfortunately midway through their match it started raining. Hermione quickly commanded everyone to get into their tents. Soon everybody was inside leaving just Harry and Hermione together. Hermione was getting cold, so Harry offered his coat to her. It was still drizzling but of them felt like going in. Harry looked intently into Hermione's eyes. She was staring back at him with equal intensity.
"Dance with me", said Harry.
"There's no music", replied Hermione. Harry waved his wand. The air filled with music. He offered his hand. Hermione took it. She put her hand on his shoulder. He held her by the waist. It was getting dark. They danced for a long time. The song ended. Their faces were inches apart. Harry brought his lips down. Hermione didn't move. He kissed fiercely. She didn't resist and soon started kissing back. Just as they pulled apart Hermione's eyes became wide. She was engaged. She ran away. Harry didn't chase her.
She ran to a cluster of trees. She rested her head against a trunk and started crying. She was confused. Suddenly she felt her enveloped in a hug from behind. This was the time she had to be frank. She had lost Harry once because she hadn't told him what she felt. She forgot that she was engaged and acted as her heart directed. She rested her head against his chest.
"I love you", she said without hesitation. It felt so good to have finally said that to Harry. The one she'd always wanted.
"I thought you'd never say that. I love you too", was the reply. Hermione turned back abruptly. It was Seamus.
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