A/n: hello, my wonderful readers! I know, updating quickly is like my trademark here. It may not always be this way throughout this entire story, but if you've read my stories before, you know that I don't make you wait too long. So, here ya go…chapter 3!
Ps. To those who have read the book, I promise, I did a much better job originalizing it, though it has the same main idea. And also, if you please, if there are any parts you didn't like about the book that you might suggest me leaving out, or any parts you always wanted to add, tell me your reviews! I promise I'll consider it!
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The dawn is breaking
A light shining through
You're barely waking
And I'm tangled up in you
Yeah
I'm open, you're closed
Where I follow, you'll go
I worry I won't see your face
Light up again
Even the best fall down sometimes
Even the wrong words seem to rhyme
Out of the doubt that fills my mind
I somehow find
You and I collide
I'm quiet you know
You make a first impression
I've found I'm scared to know I'm always on your mind
Even the best fall down sometimes
Even the stars refuse to shine
Out of the back you fall in time
I somehow find
You and I collide
Don't stop here
I lost my place
I'm close behind
Even the best fall down sometimes
Even the wrong words seem to rhyme
Out of the doubt that fills your mind
You finally find
You and I collide
You finally find
You and I collide
You finally find
You and I collide
--"Collide" by Howie Day
~~
"Miss Granger?" I turned and saw Cindy smiling at me. "Follow me please; we'll go see about your mother."
I glanced to Hannah, who quietly waved a goodbye and walked away. I nodded to Cindy and followed her to where my mother was standing, out of sight.
She looked so happy. A vibrant smile was upon her face. "Hi Mum. You ready?"
"I am. Are you?" She asked me nervously and hopefully.
"Definitely." I reassured her. "Honestly, mum. I'm so happy."
Mum smiled at me, and I realized this was it. She was really getting married. We were ending an old chapter of our lives and starting a new one.
Then I did a double take. Was I really ready for this? Ready for The List? Was I ready for my new adventure, for my new life?
My sense of adventure and fun then kicked in and shoved the practical side of me away for now. Maybe I could just start slowly. Yes, that's it. At my own pace.
"Okay," Cindy interrupted my thoughts. "I'll take your purse." I handed it over. Forgot about it for a minute. "Ready, ladies?" We nodded. "Okay, now…maid of honor…when the music begins to play, you'll just walk down the aisle and step off to the side, about the distance as the best man."
The best man. Cute best man. Harry Potter. Harry, my babysitter. I scowled inwardly at that thought. We are the same age after all! If anyone needs a babysitter, its him! I'm sure he's a party king! Well, he'll have some competition this summer.
"It about time." Cindy whispered.
I turned to my mum and hugged her. "I love you, Mum."
"I Love you too, Hermione."
Here goes nothing.
Suddenly, the sounds of Here Comes the Bride filled the warm night air. I took a deep breath.
"There's your cue." Cindy whispered to me.
I took one last look at my glowing mother, and walked slowly down the aisle. Everyone was watching me, and I was watching the best man. He was watching me, too. I know everyone was, but there was something in his emerald eyes that stuck me. I held his gaze as I walked down the aisle. There was no smirk or smile on either of our faces. Just an intense stare. As I stood off to the side, we broke our gaze and focused our attention solely on my mum. The bride. She strolled gracefully down the aisle and I stole a quick glance at Sirius, who was looking at her with love filled eyes that made me tear up and the biggest smile on his face. I saw my mum take her place beside Sirius and me.
I then looked to Harry, finding that his eyes had already been trained on me. He was looking at me. As if analyzing me like an important artifact. What was going on here? I realized I should be paying more attention to the captain, so I smiled at Harry and refocused my attention.
"I do." I heard Sirius say.
But I was lost again. What was the real Harry Potter like? Would he like me? Would he like the new Hermione, or the old one?
Then I realized mum handing me her bouquet. I took it.
"I now pronounce you husband and wife." The captain concluded. "Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you, Mr. and Mrs. Sirius Black."
Soft clapping rang out, most enthusiastically from Lilly Potter, who was grinning and standing.
I looked to Harry, who now beside me, and awkwardly looped my arm though his and walked down the aisle.
"So…you've known Sirius for a while?"
"Forever." He grinned, releasing my arm. Oh Merlin, that smile.
We made our way to Sirius and Mum, and hugged them. "Congratulations, guys!" I said.
"You were beautiful, luv." Sirius told me as I pulled back.
I blushed. Harry smiled. Me and my blushing. "Thanks."
It was then that an excited Lilly came running over to hug Sirius and mum. "Oh, Lizzie," She said to my mother, "You're absolutely stunning! I can't believe you just married Sirius!"
"Hey!" Sirius exclaimed.
"Just kidding." Lilly said innocently. "It was a beautiful wedding."
"Thanks, Lilly. You look amazing, too." My mum said brightly.
Lilly spun around, her aqua dress flowing softly with her. "You think?"
We all laughed. "Well…" Sirius said as we heard a soft tune echo the air, "I think it's time for our dance." He twirled my giggling mum to the dance floor.
"Fancy a dance with your beautiful mother?" Lilly asked Harry.
"Sure, mum." He chuckled, taking her hand. "You okay by yourself?" STOP WORRYING ABOUT ME!
"Yeh," I replied sweetly. "Hannah's making her way over here." I pointed to Hannah, who was
pushing her way through the crowd to get to me. "Have fun."
I guess he was satisfied with his answer, because he smiled and led his mum to the dance floor. Hannah bounced over, handing me a glass of champagne and sipping hers. "Ahh!" She squealed. "Your mother is married!" She announced.
"Really?" I asked sarcastically.
"Shut up, you know what I mean!" She laughed. "I came over just to say goodbye. I'm leaving. Mum says we should beat the rush."
I hugged her tightly. "I'll miss you."
"I'll miss you two, silly. Have an amazing vacation. Remember: postcards! And when you come home I wasn't every detail, so ya might wanna keep a diary or somethin'. Especially the sexy roomy next door!"
"Hannah…"
"Just say you love me and goodbye." She said.
"Goodbye. Love ya."
"You too." She hugged me one last time before disappearing into the crowd.
I sighed. I was alone. For now at least. It was lonely without Hannah, and she had just left.
A few minutes later, I felt a presence at my side. "Hey." He said.
"Hey." I smiled when I saw the guy to be Harry.
"Dance with me?" He extended a hand to me.
I glanced at him hesitantly, but took his hand and put down the glass, let him lead me. I felt his arms go around my waist, hands resting on the small of my back. My arms wound around his neck. It almost felt…right to be in his arms. He made a girl feel like she was the most important thing in the world just by dancing with her.
"You know…I don't need a babysitter." I told him as a matter-of-factly.
"Good, I don't like babysitting."
"Good." I repeated.
"Is your friend coming?" He asked.
"Hmm?"
"Your friend…Hannah, I think her name was. Is she coming?" He asked, as we swayed peacefully to the music.
"Oh, no. Like most here, she's just here for the wedding. Her and her mum just left." I told him.
"Hm…" He sighed. "So you're traveling solo?"
"Yep!" I grinned. "You?"
"Alone." He said softly.
"So you go to Beauxbotons?" He asked me.
"Yeh, I do. You got to Hogwarts."
"Yeh. Why don't you?" He asked me.
I shrugged. "We got both letters. My mum figured that Beauxbotons was a bit more formal, and suiting for me…and my mum had talked to another witch's mum who was muggle…and she loved Beauxbotons. I like it, too, I guess."
"I love Hogwarts." He told me. "It's like home."
We were in silence for a moment before Sirius came over. "Harry, do you mind if I dance with my new step
daughter?"
Harry smiled. "Course not." For some reason, he then kissed me on the forehead before releasing me from his arms. "Have fun. See ya later."
Why did he do that? Kiss me on the forehead? I'm not saying it didn't feel…good…but, this was Harry. It felt nice to dance with him, I admitted silently as I danced with Sirius.
Sirius and I talked quietly, laughing and making predictions for our future, and this trip. Though, I left out The List. All the while, I was thinking about Sirius. If all I wanted was a summer fling, why was I so attracted to Harry? Why did he make me feel something I'd never felt? Why were my plans messing up so early in the game?
I was so set on accomplishing my goals; I now convinced myself that I couldn't let Harry get in the way.
I let Sirius kiss me on the cheek and wander off to dance with Lilly, while I stood by the railing, watching as the waves slowly hit the boat. There were about a dozen non-passengers left on board, dancing, talking, laughing, and waiters were passing around champagne.
"More champagne?" A familiar male voice asked me from behind.
I turned and took a full glass from him. "Thanks. I've never had champagne before. I think it may be getting to me." I rested my back on the railing and sipped the champagne slowly.
"This is very fine champagne." He suddenly commented. I looked at him curiously. "See how many bubbles there are? The more bubbles, the finer the champagne…"
"That's…interesting." I said.
"Sorry, I'm a constant source of useless information." He laughed.
"No, really, it was interesting." I told him. It really was. Or maybe he was...? I was less nervous though, the champagne was definitely helping me relax.
"I heard you're supposed to read up on all the ports before the cruise. Apparently, women gravitate towards knowledgeable men." He told me, with a twinkle in his eye.
"Well then, at least you'll know something, I don't know too much. It's all alien to me so far."
"You seem to look like you know what you're doing." He looked over at the other couples dancing. "Want to dance with me again?"
"Sure." I said accepting his hand. I was suddenly feeling very…adventureous. Wild and crazy. After all, my vacation had now officially begun.
We danced until the Galveston lights faded in the distance, drinking glasses of champagne sometimes, while dancing, other times just simply dancing the night away. Maybe It was the champagne…but everything felt…magical. Right.
I closed my eyes and rested my head on Harry's shoulder, and then I stumbled.
He steadied me. "Ohhkkay.. I think you've had a little too much champagne."
We were barely moving now, and I figured he was right. I could feel it flowing through my system. I had never drank
alcohol before in my life.
"I think you're right. It's making me all sleepy…" I slurred.
"Don't you think sleeping has to do with the fact that it's two in the morning?" He chuckled.
"That late? I didn't notice." I said, straightening up.
I noticed though most people had gone, Mum and Sirius were still dancing, barely holding on like the two of us.
"Is it all over?" I asked.
"Pretty much. Want me to walk you back?" He asked.
As much as I didn't need a protector, I was feeling a bit dizzy. I grinned at him, "Sure, but let me say good night to my mum first."
I walked over and tapped my mum on the shoulder, she turned. "Are you going to bed now?"
"Yeh." I nodded. "I'll see you tomorrow, we have dinner plans, right?"
"Right. See you then, night, sweetie."
I waved to Sirius, "Goodnight."
As we began to leave, Sirius called after us, "Harry! Take care of my daughter, now!"
"I will." Harry responded.
I wanted to groan at Sirius' request, and Harry's response.
"I told you-"
"I know!" He said. "Just, relax, okay? I'll tell Sirius I am, he'll be a bit protective of you at first. Trust me."
And I did. As we reached the elevator, I tried to steady myself. The elevator stopped and we walked out of the glass enclosure and into the hallway. I felt like the walls were spinning around me. "Ohh..wow."
"Woozy, huh?" He asked.
"A little. Might've been the elevator."
"Just hold onto my arm." He told me. "It's not far to our rooms." I held onto his arm for dear life as I nearly collapsed.
"Aren't you…dizzy, Harry?"
"Nope."
Exactly how many glasses had I had? I could not remember. "I've never had champagne before." I pointed out.
He laughed. "You told me that already."
"Oh, right…I cant remember anything now." It also seemed to make me forget why I didn't want to hang out with Harry. I remembered I'd had concerns earlier, but now…I couldn't recall them. Or why I'd made them. I mean…he was nice, and cute…and fun to be around.
"I have a balcony." I said, a bit giddy. "Wanna see?" But as I reached for my keycard, I realized I no longer had my purse…or my key. I turned around quickly, which was a mistake, because I'd lost my vision a bit and everything was spinning more. I leaned against the wall for support.
"What's wrong?" He asked.
"I don't have my key…" I told him worriedly.
"How could you not have it?"
I shook my head and thought back. The wedding…Cindy. I gave my purse to Cindy. Darn.
"I gave my purse to Cindy. It had my key in it. You think she's still up there?"
"Dunno. But I don't think you'll make it to the top deck." Neither did I. I was pretty woozy.
"I'll go look, you stay here."
I nodded, "Kay. Thanks."
He looked around in thought. "Well, I mean, I can't leave you out here…" he continued thinking and then looked to his door. "I'll just let you stay in my room until I get back, alright?"
That seemed like a plan. I kept my hand on the wall for balance, and I followed him to the cabin door right next to mind. Sirius wasn't kidding.
Everything now seemed funny. The champagne was really getting to me. It was like nothing I'd ever experienced. I guess I was a little tipsier than I realized.
"C'mon in." He held the door open for me and followed me in.
I was alone, in a room with a guy. Never had I don't that before. My first instinct was not to go in, but I figured it was a better alternative than to stand in the hallway. I looked in the room; it was exactly like mine. "Oh gosh, its just like my room. You have a balcony, too."
I realized I sounded as though I was surprised, even though I'd seen his balcony while I'd been out on mine. As a matter of fact, everything tonight sounded funny. It was that bubbly champagne. It was the bubbles talking.
"Why don't you sit out there?" he suggested. "Fresh air'll be good for your head."
"Oh…wow…" I watched as the lights around me danced and the breeze brushed by me. "You can see the lights on shore, aren't they pretty?"
"Hermione, how much champagne did you have?" he asked.
I shrugged. "Didn't keep count." I sat on the chair, legs tucked underneath me after I slipped my sandals off. I then laughed. "Am I drunk?"
"I think so."
"But getting drunk on champagne isn't on my list."
"Your list?" He sat in the chair beside mine.
" I made a list of everything wanted to do on this cruise, everything that I'd never done before." I counted them off on my fingers. "Have a margarita. Go snorkeling." Grinning, I leaned towards him. "I cant tell you all of it, some of it's a secret."
"I'm going to call down to see if they'll send us a key to your room." He got up and went back to his cabin.
Getting to my feet, I swayed and grabbed the railing for support. I followed him inside. I saw him reach for the phone.
I walked, stumbling, across the room and laid on the king sized bed, just like mine. "Harry?"
He stopped and looked over at me. "Yeh?"
"The room is spinning fast."
He stretched across the bed towards me. "Close your eyes."
"Everything is still spinning."
"Hold my hand." He wrapped his hand around mine, and I squeezed his.
"Never had champagne before." I slurred.
"I never would have guessed."
He sounded so far away to me. "Harry, this is the last thing on my list."
"What is?"
As my eyes drifted closed, I murmured, "Sleeping with a guy."
~~
A/N: Ha…lol, get it. Anyways, I totally accept full responsibility for almost, well basically, copying the champagne scene. But c'mon, it's a classic scene in the book, I couldn't change it. I'm not sure how well written this chapter is, review!!
I told you I'd update fast!!
MML!
h_m_love!
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