Authors Notes: I'm being evil with this chapter and leaving a cliff hanger… I want to see if anyone guesses correctly… :p
Ten
Harry found his new work with Kingsley exhausting. And not the good kind of exhausting. Ever since he had started his crash course in being an Auror, he had found himself having nightmares for the first time since his fight with Voldemort. But these nightmares were not like the old ones, where he would see into Voldemort's mind, they were filled with images of burning houses, burning people and the front lawn of Hogwarts covered in dead bodies.
Hermione said that it was simply a case of post-traumatic stress. They hadn't really had time to process what happened to them, they'd just kept functioning. And these dreams meant that Harry was starting to process the full horror of the last year of their lives.
Harry had a feeling she was just saying this to make herself feel better- she had never complained, but Harry knew his nightmares were keeping her up at night. He tried to stay awake as late as he could, to let her sleep before him, but it was as if she knew what he was doing and she would lay next to him, silent and awake.
After three weeks of hard work with Kingsley, Harry found himself with a weekend off and no idea what to do. He and Hermione went out to a muggle café they'd discovered for breakfast and then had holed themselves up in the drawing room with a crackling fire, as it was still very cold out, even though the snow had long melted. Hermione lay on the floor working her way through stacks of files from her office, and Harry was sprawled on the lounge reading the Daily Prophet. They both jumped when the doorbell rang.
'Kreacher?' Harry called and he heard the elves feet race past the door.
'Kreacher will get it!' he called back as he raced down the stairs. Harry went back to his paper and Hermione clicked her tongue in annoyance (she wished Harry wouldn't use Kreacher as much as he did, but she was happy that Harry was at least paying him, despite that fact that Kreacher found it slightly insulting).
The drawing room door opened and Kreacher appeared, followed by Ron.
'Master and mistress, Mr Weasley is here,' he said, bowing himself out.
'Hey Ron,' Harry said, folding the paper up and sitting up straighter. Hermione sat up too, blushing a little bit. Ever since Hermione had started staying almost every night, Kreacher had began calling her mistress.
'I need a favour,' Ron said, sitting down on the lounge with Harry and looking at them seriously, though he looked quite nervous. 'Monica is throwing a dinner party tonight.'
'That's nice,' said Hermione.
'And she wants me to invite a couple.'
'A couple of what?' Harry asked.
'A couple, like a couple-couple- it's going to be me and her, plus a friend of hers and their partner… and she wants me to bring a couple. It's like a get to know you night- I'm meeting friends I've never met and she wants to meet some of mine'
Harry and Hermione exchanged glances.
'If I knew he wouldn't be a prat, I'd ask Percy and Penelope. But I somehow don't think I should bring my brother. And then I thought of you guys.'
Harry had a strange feeling in his stomach.
'I mean, you guys are close and stuff, especially lately with working together, and I mean, Rita and Krum sure thought that you were a couple. So you'd be able to pass it off, right? I mean, no one but me will know you're really not a couple.'
Harry's stomach unclenched.
'Ron, we'd love to help you,' Hermione said warmly and Ron beamed.
'Excellent!' he exclaimed, reaching into the pocket of his jacket. 'This is her address. She said about 8pm.'
'We'll be there mate,' Harry said, clapping him on the shoulder.
'Thank you so much you guys!' he called as he left. Harry followed him downstairs and watched him disapparate from the front step and then headed back up to Hermione, who was grinning slyly.
'I wonder how far we'll be able to take this.'
~*~
At ten to eight that night, Harry stood in the entrance hall, nervously checking his watch and running his fingers through his hair. He was starting to worry they'd be late. He heard a cough from the stairs and looked up and was suddenly breathless.
After Ron had left, Hermione had raced out to do some shopping. She had bought something for herself, which she refused to show him, and a new suit for Harry. He felt kind of silly in this suit, especially since it had a pink tie. But then he saw Hermione.
Her dress was the same pink as his tie and fell in light layers to just below her knees. She had shawl around her shoulders in the same colour as her dress and it was sparkling slightly. Harry had to close his eyes before he could breathe again.
'Wow,' he said as she reached him and kissed him. 'You… you look amazing.'
'Thank you,' she said with a smile.
They held hands on the front step and disapparated. Hermione had not only gone shopping, she'd spent a good deal of time studying maps to find a place where they could apparate to and then get a taxi to Monica's flat. The plan went off without a hitch and it was eight o'clock exactly as the taxi stopped. Ron was waiting outside the building and he grinned as they got out after Hermione paid.
'You guys are awesome,' he said, rushing over to them. 'Come on, Monica's upstairs. And, you'd better like hold hands or something, you know, as you're a couple.'
'With pleasure,' Harry whispered into Hermione's ear, taking hold of her hand. Hermione blushed.
'Monica thinks we met at work,' Ron said to Harry as they climbed the stairs. 'I've told her I work for a distributor of magic tricks. She thinks it's hilarious as she thinks magic doesn't exist. Muggles.'
They reached the third floor and Ron paused and took a deep breath.
'The friend that she's got coming over is named Maddy. She was there the night I met Monica. And she's bringing her boyfriend, who I have ever met.'
He opened the door to the apartment in front of them and Monica came out of what was obviously the kitchen.
'Is that you, Ron?' she asked and then beamed when she saw them.
'Mon, this is Hermione and Harry,' Ron said, pointing to them. A round of 'hi' and 'how'd you do' followed and they all smiled nervously at each other.
'You work with Ron, don't you?' Monica asked Harry and he nodded.
'Yes, yes I do.'
'And how do you find it? I know Ron's not really enjoying himself,' she said and Harry shot Ron a surprised look. Ron looked like he was pretending to be deaf.
'Ah, I like it ok,' Harry said. 'It's not permanent, but it's a job.'
'So true,' said Monica. The flat door opened and an average looking girl walked in, and Monica shrieked. 'Maddy!'
'Hi Mon!' Maddy shrieked back and they shared a quick hug. Hermione looked like she was about to gag. Monica introduced Harry and Hermione and then the door opened again.
Harry's jaw dropped as he looked at the person who was obviously Maddy's boyfriend.
'I guess you can't say none of us have met him,' Harry hissed to Hermione in an undertone.