AN: Okay people, time for the angst to start. You have been warned, it's going to get messy, but all I can say is: keep the faith!
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Chapter Ten
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"So are you anxious about going away?" Harry asked. He was lying on Hermione's bed, watching her pack. She still hadn't moved into his flat, even though it had been six weeks. She had been too busy with training and she still had her flat until the end of May. She was packing to go on a two week training trip with her class and Harry wasn't going to be with them. She ran back and forth, very indecisive on what to take with her.
"Honestly Harry, I doubt I will have time to go to Fred and George's birthday party tomorrow!"
"You have to; we promised that we would both come."
"But we leave at five o'clock the next day!" She stopped packing and looked horror-struck at him.
"So just don't go to sleep," he suggested. She rolled her eyes and Harry laughed at her. He leaned back
on her pillow and looked up at the ceiling. "At least when you get back we can finally get you into my flat,"
he said.
"I know, it's been insane lately, I feel like I never get to see you. At least I spend most of my time at your flat already, so we can at least sleep together." Harry looked over at her. "I meant sleep together you prat," Hermione smiled. She climbed on top of Harry and he put his hands on her hips as she straddled him. "Do I really have to go to the party tomorrow?" she asked with pleading eyes.
"Yes."
She leaned forward and kissed his lips lightly. "You're a big tease, do you know that?" he laughed and slapped her butt.
"You're going to miss me teasing you," she stated confidently.
"Yeah, I will," he agreed and sat up and kissed her. She aggressively pushed him back down on the bed and
Harry smiled, obviously pleased by her bossiness. She leaned back down and started kissing his neck.
"Do you know what I think?" she whispered in his ear.
"What?"
"I think you go will absolutely crazy without me." Harry grabbed both her shoulders and in a very quick move he threw her under him, and now he was straddling her instead. "Damn," Hermione said and tried to get loose.
"Where do you think your going, Granger?" Harry said in his best impression of Hermione's professor. She
struggled for a few more moments, but she knew Harry was stronger.
"Just kiss me," she purred and batted her eyelids.
"I'm not falling for that one," he answered and shot her an evil grin. "You girls, with your tricks." Hermione's face turned to stone.
"Oh, many girls have played tricks on you in the bed have they," she said, trying not to sound bothered. He
smiled again.
"I'm not falling for that one either," he leaned over and gently ran his tongue over her lip. It made her quiver.
"Kiss me," she breathed, and this time it wasn't a trick. He could hear the longing in her voice. They
kissed eagerly and Harry moved from straddling her, to lying on top of her.
"I really will miss you," he whispered in her ear.
"Yes, you better," she joked and kissed him again.
---
The next evening when Harry arrived at the pub in Diagon Alley, he was surprised to see so many people there. The twins were doing very well, and they were very well known in the wizarding community for their products - but the crowd was extremely large.
He located some friends at a table - Ron, Luna, Ginny, Lavender, Seamus and Neville were all sipping on various drinks, all in crazy colours.
"Hey," Harry said as he sat down.
"Hi, Harry," they answered in unison. All around the pub different Wealsey products were being passed around and people were having a ball.
"Where's Hermione?" Ron asked. More than three months had passed since Ron had found out about Harry and Hermione and now he seemed to be handling it a lot better. He was never grumpy and the three of them could actually hang out like before. Naturally Harry and Hermione kept their physical contact at a minimum around Ron, something that wasn't hard to do since neither Harry nor Hermione were much for public displays of affection.
"She was still packing when I left; she's going away tomorrow - for that training thing." Harry reached over and drank half of Ron's drink.
"That's horrible. I have to get a real drink," he made a grimace.
"For how long?" Lavender asked.
"Two whole weeks." It didn't go unnoticed by Harry the roll of eyes from Ginny but he didn't care. He was in love - for real, for the first time in his life and he wasn't ashamed to say it. In fact, he had never been more proud of anything.
Soon one beer turned into three, and soon even more. As Hermione entered the pub Harry wasn't sure if she had a twin of her own. She sat down next to him and he planted a wet kiss on her cheek. "Oh, okay," she said understanding and looked around the table. "Fred and George are giving away drinks for free I see."
Everyone seemed to be swaying slightly side to side, Luna had the hiccups and Ron couldn't stop laughing every time
she jerked. Harry passed her his beer.
"No thanks, I'm just staying for a few minutes. Just wanted to make an appearance."
Harry leaned his head against her shoulder.
"I am so pissed," he mumbled.
"Mmm… hard not to notice. Are you sure you don't want to come home with me?"
"Can't! Promised Fred and George that I'd stay until... I don't remember, something is happening. Oh yeah, the cake!"
Hermione only stayed for twenty more minutes, she felt too stressed to stay with her drunken friends when she was the only one who was sober.
"Don't apparate home if you are too drunk Harry, who knows what'll happen! Just stay with Ron and Ginny okay?"
He nodded and then pulled her down for a kiss.
"I love you, you know!" he said and looked her straight in the eyes.
"I know you do." She smiled and then left.
---
"I can barely walk," Harry mumbled.
"I know Harry, but don't worry I'll help you," Lavender said. She had Harry's arm around her
shoulder and she felt as if she was carrying him up the stairs.
"Where's Ron?" Harry said, his eyes were closed now.
"Em, well he is- we're gonna meet him later."
"Okay."
Lavender opened the door to her room and helped Harry inside; she put him down on the bed.
"Is this your room?" Harry asked surprised, she didn't have time to answer before he continued, "No, I'm supposed to stay at Ron's flat. Did I have cake?"
Harry felt like he was going to be sick, he must have had cake because suddenly he felt the taste of chocolate at the back of his throat . He tried to get up, he needed a toilet. Suddenly he felt very sleepy, and then…. black.
---
Harry rubbed his eyes. The hangover hit him hard and fast. He wanted to eat, or did he want to throw up maybe? He opened one eye, it felt too risky to open both. Bright sunlight was shining in through a window and Harry cursed not having closed it before he fell asleep.
Where am I? he thought.
He looked to his left and for a moment time stood still. Lavender Brown was lying on his arm next to him, her blonde hair wild on the pillow. He snapped back to reality and yanked it away as if it had caught fire. He jumped out of the bed, realized that he was naked and quickly pulled on his trousers that had obviously been thrown on the floor. Lavender stirred and opened her eyes.
"What the hell happened here?" Harry demanded, his voice sounded like nothing he had ever heard before. He was holding his breath as she opened her mouth to answer:
"Are you kidding?" she asked looking shocked.
"What the fuck am I doing here with you?"
"Harry, we slept together yesterday!" she answered shyly.
"No! We can't have!" Harry yelled at her. "I don't remember that, I wouldn't! I couldn't!"
Lavender sat up and Harry saw her naked upper body.
"No, no, no," he waved his hand at her and looked away, "cover yourself up for God's sake."
"Don't worry, Harry, I wont tell her."
"Shut up!" Harry sat down on one of the chairs, he felt like he was going to throw up. How the hell could he have done this?
"This can't be happening, this is some kind of joke right?" he begged of no one in particular.
"We were both drunk and got carried away, it happens."
"No, no it doesn't happen. I love her, I can't - I just can't have done this."
Lavender laid back down, obviously bored with the conversation. Harry pulled his blue wrinkled shirt from the floor and dashed from the hotel room. He arrived back at his flat and he started to frantically run around.
"I don't, I just can't!" he mumbled erratically to himself.
He passed a mirror in the hallway and stopped and looked at himself. Then he saw it, lipstick marks on his neck. Hermione never wore lipstick, it wasn't her lips. He slammed his fist as hard as he could into the mirror. It shattered violently but it just wasn't enough. He started punching the wall as hard as he could and didn't seem to notice the sharp pain and blood dripping from his fists.
"No!" he screamed and sank down to the floor.
He had always thought he knew himself, he had never been unfaithful to anyone. Now he had the girl of his dreams, the one he wanted to marry - and he had cheated on her. He didn't want to accept it, he couldn't. He didn't want to be this person. He hated people who did things like this. He started crying loudly and pulled his knees up to his face.
---
There was no way for Harry to get in contact with Hermione. The group had gone completely off the map and he knew he had the worst two weeks of his life laying ahead of him. A long and desperate wait. Harry had tried to use the Pensieve at the auror training, but it didn't work. Harry had just been to drunk for the memory to be left in his mind. It simply didn't exist.
---
Two days before Hermione's return Harry found Lavender. She was in her flat.
"Oh, hi, Harry," she sounded surprised to see him.
Harry walked inside without hesitation. He glanced at her, he felt disgusting to know that he had slept with her. Lavender looked him over, he looked absolutely awful.
"Are you ill?" she asked.
"I need for you to tell me everything that happened that night."
"Well I have a lot to tell you actually…"
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