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Just One Night
Chapter 5 - The Tables Turn
WARNING - Here comes the angst.
Harry Potter, five time savior of the wizarding world, Quidditch star, and generally speaking, a very hot guy, was beat. Yes, Harry, who had looked Lord Voldemort in the face, on more than one occasion, and lived to tell the tale, was taken down by a girl. One night of passion with a girl, who just happened to be his best friend Hermione.
Sure, he dated. Quite a lot actually. But all of those women had one flaw. They were not Hermione. He could not get her out of his mind. And when he was with those other women, he always felt he was missing something. No one could complete him like Hermione. She was the missing piece in his life. He had been living an entire year without her and he missed her fiercely.
Right now he sat in a dimmed restaurant with a very dazzling blond. But he was not having fun. Not even a little bit. In fact, he was bored out of his mind. She just would not shut up.
"And I told my boss, there is not way I'm working next to that……" Christina was saying. At least that's what she thought her name was. It could be Cassandra. At this point, he could not remember, nor did he care. She may as well have been speaking Spanish, because Harry could not tell you a word of what she was saying. All he knew was that he could not wait until it was over.
He signaled the waiter for the check. "You didn't want dessert, did you," he asked, knowing that it did not matter if she did.
"Not the kind of dessert that can be served in this restaurant," she told him, flirting openly, as she leaned over the table to gently stroke his hand.
As appetizing as "dessert" looked, as Christina so called it, Harry was just not in the mood.
"I'm sorry. I'm not feeling very well. I think I'll just head on home and get some rest. Maybe we can go out again, some other time." Harry pulled his hand away from hers.
"But we're just getting started, Harry," she whined, obviously put out by the fact that she was not going to get the great Harry Potter in her bed. "You can't leave now." She was now leaning so far across the table that Harry was sure that her breasts would fall out of her low cut shirt any moment.
"Look Christina, I sorry but I'm just not in the mood," he said this, maybe a little too sharply, but he was beginning to get annoyed.
"Christina, who the hell is Christina," she said raising her voice. "My name is Kristen."
"Christina, Kristen, it's all the say," Harry replied rudely, regretting it instantly. He should be taking his problems out on her. It wasn't her fault that she couldn't live up to another witch, in a completely different country.
Apparently this pushed her too far, her dream date with Harry turned into a nightmare. She picked up her drink and threw it in Harry's face, then stormed out of the restaurant.
Harry, realizing that he was now the center of attention of the restaurant, muttered a quick drying spell under his breath and aptly apparated from the restaurant.
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When Harry walked into his flat, he spotted Ron in the kitchen doing what he did best. Eating. Ron looked up when Harry entered in surprise.
"Well this must be a record. This is the earliest you've ever come home from a date," Ron said to Harry. "What happened to Christina?"
Harry laughed inwardly. 'At least I'm not the only one who can't remember her name,' Harry thought to himself.
"Just not feeling very well," Harry told Ron. "Thought I'd better come home and get some rest."
Ron studied his friend. He hadn't been looking too good lately. Physically he was fine, but Ron often found his friend day dreaming and looking very glum. Anyone else would have thought that this would be a great time for both Ron and Harry, as they were both offered spots on professional Quidditch teams and living the bachelor's life in London. Ron knew better. He also knew there was one thing standing in the way of Harry's happiness and that was Hermione.
Neither Harry nor Hermione suspected that Ron knew anything was going on between the two of them. But Ron had enough suspicions to conclude that something had gone on between them.
"This is about Hermione, isn't it," Ron questioned boldly.
Ron's suspicions were confirmed with the shocked look to Harry's face. "Wha, What. Why would this have anything to do with Hermione," Harry asked, trying to hide the fact that Ron had hit the nail on the head.
"Oh, come on Harry," Ron said. "I'm not blind. And you'd have to be not to see that Hermione had feelings for you. It was obvious. I wasn't too sure about you. But right around graduation day, you two started acting tense around each other. I don't think anyone else noticed, but I am your best friend. Now, come on, out with it."
Harry, who had no idea Ron suspected anything, contemplated denying the whole thing, but decided that he needed to talk to someone about it.
"You're right," Harry told Ron as he sat down at the kitchen table with him. "This has everything to do with Hermione. You're also right about Hermione having feelings for me, though I had no clue until she told me. And right around graduation Hermione and I were intimate."
"Bloody hell," Ron screamed. "You what!" Ron was shocked. Though he suspected something was going on, he didn't think they were having sex.
"I can't believe you shagged our best friend," Ron said.
"It wasn't like that," Harry told him. "It was more than that, way more than that."
"Okay, so you two had sex," Ron said, calming down a bit. "I still don't see where the problem comes in."
Harry tried to think of an easy way to explain what he was going through. "I love her," he stated simply.
Ron waited for Harry to say more. "And that's a bad thing," he questioned, realizing that Harry was done talking.
"Yes, it is a bad thing. Me, being the prat that I am, made that realization too late. Hermione has moved on. She got tired of waiting."
"Harry, Hermione loved you for a long time. Really loved you. There is no way she can just turn that off," Ron said reasonably. "I'll bet she is just as miserable as you."
"I don't think so, Ron," Harry said, "I think she has really moved on. And she doesn't sound miserable in her letters."
"Trust me Harry, I guarantee that she still loves you. Just give her time. She'll eventually come home where she belongs."
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Later that night, Harry lay in his bed thinking of what Ron had said. Could Hermione actually be thinking of him the way he thought of her. Though he doubted it, he could still hope. He knew if she felt even an inkling of what he felt for her, then she would not get over him that easily. He hoped she would return to him. He would wait. He only hoped that he would not have to wait too long.
Harry soon drifted to sleep, with thoughts of Hermione going through his head.
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A/N: There you have it. Poor Harry. Don't worry, he will be fine. I had a couple of reviewers really upset that Hermione was in fact interested in someone other than Harry. I explained in earlier chapters that I would let Hermione get some experience, on her own, just as Harry had experiences with other women. It's only fair. But don't get too worried. Just because she is interested in someone else does not mean she doesn't love Harry. I am posting this in the H/Hr section. I just can't make it too easy and if they were together right now then the story would be over.
Also, there are a few people who think my chapters are too short. I do the best I can with the time I have. I could write longer chapters but it would take me a lot longer to post. I thought it best to keep posting so that I would keep interest. Though the chapters are short (personally I don't think they are that short) they get the point across.
Once again, thanks to all who reviewed. Your comments and suggestions help me out immensely. Please keep them coming. Even if it is something bad, let me know so that I can improve.
Hope you enjoyed it.