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Just One Night
Chapter 12 - Making Up
Hermione returned to the dorm deep in thought. She was bustling with emotions. Part of her felt bad because of what had just happened with Kyle. Another part of her felt bad about how she treated Harry. She felt anxious to see Harry again and set things right, if he would let her.
Ashley came into the kitchen and saw that Hermione was home from her date.
"Hey, what are you doing home so soon?" Ashley asked. "Where's Kyle?"
Hermione jumped. She had not realized that Ashley was home. She usually had a date on Friday nights. Then again, since she had met Ron she had not been dating much.
"Well, if you really must know," Hermione said, "Kyle and I broke up."
"What!" Ashley yelled. "Why? Didn't you just turn Harry down for him?"
"I love Harry," Hermione stated simply and then began to laugh sarcastically. "You see, I put so much effort into fooling myself into thinking that I was over him that I may have passed up my chance to actually be with him."
Ashley stared at Hermione as she laughed at herself like a mad women. She was obviously in distress. Ashley had never seen Hermione like this, not even when it was exam time.
"So tonight, while I was sitting with Kyle, he started kissing me. I mean really kissing me and it should have felt good right? But no, it didn't. And who kept popping into my head but Harry. So I asked myself, why are my thoughts always so consumed with Harry if I want nothing more to do with him. And then I realized it, right in the middle of Kyle's kiss mind you. I kept thinking of Harry because it was him that I wanted to be kissing. Not Kyle, but Harry."
"So you broke up with Kyle?" Ashley asked again.
"Yep. I broke up with Kyle. I really hated to hurt him but I couldn't let things go any further. He was really upset. He pretty much kicked me out of his apartment."
"Wow, he kicked you out? I've never seen him mad before. Are you okay?"
"I don't know how I'm doing really. I'm mad at myself for being such a prick."
"This must be a record," Ashley said.
"What?"
"Well, you've managed to break the hearts of two guys all within the span of two weeks," Ashley said. "Is now a good time for me to say I told you so?"
"It's not funny Ashley. I really feel horrid. And what do I do now? Harry must hate me."
"Just tell him how you feel," Ashley said.
"It's not that simple," Hermione protested.
"Why not?"
"It just isn't. I've really hurt him."
"You could always show up at his apartment wearing an overcoat with nothing underneath and shag him senseless. I'm sure he won't object to that," Ashley joked.
Hermione glared at her. She honestly didn't appreciate being made fun of when she was going through a really tough time.
"Okay, okay," Ashley said. "How about this? I still have an extra ticket to their game tomorrow. Why don't you come with me? We can have some fun and then you can talk to Harry after the match."
"I really don't think he wants to see me. Do you realize that he hasn't written me since he left? He used to owl me twice a week."
"Look, do you want Harry back or not?" Ashley asked, impatiently.
"Of course. Haven't you been listening to me," Hermione replied.
"Then stop making excuses and go pack a bag. We're going to London tomorrow and you will talk to Harry then."
"I suppose you're right. What do I have to lose anyway?"
Hermione headed to bed feeling a giddy. She was going to see Harry tomorrow.
************************************************
Harry followed his celebrating teammates into the Puddlemere locker room. They had just clobbered the Bulgarian National Quidditch Team and there was a buzz of excitement in the air. It had even started to affect Harry, who had not been in a good mood since the incident with Hermione. The mood of his teammates was infectious and something about flying made him feel free from all of his worries.
Unfortunately, what goes up must come down. Harry was brought back down to earth when some of the players began to suggest that they all go out and have a couple drinks to celebrate.
"Great catch Potter, not to mention that spectacular save you made against Rollason, Ron," Will O'Connor said. He was one of the team beaters.
"Thanks," Harry replied. "You didn't look so bad out there yourself."
"Yeah, you kept those Bulgarian blokes in check. They didn't stand a chance," Ron added.
They talked for a few minutes about the match. Then Will invited them along with him and some of the guys to go to Ernie's Pub, a local bar.
"Sorry mate," Ron said quickly. "My girlfriend is in town. She's a bit more appealing than the lot of you."
Hearing Ron mention Ashley only caused Harry to think of Hermione. He knew it was foolish to hope that she had come with Ashley and he really didn't know how he would react if she did show up. He had not heard from her in two weeks and knew better than to think that she'd come running back to him. In fact, she was probably at home enjoying the privacy of the dorm with her boyfriend. Just the thought of it filled Harry with anger. He knew Hermione had the right to choose Kyle over him, but it did not stop him from being jealous.
"You know what," Harry told Will. "I think I will join you guys. I don't have any girlfriend to tie me down."
"Alright mate," Will said. "First shot's on me."
Harry followed Will and the rest of his teammates to the bar hoping to force Hermione out of him mind with a lot of liquor.
**********************************************
Hermione stood with Ashley as she waited for Ron to meet her at the player's entrance to the Quidditch Pitch. She was excited and nervous at the same time. She had never been one for Quidditch but always found it enjoyable to watch her two best friends play. The game was spectacular to say the least. Ron, who had grown into the Keeper position nicely, made some great saves, only allowing Bulgaria to score three times. Ashley could barely contain herself as she jumped up and down, cheering for Ron. Hermione found this amusing seeing as Ashley, who was from the United States, knew less about Quidditch than she did.
And Harry. What could she say about Harry. He played superbly, bringing the game to an end by perfecting the Potter Plow Dive, a move that he invented himself, probably by accident, in his first professional match. Hermione was not sure whether she was more excited about his daring antics on his broomstick or just the sheer thrill of seeing him again. Though she was anxious about speaking to him, she could have watched him flying for hours. He was breathtaking. The wind was blowing in his hair causing it to be even messier than usual, as he skillfully maneuvered his broom around the pitch. A number of times, Hermione found herself being brought back to reality by the sound of the crowd cheering as she got lost in fantasies of running her fingers through that messy hair.
Hermione saw Ashley stand up straighter trying to look at something. Hermione followed her gaze to find a smiling Ron making his way towards them. She looked around hoping also to see Harry nearby, but unfortunately he was nowhere in sight.
"Ashley," Ron boomed, excitedly. He wrapped her in a big hug, lifting her off the ground and spinning her around. "Did you enjoy the game?"
"It was great," Ashley replied, also smiling. "It was my first Quidditch match."
Ron looked appalled that her life had been void of Quidditch all this time. How could people live without Quidditch? He vowed to make sure that this was not her last game.
Hermione stood there watching as Ron and Ashley greeted one another. It was disgustingly cute. They looked very happy together. Hermione had been surprised at how well their relationship had taken off. Up until now they had both run away from anything that looked remotely like a commitment like it was a bad toothache. It was nice to see that they had found something special in each other.
Hermione cleared her throat to get their attention.
"Great game Ron," Hermione said, breaking into their moment.
"Hermione," Ron said surprised. He released Ashley and gave Hermione a warm hug. "What are you doing here? I didn't know you were coming. It's great to see you."
"Well, I had the weekend free and Ashley had an extra ticket so I decided to come along. We really don't see each other enough. And I'm quite tired of reading about this great Puddlemere team and thought it best to come and see what all the hype was about. I must say, Ron, you are definitely on the top of your game. It almost made me break out into a verse of "Weasley Is Our King" only I couldn't remember the words."
"Ha ha, very funny Hermione," Ron replied, laughing. "So how is your boyfriend? Er, Kyle was his name, right?""
"Actually, its ex-boyfriend now," Hermione told him.
"Oh, sorry to hear that," Ron said, lying. It was great news. Maybe now she and Harry would get it together.
"So where's Harry?" Hermione asked, trying to sound casual.
"I think he went with a couple of fellas from the team to have a little celebratory drink."
"Oh," said Hermione, trying to hide the disappointment in her voice.
"Why don't you hang out with me and Ash for a bit? We're gonna go grab a bite to eat. You're more than welcome to join us."
"Yeah, come on. Let's go see if we can get kicked out of another restaurant," Ashley said.
Hermione laughed. Though she had missed spending time with Ron when he and Harry had come to visit, and there was not doubt that it would be a blast, she did not want to be a third wheel. She knew how excited they were to see each other and did not want to intrude on that. Besides, the only thing she really wanted to do right now was talk to Harry.
"If it's okay with you Ron, I think I'll just go hang out at your flat and wait for Harry. Is that okay?"
"Of course, but are you sure you don't want to go with us? I'm not sure when Harry will turn up," Ron said.
"I'll be fine. You two just don't do anything I wouldn't do."
Ron told Hermione how to get to the apartment and gave her the password to enter. Then they went their separate ways.
When Hermione entered the apartment, she felt as if it looked exactly like she imagined. She had known the two for a long time and was not surprised to see clothes strewn across the floor and dirty dishes around the kitchen. "Men," Hermione muttered as she looked around the apartment. It could definitely use a woman's touch as it was scarcely decorated. If you looked past the fact that two slobs lived there, it was a really nice apartment. It was very large with hard wood floors. The sitting room had a couch, table, and a couple of really comfortable looking chairs. It looked as if someone had made a small effort to clean it up. That would have to be Ron, seeing that he was having Ashley over. Of course he was trying to make a good impression.
Hermione chuckled to herself as she went to have a look in the kitchen. It was spacious with and high bar-like counter with four bar stools. The kitchen was a complete mess. The fridge was pretty much bare except for a few bottles of butter beer and an occasional item that looked as if it had been in there for years. Hermione quickly shut the door, afraid that something would jump out and bite her. There was also a small dining room. By the looks of it, they never ate in there and it was by far the cleanest room in the flat.
Hermione struggled with herself a bit on deciding whether to snoop and have a look in the boy's bed rooms. Curiosity won and she walked down the hall and pushed open one of the three bedroom doors. Orange attacked her vision. 'Chudley Cannons' she thought. It had to be Ron's room. She found it amusing to imagine what Puddlemere fans would think if they knew their beloved Keeper was a closet Chudley Cannons fan.
She shut the door and walked across the hall to the next door. She instinctively knew it was Harry's. It was a bit junky but not too bad. At least the bed was made. On either side of the bed was a night stand. There was also a small book shelf containing volumes on Quidditch and Defenses Against Dark Arts. On the other side of the room was a writing desk on which lay a very large familiar book. Hermione walked over to it and picked it up. It was Hogwarts, A History. Hermione flipped through the pages and found that it had been book-marked at the very beginning of the first chapter. She seriously doubted they would ever actually read Hogwarts, A History. In actuality, Harry had only bought the book because it reminded him of Hermione.
She closed the book, planning to read it while waiting for Harry to return. As she made her way to the door, a picture on Harry's night stand caught her eye. It was one of her and Harry, taken after Gryffindor had won the Quidditch Cup in their last year at Hogwarts. In the moving photo Hermione was staring adoringly at Harry. Every now and then the Harry in the photo would pull Hermione into a hug and place a small kiss on her forehead.
Hermione sat on the edge of the bed, forgetting about Hogwarts, A History completely, and picked of the picture. She fought back the tears that were threatening to spill from her eyes. Harry had no idea what that small kiss on the forehead and hug meant to her. It was what led her to make her proposal to him for their one night together in the first place. All she wanted was a small part of him, even if it was only for a short time. How foolish she had been to turn Harry away when she knew he was what she had always wanted.
She knew she did the right thing, breaking up with Kyle now, as emotions that had been building up over the last eight years came flooding back to her. Kyle could never make her feel like this. Nothing had changed. Sure, she got older and even a bit smarter. And yes, she could now say that she had been in a relationship that lasted over a week. But still, nothing changed. Harry was still at the center of her heart. Always had been and always would be. She just hoped he hadn't given up on her yet.
Hermione sat the picture down and picked up the book once more. She took a seat on the couch in the sitting room and began to read. She stayed that way for about an hour until she began to doze off.
***********************************************
Harry stayed at the bar for about two hours, which he found was quite enough time to get himself inebriated. He also found that being drunk did little to mend a broken heart. In fact, it had made him feel even more miserable. Finally he'd had enough when his head began to spin and he knew he should head home.
It was dark in the apartment when he entered and something felt off. When you are stalked by a maniac for a major part of your life you get a knack for knowing these things. He fumbled clumsily for his wand. If someone was foolish enough to break into his home, he was sure he would be able to do some damage. Drunk or not, he should be able to at least take out an eye or remove some bones.
He slowly crept further into the apartment, carefully listening for any sound or movement. Sure enough, when he reached the sitting room he saw an outline of a person on the couch. Whoever it was appeared to be sleeping. Harry moved a little closer preparing to stun the intruder and find out who it was.
Just as he was about to speak the words of the spell a voice rang out.
"Harry is that you?" it said.
'I know that voice,' Harry thought. "Hermione?" he said as recognition dawned on him. "What are you doing here?"
"I needed to speak with you," Hermione replied.
"Wait, let me turn on a light," Harry said as he moved around the apartment.
"Ouch," he mumbled after hitting his foot on a table. He was still quite drunk and didn't have the best coordination at the moment.
"You're drunk," Hermione stated once the lights went on.
"That I am," Harry replied fixing her with an angry glare. "What are you doing here anyway? Shouldn't you be off somewhere with you ickle boyfriend?"
"Harry I….," Hermione began but Harry was just beginning on his drunken rant.
"Or maybe you decided to come and rub it in my face some more. Or maybe, Miss Popular decided that she wanted Harry this week and she'll move back to Kyle next week. Is that it? Do you have us written in on one of your little time tables?"
"Oh sod it," Hermione spat, whipping out her wand.
Harry braced himself to be hexed, wandering what curse she would use. She wouldn't really hurt him, would she? But he felt no pain. Instead he heard her say "Ginetius Sobrietus" with her wand pointed directly at him. He immediately felt his drunken haze lift and he stood before her bright eyed and sober.
"There, that's better," she said.
"It still doesn't explain why you're here," Harry said. Yes he was sober, but that did not stop him from being angry or feeling sorry for himself.
"I thought that we could talk," Hermione said, ignoring his harsh words. She knew Harry could be a prat at times and expected this to be one of them.
"What is there to talk about, Hermione? Did you want to apologize again or tell me how much Kyle means to you? Because if you did, I don't want to hear it."
"You don't understand," Hermione began as she tried to make him aware of her feelings. He was making this very hard and her patience was running out. "I broke up with Kyle."
"Oh really," Harry said. "Well that's great. Since things didn't work out with him, I suppose you thought you could just come back to good old Harry and I would just be sitting around waiting for you. Well things don't work the way Hermione."
"SHUT UP!" she yelled at him. Harry looked taken aback. Sure Hermione had snapped at him plenty of times before but she had never yelled at him like this. Usually it was Ron who got this kind of wrath. He didn't know what to think.
"You have absolutely no idea what it is like to sit around and wait for some one. None at all. You think I caused you pain? Well, two weeks does not compare with years Harry. I waited on you for years. And you never noticed. I was never good enough for you. You have no idea how bad it hurt to watch you with other women knowing that I would never be in their place. Oh sure, I was special to you, your best friend and all. But never special enough. Have you any idea how many nights I cried myself to sleep over you? Do you? So you'll have to excuse me if I'm a little confused when you finally decide to take notice that maybe you could love me too."
Harry was stunned. He had no idea that he had caused her that kind of pain. Guilt overwhelmed him. He would have never hurt her purposely.
"Hermione, I never meant….," Harry began, but Hermione was no longer listening.
She had stood up and was furiously trying to wipe away the tears that were running down her face. She began to pull her bags together in an attempt to head for the door.
"This was a mistake," she muttered to herself. "I should have never come here. I should have never been stupid enough to believe that he finally wanted me too."
She had made her way to the door and was pulling it open but somehow the handle snapped out of her hand and the door slammed shut. She spun around quickly to see Harry standing there with his wand pointed at the door.
"Open the door Harry," she pleaded, tears still flowing freely. "I need to get out of here."
"No," he stated calmly as he began to close the gap between them. "No. I'm not letting you go again."
"Please," she said feeling weak. But Harry had already begun to take her overnight bag out of her hand.
"No," he said again. "I'm so sorry Hermione. I had no right to talk to you like I did. Please say you forgive me."
"Harry this won't work," Hermione tried to protest.
"Shhh..," Harry said, pulling her into his arms. "Don't say that. I meant what I told you two weeks ago. I love you Hermione, more than anything in this world. And nothing is gonna change that."
"You hurt me," Hermione said, trying to avoid his eyes.
"I know Hermione, but you must know I had no idea I was causing you pain. I'm an idiot. I admit it. I had the world in my hands and I threw it away. But I promise you here and now that I will do everything in my power to make sure that you are never hurt again. Please give us a chance. I don't think I can make it without you."
Hermione looked deeply in to Harry's eyes that were filled with love. She knew there was no way she was gonna say no. She loved him and she was now sure that he loved her too. Hermione gently placed her lips on Harry's letting him know that she was all his.
"I love you," he whispered against her lips.
"I love you too," she replied. "Always will."
***********************************
Later that night, Ron brought Ashley back to the apartment only to be greeted by the sounds of Harry and Hermione showing just how much they loved each other.
"Urgh," Ron groaned. "They're at it again. Will someone please teach them a silencing charm?"
"I take it this means everything worked out between them," Ashley said smiling.
"Oh I don't know. Never can tell with those two. They'll probably be at each other's throats again in the morning."
"Care to make a little wager on it?" Ashley asked.
"What did you have in mind?"
"How about that wizarding card you just won off Harry?" Ashley said.
"Godric Gryffindor! I've been trying to get that one for ages. I don't think I want to give that up."
"How about we give up the bet?" Ashley said, grabbing his hands, pulling him closer to her. "And go make some noise of our own. I guarantee I'm great at silencing charms."
THE END
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A/N: I really hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. I really am sad that it is over. But hey, you can only stretch it so long.
Please leave a review and tell me what you think. This is my first fic and I could really use any feed back you have. Pretty Pretty Please.
Thanks to everyone who reviewed on a regular basis. Sorry I didn't list everyone's name but that doesn't mean I don't appreciate it. I do, really.
Thanks for reading,
The Sweetest Things
(**who is desperately trying to find something else to do since her story is over**)