Here's an update! It's not very long, but at least it's not a whole month later! Next couple of updates will be fabuloso! I promise!
Chapter 13
Harry wanted to severely hurt someone. He had been up since six 'o clock that morning, arrived at practice at six-thirty for the first official day of "boot camp". Their first game was a few months away, so it was crunch time.
It was now almost four and Harry was tired, cranky and although he was at boot camp, his mind and heart were back with Hermione. Today was the grand opening of Books & Cleverness and it killed him not to be there. How was she handling everything? Would there be enough customers? Was she happy or miserable? It was questions like these that kept his mind off his task.
"Potter!"
Harry shook his head out of his thoughts and looked down at the ground where his coach stood. "Coach?"
"Get down here, Potter."
"Great," he muttered as he nudged his broom downwards, then touched ground right in front of the coach. "Yes, sir?"
Coach Allen was an older wizard, with forty years of experience under his belt. He was tall and his once blonde hair was now silver and his skin was slightly weathered. Harry had only known him for two months, but had already learned so much from him. "Potter," he said again as he crossed his arms over his broad chest. "You've given me a good solid six hours today, but the past few you've seemed distant."
"Yeah," he said as he ran his fingers through his wind blown hair. "I'm sorry, coach. My mind seems to be somewhere else today."
"Something more important than this?"
Harry winced. "Will I have to run laps if I say yes?"
Coach Allen couldn't help but chuckle. "That depends on the answer."
"Well," he said wiping the sweat off his brow with the sleeve of his uniform. "The thing is…Hermione opened up a new bookstore today. It means a lot to her, so I guess I'm worried about her and wish I was with her."
"I see," Coach Allen said as he struggled not to smile. He had the pleasure of meeting the charming Hermione Granger one night when the boys had dragged him to a bar. He didn't stay long, but long enough to notice how Harry acted around her. It reminded him of how he use to be around his wife, before he realized he wanted her to be his wife. "I can understand that."
"Really?" Harry asked surprised.
"Of course," he said giving him a pat on his shoulder. "Listen, we have about an hour left for the day and I need to spend some more time working with T.J. Why don't you go and head out early, maybe you can catch the last part of Hermione's day."
Harry's heart lifted. "Really? Wow, thanks, Coach. That means a lot."
"Just make sure you're ready to work tomorrow."
"I will," he assured him. "I promise."
"Well, then head on out and hit the showers," he said jerking his head towards the bleachers where their locker room was located underneath. "And tell Hermione I'll stop by soon, my youngest is starting her first year at Hogwarts, plus another two are starting their third and fifth year. We are in desperate need of books."
Harry grinned. "I'll tell her, thanks Coach."
"See ya tomorrow, kid," he said grinning as he watched him run off. "The guy's a goner and he
doesn't even know it yet. Sucker."
XXXX
Hermione didn't know what to expect on her first day as a bookstore owner. She would have been happy if she had one or two customers here and there, but she wasn't ready for the craze that filled both sides of the store. All day the store was never empty, there was always someone to help or someone to ring up. Books & Cleverness was a instant success and she couldn't have been more thrilled.
The only think that could have made it even more perfect would be to have Harry along side her. And Ron. She sighed as she sat at her desk in her office to go over paperwork. She missed him. So much. She was anxious to see what Ron and her would have together. Would they fight all the time like always or would they learn to be more understanding? What would it be like to kiss him? Would she feel safe in his arms like she did when Harry held her?
Harry, she thought with another sigh. Oh, how she adored him. He had been so sweet to her these past months, she didn't know what she would have done without him. The girl who ended up with him was a lucky one and a part of her almost envied her. She would be able to laugh and talk with him anytime she wanted, because she knew Harry would be there in an instant to listen to anything she had to say. Kissing him would be something only she would be allowed to do…no one else. She would be able to make love with him, start a family with him. He would be such a wonderful father. He was so…
Wait…what was she doing? Hermione let out a nervous laugh as she put down her quill. One minute she was thinking about being with Ron and the next she was thinking about Harry. "You need to get a grip, Hermione."
"Talking to yourself?"
Hermione gasped as she looked up to see Harry leaning against the doorjam with a grin on his face. Hermione felt something light up inside her at the sight of him and she couldn't help but be overjoyed to see him. "Harry," she said pulling away from her desk. "I didn't think I was going to see you."
Harry met her halfway to give her a kiss on the cheek and a quick hug. "Coach let me off early." He leaned back and smiled down at her. "It's an absolute zoo out there, has it been like that all day?"
"Mostly," she said with a giddy laugh. "Even more busy during lunch hour, this is the first time I was able to get away and do paperwork."
Harry frowned. "Have you eaten at all today?"
"I was able to scarf down a sandwich earlier," she assured him. "Once school start it'll die down. It's just that everyone is rushing to get books for Hogwarts."
"Yeah, the coach told me he's going to bring his kids by sometime for books."
"Oh that's wonderful," she beamed. "Maybe I'll give him a discount if he promises to go easy on you in practice for a week."
Harry placed a hand over his chest. "Bestill my heart, I think I would love you forever."
Hermione laughed. "Well, then I'll do my best. In the mean time, I need to get back to work."
"I'm here for the rest of the day, is there anything I can do?"
"Hmmm….well I could probably use a hand at the register in the muggle store. People won't know who you are there."
"I'm on it," he said and then gave her another hug. "I'm proud of you."
Hermione closed her eyes as she held onto him tight. He was such a good hugger now, he use to be so shy about it. Now, he hugged her all the time and it was something she looked forward to. "Thanks, Harry."
Harry placed his mouth on the crown of her head, breathing in her scent he was getting accustomed to know and enjoy. "I'll see you after closing time," he finally said. "Don't worry about the muggle side, I'll take care of everything."
"I won't," she said with a smile. "I trust you."
Harry grinned. "Hey, how bout we celebrate tonight. Get all our friends together, maybe go to that new club down the street."
"Really?" she asked. "Okay, that sounds like fun. But…isn't that club hard to get into?"
"One of the few advantages for having the name, Harry Potter, is that I can pretty much get anything I want."
Hermione laughed. "Good point."
Harry gave her a wink. "I'll take care of everything. See you at six."
Hermione admired Harry's backside as he walked away to slip behind the secret for that led to the muggle side. She had a horrible feeling that if Ron didn't hurry and wake up soon….she was going to be in trouble.