A/N: Hey all! Sorry for the late update. This would have been finished and updated two weeks ago, but I have been really sick with a fever and all that jazz. I'm finally feeling like myself! Haha. I guess staying in bed with a book and water will do that to you. I also had a bunch of other stuff going on in real life. Things are back to normal though. I'm so glad that you're enjoying this story as much as I enjoy writing it. I start graduate school in a week, but the weekly updates are going to stay as they are unless something comes up. Enjoy! Let me know what you think!
B is for Boating and Brighton
Harry ran his hands over his messy hair as looked through the brochures that scattered his desk. He had four days to plan his date, and for what he wanted to do; it wasn't nearly enough time. It would take a miracle to pull this off, but he was Harry bleeding Potter. He was the Boy Who Lived. He was the boy in love with Hermione Jane Granger.
"Don't you look like a barrel of laughs," a voice said from the doorway.
A second person laughed. "He's just gone mental because it's his turn to plan a date and I bet he doesn't know what to do."
Harry looked up to see his best friend and partner standing in the doorway. Rolling his eyes, he went back to the brochures. "Sod off the both of you. Despite your lack of faith in me, I do have the weekend planned. It's just getting the details set in stone."
Draco looked at Harry expectantly. "Well? What's the game plan?"
"Boating in Brighton," he replied with a smile.
The blonde wizard turned his attention to Ron and nodded. "I have to say that the man is smart. Are you going to Brighton for the whole weekend?"
"Pretty much. We'll leave the moment she gets off work and then get back late Sunday night. I was planning on doing a picnic on a boat Saturday. I remembered Hermione mentioning something about a picnic on a boat being romantic. She read it in some book. Problem is, I'm having trouble finding a small flat to rent for the weekend. I wanted something that's waterfront. I wanted to romance her this weekend. We had fun last weekend. It was great for a first date. It's my turn to up the ante now."
Ron shook his head slowly. "Harry. Are you sure this is a good idea? Look. I know that Hermione has feelings for you. She may be hesitant, but are you sure you want to come right out and do the whole romance thing?"
"Yes. Think about it, Ron. Think about who we're talking about."
Draco walked farther into the office he shared with Harry, and took a seat at his desk. "I have to admit. Harry may have a point. He wants to woo Hermione right? The plan is to show Hermione that Harry is the one. Why not come right out and romance her? I think the best plan of action is to romance this weekend and next weekend. You have what, B and D?"
Harry nodded.
"Do you know what to do for D?" Ron asked.
Harry shrugged. "I was thinking about taking Hermione dancing."
"And F?" asked Draco.
Harry grinned. "I don't know if I should tell you."
Ron's eyes widened in surprise, and then he laughed when it dawned on him. "You wouldn't dare!"
"Would I?"
"She's going to kill you, Harry."
Draco looked between his former classmates. "Did I miss something here?" he questioned.
Ron laughed. "Harry is going to take Hermione flying."
Draco furrowed his brow allowing a confused look to come across his face. "I thought Hermione is afraid of heights?"
Harry shrugged nonchalantly. "She is. I'm going to teach her how to fly," he told his friends. "She never had a proper lesson. That rubbish we got first year at Hogwarts doesn't count."
Draco laughed along with Ron. "Weasley is right. You're going to be dead before you even get started, Potter. Give me those brochures and we'll help you make some calls. You're going to need those two good dates before F comes around because F might stand for Furnunculus because that's the hex she's going to hit you with when you spring this on her in a few weeks."
Hermione laughed as young Ryan Malfoy bounced playfully on her lap. While Emily was the exact replica of her mother, Ryan was a pint-sized version of his father with his platinum blonde hair and gray eyes. Hermione had stopped by Malfoy Manor to have afternoon tea with Ginny.
"Are you in love with Harry, Hermione?"
For a while, Hermione said nothing. Ginny almost thought Hermione may not have heard her, but then Ginny could hear her friend quietly say, "I don't know." Knowing Hermione would elaborate further, Ginny said nothing. "I never thought much about it. I think that if I did then I would be in love with him. Could I love him?" she questioned aloud. "Yes. I could. I think that is what scares me so much about the next twenty-five weeks."
"Why Hermione? Love isn't a bad thing you know. It's a wonderful and amazing feeling. Do you want to get married at all?"
Hermione smiled. "Oh yes! I want to get married. I want to have children. There are these fairytale stories that muggle children are told when they're young about these girls who find their prince charming and ride off into the sunset. Daddy used to tell me about them when I was younger. When I was finally able to read the stories myself; I would read them over and over until my books were so worn down that the pages aren't even bound together anymore. I want that. I want my prince charming and happily ever after," she explained to Ginny with a dreamy look to her eyes.
Ginny couldn't help but feel bad for her friend but she still didn't understand. "What is the problem then? Harry is right here ready to give that to you."
The brown haired witch sighed as she reached out to run her hand over Ryan's head affectionately. "I'm scared that if I give myself the chance to fall in love with Harry then I'm going to lose him and I can't lose Harry. I just can't do it, Ginny. I don't know how to explain it to you for you to understand."
Ginny dropped a kiss on top of her son's head as he giggled at nothing in particular. She stood from her seat at the kitchen table to place him in his playpen while she cleaned up the mess from the tea. "What are you going to do at the end of the six months?"
Hermione shrugged. "I'll just have to see where the next twenty-five dates take us, I suppose."
Ginny nodded her head in acknowledgement but she couldn't help but feel her heart break for her friend. "Alright. I hope you know what you're doing though."
"I do too," she whispered in response. "I do too."
The rest of the week passed without any significant surprises. Hermione was exhausted, but she couldn't help but feel excited for the upcoming weekend. That morning she received an owl from Harry before she left for work.
Pack a weekend bag. Bring the essentials. Enough to last the weekend. Make sure to pack a bathing suit and a jacket. The days are supposed to be hot and the nights are to be chilly. See you at five! Pick you up at St. Mungo's!
Love, Harry
A weekend away sounded amazing to Hermione. There were to be no prying eyes and no prying ears for two whole days. She was looking forward to spending those two days with her best friend.
The man she was now dating. The term was something she was still getting used to when speaking of Harry. She laughed to herself when she remembered little Emily once again making a comment about cousins. She made a mental note to speak to Draco the following week about keeping his conversations private from children who tended to repeat things.
"Hey beautiful," a strong masculine voice said bringing her from her thoughts.
Hermione looked up to see Harry casually leaning against the doorway to her office dressed in a simple pair of jeans and t-shirt. Blushing, she smiled. "Hi Harry. Are you ready to go?"
"Ready when you are. We're just going to apparate there if that's okay? I still don't know how to drive," he said with a small chuckle.
"That's fine," she picked up her weekend bag that sat beside her desk. After muttering a shrinking charm, she picked up the bag that was now the size of a pound to stuff it in her jeans pocket.
The duo made their way to the apparition points hand in hand, and with a quick flick of his wand they found themselves in the middle of a room that Hermione didn't quite recognize.
With Harry's hand still clasped in hers, she set her bag down at her feet before glancing at her surroundings. "Where are we, Harry?" she asked once turning back to him.
"B is for boating in Brighton," he told her with a trace of a smile etched onto his face, unsure of her reaction.
He was relieved when she broke into a grin. "Really?" she asked. Her smile grew larger when he nodded his head. "Oh wow! I haven't been here since I was a little girl!" she told him, excited.
He watched as she traveled from room to room of the small waterfront flat. The room in which they arrived was a small sitting room had a kitchen table in the far corner of the room as well as a large fireplace with a mirror hanging above it. There was a muggle telly in another corner of the room with a large oversize chair and a comfortable couch sitting against the wall opposite the fireplace. Off to the side of the room was a sliding glass door that led to a brick balcony.
He silently followed Hermione as she traveled into the master bedroom. Finding his voice a bit nervous when he spoke, "There is another room where I can sleep. You can have this room."
Hermione turned her eyes to her best friend. With a small smile, she shook her head. "You can sleep in here. With me. I mean, we're adults right? We're just going to sleep."
He nodded slowly as they continued their tour of the beachside flat. That night, they made their trek to a small grocery located a block away to find dinner for them. Harry wanted to cook that night, and felt that the meal would be great served under the night sky on the balcony.
Hermione watched silently with a cold glass of wine in one hand, her hip perched against the kitchen counter as Harry began chopping and mincing food into a small saucepan on the stove.
She felt herself admire the way his hands maneuvered as he made dinner. He didn't say what exactly was on the menu, but she knew it smelled good.
Hermione felt herself move without thinking as she poured a second glass of wine for Harry. With his back to her, she picked up the second glass with her free hand and used her elbow to tap him on the arm. With a gracious smile, he took the glass from her. "Thanks," he told her before leaning down to place a light kiss on her cheek.
"You're welcome," she responded as a pink tint appeared on her cheeks.
Dinner was a relatively quiet affair. Harry set the table with candles, wine and a delicious smelling meal. He had made a nice ceasar salad as an appetizer with a parmesan crusted chicken breast with a chunky tomato sauce over it. The meal tasted just as great as it smelled.
"You're an amazing cook. I think you missed your calling," she told him as she took a sip of her wine.
Harry laughed. "I think Kingsley may have something to say about that. I enjoy cooking. I'd rather do it for fun then cook for a living. I enjoy cooking for family and friends. I'm glad you enjoyed it."
Smiling, she reached out to lightly touch his hand with hers. "I always enjoy it when you cook."
"See now, the privilege of `dating' me is that you get to experience my cooking quite often." He noticed a blush that appeared on her cheeks, and felt pride well up within him. He knew it would be a battle with her, and so far he was winning.
"Would you like to relax and watch a movie tonight? I have some things planned tomorrow so we have to be up a bit early."
Hermione laughed. "You? Up early?"
He shot her a dignified look as he took a sip of his own glass of wine. "I can be up early, and I will be up early tomorrow. I'll clean this up-"
She stopped Harry with her hands. Smiling, she picked up the empty dishes that were on the table. "I'll clean it up. You go ahead in and get comfortable."
"Are you sure?"
She nodded her head as she made her way inside with the rest of the dishes levitating behind her. Harry couldn't help but smile at her retreating figure. The weekend was starting off perfectly. He had no doubt that the wooing of Hermione would be quite successful.
Hermione felt her body slowly awake as she stretched against something solid. She opened her eyes and groaned as they adjusted to the light from outside. She blinked rapidly before finally opening her eyes to see Harry staring down as her with a smile.
It was then that she realized that at some point during the night, she had snuggled up against Harry and he had his arm wrapped protectively around her. As much as she wanted to deny it, it felt good to be in his arms.
"What's the plan for today?" she asked before he had the opportunity to make a comment.
He tightened his grip slightly, knowing she was purposely changing the subject before he even brought it up. Smiling, he kissed the top of her head lightly taking note when her body tensed quickly. "Actually, we're going boating. I was going to back a basket for lunch and take you boating today. I thought it would be fun out of the water. We'll park somewhere and eat."
She couldn't help but smile. "I think I like the sound of that. I'm going to go get ready then, okay? Did you want me to pack the lunch?" she asked.
Harry shook his head. "I'll take care of it, love. Get ready."
It wasn't long after Hermione found herself waking up in Harry's arms, the duo sat at a small table at the back of a pontoon boat.
"Not bad, Mr. Potter. Do you do this for all the women you try to woo?" Hermione asked with a laugh.
Hermione noticed that Harry's light mood turned serious as the smile seemingly fell from his face. "I've never done this for anyone before, `Mione."
The laugh stopped as she realized what he meant. "Ever?"
He slowly shook his head sitting back in his seat. "Never. I told you that I wanted to prove to you how good we would be together. How good I could for you. I have twenty-five weeks to prove it to you, and I will use those weeks to my advantage." Harry looked at her waiting silently for her to say something. Anything. Hermione slowly turned her eyes to the blue water off to the side. When the silence continued, he leaned forward. Softly, he lifted his hand to bring her eyes back to his. He frowned when he saw her eyes glistening with silent tears. "Hermione! What is it? What's wrong?"
Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath. She felt herself calm down enough to open them again. "I'm scared, Harry."
Shocked, he dropped his hand. "Scared? Scared of what? Me?"
She nodded her head slowly. "But not for the reasons you think. I'm scared of losing you," she whispered softly.
"You won't, Hermione. Voldemort is-"
"I don't give a damn about Voldemort, Harry! It's not Voldemort. It's us. I'm scared of losing
you, Harry. Of losing our friendship if we give us a chance."
Harry took a moment to register what she said. He knew that was what she feared, but he had no idea how much she feared losing their friendship.
He stood from his seat across from her and held out his hand. He took her hand in his, pulling Hermione against him. He wrapped his arms tightly around his body and waited until she wrapper hers around his waist. "I won't let that happen, Hermione. I swear I won't. Trust me. Trust us. Trust the next six months. I'm a determined wizard, Hermione. You know that. We won't lose our friendship. I won't allow that to happen."
Hermione had no choice but to trust his words, and nodded her head slowly.
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