Love, Are You Still There?

khermione85626

Rating: PG13
Genres: Romance, Humor
Relationships: Harry & Hermione
Book: Harry & Hermione, Books 1 - 5
Published: 30/04/2005
Last Updated: 20/01/2006
Status: in_progress

Hermione hasn't heard from Harry in years. No has. She is the only one who knows the real reason he left the wizarding world for what seems to be forever. Hermione has moved on with her life since the trio spilt. She lives with her new best friends in a flat in London. She is a power medi-witch in St. Mungo's. So, what happenes when a fun friday night ritual with friends turns into a twist from the past?

Chapters

1. Prolog

2. The Second Meeting

3. Chapter 3

4. The Past

1. Prolog

Love, Are You Still There?

AN: Look this is not like my other stories at all. Sorry I haven't updated them in a while. I will be doing that sometime soon. I hope to finish The Reason in June or beginning of July- school sucks!

Lots of Love

~Khermione85626

Chapter One- Prolog

Hermione, 22, walked into the bar followed by her best friends, Melanie and Tara. It was their Friday night ritual. They wore their sexiest clothes and did all kids of dares just for the fun of it. Tonight, it was Hermione's turn to go first. The girls had decided that the first dare of the evening would be planned quite well. Hermione was always the most nervous to do the dares. But it was their rule.

Hermione had met Melanie at St. Mungo's, where they both worked. Melanie had graduated from another wizarding school. Tara had been in need of two flat mates at the time that the other two graduated. Her parents were wealthy had bought it for her birthday. She was Melanie and Hermione were always wary when Tara had to make up the dares. She tended to be, well for the lack of a better word- a slut. The worst thing was that she knew it.

If you are wondering what had happened to the golden trio went, that was not really discussed between the girls. But, Ron and Hermione kept in touch with each other frequently enough but he was quite busy with the Cannons. Harry- well that was the thing know one really knew what happened to Harry. Except Hermione. She didn't keep in contact with him though. She didn't even know where he was. It was rumored that something had happened between them and Harry took off into the Muggle world after the defeat of Voldemort. Once a month people wrote in the Daily Prophet that there had been “sitings” him. Everywhere from Hogwarts to Africa. Hermione didn't even read them. The girls knew never to mention Harry around Hermione. Neither had really met Harry. Maybe when Hermione first moved in but aside from that no.

Tonight the first dare would that Melanie and Tara would pick a guy, normally one that hot and was with a girl, that Hermione had to “pretend” not to see and sit on his lap as though it was an “accident.” It was one of their favorites because the guy would normally stare open mouth and not say anything until she got up. If there was a girl with him, there were varied results. Some girls would slap the guy, others would get up and leave, sometimes the guy would go on and on about how he didn't know her. It was always entertaining with the girls. True, it was extremely childish, but it was so much fun. Hermione hated it until it was over and then she would laugh.

Standing in the entrance Tara and Melanie picked a guy. He was facing opposite of them. They only saw his face for a moment or to but it was up to standards. He had black hair, wide shoulders, and a toned body. He was seated with his arms around a girl sitting next to him while he faced another couple at the table. They appeared to be chit-chatting. He was around 6 foot. He also appeared to be with in their age range. He was perfected for their game. They pointed him out to Hermione. She bit her lip nervously, and sighed. She got ready for entrance. Walking backwards, to make it believable as an accident, she began talking and laughing with Tara and Melanie. Had she really been looking at their faces when she sat down she would have stopped. They were wide eyed and shocked. She sat down. “And then I was like- Opps!! I'm sooooo sorry-“ She said looking up at the guy. Her eyes widened to the size of saucers. His jaw dropped. His face was only about two full inches from her face. And the emerald eyes she had ignored for 4 full years stared back at her, though they no longer were hidden behind round glasses she had fixed many times before. “Shit!” She said under her breath. Upon his forehead was the scar she had tried to ignore but never could quite get out of her thoughts. Harry.

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2. The Second Meeting

Love, Are You Still There?

AN: Sorry about shortness!

Chapter Two

Hermione jumped up and walked briskly out the door. The girls followed. “Look we didn't- We mean we didn't realize—“

“It's ok let's just go home.” Hermione spoke harshly, but she knew they had no idea when picked Harry that it was him. She heard Harry calling after her. Before he could catch up to her, though she had Apparated. He sighed and wandered back to his table. “Harry, dear, who was that woman?” His date inquired.

“Sorry, love. She `s just a ghost of the past.” Harry sighed, sitting back down. It was evident to those at the table that the rest of the evening, his thoughts were far from their topics, but rather of the mysterious girl and why she was there.

“Oh my god! Why is he here? He is supposed to be out somewhere in world never to appear again! God the nerve of him! Just to come back here after…after everything!' She flopped down on the couch and the girls flopped down next to her.

“Oh! Yes and the nerve of him to go into our pub!” Melanie said sarcastically.

“Dear me yes!” exclaimed Tara equally sarcastic.

“Thanks guys, I'm so glad you understand!” Hermione said sarcastically.

“Well, Hermione, you never told us about why he left! How are we supposed to know!! But I can kinda see why your mad. I mean, a hot friend like that who leaves and just comes back, without telling you! That is what I understand about you being mad.” Melanie comforted.

“Here, Here!” Tara agreed.

“I just can't talk about it guys. It's so…” Hermione started.

“Deep, cruel, painful? Any of them work for ya?” Melanie asked.

“Yea, sort of.” Hermione said still deep in thought. She bit the side of her lip. “Do you guys think I should have stayed and listened to him?”

“Na, what ever he did, we are behind you one hundred percent, because it must have been bad if you can't talk about it.” Melanie went on.

“Even if he is super hot.” Tara said thinking about. The other two rolled their eyes at her. It was typical. “Oh come on! You know he's hot!”

“Tara, as much as I would love to agree, you aren't helping out Hermione.” Melanie pointed out.

“It's ok.” Hermione said. The other two turned to her now with an expression that said “liar.” “No, really. I have moved on. I'm over everything that happened. I moved on, and I'm not going back. Not now.”

“Ok, I feel an ice cream night coming on.” Tara said getting up. An ice cream night is what they did when one of them didn't have a good day. They ate ice cream all night and watched movies.

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

It was the next day. Hermione had worked from 9 in the morning till 3in the afternoon. Stepping out of her office she began to walk down the hall. She heard someone begin to call down the hall and run towards her. “Hermione!” She turned around and saw the same man running towards her that had appeared out of the blue the night before. “Oh God!” Turning around, she began to walk in the direction she was before. “Hermione!” He said finally catching up with Hermione and gets in front of her, making her stop. She crossed her arms and looked at her watch. “Harry, what do you want? I only have a short amount of time before I have to meet someone.”

“Look, I know I have exactly been in touch and after what I did, I understand why you are upset that I left, but you have to listen to me.”

“How long?” Hermione asked.

“What?”

“How long have you been back?” She explained.

“Err… Well…”

“Harry.” Hermione cautioned.

“Ok, 7 months.”

“7 months! 7 MONTHS!! Harry how could you I mean I know I told you to never speak to me again, but gosh- 7 months!! And you… you did nothing? No calls, no owl-“ Hermione was stopped short.

“Look I did-I started-I mean tried to but I could never go through with it.” Harry said.

“Doubt it.” Hermione said under her breath, yet Harry heard. Harry rubbed the back of his neck. Mumblings were heard. “What?” Hermione asked curiously.

“ The Girls Place- 56 Mellow Drive, London. 145-772-1528.” Harry repeated a little louder her floo, address, and cell phone number.

“How did you know that?” Hermione asked baffled.

“Well, you know I'm Harry Potter- I have connections.”

“That, Mr. Potter, is a bigger understatement than saying Dumbledore is young.” Hermione began to smile, as did Harry.

“Yea, I guess it is.” Harry said. They both started laughing before Hermione realized she was. Her guard went back up.

“So, Harry, why are you here, now?”

“After last night I had to see you again. I've missed you so much, but last night- after you left I couldn't think of anything else.”

“I'm sure and the little group you had with you didn't help?”

“Hermione, come on-“

“No, no I'm not going through this- not again. That's why I have to go.” Hermione tried to push him away, but he won't budge. “Please, Harry.” She breathed. She looked up into his eyes with one brimmed with tears tempting to overflow. She brushes past him and down the hall. The further she got the faster she walked. By the time she got to the apparition point, Hermione was running. She Apparated to the flat and ran all the way into her room, locking the door she flopped on the bed. Her tears were now running down her face is small rivers that made damp spots on the pillow clutched to her chest. “Please Harry.” Her words faded into the darkness.

** ** **

Back where Harry stood he ran a hand through his unruly hair and sighed. Running after her would be pointless she would always win an argument. He had to come up with a plan, and soon.

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3. Chapter 3

Love, Are You Still There?

Chapter 3

A/N: OK, I’m really, REALLY sorry that neither of my stories have been updated in a while but you know how teachers load up on end of the year projects. Soooo, here you are!!

PS: Thank you all who reviewed!! It always means a lot.

Lots of Luv,

~Khermione85626

Hermione Granger walked down the street with laughter on her lips, but not in her eyes. On either side of her were Melanie and Tara. Both were giggling and oblivious to their friend’s well hidden sadness. The buzz of a beeper broke. “Oh great!” Hermione mumbled. The girls asked what was wrong. “Oh its just they want me back in the office for some last minute things.

“Oh come on! It’s Saturday!”

“I know and that’s why I’ll make it up to you guys tonight.” Hermione said hailing a cab. Jumping in, she waved to her friends as the cab pulled away.

So for the rest of the day the two continued shopping and walking around in town. Loaded down with bags, they headed home. Not long after there was a knock on the door. “I’ll get it!” Melanie called.

“Ok, good cause you know I wasn’t going to.” Tara called form the next room. Melanie rolled her eyes. Looking through the window she gasped at who was at the door. She ran into the room Tara was in with wide eyes. Tara gave her an odd look and a smirk.

“Harry Potter is standing outside our door.” Melanie explained.

“And?”

“And! What do I do?”

“Well, why don’t you open it?” Melanie unsure went back to open the door. Only by 5 inches.

“Umm… Hi, I’m Harry, I was wondering if Hermione was home?” he asked sheepishly.

“She isn’t but I wouldn’t let you in if she was.” Harry smiled with a little laugh.

‘I was kinda hoping she wasn’t. For two reasons, not sure what I would say for sure. Two, I want your help.” Harry said. Melanie was very skeptical.

“Give me one reason why I should let you in after you did whatever you did to Hermione?”

“Oh hey Mel, do you know when Hermione will be back? Oh and— Oh! Hello.” Tara said coming into the room.

“Hi, I wanted to know if you guys would help me?” Harry gave a hopeful glance to both. However, the two kept their firm foot.

“I don’t see why should we should give you a chance.” Tara said.

“Because I know and love Hermione more than any one else.” Melanie looked like she wanted to give and help him then. But Tara continued.

“Oh really?”

“Yes.”

“Then why did you leave?”

“Wha—“

“You left. If you did you wouldn’t have left.”

“I left because she asked me to.”

“Yea, well, probably because you broke her heart.”

“You’re right. And I just want to put the pieces back together.”

“Sure, whatever. Well if you know her so well, what’s her favorite ice cream?”

“Cookie dough”

“Season?”

“Winter”

“Holiday?”

“Christmas”

“Birthday?”

“September 19”

“Flower?”

“Pink daisies”

“Really?”

“Yea”

“Damn, what are you a stalker?” He rolled his eyes at her. “Ok finally what is the one thing she will never talk about to any one?”

“Um…”He could not think. Hermione had always spoken about whatever was on her mind.

“You.” She steely said.

She paused and was thinking seriously. “Fine we’re in.”

“What?” Harry said taken back he hadn’t exactly expected them to agree.

She looked down and didn’t look up till the last word. “You mean something to Hermione if she still can’t talk about you. I still think that if you broke her heart once, you can do it again. But Hermione is my best friend. And you want to make it up to her I’m not gonna be the one to stop you. Besides you saved the world right? I think I owe you one.” She looked him into the eye with a smile. Harry smirked back.

“Thanks.”

Thanks for the b-day fact Dan_Fan

4. The Past

Love, Are You Still There?

Chapter 4

This is the past!!!! You know what happened to them before!!!

Yea here is the next chapter

Woo Who!

***** *****

Hermione thought back to before, while they were at Hogwarts. Everything had been perfect just the way it was supposed to be. The way everything was supposed to be but now matter what she tried, Hermione couldn’t live in that summer forever.

Everything good always ends. It comes to a stopping point. So did this. It was all so simple but suddenly things got complicated. The times they spent together weren’t so long, and so tender. He didn’t hold her as much and he just stopped everything eventually now, going to a dance, or hanging out was to much of a chore. She never could figure it out. What happened? She always brushed every excuse he made off. Her friends told her to cut him loose. Time to move on, but all she would say was no he doesn’t deserve that.

So, she went on pretending. But one week it got too much. She had thought about more than she had should have. Considering every possibility for it. So finally She asked him one night when they were the last ones in the common room.

“Harry, what- when- will you ever feel like doing any thing with me, again?” He looked at her long and hard. She tried to envision what was going through his mind.

“I dunno.” Was his simple answer. He looked away.

“Harry just tell me what is going on? You can talk to me. You know that.”

He looked back up from the table. “You know most people are never in the loop. Parents, friends, family… they never really know what is going…”

“Harry, I don’t care… I want to be!” She said in a forceful whisper. She slid her over his as she sat down in the chair next to him. He pulled his hand away and she felt a stab. She knew it was over. She had known it was over for a while now. But she couldn’t accept it. She knew it then but she wanted to hear him say it. She wanted him to face her and say it.

“OK, fine then. I think we should break up.”

“Fine!” Hermione said with tears in her eyes and stood up and turned away.

“What? Wait! Let me get my thoughts together. She sat back down but still couldn’t look him straight in the eye. It wouldn’t matter though he wasn’t looking at her anyways. Sadly, she felt the sweet thought that he was reconsidering. She made the mistake of saying she had only said fine because she didn’t know what to say. Implying she didn’t want to, as soon as it escaped her lips though she wanted to reel it back in.

“Not knowing what to say is to be expected.” He said it as if he was a physiatrist consoling a patient, as it he was an outsider on the whole thing. She looked at him coldly. How could he be so insensitive? She wanted to scream. She wanted kick and cry. But she sat there with just her simple tears falling slowly down her face.

“How long?”

“Huh?”

“How long have you wanted to break up with me?”

“How long have you felt it was going down hill?” Her answer she kept to herself but he knew she realized it had been awhile.

“Why didn’t you just tell me? Why didn’t you just break up with me instead leading me through this?” She asked finally looking at him. He continued to stare at the table. “Why didn’t you try to do something and tell me?”

“I mean there were plenty of times I could have said something…I tried to give you hints…”

“Yea I got them. I wish just told me!”

“Well I was hoping I wouldn’t have to…”

“Oh really so you just going to go on with charade forever!” She stood up and started pacing.

“Actually I was hoping we would get in a fight and never talk to each other again….”

“What you hated me that much? You would rather hate each other forever! Than break up and maybe be friends?”

“Well… I mean I have been trying for awhile…”

“So?”

“It is hard to break up with you. You know me so well! You are one of a few people who know the prophecy, and know the real me…”

“OK well what did you think I was going to go tell Voldemort the prophecy just because you broke up with me or something?”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“Why did you want to break up with me anyway? I mean you still haven’t given me answer!”

“I can’t say ok! It’s hard to explain!” Harry stood up now and for once, looked her eyes for one minute before looking away.

“What? I can’t know?”

“I have had a lot of pressure recently!”

“O and that’s supposed to explain it?”

“Ag!” He stormed up the steps to the boys dormitories. Hermione stared after him. And melted. She just began to cry and cry and she couldn’t stop. Parvati came out a moment later. “What’s going on?”

“Parvati! Leave me alone! Go away!” screamed Hermione. Parvati turned and left to go back to bed. She felt like she was falling apart inside as she sat there on the floor by the fire.

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

The next day Luna came up to Hermione as soon as she entered the Main Hall. Luna, Harry, and a few others had become really good friends. Hermione wasn’t exactly fitting into this group though. She had hung out with them when she was with Harry sometimes but that was it.

“Look, Harry is going through a lot right now. And you shouldn’t give him a hard time and give him dirty looks and all. If you really knew him you wouldn’t have asked all those questions last night. He has been trying to break up with you for awhile. Now if you give him a hard time. You’ll have to deal with me.” Luna gave Hermione one harsh push, and walked away. Hermione looked to the table. Harry had been watching them. But he looked down when she caught him. She swallowed and tried washing away all of her questions about Luna and everything she wanted to ask Harry. She still wanted to be friends. She couldn’t lose him altogether.

“I don’t hate you,” she said as she sat down across the table from him.

“Well that’s obvious.” She looked up at him with steely eyes but he just kept eating.

“I mean we can still be friends right?”

“Sure,” Harry said between mouthfuls. Hermione sigh she knew he would be fine with it. After a while. But time past. She felt things were getting better one day and the next he did not even say hi. One moment it would be just like old times, the next he couldn’t care less. He felt she was on a constant tug-of-war. She knew he had won, she had to keep him thinking that at least she had moved on. She had let him think it was over in her heart. However, sometimes what you know in your mind, the heart refuses to accept. One week she decided that all the questions she had left to ask had waited long enough.

“Harry, how long exactly had you been thinking about breaking up with me? I mean seriously?”

“I dunno.” Just like always, he shrugged his shoulders. She knew he hated to talk about when they broke up, but she needed to know a few things.

“Why did you break up with me?” He rolled his eyes.

“I told you I can’t explain it.”

“What the hell does that mean? How can you not explain it? How do you not know why you broke up with someone or how long you wanted to?”

“I dunno, I just don’t.” He tried to break the tension with his smile. Hermione was starting to feel like a fool. How could she have let herself be so up front and revealed? She knew he could read all her feelings right then.

“Oh, you’re just so weird.”

“And you realized that just now?” He said knowing he had succeeded in avoiding any more questions he laughed. But they both knew everything would be different. Harry began to avoid her completely.

The thing that confused Hermione the most was that at times when it was the two of them it seemed like just before. He would joke and she would laugh and they would even flirt, but he wasn’t the same. They weren’t the same. Harry soon made sure he was never alone with her. He stopped coming to place where they would normally hang out with all their friends.

Hermione hid it well from everyone that she still was in love with him. But one friend knew. Every week Ginny asked her one question, are you over him? Every week she answered yes. Every week she told Ginny she was wrong. And every week they both knew she lied.

But when he did come back he brought Cho back to. That week Ginny turn dreadfully to her friend. “He’s over you, its time to move on.” That week Hermione didn’t answer. That week Hermione broke inside, but vowed not to let him see.

Hermione noticed that he would go back and forth between her and Cho. She knew that even before he went out with her, he stuck with her the whole time when they were together, but it was no consolation that she knew he didn’t like Cho as much as he had loved her. She got this feeling in her stomach she couldn’t get rid of it.

Her heart ached and her stomach throbbed. Her throat constricted, she couldn’t breathe every time she saw them together. She was jealous. People added to the back and forth of her heart by telling her, they thought he liked her again. He still knew her better than anyone else did.

He still knew where she was every second of every day. She knew by the glances back she got in class and the hallways. She knew by the seconds of eye contact they shared. It was as if he had a sixth sense for her eyes. But she felt like he loved to hate her. And that killed her slowly.

Hermione, was tired of being ruled by him. She was tired of the power he held over her. She knew it would never be gone but the best thing was to cut any contact with him. Hermione finally decided to tell him everything she felt. She was tired of thinking she would make him feel guilty, because now that was exactly what she wanted to. She had tried to move on and still be friends with him but he had pushed her away too many times. He had do too many things that tramped her. She was going to move on without. She had finally realized that what she feared losing was the one thing she had already lost. Him.

She got up the courage to talk to him. And this time she wasn’t backing down. It was going to be over after this conversation. No matter what. That was how it had to be.

“Harry, we need to talk.”

“Are you sure Hermione?”

“Oh yea.” She pulled him aside from the table in the common room and more to the corner.

“So what’s on your mind?”

“Harry, you told me you couldn’t break up with me because you knew me too well right?”

“Er… yea.”

“And you told me later that you would still like to be friends, correct?”

“Er… yea…”

“So why do you shut me out of your life and then treat me like I’m your best friend and then shut me out again? You can’t stand to be around me! You avoid me everywhere we go! You never talk to me any more! You make me feel like I mean nothing to! And you know what sometimes the thing I want most in the world is to hate you but I know I can’t! I can’t hate you; because you’re just… you’re just YOU!” She felt herself losing her composure more and more. “I can’t hate you, Harry, no matter what I want or how angry I am at you!” She felt herself starting to well up and she talked faster as she went. “Yet regardless of what I feel you still do this to me! You couldn’t hurt me any more Harry.”

“Hermione please!” Harry tried.

“Harry don’t give me any of that bull! I’m talking here and I’m not stopping till I get this out! You used to hold me like you’d never let go. You used to talk to me about everything in the world. You used say you would be there forever. You used to… you used to care…” She knew Harry was beginning to feel horrible but she was still getting started.

“Fine, you want to lock me out of your life. Fine you want to play the old loner card. Fine, you don’t love me any more. Fine, you want to be my friend. Fine, you want to act like you don’t care. You want to try and screw me over, not fine.” She pause the tears were rushing to get out and she forced them back in. She kept looking him straight in the eye. She wanted him to see every drop of pain he had put her through, ever single hope stomped on, every breath neglected. She felt the dam inside break. A few tears came down. She had to keep going through everything that she felt.

“You have people who care.” She swallowed she could do his. She had to do this. Her voice sharp and pronouncing each syllable with emphasis, but slowly breaking, much like the rest of her under his gaze that was still hypnotizing. “You have people who want to help you. People who really want you to be there everyday and hold you close. But I’m not one of them.” She paused, letting the tears catch up to her, she swallowed. In a hushed voice she continued. “I can’t be, because I’m not gonna watch you break me into a million pieces, Harry Potter. I never want to see you again! Harry Potter, leave and never come back.” Her voice broke and she pushed her self to continue. “Don’t look at me ever again! Don’t you dare talk to me! And don’t you ever, ever even think of me again! Harry Potter, this my last good-bye…” The look in that one instant in those two eyes was two thousand times worse than then anything she said. She turned. She walked silently out of his life for what was supposed to be forever…

** ** ** **

Told you it wouldn’t be long for this chapter.

People review, o and try to guess what Harry has planned. I hope you liked it!