Harry had expected the doorbell to ring. He just hadn't expected it so soon. He had called around for most of the morning to different stores trying to get his mattress replaced. It had turned out that his previous one was in fact too soft. His shoulders were killing him. Whenever he turned his head to the left he felt six thousand points of stabbing pain. It was like an indicator to him of how little he still fit into his old world. Still since he had no desire to leave he had decided to make the place more fitting of his new life. He had never thought redecorating could be so cathartic.
Still he had only gotten off the phone a half an hour ago. He didn't think that the turn around would be this quick. He got up and shuffled over to his door. There to greet him on the other side of his door was not the men with his new mattress, it was Ron and Luna. Luna shrieked and jumped forward to give Harry a hug. Ron had a covered dish of something that smelled wonderful in his hands. As soon as Luna let him go Harry let the couple in.
He sat them in the living room. And went to make tea. When he returned they were sitting close together and giggling about something. One of her hands was in his and the other rested gently on his chest. Harry stood still for a moment and smiled. He had known they were in love. He had read all about it in Ron's letters. Seeing it was something totally new. The easy way they had with each other, the way they always seemed to be touching. The secret inside jokes they shared. He stood in bare faced wonder at their love. He eventually moved into the living room and set the tea in front of them. He sat in the recliner next to the sofa.
"I'm jealous." He grinned, "You guys are doing so well."
"We try." Ron shrugged. Luna kissed his cheek before turning to look at Harry.
"How have you been?" She smiled her ethereal smile, "It's been ages."
"I've been great." He answered, "Well let's have it. I gotta see the ring this guy got you." With that Luna laughed and displayed her ring finger. Sitting on it was a modest diamond engagement ring. The band was gold with some really nice engraving. The stone was nice but with a bluish heart in the center. Harry smiled warmly at it and looked at Ron approvingly, "It's lovely."
"It's my favorite color." Luna gushed, "He's always so thoughtful.
"Thoughtful, she says." Ron hugged her from behind, "She was there when I picked it out."
"Don't let him kid you." She leaned into him, "He can be so romantic."
"I believe it." Harry said, "How did you afford it?"
"I saved up." Ron grinned, "Plus the publisher was pretty generous with my advance."
"You write?" Harry asked amazed.
"Look more shocked why don't you?" Ron grinned.
"A lot of people write these days, Harry" Luna said as she snuggled against Ron, "Personal accounts of those close to you fly off the shelves. Ron's lucky people like him."
"Why?" Harry asked.
"He doesn't write about the war." Luna kissed Ron's hand.
"I write comedy." Ron grinned.
"What else would it be?" Harry rolled his eyes. He was glad that Ron at least hadn't sold him out.
"Mostly what I do is joke books. Though my next one is going to be a fiction." Ron smiled.
"That's great. Mate." Harry grinned from ear to ear, "I always told you that you were great."
"Yeah." Ron then clapped his hands together and pointed to the dish on the table, "Now lets eat those cookies. I've been waiting all morning for them."
"You're such a boy." Luna smiled as she slapped him lightly on his arm.
"That may be." Ron began, "But it isn't everyday I can convince you to bake."
"They do smell amazing." Harry added.
With that the three of them tore into the cookies. They were good. Harry had no idea Luna could cook. Ron had devoured most like he did with almost all food. Harry laughed as Ron told jokes and Luna talked about the daily grind of running the newspaper she had taken over from her father. Finally when the plate was through Luna set her cup of tea down and put her hand delicately on Harry's elbow.
"Ron's asked you to be best man." Her eyes seemed to smile, "I'm so glad you've agreed."
"Of course I did." Harry responded, "I wouldn't miss it for anything."
"We were concerned that you wouldn't be back in time." Ron said softly.
"He absolutely refused to do this without you as his best man." Luna said pleasantly.
"Ron." Harry looked to his best friend with apologies in his eyes, "I'm sorry, mate. I had no idea."
"Hey, what's with the sudden buzz kill?" Ron patted his stomach, "I'm too full of sugars to be so serious."
"He doesn't like to talk about his man crush on you." Luna giggled.
"It's not a man crush." Ron defended himself, "It's mutual respect for my best mate."
"Absolutely." Harry agreed nodding, "Girls don't understand it."
"I guess not." Luna grinned.
"So, Harry." Ron played innocent, "You wanna ditch the ball and chain her and find a quiet place to make out?"
"Ron." Harry stared wide eyed, "I thought you'd never ask." The three of them laughed for a time before Luna handed Harry some papers.
"This is all the information on the rehearsal dinner and whatnot." Luna said.
"Okay. Great." Harry put the paperwork gently on his living room table.
"Now, with your…" Luna paused, "We won't do this without you Harry. We just won't. But we want to keep it quiet and simple."
"Right. My high profile." Harry said. Thinking about it for the first time, "That's cool. No one but you guys know I'm in England again."
"The wedding is still weeks away. Can you stay below the radar for that long?" Luna asked concerned, "I don't want you hiding out like some kind of criminal on our account."
"I won't be. Magical London and Muggle London are like different worlds anyway." Harry answered, "And in Muggle London they don't stare when I walk by."
"Well, if you're sure." Luna said delicately. Her concern for him evident. Harry just smiled warmly and patted her hand.
"I'll be fine." He said.
"Oh also!" Ron said as though he had suddenly remembered something important, "Mum and Dad were wondering when you were going to drop by the Burrow."
"I'll make the time." He recalled those two fondly, "For them I will."
"Good. Let me know when." Ron smiled, "I'll be sure to be there."
The groups hung out until the mattress arrived. Ron made some really lame excuse to get out of helping with the grunt work before he winked and left. Harry tested the mattress before deciding it was perfect. It was much firmer than his old one. As soon as he felt he was finished with the moving he paid the men an headed for the shower.
* * *
Harry had put on what he considered his nicest clothes and headed for the ministry. He felt light when he neared her office. His knees felt weak and a weird bubble had risen from somewhere in his stomach to his throat. It wasn't an unpleasant feeling, just not one he recognized. He had felt many things in his life. Joy, hope, fear, sorrow, despair, friendship, victory, defeat, nervous, confident, pride, humble, all but this feeling. He wasn't sure what it was. It was like a weird mix of nervous and hopeful. He both enjoyed it and got a vibe of waiting for the other shoe to drop.
He knocked twice on her door and it swung open. She had a white sweater on that did wonders for her chest in an understated way. Her skirt was pale black, but clung to the right portions of her hips. Her stockings were black also. She had on sneakers. Her hair was hanging around her shoulders. It had little clips pushing the bangs out of her face and behind her ears. Harry thought she looked marvelous. He smiled a lopsided smile. She stared up at him for what felt like hours. Both of them just looking at each other with all of the thoughts of the last twenty-four hours surfacing.
"Harry." Hermione said kindly, "You really need a new wardrobe."
"It's on my to do list." He answered casually, "You look great."
"Perk of the job." She winked, "Business casual works for me, it turns out."
"That it does." He smiled before thrusting his arm out for her to take, "Shall we?"
"Well, if you insist." She laced her arm through his, "We shall."
Harry walked her out of the ministry through the same discreet way he had entered. Though they weren't seen by many, and his longer hair was doing a very good job of keeping his famous face covered, they still walked very publicly through the halls. Hermione felt butterflies in her stomach. Regardless of the circumstances she was walking arm in arm with Harry Potter. There was a rightness to the situation that both of them felt. It was like his arm was always meant to hold hers.
When they made their way to a small muggle coffee house. Sitting on the outdoor patio they sipped their coffee and made small talk. An electricity was in the air around them, at all times.
"It's been a weird kind of release for me to just change my apartment though." Harry said in response to her question of what he was up to.
"I imagine." She sipped from her cup, "You've really changed."
"I know." He put his hand behind hi head, "Everyone keeps saying that."
"It's not a bad thing." She recovered, "I think we all just assumed that you would come back gloomy as ever. Your letters were so brief and you always seemed to be working."
"You know, it did me good though." Harry said contemplatively.
"It certainly seems to." She smiled, "What brought you so out of your shell?"
"You know, being alone so often I've had time to think about it." He paused thinking, "Because for a while I was pretty gloomy. I did my travels and did my work and then woke up and did it all again."
"Sounds depressing." Hermione commented.
"It was." Harry nodded, "Then I started to look at the world around me. I saw such amazing things, and it opened me up in a way. I started to talk to the people around me."
"You made friends?" She asked.
"Kind of." Harry answered unsure, "It's more like when you're on holiday and you meet a Londoner. You're like partners in crime. You hang out and you enjoy the sites and you kick back. But it all comes to an end eventually. But as I traveled, people started to pull me out of that too."
"Like that family you stayed with? Or the people you went to Antarctica with?" She said knowingly.
"Yeah." Harry nodded happily, "I really found myself being able to just be me. I wasn't hiding from fame or covering anything. I could just be Harry. It was so freeing to be regular Harry Potter and not Wizard Harry Potter."
"So you became free in a way." She smiled.
"Different people react differently to some things." He shrugged.
"Well it suits you." She said happily.
"You know, that's what I was going for." He said fishing for a smile, he got it.
"I have an idea." She said as Harry made an inquiring expression, "Let's do something."
"Sitting and drinking coffee isn't doing it for you?" Harry kidded.
"Let's go to the fountain!" She said excitedly.
"Let's then." Harry returned her enthusiasm.
Down the street from Harry's flat was a large fountain. It was elegant but with a modern sensibility. Harry and Hermione had often gone there in the months after the war to look at it. They had found it relaxing. After Harry left she would sometimes walk down to it and peer at her reflection. As if she was waiting for him to appear behind her. The two walked down there and sat at the lip of it. Watching the water flow in the pool below them.
Harry watched as the water cascaded from the top of it to the bottom. He loved the way the water flowed. It reminded him of the great waterfalls he had seen in his time away. Hermione reached down and touched the water. It was cold. She reached up and slashed some on Harry's face. He laughed and tossed some at her. Eventually the water fight escalated into both people ankle deep in the water splashing each other. They laughed and had a good time.
When the sun set they found their way back to Harry's flat to warm up. Hermione sat with a cup of hot chocolate and swaddled in a robe on his sofa. Harry had gone into his bedroom to find her some of his old clothes to change into. When he came back he had changed into some of his old work clothes. A flannel shirt and jeans. Hermione wouldn't say anything aloud, but the way he looked liked an outdoorsmen really did something wonderful to her. He handed her his extra clothes and she excused herself to his bedroom to change.
Once inside she turned on the light and closed the door. She told Harry in a joking way that he was not to peak. He said that he would try to contain himself. She began to pull her wet clothes from her body. Piece by piece she found herself standing in his room in her under things. She felt cold but in a weird way excited. She had once had a dream that began very much like this. She blushed and pushed the thought from her mind. She picked up his old shirt and held it to her chest for a size comparison.
Then she saw it. It was just a twinkle of light at first. Reflected into her face. The moonlight bouncing off of her face from the face of a frame on his bedside dresser. She moved closer. She had a moment of indecision about snooping around in Harry's room. However, curiosity won out in the end. She put the shirt down on his bed and walked over to his dresser. She picked up the frame and knew it immediately. She had written this. She had put pen to paper and written that very note for him.
He had framed it. The implications rolled through her mind. She couldn't imagine what that could mean. She wrote a letter saying she missed him. And he, Harry Potter, had framed it. A place of honor in his room among his many things. She put it down and sat on his bed. This was huge. This meant something. She didn't know what it meant, but it meant something. Her mind was racing with thoughts about what it could be. Did he have deeper feelings for her than she thought, or was this just something that reminded him of home.
She must have been sitting there for a long time because she heard a soft knock at the door. She looked over and remembered suddenly where she was. Her mind was still swimming. She was so confused about it all. She made sure that she had put the frame back where she had found it before she answered.
"You okay in there, Hermione?" Harry's voice came through muffled from the wood of the door, "Should I come in?" He sounded worried.
"Yeah." She shook her head, "Come on in." She stood up to welcome him.
The door swung open for about six seconds before it was closed again. In that time Harry looked in and saw her. His head got light. His eyes bulged. And he felt himself long to stare. He couldn't allow that. So instead he swung the door closed again. He touched his heart to make sure it was racing as fast as he thought it was. He swallowed hard to regain his composure before he spoke.
"Okay, a little warning next time." He announced nervously.
"What?" Hermione said softly. She looked down and saw her pale pink braw and her dark blue underwear. She blushed furiously, "Oh God, sorry Harry!"
"No, it's okay…" He thought briefly about how okay he was with it, "If you don't like the clothes though, there are better ways to illustrate your point."
"Noted." She answered with a blush so deep it had spread almost to her shoulders, "Sorry, I'm jus kind of absent minded sometimes."
"There's a dresser, that uhm.." He needed a moment, visions of her in her underwear were swimming through his head. Fantasies were beginning to manifest as rapidly as he could put them down, "Anyway, uh if you want other clothes there's a dresser."
"Okay." She said shyly.
Harry walked out to his kitchen and poured himself a glass of water. He drank it quickly and poured himself another. While he re-hydrated she walked into the kitchen behind him. She had on a shirt that was a little too big and sweatpants. The dampness of her braw made it's color stand out. When Harry turned around that was the first thing he noticed. He then saw the way her hair hung about her face in damp clumps. She looked like an angel to him.
She crossed the kitchen and apologized to him. After that the excitement died down. They returned to the living room and watched old movies until they fell asleep. Harry in his recliner and her on the couch. They were comfortable with each other in a very charming way. When morning came she put on her now dry clothes and began to leave. She saw him in his chair, resting peacefully and she moved over to him. Almost without thinking about she bent down and kissed his forehead.
She rose with a blush on her face. She suddenly got the feeling that she was crossing a line. She quickly made her way out of his apartment and back to her flat. The whole time feeling like she should have asked for permission. Feeling like she shouldn't have done it in the first place. Her conflict fueled by the feelings inside of her. On one side he was her best friend, on the other he was so much more. She couldn't reconcile her new feelings with her old ones. She worried she would never be able to. She made it to her room and collapsed on her bed. Her thoughts returned to the framed letter on his bedside dresser. She rolled over and groaned before screaming with giddy glee into her pillow. Something was moving around her. She could tell.
Meanwhile Harry woke up in his chair. His back and shoulders hurt worse than the day before. He acknowledged that it had been a mistake to fall asleep in a chair. His forehead felt warm and he had a pleasant feeling. He looked over to see if Hermione wanted to go get breakfast. She was gone. Suddenly his apartment felt colder, bigger and emptier. He dropped his head and sighed. She must have felt weird about last night he figured. He should never have opened the door he chastised himself.