A/N:
Hey, guys! So sorry for not giving you an update. I've been busy with schoolwork. Yep, even during vacation, we were given a lot of assignments, so I had to finish them first. Actually, I haven't finished the last two yet because they're long and difficult. So I wanted to take a break. And this chapter is the result of that break.
I hope you like it and somehow make some sense out of it, because I'm beginning to realize a lot of impossible things in my story. I'm itching to revise, but as I said before, no more revisions. I just have to find some loophole or something.
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All right.
Maybe it was only a fleeting kiss.
A pathetic kiss…
One that wasn't even worth comparing to last night's.
But it had to mean something…
Or else…
The guy was just insane.
Maybe he was, Hermione just couldn't tell. With the way he was suddenly looking at her, as if she was the one who decided to kiss him right in front of the paparazzi, it was quite tempting to hit him right there and there.
She opened her mouth to speak, but Harry sidestepped her and opened the car door behind her. She hadn't even gotten the chance to take in what just happened before he shoved her, quite hard, inside.
He walked around the car to get to the driver's side. Half-expecting him to enter as quickly as he had made her, Hermione gaped when he paused halfway instead, and gave a jaunty wave to their audience.
Was he barking mad?!
He was goading them, as if daring them to denounce what they'd just seen. He was not making the situation better! He was ruining everything that he attempted to do the night before.
She was going to kill him if he even dared to blame the rest of his troubles on her.
He was already in so many, she clearly recalled, so what was he doing creating another one for himself? And apparently, he didn't mean to go down alone. He meant to drag her along with him.
Before Hermione could dwell on the fact that it was her dare that got her into trouble, Harry got inside, said not a word to her, didn't even spare her a glance, and just started the engine. It roared to life, deafening Hermione for a moment. As he waited for it to warm up, he kept his eyes glued on the road in front of them.
Hermione wanted to speak, but her mouth was not cooperating. There was something about the vein thickening just underneath his jaw that warned her not to say anything until he spoke first.
It was as good as anything, though, because suddenly, she had no desire to talk to him. She had already apologized for barging into his life and was in fact all ready to disappear from it when he decided to pull a stunt for himself. This time, it was his fault, so it was up to him to do the groveling now.
A minute passed by, still nary a word. As he changed gears, she wasn't surprised when he still kept to himself, not even warning her to buckle up. Barely a moment later, they were speeding away from the photographers, leaving behind a trail along the muddy road.
Hermione spared Harry another glance before lapsing into complete silence. He looked nowhere near accommodating, so she could do nothing else but close her eyes and sigh inwardly.
Like it or not, she added begrudgingly, the car was not the only one in serious muck.
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Fifteen minutes had gone past, yet Hermione was still not speaking to him.
It was taking all the effort Harry had left in him not to take his eyes off the road and steal another glance at her. He didn't mean to, but he was getting frustrated with her. Add that and the anger he felt for himself for what he'd done and he had a storm brewing inside.
Even after a quarter of an hour of thinking, he still couldn't come up with a sensible reason for kissing her in front of those people who might as well have been carrying his future in their hands.
What the bloody hell possessed him?
He merely meant to mock them by moving closer to Hermione, but something inside him snapped when his gaze fell on her lips, and he found himself leaning further and further until he felt his own touch hers.
It was not an intimate kiss, he'd give himself that.
It was a light one, a peck on the lips; nothing more.
But he realized when it was already too late that even just a kiss on the cheek would have been enough to make those people wild with excitement. They were hungry hounds, waiting even for just a bite. Anything would have done the trick, but Harry, the idiot that he was, gave them a feast.
He took a deep breath. It was going to take some explaining to justify his reasons, even though he wasn't sure he had any, so he might as well give up the effort of pretending that he would do well not to talk to Hermione.
"Would you please say something?" he asked, not taking his eyes off the road.
He felt her eyes on him as the hair on the back of his neck stood. He was ready to take whatever insults she would toss at him. After the idiocy of what he'd managed to do within the past hour, God knew he deserved them.
"What do you want me to say?"
Harry blinked.
Well, what did he want her to say?
Mentally scratching his head, he stole a quick glance at her to gauge her reaction. "Uh, anything," he muttered tentatively, after taking a right turn.
"Could you drop me off to the nearest station?"
Harry nearly pressed down on the brakes.
Well, he certainly wasn't expecting that.
He just nodded, not trusting himself to speak.
Purely by chance, he passed by a road sign, indicating the distance left to travel to the nearest bus station. He noted that it wasn't for another 30 minutes.
Harry didn't know whether to be relieved or edgy about it. It did give him time to explain to Hermione about the kiss, but he was not certain whether she wanted an explanation. From the icy indifference she had set between them, he could tell that she'd rather not hear anything.
Too bad for her, he wasn't going to let her go without listening.
"Don't you want to know why I kissed you?"
He hadn't meant to sound so nonchalant or blatant about it but he saw no other reason to stall. Plus, he also didn't want to insult her intelligence when it was clear that the issue was all they could think about.
He didn't realize that he was actually holding his breath until she opened her mouth.
"No."
This shut him up.
If he expected her answer to relieve him, it certainly did nothing remotely close to it.
Bloody hell.
This woman was stubborn.
"Why not?" he asked, suddenly hesitant. He could feel Hermione weighing her answer even if she wasn't really looking at him but outside the window. It wasn't much of an encouragement, but at least she wasn't ignoring him completely.
"Because I'm sure you don't even know yourself."
It was quite beguiling to try and hold a conversation with someone who might as well have her own x-ray vision.
He felt quite exposed.
And not to mention, irritated.
"Since you're so good, can you tell me why I kissed you?"
Hermione merely lifted a brow at him and shrugged in her seat, making him feel like a two-year old. "Sorry, I don't think like a crazy person."
Harry felt smoke coming out of his ears. Maybe it was just his imagination but Hermione looked like she was enjoying his discomfort. He changed gears and drummed his fingers on the stirring wheel as he waited for his impatience to abate. He glanced again at her and had to bite back a smile when he caught her stealing one at him.
He sighed.
"I'm going to be honest with you, all right?" he began companionably, releasing his pressure on the accelerator. The car slowed down but didn't stop. When they were driving on a speed safe enough to hold a conversation while driving, Harry took a deep breath and said. "I don't know why I kissed you."
If he expected her to turn nasty on him, she didn't. In fact, she remained quite composed, something he wasn't really surprised with. She didn't say anything for a while either.
He noticed her taking long deep breaths and figured she was trying to control her annoyance. Harry already knew how she was when she was angry, if what he witnessed last night was indeed something close to that, so he was damned sure she wasn't mad at him now.
She exhaled loudly and turned her head in his direction, a first in the last hour they'd been together. "You do know that by tomorrow, people would see what you did?"
He would have pointed out that being the celebrity that he was, the thought never even left his mind anymore, but he figured she didn't exactly need the sarcasm. Not from him anyway.
The truth was the truth, if anything was needed to be said. Even as he felt his lips on hers earlier, he had vivid images of what those pictures would look like in less than an hour they were developed.
To reassure her that people would not be able to get their hands on those pictures would be futile because she herself had already resigned to the idea. So he had no choice but to nod.
This time, it was she who sighed.
"I'm not certain what to say, Harry," she shook her head. She started fidgeting, her gaze locked on her hands. "Just drop me off to the station. I don't…"
"Don't what?" Harry interrupted softly, but none too friendly. His words had enough bite to make her look up. "Don't want to be caught up with the mistake I made?"
He didn't expect her to be guilty, but her silence told him a lot more than words could have actually said. He glared at the road ahead. "Well, that's just a little unfair, don't you think?"
Hermione whipped her head in his direction. Although her eyes were bleak, he words were not. "I've apologized for what I did, didn't I?"
She thought that the issue had been dealt and done with, and was apparently taken aback that he had thrown the dare in her face again, albeit it was not directly. She should have expected that all this time, he had meant to collect. She tried to save face by pointing out his fault. "I wasn't the one who asked to be kissed this morning!"
He actually chuckled. "You wouldn't be there to be kissed, if you hadn't stayed in my house last night!" Harry gripped the wheel tightly, trying to infuse his anger onto it.
"I beg your pardon?!" she cried in indignation, looking every bit the affronted woman that she was. "You insisted I stay. You said…"
"I know what I bloody said," he interrupted. Then he gave her a cross look. "If you weren't sick, I'd have asked you to leave myself."
"May I remind you that if you had not abandoned me in the middle of the forest, I wouldn't have gotten sick?"
"You wouldn't have…" he paused because she had raised an eyebrow at him, daring him to make a comment.
He didn't bother hiding his irritation as he let out a breath. He realized that uttering another argument would not only be pointless, but stupid as well. Their pinpointing was heading nowhere. Besides, Harry knew that they would still end up with one conclusion: if Hermione had not agreed to the dare, she wouldn't have met Harry, and the rest would not have followed.
And as much as he hated admitting it, she still had a point.
He made the mistake of kissing her.
He was the reason that things got more complicated. If truth be told, he had enough charm in him to have worked things out with the press about last night. But with the debacle of this morning's interlude, not even he would believe that his charisma was enough to reverse the situation.
Hermione must have taken his silence as a truce so she made do with looking outside the window. It was not a consoling move, but Harry needed more than silence to think. He needed isolation.
He eased down on the accelerator and the engine began to roar in anticipation of the speed. He saw her glance at him for a second, surprised of the rush. She sighed, immediately realizing what he intended to do.
"What will you say to the press, Harry?" she softly asked a few minutes later.
Harry knew she was thinking about the whole situation and the many possibilities that could happen. He also knew she was not confused as to where she fit in the situation. He didn't exactly know either, but he wasn't about to make her believe she was off the hook.
They were in this together, and he'll be damned if he even let her think her audacity last night was forgotten.
"Warren will know what to do," Harry shrugged, although his insides churned at the thought of having to face his agent's rebukes. "He's brilliant with excuses," he added belatedly to emphasize the guarantee of them escaping with no more than a few laughs.
She nodded, but he could tell she was not as convinced as he wanted her to be.
She had that look about her when she was thinking too much. She looked as if she was about ready to explode. If the thought was quite funny, at the moment, it was not.
It bothered him that he had begun to recognize her habits merely after spending a few hours with her. Not only did he know about her anger or her concentration, but he had also noticed last night how she bit her lip when she was unsure of something and the way her eyes glazed several times when she was lost in thought.
Harry shuddered to think what else he would discover if he spent another day with her.
Not that the thought had crossed his mind.
He felt a flush creeping into his neck as he turned his head for a quick glance and failed to see any more expression on her face. She didn't look that bothered though, which was something he was glad for. But the silence that charged within the car was starting to get to him. He had the inkling that he would rather have her berate him than treat him with restrained answers.
"I don't want to be involved in a scandal, Harry."
Okay.
So that wasn't what he wanted to hear. Not after deciding that he wasn't going to deal with this alone. But it was not his problem that she entered his life out of the blue. Although he was not a bastard to rub it in her face, he expected a little more backbone from her. And he sure as hell didn't want to be the one growing it for her.
"Like it or not, Hermione, you can't do anything about it," Harry cleared his throat. There was no point hiding the truth from her. She might as well have all the bombs dropped on her. "You'll be lucky if the press hasn't found your name yet."
Hermione's eyes grew wide with acknowledgement. Personally, he didn't want her to be involved in a crazy life. He really didn't. The look of shock in her face pulled at his conscience, but the scandal had been more of her fault than his, so he found himself shrugging the thought away.
"You'll tell them that it was just a dare, though, won't you?" she asked him desperately.
"That would be a bit humiliating on your part, don't you think, especially when I tell them you did it because of a guy."
"You don't exactly have to say everything. Just tell them it was for fun."
"And the fact that you spending the night at my house and me kissing you before leaving were also what? Just for fun?"
"Tell them I got sick. You wouldn't be lying because that's exactly the reason I slept there," she rolled her eyes at him.
Harry didn't exactly feel the urge to laugh but just looking at her exasperation tugged a smile at the corner of his lips.
"And the kiss?"
Hermione crossed her arms. "That's for you to provide. I didn't kiss you."
"But you wanted to."
Hermione could swear her mouth dropped in her surprise. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you were the one desperate to kiss me."
"I solved that problem, didn't I?" he responded with a cheeky grin.
She was speechless for a moment, not because she was thrilled at the idea, but because she was weighing her next words. If she uttered the wrong thing, he might get the idea that she liked the thought of him wanting to kiss her.
Plus, if she said something instantly, she might have revealed something humiliating.
Like the fact that she was thinking the same thing.
"You don't expect me to believe you find me attractive, do you? You just broke up with your fiance two days ago."
Harry's eyes clouded for a moment. "Sophia was never my fiance, and you don't need to remind me when I broke up with her. Anyway, I don't see why you won't believe I find you attractive, you think I'm attractive after breaking up with what's-his-face yesterday."
"His name is Lucas," she corrected, unaware she didn't rectify his other claim.
But before he could point out her mistake, she straightened.
"Stop right here," she ordered, unlocking the belt buckle and the door.
Harry shifted his attention to where they were and mentally cursed when he realized they were at the bus station.
He had run out of time.
Time for what?
What was he supposed to do again? He couldn't exactly remember with all the arguments that took place. But he did stop when they reached the shed. She opened the passenger door and started to get out. One of her feet was already outside his car when he reached across the seat and grabbed her arm.
"What is it?" Hermione asked, although she had the feeling why he stopped her.
"Can I have your number?"
In an instant, that high wired brain of hers began to work, intending to find out in a manner of seconds, milliseconds actually, why he wanted her number. It was certainly not because he wanted to date her. That would be next to impossible because judging by the way he looked when she mentioned his fiance, he was still not ready to indulge himself even in simple liaisons.
The only thing that he would want her number for is to have something to connect him to her when she would have to face the scandal of those pictures. He was not exactly the cleverest person if he believed she would fall for that. Besides, why didn't he just ask where she lived? Calling her to face those pictures would not exactly ensure that she would come personally.
But refusing to give him her number would only increase his persistence.
"Why?" she had to ask; she would arouse his suspicion if she didn't.
"So I could call you," Harry shrugged.
"Yes, I believe it's used for that purpose," Hermione rolled her eyes at him, "Why do you want to call me?"
He looked her in the eye and said. "I like you."
Okay, even if she were simply a woman talking to a man, she wouldn't even lose breath over the absurdity of his words. How many of his women had fallen over that cheesy line?
But it wouldn't hurt to play along, would it?
Barely stifling a giggle, she answered, "Really?" she tried to muster enough starry-eyed enthusiasm over his declaration to convince him and make her sick. "You like me?"
His eyes crossed and he gave her a dismissive look. "Come on, Hermione, you don't expect me to just let you go so that you could disappear forever. I need you to face this with me."
He had discovered her plot, which wasn't exactly a plot anyway, and had reverted back to his un-charming self.
"You're asking too much of me."
His eyes sharpened with impatience.
"For goodness' sake, Harry!" she nearly shouted, recognizing his look. "Don't throw that dare back in my face or I swear I shall beat the bloody hell out of you!"
"And I supposed I should blame myself that you dropped out of nowhere?" he asked. Raking a hand through his hair, he took a deep breath. "Even if I let you forget the whole thing, how am I supposed to convince them that it was simply a dare if you don't testify?"
Testify?
How much of a crime was committed anyway?
A loud horn suddenly emitted from behind them and both their heads whipped about to look for its source. The next bus was approaching fast and it was only a matter of time before it would stop right where they were.
Harry cursed while Hermione tried to tug her arm from his.
"Harry, I have to go."
"Not until you give me your number."
"I don't have one."
"I don't believe you."
"I swear," she pulled away, but his grip was too strong.
"Tell that to someone stupid," his eyes were murderous but she wasn't exactly terrified.
"All right," she said, looking him straight in the eye. "I don't have a number."
"Hermione…" he warned.
"Fine."
She let out an exasperated breath.
The bus was just a street away so she had no time to waste. She reached for her bag and took out a calling card. She handed it to him and it wasn't until he had read what was on it that he let his grip relax.
It didn't occur to her that she could have just given him a fake number because she was sure that the thought had crossed his mind already.
Besides, the card only had her number on it, so he still had no control over her. He could call and call, but he would never know where to find her.
"Happy now?" she said brusquely, stepping out of the car and immediately waving her arms to the bus driver. Her heart was thumping madly as he saw Harry begin to realize the enormous mistake he had made.
With all the confusion happening around him, Harry slowly realized he had missed a very important detail. It was too late to do anything because the moment he knew how thick he had been, the object of his stupidity had already boarded her escape route.
"Damn."
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"This would be the third time in two days, Harry."
Warren didn't have to raise his voice for his mood to become clear. He was beyond anger, and he didn't show it like a normal person. Harry supposed he should be thankful for it, but then again, why would he be?
"Would you care to enlighten me why you suddenly find the urge to kiss a girl you've known for what? 6 hours?"
"I don't know," he shrugged, although he knew it was not the best move. "I told you, I just wanted to mock them."
"And instead, you ended up mocking yourself," Warren sighed as he sat down on his chair, "What do you propose to do now?"
Harry looked at him and shrugged again. "I was hoping you'd know."
Warren spared Harry a long stare before shaking his head. "I could suggest something, but I doubt you're going to like or agree with it."
Harry slumped back on his chair. "Let's hear it. I'm fresh out."
Warren stood up and walked over to his cabinet. He took out a decanter of wine and poured it in two glasses. The anticipation was killing Harry but he dared not to talk. Who knew what his agent could do when he's in the mood to be just about anything he wanted?
He was taking his time sipping the wine that Warren offered, the sweet taste created a smooth path down his throat, calming him a bit. Harry had just taken another swallow when his agent linked his fingers together and cleared his throat.
"I don't suppose you would consider," he warned, pausing to catch the attention of his client.
"Consider what?"
"Letting this Hermione be your girlfriend."
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"Oh, Hermione! I'm glad you could come!" Luna exclaimed as she opened her front door, revealing her best friend.
Hermione smiled, reaching over to hug Luna. Her friend urged her to come inside and as she did, she took note of the decorations that were suddenly covering the Weasleys' house from top to bottom.
"The twins have outdone themselves again," Hermione commented, admiring the glimmering confetti and banners.
"Nothing came from the shop, though," Luna came forward, her hand resting comfortably on her belly, "Such a shame, really, it would have made the party more interesting."
Hermione bit back a grin as she thought that nothing could be more interesting than parties thrown by the Weasleys'. But if people weren't careful enough, they were most likely to end up glued to one another. Still, it was comforting that the decorations came from somewhere other than the Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes. It was, after all, a celebration for her and her baby, even though she was not yet showing.
"Why wouldn't I have come?" Hermione turned to Luna, suddenly confused by her confusion.
She had to hide her frown when Luna suddenly gave her a mischievous smile.
"I didn't think you would have the energy after last night," she winked at Hermione before sauntering back toward the kitchen.
"What made you think something happened?" Hermione's heart thudded against her chest but she ignored it as she followed Luna.
"Hi, Hermione!" the twins chorused when they saw her. She had always liked them, with their impish natures; it was just too hard not to find their company very pleasant.
She gave them a jaunty wave before they disappeared yet again to plant something against one of Ron's officemates. Poor fellow. But Hermione didn't want to think about his fate because just about now, hers was in turmoil.
"You didn't call me," Luna shrugged, but the naughty gleam in her eyes told Hermione that she wasn't as nonchalant as she appeared to be. "And don't bother telling me you forgot because I tried to call you in your landline but the machine picked it up."
"I was asleep. How was I supposed to know you were calling?" she put in, hoping Luna wouldn't be her intuitive self today.
"Wrong again," she chirped, buzzing around the kitchen table like a bee, "You didn't sleep at home."
Hermione's brain froze at the exact moment that Ron appeared. He took one good look at her face and retreated, giving Luna a bemused look.
"How did you know?"
"Know what?" Luna asked, tossing her a surprised glance.
"That I slept at his house?" Hermione clarified, barely managing a whisper.
Luna's eyes widened. "You slept at his house?"
Hermione bit her lip as she analyzed the situation. She groaned.
"I figured you were up all night with him, and had slept somewhere else, but I didn't think you actually slept with him!"
"I didn't!" Hermione cried out, but she turned red anyway.
Luna leaned forward and wiggled her brows at Hermione. "So, what's his name?"
Hermione sighed. Luna had always believed what she wanted to believe so it was useless arguing with her over the matter. If she had to go over the details of last night, then she didn't have any choice. Luna was not exactly what you would call meek when it came to tearing secrets from her.
"His name's Harry," Hermione paused, trying to figure whether it was just her or Luna's eyes jumped at the mention of his name, "Apparently, he's famous, that's why there were photographers last night."
"Ginny and I figured as much," Luna nodded, and then she smiled that conspiratorial grin of hers. "So, where did he take you?"
"Somewhere outside London." Hermione shrugged, recalling the hill where she and Harry had argued. "He left me there actually, when I told him about the dare."
Luna's eyes grew wide again with shock. "The nerve of that…and then?"
"It started to rain. He was nowhere in sight, so I decided to walk home." Hermione said. Then she shivered. "But he came back to offer me a ride home." She recalled the way he manipulated her into coming inside. He might have left her for a few minutes, but that still didn't take away the fact that he had been man enough to rescue her.
Luna clearly relaxed at what she said. "That's good then, but it still doesn't explain the fact that you slept in his house."
"I was really soaked. He said I needed to change clothes so we stopped by his house," Hermione shrugged, still feeling uneasy about what happened. She only just had now to think about his gestures. She had interfered in his life, yet he had not been vengeful enough to leave her on her own.
"Was it nice? Harry's house, I mean," Luna muttered, her eyes twinkling, her lips twitching with laughter. Hermione didn't put anything on the fact that Luna said Harry's name in a familiar way.
"It was…his," she finished lamely, not knowing what else to say.
"Okay," Luna nodded, "So why didn't he take you home afterwards?"
Hermione tapped her fingers on the kitchen counter and crossed her arms, leaning over, "We got to talking," she muttered, not bothering to expand that detail, "And when we were finished, he noticed that I had a fever. So, he insisted I stay."
Luna's expression turned from amusement to alarm. "You're sick? Why didn't you tell me? Why are you even here?"
Hermione laughed despite everything else she was feeling. "Relax, Luna. I'm fine now. Besides, I wouldn't miss this for the world."
"Well, now that makes me feel a whole lot better," Luna mumbled, "I'm going to be the death of my friend!"
She was not serious, Hermione noted, so she just laughed at Luna's exaggeration and excused herself to go to the bathroom. She really wasn't feeling well. Not because of her fever the night before, but because of the sudden realization of what she had done.
Harry had been nothing but nice to her ever since they met. Yes, his temper had gotten the better of him a number of times, but he had been good to her. And what had she let herself do?
Leave him to face what her actions had caused.
If he barged in here at this very moment, accusing her of being an ingrate, she wouldn't have blamed him. Not when it was true.
He had simply asked her to convey the truth. But she refused to do it because she didn't want to face the world and let them see how vulnerable she had been to take on a dare that was to prove her worth.
Not that she was proving she was much.
With the way she had acted, she probably wasn't even worth a penny.
Hermione took a deep breath as she faced herself in the mirror. She looked okay, but her insides were a wreck. No matter how much she wanted to remedy the situation, she couldn't.
She had guaranteed that he wouldn't be able to find her.
The card that she had given him was an old one.
During their argument, she had retrieved the card from her bag without realizing that she had her line changed a few weeks before and that the new sets of cards she had ordered had not yet arrived.
It had been an honest mistake.
But he would most likely think she had done it on purpose.
She groaned, covering her face with her hands.
She must seem the worst sort of woman to him by now!
Unless she came to one of his games and approached him directly, she would never be able to see him now.
But if she actually had the nerve to go, would he claim to know her, or would he act as if she was just some deranged fan of his?
The latter was more likely to happen.
She shook her head.
Once the press distributed those pictures, he would have more than one reason to try and find her again. And until that time, she would content herself to believe that nothing ever happened.
But no matter how much she willed herself to behave like it didn't matter, Hermione knew it was impossible to forget the way his green eyes clouded with concern each time he looked at her.
Not to mention the fact that she could still feel the way his arms felt, protecting her when he thought she had been asleep.
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When Hermione got out of the bathroom, there was a racket going on in the living room. She frowned, turning her wrist toward her to look at the time. It was past 3:00, but the party was not to start within another hour.
She frowned in confusion but nevertheless trudged across the hallway.
If the party had already started, then that meant she would have to face the other guests. She wasn't really excited to see the people Luna had invited. They may have already heard of her break up with Lucas. She would be lucky if they hadn't heard of her excursion with Harry yet. She was not yet prepared to deal with either their regrets or their curiosity.
But the noise that was coming from the living room was not exactly what she would call party noise.
It was different.
And with each step she took, the words being uttered became clearer.
She stepped into the living room and her eyes narrowed.
The crowed was small, comprised only of the Weasleys, but their racket was more than she could handle. They were gathered around somebody she could not see. They were quite enthusiastic, and now that Hermione recognized what they were saying, she couldn't help but ask.
"What's going on?"
All of them paused for a moment, belatedly remembering she was present. But before they could say anything, Hermione's eyes darted to the place that had been revealed when the Weasleys parted for her.
She froze on the spot, finding herself the recipient of a very cool stare.
She was not sure whether she could believe it was pure coincidence or fate.
But one thing was for certain.
His eyes were definitely green.
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A/N:
Whew! This was hardest chapter I've ever had to write. The words simply weren't coming! I don't know if it's any good. I just needed to get another chapter out. I'm sorry, really, if it took so long. And I'm sorry as well, if it's not the best that I could have come up with.
Truthfully speaking, I'm running out of ideas. Maybe it's the stress that's causing this. I'm worrying about 6 projects that I have to do before the school year ends and it's really keeping me from being inspired.
I hope you review for this chapter even though it sucks. But please don't tell me it sucks even if it does. Or if you have to, please don't say it directly. I'm afraid I'm going to cry if you do.
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