The Story of Us
Disclaimer: I am not worthy to use these characters that J. K. Rowling has created out of pure and undiluted genius, but I just love them so much that I had to use them again! I don't have any possessions or any money, so to sue me would be very much a waste.
Summary: Reaching the last straw of their relationship gone sour, Hermione suggests a couple weeks apart to use as think time. What she didn't realize that staying apart for two weeks could be the hardest thing she or Harry would ever try to do. Much romance (of course), and some drama/angst (*gasp!* not pure fluff?!)
Author's Note: Originally this story was taken and inspired (very loosely) by the movie "The Story of Us" (which is rather cute). I also began writing it at a time when my best friend, Erin, and I had potentially reached the end of a very good friendship, and a lot of what I was feeling at the time poured into this fic. Some time later, Erin and I resolved our issues and are even better friends then before (Erin gets a little role in the story, since I needed a name). As I came back to edit/add on to this fic, each time it took a slightly different turn. After finishing it, I have found that I rather like the end result, though it is no longer the story I originally intended it to be.
P.S. My beta has deserted me! (Just kidding, but I do no longer have my fabulous beta and am currently searching for a new one, which is much harder than it was before.) Basically, though, this story was edited by yours truly, so I apologize in advance for any typos, though I did check multiple times!
*EDIT* Sorry, but I was having trouble with editing, so all flash-backs are *between astrix* (sp?) and are bold. Hope that isn't confusing!
~*~*~
"So what do we do now?" Harry asked and Hermione looked up with tears in her eyes, then began sobbing; hugging him even though she was leaving. Harry didn't hesitate as he took her in his arms, running his hand up and down her back soothingly. He didn't say anything, because he knew he was partially to blame for her pain. He heard her say something into his shirt and bent his head down to hear her better. "What was that?"
Hermione looked up, "It's not FAIR!" She yelled at the top of her lungs, startling Harry a bit. She had never been a particularly loud person. "It's not right," she whispered, looking down at the floor. "We were supposed to be perfect for each other. We were supposed to be the ones who grew old together and lived in the little cottage on the shore with the children and grandchildren and great grandchildren around." She look up at him, "What happened?"
Harry didn't know what to say. They had been the golden couple at Hogwarts, sharing a flat with Ron after graduation. Two years later they married, and it was as if everything was as great as life could be. Neither of them new what happened, but after awhile something changed. Their hours for work were different, and when they had the chance to be together they didn't want to be. Then the fighting began. Night after night they would yell at each other over mindless things. Eventually, they couldn't take it anymore; they knew they needed help.
They found the best marriage counselor in all of Europe, and signed him on to a secrecy contract, which Hermione charmed herself, Harry thought proudly. It helped for a few months, but that was it.
It was Hermione who proposed the idea of her leaving. It would only be a few weeks, she said, and it would give them each some time to themselves to think. They could each clear their mind and figure out what happened, and what they wanted.
Harry knew what had happened. They had achieved perfection and were sick of it. All their lives they had had challenges to face and now that they had none, they decided to challenge each other. It was like something was missing, but neither of them knew what. Nonetheless, Harry had agreed, willing to do anything that may help her and in turn save their marriage. He had offered to let her keep the apartment, and he be the one who leave, but she persisted that she go since it was her idea, and he, of course, gave in. Hermione packed her things in silence, neither of them saying anything until she reached the door, bags in hand. In a flash she dropped them to the ground and flung her arms around his shoulders, squeezing the air out of him. He didn't care, though, and simply hugged her back, bringing them to the present.
Hermione let him go and picked up her bags, wiping a tear from her cheek as Harry did them same. "So no contacting the other person for two weeks?" She asked, reviewing the rules to ease the pain of leaving.
Harry nodded, "And no seeing other people, because this isn't a break-up, or even a break…"
"…It's think time," She nodded and opened the door. She look up at him one last time and gave him a brave smile through her tears.
"It will be okay, this was your idea remember?" Harry tried to keep a brave face for his heartbroken wife. He knew he wouldn't be able to survive two weeks without her, but it was necessary. Things couldn't keep going as they were, constantly fighting and always being angry and upset. It wasn't healthy for either of them or their relationship. Hermione hugged him again, nodding while doing so, as if to prove there was a purpose for it.
She stepped back the last time, still facing him, "It will be okay," before she turned to walk out the door Harry grabbed the back of her neck with his hand and forced upon her a kiss, which she returned, both putting all the love into it that they could, as if to prove to themselves that what they said was true. When the moment was over they both let go together, new tears in their eyes that they hadn't noticed had fallen. Hermione walked out the door quickly, before she could change her mind, and closed the door behind her.
"Goodbye, Hermione," Harry whispered to the closed door.
"Goodbye, Harry," Hermione breathed before apparating to the hotel.
~~~
That night Hermione didn't sleep easy. She had ordered six extra pillows and laid them next to her in the large bed, but it wasn't the same. Even when they were fighting, Hermione had always taken comfort in the warmth that Harry's body next to her provided before she drifted off to sleep.
*"Fine!"
"Fine!"
Hermione stomped her foot on the ground as she quickly changed into her pajamas, Harry doing the same across the room. They both got in the bed robotically and Hermione reached up and turned out the light. She lay there stiffly for a long time until she felt Harry's foot touching hers. She turned around and looked into those beautiful green eyes of his and forgot what they had been fighting about. A dinner party? No time? In didn't matter as his finger touched her finger, silently asking to hold her hand. She took his hand in hers and leaned closer to him as he kissed her on the forehead. He rolled onto his back, and she curled up, leaning her head on his shoulder, the rise and fall of his chest as he breathed soon lulling her into a peaceful sleep. *
Hermione wished she could lay her head on his chest now, as she tried desperately to fall asleep. Her mind began to wander to their wedding day.
*"Ginny, where are the flowers for the flower girl?" Hermione called in a panic. It was two minutes before the wedding was suppose to start and Bill's daughter had just come up to her with an empty basket, asking "Aunt Hermione" what she was suppose to do. Hermione looked up to see Ginny sprinting towards them in her dress and all, carrying a bag of fresh flower petals. She handed them to the small girl.
"Here you go, sweetie!" Ginny smiled warmly at her niece as she emptied the petals into the basket. "Remember, toss them, don't throw them, just like we practiced, okay?" The girl nodded eagerly, for she had been practicing her part for weeks, walking around the burrow throwing leaves from and old Easter basket.
Ginny stood up and looked at Hermione, smiling. "I told you, Hermione! I've got it all taken care of! Now your only job is to walk down that aisle and get married!" She smiled, not failing to notice the nervous look on Hermione's face. She calmed her tone a bit. "Don't worry. He's just as nervous as you are."
Hermione smiled, thankful for her friend. "I'm sorry, it's just that I want it to be perfect." Ginny wiped the tear from Hermione's eye before her make up could be messed.
The music began, and it was Ginny's cue to head down the aisle after the regular bridesmaids. Just before leaving she turned around and said, smiling affectionately, "It already is." She winked and made her way down the aisle.
Hermione watched her go, and heard her cue as her family and friends stood up. Hermione took her father's arm and made her way through the church. Halfway down, she looked up at Harry and saw the look in his eyes, as if he had never loved her more, which she didn't doubt because, in that moment, she had never loved him more. It was then that she realized it.
Ginny was right. *
~~~
Two nights later…
~~~
Harry sat on the sofa of their apartment, watching the movie Hermione had made them watch on their first official date.
*"Hermione, are you sure everything is alright in there?" Harry asked as he sat on the couch in the flat they shared with Ron, who had graciously left for the evening. Hermione had come to the realization that they had never been on an actual date, even though they were engaged. Harry had pointed out that they were friends so long and lived in the same house all through school, and then in the same flat after graduation, so dating had never made sense for them. Of course, Hermione would not accept this, and stated that she would not marry him until they had their first official date. Harry had accepted this and told her that it was fine with him, not expecting her to actually make a big deal out if it.
Oh, how naïve Harry could be at times. Hermione never made a small deal out of anything. When he got home from work that night Hermione handed him a small card before he could even give her a kiss hello. He read it, and it turned out to be an invitation for him to "come visit the future Mrs. Potter at her flat in London" where she would cook him a meal and they would watch a movie of her selection. Harry had tried to point out to her that, as much as he loved her, cooking wasn't her thing, but she wouldn't give up on that either, and had stubbornly told him that she needed practice for when they had children. Harry told her that the only time he'd let his children eat her cooking was as a punishment for something horribly bad, which promptly earned him a punch in the gut, which gave him a bruise, though he didn't tell her.
"No! Stay in there! I've got everything under control!" Hermione's voice brought him back to the present. He could smell something burning, but said nothing, and simply sat quietly on the couch. Five minutes later, Hermione came out holding two blackened dishes, tears of frustration in her eyes, and a look of surrender on her face. Harry grabbed the hot pads she had set on the table in the room and took the dishes from her hands and put them down, then held his arms open to give her a hug. She stood there for a moment, like a sad puppy, before slowly hobbling into his arms.
"Kids like take-out, right?" *
"Harry? Are you there?" Harry was jerked back to reality by the sound of Ron's voice, the owner of which was sitting right in front of him. Ron was the only one they had told about the short separation, because he visited their place nearly every day and, already knowing they had troubles, would figure it out easily.
"Hey, mate," mumbled Harry, "Do you want something to drink? I feel thirsty all of the sudden…" His voice faded as he wandered towards the kitchen, Ron getting up to follow him. Ron told him he didn't really want anything. Harry nodded, not heading toward the refrigerator, but to the liquor cabinet, which was saved for special occasions.
"Uh, Harry? Are you sure you want to be doing that?" Harry turned and looked at Ron, who immediately noticed just how disastrous his friend looked. In plain words, he was a mess. His hair was messier than usual, and tangled, most likely because he hadn't bothered to brush it. His glasses were smudged, and he had some dirt on his cheek. His clothes were quite ratty, and his socks had holes in them.
"Sure I do, mate. When Hermione told me she was leaving I took off work, knowing I wouldn't, er, deal too well with it. See, I can be smart, too," Harry pointed at his head as if to emphasize his point, "I have been considering this for a solid day or so, and I see no logical reason not to get nice and hammered." Harry took out some rum and poured well more than he was supposed to into a glass of coke.
Ron used Hedwig to owl his wife, Luna. It seemed that he would be staying here tonight.
~~~
Three days later… (Day 6 of 14)
~~~
"Ma'am? Ma'am?" Hermione looked up, startled, to see her assistant standing in the doorway.
"Yes, Erin?" Hermione beckoned her in. Her assistant walked in.
"Miss Weasley was wondering if you were done with your article. She was considering putting it in this week's issue instead of next week's."
"Tell her that I'm not done, but if she really wants it I can have it ready for her tomorrow."
"Will do," Her assistant exited the office, writing a memo as she went.
*"You do too much work. Everyone needs a break once in awhile." Harry told her.
"I don't," Hermione stubbornly answered.
"Sure you do," Harry persisted, smiling playfully. Hermione looked up at him sharply, clearly not at all amused.
"No, Harry, I don't. Unlike some people, work is very important to me." She replied with her eyes narrowed dangerously.
"What's that supposed to mean? You think work isn't important to me?" Harry asked, taking defense.
"Well if it is, you sure don't act like it."
"Just because I don't have my head in a book 24/7 doesn't mean work isn't important to me!"
"Harry, quit being defensive. You've never enjoyed work, and neither has Ron. I used to practically have to threaten you two to get you to do your homework. I'm simply stating that it doesn't mean as much to you."
"Well some people love other things more than work. You know, like maybe, their husband! Their friends!"
Hermione stood up and look him square in the eye, furious. "Where on earth do you get the nerve to say I don't love you?!" she practically hissed, " I've loved you since you were eleven years old, Harry Potter! Just because you aren't getting what you want from me one day out of eleven years does not justify a statement like that." And with that she angrily grabbed her things and popped up to her office, locking the door with a charm. It wasn't until two days later that she found out from Ron that Harry had planned a nice romantic dinner to celebrate her and her new job, and had been trying to surprise her. *
"She says you can work on it when you get a chance," Erin said, back in Hermione's office again. Hermione nodded.
Over the next three days each of them fought an internal battle with themselves, deciding if they should call each other. Neither was sure if disobeying the rules was okay, and, if they did, if the other person would be okay with it. The half dialed numbers became common practice as each of them began counting down the hours until they could see the other person again.
Harry had decided that this was stupid. He loved Hermione more than anything, and couldn't believe that it took two weeks apart to make him see how much they were taking what they had for granted. He wanted to come up with a way to make Hermione see just how much he missed her, but every idea seemed just as cheesy and cliché (two things Hermione certainly was not) as the next.
Meanwhile, Hermione was having a different battle of her own. Did Harry miss her as much as she missed him? If so, what was the problem? They couldn't live without each other, but fought constantly when they were together. When did things get so complicated? Their love had always been so simple. Even when they got together, it wasn't complicated.
*Hermione walked down the halls between her two best friends as they headed towards Transfiguration, talking nonstop about the project that they had been assigned.
"Honestly, I thought it was a quite fascinating subject, but it was a bit discouraging, since there were only ten books containing information related to the it in the library. Didn't you two think-"
"I love you Hermione." Harry said, startling both of his friends. Ron had already known, and had encouraged Harry to tell her, but had never expected him to be so forward and, to be honest, random about it.
Hermione didn't bother asking him how he meant that, because she could tell exactly what he meant by the look in his eyes. None of them had even realized that they had stopped walking. "I love you too, Harry." She said, smiling and blushing slightly. She leaned over and gave him a chaste kiss on the cheek. He smiled back and they continued walking, just as they had. Hermione's hand sought out Harry's, and then Ron's, and looked at them with an elated look on her face. "Hermione's Boys," she stated happily, to which they both grinned in return. *
Hermione smiled. Things were so simple then. Of course, one could expect that when an all-powerful evil wizard is threatening your life. What were they suppose to do when things became easy? Suddenly it hit her.
You make things hard when they are easy. Suddenly it all made sense. Hermione had to talk to Harry.
Only five days left.
It was Saturday night; almost two weeks after Hermione had left, and Harry sat up, wide awake. He had just freshened himself up a bit, making his appearance look much more presentable. However, nothing he could do would make the bags under his eyes disappear.
Harry was having second thoughts of his plan, which was to take place the next morning. He was going to take her out to her favorite café for breakfast, and talk things over. As good of an idea as it was, he didn't want to wait that long. A sound distracted him from his dilemma. He looked up and noticed that it was the clock chiming midnight. Today he would see Hermione, finally. He'd be able to hold her, smell her hair, hear her voice, and look into her eyes. One thought came to his head.
Screw the plan.
Harry grabbed his coat and headed for the door.
Hermione walked groggily to the door of her hotel room at the sound of knocking at the door. What was going on? Was it Ron? Had something happened to Harry? Hermione was suddenly worried and hurried to the door.
"Harry?" She looked at her husband standing in her doorway and absentmindedly twisted her wedding ring on her finger. "I thought we agreed on no communication until tomorrow. Did something happen?" Harry said nothing and simply held up his watch.
It was ten minutes after midnight. Hermione looked back up at Harry, who was grinning despite himself. "May I come in?" Hermione opened the door wider in response. Harry walked through, seeming slightly anxious. He looked around the hotel room, then back at Hermione, and it was then that she noticed the bags under his eyes.
"Come here," Harry took her hand and led her to the couch where he sat her down and then kneeled before her. "Can I tell you something?" he asked and Hermione nodded. "These last two weeks have been sheer hell. I haven't eaten much or slept, and, to be honest, I've been drinking, which I'm sorry for because I know you hate it," Hermione was touched that he bothered apologize for such a small thing, "I didn't bother going to work, and I'm nearly positive that there hasn't been a moment where I haven't thought of you and our life together and if I had waited until morning I may have gone crazy. I've been remembering all kinds of things; the good and the bad. Somehow, though, I still needed you, Hermione. Even when I was remembering our petty little fights, I needed you. I never even realized how much until you were gone, and I'm sorry, but it's still true. I needed you so much, and I still do. I needed to hope that you were feeling the same way. Were you?" Harry noticed that he had begun looking at her knees and looked back up into Hermione's eyes, only to realize that she was crying.
Harry wanted to take her into his arms, to comfort her, but he had to hear her answer first. At last, Hermione nodded, and that was all it took. Harry stood and pulled his wife into his arms, holding onto her with desperation, whispering promises in her ear, pledging to never let her go. Hermione cried against him and nodded. After many long moments, they drew apart and Hermione spoke.
"I didn't realize that it's possible for your presence to be so necessary, but it is. I couldn't even fall asleep without you next to me! I can't live without you, Harry. It's as if when you're gone I don't know who I am. I've been taking you for granted, fighting with you as if you were Ron or something. I'm sorry." Harry laughed.
"I'm sorry, too. I love you so much, Hermione." Harry gave his wife a small kiss on the lips.
"I love you, too, Harry. Never let me go again."
Harry smiled, "Don't worry, I wont."
~*~
"And that's the end." Harry finished. He looked up from his daze at his fifteen-year-old daughter.
"So you're telling me that scariest thing you've ever gone through in your entire life is two weeks without Mom? But what about Voldemort and giant spiders and snakes?" Danielle asked.
Harry shrugged. "Well, with Voldemort I knew what I was up against. Though one time your mom almost did die when I was fighting a death eater, and that scared me pretty bad too. Plus, it wasn't just two weeks without your mother, it was the chance of losing her. When your mother isn't there I feel like half of a person. She's in almost all of my good memories, so if you take her out of my life there isn't much left."
"Wow, that's really romantic, Dad," Danielle nodded approvingly.
Harry smiled, pleased with himself, "I have my moments."
Danielle nodded. "There's something I don't understand, though. Why did you fight like that? You and Mom hardly ever argue anymore."
Harry shrugged. "Well, it wasn't all happy ever after, but we worked through it. Plus, we had you a year later, and then your brother three years after that, and now little Laura who's just turning seven. Now that we have three kids, we feel we have a purpose, and remember when I said I felt like there was something missing?" Danielle nodded. "Well, when we had you, there wasn't anything missing anymore. It's also hard to argue with someone when you know that your love for them made something as beautiful as you and your brother and sister."
Danielle smiled. "So, you guys basically fought because you were bored? Seems rather dumb to me."
Harry laughed as Hermione walked in and said, "You're right, but we learned from our mistakes, and loved each other even more after that." Hermione sat on the armrest of the chair Harry was sitting on and kissed his cheek, messing with his hair.
"Aww…" Danielle smiled at her parents, "Someday I want to be like you guys." She smiled at them one last time and then excused herself to go to bed, giving them each a hug and kiss.
Hermione smiled at her husband, "She's becoming a beautiful woman, isn't she?"
Harry nodded. "That she is."
"That girl is most definitely your daughter, Harry. From the day she was born she was Daddy's Little Girl. I can't believe she is going to be a sixth year in two months. I feel old now."
Harry grinned at his wife. "You don't look a day over twenty-five."
Hermione looked at him suspiciously, "Mr. Potter, one thinks that you may want something."
Harry raised his eyebrow. "Who, me? Well, now that you mention it, we have three beautiful children, how about making it four?"
Hermione mocked thought for a moment and then smiled brightly, "Sure, honey!"
Harry looked at her in disbelief, "Really?"
Hermione nodded, "Just as soon as you grow a uterus."
Harry laughed as his wife walked into their bedroom and shut the door, slowly getting up to go after her, "Let the games begin…"
THE END
~*~
A/N: Phew! While this is still startlingly short, it is my longest (posted) fic yet, so that's pretty cool. I should have another fic out early next week before I leave for vacation, and maybe even one more after that (I'm trying to finish and put up as many as possible before HPB gets out). Also, Erin you rock and I love ya, girly! You are awesome!
Anyway, please take the 30-120 seconds necessary to leave a review (it depends on how fast you type I suppose). Constructive criticism is more than welcome (especially since I had no beta this time…ack!) and very appreciated. As always, thank you for reading and I hope you really enjoyed it!
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