A/N: Thanks for reading all this so far! I really appreciate your attention and reviews (Reviews are so wonderful!) I've been really quite busy lately (our band won state in marching and our football team has been in the play-offs) but now we're moving on to concert season and our Dragon Boys got beat (dumb gold bugs)! So, hopefully there will be more updates soon!
Okay, to clear up some confusion, Hermione is a muggle, and well, I know Ron was a bit OOC in the last chapter, but I was just trying to get some haha laugh at Ron in even though I am completely lame and can't make anything funny. Also, I am kinda new at this writing stuff, so pardon my short chapters; I'm working on making them longer! We will be meeting all the old gang in this chapter, ain't that fun?!
Disclaimer: I don't own any of this (duh). If I did, why would I be writing fan fiction when I could be publishing books? I also don't own the Bison Witch Café, which is, in fact, a real café. I also don't own M&M's or A Walk to Remember.
Chapter 4
Going to the Bison Witch soon became a daily habit for Harry. He woke up on instinct early every morning, rushed to get ready, and went to the `quaint little bistro' in the heart of London. Hermione was always there waiting for him, a cup of coffee in her hand and a smile gracing her lips. The more Harry got to know her, the more beautiful she became. Whenever he came in, Hermione would sneak away from her work, if only for a short time, to come talk to him. Their conversations were never as deep and intimate as they had been on the day of the drunken Ron, but Harry was rapidly learning small, trivial things about his mysterious golden girl.
For instance, he knew that her favorite color was green because it reminded her of her mother's eyes. She liked to eat popcorn mixed with M&M's when she watched movies, the only thing that was always sure to make her cry was the movie "A Walk to Remember", and she wrapped her head in a towel after showering. She hated muggy, sticky days, loved the soft touch of raindrops on her face, and practically lived for warm nights spent gazing at the starry sky.
And although Harry knew these things about her, he always went back for more. He felt as though he was addicted to her. He could barely think without thoughts of her interrupting him. He would find himself in the kitchen of his castle, chopping up carrots or getting a butterbeer, when he would suddenly wonder if she preferred chicken or beef. He didn't know where these thoughts came from, but he couldn't keep them from pervading his thoughts. He needed help, and as much as he hated to, he knew his friends would be able to give him advice, for better or worse.
This was the reason that Harry found himself in Hogsmeade, sitting alone at Madame Rosmerta's, on a cold and stormy day. It was only a few days before Thanksgiving, and the place was almost empty because of so many traveling for the holidays. True, Thanksgiving was an American holiday, but a lot of wizards traveled internationally and picked up on the celebration. Harry felt completely alone in the almost empty bar and looked out the window to wait for his friends to arrive. He had summoned all of the old group; he hoped he could trust their discernment.
Harry gave a deep sigh and checked his pocket watch. It was a quarter to six; almost ten minutes past the time they were arranged to meet. Where could they possibly be? As Harry tried to decide whether to leave or not, he heard six loud cracks outside the bar. He stood up abruptly, recognizing the sound of apparation, and waited for his friends to appear. They came in two by two and shook the snow and water off of their coats. Ron saw Harry first and led the others over to him. He and Luna were practically glued at the waist.
Thankfully, Ron was sober today, probably thanks to Luna. She brought out the best in him and encouraged him to be good-most of the time. Harry was glad that Ron had found someone like Luna. They fit together perfectly and she was beautiful. At 5'6", her head rested gracefully on Ron's shoulder, her big blue eyes shining with joy. After she had graduated for Hogwarts, she had gotten a job as a novelist, writing stories for muggles about "fantasy" things like wizards and witches.
Following Ron and Luna were Ginny and Neville, such an unlikely couple that seeing them still made Harry chuckle. Neville was a great guy, but he certainly wasn't up to Ginny's normal standards. When they were at school, Ginny always preferred the tall, dark, mysterious types, not the small, quiet, people like Neville. He hadn't changed a bit from his schooldays (in fact he had achieved his never changing goal of becoming a herbology teacher), but Ginny had transformed into a goddess. Tonight, she was especially enticing with her long red hair all the way down to the back of her knees. She had two silver hoops through her ears and looked exactly like the fashion designer she was in her lime shirt, black slacks, and spiky six-inch heels.
The last couple to approach Harry was Seamus and Lavender. Harry had never been the greatest of friends with the pale and lashless Lavender, but he respected her opinion. Seamus and he had become friends in seventh year, and Harry had kept in close contact with him despite the fact that he was a banker at Gringotts and Harry was a billionaire.
Harry's heart flooded with joy and a smile broke from his mouth at the sight of his friends. He ushered them to the table and gave them menus so they could order. After ordering food and butterbeers, they all looked at each other for a few moments in silence. They hadn't all been together in almost a year, and being in the bar together again felt odd.
Ginny, naturally, was the first to speak. "So, Harry, what's this we've heard about your new girlfriend?" She put special emphasis on the word "girl" and gave him an evil smile. He gave her a death glare.
"For your information, she's not my girlfriend," he replied sharply. "Well, not yet, anyways…" As he trailed off into his own thoughts, Luna began to laugh uproariously.
"Oh, dear, sweet Harry! You are so incredibly cute; it's just so darn funny! Not that way, Ron!" She smacked him on the head as he turned a glaring eye to Harry. He turned his normal shade of crimson and leaned back into his chair. Neville cleared his throat to ignore this latest occurrence.
"So, mate, what are you going to do about her?"
"Well I--"
"You could take her out on a romantic dinner and then take her for a broom ride under the stars." Lavender clasped her hands and sighed at her fantasies.
"Or you could take her on a snorkak hunt."
"Quidditch Games are the best for stealing a lass's heart, mate."
Ron began to laugh this time. Ginny looked at him in disgust.
"What's wrong with you, birdbrain?"
Ron looked at her for a moment before giving a little hiccup. "Of course Harry can't do anything you guys have suggested! What are you, mental?!? It's not as though someone as smart as Harry would just walk a muggle into the wizarding world and-oh." He stopped as everyone at the table grew silent and looked at him. Harry smacked his forehead and slid down into his seat. All of his friends turned their attention from Ron to Harry.
Luna looked at him gently. "Harry, I believe it's time that you tell us all about your mystery girl." She looked at him encouragingly and patted his hand. He gave a few sighs before beginning.
"Okay, okay. Her name is Hermione Granger; she's 21 like me. I met her in the park one day as she made her way to work. She's a waitress, just like her mom was, at the Bison Witch Café in London. Her favorite color is green. She likes to eat popcorn mixed with M&M's when she watches movies, the only thing that is always sure to make her cry is the movie "A Walk to Remember", and she wraps her head in a towel after showering. She hates muggy, sticky days, loves the soft touch of raindrops on her face, and practically lives for warm nights spent gazing at the starry sky. And I know it's crazy, but I feel as though I've known her my whole life, even though I just met her a month ago."
His friends stared in amazement.
Seamus spoke first. "So, she is a muggle?"
"Well, yes, but-"
Lavender interrupted him with a laugh. "Oh my, you're the Savior of the Wizarding World and you've fallen in love with a muggle!" Ginny followed her laughing, and soon the two of them were clutching their sides from stitches. Harry glared at them before being refocused by Ron.
"Mate, don't listen to them. I saw her, and, well, who really cares if she's a muggle? I mean you're Harry Potter, the boy-who-lived, the Savior of the Wizarding World, and the hottest young bachelor out there."
Neville nodded. "Ron's right. You should take a chance with her. I mean, she has no clue of your history- Heck, I bet she doesn't even know you're a millionaire- and it might be a nice change to spend time with a girl who doesn't just see you as a god or a friend or-"
"A man who's fly's unzipped. Please, Harry, I don't want to see that." Ginny looked at him, this time completely serious. "Seriously, Harry, despite the fact that I think you two would probably never work out, Neville's right. I think it would be good for you. Just please, please be careful not to tell her your secret, or else you, me-all of us, in fact-could be possibly endangered."
Harry smiled. "Right, yeah. I'll never tell. Now, how do you suggest I go about asking her out? What if she's not even interested?"
Lavender gave a little `humph.' "Any girl with half a brain would accept you. You really got it going for a 21-year-old bachelor. I mean, you have the most piercing green eyes, messy black hair (that really turns a girl on), you've got a great personality, and you have your scar. Scars are so…sexy." She turned towards Seamus and, fingering the scar on his cheek he had acquired from Quidditch, began to kiss him passionately.
"Oi, already! Get a room!" Ron growled, not remembering the fact that his hand was placed a little too high up on Luna's leg. Lavender just smiled at him, mischievously.
"Okay, thanks for the suggestion!" Seamus shouted. "Harry, nice talking to you; good luck on asking Hermione out!" With another kiss to Lavender, he took his coat and put it on, breaking free from Lavender's hold for less than 5 seconds. Lavender did the same, and they apparated away in each other's arms. Harry really did not want to know where they would be in five minutes-he really really didn't want that image in his brain. He shook his head and looked at the four remaining people. These were the four people he cared about most at Hogwarts; he knew they would help him figure out how to approach Hermione.
Ginny let out a deep breath and clapped her hands together. "Okay, guys! We must bind together to figure out how Harry's going to win the heart of his muggle mistress." Harry groaned.
"I'm just scared that I'll mess it up. I mean, the first three times that our paths crossed, I completely screwed things up, and I'm just scared it will happen again."
"Don't worry, Harry, mate! The third time's the charm, my Gram always said!"
Luna smiled and placed her hands on the table. "When you're asking her out, just say what's from your heart, it will e enough to sweep her off her feet."
"I've just never really had to ask out someone I really wanted to date. You guys usually just set me up and let me go from there. Truth be told, I'm a bit nervous."
Ginny scooted her chair away from the table. Motioning the other three to follow her, she went over to Harry and gave him a soft, friendly hug. Ron, Luna, and Neville joined her and held Harry for a moment in their midst. Ron broke away first and fished something out of his pocket. He held it out and placed it in Harry's hand.
"Here, mate. I know I screwed it up for you on that one day, and I just wanted to make it up to you. Good luck." Harry looked in his hand and found a full bottle of Felix Felicis. Harry looked at Ron and grinned.
"Thanks, mate. I better go on and get home. I'm going to go to the Bison Witch tomorrow and get the courage to finally ask Hermione out."
Ginny and Luna hugged him again and Neville told him he'd be thinking of him. They waved good-bye and watched as Harry walked out the door and apparated into the dark, snowy night.
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The next morning, Harry got to the Bison Witch as soon as it opened. To his dismay, it was packed with customers, and he internally kicked himself for forgetting just how busy the bistro could be. Today, there was a festive atmosphere in the air as music blared from a speaker and people talked merrily. The American holiday of Thanksgiving was often thought of as the official start of Christmas, and people's spirits were high. Harry found a seat at his usual table and waited patiently until he saw Hermione walking towards him, her face flushed from running to and fro.
When she saw Harry smiling at her from his usual seat, her face broke into a smile. She tucked a tendril of hair behind her ear shyly. "Hey, Harry, I'm so busy today I don't know if I can talk to you right away. Let me get your order and I'll be right back as soon as I can."
"Oh, I see you're busy. Hey, listen, I won't make extra work for you, but I do need to talk to you sometime soon. Maybe you could meet me in the park by the fountain when your shift is over?" He knew his voice sounded desperate, but he didn't care.
"Sure!" She said as her graceful smile softened her features. "We're closing at 10:00 today, so I'll meet you at, say, 10:20?"
"I'll be there, Hermione. Until we meet again." He put his coat back on and left the café. Not wanting to go back home until he talked to her, Harry went into the bookstore next door, where he spent the next three and a half hours poring over old muggle books, remembering how she said she loved to read.
*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***
At 10:20 exactly, Hermione came walking up to the large stone fountain in the middle of the park. She wore the same exact thing she had worn when she had first met Harry here. In her hands she carried two large cups of steaming hot chocolate she had picked up from work, and she wiggled her nose in an attempt to keep it from turning red with cold. She arced her head gracefully, looking for him, until she spotted him on the opposite side of the fountain.
She headed over to him and stood silently beside him until he noticed her presence.
"Hey!" He jumped up with a smile. He took the cups from her and motioned for her to sit down.
"I brought some hot chocolate for us; thought it would be quite nice in this cold."
"Thank you very much." He took a little sip as the steam fogged his glasses. "It's almost better than your coffee!" He took another drink, fogging his glasses up more. Hermione laughed and wiped the lenses with her scarf. He gave an appreciative smile and they were plunged into awkward silence.
"So…" Hermione began. "What did you need to talk to me about?"
"Well, I just wanted to say…" He took a deep breath. "I've really enjoyed getting to know you this past month. You're an amazing person, and I really like you, a lot. I was just wondering if you might want to go out to dinner with me tonight? I mean, if you don't want to, that's fine, but…" She placed her gloved hand on his lips to silence his stutters.
"Thank you very much for asking me. I'd love to go. What time will you pick me up?"
Harry's heart flooded. "How does seven sound?"
Hermione smiled. "That would be nice. Here, let me write my address down for you." She pulled a slip of paper out of her pocket and quickly jotted down her address. "See you tonight!" she said as she placed the paper in his pocket.
Harry grinned in return. "Yeah, see you!"
They waved good-bye before heading their separate ways. Hermione was glad that Harry had asked her out, but she realized she had only so many hours to prepare for her first date in two years.
A/N: Yay, they're finally (kinda) together! Next Chapter: Hermione's Preparation and their big date! Oh, and just to clarify: yes, I know there aren't too many Lavender lovers out there, but I had to put another couple in there! I like to think that without Hermione in Harry's school life, he had to depend on other girls like Lavender for xtra girl help. Thanks for reading, please review!
Katie
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