Hermione woke up to the smell of something delicious cooking. Turning over, she momentarily forgot where she was until the room came into focus and she smiled, snuggling deeper into her covers. Taking in the cheerful peach color of the walls, the large bookcase filled with all her favorite books, and the classic furniture and accents that alluded to Harry's good taste, she remembered that she had spent the night in Harry's flat.
She looked over at the clock and realized it was seven in the morning. Stretching, she threw the covers off herself and decided to investigate the delicious smell. Hermione traveled down the hall and rounded the corner into the kitchen to see the defined back of none other than Harry Potter. She allowed her eyes to travel down the smooth ripples of his muscles as he flipped something in a pan over the stove. She watched as his muscles tensed and relaxed underneath his skin.
Standing there for longer than she should have, she finally stepped into the kitchen and faked a loud yawn. Harry turned around, surprised, and Hermione was treated to a frontal view of his perfectly defined abs. Her eyes traveled slowly to meet his own. There was a brief moment when her surprised look met his own knowing smirk.
"Smells great." She said with smile, turning to the fridge to get some orange juice. "You want any?" she asked pulling down a cup.
"Yeah, please." He said turning back to his pancakes. She pulled down another cup and filled them both.
"I thought I'd let you sleep longer. I have to be at work in an hour, but you said you don't have work until ten so I figured I'd just let you sleep until whenever. I didn't wake you did I?" Hermione smiled at his thoughtfulness.
"No, not at all. You know I'm not one for sleeping in." Hermione walked over to the pantry and pulled out a box of cereal. She heard Harry laugh and stopped.
"What?" She asked turning around to face him.
"Hermione, I'm making you pancakes. Unless you don't want them, that's fine." He said taking them off the griddle.
"Oh! Oh well I just thought you were making them for yourself." Harry smiled as he put two stacks on two plates.
"There's such a thing as a warming charm, Hermione. You should know." He handed the plate to her and motioned for her to follow him to the table.
"Thanks, Harry. You're so sweet." The two ate in relative silence, enjoying each other's company. Hermione couldn't help but think that it had been one of the best mornings she had had in a long time. Afterwards Harry took a quick shower and left for work and Hermione was left with the apartment to herself.
Hermione walked around examining Harry's apartment like she had never gotten to before. She ran her hands along the comfortable deep cream couch that she loved so much. There were two overstuffed black leather chairs facing each other on either side of the couch. There was a glass coffee table where Harry usually did his work or they ate Chinese takeout on some nights. There was a fireplace with a flat screen television mounted over it. Along the mantle were various pictures of friends from school such as Neville, Luna, Seamus, Dean, and even Lavender. Over by the large bay windows was a desk she had never seen Harry sit at. On it were some pictures of the three of them being silly.
Along the back wall was another glass table with more well-known pictures of the three of them including pictures of his mum and dad and the marauders. The apartment was well furnished and classic with a hint of modern. She smiled at how clean it was and thought about the pigsty that was Ron's apartment. Harry had well-maintained, live plants; Ron's apartment was definitely growing something.
She went down the hallway, passing the bathroom and the first and second guest rooms. Next came the room that she usually stayed in. Finally, at the end of the hallway was Harry's room. She really hadn't seen the inside of Harry's bedroom. Usually if she was in here she was in some kind of panic over his well-being either because he was hurt or she couldn't find him.
The walls were cream colored and he had rich red curtains hanging to the sides of the large windows. His bed was made and his comforter was a rich red. His room was simple and clean with a cherry wood dresser which matched the bed and two glass bedside tables. On one of them was a picture of his parents taken when they were married for about a year. The other table had a picture of him and her on it. She smiled at the picture. Her brow furrowed, trying to remember when the picture was taken.
It was of the two of them at one of Ron's first quidditch games. They were celebrating a win for the Cannons. Hermione had her arm wrapped around him and was smiling for the camera as his nose nuzzled closely to her cheek, and he looked at her and smiled brightly. They were surrounded by a crowd of their friends celebrating with champagne and confetti. She could see a small patch of bright red hair in the background.
She remembered, soon after the picture had been taken by Colin, Ron had found them and attacked her with a celebratory kiss. She put the photo back, feeling a bit too nosy, and left Harry's room. She took a shower, got ready for class, and left.
-----------------------------------------
Later that week, Hermione sat across from Ron in his flat, eating in silence. She looked at all the walls, the piles of clothes and mail, and the Canons gear that bathed the flat in an orange hue. She looked up from her noodles and was met with the slurping sounds of Ron and his orange tuft of hair. She pushed her noodles around on the plate.
"Maybe we should go on a vacation somewhere or something." She said lightly, looking around at the mess of apartment. The slurping stopped.
"Like where?" She met Ron's questioning eyes with her own thoughtful brown ones. She bit her lip.
"I don't know, maybe somewhere warm. I just kind of want a change of scenery." Ron dropped his fork to his plate and sat back thoughtfully.
"Well, I'm playing in Australia next week if you want to come." She shook her head.
"I'll be finishing up classes and packing for France. Anyway, I was kind of thinking of a non-quidditch related trip. You know, just you and me, relaxing." Ron gave her a sideways smile.
"You mean you in a bikini?" He quirked an eyebrow and she gave him a reproachful look. "Well, I have quidditch until the end of February. That's like two months away, Hermione." He picked up his fork and started eating again.
"What about Christmas holiday? You get off a week and a half for that." Ron's mouth fell open for a moment before he promptly closed it and continued to chew his food.
"And not go to mum's for the holiday? Do you want to tell her we won't be there?" She sighed and started picking at her food again. No, she definitely did not want to be the messenger for that bit of news.
"What's wrong, Hermione?" He was looking at her with big eyes and she sighed and looked away.
"I don't know, I guess I just feel like we never have any alone time." He looked around him as if to point out they were alone now and she sighed heavily. "I mean really alone, you know? Just spend the morning together, not have work, no quidditch. Just enjoy each other's company. Don't you miss that?" Ron shook his head smiling.
"When have we ever had that kind of down time? Right after Hogwarts you took that scrivener's job and I was drafted to the Canons. Then you took the teaching job and I went to training camp." Hermione started to realize they spent very little time together in the past few years.
"I guess that's true." She said carefully. She pushed her noodles away from her, no longer hungry.
-----------------------------------------
Harry heard a pop outside in the hallway as he struggled with his hair.
"Harry!"
"In here, Ron!" Harry looked up to see Ron's reflection in the mirror behind him. Harry straightened his collar.
"What's up?" He asked turning around to face his long time best friend. Ron whistled.
"Well don't you look dapper." Harry smiled sheepishly, tugging nervously at his tie.
"It's not too much is it? Adrienne and I are going to this fancy Thai restaurant tonight."
"No, no, you look good. So, Adrienne again, eh? Excited?" Harry fidgeted more with his clothing. Then paused.
"You know what? I am. It's the first time in a long time I've thought of anybody else this way."
"Anybody else?" Ron asked as he followed Harry to the living room. Harry turned to face Ron for a moment as he took a quick detour to the kitchen.
"Come again?"
"You said it's been a while since you've thought of anybody else in that way. Who are you talking about?" Harry paused for a moment trying to remember what he had said.
"Adrienne." Ron rolled his eyes.
"I know you were talking about Adrienne, I was talking about the other person you've felt this way about. Who was it?" Harry paused for another moment. Who was he talking about? "Do you mean Ginny?" Harry blinked once before catching up with Ron's thought process.
"Uh, yeah I guess I meant Ginny." His voice rose at the end of the sentence like a question.
"But you couldn't possibly love her yet, could you?" Harry was feeling incredibly lost.
"Love who?"
"Adrienne!" Harry shook his head in surprise.
"Of course I don't love Adrienne. That kind of thing takes time, right?" Ron shrugged.
"I just figured you said you felt for Adrienne what you felt for Ginny so immediately I thought about love because you loved Ginny, right?" Harry felt like he was being slapped in the face, or maybe George had polyjuiced into Ron's body and was playing an elaborate joke on him.
"Um, I…what?!" Harry stood in the middle of his living room completely confused by Ron's line of questioning. Ron dismissively waved a hand in the air.
"Nevermind that, I came over here because I figured we should have a nice dinner/get together before Hermione leaves for France as a kind of going away party."
"That's a great idea, Ron. We could go out somewhere for dinner and come back here for drinks. Hermione loves that one place with the Mongolian grill. We could go there; I'll reserve the whole back room." Ron sat on one of the barstools looking incredibly pleased with himself.
"Good, sounds good. I'll owl our friends and tell them."
"Sounds great." Harry said turning towards the door to grab his coat. "Now, I've really got to cut out or I'll be late. You're sure I don't look daft?"
"Looking good, mate." Harry smiled nervously and left to pickup his date.
-----------------------------
"So my brother is just standing there, in nothing but his boxers in front of all his friends, and that's when my parents knew that I was a witch." Adrienne smiled as she finished her story. Harry had been laughing the whole time.
"That's a great story. I can't believe he still talks to you!" Adrienne smiled cheekily.
"Well, he got me back later, but that is another story." Harry laughed again.
"Well, you were right, this place is amazing. The food is delicious." Adrienne smiled brightly and lightly touched his hand across the table.
"You know, I'm having a really great time." Harry looked down at her fingers lightly grazing the back of her hand and he turned his over, capturing her fingers. It felt so nice to have an impulse and follow through with it…guilt-free.
"I'm having a really great time too. I don't want the night to end." He said surveying the cleared table in front of them and the empty teacups.
"Well," Adrienne blushed a bit, "I know a place we could go for drinks. If you really do want to extend the night for a bit longer." Harry looked into her pretty honey colored eyes and smiled.
"That sounds wonderful."
----------------------------
"It's all over the papers. 'Harry Potter: Crazy in Love' 'Harry Potter and Mystery Woman.' Do you know her?" Ginny sipped her tea as she looked up at Hermione.
"I know of her, I haven't met her myself. He's gone on like two dates with her." Hermione looked at the interest written all over Ginny's face. Hermione didn't know if Ginny still had any feelings for Harry. It had been nearly two years since they had broken up. Ginny had dated off and on, more than Harry had, but neither had anyone too serious in their lives.
"Well, have you heard anything about her?" Hermione nervously twisted a piece of hair between her fingers.
"I know she works at the ministry for the Potions and Ointments Department." Ginny made a face.
"My dad says they get some nasty cases down there. This one time they found this ointment that when it's applied to your skin it starts to eat away-" Hermione cleared her throat.
"I really don't want to hear about that Gin." Ginny worked in the backfired artifacts ward at St. Mungo's. Ginny took another sip of her tea.
"So, do you think he's serious about her?" Hermione looked up, startled by her question.
"Well, how would I know?" Ginny gave her a look: he is your best friend, you know. "You know Harry isn't very vocal about his relationships. Why do you ask, anway?" Ginny waved her hand absentmindedly towards the window.
"Well, there were some pretty serious looking photos in Witch's Weekly. You know, holding hands at a fancy restaurant. Looking pretty flirtatious at a bar, and then what looked to be a good night kiss at the door." Hermione felt something stirring in her stomach.
"You know I don't read or believe those magazines." Ginny looked slightly offended.
"Well, neither do I, but Lavender was reading one in the break room." Hermione rolled her eyes.
"Lavender Brown, I should have known." Hermione sat back in her chair. So Harry looked serious about this one? She tried not to think about him romancing this new girl. She still hadn't met her. She still didn't trust that this girl was good enough for Harry. In a way, she wished that she never did meet this girl. That way, she could remain satisfied that this girl was not good enough for Harry. Hermione had gotten as close as she was to Harry after years of watching his back and proving her friendship to him. She didn't like the idea that some new girl could just waltz so easily into their…his life.
A/N: Ooo, jealous, possessive Hermione! What will happen when she meets Adrienne? Find out next chapter. As always, reviews are always adored (and inspiring). Some Harry/Hermione is on it's way!