The Kiss
"Are you sure about this, Hermione?"
The bushy-haired witch nodded, staring at her reflection with disgust. "Of course, Sirius! I wouldn't be asking if I wasn't!"
Sirius Black swallowed visibly, removing his wand from his back pocket. "All right, but don't say I didn't warn you."
She grumbled her response, tugging on a frizzy coil of cinnamon-colored curl. The clock behind her ticked anxiously. It mocked her with every shift of its hands. There was only fifteen minutes before she needed to be downstairs for her best friend's wedding and her hair looked like she just stuck her fingers through a light socket. She could almost see the electricity crackling through the unruly puff of fuzz.
To her left, she heard Sirius shuffling through the beauty spells and charms book she'd unearthed at Flourish and Blotts for just this occasion. If she could somehow tame the bush on her head, then she was all set. She had on her elegant, burgundy dress; her strappy sandals; and her makeup was perfect. All that needed fixing now was her hair.
"Hermione, I don't know about this…" Sirius mumbled, flipping to the right page and turning to her, wand fidgeting at his side.
"Just do it!" she barked impatiently. "We haven't got all day!"
He sighed, dropping his brown eyes to the faded and yellow page, mumbling something about 'looking perfect already' under his breath. "Ok, here goes," he cleared his throat and flicked his wand. "Vera bellezza di amori!"
Hermione didn't get the chance to fully translate his words when the spell struck. A current of hot energy surged like lightening through her veins, making the bones tingle and her muscles go lax as if properly massaged. She shivered.
"Hermione?" Sirius inched in closer, watching her nervously. "You ok, honey?"
Hermione swallowed, flexing her stiff fingers. She turned to him. "I think so."
He seemed to relax a little. "Well, you look good."
Her hand went up to touch the chaotic tendrils haloing her head, and she groaned. "Sirius, it's still the same!"
"I did the spell just like you told me!" he protested, showing her the page.
"Vera bellezza di amori?" she gasped in horror. "Sirius! That's not a beauty spell!" she wailed, snatching the faded book from him. "That's a true love spell!"
He took the book from her and peered more closely at the words. "Oh… yea, I see it now."
"You just cast a true love spell on me!" she shrilled, fisting both hands into her hair and tugging. "What am I going to do?"
"Uh, find your true love… I guess..."
"This isn't a joke!" she pulled the book from his hand and read the side effects. "It says that I have to find and kiss him in twelve-hours or the beauty charm will wear off and I'll be hideous for the rest of my life!"
Sirius frowned. "Well, that's just impossible."
Hermione glanced up, tears curtaining her vision. "What is?"
"I don't think you could ever be hideous, no matter what."
"Don't tease," she sniffled, dabbing at the moisture clinging to the corners of her eyes with her knuckle. "This is serious! I'm already as unnatural looking as I can possibly get - like some human beaver - all hair and teeth. I can't find anyone to want me when I look like this, how am I going to get anyone to want me when I'm dreadful?"
"That's not—"
"Hermione, come on! The ceremony is about to begin!" Lavender Brown called through her hotel door.
"Ok, I'll be right there!" she called back.
They heard the other girl shuffle away. Hermione turned to Sirius, who stood a short distance, watching her closely before sighing.
"You better go," she murmured. "Harry is probably waiting for you."
"What about you?"
She glanced down at the open book in her lap. "I'll be down shortly. I'm just going to see if there's a counter-spell for this."
Sirius continued to stand there, shifting from foot-to-foot, his hands tucked into the pockets of his slacks. Hermione couldn't help noticing how handsome he looked in his muggle tux with his long, silky tresses pulled back. She always knew he looked good, but something about him all dressed up made her really notice the broadness of his shoulders; the wideness of his chest; his tapered waist; and finally, his long, toned legs. He was quite gorgeous, not that he would ever see her as anything other than his Godson's best friend. She mused, sighing inwardly. She would always be the human beaver, bookworm.
"I'll be ok," she told him, forcing a slight smile. "Besides, it might be an improvement. My ugly self might have better hair."
His brows creased at her teasing. "Your hair is just fine!"
"Right because everyone wants a bird's nest on their head," she snorted, rolling her eyes.
"It's not a bird's nest!" he grumped. "It's soft and curly. I like it."
"Yea, yea," she muttered, getting to her feet. "Go on. The best man needs to be downstairs giving the groom support."
Sirius snorted, moving towards the door. "Harry doesn't need support. He barely slept last night with all the excitement."
"You should still be with him instead of in here with me."
He paused with his hand on the doorknob, and grinned at her from over his shoulder. "I happened to be in the neighborhood and thought I'd pop in and see how my date was holding up."
Her brow arched. "You're staying in the room across from mine."
"Exactly."
Hermione rolled her eyes, chuckling. "You're impossible."
"But I made you smile," he said with a wink as he threw open the door and disappeared from sight.
She stared at the empty space he left behind, her smile still twitching around her lips. Leave it to Sirius to make a horrible situation nearly forgotten. Unfortunately, the book in her hand was a sick reminder that she had exactly twelve hours before she turned into some sort of troll if she didn't find her true love. But how hard could that be, honestly? Every person she knew was going to be at the wedding, so locating one shouldn't be impossible.
Regaining her seat at the vanity table, she flipped open the book and read out the rest of the side effects.
"Your true love can only be found with a kiss and he or she must confess their affections for you before the twelve hours are complete."
Hermione scuffed. "Oh right, because kissing everyone wasn't hard enough!"
She tossed the book onto the bed and turned to the mirror. She tugged a stray curl miserably. This would never have happened if her hair wasn't such a disaster.
"Hermione, come on!" Lavender was at the door again, knocking loudly this time.
Leaping to her feet, Hermione hurried to answer it. The pretty blond on the other side scowled at her.
"Sorry, I was trying to do my hair," she explained.
Lavender sighed, rolling her eyes. "I honestly don't know how you became the smartest witch of our age when you can't even do a simple hair charm!"
Her wand was in Hermione's face in a flash and with a flick the tendrils sleeked and curled until they were neatly tamed into a sleek twist at the back of her head.
Hermione stared at the other girl in awe. "You're incredible!"
Lavender grinned. "Duh! But come on before Ginny kills us all for being late."
Together, they hurried down the Muggle hotel the Potter/Weasley family had booked for the big day. The lavish five-star ballroom and terrace was the most sought after locations for weddings. Fortunately for Harry and Ginny, the owner was a Wizard and knew of the Great Harry Potter, making the booking in the middle of July a steal.
Of course there were those who would have preferred a magical setting, but Harry wanted Ginny to have the best wedding possible, especially one that would outdo the Malfoy's wedding a few months back.
"Hermione! Thank Merlin!" Ginny Weasley exclaimed, rushing forward and engulfing her in a tight embrace. "Where have you been? I'm freaking out of my mind and my maid-of-honor is nowhere in sight!"
Hermione squeezed the red-head tight and drew back. "Why are you freaking out?"
"She says she looks too pale," Padma Patil said from inside the private room.
Hermione frowned. "Ginny, you're a pretty ivory which will look so beautiful with the sand and ocean backdrop behind you; and the lush, rolling landscape."
The younger woman's eyes brimmed. "Really?"
"Honest."
Ginny sniffled, turning back to the four women seated around the room. "Why didn't any of you think of that?"
Padma, Parvati, Luna, and Lavender exchanged glances, no one speaking in fear of provoking the red-head's temper.
"All right, so everyone knows where they're supposed to be, right?" Hermione quickly piped in. "Padma, you'll be escorted by Ron. Parvati, you're with Fred, Luna, you're with Neville and Lavender—"
"We know, Hermione!" Lavender moaned, throwing her head back against the settee. "We've gone through this a million times!"
"Well, here's a million and one!" she snapped back, spearing her fists onto her hips. "You'll all walk in two straight lines, up the altar and divide once you reach—"
"Ok, ladies, we're ready for you!" the wedding coordinator – Brenda Glenn – poked her head into the room, bright smile on her face.
Hermione turned to Ginny, beaming. "This is it! You ready?"
Slightly pallor than normal, Ginny sucked in several large gulps of air; smoothed her hands over her flowing, white gown; and made a strange squeaking sound as she nodded.
"You'll be fine!" Padma assured her, getting up to squeeze the red-head's shoulders. "Come on now. Harry's waiting."
Together, the girls walked out of the room behind Brenda and headed for the terrace doors. Bright, sunlight spread across the lavish foyer, illuminating the roses and ivory theme. Standing in the corridor, Sirius; Neville; Fred; and Ron glanced up when they entered. Hermione caught Sirius's dark eyes, and smiled.
The leggy coordinator turned to the group once they'd reached the men, her tattooed smile never wavering. "Everyone in position, please."
Hermione moved to the front of the line and waited as Sirius joined her.
"I don't know if I mentioned before," he whispered, dropping his head towards her ear. "But you look beautiful."
"Thank you," she replied, blushing softly. "You look very nice as well."
He grinned. "I was going for tall, dark, and sexy but I'm sure you've noticed."
Hermione laughed, slipping her arm through his as the others filed in behind them. "I'm sure that wasn't very hard to accomplish."
"Don't think so?" he teased, arching a brow.
Her blush darkened as she realized just how her statement must have sounded, and she stammered to explain. "What I meant is that you're very se… you're good looking… is what I meant… but you knew that…"
His grin broadened. "But I like that you know that."
Brenda took that moment to wave them inside, saving Hermione from any further embarrassment until they entered the breezy, veranda and all eyes widened upon landing on her.
"Is it just me or is everyone staring?" she hissed without moving her lips.
"They're staring," Sirius assured her. "Can't say I blame them."
Hermione stiffened. "Why? Do I have something on my face? My hair? Clothes?"
He chuckled. "You're adorable, but no, you look perfect."
"Then what's with the staring?"
"They probably have never seen anyone so breathtaking before."
Hermione groaned. "Be serious!"
He turned his head and grinned down at her. "I am Sirius."
With a wink, he nudged her to the bride's side while he joined Harry on the left.
**
The wedding ended with everyone moving from the terrace to the ballroom. Ginny had lost her nervousness at some point and sat flushing a soft pink. Harry was the picture of triumph. Hermione couldn't recall ever seeing him look so smug. It was as if he'd just won the lottery. He hadn't looked this happy since defeating Voldemort years before.
Suddenly, a thought struck her. What if Harry was her true love? She stared at her best friend's smiling face and felt sick to the stomach at the mere thought of taking that away, not to mention there was no way he was going to confess love to her when he was so happily married to Ginny. But even as she thought about it, everyone there was married or in a relationship. There was no way she was going to be able to find her true love in time or get them to confess their love for her.
"Hey, Hermione,"
She turned to face Charlie Weasley, and smiled. "Hi, Charlie! How are things going in Romania?"
The dragon trainer shrugged. "Things are good. I just got promoted to supervisor, so that's pretty cool."
"That is great! Congratulations!"
He nodded, grinning. "Thanks."
"So, are you here alone?"
Charlie nodded, again. "I'm not staying long actually. We have several dragons in heat right now and need to be constantly watched. So I'm going to be leaving soon. Just came to congratulate the bride and groom."
"Well, it was really good to see you again," she replied.
He smiled. "You too," he paused as if picking his next words carefully, and blurted very quickly. "You look really, really hot… nice."
Hermione blushed. "Thank you."
He nodded, looking uncomfortable. "But I guess I should… you know, head out." With a wave, he started to turn away when an idea struck her.
"Charlie?"
He glanced back. "Yea?"
It took all her courage to swallow her pride and accomplish what she was about to do. As if there were springs attached to the bottom of her heels, she sprung forward and wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing a quick but hard kiss to his lips.
Charlie stiffened. She quickly pulled away, flushing scarlet.
"Uh…"
She chuckled nervously. "I… uh… just wanted to thank you for being such a great friend to me all these years."
Face glowing as brightly as his red hair, he stuttered a response and hurried away.
Hermione groaned, squeezing her eyes closed and trying not to explode in an inferno of heat. How was she supposed to repeat that with every male in the room? There had to be at least fifty men if not more!
"My life officially sucks," she moaned, out loud.
"Is that so, Miss Granger?"
If she had thought her life couldn't get any worse, it just proved how wrong she could be.
She turned – as slowly as she could – to face the tall, pale man behind her and prayed she wasn't grimacing outwardly like she was inwardly.
"Professor," she squeaked.
Severus Snape arched a dark brow, his impassive expression unchanging otherwise. "Miss Granger."
'This so couldn't be happening!' Her mind screamed.
"Enjoying yourself?" she forced herself to ask.
"It is satisfactory," he mused, sweeping dark eyes over the room full of happy faces. "Are you?"
She hadn't anticipated the question. The thought of him genuinely caring was laughable. "Of course," she answered, following it up with a large smile.
'It's now or never!' the voice in her head groaned.
"Professor?"
His gaze returned to her, waiting.
She swallowed, hard. "I… I don't know if I ever said… but--"
'Oh God… oh God…!'
Body braced, she flung herself forward and kissed him hard on the mouth and stumbled back, suppressing the urge to wipe her mouth and spit.
"—I'm so grateful for all your years of patience," she choked, battling down the bile climbing in her throat.
Severus had seen and done many things in his life, but he'd never had the combined urge to throw up and yell and hex all at the same time.
"Detention, Miss Granger!" he bellowed furiously, drawing several eyes in their direction.
"But, sir--" she croaked, but he was storming away already, black robes billowing like bat wings behind him.
It probably wouldn't be a good idea to chase him down and remind him she hadn't been his student in years. So, she hurried in the opposite direction, putting as much space between them as possible.
Dear God, that was horrible! She dropped into a nearby chair. But at least he wasn't her true love. That was the only silver lining she could see in this storm. But now that the most awful part was over with, how much worse could it get?
"I must say, Miss Granger, I've never seen two people look so green."
Oh for the love of God! Someone truly hated her up there. Hermione turned in her seat and cursed – in her head.
"Headmaster," she fought not to groan.
Albus Dumbledore smiled at her kindly. "Hello, Miss Granger, a pleasure to see you once more."
She really wished she could say the same.
He didn't seem to require an answer, and plowed on. "I must say, I'm rather fascinated with your mission today. Care to explain?"
"Oh, Professor," she sighed, running a hand over her face. "I've accidently been hexed with the True Love Beauty charm, and now I have to kiss everyone before my twelve hours are up or I become ugly forever."
He thought about this for a moment, his face thoughtful. When he spoke, his voice held no amusement, just a matter-of-fact tone. "That is a problem."
Hermione nodded. "But it gets worse! They have to confess their love as well, and everyone in this room is married or taken!"
"So, what is your plan?"
"I don't have one," she admitted, dropping her head sheepishly. "I'm just winging this as I go along."
"Well, you better get a move on," the Headmaster prompted. "Time is running short and not many people will be staying very long."
"I know, but…" she groaned, shoulders slumping.
"May I make a suggestion?"
Hermione nodded, looking up.
"Perhaps if you simply told the person you're about to kiss your true purpose, it might make things simpler."
"True, but I don't have that much time," she pointed out, getting to her feet. "I'd be explaining myself all night."
He inclined his head. "How right you are."
She sighed, turning back to the room at large. "Well, no time like the future I suppose."
"Good luck, Miss Granger."
She started to thank the man, when she stopped and faced him. "Professor…?"
He grinned, blue eyes twinkling. "It would be a pleasure."
Face as bright-red as a Weasley's hair, Hermione shuffled forward, bent at the waist and pressed a hurried kiss to her former Headmaster's lips. She shot back just as quickly.
"Anything?" he asked.
She shook her head, refusing to meet his gaze. "Thank you, sir."
"Not at all, Miss Granger."
She blurted a hasty goodbye and rushed away.
"Did you just kiss, Dumbledore?" Lavender cornered her, blue eyes enormous.
"Uh… no...?" she squeaked.
"We so saw you!" Padma squealed, face as horrified as Lavender's.
"Look, it's not what it looks like!" she said quickly, putting her hands up when both their mouths opened as if prepared to bombard her with questions. "Sirius was helping me with a charm and it sort of backfired, ok? And now I have to kiss everyone until I find my true love."
"Ew, everyone?" Lavender gagged.
"Even Snape?" Padma gasped.
Hermione looked away, sheepishly clearing her throat. Both girls squealed erratically.
"You kissed Snape?" they shrilled loud enough to draw attention.
"Shut up!" she hissed, grabbing their arms and yanking them a safe distance from the guests. "Yes, I kissed him, but it wasn't him!"
"Ew, ew, ew, ew, ew!" Padma chanted, waving her hands.
"That's just so wrong!" Lavender groaned, looking sick.
"Tell me about it," Hermione muttered, shaking her head. "But I can't stand around here talking right now. I need to find my true love before I become Professor Umbridge."
"Seriously?" Lavender gasped. "You'd become that ugly if you don't find the right person?"
Hermione nodded, and both girls cried out in horror.
"Ok, we need to get working!" Padma declared, grabbing her arm and hauling her back onto the floor. "George!"
"What are you doing?" Hermione shrilled, trying to wiggle free, but too late. George Weasley made his way towards them.
"What's up?"
"Kiss Hermione," Padma ordered, thrusting Hermione forward.
"George, you really don't…"
He bent his head and kissed her - hard - and drew back, grinning. "I like this game."
"Anything?" Lavender asked from her other side.
Hermione shook her head, turning scarlet under George's sly smirk. "Thank you, George."
He winked. "Any time."
"That was horrible!" she screeched at Padma once George had ambled away.
"Really? It didn't look so bad from where I was standing."
"Not the kiss! What you did!"
"Well, drastic times and all that."
"Ron!" Lavender was shouting before Hermione could respond.
"Lavender!" Hermione started but it was too late, Ron was making his way towards them.
"Hey, Lavvy, what's going on?"
"Kiss Hermione!"
Hermione was grabbed roughly and thrust into Ron's chest. It was sheer reflexes on both their parts that they didn't go tumbling to the ground.
"Uh… ok…" Ron stuttered as he molding slobbery, wet lips over hers.
"Not him!" she squealed, pushing away and not bothering to conceal her disgust by wiping frantically at her mouth.
"What…?"
"It's alright, Ron," Padma assured, smiling. "You can go."
Scratching the back of his head, Ron shuffled away.
"Girls, stop helping, please!"
No one was listening.
"Hey, there's Kingsley!" Lavender pointed.
"I see Draco over there with his dad," Padma declared, propelling Hermione before she could resist.
Lucius and Draco Malfoy glanced around when they came to an awkward halt in front of them. It was all Hermione could do to thank all that was holy that their wives were nowhere in sight.
"Hello Draco, Mr. Malfoy," Lavender greeted, smiling widely.
The Malfoys eyed the trio warily.
"What do you want, Granger?" Draco sneered, his personality having not changed a wit since Hogwarts.
"Manners, Draco," Lucius purred in his artistic drawl, silver eyes watching them closely. "What can we do for you lovely ladies?
"Nothing—"
"We need you to kiss Hermione," Lavender declared, thrusting her forward roughly. It was only by the sturdy hands of Lucius that she didn't trip and land on her face.
"Who?" Draco demanded, looking annoyed and curious.
"Both," Padma replied, beaming. "She's been put under a curse and needs to be kissed."
"Shouldn't she be sleeping or something?" Draco asked.
"No, she needs to find her true love, now kiss!"
"Look, I really don't—" her furious protests were quieted by Lucius's mouth. Hot, demanding, powerful… she could scarcely breathe. Her head reeled and for a minute she thought she was dying when it suddenly stopped.
"Oh…!" she gasped breathlessly.
Lucius smirked smugly, before passing her on to Draco – who wasn't as dominating as his father, but still managed to make her tingle with his possessive kiss.
"Well?" Lavender demanded when Hermione stumbled out of her former enemy's arms, panting.
"Uh…" did it work? Was all that tingling and heart-fluttering the charm wearing off? But they had both made her knees weak. How was she supposed to know which one it was?
"Hermione!" Padma nudged her sharply with a bony elbow.
"I… I don't know…" she rasped, fighting to catch her breath.
"A repeat performance then?" Lucius drawled, lips curling.
"No, no," she said, trying to side step his outstretched hand. "It can't be either of you."
"Why not?" Padma demanded, frowning.
"Because neither of them loves me," she answered simply. "The charm will only break when they love me."
"Well, can't argue that," Draco muttered, folding his arms.
"But should you require further evidence of other matters… I am certain you know where we are," Lucius stated, smirking.
Grabbing both of her friend's hands, Hermione dragged them away.
"Oh wow…!" Lavender gasped, fanning herself. "That was the hottest kiss I have ever seen!"
Padma nodded. "I got burned just from standing too close."
"So, how did it feel?" Lavender asked Hermione.
There was no lying. "It was… wow!"
The three burst into a peal of laughter as they left the Malfoys behind.
"Ok, so we have to find someone who possibly loves you," Lavender said once they'd calmed down. "That can't be too hard, can it?"
"What about Fred?" Padma suggested, waving the red-head over.
"Padma!" her hiss was ignored as both girls turned as one of the Weasley twin made his way towards them. "Damn it, guys!"
"Let me guess, I need to kiss Hermione."
Lavender and Padma nodded, maneuvering Hermione forward.
The red-head smiled so softly down at her that Hermione actually blinked, her mind voiding of all objections. He bent his head and brushed his mouth over hers lightly, teasingly as he pressed harder with each gentle coax until he tore a moan from her and used the opportunity to slip his tongue into her mouth. She was only vaguely aware of his arms winding around her waist, drawing her into his chest as she gripped his shoulders tightly and leaned into him. Her tongue shyly met his, letting him glide over and around her in a teasing dance. But just like that, he pulled away to leave her clutching his shoulders and struggling to remember where she was.
"Oh…"
"Wow…" Lavender and Padma sighed
"That… that…"
Fred smirked at Hermione's incoherent stuttering. "You taste nice."
She squeaked a giggle, prying herself from his hold and swaying dangerously to the left. Lavender caught her before she could fall and righted her.
"Do you love Hermione?" Padma asked, staring at Fred through a whole new set of eyes. She was practically begging for the answer to be no.
Fred blinked. "Love? I guess…"
"But would you marry her and have like twenty kids with her?" Lavender demanded.
Fred went pale. "Uh…"
Hermione chuckled, steadier now. "Don't worry about it, Fred. Thank you for your help."
He wasted no time bolting as far from them as possible.
"Ok, so it wasn't Fred," Lavender sighed, flipping a blond curl off her shoulder. "Who's left?"
"Neville, Dean, Seamus…"
Hermione lost track after that, and did she let herself dwell as the girls propelled her through the crowd forcing her to kiss one set of lips after another. There was a brief pause where they stopped for a quick bite as well as the toasting. But they were back at it as soon as the dancing began.
She honestly couldn't believe there were so many men in Harry's life. He certainly wasn't lacking in male role models. But that only made things ten times as hard to find the right one. It got to the point where she didn't even want the guy anymore, just as long as he broke the curse, he could continue on with his life, which was exactly what was going to happen since everyone had someone already, and she was in no way going to change that - not to mention the guy she did want, he would probably want nothing to do with her except be her friend.
"What are you three doing?" Ginny hissed, storming over to them just as Colin Creevey bolted for his life after Padma and Lavender's grilling.
"Ginny, I can explain," Hermione quickly intercepted, hands held up in front of her like a shield. "This is so not what it looks like!"
Next to her Lavender and Padma nodded in agreement, shifting behind Hermione for protection.
"Someone better explain to me why you're going around kissing my guests!" the red-head shrilled, blue eyes flashing from face-to-face.
"Ok, see, the thing is that I was cursed with the true love charm," Hermione explained quickly. "And the only way it'll come off is if I kiss my true love and he tells me he loves me. Otherwise I'll turn into a troll."
"An Umbridge troll," Lavender squeaked from over Hermione's left shoulder.
Ginny stared from one to the other, expression baffled. "Are you kidding me?"
Hermione shook her head. "Do you think I want to go around kissing people I think of as family?"
"She kissed Snape," Padma piped in.
Ginny grimaced. "Seriously?"
Hermione nodded. "Please don't ask."
The red-head put her hands up. "Not going to."
"So, are you mad at us?"
Ginny sighed. "No."
The trio exhaled in relief.
"I promise I'm almost done," Hermione assured her, adding softly. "I think."
"You've kissed everyone?"
She shook her head. "There are a few left."
"Have you kissed Harry?"
Hermione blinked. "Uh…no."
"Harry!" the red-head waved her new husband over.
"Yes?" he asked, pressing a kiss to his wife's cheek.
"Kiss Hermione."
"Ginny—"
"What…?"
"Kiss!" Ginny growled, shoving Harry forward.
"I'm sorry, Harry," Hermione squeaked, leaning up and brushing a quick kiss to his gapping mouth.
Ginny poked her head around the stunned man. "Anything?"
Hermione shook her head. "Nothing."
Mrs. Potter beamed. "Oh good," she pulled her husband back into her arms. "I had to check."
"Am I ever going to understand what just happened?" Harry mused aloud.
"No love. Now go on and enjoy yourself," she patted his bum. "I'll be there shortly."
"Not going to argue that," after sharing a lingering kiss with his wife, Harry hurried away.
Ginny turned to the three again, face creased in determination. "Ok, who's next?"
"Oh, Ginny, please… I can't kiss anyone else!" Hermione pleaded. "My lips are starting to chap, I'm embarrassed beyond repair and I'm certain to be labeled as the slut at your wedding for throwing myself at all these married men! I'm just about ready to give up…"
"I will not be friends with a troll!" Ginny barked, grabbing her elbow and pulling her forward.
"You know, I'm actually surprised Sirius wasn't the one," Padma said, falling into step with them.
Hermione glanced at her. "I haven't kissed him yet."
The trio skidded to a halt quite suddenly, jerking Hermione to a teeth-rattling stop.
"You've kissed everyone, except him?" the three screeched in unison.
Hermione's wide eyes stared at her friends, baffled by their outburst. "I just never got around to it…"
"How is that even possible?" Ginny shouted, grabbing her shoulders and shaking her. "How can you forget to kiss him? You spend enough time with the guy!"
"Just because we spend time together doesn't mean he wants me to kiss him!"
The three snorted.
"Hermione, I love you - I swear to Merlin, I do - but you are the dumbest witch I have ever met!"
"Hey—" she was ignored.
"The man is crazy about you! I can't believe you haven't noticed! You've been running around here, kissing every person you come across, except the right one!"
"You're wrong, Gin," she replied. "He doesn't think of me that way! I'm like a kid sister or… a friend. He certainly doesn't want me to kiss him."
"Hermione, the man tells you how gorgeous you look in your rutty, old PJs with no makeup and your hair in a mess. He goes out of his way to go with you to the bookstore – and waits for you! He gives you massages when you've read for too long and your neck aches—"
"—and he's always watching out for you--," Padma piped in, cutting Ginny off.
"—and he asked you to be his date for the wedding," Lavender finished.
Hermione swallowed, hard. Why hadn't she noticed it before? All this time she'd been wasting her time looking for the right man and he was right in front of her.
"I have to find him!" she cried, searching through the sea of heads for his. "Has anyone seen him?"
Everyone shook their heads, glancing around with her.
"Let's ask Harry, he might know," Ginny offered, rushing out to find her husband.
Hermione waited anxiously as the red-head returned. Her apologetic expression said it all.
"Maybe he's up in his room," Lavender suggested.
"But everyone is down here," Padma pointed out.
"Well, he wouldn't leave Harry's wedding!" Ginny muttered, eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "So, he's got to be around here somewhere! Everyone split up!"
The three quickly broke apart, leaving Hermione standing alone in the middle of the room. She let the others wonder a far enough distance before turning on her heels and hurrying out of the ballroom.
She didn't know how, but she knew where he would be.
Sure enough, as soon as she reached the terrace, she saw him. He sat hunched in one of the fold-out chairs from the wedding that hadn't been put away yet. In his hand, he clutched an untouched beer. His hair was down and hung in a black curtain around his dejected expression. He'd tossed his jacket over the back of the chair and undone his collar and sleeves - and to her - he had never looked more handsome.
Hermione slipped over the threshold and walked towards him. He glanced up at the sound of her footsteps.
"Hey," he murmured, smiling half-heartedly.
She tilted her head to the side, wondering why she had never noticed it before. It was written all over his eyes the minute they had landed on her, like a man who just found the answer to some unsolved mystery.
"Hey," she whispered, taking the seat next to him. "How are you?"
He shrugged, dropping his attention back to the beer bottle. "All right. You?"
She snickered, tucking a curl behind her ear. "A lot better now."
"Oh?" he glanced up, but only briefly. "What happened?"
"Well - since this morning - I've been kissed by more people than I care to count. I've had every sort of kiss you can possibly imagine - some good, some great, and others… well, it's better left unmentioned. But despite all that, I finally found my true love."
He nodded, bringing his drink to lips, but not drinking. "Who is it?"
"Funny you should ask," she smoothed her skirt over her legs, stalling her answer. "You know him pretty well."
His head came up fast, his dark eyes wide. "It's not Harry, is it?"
Hermione laughed. "No, it's not Harry."
He exhaled, dropping back to his bent posture. "All right, so who's the guy that I know so well?"
"Guess."
He stalled for a moment, lowering his beer. "Remus?"
She shook her head.
"Ron?"
"No."
"Fred or George?"
"No and no."
"Charlie?"
She chuckled. "Let's just say it's none of the Weasleys."
He sighed, raking a hand through his hair. "Baby, just tell me, please? I'm not in the mood for games right now."
"Is something wrong?"
Silence hummed around them for five solid minutes before he spoke. "I have to tell you something."
Something heavy settled in her chest. "What is it?"
He set his drink down, rubbed his damp palms on his slacks, and turned to her. "It wasn't an accident," he murmured so softly she had to strain to hear. "The true love charm… I…"
"Sirius?"
He scrubbed his hands over his face and back into his hair, frustration rolling off him in waves. "I love you," he blurted, not pausing for her reaction before plowing on. "I don't know what I was thinking when I switched the page in the book, but I wanted to show you how right we could be together. I thought that if we could kiss – just once – that you would see… I didn't think that maybe you'd find someone else."
She touched his arm lightly. "Sirius—"
"I saw you kissing all those guys and… I knew it would be a matter of time you'd tell me I wasn't the one. That I'd made a huge mistake and now I've lost you completely. But maybe this is what I deserve for doing this to you. Losing you is probably worse than any hex you can possibly throw at me right now, but I won't stop you if you decide to curse me to an inch of my life."
A soft smile touched her lips as she reached out and stroked the side of his face. "I'm not angry with you."
His long, warm fingers captured hers and brought her knuckles to his lips. "But you must hate me."
She shook her head. "Never."
He exhaled, dropping his head, but not her hand. "So, tell me the great news. Who's the lucky guy?"
"You."
She watched him blink at his feet, his brows creasing as if he wasn't quite certain he'd heard right.
"What?"
"You're the lucky guy."
His head came up, eyes wide. "What…?"
Hermione laughed. "You heard me! You're my true love, the man I want to be with," she touched his face with her free hand. "I love you. I'm sorry it took so long for me to realize it."
He was on his feet before she could blink, dragging her along with him. The glowing smile on his face matched the giddiness in her chest as he swept her into his arms.
"You can make it up to me later," he decided, dropping his face and crushing her mouth with his.
As if she'd downed a bottle of warm honey, the curse trickled from her body, leaving her melting against him in blissful content.
No matter how many kisses she'd had that day or with whom, this kiss - with this man - would always be the perfect one.