Chapter 4 - An Interesting Meeting
Disclaimer: None of these phenomenal characters belong to me. They are the wonderful brain children of the amazing JK Rowling.
Rating: R/NC-17 (some chapters)
Pairing: H/Hr (eventually)
Summary: Sometimes love finds us in the all the wrong places. We just have to wait until it finds the right one.
Author's Note: Ok, so, we're still at the same party. (This is starting to feel like a general hospital episode…) Anyhow, sorry for the delay but real life has a tendency to be somewhat chaotic for me. Hope you enjoy this next installment and I look forward to hearing your reactions. Feedback is like crack to me. ::shudders:: I need a fix!
By the way, the chapter was not beta read, so any mistakes you find are solely my own.
From the last chapter:
He pulled her into a slightly uncomfortable hug and she found herself pulled flush against him. She chanced a glance over his shoulders and spied Chris shooting daggers at them with her eyes, quickly looking away when her eyes met Hermione's.
He loosened his embrace and pulled away from her slightly. "Hermione…" He spoke her name softly. She realized he was ever so slowly bringing his lips nearer to hers giving her the opportunity to back away if she wanted to.
"Oy! Hermione! Your boyfriend is in the floo for you!" shouted George from across the room.
Harry dropped his arms from around her like she burned him. "Boyfriend?" he asked.
"I'm sorry, Harry," she whispered, "I thought someone would have mentioned it to you."
"You should have mentioned it, Hermione!" he replied roughly, the alcohol slurring his speech. "Maybe it was a mistake thinking I could come back here like nothing had changed while I was gone." He stood angrily and staggered slightly on his feet. "I thought we were better friends than that…"
"Of course we are!" she answered almost indignantly. As she stood and watched her friend swaying, she decided that perhaps now wasn't the best time to have that particular discussion. "Ian is going to floo over any moment now; you can meet him. And, I promise tomorrow you and I will go for coffee and discuss everything about my life and yours in excruciating detail, okay?"
"Yeah, sure," he said, giving her a hesitant half smile, which she returned warmly. He watched her turn and walk away without so much as a backward glance and knew that something major had just inexplicably changed and there was absolutely nothing he could do about it.
"Oy Harry!" shouted Ron from across the room, "Come over here and take a shot with your best mate! Chris says there's no way you could handle another!" With a laugh and a slight stumble, Harry headed back over to where Ron was drinking with his partner.
"Potter, why didn't you ever mention how frightfully funny your friend is?" Chris asked, howling with laughter, as Ron was doing a nearly perfect impersonation of Mad Eye Moody.
"That's because he's not funny usually, just a slight touched," he said jovially, tapping his index finger to his temple and nodding his head in Ron's direction.
"Funny, Harry," Ron replied, his eyes flashing as he cast a panic look in the direction behind Harry.
Harry almost knew exactly what to expect but knowing and seeing proof positive were two very different things. There stood Hermione with an ear to ear smile as she walked in on the arm of a man that could only be the infamous Ian.
Ron appraised Harry's reaction carefully before he spoke, very carefully choosing his words, "She's happy, Harry." Harry looked at Ron surprised he had answered the question he would never have dared to voice. "I, uh, just thought I should tell you that."
"Thanks, Ron," he said, wishing he hadn't drank as much as he had, as he struggled to get to his feet. "If you both will excuse me, I'd like to go meet that fellow over there." Before either could reply Harry was on is way.
Luna, who had just wandered over from the Weasley twin huddle, approached Ron and asked, "What did I miss?" She looked over at Chris, who had a decisively cross look upon her face, and followed the direction of her gaze. "Oh. I see Ian finally decided to show up."
"Yup," replied Ron.
"Do you think Harry is going to make a scene?" asked Chris, "I'm not sure I'm in the best condition to break up a fight at the moment."
"Nope," said Ron, "I think he's too pissed to do much of anything but make a fool of himself right now."
"Oh good," said Chris dryly, picking up another shot of firewhiskey and downing it like water. "It'll almost be like dinner theater then… except there's no dinner and a lot of alcohol." Ron gave her a wry smile and turned back to the spectacle he was sure was about to unfold.
Hermione swallowed her feelings of alarm as Harry approached and cleared her throat. "Ian Marshall, I'd like you to meet my best friend, Harry Potter. Harry, this is my boyfriend, Ian Marshall."
"Nice to meet you," said Ian, brushing his sandy hair from his forehead and holding out his hand.
"Likewise," replied Harry, "Nice to know Hermione has been keeping herself occupied while I've been away."
Even though Harry was a bit taller, Ian's dark brown eyes met Harry's as he replied, "Quite."
With a nervous laugh, Hermione spoke, "The twins said everything is ready out back and we should go so they can give Harry their surprise."
"We'd best head back there before something explodes then," Harry said, extending his arm and indicating he would follow Ian and Hermione. They left him standing there and proceeded to the backyard.
When Chris walked over to him he was in no mood to be teased or goaded over what had just transpired. "Not now, Chris, I don't think I can deal with anything else right now."
"You wound me with your words, Potter," she said putting her arm through his, "I just wanted you to be my escort outside. Let's go. We can plot and scheme later." With that said Chris led him out back dragging him by the arm.
The twins were standing on a small platform as everyone was gathering round and Tonks rushed into the backyard. "Did I miss it?" she asked breathlessly, "That bloody owl is impossible to use. He kept nipping at me when I was trying to tie that letter."
"The fun is about to begin!" shouted an excited Fred.
"Welcome home Harry!" George yelled, as Fred drew a small article from his pocket and tossed it into the air. It flew into the air and popped and fizzled away.
"Umm…was that what we were waiting for?" asked Harry, "I thought…" Before he could finish his sentence a myriad of colors began to fill the sky in random patterns and small bursts of light. Flames danced in the sky in brilliant blues and reds before forming the words "Welcome Home Hairy Putter!"
The crowd burst into laughter and even Harry couldn't contain himself as the Weasley twins began to argue with one another over who was supposed to fix the spelling in their display.
"That wasn't exactly what we had planned, Harry, but I hoped you enjoyed our Weasley Windups," said George, giving Fred an irritated look.
"It was great guys. Thanks," Harry laughed, "You're going to make a bundle if you sell these in your store."
"Nah, that one was just for you," Fred said, giving Harry a pat on the back.
"Harry, Ian and I need to get going. He has an exam first thing in the morning and I promised I'd help him finish preparing for it." She looked over to where Ian was waiting impatiently for Hermione to say goodbye to everyone, surreptitiously looking at his watch every few seconds. "Coffee tomorrow right?" she asked.
"Yeah," said Harry, still glassy eyed from the evening's firewhiskey, "I have a feeling I'm really going to need it."
Hermione wrapped her arms around him and gave him a tight hug. "I'm glad you're back, Harry, I've really missed you."
As she was walking away she couldn't help but notice Chris walk over to him and say, "We should probably get going too. I hope the beds here are bigger than the one in the hotel."
She chose to ignore that remark as she walked towards her boyfriend, just as she chose to ignore the pain that had settled in the pit of her stomach.
Authors Note 2: The next chapter is almost ready to go. It'll finally warrant that NC-17 rating. Hope you enjoyed this chapter. We're finally done with the party! Woohoo! Please please please please please leave some feedback.