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“Hey ‘Mione, ready to eat?” Harry asked as he leaned against the doorframe.
“Yes!” came her reply as she straightened her desk.
“Any preference?” Harry asked, sometimes she had one.
“Yeah, I wanted to check out the Italian place that just opened, The Saucy Cauldron.” Hermione answered.
“Sounds good. Isn’t it owned by Zabini?” Harry wondered.
“I think so, seems I read somewhere that he was the sole owner.” Hermione replied.
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It was after being seated that Blaise himself came over to greet them.
“What brings such an upstanding witch and wizard to my humble establishment tonight?” He asked the couple after the hostess told him who had arrived.
“I had to know if all the talk was true.” Hermione cheekily replied.
“Is that right?” Blaise lightly questioned.
“It is!” Hermione chuckled at his expression.
“Then I shall return to the kitchen to make sure your order is done properly.” Blaise winked as he sauntered away, making both occupants chuckle.
“Nice to see Zabini in such a good place.” Hermione commented.
“It is” Harry agreed as they perused the menu.
Hermione chose the frico, crunchy, while Harry went with the lasagna. After devouring the bread sticks and marinara sauce, both were excited for their meals to arrive.
Conversation flowed effortlessly between the best friends through the meal and Blaise stopped by to check on them often. He gave an extravagant bow when they sang praises for the food. When it came time for the check, they learned Blaise had comp’d their meal. Leaving a generous tip for their server, the couple left to walk a bit after eating way too much delicious food.
What Harry and Hermione enjoyed the most about being together was that conversation wasn’t always needed. If either had anything to say, they said it but the silence was never strained, awkward or uncomfortable; generally, each would use the quiet to sort through their thoughts about the other. Of course, it usually left more questions than answers but that was okay. Well, not okay but acceptable. Neither knew how to go about getting the answers they sought.
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Hermione heard the floo activate and looked at the time. She smiled when she realized who had come to fetch her for dinner, Harry, of course. Sighing happily, she started straightening her desk as she waited for him to appear.
When asked where to go, Hermione was ready with her reply. Blaise Zabini had opened an Italian restaurant in Diagon Alley and she really wanted to know if it was as good as she had heard, going with Harry would be the icing on the cake.
Harry…she loved spending time with him. He had no clue just how much she loved him; he was her world. They had both dated others but from fourth year on, Harry was the one she wanted but he had been interested in Cho Chang then and after her, Ginny Weasley so Hermione, temporarily, thought her and Ron might work…boy was she sorely mistaken. After she kissed Ron in the Chamber of Secrets just before the Final Battle, she knew then there would never be anything more between them. Thankfully Ron had realized the same and after the Battle they had talked and promised to stay friends.
Ron began dating a Slytherin witch two years behind them a few months later. Hermione had jokingly felt his forehead for a “fever” before “scanning” him for hexes, jinxes and curses, making everyone, including the witch, laugh. Ron had pushed her away as he turned the color of his hair.
The witch, Bethany Slater, had known about Ron’s aversion to all things Slytherin but had chosen to take a chance after word spread of Hermione and Ron not working out. Ron had turned her down the first few times she had asked him out but the black haired beauty was persistent. After her sixth attempt asking, Ron had finally given in and they were very happy together a year later. However, Harry and Hermione, along with his family, razzed him every chance they got.
The three friends met up every week to touch base. It was strange at first, not seeing each other every day but they had adjusted quickly. It helped to have so much to do in the beginning then when they did meet up it felt good. After the community was back on its feet, it was easier to find their own paths. They had tried to go more than a week but the strain was too much. After that one attempt was when they unanimously agreed to not ever go that long again; a week was chosen right then and hadn’t changed other than to make it more frequent when schedules allowed.
Now, Harry and her, they saw each other every day. Sometimes they would stay at one flat or the other; other times they would go out; it all depended on their moods at the time. Hermione had lost track of how often she wished it was as a couple but she was terrified of losing her best friend if he didn’t feel the same. That would crush her and destroy any chance of happiness she might have. She really needed to make a list of pros and cons of letting her feelings known. Maybe she should do that soon.
The thought of someone else snagging his heart made hers clinch in grief. She didn’t understand how he hadn’t figured out her feelings yet. She would catch herself staring at him when he wasn’t paying attention but she had been caught a few times. She also continued to lean into him every chance she got but that could be dismissed by Harry as something they had always done. However, if he really paid attention, he would notice her sigh of contentment when he would wrap an arm around her shoulders or the slight shiver when his breath would ghost over her face when he would speak to her. Then again, Merlin bless him, Harry could be quite clueless and subtlety didn’t always work with him.
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Harry loved The Saucy Cauldron. Zabini had really done well. Although Hogwarts’ elves made delicious meals, Harry always thought a wider cross-culture fare should have been included. There was such a variety of foods out there that Harry hoped more would open restaurants to honor their heritage, however, his company was even better.
Harry loved hanging out with Hermione. She was such a breath of fresh air compared to most other witches. He had dated once since the War ended but it had ended quickly. The witch had wanted him to stop seeing his best friend so much. When he had tried to explain the bond they had, she had told him to grow up and understand that witches and wizards were never friends, ever. The only reason a wizard was “friends” with a witch was so he could get into her knickers, no other reason, period. The only reason a witch was “friends” with a wizard was to see how much she could get said wizard to do for her, always. Harry had broken the relationship that instant. Granted, what she said had merit with a lot of people and, yes, he wanted in Hermione’s knickers but the bond she and he had was way more than anyone, other than Ron, could understand.
It also made him confront his feelings for the feisty witch who had been his best friend for over a decade. No one could truly know how deep his love went for both Ron and Hermione. They had been through hell together and only survived it because they had each other. Harry knew Hermione had saved his bacon more times than he could count, and he had tried to figure it out, he chuckled to himself. The thing was, Harry hadn’t started noticing his feelings shift until their fourth year when she had descended for the Yule Ball. She had been beautiful and every wizard had noticed too. However, fighting for your life every time you turned around tended to derail any true romantic thoughts.
Then, in their fifth year, his brash stupidity had almost taken Hermione from him forever. When all was said and done, Harry had had a hard time forgiving himself over it, even though Hermione had forgiven him before she even left the hospital wing. It amazed him just how forgiving she was towards both him and Ron. In reality, she should have left them to their own devices shortly after the troll incident their first year, but she hadn’t. He had even run scans on her after the Battle to make sure no one, like Dumbledore, had put a spell on her. He had learned it was just her nature and nothing else. Harry had been amazed even more by her when he found nothing. She really was just a compassionate witch who had taken to two wizards just as much as they had taken to her.
It was during the cleanup and rebuilding that Harry had once again taken notice of Hermione but the timing was still wrong. Each one of them needed time to heal before anything else could happen. Before he knew it, it was three years later. Now he had no clue how to let the love of his life know she was the one for him. Even in school, he had compared the few he dated to Hermione and found them wanting. He could see it now but hadn’t a clue then. Now, only Hermione would ever hold his heart. She was already his best friend, so why it was so difficult to tell her he wanted more he was unsure. Why couldn’t he just tell her she was his one true love? He knew the answer, it was because he didn’t want to lose her in any way and if she didn’t return his feelings he very seriously risked losing it all. The mere thought of not having her in his life or seeing her every day was a very debilitating thought. So, he had yet to speak the truth to her. One day, maybe, he would, but how? When? It was frustrating.
Harry was actually surprised she had yet to figure out the affect she had on him; most of the time he was able to hold back his body’s reaction to her but not always. Knowing Hermione, she probably wrote it off as him thinking of someone else. Chuckling, he knew as brilliant as she was, and she really was, she could be quite dense when it came to any interest in her that way which made her even more special to Harry.
As he leaned against the doorframe earlier, he had enjoyed watching her tidy up her desk. It was so Hermione, nothing out of place when she would call it a day. It had driven him barmy in school but he found it endearing now. Then she had smiled at him and he became lost, as usual.
Dinner had been superb and the stroll even better. It was so natural for them it was scary. How could he feel so comfortable around her while wanting to shag her senseless? Crazy!
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After walking around for a few hours, they decided to return to Hermione’s flat to wrap up the evening. When Harry pulled Hermione into his embrace, he couldn’t help but bury his nose into her hair or pull her tight against his body. As he inhaled her scent deeply, there was no mistaking the shiver that ran down her body. Deciding it was now or never, Harry pulled back and lowered his lips to hers. When she gasped and pressed harder against his body, he deepened the kiss with a groan. Her answering moan was precious music to his ears.
As the two best friends found themselves crossing the line, neither had ever felt better about anything nor did they spend time trying to make sense of anything else. They allowed their bodies to lead them; tomorrow was soon enough for any actual talking if it was needed.
~Fin~