Unofficial Portkey Archive

Chapter Seven
Mission Accomplished

Author's Note: Thank you all for the reviews, you don't know how much they mean to me! Here's chapter seven, hope you like it!

I'm sitting at work when the phone rings.

I'm hesitant to answer it.

"Hello?"

"Hey Hermione, it's Harry."

I'm pretty sure I stop breathing for a minute.

Then I reply, "Oh, hey Harry, what's up?" I try to keep my voice even, try to keep my heart rate normal and I can only hope I'm succeeding.

Robbie looks up from his computer, where he's playing solitaire, to where I sit on the phone. He raises both eyebrows and wiggles them at me. I give him a hopeless look and he blows me a kiss. And Harry thinks this is my boyfriend?

"Actually, Natalie wanted to invite you and Robert- er- Robbie out to dinner," he says uncomfortably.

My eyes widen and Robbie gets up, shuffles over and presses his ear against the phone to catch some of what Harry is saying.

I clear my throat, "Dinner? You mean all four of us?"

Robbie's dark brown eyes light up and he smiles brightly, revealing perfectly straight, gleaming teeth, he's nodding wildly, trying to persuade me to say yes.

"Yeah," Harry says. "Tonight, if you can."

As he says this I'm shaking my head at Robbie, I refuse to go along with this whole, 'getting Harry jealous' charade, it's ridiculous.

"Ummmm," I say, pressing my lips together. "I'll have to get back to you after I talk to Robbie."

"Okay," he replies. "Just give me a ring."

"Okay, I'll talk to you later."

"Bye."

And we hang up.

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"This is perfect!" Robbie practically shouts at me across the small, metal table.

I shake my head, "No it's not."

"Yes it is!" he says, too excited to even open the clear plastic take out box containing his chicken and lettuce wrap. "This is a perfect opportunity for us to work together to make him jealous! Like seething jealous! So much so he's seeing green!"

I take a sip from my long, narrow bottle of water and let my shoulders slump, "Robbie, I told you, I'm not going along with this stupid plan of yours."

"Hermione," he says, putting his hand on my wrist. "Think of it this way, what have you got to lose?"

"He'll think I'm unavailable!"

He gives me a look, "Hon, he's unavailable as it is. If he realizes he loves you through his jealousy then he'll fight me for you!"

I raise an eyebrow, "I doubt that."

"Come on! It's worth a shot, no?"

I don't know what else I can do, so I agree.

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Robbie picks me up five minutes before we're supposed to be at a restaurant that is ten minutes away.

He calls from the intercom downstairs and I say, "I'll be right down-"

"No- I have a surprise, it'll only take a minute," he says.

I groan, "Robbie, we're already going to be late-"

"A MINUTE!" he barks playfully.

"Fine," I say and unlock the door for him.

In less than thirty seconds he's walking into my apartment without consent, not that he needs it. He's clad in new, faded jeans, nice shoes, a clean white button-up shirt and a black pinstriped jacket over that. His dark hair is gelled to perfection, his angular jaw and narrow chin are smooth, without a trace of stubble, and he smells delicious.

"I come bearing gifts," he says, and I notice the large shopping bag from Harrod's in his hand.

I shake my head, "We don't have time-"

"We are going to make time for this," he pulls a shirt out of the bag.

He throws it at me.

"Take off what you're wearing and put this on," he thinks for a second. "And where something lacy under it."

"Robbie!"

"CHANGE!"

"FINE!"

I go into my bedroom and change, not that it matters, Robbie is gay after all, but I'm prude. I slip into the shirt buttoning it up and call for Robbie to come into my room. He does so, nodding as he sees me. He's given me a white shirt with small, black buttons going up the front and bell-sleeves. I listened to his advice and put a black lace camisole under it.

He pulls some dark blue jeans from my closet and throws them at me and then walks over to me, unbuttoning several of the top buttons so the shirt becomes low-cut.

I protest but he cuts me off, "You'll thank me later."

And he leaves a new pair of stiletto pumps on the floor in front of me.

Oh sod it, what have I got to lose?

Fifteen minutes later I'm sitting in Robbie's car and we're on our way to the restaurant. After having dressed me up and fixed my hair just a bit he finally agreed I looked hot enough to 'tease Harry and piss off the woman I hate most.'

Let's hope he's right.

"Robbie, we're supposed to be there already," I whine.

"It's all right," he says. "If we come a little late they'll think we've had a quick romp in the back seat or something."

I stare at him, "Romp?"

He laughs a little, "You catch my drift."

I notice how gorgeous Robbie really is and feel very sad all of a sudden, "Why can't you be straight? It would be so easier to fall in love with you."

He smiles and then sighs happily, "Everyone wants to love Robert Bradley, so if I end up stealing this Harry Potter from you, don't be so surprised, okay love?"

I can only laugh, and then we pull into the parking lot of the restaurant and I feel sick.

The restaurant is nice, this I could have guessed though. It's relatively quiet, with delicate banter and soft classical drifting around. Should I have worn something other than jeans? Am I too underdressed?

Harry and Natalie are already here, obviously, and we're lead to their table by a nice waiter. As we approach them Robbie puts his hand on the small of my back and whispers, "Are you ready to milk this for all it's worth?"

I nod, putting on a smile that says 'I'm in love, can't you tell?'

"Sorry we're late," I hear myself saying cheerfully. "Traffic was horrible."

The waiter reaches to pull out my chair for me but Robbie beats him to it. Once I've sat down directly across from Harry Robbie sits down next to me.

In a matter of thirty seconds I examine Harry and Natalie's reactions to my outfit and Robbie in general. Natalie looks as if she's never seen me look decent and she can't believe I'm 'dating' someone as hot as Robbie. Harry's expression on the other hand is completely different, he's looking at me in the way he used to look at me, before I ran away and ruined my chances with him, when he loved me. And then he looks at Robbie, stiffening a little.

"Can I get you something to drink?" the waiter asks.

"Cosmopolitan," Robbie says automatically, then looks around, regretting his decision, he's going to become his role as my manly-man boyfriend. Oh God "For her."

I didn't actually want one, but, okay.

I giggle at the expression on Harry and Natalie's faces, "He always knows what I want."

I realize how inappropriate that could sound but it's too late, I already said it.

"And I'll have a water."

He's going to need to be sober in order to keep this act going.

"I'll be right back with your drinks," the waiter says and leaves.

There's a disgustingly awkward silence that I was fearing since Robbie suggested we actually go through with this dinner. I adjust the silverware in an attempt to advert my, otherwise darting, eyes.

Natalie cuts through, "So how long have you two been together?"

Robbie takes my hand on top of the table and I try to keep a straight face, this is too weird.

"Almost two years."

"Really?" Natalie sounds pleasantly surprised, yet slightly skeptical.

Then I realize something about Natalie that always irked me. It's as if she can sense my feelings toward Harry. I feel like she knows I love him and that this thing with Robbie is just a charade. I get the chills and try not to meet her eyes. She knows, she has to know, that's probably why she cornered me in the lift on the way to the dress fitting. She knows. She bloody knows, and I'm scared.

I look at Harry, his jaw is tight and his eyes are set on me. He can't believe a word Robbie is saying about our two year relationship.

"Yeah," I reply, trying to keep my voice dreamy. If he wants to marry this bitch he should have no problem with me being with Robbie.... Even if it's not real.

"And no wedding bells?" Natalie smiles, as if we're old best friends and she's trying to get the niggling little secret out of me.

Harry clears his throat, she doesn't even acknowledge him.

Robbie looks at me, "We've discussed it." He meets my eyes and for a minute I swear he's in love with me. Acting lessons have paid off.

The waiter comes back with our drinks and I guzzle some of my cosmopolitan. This is going to be a very long night.

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Robbie is getting way too into this.

He's making up funny stories about dates we never really went on, his meeting my parents, a romantic weekend to the coast that went awry, and how we met and what made him ask me out on that first date.

My tongue is thick as I look from Natalie's bewildered face to Harry's slightly angry one. Natalie knows something's up but she can't figure out what it is.... But Harry's too angry to analyze the facts, he's convinced, and the plan is working. He's jealous. Or maybe I'm just drunk.

"Oh my God!" someone squeals and I'm afraid our cover has been blown.

Then I see the words have emitted from Robbie's mouth and he's staring at Natalie with wide eyes. I look at her, finding nothing out of the ordinary.

"What?" Natalie touches her face self-consciously and Harry stares at Robbie as if he's a ridiculous piece of skin and muscle that doesn't deserve a voice to distract people with his own stupid opinion. Ouch.

"Is that an original Dahlila cashmere sweater?" Robbie prods.

"Yes, it is," Natalie smiles, glad someone noticed her fashion choice.

I kick Robbie under the table, he's not supposed to know fashion.

He coughs, "Yeah, my sister wouldn't shut up about those things, she's dying to get her hands on one."

Smooth.

Someone's phone begins ringing and Natalie immediately shoots for her bag, having hardly touched the food on her plate. She looks at the phone and then tells us to excuse her for a minute. Of course we do.

As she walks to the front of the restaurant I take in a sharp breath and look at Harry. He's staring at me again, right in the eyes, as if saying 'How could you do this to me?' and I feel angry. How could he get married to her?! when I love him.

I'm a tangled mess of emotions and I hardly realize Natalie call Harry over to where she's standing, until he's up and walking away.

Robbie looks at me and when they're both out of ear shot he asks me, "How are you holding up?"

I shrug, taking a sip of my drink, "I'm not sure if it's working."

He sighs, "Then we have to make it work."

"How?"

"Stop looking so sad!" he scolds me.

I shake my head.

And then he looks in the direction of Harry and Natalie, "Harry's looking this way and Natalie's yelling on the phone," he tells me, then leans in and whispers in my ear the lyrics of a Spice Girls song. I can't help but laugh.

I glance at Harry, and he immediately turns away.

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After dinner we stand outside before our final good-bye.

The air is cold and crisp and it wakes me up considerably. I shiver ridiculously, even though Robbie's arm is around me. As we chat a little I notice Natalie look from me to Harry, oh God I forgot that she knows. And then, before I can stop it, my thoughts are in motion, clashing and colliding, bringing up past conversations and linking them with revelations from the present. I'm asking myself silent questions and getting fast, correct answers back.

Did Natalie always know I still had feelings for Harry? Maybe she thought I had left because I didn't feel the way he felt about me. Maybe she agreed to have me help with the wedding because she thought I didn't love him before she even met me, she was taking a risk with guessing that of course but that must have been it. And then she realized, she must have realized afterward what my feelings were, by the way I looked at him, by my dodgy responses to things.

"We talked about this," he had said. "You said you would be okay with her helping out."

"Good night," he replied and the door closed.

I almost gasp at the realization, BEFORE SHE REALIZED I LOVE HIM!

I wince, maybe I'm wrong, but what other explanation could there be?

I'm painfully aware of how shitty this whole situation is right now and I almost want to cry. I want Harry but I can't have him, Natalie might be guessing everything right now, and everything is just hopeless.

I'm swallowing back tears and regret when we say good-bye.

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The second we're in the car and driving away I release a heavy sigh.

"Mission accomplished," Robbie says with a smile.

Yes, our plan worked, Harry was jealous, or angry, or something! But why do I feel like I've been set back farther than getting ahead of the game?

I release all my theories on the way back to my flat and Robbie pats my knee.

"Think about it this way; if it were meant to be you'll be together," he says. "Otherwise you'll find someone better."

"I hope you're right."