Always There

Disclaimer: The characters and the world of Harry Potter cam out of the brilliant mind of JK Rowling. I’m just a humble admirer.

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1. Good Friends

For some reason, Harry had always known that his dear friends will always be a part of his future. He could just not imagine what life would be like without Ron's funny remarks and Hermione's wise advices. He could count on the pair of them any day, anytime, for anything at all. Even, and sometimes Ron had trouble admitting this, to have some fun. Through the years, Harry had found how right he had been about his friend's loyalty. Now seven years after they had graduated form Hogwarts, the ties that had joined them through their years in school were stronger than ever. Defeating the Dark Lord at the end of their seventh year, with the help of Ron and Hermione, besides other equally important people, had showed Harry that he could do anything he wanted as long as he had his friends at his side.

Now their adult lives had originated some inevitable changes. Almost a year ago, Ron had decided to move in with Luna Lovegood. The two of them had been dating for a couple of years and had finally decided to move in together. To even Ron's surprise, they had fallen deeply in love. Ron after working with the twins at the Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes had been able to save enough gold to open his own little show in Diagon Alley, but instead of competing with his brothers for the joke/sweets market, he had decided to go into the area of quidditch supplies. Now his shop had turned into a successful business. Luna, in the other hand, had inherited her father's magazine "The Quibbler" after his unexpected death, but had turned it into a more serious magazine directed mainly to the female population of the wizarding world. Ginny had started working with her almost as soon as Luna took over the magazine and had turned into a well-known fashion & style reporter. George and Fred usually teased her saying that she should open her own "make-over" business.

A year after Ginny graduated from Hogwarts, she and Hermione decided to become housemates and moved in together into a nice flat in London. That way both of them were able to live closer to their jobs. Hermione was now working in St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries in the Research Department where she was the supervisor of the research team. They would come into action whenever the healers were not able to identify what kind of spell had been placed upon someone. They had to come up with a potion or some way to reverse the spell to undo whatever was wrong. It usually had to do with people trying to create new, and almost always illegal, magic but from time to time they would also have to deal with people performing dark magic.

As for Harry, he was an Auror and worked for the Minister of Magic that had now a new Minister, Mr. Arthur Weasley. The arrival of the new Minister had brought many changes into the Ministry, reason for which Harry accepted to work for them. He would've never worked there if Fudge would've still been the Minister. Also, Harry was very grateful with Mr. Weasley because he had made changes to some of the internal policies, which allowed Lupin to also apply to become an Auror. Now, both Lupin and Harry worked in the same team, and usually had to do a mission together. Having a stable job had given Lupin the confidence and resources needed to settle down. He was now married to a nice witch named Annie, had a little boy and were expecting there second baby.

After leaving Hogwarts, Harry had finally been able to leave the Dursleys for good and had permanently moved in to number 12 Grimmauld Place. Being such a big house, Ron, the twins and even Lupin had at some time lived there with him, but eventually they all left. Ron went to live at Luna's house, Lupin got married, and the twins had bought a house of their own. Now, Harry actually enjoyed living alone. Due to his demanding job he felt that there was nothing better to help him regain his strength than the peace and quietude he always found at his home.

Even though his professional life was successful, in the matters of the heart, Harry had not been as lucky as Ron. For some reason, he wasn't able to have a normal, stable relationship. After the Cho fiasco, he had had a very hard time gathering the courage needed to ask a girl out. He had been in a few dates, but for some reason none of those relations had lasted more than a couple of weeks. He just didn't know what was wrong with him that he just couldn't maintain a relationship. Besides, some of the girls he'd gone out with where only interested in dating the famous "boy who lived" but where not really interested in Harry, just Harry. He even wondered if he'd ever be able to find someone he could make a family of his own with, just like Ron and Lupin had found someone.

Another one that also was not lucky in the "dating department" was Hermione. For a while, she had dated a wizard she met at the twins' shop, but after going out for a few months, they both decided to split up since none of them were really in love. Now, for the first time in her life Hermione felt she was really in love. Steven Greengrass worked with Hermione at St. Mungo's. He was a handsome, brown-eyed, tall blonde man that knew perfectly well the effect he had on women. He was one of those people that knew where his strengths resided and was sure to make use of them whenever possible. His muscular, lean, athletic figure as well as his well-practiced seduction techniques were his main weapons. Still, he had one flaw, he had a girlfriend.

Hermione had tried hard not to fall for him. She knew perfectly well that he was going out with someone, since Rita, the girlfriend, would regularly owl Steven at the office, sometimes even twice a day. She also knew that Steven was a wolf who would throw compliments to a broom as long as it was wearing a skirt. Besides Steven knew very well how to drive a woman crazy. He would casually rub Hermione's arm when walking near her, would hold Hermione's hand a little longer that socially appropriate when greeting her (even when just a simple hello would've been enough), but most of all what made Hermione forget about everything were his eyes. There was something in Steven's brown eyes that slowly began to hypnotize her. Aware of the effect he was having on her, Hermione tried to avoid him for several days, but it was useless. He'd find a way to get close to her and to submerge her into his intoxicating presence. Steven was completely aware of this and was sure he'd be able to find a way to brake Hermione's resistance in the end.

Hermione knew she was in trouble and she was trying very hard to keep her feelings from her friends. She couldn't help feeling guilty. Of course, this feelings would only come to her when she was alone or at night when she tried to go to sleep because whenever Steven was in front of her she could not think at all. Hermione knew that if she were in Rita's shoes, she'd hate to see that someone else was trying to steal her boyfriend away. But she couldn't help it. She had fallen in love and didn't want to think about that.

The only person that suspected that something was going on was Ginny. Being Hermione's housemate, she'd usually got to hear her talking about work and her co-workers. So, after Hermione met Steven all Ginny heard for more than two weeks was how self-absorbed, presumptuous, and arrogant Steven was. To that date Ginny had thought that the only person that could possibly have all those "qualities" was Gilderoy Lockhart, but Steven had proven her wrong. Eventually, Hermione's complains began to stop until her comments changed from "how much I hate this guy" to "Steven is so funny". Ginny suspected what the reason for such a dramatic change was, but had not gotten the courage to talk to Hermione about it.

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To make sure that they wouldn't lose contact, Hermione had proposed that they all, not just the trio but also Ginny, Luna and the twins, would have dinner together every other Friday. They would meet at someone's place and rotate from place to place. That mid March Friday it was the twins turn to host dinner. Over the years, George had developed a liking for cooking and enjoyed preparing new and different meals for his friends to try every time that the dinner was held at their place. But most of all, he liked compliments.

"This time you outdo yourself George!", said Ginny after savoring the Chinese dish George had prepared for that night.

"Are you sure you made this?" asked Ron even when by now he knew perfectly well that George was a great cook, but he just loved to tease him.

"Of course!!" replied George trying to sound offended, though aware of the teasing. "I'm even thinking about opening my own restaurant."

"Are you serious? Would you really leave the joke shop for a restaurant?" asked Luna, who could not imagine George as the owner of a fancy restaurant.

"Of course he's not serious" Fred responded for him. "He has a commitment with our clientele and I need him to help me prepare some of the more difficult sweets." And after throwing an arm over George's shoulder, they were sitting next to each other, added, "besides he'll get bored to death in a place like that"

Since the remains of the dinner still laid in their plates, George began taking away the plates so they could move on to dessert. As always, the chat was animated and all those sitting at the long mahogany table laugh at the twins' jokes and enjoyed very much the night, but on that occasion Hermione had hardly said a word. She had been lost in her thoughts.

She just couldn't stop thinking about what she knew Steven would be doing right at that very same moment. Steven had made sure that everybody at work heard that on that day he and Rita were going to celebrate their second anniversary with a very romantic dinner at a fancy muggle restaurant. It seemed that he wanted to make sure Hermione knew about it.

The news had made Hermione feel a range of various feelings that she did not know how to deal with. She felt sad because he was obviously happy about the whole anniversary thing. She also felt angry at him for making such a big deal about it in front of her. And yes, she also felt a little jealous, okay maybe terribly jealous. Hermione wished so hard she could be the one celebrating with him. The one he had to make feel special and loved. All those thoughts were twirling around in her mind when she was suddenly brought back to reality after hearing that Luna was yelling her name.

"Hermione! Didn't you hear me?"

"Wh...what? Are you talking to me?" asked Hermione who had just realized that everybody was staring at her.

"Yes. I'm talking to you," responded Luna. "Didn't you hear what I said?"

"Mmmm...no. Sorry Luna, I didn't hear you" said Hermione playing with her silver spoon, trying not to look at anybody in the eye.

"I was just saying that I met this great guy. His name is Patrick and he works for Flourish and Blotts. He's such a handsome, intelligent and interesting guy, and he has a great sense of humor."

Hermione sighed. It was not the first time that Luna had tried to arrange a blind date for her. "Please Luna... tell me you're not trying to set me up with someone, again."

"I know you're going to like him. He's a very nice guy" added Luna, who was not willing to take no for an answer. She was determined to find Mr. Right for Hermione.

"I think you should give him a chance," said Ginny from across the table. "I also know Patrick and he really is a great guy."

"Well... why are you girls so interested in finding a date for Hermione?" asked Fred, who deeply believed that there was nothing better than being single.

"I'm sorry, but I...I can't go on a date" said Hermione who appreciated her friend's attempt, but she had always felt uncomfortable about having someone else pick a guy for her.

"Why can't you go on a date? Are you seeing someone?" asked Ron.

Ron's comment made the girls jump with curiosity and excitement. If they were staring at Hermione before, now they were checking every single expression on her face to try and get the answer Hermione was so strongly trying to keep from them.

"Are you? ...Hermione?" asked both girls.

Hermione just didn't know what to say. She couldn't say yes since that wasn't true, but a part of her was not willing to say no either. Saying no would be like denying that something was going on between Steven and her. Still, she didn't feel like discussing it.

"Well... I, ahh..... I don't know", finally said Hermione.

"What do you mean you don't know?" said Ron. "You either are or you're not, simple as that, isn't it?"

"Maybe...," interrupted George, "...there is someone, but they're not exactly going out... yet. Right?"

"Is that true?" asked Luna who could not hide her excitement. "Is there someone?"

Hermione felt she was being nailed to the wall. She did not know what to say or how to get out of this tight situation. Fortunately for her, Harry came to her rescue.

"Come on guys, give her a break. It's her business whether she's seeing someone or not. When she's ready to tell us, she will."

A sigh of disappointment was heard throughout the table. Hermione gave Harry a thankful look and quickly excused herself from the table and went to find refuge in the loo. Once she was in the privacy of the bathroom, she took a deep breath. She hated keeping things from her friends but just could not tell them she was getting in the middle of a couple's relationship. She felt ashamed of herself.

Trying to release some of the tension she felt, she went to the porcelain sink and wet her face with cold water. Hermione knew she couldn't hide in there all night. She looked at her reflection in the big framed mirror in front of her, made an effort to look as composed as possible, and went to rejoin her friends. She found them in the living room, some sitting comfortably in the comfy couches while other had opted for a spot in the wooden floor by the center table in the middle of the sitting area. They were all enjoying either a cup of coffee or a drink.

Without giving it much thought she took the cup of coffee George was offering her and sat down in the floor. She was grateful to see they had moved to another topic. Luna was telling them about a conference in Paris she and Ginny would be attending the following week. Hermione, however, didn't hear what the conference was about as she wasn't really listening to them. She couldn't feel more relieved about having people's attention in someone else rather than her. The only one who kept looking at her from time to time was Harry.

He was also sitting in the floor across the table, right in front of Hermione. When Hermione realized that he was looking at her with an expression of concern, she tried to look interested in the girls talk avoiding Harry's green eyes. Almost half an hour later, looking for an excuse to get away, Hermione took her cup of coffee, which she hadn't even tasted, and went into the kitchen to put it back. She went to the sink and emptied her cold coffee down the drain and put the cup down. Hermione stood there for a couple of seconds looking at the empty cup. She felt as empty as the cup.

Then, she sensed a presence behind her. Before he even spoke, Hermione knew perfectly well that Harry was standing behind her. Hermione could point out his aftershave among a thousand. Trying to focus her senses in that fascinating smell, she closed her eyes but open them quickly when she felt Harry's hand on her shoulder.

"Are you okay?" asked Harry softly. His voice sounded concerned.

"Yeah," responded Hermione just a little too quickly, not sounding too convincing. "I'm fine." she said trying not to look at him. Harry who realized that she was purposely avoiding his eyes pulled her face gently to make her look at him.

"You know that I'm here, right?" said Harry with a very gentle voice. "If you ever need me."

Hermione looked at his eyes and knew how true his words were. She knew she could count on him for anything. But she also knew that the last thing she ever wanted to see in those eyes was disappointment, or even a reproach. She knew that if Harry were to know what was going on he wouldn't approve of it, and she didn't want to face that.

"Thanks," she said truthfully. "I know."

Not wanting to force her to talk about something she obviously wasn't ready for, Harry walked back to the other room. A few seconds later, Hermione followed him. When she got there, Ron and Ginny were getting ready to leave. Hermione didn't let pass the opportunity and said she also had to leave, so they all started to say good bye to each other. Ginny went along with Hermione, and a few minutes later they both apparated in their own living room. Before Ginny could even say a word, Hermione said good night and went into her room.

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Harry did not feel good about seeing Hermione so distracted and distant from all of them on Friday. It was now Monday morning and Harry was in his office trying to finish a report he was supposed to submit later that day, but he just couldn't concentrate. Thoughts about what could possibly have Hermione looking so tense worried him. He knew that the whole "going out" talk had made matters worse because she had gotten even more uneasy. He wondered whether Hermione's state of mind was because of this person, 'cause obviously there was someone no doubt about it, or if there was something else bothering her.

"But she would tell us, right? If she was having some kind of trouble at work she wouldn't be so reluctant to talk about it."

"So, now you talk to yourself?" said Lupin as he entered Harry's office. He went straight to the upholstered chair just in front of Harry's big, walnut desk and sat there with a teasing smile on his face.

"Hey Lupin" greeted Harry.

"Well... what's wrong?" asked Lupin seeing the look of concern in Harry's face.

"Oh, it's just... it's Hermione."

"What's wrong with Hermione?"

"That's the problem," said Harry leaning back into his chair while passing a hand trough his raven hair. "I don't know." After seeing the puzzled look in Lupin's face, Harry proceeded to tell Lupin about their Friday dinner. Lupin listened intently to Harry's words without interrupting. After Harry was finished, Lupin pondered for a while before finally speaking.

"So, you think this guy is the one that has her all stressed out?"

"Could be." Harry tried hard to remember Hermione's expressions hoping to recall something he may have missed. "What I know for sure is that she's hiding something. She wouldn't look me in the eye 'cause she knows that I can tell when she's lying. Then again, Hermione is a woman, and women are hard to understand."

"You're right about that," agreed Lupin. The leaning towards Harry's desk, Lupin added, "but you're also right when you say you know when she's lying. You two are really close. Why don't you just talk to her? Tell her you worry about her. After all, she trusts you."

Harry thought about it for a while. Lupin was right. The easiest thing to do was to ask her. He knew he could find a way to get to her and make her open up to him. It wouldn't be the first time he'd do something like that anyway. So he made up his mind. He was going to talk to her and immediately decided that he wasn't going to wait any longer. Since it was almost lunch time, he decided to show up at Hermione's work and take her to lunch even if he had to drag her out.

About twenty minutes later, Harry was at St. Mungo's fourth floor, Spell Damage (Unliftable jinxes, hexes, and incorrectly applied charms, etc), walking toward Hermione's office. Since the door to her office was open, Harry walked in but stood frozen at the threshold. Hermione was not alone. She was standing in the middle of the room and there was a man with her, a good-looking man, who was standing a few inches away from her holding one of her hands into his while gently caressing it with his other hand. Neither of them seemed to have notice Harry's arrival.

There was something about this man that made Harry feel uneasy. It was one of those times when only by looking at someone you get a gut feeling that tells you to be careful. But what made Harry feel even more uncomfortable was the look in Hermione's face. It was as if she was look at God himself for she had such a look of admiration in her face she could not have been able to hide if she would've tried.

Suddenly, Steven realized there was someone at the door staring at them. Feeling annoyed by the interruption, Steven looked at Harry trying to tell him with his eyes to go away.

"Can I help you?" asked Steven with a very rude tone that really meant don't bother me, go away. When Steven spoke, Hermione looked at the door. As soon as she saw Harry, she jumped a few inches back , retrieved quickly her hand from Steven's, and flushed so profusely that she could feel the heat coming out of her face.

"Harry!" said Hermione in a surprised voice that resembled a kid being caught with his hand in the cookie jar after being told not to do it. Then looking at Steven, she tried to make her voice sound as normal as possible. "Yeah, do that! And then, let me know how it goes."

Without saying a word Steven walked out of the office not before giving Harry a nasty look. Hermione made a motion with her hand showing Harry a seat and then went around her black desk and sat down. Harry could see that her hands were shaking as she tried to keep them busy with the rolls of parchment she had spread all over her desk. For a couple of minute, they didn't say a word. Finally, Hermione seemed to have regained herself and broke the silence.

"What a nice surprise, Harry. It's been so long since you came to visit me at work."

"Well, I was close by... and... decided to come and invite you for lunch."

"Lunch?"

"Yes... you do eat lunch, don't you?" said Harry teasingly.

Hermione smiled.

"Okay... just give me five minutes." Hermione started putting away the rolls of parchment she had in her desk while Harry stood up and walked towards the window. He could see the streets of London brightly illuminated by the sun in its highest point. He looked at the people walking in the streets for a couple of minutes and before he knew it Hermione was ready to go.

They went to a muggle restaurant a few blocks away from St. Mungo's. They had been in this place before and liked it because it was a quiet, nice place where you could have a nice conversation without having to yell so the other person could hear you. After taking a table by the window, Harry sat in front of Hermione. The table was very small with a single rose in a small glass vase. He could've easily taken her hands in his if he wanted to.

For a while, all Harry did was study Hermione's appearance. He was relieved to see that she looked much better than last Friday, unless the look of distress was gone from her face. She was wearing a nice blue trouser suit and a light blue blouse, her hair tied in a bun in the back of her head.

After Hermione removed her waistcoat jacket and placed it in the back of her chair, she started telling Harry about how things were at work. She was complaining about the problems they were having to find an antidote for a spell placed upon a man that made his head keep changing form, from the tiny head of a bird to the sharped-teeth head of a shark to the hairy head of a bear, making a loud sound every time.

Harry was listening to her feeling good about seeing that she was her usual talkative self. He knew that her attitude would change as soon as he'd asked her what he wanted to know, but he was there already and there was no reason for him to back away. Trying to sound as casual as possible, Harry finally spoke.

"So... who's this guy that was in your office?"

Hermione's fork fell from her hands after hearing Harry's question. "Here it goes", Harry thought. "She's nervous."

"Ahh... he's, ah... Steven," said Hermione trying hard not to make it sound as if it mattered. "He works with me."

"Is he... the one?"

Feeling again that her face was turning the brightest shade of red there is, Hermione replied.

"Wh...what do you mean, The One?"

"You know... the one you didn't want to talk about Friday night", said Harry while searching her face for an answer.

Hermione knew Harry had caught her. There was no reason to deny it. She couldn't believe how easily he had guessed. Had she been that obvious?

"Yeah, he's the one." Hermione looked intently to her napkin and began rolling it and unrolling it with her fingers. She needed to do something with her hands in order to somehow calm herself.

Harry wasn't sure how much Hermione was willing to tell him. He knew she was anxious about it, but didn't want to press her. Still there was something he needed to know.

"Tell me, is he a good guy?"

"Look who's here!" said a friendly voice.

"Annie!" said Hermione feeling very happy to see Annie, Lupin's wife, not only because she was a nice person but also because she had interrupted in the best moment.

Hermione stood up and gave Annie a soft kiss in the cheek. Harry smiled, knowing perfectly well that Hermione was trying to avoid Harry's question. So, he decided to drop the subject and come back to it another day.

2. Furtive Encounters

About an hour after Hermione came back from lunch, she was walking towards her office reviewing a piece of parchment she was holding in her hands. Suddenly, she felt someone grabbing her upper arm.

"I need to talk to you," said Steven in a very demanding voice. He pulled Hermione forcing her to accelerate her pace and once they were inside her office, he let go of her arm and closed the door.

"So... who's that guy?"

Hermione thought for a while, not sure of who Steven was talking about. "You mean... Harry?"

"Oh, I see...", said Steven with a sarcastic tone in his voice. "That was the Famous Harry Potter!"

Steven was pacing around the office resembling a trapped lion inside a cage. Hermione could see that he was upset, but what was he upset about? Could it possibly be that he was jealous of Harry? A tiny right of sunshine seemed to invade Hermoine's heart since that would mean he actually cared for her. Then again, she said to herself, how can he come and question me? He doesn't have the right to do this when he's the one that has a girlfriend. She was still trying to figure about where this was going when Steven spoke again.

"Is there something going on between you and this... Harry?" Steven's voice sounded more as a demand than a question.

"No", responded Hermione firmly, and then trying to sound as distant as she could added, "Even if there was, who are you to question me?"

Hermione's words hadn't even completely come out of her mouth when she felt two strong hooks seizing her upper arms. Steven had cut the distance between them in one step and was now holding Hermione so tight she could feel her hands getting numb. For a few seconds, Hermione felt scared. Steven's expression was very hard to read. Was that in his eyes anger, frustration, or maybe even jealousy? Or perhaps a mixture of all those feelings at the same time? Hermione couldn't tell.

Then without saying a word Steven plunged himself toward Hermione and started kissing her as if he wanted to devour her in one bite. At first, Hermione, who wasn't expecting this, tightened her body in shock, but eventually as her brain began to process what was happening, her body started to respond to the Steven's kiss and melted between his arms. Her knees started to shake as if they were not able to hold her weight. If Steven wasn't still holding her, she would've slipped to the floor.

Hermione's mouth responded to the kiss without her even thinking about it. Steven's tongue invaded her mouth and as the expert he was made her tremble from head to toe. Hermione had never been kissed with this fury and dessesperation before. She wasn't totally sure of it, but among all the incredible feelings she was having at the moment, there was also a little bit of pain from such frenzy kiss.

All of a sudden someone knocked on the door. Quickly Steven let go of her and sat at the couch by the window. Hermione, who couldn't even talk, for a few seconds didn't move. She was still shocked by what had just happened. Finally, she walked to open the door and opened it. One of the healers was standing there.

"They're waiting for you at the conference room."

"Oh... yeah! I'll... I'll be right there", responded Hermione. She had totally forgotten she was supposed to be at a meeting. As soon as Hermone said that Steven stood up and left the office without saying a word to her.

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Hermione wasn't even sure how she had managed to make it through the day. She vaguely remembered she had been at a meeting, but could not remember what the meeting had been about. She couldn't get out of her mind Steven's kiss. "So..." Hermione thought, "that means he does like me. He does have some feelings for me." With that thought in mind, she couldn't help getting home with a wide smile in her face.

"That's a face I haven't seen in a while", said Ginny when Hermione walked into the kitchen to get herself some water.

"What do you mean?" asked Hermione not sure of whether Ginny was talking to her or to someone else. "We see each other every day!"

"I mean your Happy face"

"Oh..." The smile came back to Hermione's face. She turned to get some water, giving her back to Ginny, hoping she wouldn't make any more comments or ask any questions. But of course, Ginny was not going to back up so easily.

"Does this have anything to do with Steven?" asked Ginny decided to finally put the cards over the table. Hermione choked on the water she was drinking. Ginny looked at her checking to see if she was pretending or really choking, but when she saw Hermione was breathing again she assumed she was okay.

"I've been meaning to ask your for a while about this", said Ginny trying to start the conversation in a gentle, calm way to make Hermione feel comfortable enough to finally open up to her. Hermione realized that there was no reason to keep this from Ginny any longer. After all, she did needed to talk to someone about it or else she was going to drive herself mad.

Resigned to let everything out, Hermione sat down at the kitchen table. Ginny did the same and waited for Hermione to talk. She knew the moment to talk had finally come. After taking a deep breath and placing her glass on the table, Hermione spitted all out. She didn't keep anything inside. It was as if she had finally open the door to her feelings and all of them went running out of her mouth like wild horses.

She told Ginny about her feelings for Steven, about Rita, and of course, about the kiss. Ginny gave Hermione the opportunity to talk without interruptions while analyzing the information she was being bombarded with.

Finally, Hermione stopped. She was breathing hard as if she had just run a couple of miles.

"No wonder you've been so stressed out", said Ginny talking a little more to herself than to Hermione. "Okay", said Ginny in a let's-sort-things -out way. "So, do you know this Rita person?"

"I saw her once. She came to St. Mungo's about three months ago."

"And... what did she look like?" questioned Ginny.

Hermione tried to remember the only time she had seen Rita. Without a doubt Rita was a beautiful woman, not only that but her appearance as perfect as humanli possible. Everything in her person, from her flawless make-up to her well groomed, shiny hair to her well-thought outfit was perfect. How could she not be? Being Steven such a handsome man it was more than obvious that the person he'd choose to be with him had to be as good looking as he.

Hermione knew perfectly well that if Steven was to decide who he would be with based on looks, she didn't have a chance on being the choosen one. Hermione thought of herslef pretty, but most definitely not a beautiful woman. As a matter of fact, she knew her appearance had never been as perfect as Rita's, except maybe the time she went with Victor to the Yule Ball. But other than that she didn't like spending too time in front of the mirror. And don't even mention that bushy hair of hers she always had a trouble taming. No, definitely beauty was not her strength.

"Well?," asked Ginny who had seen Hermione's facial expression change so much during the last two minutes that she wasn't sure what was going on through Hermione's head. Hermione went ahead and described to Ginny as much as she could of Rita's appearance.

"I see... and, you know how long they've been together?"

"Two years. They celebrated their second anniversary last Friday"

"Last Friday..." repited Ginny finally understanding Hermione's behavior that day at dinner.

"And you think he likes you?"

Hermione thought about it for a moment. She remembered how Steven looks at her, the way he accidently touches her arm, or how he talks to her in such a warm tone. She thought about all those little details that for anybody could mean nothing, but for someone in love mean the world.

"I guess..."

"Then how come he hasn't done something about Rita?" said Ginny. "How come he's still with her?"

"Well...," said Hermione trying not to panic about that thought. "Think about it Ginny. Maybe he's been as confused as I have about his feelings. They're been together for two years! And all of a sudden, here I come and make him have doubts about his realtionship. It must be hard to try to end a relationship when you've been together for so long. Don't you think?"

Ginny thought about it for a minute, then said "Yeah...maybe, but maybe he just doesn't want to end the relationship. Like you said they've been together for so long that maybe something like this won't make him end it."

"You're just saying that... because you don't know him." Hermione knew that Ginny's intentions were good, but she was totally sure that Steven felt something for her just as she did for him.

"Maybe you're right" said concluded Ginny, but for some reason she didn't feel that good about it. She just knew, by Hermione's expression, that a simple talk was not going to be enough to get the message thruogh.

"Just promise me one thing," begged Ginny in a gentle voice. "Please honey, think about what I told you, but do it with your head, not with your heart."

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The following day Hermione worked all day along with her research team. Not one minute during the day she was able to be alone with Steven. Still from time to time, he would give her a look that made Hermione nervous, even more than how she already was.

Hermione could not stop looking at Steven’s lips, those lips she had finally been able to taste. She couldn’t believe how Steven was able to act and look so calm after what had happened between them. He was acting as if nothing had ever occurred and conducted himself as usual. Hermione, on the other hand, often found herself daydreaming, thinking about the kiss, and then instinctively looking at Steven’s mouth. She could not help wondering when she’d be able to get another taste of that piece of heaven she’d found in Steven’s arms.

She was able to taste it again the next day. Hermione was in the lab checking the results of the tests they had been working on the previous day when Steven walked in and without ceremony when straight toward her. Since the lab was not the ideal place for some private time. Steven whispered in Hermione’s ear that he’d meet her in her office in five minutes and left as quickly as he had arrived.

Nervously, Hermione looked around to check if anybody had seen that, and felt quite relieved to see that the only two people who could’ve noticed something were very busy mixing some ingredients in a cauldron with their backs to them. Trying her best not to look too eager to leave, Hermione walked slowly towards the glass door and out of the lab. Then as discretely as she could got to her office.

Steven was already there, when Hermione walked in and closed the door behind her. He immediately grabbed her and started kissing her as desperately as the previous time. He took the parchment Hermione was holding in her hands and tossed it to the side.

Hermione’s body fully responded to Steven’s kiss. As the previous time, her knees begun to shake uncontrollably. Steven slowly began to steer Hermione towards the couch and once they reached it, threw both himself and Hermione onto the couch. Hermione felt the weight of Steven’s body on top of her pushing her deep in the cushions. She could smell the intoxicating aroma of his body mixed with his aftershave and Irish soap. She closed her eyes and let that wonderful smell invade her senses.

To give a little brake to their lips, Steven started to trace Hermione’s jaw line with his tongue. Hermione could feel the warmth of his tongue burning her skin and was even afraid that it would leave a mark. Meanwhile Hermione’s hand had found their way towards Steven’s blonde hair, while Steven’s hands were frantically exploring Hermione’s body.

One of his hands started going down her side until he got to her tight. Steven caressed it for a few seconds and then moved his hand to the back of Hermione’s knee and pull her towards him. They were as close as they could possibly be. Steven had resumed kissing and biting Hermione’s lips while desperately trying to take in the sweet flavor of her mouth with his tongue.

Then someone knocked at the door bringing them back to reality. Hermione pushed Steven aside and made an effort to rearrange her clothes. Steven stood up and run a hand through his hair to fix it. Hermione couldn’t do anything but pray to God that it wouldn’t look too suspicions.

3. Unexpected Visit

The following day, Harry was taking a shower in his house at Grimmauld Place. He had just gotten back from work and was getting ready to go meet Ron at the Three Broomsticks at eight o’clock. Early that morning both Ginny and Luna had left to Paris for their conference and were not coming back until Sunday night.

Without paying much attention to the clothes he was choosing, Harry grabbed a clean pair of jeans and a gray jumper from his wardrobe. Twenty minutes later, he apparated in Hogsmead. Ron was already waiting for him in a table by a corner, an open bottle of butterbeer in front of him. Harry went straight to him and ordered a butterbeer for himself.

“Hey mate”, greeted Ron. Harry noticed that Ron looked nervous, but could not guess what was the reason. “I need your advice.” And as he was saying that, Ron took out of his pocket a small, black velvet box. He opened it and placed it right in front of Harry.

In the inside of the tiny box there was a small solitary ring with a sparkling diamond.

“Are you asking me to marry you?” laughed Harry.

“Ha, ha!” said Ron faking a rather weird laugh. “What do you think?”

“Well…” responded Harry while scratching his head as if giving it a good thought. “I think I’m too young to get married.”

Ron looked at Harry with a look of frustration. “C’mon, man”, demanded Ron. “You think the stone is too small?”

Harry took the box in his hands and looked closely at the ring. “I don’t think it matters how big the stone is, what matters is the fact that you’re proposing”, said Harry who could not see anything wrong with the ring. “Blimey Ron, I can’t believe you’re getting married!”

“She hasn’t said yes yet, you know.”

“Honestly, you really think she’d say no?” Harry knew perfectly well that Ron and Luna were crazy about each other and could not feel happier for them.

“Well, she could”, said Ron with concern in his voice. “I mean, one thing is to live together, but to get married…you know. This is a big thing we’re talking about.”

Ron took the box from Harry’s hand a looked at it for a while. “I want to do the right thing, you know. I mean look at my parents. They’ve been together for ages. That’s what I want.”

Harry totally agreed with Ron. He also wanted to find someone he could share the rest of his life with, someone to make a family of his own. “I mean, they‘ve been together through a lot of difficult stuff… and I don’t just mean, you know… financially, but they… being in the Order and all.”

Just as Ron was saying all this, a couple walked in the bar laughing loudly. Harry looked at the couple and realized the guy was the same one he had seen at Hermione’s office. He wondered who that girl could be.

“What? Does it sound too corny?” asked Ron. “’Cause I’m planning to say something like that to Luna.” But then Ron realized that Harry wasn’t even looking at him. Instead he was looking intently at the noisy couple.

After ordering a couple of drinks the couple sat at a table in the other side of the bar. Ron thought Harry was looking at the girl, who Ron found rather good-looking.

“Who is she?” wondered Ron, talking more to himself than to Harry.

“Dunno”, responded Harry. “But I do know who that guy is. That’s Hermione’s… you know, love interest.”

Ron’s mouth open with a gasp. “Hermione fancies that bloke!” said Ron in disbelief. “And who you reckon she is?” asked Ron who by now was also staring at the couple.

“That’s exactly what I want to know”, said Harry. He had a bad feeling about it.

For several minutes the couple kept talking animatedly, nothing seemed out of the ordinary, except perhaps the exaggerated way in which both of them laughed, as if wanting to make sure everybody could see they were having a good time.

“Well…”, said Ron. “She could be his friend, or his sister, or a cousin.” But just as Ron was saying that Steven began kissing his girlfriend in a way that left no doubt. “Well… I think the matter’s been settled then,” said Ron in a matter-of-fact tone. “I don’t reckon he’d kiss a relative that way, not even a friend actually.”

Harry could not believe his eyes. Steven was cheating on Hermione right in front of him. For sure Steven hadn’t seen him, otherwise he wouldn’t have done this knowing that Harry’d tell Hermione about it. But now that he thought about it, Ron and Harry weren’t the only people at the bar. Everybody could see them. In fact, it kind of looked as if they wanted people to see them. "Then, why is he risking it like this?" Harry thought. "Anybody could run and tell Hermione about it." Being Hermione a well know person and a frequent client of the bar, there could very possibly be another person there who knew her besides Harry and Ron.

“I can’t believe this, that bloody idiot”, said Harry who was ready to jump on Steven and beat the hell out of him. “How can he do this to Hermione?”

“Are you sure he’s dating Hermione?” asked Ron. “I mean he doesn’t look to me like a guy she would date. He kind of reminds me of our DADA teacher, who now lives in St. Mungo’s, if you know who I mean.”

“I guess they’re going out, at least that’s what I think”, said Harry. “He was holding her hands.”

“When?”

So Harry proceeded to tell Ron about the one time ha had seen Hermione and Steven together, emphasizing the fact that Steven looked upset when Harry interrupted them.

“That doesn’t mean they’re going out”, reasoned Ron. But as he looked at Harry’s expression he knew he needed to lay out his reasons. “Well Hermione’s a girl, isn't she?” said Ron as if that was reason enough.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You know, the guy may’ve hold her hand and not mean anything about it, whereas Hermione is already thinking about wedding gowns.”

“I don’t think that’s the case”, said Harry. Even when in a way he agreed with Ron, he also remembered the look in Hermione’s face.

“Okay, so let’s say they are going out, what are you going to do?”

“About what?”

To answer Harry’s question, Ron pointed towards the place where Steven and Rita were still devouring each other. “You’ve got to tell her.”

“I don’t know”

“You have to”, said Ron in a this-is-serious-business way. “She has the right to know, or are you just going to let it go until someone else goes and tells her. Don’t you think Hermione’d appreciate it if it were you who’d tell her.”

“Yeah, I think you’re right”, confirmed Harry. “I have to tell her.”

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With so many things twirling in her mind, Hermione thought she was not going to be able to sleep. Ginny had left early that morning to her conference and wasn't due back home until Sunday night. She had the flat for herself. To get out of the working mode, she had already jumped into her cotton pajamas, baby blue drawstring pants and a small cami, and was wearing her big comfy white slippers.

She thought about lying in the living room's couch and read to see if sleep would finally come. So, she took a book, without even looking at the title, and went to make herself comfortable in the couch. Ten minutes later, she realized she'd been sitting in the couch for a while now and she hadn't even opened her book. She shook her head. Obviously, she wasn't in a state of mind that would allow her to read and actually taken in what was she was reading. She just couldn't stop thinking about Steven.

Then the doorbell announced there was someone at the door. Instinctively, she looked at the clock hanging from the wall and wondered who could possibly be at the door when it was almost ten o'clock. Cautiously, she went to the door and looked through the peek hole. Surprised to see who her visitor was she opened the door.

"Harry!"

Without even saying hello, Harry stormed inside the flat. He looked anxious and agitated.

"Are you okay?" asked Hermione who after closing the door had followed Harry toward the living room.

"Can I have some water?"

"Of course", replied Hermione. She was beginning to feel a little anxious herself by just looking at Harry. She went to the kitchen and poured some water in a glass. Then went back to the living room and found Harry standing in the exact same spot she'd left him.

"Sit down", said Hermione while extending the glass towards Harry. He took the glass form her hand and drank the water as if he'd just crossed the Sahara. Not knowing what to say, Hermione sat down and waited for him to speak.

"Hermione... I need to talk to you." Harry's voice didn't sounded normal at all. Finally, he sat down in the couch next to Hermione. He turned his body so that he was facing her and took one of her hands in his.

"You know how important you are to me, don't you. And you know that I wouldn't lie to you, right?"

Hermione nodded. "Harry... you're scaring me."

"It's just that... Hermione, I don't want you to be hurt. And if I could, I'd do anything to keep you from harm."

Hermione knew that. She knew it perfectly well 'cause that was exactly how she felt towards him. In fact, he'd proven her how much he was willing to risk himself for her when they were both fighting against the Dark Lord and his Death Eaters. So, where exactly was Harry trying to go with this? What was he trying to tell her?

"Harry, please just tell me whatever you have to tell me."

Harry took a deep breath, and got a little closer to her. "Okay. The thing is..."

He stopped for a while trying to think of where to begin. It certainly had been easy to say that he'd tell Hermione what he had just seen, but to actually do it was a whole different thing. He was going to break her heart. Well not him precisely, but he was going to be the one to tell her something that for sure was going to break her heart. But he had to do it. She had the right to know.

"I was with Ron, at the Three Broomsticks," finally said Harry. "He was telling about how he is going to propose and just then.."

"He's going to propose!" interrupted Hermione. Was that it? Was that what Harry had been trying to tell her?

"The thing is..." said Harry cutting her words while waving his hand as if to make aside that tiny detail. "We saw Steven." As Hermione heard that name, she suddenly froze. She definitely was not expecting Harry to talk about Steven.

"But he was not alone... He, ah... he was with a girl." Harry looked at Hermione, but by the look of her face he thought she had not understood him. So, he decided to try and explain himself a little better.

"But not just any girl, Hermione." And to make sure she'd get it this time Harry quickly added, "They were kissing, and I mean really kissing, you know. One of those I-gotta-have-you-now kind of kiss, actually loads of them."

Hermione didn't know what to say. She knew perfectly well who Steven had been with. In a way, that was no surprise for her. Harry, however, had expected Hermione to react way different than this. He thought she was going to get angry and start yelling, or maybe she'd get upset with Harry and even say that he, Harry, was lying, or that he had mistaken Steven with someone else. Harry had expected anything else but Hermione's reaction. She was quietly looking at her hands, no sign of emotion in her face.

"Did you hear what I just said?" asked Harry.

Hermione nodded, but still didn't say a word. Harry lifted his hand and pulling Hermione's face made her face him. Then it came clear to him. She knew it. She already knew this.

"You knew."

Hermione couldn't keep Harry's gaze. She stood up and turned her back on him, but Harry was not going to forget about it. He wanted to know what was going on, and this time he wasn't going to let her avoid his questions. He wanted an answer and she was going to have to give it to him. So, he stood as well as pull her upper arm to make her turn and face him.

"You want to tell me what's happening here." Harry word's sounded more as a demand than a request. Hermione tried to free her arm of Harry's grip, but he didn't let go. On the contrary, he tighten his grip. Hermione let out a sigh of resignation and accepted the fact that she had no escape than to tell Harry the truth.

"Okay Harry... I'll tell you."

Harry let go of her arm and made a move with his hand to make her sit back in the couch. He sat next to her, waiting for her explanation. And the explanation came. Hermione told Harry everything. She told him about Rita and her two-year relationship with Steven, about how for the last eight months she'd been secretly in love with him, about how he had let her know in so many different ways that he liked her, and about how they had finally kissed a couple of times.

Harry remained silent for a while. He wasn't expecting this. This was not right. This was not the usual Hermione. She wouldn't fall in love with someone else's boyfriend. Not only that but she'd never kissed someone else's boyfriend. This was not possible. It just didn't make sense. He stood up and started pacing around the room.

This was not the Hermione he knew. How could she have changed so much? Had Steven placed some kind of spell upon her? That must be it. Of course, that had to be it. Otherwise, he could not understand how a man could make a woman turn in someone completely different in just a few months.

"Harry, please...I", Hermione didn't know what to say, how to excuse herself. She knew how terrible it all sounded. Most of all, she knew how disappointed Harry must feel. She knew that her image before Harry had fallen to the lowest possible place.

"Why didn't you tell me this the other day?" asked Harry, who was still trying to believe what Hermione had said.

"Isn't it obvious. I was afraid... of this," said Hermione in a soft voice. "I was afraid of your disappointment. I can’t stand a reproach from you."

"Hermione, I wouldn't do that." Harry walked towards Hermione and kneeled before her. Then taking one of Hermione's hands with his, he added, "I'm in no position to judge you or to feel disappointed. I just need to know 'cause I care about you." He let go of her hands and stoop up again. "Hermione I was ready to jump on the guy tonight. If Ron wouldn't have stopped me..."

"Harry, I don't need you to do that. I just..." Hermione covered her face with both her hands.

"Why do you do this to yourself?" said Harry with a much calmer voice. Then sitting back in the couch he made her face him. "You deserve better than this. Hermione, you're not meant to be someone's... second plate."

"Harry, it's not like that."

"What is it then?" demanded Harry. He wanted to know exactly what was going through Hermione's mind. "Have you talked to him about this?"

"Well... I, ah... no, not yet." Hermione looked away.

"Not yet? Then you better do it, and soon, or else I'll do it for you."

"No!" said Hermione more loudly than she intended. The last thing she needed was to have a big brother go and have a talk with Steven about something she couldn't make herself to do.

"Thank you Harry," said Hermione in a softer voice. "But I will. I'll talk to him. I'll straighten this out."

4. A Shoulder to Cry

Even though the sunshine was coming in through Hermione's fourth floor office's window, filling the room with warmth and light, she didn't feel like that at all. Not even the fact that she was wearing a warm light green jumper made her feel warm. She was anxious.

Not only because she'd promised Harry but for her own peace of mind, Hermione wanted to talk with Steven as soon as possible and get it over with. She needed to know exactly what Steven had in mind. She just couldn't keep guessing his feelings and wondering what was going to happen next.

Hermione had been sitting in her burgundy leather chair all morning not being able to concentrate in her work. She definitely needed to fix her situation, otherwise her work would begin to show the little attention she'd been paying to it lately.

With a resolution she was far from feeling, she stood up, walked out of her office, and went straight to the lab. She knew she'd find Steven there. As she turned into the hallway that leaded to the lab, she saw Steven's broad figure through the glass partitions that surrounded the room.

She entered the lab and as discretely as she could, walked pass Steven and slipped a piece of parchment on top of the counter where he was measuring some potion ingredients. The note said "I need to talk to you, meet me in my office." Hermione hadn't signed her name. Perhaps what bothered her the most out of this whole situation was doing things behind everyone else. Having to hide, to talk under their breath, to dissimulate.

Ten minutes later, Hermione was back in her office. Steven walked in without even knocking. He went straight to her, who was standing in the middle of the room, and started kissing her. For a minute, Hermione forgot about her intentions and kissed him back, but then a small voice in the back of her head reminded her what she needed to do. Reluctantly, Hermione pushed him away, but Steven was not ready to back away and tried to resume the kissing.

"Steven!" said Hermione sounding firm and resolute. She was surprised to hear the hard tone of her voice. Steven let go of her and took a step back. "We need to talk."

He smiled as if she had said let's go to bed, and tried to bring Hermione back to his arms. However, Hermione had made up her mind, so she pushed him away a little stronger this time.

"I said we need to talk."

Feeling a little frustrated Steven walked away. "What do we need to talk about?" he said, thinking they were wasting precious time.

"We need to talk about... about us, and about Rita." Hermione began to feel a little nervous. She couldn't help feel somewhat afraid of what he'd say to her.

"About Rita? Why do you want to talk about her?" asked Steven thinking that most probably Hermione had meant to say something else.

Hermione started to pace around the room. "I need to know... where are we going with this, what's happening between us?"

Steven passed a hand though his blonde hair and looked at Hermione as if she would be talking to him in a foreign language he could not understand.

"I don't feel good about this Steven. This is not right, we have to do something about it."

"What you don't feel good about?"

"Us, Steven! Us... seeing each other while you're with Rita." said Hermione. She stopped pacing, stood across the room and looked at him studying his expression.

Trying to diminish the matter, Steven walked towards Hermione and tried to grab her hand, but she walked away. Having him touching her was not going to help her keep focused on the discussion. She had already started, and now she couldn't stop until she'd get where she wanted to go.

"You don't need to worry about it. Just forget about her."

"I can't", said Hermione. How could she forget that there was someone else? Hermione's temper began to rise. How could he look so calm about the whole thing, as if it didn't matter?

"Hermione," said Steven with his sweetest voice, "I know you like me, and I also like you, a lot. So, why worry about Rita?" said Steven as he got close to her and started rubbing her upper arm.

"What are you trying to say?" Hermione could not believe it. Was he actually suggesting that?

"What Rita doesn't know, it's not going to hurt her." The look of Steven's face was more offending than his words. How could he possibly think that she'd say yes to a proposition like that? Who did he think she was? A feeling of rage was growing inside of her. If she wouldn't be in her office where someone could hear, she would've started yelling at him.

Feeling his hand, that was still in her arm, was as filthy as his words, Hermione pulled away. "I can't believe this! How dare you...?" Hermione's face was growing red, but this time out of anger.

"C'mon, I know you want it."

He definitely didn't know Hermione. She admitted she had been weak and surrendered to him a couple of times, but that didn't mean she was willing to keep this for long. Not like this, not in this condition. She felt so angry not only with him, but also with herself, for having responded to his kisses, to his touch.

But Steven wasn't ready to give up. He again tried to bring Hermione close to him, but as soon as he took a step towards her, she walked away. Hermione wanted to make as much a distance between them as possible. Even breathing the same air as him was offensive. She walked around her desk and stood behind the leather chair as if to barricade herself.

"I'm not going to do this. Not anymore", Hermione said, speaking more to herself than to Steven. Then looking up at him she added, "Please, just go. I don't ever want to be near you again."

"You're just upset right now, but when you calm down you'll see that what I'm offering you is good, for all of us. No commitment, no compromise. You're not going to be able to stay away Hermione, I know it."

He is quite sure of himself, Hermione thought. "You don't know me, Steven. You don't know me at all"

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Hermione left earlier than usual from St. Mungo's that afternoon, feeling that she could no longer be there. She wondered the streets of London for a couple of hours without even paying attention to where she was going. A mixture of thoughts and feelings were going around in her head making her feel dizzy. She felt she needed to get away from it all.

About an hour after the sun had gone down, Hermione finally went home. She hadn't felt more alone in her whole life than how she felt at that time. In a way, she was glad that Ginny was gone. She didn't feel like being questioned about anything at that time.

Feeling as if she were in a dream, or better said in a nightmare, she walked into her room and went straight to the bathroom. Without stopping to remove her clothes, Hermione walked in the shower and let the cold water run freely over her body. She felt dirty, and wanted to wash away the mark Steven's touch had left in her skin.

How could she've been so stupid? How come she didn't see it coming? What else did she expected? She couldn't believe how easily she had surrendered to Steven. She had been so blind, but she recognized that in a way her heart had opted for not seeing clearly. She had hoped that Steven would fall madly in love with her and leave everything, and especially everyone, for her. She had hoped for it so hard that she'd come to a point where she thought it to be true. Now she knew she had only been fooling herself. How could she not see through him? It had always been so obvious what he was like.

All of Hermione's emotions started leaking through her eyes. She had fought so hard not to cry, but she couldn't take it anymore. She needed to do it otherwise she'd go mad. After almost half an hour, her sobs began to stop and her breathing began to normalize. With shaking hands, she turned off the water and grabbed a towel. After changing into a set of gray sweatpants and a pink short sleeve tee, she went to the kitchen and drank some water.

Now she felt she needed to talk to someone. "If only Ginny were here," thought Hermione. Being Ginny a girl, she'd be able to understand what Hermione was going through, but Ginny wasn't going to be home for a couple of days and Hermione needed someone right then.

Who else she could go to? Luna was also gone, Ron... Hermione knew perfectly well that if she were to tell Ron what had happened, he'd get all angry and start yelling death threats. Harry... well, Hermione knew he'd also get upset, but he was more likely to comfort her. Besides Harry already knew what was going on and even when Hermione did not wanted to hear I-told-you-so she needed the company.

Hermione looked at the clock placed in the wall right across the kitchen door and wondered if Harry'd be home. It was almost eleven o'clock and it was Friday night. After all, Harry did have a life. He could very easily be out with some friends, or even in a date.

Feeling a little depressed at the thought, Hermione walked to the living room's fireplace and took the little pot that rested aside. Holding the pot in her hands, she kneeled down in the carpeted floor. Already feeling like this was going to be useless, Hermione grabbed a handful of floo powder and threw it in the fireplace. Then sticking her head through the green flames said Number 12 Grimmauld Place.

After her head span around for a few seconds, Harry's kitchen came into focus. It was empty. In fact, she couldn't hear any sounds, as if the house was empty. Hermione felt very sad thinking that he was out having fun while she felt the most miserable person there is. Again, her eyes began to fill with tears that burned her eyes. Without realizing it she said Harry's name.

Then the kitchen door sprang opened and Harry's head came into view. After Harry saw Hermione's head in the fireplace, he quickly walked in and stood in front of his fireplace. He was barefoot and was wearing his red and gold pajama bottoms with a white t-shirt.

As soon as Harry saw Hermione's puffy, red eyes he said, "I'll be right there", and almost immediately apparated in Hermione's flat. Hermione was still in the floor by the fireplace. Harry almost run towards her and kneeled at her side.

"Hermione! What's wrong?" For all response, Hermione threw herself into Harry's arms and let run free the tears that had accumulated in her eyes. Harry pulled Hermione closer to him while surrounding her with his arms. For a couple of minutes, neither of them spoke. Harry let Hermione cry knowing that would help her to calm down. He hated to see her cry.

Harry's presence alone helped Hermione to calm down. Being in his arms, she felt comforted and content. Finally, Harry pushed her softly away from him.

"What happened? Is it... Steven?" asked Harry thinking that he was pretty sure what the answer was going to be.

Hermione didn't respond. She looked down at her hands, which were shaking nervously. Harry felt a rush of fury taking over him. He was so angry he felt he needed to break something, if possible, Steven's neck. But he made the greatest effort to push his feelings aside so that he could try to put together the broken person he had in front of him.

With both his hands, Harry cupped Hermione's face and pulled her up to face him. "I hate him for doing this to you", said Harry trying hard not to let all of his anger show up in his voice. Then, with his softest voice, Harry said, "You talked to him, didn't you? What did he tell you?"

As best as she could, Hermione told Harry everything Steven had said. She'd had a little trouble repeating some of his words to Harry, but wanted to get it all out as if saying those words would erase them from her memory. Harry stood up and walked away. Hermione could see he was upset, but was thankful to see that he was trying to control himself.

Harry came back to her and pull her to her feet to then lead her to a couch. He sat next to her and turned his body so that he was facing Hermione. "You can't let him do this to you. You don't deserve this." Hermione couldn't look at his face. She was afraid she'd see blame in his green eyes. After all, she had put herself in this situation.

"It's my fault," said Hermione in a whisper. "It's all my fault."

"It's not!" Harry grabbed her upper arms and said to her, "Don't blame yourself Hermione. You didn't ask for this."

"Yes, I did", responded Hermione sobbing. "I could've stopped him, but I didn't. I let it get this far. I was even looking forward for more. I didn't..." She couldn't finished her sentence. She was crying again and couldn't stop sobbing.

"No, Hermione. No one's guilty for falling in love. He's the one that should've stayed away from you. He's the only one responsible." Then softening his voice a little more he added, " You're not to blame yourself."

"Am I that hard to love? Is it that difficult to love me?" said Hermione desperately.

"Of course not, baby. Don't ever think that." Harry move his hands from her arms to her face and with his thumb caressed the side of her cheek. "You're the most lovable person I know. You're the greatest witch and the most beautiful woman I know."

Harry leaned closer to her and softly began kissing away the tears from her wet cheeks. He didn't like to see her like this. He would give anything to keep her from being hurt. Without thinking about what he was doing, Harry kept kissing Hermione's cheeks, but as he got closer to her, his lips also got closer to her mouth. Before either of them could realize what was happening, Harry's lips were on hers.

He started kissing them in such a gentle way, enjoying the softness of her lips. Then the kiss turned a little more intense as she opened her mouth inviting him in. Harry's hands moved form her face down to her neck, then to her shoulders slightly pulling her towards him, whereas one of Hermione's hands had found her way to Harry's raven hair and the other rested in his broad chest. For a couple of minutes, both of them forgot about everything else and enjoyed the closeness of their bodies and the flavor of their mouths.

Then Harry's inner voice told him to stop. He pulled away as if hit by lighting and quickly stood up.

"I better go."

Hermione quickly grabbed Harry's hand. "Please, don't go Harry."

"I can't do this, Hermione." Harry didn't want to take advantage of Hermione's vulnerable state, but she was not willing to let him go.

"Please, don't leave me alone. I can't bear being alone tonight", said Hermione as she stood up and placed her hands in Harry's chest. "Stay here tonight, please."

Harry couldn't say no. He pulled her to him and hugged her tightly. Hermione buried her head in his chest while breathing in as much of his scent as she could.

5. Not Alone

The morning sun started to creep into the living room of Hermione's flat. Hermione, however, didn't notice it. She was deeply asleep in the big, comfy couch. But she was not alone. A warm firm body was lying next to her, sweetly embracing her with one strong arm placed over her waist, the other under her neck.

Harry had been awake for a while, but not wanting to wake Hermione hadn't moved a finger. They were both lying on their sides, facing each other. Hermione with her back towards the couch. Since the moment Harry opened his eyes, he'd been contemplating Hermione's peaceful expression as she slept.

She had begged him to stay with her the previous night. Not willing to leave her alone in the condition she was, Harry agreed. At first, Harry thought he'd stayed only until Hermione would fall asleep, but as the night went he had also fallen asleep.

Now that Harry was admiring her soft features, he started to remember what happened just before he had wanted to leave. He had kissed Hermione. Harry could not believe it, but it was true. He had kissed her.

"Where the hell did that come from?" Harry thought. She had looked so frail, so broken down. Harry had never seen Hermione like that before, but of course that was no excuse for his behavior. When Hermione had broken up with her previous boyfriend, she hadn't even shed a tear whereas now... Harry was quite sure her pretty brown eyes were still going to be swollen after she'd wake up.

Harry himself had been surprised by the kiss, but he sure had been glad to see that Hermione had instantly forgotten about it. She didn't even mention it. "The again," Harry thought, "maybe she didn't even realize what happened. She was pretty upset."

But then Harry remembered something. "Hang on, she responded. She actually kissed me back." That was too much. He couldn't understand what evil force had possessed the two of them into kissing 'cause obviously they hadn't been themselves. "But I enjoyed it." And as Harry thought that, he looked at Hermione's lips. They looked so appealing, so inviting, so.... "Stop it!" Harry told himself.

Then Harry realized Hermione had placed one of her hands on his chest. Even though Harry was wearing a t-shirt, he could feel the warmth of her touch. He looked at her hand and then at his own, placed on her waist. He was amazed to see how small her hands looked compared to his. As he was smiling about that, Hermione opened her eyes.

"Good morning," Hermione said lazily.

"Morning, sleepy head."

Hermione smiled at Harry, and to him, the room didn't look brighter before. To avoid having to say something about the two of them sleeping together, Harry left the couch as quickly as he could.

"Well, we just slept together, nothing happened." he thought, but still couldn't help feeling awkward about it. Hermione stood up and started stretching to rid her body of the sleep. Harry smiled at the sight of her.

"Why don't you go and take a shower, and I'll fix us some breakfast," suggested Harry. Hermione was more than pleased with the idea, so she left leaving Harry alone with his thoughts.

Twenty minutes later, Hermione came into the kitchen wearing a pair of jeans and a yellow jumper. She found Harry had already set the table ready. There were french toast, fresh fruit, coffee and orange juice. Both of them sat down and ate talking about the wonderful breakfasts they used to enjoy at Hogwarts.

"Do you have any plans for today," asked Harry as they both began to clean the table.

"None," said Hermione while shaking her head.

"What do you say we go to Hogsmead and spend all day there." Harry was resolute to keep Hermione busy so that she wouldn't start thinking about Steven. "We could take a picnic basket and find somewhere nice to eat. Hey, we could even sneak in to Hogwarts and pay a visit to the giant squid."

Hermione laughed at the thought. She knew what Harry was trying to do and felt thankful that he had been the one suggesting they'd spend the day together. She didn't feel like being alone. So they started to pack a picnic basket with fruit, sandwiches, cheese, crackers, and a jar of pumpkin juice. Before heading to Hogsmead, they made a stop at Harry's place so he could shower.

Harry and Hermione spent all morning and part of the afternoon going from shop to shop. They had left their picnic basket in Madam Rosmerta's care so they wouldn't have to carry it all day. Hermione felt great. She didn't think about Steven at all. Harry made a great job at entertaining her and keeping her mind busy. She took the opportunity and bought a new book she'd been wanting for a while whereas Harry bought the biggest box of chocolate frogs he could find.

"What are you going to do with so many chocolates?" asked Hermione. She had been laughing all morning her cheeks had started to hurt.

"Eat them, of course."

Well past three o'clock, they headed to the Three Broomsticks to get their picnic basket, and after thanking Madam Rosmerta and promising they'll be back later for a couple of butterbeers, they took the road towards to outside of the village.

It was a wonderful spring day. The trees had started to blossom giving coloured sprinkles to the green leaves. The chirps of different birds could be heard through the big trees as if calling out for each other. A gentle breezy, that helped keep the temperature at a comfortable degree, was playing with Hermione's hair, which she had let down. Trying to keep it our of her face, she tacked it behind her ears.

"I wish I'd tied my hair."

Harry looked at her. He passed a hand over her brown hair. In his fingers, it felt soft and silky. "I like it when you let it down."

Hermione made a funny sound with her throat, as if trying to say yeah, right. "Especially when it's windy, right?" said Hermione in a sarcastic tone. Harry smiled.

After they had been walking for more than half an hour, they found a very nice spot in between two big trees. The ground was carpeted with green grass, and to make the spot even better, they could see the mountains just ahead. It was an amazing view.

Harry spread out the blanket they had brought along, and sat inviting Hermione to do the same with a movement of his hand. She sat and started to take out the contents of their basket. While they were eating, the conversation shifted to their years at Hogwarts and their visits to Hogsmead during that time. Both of them laughed remembering how everybody had been afraid of even walking by the Shrieking Shack, when in fact it had just being Lupin's monthly hide out.

For a moment, Harry focused all of his attention in Hermione's laugh. He just loved to see her like this, with the sun in her face, the wind through her hair, and the sound of her laugh. Unconsciously, Harry stared at Hermione's lips and recalled their taste. To his surprise he found himself wishing he could kiss them again.

Hermione realized Harry was staring at her and stopped laughing. As she pulled a strand of hair away from her face, she looked at Harry. What was that she was seeing in his face? What was he thinking about? Hermione had not felt so aware of Harry's gaze until then. It was as if he wanted to memorize every line of her face.

Unable to hold his gaze, Hermione looked away. For a reason she could not explain, she had started to feel nervous by Harry intense look. She had even flushed. To make sure he wouldn't see this, she stood up and took a couple of steps away from Harry.

Harry then realized what he had been doing and shook his head. "What the hell is wrong with me?" He couldn't understand why all of a sudden Hermione looked different to him, though he could not say in which way. He just knew that something had changed.

When he saw Hermione had turned quiet and walked away, Harry assumed she was thinking about Steven. So, he got up and walked to her, standing right beside her. Without looking at her but at the view he had in front he asked, "What are you going to do now?"

Hermione hadn't even noticed that Harry was next to her. She had been so distracted by her thoughts. Harry's words brought her back to reality, but she wasn't sure what he had meant by that. Harry looked at her and after seeing her puzzled expression added, "about Steven."

"Oh... I don't know."

"Why don't you take a few days off?" suggested Harry. He was worried that as soon as Hermione'd see Steven again, he'd find a way to convince her. If Harry was sure of one thing that was he did not wanted to see Hermione near Steven ever again.

"Of work, you mean?" asked Hermione.

"Yeah!"

Hermione thought about it for a while, but immediately came to a conclusion. "I can't do that. I'm not going to put my life in hold just because of him." Hermione turned to face Harry. Her voice sounded resolute and firm. Harry was glad to see that.

"I'm not going to hide from him, Harry. I'm not afraid of him"

With great effort, Harry stopped himself from saying "I am", but thought better not to. He was glad she was taking this attitude, but wasn't sure she'd be this firm once Steven was in front of her.

The truth was that Hermione felt exactly as Harry suspected. She was in fact afraid of her own reaction, but she didn't want to voice it. To say it out loud would be like admitting she had no hope. And she wanted to believe she could stay away from him as she intended. She wasn't going to give in. She had to be strong even if she felt her insides were burning.

Guessing what was going through Hermione's mind, Harry took her hands in his and pulled her closer. "You're not alone," said in a soft voice. "Don't forget that. I'll always be there."

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Hermione's determination was tested on Monday when she went back to work. She thought that the weekend had helped her get ready enough for the unavoidable encounter.

She had spent Sunday at the Burrow. Molly had asked Harry, Ron, the twins and Hermione to come for lunch. Being surrounded by her friends had given her the hope that she'd be able to survive at work.

However, when she saw him that morning, she froze and immediately turned away. Steven hadn't even seen her. She had turned so quickly into an adjacent hallway that she almost went into the men's bathroom.

Making sure she was going into the ladies' bathroom, she walked in to regain her strength. Maybe Harry had been right. She should take a few days off. Make as much distance between her and Steven as possible. But after thinking about it for a while, Hermione realized it'd be useless. Sooner or later, she'd have to face him. Still, she hoped it could be as later as possible.

A few minutes later, Hermione left and got into her office as soon as she could without running. All through the day, she made her best effort to avoid the places where she knew she could see Steven.

Some place deep underground the city, Harry waited impatiently for the working day to end. He had been as anxious as Hermione about her seeing Steven at work. His plan had been to go and have lunch with her, but as he was getting ready to leave, an owl-delivered memo let him know he was supposed to attend an urgent meeting that had just been called for.

There had been some big problems with an identified creature in northern Ireland and they were requesting the assistance of the Ministry to solve the matter. Agents from the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures would be going, but they had also requested a pair of Aurors to come along since it was suspected the creature had been illegally created with dark magic. Alastor Moody, head of the Auror Department was asking for a couple of volunteers to send out.

Under normal circumstances, Harry would've volunteered to help. But he just couldn't leave London at the time, not with Hermione having to deal with the Steven situation. He definitely was not going to leave her alone.

Inevitably, Harry had to wait until a little after 4 p.m. to leave the Ministry. Even though he wasn't going to Ireland. He had had to help out with some of the arrangements for the Aurors that were going.

As soon as he could, Harry arrived at St. Mungo's and quickly went straight to the fourth floor. He felt very anxious when he saw she wasn't at her office. Harry wished she would've stayed in her office all day. In fact, if he could've, he'd have locked her up in there himself.

Shaking that ridiculous idea of his mind, he tried to think were she could be. Every time Harry had visited Hermione at work, he had only been at her office. He knew that from time to time she had to work at the lab, but had no idea in which direction the lab was supposed to be.

He looked up and down the hallway. There wasn't anybody he could ask to. Trying hard to guess which direction to take, he decided to go east.

Hermione had in fact been at the lab, but at that time, she was heading back to her office. But before she could turn into the hallway that lead to her office, she felt a strong hand holding her arm.

"You've been avoiding me, haven't you?" said Steven in Hermione's ear.

Hermione was just thinking what to respond when he pulled her towards him and grabbed both her arms. Their faces were just a few inches apart. "You can hide from me."

"Let go of me." Hermione's voice sounded cold, distant. She was surprised to see that in fact she was able to stay calm. "If you don't let me go, I'll..."

"What? You're going to do something to me?" said Steven, his voice full of sarcasm. "Are you going to jinx me?

"She's not, but I will."

Steven turned around, letting go of Hermione's arms, and found Harry standing not far from them. If Harry's eyes were daggers, he'd have stabbed Steven and ripped him to pieces. In two big steps, Harry was next to them. He pulled Hermione to his side and stood in front of her, covering her body with his.

"Oh... but of course, it's the savior of the world," said Steven, who couldn't hide his anger and frustration. "The greatest hero, coming to the rescue."

"Listen to me Steven, 'cause I'm only going to say this once," Harry had gotten closer to Steven. So close he could've bitten Steven's nose. "Stay away from Hermione."

"And who you think you are to tell me that?"

"I'm her boyfriend." Harry hadn't moved his eyes away from Steven, and he looked ready to strike.

"I knew it!" Steven tried to walk toward Hermione, but Harry moved quickly placing himself once again between them. "I knew there was something going on here, why you little..."

But he wasn't able to say the insulting words that almost came out of his mouth. Harry strong fist had suddenly collided with Steven's pretty face. Steven who had not expected this, stumbled back and feel to the ground. It wasn't usual for wizards to make use of such muggle brutality, but Harry remembered quite well the lessons he had received from Dudley and his friends. Hermione gasped and quickly grabbed Harry's arm pulling him back to keep them form fighting, but it wasn't necessary.

Steven got up and gave Harry his dirtiest look. "This is not going to be the end of this." And as he began to walk away, Steven added, "Mark my words, we'll see each other again Potter."

"Whenever you want. You know where to find me."

6. Unforgettable Encounter

The following morning, Hermione was trying to focus on the rolls of parchment she had spread all over her black desk when she heard a gentle tap in her window. Curious to see what it was she turned her head. Right outside her window, waiting for her to open it was Hedwig, a note tied to her leg.

Quickly Hermione got up and went to let Hedwig in. "Hello girl, you got a note for me?" Hedwig flew in and stood on top of Hermione's desk hooting as if responding to Hermione's greeting. Hedwig stood still while Hermione removed the small envelope, which had her name written in Harry's handwriting.

Since Hedwig didn't leave after the note had been removed, Hermione assumed Harry wanted her to reply. So, while the snowy owl drank some water out of a goblet placed in Hermione's desk, Hermione ripped the envelope open.

"Will come to get you for lunch. I'm bringing a friend along.

See you at noon, Harry"

Hermione grabbed a bit of parchment form her desk and wrote "See you then." After that she tied it to Hedwig's leg, who right after that left through the open window.

Hermione sat back in her leather chair, and couldn't help to wonder who this friend Harry was bringing along was. Could it be that Harry wanted to introduce her to a friend of his? If that was the case, she was almost sure it wouldn't be a male friend. Harry had never tried to set her up with anybody before. "Could it be a female friend?" thought Hermione while trying hard to recall if Harry had mentioned anything lately about him dating someone, but she just couldn't remember.

She had been so focused on her own life, she hadn't paid any attention to anything or anyone else. But as she began to think about the possibility of Harry wanting to introduce her to someone, she started to feel anxious. "He's never done this. He's gone out with girls before, but he hasn't brought them to introduce. Could he be more serious about this person? Is that why he wants me to know her?

An unknown feeling began to spread inside Hermione. She certainly knew that Harry dated and had a life of his own, but had never thought of him finding someone and getting into a serious relationship. In fact, he'd never been in a stable relationship before. Hermione had somehow gotten used to the idea of Harry being there all the time.

"But obviously, it's not like that" said Hermione to herself. "He's found someone, and you should be happy for him." But for some reason, Hermione just couldn't. Jealousy, like she'd never felt before, did not let her feel the slightest happiness at the thought. She was surprised to see that she hadn't even felt like this towards Rita.

"It's just 'cause we're best friends, and she'd just... get in the way." Hermione tried to justify her feelings. "Our friendship would never be the same."

Hermione spent most of the morning with those thoughts in her mind and, before she knew it, it was noon. The clock sitting in a corner of her desk told her it was ten minutes past 12. Hermione began to feel anxious. Harry would be there any minute. "He should've been here by now," she thought. "He's always on time. Perhaps she's keeping him." And to avoid thinking about what Harry and his new friend could've been doing to be running late, Hermione stood up and began to pace around her office.

Just then, she heard people talking not far from her office. Hermione quickly recognized one of the voices. It was Harry, another voice sounded very familiar. As she started to walk towards the door, she heard a third voice, Steven's voice. She quickly opened the door and walked out.

In the hallway she saw Steven, Harry, and, even though the third person was standing with his back to her, she immediately knew it was Moody. Steven was already backing away when Hermione got next to them. Steven had a look of fear and seemed to be trying hard not to run away. For sure, he didn't want to get another black eye in his pretty face.

"I hope you keep that in mind," said Moody to Steven in a rather calm voice, and with a hint of sarcasm added, "If not, I'll be happy to pay you another visit." Steven, who couldn't articulate a word, left without turning his back to them until he reached the end of the corridor.

"Hello there, Hermione!" said Moody without turning around. He had obviously seen Hermione with his magical eye through the back of his head. Both Harry and Moody turned around to greet Hermione.

"What happened?"

"Well... let's just say that Moody made quite an impression in Steven." Harry was trying not to laugh.

"You just let me know if that bloody scum bag ever bothers you again," said Moody looking at Hermione with his normal eye while his magical was looking at Harry. "Don't mind lending a hand to Harry's girl."

Both Harry and Hermione blushed at Moody's words, but none of them made any comments. All Hermione was able to say was "Thanks". Eager to change the subject, Harry asked Moody if he'd join them for lunch.

"Can't. Have an unavoidable arrangement I must attend to. You two enjoy it." Then waving a hand to say good-bye, he disapparated with a tiny puff.

After Hermione realized Moody had been the friend Harry had talked about in his note, she was able to enjoy her lunch with Harry. That, however, did not help her concentrate in her work that afternoon. Hermione didn't know what was happening to her. She'd been jealous of a non-existing person just because of the possibility that this person could exist. And that wasn't right. Sooner or later, Harry could find someone, and she'd just have to accept it. But she couldn't, and she couldn't explain herself why.

Then something came to her mind, something she had forgotten. The night Harry had stayed at her flat, he had kissed her. Hermione had been so stressed out about the whole Steven situation that she had totally forgotten about it. But now she remembered. She remembered perfectly well. He had kissed her.

"We both kissed!" Hermione's inner voice told her. "Oh, my god!" Hermione didn't even notice she had said that out loud. "Oh my god, I kissed him back. I actually kissed him back." Hermione stood up and walked around her desk. She could not believe it. What was wrong with her? Why all of a sudden she had all these weird feelings?

"This can't be," she thought. Then she remembered the look she'd seen in Harry's eyes when they were having their picnic at Hogsmead. She had found it quite different. Could it be that Harry... "No!" Again, Hermione was talking out loud. "He wouldn't, would he? Then, why did he kiss me? Oh god this is too much" said Hermione while untying her hair. All those thoughts were giving her a headache.

"I have to talk to him," said Hermione's inner voice. "No! I can't, what would I say to him? This is absurd." Hermione kept thinking about it all afternoon. One thing she was sure of, she had enjoyed Harry's sweet kiss more than she ever did with any of Steven's painful kisses, and wouldn't mind enjoying it again.

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Hermione had plenty time to try to found a logical explanation for her feelings. She just hadn't been able to find a good one. During the rest of the week, she didn't see Harry at all. He'd been assigned to a special mission, and since he had already past on the Northern Ireland situation, he couldn't say no again. But he definitely was pleased to see that he was going to be able to be back in London by Friday.

He had also taken the opportunity of being away to reflect on his own feelings. They had definitely changed. There was no doubt about it. Or better said they didn't change, he just hadn't realized those feelings had been there all the time.

In a way, he had also, just like Hermione, gotten used to the idea of her not having a stable partner. Now Harry realized that during Hermione's previous relationship, what he thought was just dislike towards the guy had actually been jealousy. He couldn't believe how blind he'd been. He was this close to banging his head on the wall thinking about all the time he had wasted. Time they could've spent together.

And he had been so close to loosing her one more time. If it hadnÕt been for Steven's stupidity, he would've lost Hermione. Now that he accepted he was madly in love with her, he wasn't going to let that happen. Still, he was a little afraid. After all, she had never shown any interest in Harry other than their friendship. "But she responded to my kiss", he reminded himself. "She didn't back away. She even asked me to stay with her."

Of course, the fact that she had been so depressed could've been the reason why she wasn't able to put up a struggle. Besides, the fact that she'd been head over heels for that guy was also discouraging.

"How long will she take to forget him? How long will she be in love with that idiot?" Harry was afraid to find out.

7. Always There

A couple of quiet weeks went by. That Friday it was Ron and Luna's turn to have the gang over for dinner. Usually, when it was their turn, they would either have take away or George and the girls, with the exception of Luna, would prepare something there. Neither Ron nor Luna knew or even liked to cook, but they loved having their friends over.

That night they decided to go with take away. George had worked late in the shop doing inventory and Ginny and Hermione hadn't had a chance to plan anything. So they went ahead and order a couple of pizzas from a muggle pizza place.

"It's been a while since we had pizza," said Ron with his mouth full.

"I made pizza for you guys last month!" George reminded him.

"Yeah, but it was not like this..."

Now that things had calmed down, they all knew about Steven and his indecent proposal. What kept them talking, and of course laughing, all night was Steven's encounter with Moody.

"I'm telling you,Ó said Ron. They had finished dinner and were now in the family room having coffee. "I' wouldn't be surprised if he's somehow related to Lockhart. Turned out to be a bloody coward as well, didn't he?"

"I guess it pays to be friends with the best Auror ever, doesn't it?" said George to Harry.

"Yeah, just as it pays to be son of the Minister." All the Weasleys looked at each other and laughed.

"By the way Harry, did you ask Moody to go talk to Steven?" wondered Hermione.

"No, he offered himself. He heard me talking to Lupin about it, and he just..."

"You were talking to Lupin about it?" asked Hermione. She couldn't help feeling ashamed of herself about the whole situation. "Oh god, what's he going to think about me?"

"Nothing Hermione, don't worry about it."

"Yeah, Hermione," added Ron. "You shouldn't feel bad. He's the one who should feel ashamed, Steven should."

Hermione nodded to him. She deeply appreciated the fact that her friends understood what she had gone through and weren't judgmental about it. "I'm just glad I'm not going to see his face anymore."

"How's that?" asked Ginny.

"He asked to be transferred to another department," said Hermione. They all looked at each other and laughed. "He's still going to be at St. Mungo's, but at least I won't have to see him every day." Harry couldn't feel happier about that.

They were certainly having a great time. Harry, however, looked absent and pensive most of the time. Hermione had noticed. As the conversation shifted to Ron and Luna's engagement (Ron had already proposed and Luna had obviously said yes) Harry took the opportunity to walk out to the patio and be alone for a while. But Hermione didn't give him much time to by himself.

After she saw he'd gone outside, she decided to follow him and find out why he'd been so quiet. She found him leaning on the wall, looking at the stars. It was a bright full moon night. "For sure, Lupin isn't enjoying it that much," Harry thought.

"I don't think Lupin is having a good time right now,Ó said Hermione when she was next to Harry. He smiled seeing they had been thinking the same thing. Then, Harry looked at Hermione. With the moonlight in her face, giving her eyes and skin a wonderful glow, Harry thought he'd never seen her more beautiful before.

When Hermione realized Harry was staring at her she turned her face to him. Once again, Hermione saw in Harry's eyes that same goofy look she'd seen when they had been at Hogsmead. Once again, she found herself trying to guess what it was he was trying to tell her with his green eyes. Unconsciously, Hermione looked at Harry's lips and felt a chill going down her spine.

He was getting closer to her. For a moment Hermione thought Harry was about to kiss her. She was actually leaning forward preparing herself to enjoy the moment.

"Can I ask you something?" said Harry bringing Hermione to her senses.

"Sure, ask" she said after she was able to regain herself.

Harry looked away for a few seconds as if taking the courage to ask what he wanted to know. Finally, he looked back at Hermione. "Do you... do you still think about him?"

For a while Hermione wondered whom Harry was talking about. "Who? Steven?"

Harry nodded. Hermione thought about it for a second. As a matter of fact, she hadn't. Lately, all she'd been able to think about was Harry, the wonderful kiss they shared and the unexplainable effect all this was having on her. But of course, she couldn't say that to Harry.

"Actually, no. You see... after I saw who he really is, a self-centered, presumptuous, egocentric idiot and on top of that a bloody coward, I realized that all this time I had been in love with an image of him I had created in my mind. I even think that it wasn't exactly love what I felt. I don't know exactly what it was, but I'm sure it wasn't love"

After hearing her words, Harry's expression completely changed. He just couldnÕt hide how happy he felt about it. And with that thought in his head, suddenly to Harry the night never looked more beautiful.

--------------------------------------------

Harry had decided to give it a couple days before he'd make his move. He was planning to take Hermione to a nice romantic dinner and then tell her about his feelings. So, first thing Monday morning, he sent Hedwig to St. Mungo's to deliver a note to Hermione. However, Hedwig came back with the note still tied to her leg.

A hundred wild thoughts run through Harry's mind in a matter of seconds. He thought that perhaps Steven had done something to her to retaliate for what Harry had done to his pretty face. Knowing he wasn't going to relax until he'd know what was happening, Harry went to find Moody and told him that something urgent had happened and he needed to leave.

In many previous occasions, Harry had wondered if Moody's magical eye was able to see inside his head or perhaps Moody was an expert on occlumency 'cause he always seemed to know what was going through Harry's head. Moody didn't ask him what the emergency was and let Harry go without a question, not before telling him that in case he needed Moody's help, he shouldnÕt hesitate to call for him.

A couple of minutes later, Harry apparated at St. Mungo's and went straight to Hermione's office. It was locked. He walked up the hallway trying to find someone who could tell him where she was. Finally, he saw a healer and immediately bombarded her with questions. Since the healer didn't know Hermione's whereabouts, she directed Harry to the right department where he could be informed.

Five minutes later, Harry found out Hermione was sick and had sent a note saying she'd take the day off. Still a little anxious, but definitely not as apprehensive as before, Harry wasted no time and went immediately to Hermione's flat.

---------------------------------------

That morning Hermione had woken up with a terrible cold. She had fever and worst of all a headache that made her feel dizzy. Ginny would've stayed with her all day, but she was supposed to cover the grand opening of a new robes' shop in Diagon Alley that would offer the latest styles in wizarding fashion. There wasn't anybody else to take her place.

So, after Ginny gave Hermione a strong potion to bring down the fever and hopefully reduce her headache, she went to work, not without telling Hermione she should call for her if she'd feel worse and that she'd be back as soon as she could. Hermione stayed in bed. Every muscle of her body ached and she didn't even feel like getting up.

About half an hour after Ginny had left, there was a knock in Hermione's bedroom door. She wondered for a while who could it be. She was quite sure Ginny had already left, and there was nobody else in the flat. Then, she heard Harry's voice.

"Hermione, can I come in?"

"Harry? It's that you?" said Hermione for all response. Harry opened the door and walked in. Hermione instinctively looked at herself. She was still wearing her pajamas, a white cotton cami and a drawstring pink pant. "Well", she thought. "It's not the first time he seems me like this." Still she tried to fix her hair with a hand, but the pain in her joints didn't let her do a good job.

"They told me you were sick." Harry came all the way to her bed and sat right next to her. Even though she was sick, Hermione felt a little self-conscious about her early-morning, sick appearance. Something she had never paid attention to before.

"Who told you?"

"In St. Mungo's. I'm sorry I apparated inside your flat without letting you know, but I assumed you were in bed and I didn't want to make you get up to open the door for me."

Harry was looking at her with concern. He noticed that even when her cheeks were pink due to the fever, she still looked pale. He also noticed the remains of the potion Ginny had given her on top of the night table.

"Oh good, I see you took your potion already."

"Ginny gave it to me before she left."

"How long ago did she give it to you? This is supposed to make you sleep." asked Harry while fixing her blankets to make sure she was well covered.

"Dunno, a while ago," responded Hermione. In fact she had began to feel drowsy just before Harry had arrived, but had gotten a little distracted by his presence.

"Okay then, no more talking and just sleep for a while. I'll stay here."

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Almost two hours later, Hermione woke up. For a few seconds she had forgotten why she was still in bed. Then as she tried to lift her upper body, the pain she felt in her arms reminded her she was sick. She gave up and laid back in bed.

Just then, Harry walked in. He was carrying a tray, which he placed in the night table. "How are you feeling?"

"Better. That potion made wonders. At least my head doesn't hurt anymore."

"And the fever is gone," said Harry while placing his hand on her forehead. "I brought you something." After he said this, he helped Hermione to sit up placing a couple of pillows behind her back for support. Then, he placed the tray before Hermione. It was holding a steaming bowl that smelled awfully familiar.

"Chicken soup?" said Hermione amazed.

"Yeah!" Then, after Hermione gave him a puzzled look he added. "Aunt Petunia always used to give Dudley chicken soup when he had a cold. I figured it must be helpful." He of course had never had anybody to give him not even a glass of water when he had been sick.

"That's what my mum used to give me too." Hermione was pleasantly surprised to see how once again their thoughts were similar as if they were always connected.

"Eat up, then."

And she did, with a little bit of pain each time she'd rise her arms, but pleased to know that Harry had bothered to prepare it for her. The warm liquid did help. She could feel how its warmth invaded her insides as it went down her throat giving her back her strength.

"It seems that lately, you've been coming a lot to my rescue."

"It's okay," said Harry, who didn't mind having excuses to run to her. "I wouldn't mind doing it every day."

"Oh! So, you think I'm that helpless I can't take care of myself?" said Hermione trying to sound indignant, but deeply pleased by his comment. Harry sat next to her and smiled. Hermione almost spilled her soup when she saw Harry's captivating smile.

"C'mon, you know what I mean. You're the last person in the world that I would think of as helpless. Besides, it's normal that you got sick. You've been in so much stress lately that your body just couldn't take it anymore."

Hermione smiled. She just loved to have him this close to her, doing everything to make her feel comfortable. After she finished her soup, or at least ate as much as she could, Harry suggested she'd got out of bed and change clothes. Hermione, however, remembering that she wasn't obviously looking her best, opted to take a shower.

The hot water hitting her body, along with the hot soup in her stomach, helped her to feel better. Fifteen minutes later, she walked out of the bathroom to find that Harry had walked out of her bedroom. He wanted to give privacy to get dressed. After she jumped into her favourite gray sweat pants and put on a baby blue tee, she went to find Harry.

He was in the living room, waiting for her. Since her body was still aching a little she went straight to the couch and sat down. Harry, who had been standing next to the fireplace looking at the pictures in the mantelpiece, stayed rooted to the same spot looking at her for a few minutes.

Finally, he walked and sat next to her. Trying to break the awkward silence, Hermione talked.

"Thanks Harry."

"For what?" He turned his body so that he was now facing her.

"For everything, for coming to nurse me, for helping me with my problems, for being here."

"You don't have to thank me." Then taking Hermione's hands in his he added, "I'm... I'm here 'cause there's no other place I'd rather be." Harry looked at Hermione's eyes. For a moment he thought he was seeing in her brown eyes exactly the same thing he was feeling at that time, a little bit of anxiety, but love, most of all love. Making up his mind, he decided he'd have no better chance to talk to her than this.

"Hermione... there's something I have to tell you." He took a deep breath trying to calm himself. "But first I want you to know that you're very important to me Hermione. Our friendship is the most important thing that I have and I would never do anything to mess that up. You... You've always been there with me, helping me to survive, 'cause Hermione, without you... I don't think I would've survived."

"Harry..." Hermione tried to interrupt, but Harry made her stop by putting his fingers over her lips. Even to his fingertips, her lips felt soft and desirable. In order to keep his mind focused, he removed his fingers.

"Please Hermione, let me finish" begged Harry. Then after looking at her hands for a few seconds, he looked up and kept talking. "When I saw what Steven did to you, how he made you cry, I was so angry. I wanted to have him in front of me and rip his heart out with my bare hands to see if he could feel at least half of the pain you were feeling. Hermione, I can't see you like that. I'd give my life to keep you from harm."

Hermione looked at him and again tried to say something, but Harry didn't give her a chance. He just kept talking. "I care about you Hermione, more than you think, more than what even I used to think. Not only that but I also need you with me. I know I shouldn't say this, but I'm glad things didn't work out with Steven 'cause if that would've been the case, I... You see in a way he helped me realize what my feelings really are. He made me open my eyes and understand how important you are for me. I realized you've always been the one Hermione. It's always been you. The most wonderful woman in the world and the woman I couldn't live without."

He finally stopped. He had said all that in a breath; once he started, he couldnÕt stop. Harry looked at Hermione. She hadn't said a word, and Harry couldn't read the expression of her face. Finally after was seemed like an eternity to Harry, Hermione gave signs of life. But she didn't say a word, for all response she threw herself on top of Harry and started kissing him like she'd been longing for a while.

Harry responded to the kiss with all the emotions he'd been holding down, pulling her towards him. Their kiss became more intense as their tongues began to invade each other's mouth. They were so focused on each other that they didn't hear someone had arrived.

"Well, it's about time!"

"Ginny!" Hermione quickly sat up, her face once again red as a radish, but this time it wasn't out of fever. Harry's face was as red as Hermione's.

"So you guys finally found out you were meant to be together." Ginny was really pleased to see that her two friends had finally decided to accept their feelings.

Harry chuckled at Ginny's words. Hermione couldn't speak. "I'm really happy for you guys, really happy."

A/N – Just one more chapter to go! Thanks for all of your reviews.

A/N – I enjoyed a lot writing this story. IÕm glad to see that you all have enjoyed it as well. Thanks for your reviews. They mean a lot! J

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8. Together at Last

Time really flew. Summer had arrived and it was getting closer to its end. Both Harry and Hermione felt they hadnÕt had a more wonderful summer in their entire lives. Everybody was glad to see them together. They had all expected it to happen Ôcause it was clear Harry and Hermione were meant to be together.

One thing kept the whole gang extra busy that summer. They had all been helping to prepare Ron and LunaÕs wedding. Now it was only two weeks away. That early September Saturday, Luna asked Ginny and Hermione to go shopping with her.

Luna wanted to buy some new, sexy lingerie for her honeymoon. ÒRon already knows all of my underwear,Ó said Ginny, and with that she took her friends into a muggle lingerie shop.

ÒWhy canÕt we just go to the one in Diagon Alley?Ó asked Ginny. ÒThey have some really great lingerie there as well.Ó

ÒI want it to be a surprise! RonÕs in Diagon Alley all day. I don't want him to see me there,Ó said Luna while looking at a white lacy nightgown. ÒBesides, IÕve always wanted to come here.Ó

ÒWellÉ itÕs not much different from any other shop.Ó Being a muggleborn, Hermione couldnÕt see what all the fuss was about. Since they were already there, Hermione decided to buy herself a couple of bras.

ÒAre you buying this?Ó asked Ginny looking at the white, regular bras Hermione had chosen.

ÒYes, why?Ó

ÒHoney, you need something more spicy!Ó Ginny grabbed a leopard print, lacy trimmed, black straps push-up bra. ÒHow about this?Ó

ÒAre you crazy? ThatÕs definitely not my style.Ó

ÒYouÕll just be wearing it like for fifteen minutes and then itÕll end up in the floor anyways,Ó said Luna distractedly while choosing some silk stockings.

ÒOkay then, maybe these are a little too much, but heyÉ thereÕs a lot of nice things here you could get.Ó Then, with a mischievous grin Ginny added, ÒIÕm sure Harry wouldnÕt mind seeing you in something more sexy.Ó

Hermione flushed. Even though she trusted her friends very much, she couldnÕt help feeling a little uncomfortable talking about her sex life.

ÒI have to agree with Ginny, you know,Ó said Luna while trying to decide whether to go with a black or a red silk cami. ÒA guy doesnÕt mind to see his girl wearing something naughty from time to time.Ó

ÒIt gives more fuel to yourÉ nights,Ó added Ginny.

ÒSince when youÕre such experts?Ó asked Hermione, who couldnÕt see what was wrong with the bras she had already chosen.

ÒHow about this?Ó said Ginny showing Hermione a nice, lacy black bra with matching thong. It sure was a lot classier than the leopard print one. Hermione thought about it for a while, maybe it wouldnÕt hurt to try something new. Seeing that Hermione was thinking about it, Ginny added, ÒYouÕll see, itÕll bring out the wild animal Harry has inside.Ó

All three girls laughed at GinnyÕs words. Finally Hermione decided to give it a try. ÒIt doesnÕt hurt,Ó Hermione thought. She just wasnÕt sure when itÕd be a good time to give Harry the surprise.

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The two remaining weeks before the wedding went faster than the two previous months. Before they knew it, the Saturday when Ron and Luna would finally wed had arrived.

The wedding was to take place at the BurrowÔs backyard. The entire Weasley family had helped to decorate it for the ceremony. All the bushes and trees had been decorated with real small fairies that illuminated the entire area. A gorgeous arch had been magically arranged with all sorts of white flowers. The actual ceremony was to take place right under the arch.

Ginny was LunaÕs maid of honor and Harry was the best man. Hermione and Rosie, a friend of Luna from The Quibbler, were bridesmaids. Since Harry was the best man, he was escorting Ginny. Fred was HermioneÕs escort and George was RosieÕs. George had taken very seriously his role as RosieÕs escort and wouldnÕt let her out of his side all day.

After the ceremony, the guests enjoyed the exquisite buffet and the wonderful music. Bridesmaids and escorts were to dance a special piece with the newly weds.

ÒHands where I can see them pal!Ó said Harry to Fred, a mocking smile on his face.

ÒSame to you, thatÕs my sister you got there,Ó replied Fred.

Later that night, Harry was finally able to dance with his girlfriend. ÒI love to dance,Ó said Harry in HermioneÕs ear as they were dancing.

ÒYou do?Ó asked Hermione amazed to hear Harry saying that. Pulling her face away from HarryÕs she looked at him. ÒYouÕve always hated dancing.Ó

ÒNot anymore,Ó he replied pulling Hermione back to the position she had been before, dancing cheek to cheek. ÒIt gives me the perfect excuse to have you like this.Ó As he said that, he tighten his arms a little more around HermioneÕs back.

ÒYou donÕt need an excuse to have me like this.Ó Hermione started playing with HarryÕs earlobe. Then added softly in his ear, ÒOn the contrary, if you donÕt do it, IÕll jinx youÓ

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A week after the wedding, while Ron and Luna were enjoying their honeymoon in Italy (A gift from Mr. Weasley), Harry invited Hermione to a romantic dinner. For a little more than a month, Harry had been carrying in his inside pocket a little black box trying to find the right time to give it to Hermione. Now he perfectly understood how Ron had felt before proposing. A little bit scared about what her answer could be.

He wasnÕt sure whether Hermione would think that he was going too fast. They had just been together for six months. But to Harry, it didnÕt feel like rushing things. After all, heÕd been in love with her for so long. He had wasted so much time that he wanted to some how make up for it. He was also totally sure that Hermione loved him, but wasnÕt sure if sheÕd say. They hadnÕt even moved in together. Hermione was still living with Ginny at their flat, but he just couldnÕt wait any more.

All through dinner, Harry had looked anxious and distracted. He had been practicing a little speech all day long, but now that Hermione was sitting next to him he couldnÕt remember a single word of it.

She looked astonishing. She was wearing a knee height black fitted dress with spaghetti straps and a classy cleavage, strappy black heels in her feet. To accessorize her look, Hermione had put on a silver choker and earrings set. Her brown bushy hair was tied in an elegant bun with a few strands purposely loose framing her face.

Harry couldnÕt stop looking at her. Finally when the dessert plates had been taken away, Harry realized his time had arrived. He order a bottle of champagne and, after it was brought to the table, filled two flutes with the sparkling liquid.

ÒLetÕs make a toast,Ó he said while raising his flute. Hermione imitated him. ÒTo us,Ó added Harry. When Hermione placed her flute back in the table, Harry reached out and took one of her hands in his. Hermione felt his hand was cold yet sweaty.

ÒAre you okay Harry?Ó

ÒYes, yesÉ In fact, IÕve never been better. Since weÕve been together Hermione, there hasnÕt been a day when IÕm not feeling great.Ó Hermione looked at his green eyes. They were so full of love and devotion. ÒSince weÕve been together, I am the happiest man alive. But you know, I also feel bad when I think about all the time we wasted denying our feelings. IÉ I donÕt want to waste more time.Ó

As he said that he slipped the little black box to the table and placed it right in front of Hermione. When she saw it, she went quiet. Afraid of hoping for something that perhaps wasnÕt what he was going to do. But when Harry opened the box for her, she realized that what she had hoped for was actually happening. A beautiful solitary ring with a heart shaped diamond shone from inside the box as if it had light of its own. Hermione seemed to have frozen. Harry took the silver ring out of the box. ÒI want to make sure that youÕll always be there with me. I want us to grow old together and to make a family of our own.Ó

Then taking HermioneÕs left hand in his, he asked, ÒWould you like to share the rest of your life with me? Hermione, will you be my wife?Ó

Hermione couldnÕt speak. Tears of happiness began to roll down her cheeks. Making an effort to respond, she nodded.

ÒYes!Ó she was finally able to say. ÒOh Harry! Of course I will. I wouldnÕt want my life to be any other way.Ó As she said that, Harry placed the ring into her finger. Then, he leaned towards her and gave her a passionate kiss to seal their engagement.

Harry felt his happiness was going to explode out of him. He knew perfectly well that with Hermione at his side his life would be wonderful. Hermione looked at him. ÒWell,Ó she thought, ÒIt seems I chose the perfect night to show Harry the little outfit Ginny made me buy.Ó She then smiled mischievously thinking about the surprise Harry would receive later that night.

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Always and forever,

each moment with you,

itÕs just like a dream to me,

that somehow came through.

And I know tomorrow,

will still be the same,

Ôcause weÕve got a life of love.

that wonÕt ever end.

(Heatwave)