Chapter 1
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Hermione looked quickly through her wardrobe. She was running very late and being as stressed out as she was only made everything go slower. The door to her room opened slightly and a blond head peaked inside.
"Oh Hermione, honestly! Do you realize how late we are?"
"Luna, just go ahead before me."
Luna stepped in to the room and grabbed something random from the wardrobe.
"Here, this will be great."
Hermione raised an eyebrow and looked at the flowery-skirt and raincoat Luna had pulled out.
They were going on a girl's night with their friends, and Hermione had yet again been late from work. She looked at what Luna was wearing. She had on a long dark blue velvet dress. Her hair was in a long braid that went all the way down below her waist.
"You look really beautiful Luna!"
Luna looked down and smiled a little.
Hermione grabbed a pair of black slacks and a purple halter-top. She didn't have a second to spare on her hair, but she grabbed a bottle of perfume and dabbed it quickly on her neck.
--
"Finally!" Ginny shouted as Hermione and Luna entered the pub.
It was the girls' favourite pub: Curly Pearls. They tried to have a girl's night there at least once a week. Whoever attended varied depending on whoever was able. Hermione looked around, tonight there were quite a few people. Lavender Brown was busy gossiping with Parvati Patil. Next to her was Ginny Weasley. Angelina Johnson was at the bar ordering drinks.
"Oi Hermione, Luna - want me to get you something?" Angelina yelled at them.
Hermione gave her the thumbs up and sat down next to Ginny.
"Why are you always so bloody late?" Ginny asked and rolled her eyes.
"Well I am not to blame," Luna stated.
Ginny nodded understandably.
It didn't take long before Lavender was by herself on the dance floor. Two men in their age couldn't stop looking at the beautiful blond as she swayed her hips. She waved for Parvati to join her, but the beautiful Indian was far too shy and just shook her head.
Katie Bell entered the pub wearing a lovely silk sarong and everyone greeted her happily.
"Wow, I guess someone actually was later then you two," Ginny teased and gave Hermione a push with the shoulder.
Hermione was really happy to be there. She needed to relax. Things had been absolutely madness as work. She downed the rest of her large jug of ale, and got up to get a new one.
"Hi Curly," she said as she smiled sweetly at the old man behind the bar.
"Hi'ya pretty lady, another one?" he asked.
She nodded and moved her head to the music. She turned around, leaning on her elbows against the bar and looked at Lavender who had actually gotten the two guys to join her on the dance floor. Those poor guys, Hermione thought, they don't stand a chance. The night flew along with much laughter and some dancing.
"Let's talk about boys!" Lavender hiccupped.
Hermione rolled her eyes; it always ended up with this. Talk about the boys.
She looked around the table. Luna Lovegood was a very successful writer for The Quibbler; Ginny Weasley played professional Quidditch for The Tutshill Tornados. Lavender worked for Luna at The Quibbler writing horoscopes. Parvati didn't work; she stayed with her parents after Padma decided to move in with relatives in India. Angelina hadn't gone on playing Quidditch professionally like everyone thought; she had been offered Madam Hooch's job at Hogwarts after Madam Hooch was killed during the war. Katie Bell worked for Madame Rosmerta in Hogsmeade. Hermione had decided to become a Healer after the war, despite being invited to the Auror programme along with Harry.
And here they all were, they had survived a three yearlong war, they had become women with jobs they enjoyed, and still - they always ended up talking about boys.
The talk and gossip were flying around, and Hermione concentrated on her firewhiskey.
Please don't ask me, she thought.
Ginny looked sympathetically at Hermione, she knew Lavender would soon get on Hermione's case. Hermione had never admitted it to Ginny, but Ginny was pretty sure whom Hermione was waiting for.
Whenever Harry and Hermione were in the same place they would flirt constantly, but it never led anywhere. Ginny had seen Hermione hide her hurt feelings time and again as Harry went home with a new girl.
Ginny looked around at the familiar faces, most of them had fooled around with Harry once or twice. She had never gotten back together with Harry after the war, the feelings just weren't there anymore for either of them. Lavender always loved to bat her eyes at Harry, and Ginny had caught them snogging quite a few times. Luna was one of the few that had never shown any interest at all in Harry. Ron was the only man who existed in Luna's world.
"So Hermione…" Lavender started.
All Hermione did to reply was down her firewhiskey and sigh.
"Leave her be," Ginny said.
"All I want to know is when you will have a bit of fun. I mean, have you been on a date since..."
Luna interrupted her.
"I happen to know something very interesting!"
Everyone looked wide-eyed at her.
"Well Miss Lovegood, do you mean interesting in a juicy gossip way, or in a "Luna interesting" way?" Lavender said.
Hermione glared at Lavender.
"Well I happen to know that the boys are having a small party tonight at Harry and Ron's!"
Parvati and Katie clapped their hands with excitement. Hermione didn't even have time to put both her arms in her coat before she was being dragged out in the street.
"It's late!" she exclaimed as she, Luna, and Ginny climbed into a taxi.
"The night is young, and so are we!" Ginny giggled.
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Ginny used the key that she had to her brother's flat without asking. They could hear the boys being loud in the living room.
"Did you hear something?" a male voice asked.
Ron walked in to the hall where the girls were getting their coats off.
"We have company," he shouted into the other guys.
There was an immediate sound of hooraying and clapping.
Hermione walked by a mirror and tried to flatten her wild hair. The rain had made it even curlier. Ginny grabbed her elbow and dragged her with her.
Hermione stood in the doorway and watched the scene before her. Fred and George were sitting on the floor, each a bottle of beer in their hand. Ron walked over to the fridge to get out some drinks for the girls. Neville was smiling brightly at all of them. Seamus waved Parvati to come sit next to him, while Dean was offering his seat to Angelina. And there he was.
Harry was sitting on the sofa next to Lavender who was babbling about rain and smelly taxi drivers. He looked up at her and shot her a sexy smile.
Breathe
"There's my favourite girl!" He waved for her to come closer.
She could see that he was quite intoxicated, but she obeyed.
"Hi," she answered sweetly. She sat down on the floor next to him since to sofa was full.
The guys didn't seem to mind the slightest that their boys night had been interrupted, it seemed to the contrary. Then again they might be used to it, it usually ended up like this.
"You look pretty tonight." Harry shot her one of those killer smiles again.
"You're such a sweet talker," Lavender teased. "Don't bother that talk on Hermione, she knows you too well."
George moved over and sat down next to Hermione.
"Well I sure think she looks gorgeous."
Harry frowned at George.
Fred and George were busier then ever. They had opened a second shop in Hogsmeade, which was even busier than the one in Diagon Alley. Harry was an Auror for the ministry and he loved his job. Neville had opened a rare plant shop in Diagon Alley. Ron had not become a professional Quidditch player as he had dreamed; neither had he followed Harry in becoming an Auror. A very bad elbow injury during the war had stopped both those options, instead he now ran the Weasley's' Wizard Wheezes in Diagon Alley.
Seamus worked for a Cauldron company, who exported to the rest of Europe. Dean worked as a photographer for the Daily Prophet.
Hermione watched Lavender playfully tickle Harry, and he played along in the stupid game. It bothered Hermione more than she could ever admit to herself.
She forced herself to look back at George who was talking to her, flirting with her. This wasn't something new; George had flirted with her for a quite sometime. It happened every time they were at a party together.
"Excuse me," Hermione said softly. She got up at walked to the kitchen to get herself something else to drink. She looked into the fridge and wondered what to choose.
She stopped mid-movement when she heard someone behind her. She quickly turned around and came face-to-face with George.
"You scared me." Hermione put a hand on her heart, "I scare easily nowadays."
"Sorry," he answered and ran a hand through his hair.
Harry was getting tired of Lavender demanding all of his attentions all the time. Nothing would happen between them, he whished she'd just understand that.
He looked over at his best friend talking to Luna in the other sofa. Those two only had eyes for each other; it could get quite tiresome to watch.
Angelina and Fred seemed to have disappeared; where they had sneaked off to and what they were doing.Â
Harry felt something on his leg and he looked down. Lavender had her hand on his thigh and was slowly rubbing it back and forward.
"Don't you agree?" she asked.
"What - sorry?"
"I was just telling Seamus that a man who is good on a broom is usually good in the sack." She licked her lip.
Seamus was chuckling at her. Harry got out of the sofa.
"Where are you going sweetie?" Lavender asked disappointed.
"I'll be right back, I just need to get some water."
He walked to the kitchen but came to a sudden stop as he entered. Hermione was sitting on one of the counters and George was standing between her legs, very close. He was leaning one of his hands on the cupboard. They were talking quietly, almost intimately.
Harry came to, when he heard Hermione laugh sweetly at something George said. She suddenly saw him and her cheeks turned slightly pink.
"Oh Harry." She jumped of the counter.
"Water," he mumbled and walked over to the tap.
Hermione quickly walked out of the room and back to the living room.
Harry sipped his water. He had felt this many times before. He hated when guys paid Hermione attention.
He quickly walked by George and followed Hermione into the living room. She was sitting in one of the sofas.
"Hey, move it Miss Selfish," he joked and shoved her aside. He sat down close to her and put his arm over her shoulders.
Hermione's heart started beating faster. This would last for a short while, she knew it. Harry would giver her, his fullest attention, and she would feel like she was the only thing that existed in his world, then he would pull back. And she would feel like death.
Harry pulled her even closer so she was half lying with her back on his chest, his arm wrapped around her.
Ron looked at them, and shook his head to himself. It was always the same with those two. Why couldn't Harry just pull himself together and tell Hermione that he was madly in love with her? How long had this little dance been going on? Years?
They only had eyes for each other but it never went anywhere.
George came back into the room and looked slightly bothered when he saw Hermione lying in Harry's arms. Lavender pretended not to be bothered by the loss of attention from Harry.
Hermione felt George throwing casual glances at her during the night, but she pretended not to notice. One who did notice though was Harry, and every time he pulled Hermione a little big closer to him.
The after-party started to die down. Harry was still holding Hermione close, and she had fallen asleep twenty minutes earlier. Harry was talking in a hushed voice to Ron and Seamus about Quidditch, they were the only ones still awake.
"I'm going home," Seamus said suddenly.
"Really, it'd be fine if you'd want to crash here," Ron assured.
"No, but thanks mate. I think you've got a quite enough of a crowd here." He gestured to the room where people were laying everywhere.
"Why don't you take Ginny into my room, she can sleep there," Harry whispered to Ron.
"What about you?"
"I think I'll sleep out here," Harry answered.
"I'm sure you will," Ron smiled knowingly at him.
"What?" Harry looked completely innocent, but after Ron had carried a sleeping Ginny to Harry's room, he shifted slightly so he was lying down behind Hermione in the sofa.
He softly caressed her hair, the locks tickling the palms of his hands.
He leaned in slightly and smelled her hair.
--
When Hermione woke up she could feel the presence of someone else closed to her. Without opening her eyes she knew it was Harry. It wasn't the first time they fell asleep together like this. But it wasn't just that, she could just feel that it was Harry. She didn't know if it was the feeling of his body, his smell or what, but she knew.
Harry was now lying on his back, and Hermione had her head on his chest. She didn't move, she didn't want him to wake up, because if he did it would all end. She just wanted to stay like that, and enjoy it for the few minutes that remained.
She felt Harry's body starting to move, and she knew he was waking up. She looked up and met two beautiful green eyes.
"Hey gorgeous," he yawned at her and all she managed to do was smile at him.
"Whoa, look at you!" Dean exclaimed, "Did you guys finally hook up?"
It was customary for someone to say something like that and ruin the moment, but still it made both Hermione and Harry jump apart like they had been electrocuted.
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AN: Reviews are always appreciated
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