A/N: Part 2 finally! Hope you enjoy!
"So don't you know anything else about her?" Harry laughed as Hermione looked pointedly at him. He kicked the snow in front of his feet as they walked down the streets of Hogsmeade.
"Well that's the whole point of a date, Hermione, to get to know the person better." She grabbed onto his arm as they walked over a particularly icy patch. His warm fingers immediately found her own.
"Yes, but I'm not used to you dating. At least not you dating someone I don't know." She frowned.
"Well, how am I supposed to find the right person if I don't date anyone?" He turned to look at her and she felt her cheeks grow hot under his steady stare. She loved and hated it when Harry looked at her that way, like he was reading everything about her. It made her flustered and uncomfortable. He looked away suddenly sighing deeply. "You want to go in there?" He asked nodding with his head to the new parchment shop on the street. Hermione smiled brightly.
"Like you even have to ask!"
----------------------------------
"Did you know that Harry's dating again?" Hermione asked bringing two cups of tea to the coffee table. Ron was poring over a quidditch magazine.
"He never stopped dating. Why?" He looked up as she placed the steaming mug in front of him and smiled at her.
"Well, I don't know it's just strange to hear that Harry's dating again. After what's-her-name I thought he had given up on dating for a while." Ron put the magazine down stretching out across the couch.
"Who cares about a name when she had a body that was unforgettable." Hermione stared at him pointedly.
"Some women men can't help but objectify, Hermione!" He admitted cheekily.
"That is repulsive, Ron, and completely chauvinistic." Hermione sniffed as she pushed his feet to the floor.
"Hey Hermy, you know I was only joking." She did, Ron knew better than to say stuff like that seriously, and in front of her of no less. She bit her lip, still not liking the situation though. "We don't know anything about her." She said frowning after a moment. Ron snorted.
"He hasn't even gone on a first date with her yet. He barely knows anything about her. Why are you so tense about this anyway, Hermione?" She glanced over at Ron thinking for a moment. Why was she so tense about this?
"I just don't want him to get hurt." Once again Ron snorted.
"Oh yeah because Harry Potter, the boy-who-lived, the defeater of the Dark Lord, just might get hurt by some hot auror." Hermione huffed a little.
"You know what I mean, Ronald." He cringed at her formal use of his name.
"Hey, as soon as it's not creepy we can invite them to dinner and you can question the poor girl to death." He said hugging her tightly.
"I'm just worried about him."
"I know you are." He said getting up from the couch.
"Where are you going?"
"Oh some of the boys and I were going to go out for drinks and discuss some tactics. Don't wait up." Hermione fought the urge to roll her eyes.
"I'm going back to Hogwarts tonight; I have an early class tomorrow. I told you that." Ron nodded, half listening.
"Well then okay. I'll see you Thursday?"
"Of course, dinner at the Burrow." She said kissing him and apparating to the school.
Later that night Hermione sat at her desk, a stack of ungraded essays laid out in front of her as she stared sulkily out her window. She couldn't keep her mind on her work and as she looked at the picture of the three of them on her desk her eyes lingered a little too long on the wrong boy.
-------------------------------
Two days later, the trio met up. She sat back in her comfy purple chair at the tea house as Harry and Ron discussed Harry's date.
"So how was it?" Ron asked eagerly, stuffing a whole biscuit in his mouth. Harry gave a sidelong glance to Hermione as she pretended to be highly engaged in the book in front of her.
"It went really well. She seems nice. We have a lot in common. She loves quidditch, obviously takes an interest in defense against the dark arts… her dad's a muggle so she's used to the muggle world too." Harry paused, taking a sip of his tea and then met eyes with Hermione briefly before looking away. "She's really smart too, and really headstrong…stubborn, in fact, but she's got this loyalty about her. There's just something about her." Ron whistled and sat back in his chair while taking in the distant look in Harry's eyes.
"You've got it for this one!" Harry shook himself out of his reverie.
"What?"
"You fancy her." Ron said excitedly. "You fancy the pants off of her," Ron lowered his voice to a conspiratorially low volume, "…did you fancy the pants off of her?" Ron chuckled at his own joke as Hermione closed her book sharply and gave Ron a sharp look.
"We're going to have dinner again next week." Harry explained, "I'm still getting to know her."
"So you think we'll get to meet her eventually?" Ron asked hopefully. Hermione left the table under the guise of going to the loo. Harry's eyes followed Hermione out of the room.
"What's wrong with Hermione? Did you two get into another row?" Ron rolled his eyes.
"You know girls; Hermione and her emotions are about as unpredictable as one of Hagrid's classes." Harry's eyes softened at the memory of the three of them back at Hogwarts.
"Hermione's moods are rarely unwarranted if you pay attention." He said thoughtfully. Ron snorted.
"You don't date her." Harry looked into the depths of his teacup and was silent. No, he didn't.
When Hermione came back from the loo Harry had to get back to the office and Hermione wanted to make it back for the Hogwarts feast that night. Hermione hugged Harry goodbye while Ron went to get the coats.
"Are you okay, Hermione?" Harry whispered into her ear as she kissed his cheek. She looked at him strangely.
"Of course, why?" she said with a smile.
"I don't know, you just seemed a little…frustrated." He saw her gaze harden just a bit.
"Well, I'm not, so don't worry about it." She said as Ron came up behind her and put her coat on for her.
"Thanks." She said turning towards Ron as she flipped her hair out of her collar. She didn't really know why she was so angry at Harry, but she wanted him to know she was a little mad. With one last glance at Harry, she headed towards the door.
"What'd you say to her?" Ron asked as both men's eyes followed her to the door.
"Nothing, I asked if she was okay and she just got defensive." Ron shook his head.
"I told you she just kind of goes off sometimes." Ron said patting Harry on the back and following his girlfriend out the door. Harry scratched the back of his head before leaving also.
-------------------------------------------------
"Oh hey, Harry. I didn't see you there at first." Adrienne said with a smile as she walked towards him. He smiled, holding a couple of files in his hand. "What brings you to the Mismanagement of Potions and Ointments Department?" Adrienne stood at a svelte 5'7" with long dark brown hair that smoothly ran down her back. Harry had ducked down to the fourth floor of the Ministry to drop off some files to the head of the MPOD.
"Just dropping off some files." He said showing her the handful of scrolls. She flipped her hair off her shoulder and smiled.
"Well, I'm glad I ran into you. I've been meaning to tell you how great of a time I had the other night. I'm really looking forward to doing it again." He looked down at his forearm as she lightly touched it and leaned in to talk to him. He kind of liked the feel of a female's gentle touch. He had forgotten how nice it could be sometimes. Well, how nice it could be when he didn't have to remind himself that it was his best friend's girlfriend touching him. He locked eyes with her and smiled.
"I'm looking forward to it too. I've never had Thai food."
"Oh I think you'll like it. It's kind of smoky and comforting with just the right amount of spice." She gave him a coquettish smile.
"Can't wait to try it." He said with a smile. "Well, I've really got to drop off these files, but I'll see you later, alright?" She smiled again knowingly before turning to leave.
"Can't wait." Harry's eyes followed her for a few moments before he turned towards the head's office.
----------------------------
That night, Harry poured over some files in his apartment when he heard a pop from behind him.
"Harry? It's me!" He heard Hermione call out from the hallway. He smiled, turning behind him and saw her round the corner. Seeing the wide smile on her face he stood up to fully face her.
"What is it, Hermione?" She smiled excitedly.
"I've got big news…huge, in fact!" she said rushing over to him.
"What? Come on, Hermione, you can't leave me hanging!"
"Minerva is sending me to Beauxbatons to meet and discuss teaching techniques and spells with their Charms teacher! Isn't that exciting?" Harry smiled and pulled Hermione close to him in a hug. He pressed her tightly against his chest and buried his nose into her hair.
"That's wonderful!" He loved the smell of Hermione's hair. It was a familiar, clean scent. He was so close he could feel her chest rise and fall. He could feel her breath on his neck as she melted into his embrace. Her fingers found their way to the base of his neck as she lightly played with his hair.
Harry started to breathe heavier. No, this was definitely not the way he should be reacting to his best friend. Not only his best friend but also his other best friend's girlfriend! He could feel her cheek brush his neck. His fingers drew imaginary circles on her back. Finally, she stepped away from him and looked shyly into his eyes. He felt something inside him flip in excitement at her gaze.
"I leave in two weeks, once Hogwarts is on holiday. I'll be staying at Beauxbatons for a week."
"That's amazing! I didn't even know Hogwarts did that. What'd Ron say?" Hermione looked away and blushed.
"Well, I haven't told him yet. He's away with quidditch anyway and well, I wanted to tell you and know what you thought about it first." She said with another shy smile that sent his heart racing.
"I think it's wonderful, Hermione. You should be so proud. That sounds like an honor." He couldn't resist brushing a lock of hair out of her face. She looked up and smiled at him.
"Would you mind, if I stayed here tonight? I'd like the company." Harry smiled at the thought of her feeling like she even had to ask.
"Of course, Hermione, you practically have a room here anyway."
"I mean, you weren't too busy were you? I know you have work tomorrow. I have a 10:00 am class anyway. I was just planning on changing into some comfy clothes, reading, and going to bed. If that works for you." Merlin, why did she have to be so cute?
"You should know by now, Hermione, I never mind. Make yourself at home." She smiled brightly before lifting up on her toes and lightly kissing him on the cheek.
"Thanks, Harry." She disappeared into one of the guest rooms that had practically become hers. It had some of her clothes in it and most of her books anyway. In fact, he already thought of it as Hermione's room. Even though he'd much rather her sleep in another room in his house…
He shook his head trying to get the image of Hermione curled up in his bed out of his mind. He turned back to his paperwork and tried to focus as best as he could. It was working pretty well for him before Hermione came out in cute little shorts and one of his old quidditch training shirts. His heart nearly stopped when he saw her. She was trying to kill him. It was that simple. Clearly, Voldemort's soul had transferred into Hermione's and she was slowly trying to kill Harry Potter with sexual frustration. Hermione noticed him staring.
"I hope you don't mind," she said tugging nervously at the hem of his/her shirt, "it's the comfiest shirt ever." She settled herself on the couch as she opened a big book and started to read. Harry's eyes slowly traveled up her legs, enjoying the show of skin that he rarely ever got to see. He could practically feel her soft skin underneath his hand as he ran it up her thigh. He could feel the soft fabric of her shirt against his bare chest as his lips caressed the smooth column of skin near her collarbone.
Shaking his head to clear his mind, he turned back to his work. Maybe they should reopen the Voldemort case, because someone was definitely trying to kill him.
A/N: Alright, finally Chapter 2! Reviews always make me happy! And they really do inspire me to keep writing.