He was about to throw all caution to the wind when a dripping noise caught his attention. He didn't want them to get dripped on so he immediately looked around for the source. He glanced down and the floor and began to chuckle when it dawned on him what had happened.
"Uh...Hermione, sweetheart, I think you're ice cream is melting," he said.
Hermione, still trying to regain control of her senses, took a moment to register his meaning. "Huh....what?" she mumbled incoherently. That's when she noticed the small drops of vanilla ice cream pooling on the wood floor.
" Oh...no!"
Harry laughed and leaned in to kiss her forehead tenderly. " I think that I'll take this as a compliment," he told her. Hermione felt herself blushing yet again but laughed despite her embarrassment.
" I guess I better this to clean this up," she said. She started to open her jacketbut stopped and turned around. Standing up on her tip toes she pressed her lips against Harry's. It was so soft, so brief that Harry wasn't even sure it had happened. But he felt it all the way to his soul. "Good night Harry. Thank you for a wonderful birthday," she said softly. With that, she disappeared inside.
Harry was a gonner.
So much so that when the door opened a few minutes later he was still standing there thinking about Hermione and that kiss.
Luna was the one that startled him out of his thoughts. She'd come out to clean up the ice cream spill while
Hermione took a quick shower.
As she waved her wand over the ice cream she spoke to Harry
"Harry...did you forget something?" she asked. She noticed his slightly dazed expression and had to smirk a little.
"Yes actually," he said. He reached into the pocket of his jacket and pulled out he envelope of money Luna had given him earlier. He hadn't used any of it. "I want to give this back to you. Tonight was my pleasure entirely. I don't need to be paid to take a woman like Hermione out. In fact I feel really lucky to have had the privilege. I 'll just make my own donation"
Harry was the one leaving a flabbergasted Luna behind. She could hardly believe it. He'd just given back Two hundred Galleons . He hadn't taken anything.
A smile slowly spread across her face as she thought of the look that she'd seen Hermione sporting when she'd walked in a few moments ago. Yes...definitely engaged within the year.
Harry couldn't stop thinking about Hermione Granger. It had been less than 12 hours since their date. Less than 12 hours since he'd shared with her the most incredible kiss he'd ever experienced. How could he possibly focus on anything his Auror instructor had to say? It was really too much.
So that's why Harry was sitting there, a big dopey lovesick grin on his face, while about thirty other fellow students and a slightly annoyed instructor looked on.
"Mr. Potter.....Mr. Potter?" A loud voice said, cutting through Harry's happy thoughts.
"Wh..what?" Harry said, quickly snapping to attention. He could feel everyone's gaze on him and hear a
few random snickers. He'd been caught and now he could feel his ears turning bright red.
"I was just wondering if you could tell us just what part of my lecture you found so amusing? I'm sure we'd all like to know what put that smile on your face," instructor Evans said in his usual monotone.
"Uh...it was the part where...you know, the part where you talked about the...the uh..." Harry's voice tapered off.
"That is what I thought," Evans replied with an annoyed sigh. He turned back to the diagram on the overhead and continued to drone on.
Harry somehow managed to make it through the rest of class. He was even able to answer one of instructor Evans
questions correctly the next time he was called on. But as soon as the clock was on the twelve, Harry was out of
there.
Hermione had mentioned the night before that she usually didn't get to eat lunch until about one o'clock. That
gave him an hour to carry out his plans. It would be just enough time if he hurried.
*****
Hermione stared at the stack of data in front of her. She'd been putting off entering it for weeks now and the task had become even lengthier and less appealing. At the rate she was currently going she'd be at the lab until midnight. That's if she didn't go blind first.
Aside from the boring task, her only real problem was that she just could concentrate. She'd lost all of her focus. And it was the fault of one incredibly handsome, incredibly wonderful, Harry Potter. She couldn't stop thinking about him. She'd even dreamed about him the night before. All of the wonderful moments from their date just kept swimming through her head.
And her lips.....she could still feel the way he had kissed her so sweetly, so softly. Her first kiss had been more
than she'd ever imagined. Her whole body tingled from thoughts of it.
"Hermione...Hermione....Earth to Professor Granger!" a voice said, bring her out of her reverie. She looked up to find a graduate student standing in her office doorway.
"Hello Karen, did you need something?" Hermione asked, trying to refocus her attention.
"Uhm...there's someone here to see you. He says his name is Harry Potter. Marg, down at the front info desk won't tell him where your office is though until she gets an okay from you. Should I....."
"Oh mother of Merlin!!" Hermione squealed. "Harry is here? Oh...tell Marg to have him come right up. I ....oh Merlin!" Hermione was suddenly quite flustered. She stood up from her desk, knocking over her chair as she tried to quickly straighten up her area.
Karen stared at her, eyes wide. Hermione was flustered and flushed. She could hardly believe it. She was usually so calm and collected, completely put together. Karen was suddenly quite curious about this Harry Potter that seemed to have Hermione so undone.
She found out a moment later when she went down to the information desk. For a moment she merely stood there, taking in the view. No wonder Hermione was freaking out. Harry Potter was an Adonis. A romantic Adonis at that. Hermione Granger was a damn lucky witch..