"You owl them."
"Why me? You owl them."
"Hermione, you know I'm right. You should do it."
"I'm the guest here."
"No, actually you're not. You're living here with me. You're paying half the rent starting this month. You've said so yourself. So you're no guest. You owl them. After all, you're the reason for this mess."
"Oh you've got to be kidding me. Ever heard of the word 'gentleman' Harry?"
"Not in my vocabulary, sorry. Oh, and if I remember correctly, you've once mentioned: This whole idea of I'll-open-the-door-for-you is so sexist. I can open the door by myself, thank you very much. Remember that, Granger?"
Hermione rolled her eyes while trying very, very hard to suppress the grin that was starting to form at Harry's imitation of her. Damn, it's been years but Harry can still make her crack.
"Fine."
Harry let out a whistle. "Potter scores! Granger surrenders!"
"You're such a child, Harry."
"Say whatever you want Hermione, you're still writing that letter to that old hag," Harry said and then playfully winked at her.
********
Flashback (two hours after the unexpected but much needed confrontation)
When Harry awoke, it was still dark. He actually felt like he had slept for days. And then he realized someone was stroking his hair. He was definitely not in his room either. Uh-oh, where exactly am I? Who's the girl? I don't remember drinking last night.
"Harry?" a familiar voice asked.
"Hermione?"
"Better be."
He sat up. The memories of hours past came flooding back to him. He felt relieved, at the same time conflicted, when he remembered how he poured his heart out to Hermione. But he decided that it's a nice feeling, to finally be together and know you're not avoiding anything. You don't have to pretend it's okay. Face it, it's not. But you're getting there.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"What?"
"Better be?"
"I don't know Harry, it just came out."
Both of them were silent for a few minutes, each having his or her own internal battle on what to say and when to say it. Harry decided to go first.
"Do you think I'm an asshole?"
"Not really."
"Do you think I'm a sissy?"
"Definitely not."
"What now?"
"I don't know."
"Okay, let me make this simpler for you. Yes or no?"
"Yes..."
"But?"
"Yes but let's sort of...I...I can't really articulate my thoughts right now, Harry."
"Then let me do it for you. Let's give it another shot. We both know our feelings haven't changed. But we also know that we both need time. So let's take it slow. Let's go back to square one."
"Okay."
They both didn't say anything after that. They didn't need too. They understood each other. They always did.
All the hurt, all the unspoken disagreements, all the silent miseries...those were things of the past now. No need to go back. No need to mull over what went wrong again. No need to apologize. No need to forgive. It's just a clean slate now.
Harry kissed Hermione lightly, like a silent seal of mutual understanding, like a silent assurance that everything would be okay, like a silent promise of the future....
They fell asleep in each other's arms.
*******************
That morning, Harry and Hermione were awoken by a barrage of owls. As of the moment, the count was up to 1056 letters. And still counting...
The most beloved reporter of all time got wind of Hermione's return. Rita Skeeter did not waste time writing what would probably be the most sensational story in the Prophet ever since Harry and Hermione's break-up. The article was entitled Granger and Potter: Together Again? and below was a picture of them hugging outside Harry's flat.
The article had it all planned out for them: 1) Hermione's back, 2) Harry has forgiven her, 3) Hermione's pregnant, 4) Ron, Luna, Ginny, Neville, Hagrid will be godfathers and godmothers, and 5) They'll have a wedding next week. You're not invited, stop dreaming.
Friends, old classmates, Hogwarts professors, co-workers, and not to mention hundreds of fans immediately owled Harry and Hermione upon reading the news, hence their current dilemma of how to get out of the room full of letters.
The letters varied from a simple "Glad you two are back together now. Tying the knot so soon?" to an angry "Harry, are you crazy? You deserve someone better!" to a skeptical "Hermione, what the hell were you thinking? Go back to France, use your head over your heart!" to a familiar "Oi, having fun with all the letters yeah? I pity you two, really. The old hag's still pissin' and kickin'. Harry, don't keep Hermione all to yourself. Dinner tonight, my place."
Yes, that last letter was from Ron, which was probably the best thing Harry and Hermione have read so far.
Hermione was now working on the letter to the Daily Prophet, the Quibbler, and to other newspapers. They've decided to release an official statement to set the record straight, once and for all.
To Whom It May Concern,
This is to serve as our official statement on the issue:
Yes, I am back to London for good. Yes, I am staying with Harry. No, I don't have a job right now. Yes, there have been offers. No, I'm not taking them. Yes, I've decided to take a break. No, Harry and I are not back together. Yes, we are very, very good friends. No, I'm not pregnant. No, we're not getting married next week.
Hermione stopped writing for a moment. Oh this is ridiculous.
Then all of a sudden Harry grabbed the piece of parchment and read through the letter.
"Hey! I'm not done yet!"
"Relax, I'm just curious. Let's see...hmm...very, very good friends? That's a nice way to put it, Hermione."
"Well what am I supposed to say? That we're not back together but we sort of are? That we've decided to take it slow but here I am staying at your flat? Sure thing Harry, what a nice way to clear things up!"
"Geez, slow down Hermione. Relax. You don't have to get so worked up on this."
Hermione let out a huff. She forgot how things run here back home. In France, there were no Rita Skeeters, no crazy fans sending hundreds and hundreds of letters, no one watching her every move...
"I'm sorry Harry...it's just that...."
"I know. Just...relax, okay? We're in this together."
"Says the boy who kept insisting I should be the one writing to the papers," Hermione mumbled.
Harry just smiled at her.
Yes, they were definitely back to square one.
And that's a good thing.