Disclaimer….. All characters are the copyright of JK Rowling
Marry Me Harry part two
'I can't believe I did it, I really did it, I asked him to marry me and he said yes. I even chose a day. I don't even know why I chose the date it's not special or anything 'August 14', one month and one day from today. Hermione lay on her bed thinking of the evening's events and the confusing things leading up to it.
Just three short mixed up days ago she had found him crying. The man she had known for most of her life, the one she thought of as her rock. Her best friend was breaking his heart right there in their living room.
Years ago he had been devastated when his wife Ginny had died but even then he had not cried so hard or from so deep down. In fact in the seventeen years she had known him she had rarely seen him cry. Oh he could show his emotions like anger and joy but when it came to sadness or tears he always kept it bottled up.
That day something must have happened that finally pushed him over the edge. It had taken her a while to work out what it was.
There was one thing that he had always wanted but every time he seemed to be about to fulfil his dream something happened to snatch it away. Some how that day all his desires longing and need had somehow overwhelmed him. He told her of things he never told before, of wants she never knew he had, he told her of his suffering and pain.
She had called him in to dine, she knew he was home he had accompanied her from work so she was puzzled when he did not answer and she went to fetch him.
Her first reaction when she saw his tears was shock then sadness; he never cried not 'Harry'. He was always the strong one. He had suffered so much, given so much and lost so much and most of it in silence. But the sadness only lasted for as long as it took her to put her arms around him and to pull him into an embrace.
Some thing in the pit of her stomach had stirred at the contact. Something in her chest seemed to grow and expand and there was a throb somewhere where her legs joined. She had never held him in that way before, she had never felt the way she felt right then, she knew he was thought of as a desirable man and was handsome and strong, he always had been, but she had never consciously thought about him the way she was feeling as she held him in that tight embrace.
She wanted him! It came to her like a fire inside as she felt his shoulder resting against her breast. She wanted him to take her and make love to her right there on the living room floor, not knowing what was happening with her emotions she had tried to push them aside and concentrated on calming him down.
The following day as she sat in her office her confusion began, she tried to work out how she felt, she was twenty eight years old now, but since Ron, she had never wanted a man in her life. She sifted through her memories, her time with Ron as a boyfriend had been short, too short, but as she sat and thought about it she had never wanted Ron the way she wanted Harry right then.
She could not remember looking at Ron and wanting his children, she had sometimes wanted his body. That was teenage lust but she never wanted him enough to actually have sex with him. She had thought she was in love with him, but now she was no longer sure it had been love. Had she only been with Ron because she could be closer to Harry that way? was that why she had never allowed any intimate touching other than kissing?
She remembered times when she had been jealous of the women who looked at Harry and flung them selves at him. She remembered the jealousy when Harry kissed Cho Chang, and she thought about Ginny. She had been jealous but ok with Ginny it had been hard at first, but because Harry had found happiness with Ginny she felt happy. At the time she had thought it was because they were taking away her best friend, now she began to think differently.
Confusion lifted its ugly head as she tried to work it all out. For years she had lived with him at Potter Hall, years she had been happy, content to sit with him at night or to cook a meal for him. She was happy to wake in the morning and have breakfast with him, to watch him read the paper or sift through the mail. She was as happy to dress formally and accompany him to the many functions he was invited to, as she was to do his laundry when it was needed. Why then was she no longer happy to carry on living the way they were?
Was it possible that one embrace could have awakened something in side her that had been buried, hidden somewhere deep in her heart? Could that one embrace have woken up a love she had never acknowledged?
Or maybe it was simply a desire she had not known about, a desire to have children, had Harry simply woken the latent mother in her soul? Or was it that she had now seen the man she had always known lay just below the surface, and she had been the only one he had exposed himself too. She had seen the real Harry, the one that Ginny had known was there hidden inside. He had revealed himself to her, no one else, not even Ginny.
For three days her memories and thoughts refused to allow her to work, for three long days and the nights that separated them, she kept running it over in her mind. Each time she thought about it she always came to the same conclusion 'I want him, I want his children, I want happiness and a family and I want Harry' that's why I have never been interested in other men, I have always had Harry. For seventeen years we have been together so I have never needed to look at others, its why I never wanted sex with Ron. I'm in love with my best friend…
Breakfast on the third day helped her to make up her mind. Harry had been reading the paper as usual while Hermione was still struggling with her confusion.
Harry suddenly put the paper down and reached across the table, taking her hand in his he gave it a squeeze and said "Thanks for understanding."
She felt it like an electric shock, a tingling feeling that travelled from her hand to a place deep down in her core then spread through her body sending heat to her heart and to the area between her legs.
She knew then that what she had been so confused about was love, deep, enduring, never ending love, love that had finally been aroused from its long sleep.
That day at work she had worked hard to convince her self that she should do something, she knew from bitter experience if she waited for someone else to do something it might never happen.
She had waited for four years for Ron to make the first move, four long lustful unrequited years.
Her plan would be simple, she would cook them a meal, nothing special just his favourite desert to make it a good meal. Then she would join him in the living room, pour him a glass of his favourite brandy and while he relaxed on the couch she would ask him if he would marry her, it was simplicity itself.
Well it was till her mind began its usual analysis of what she had just decided on, it suddenly no longer seemed simple but merely stupid, Harry did not see her that way, she wasn't even sure he saw her as a woman any more.
No this would require more subtlety more finesse, she had to make him see her as a woman, she should visit the store and buy a fantastically sexy dress and wear it when they had dinner. That plan was disregarded as soon as it had begun to formulate.
She was determined that she would ask him today but even as she opened the door and entered their home she still had no plan. The thought came to her that now was the time to stop planning analysing and thinking, now it is time to just get on with it.
She walked in to the living room immediately noticing he was not there, the French window was open so he must be out in the garden. Walking to the window she called for him to come in.
Harry came slowly from the garden a small frown on his face; he took a seat in his usual chair.
I have to do this, I have to say it, to ask him, if I don't I may never forgive myself; she told her self as she looked at him, she had never felt so nervous.
She began "Harry I have something to say, I want you to promise me you will not interrupt me for any reason whatsoever, do you promise."
Harry promised and sat back and she could tell he was wondering.
"I have been thinking about what you said the other night, in fact I have thought of little else since. I can give you a family; together we can create a happy family home full of happy children,"
'There' she thought 'I did it' and then doubt stole over her, it did not sound the way she wanted, it should sound like more of a proposal of marriage.
And she had done just that, she had asked him to marry her and to give her as many babies as he wanted, together they could make a happy life, she no longer felt to old to be a mother, if Harry was to walk in her room right now she would let him make love to her and she would not mind the pain of the first time, she would not use a contraception spell. She would have his child.
She heard the gentle knock on her door and her heart sank as far down as it could go.
She was almost instantly convinced it was Harry come to tell her it was all a mistake. He would she knew, let her down gently, he would not want to hurt her to much.
"Come in," she called as she sat up on the end of the bed. Fear and apprehension filling her heart
Harry came through the doorway his cheeks a little red, "Can I have a word please Hermione?" he asked quietly.
Hermione took a deep breath this was it she knew it, he had changed his mind, tomorrow she would have to pack her things and find a new place to call home. She could not stay here after being rejected. "Yes Harry dear what is it?"
Harry cleared his throat "I—that is well, I was thinking that maybe a wedding in a months time might not be the best idea," Harry paused and took a deep breath before continuing "I sort of hoped we could forget that idea- and sort of if you want to that is-, tomorrow we could go to the Alley and collect two wedding rings then on to the Burrow and ask Arthur to marry us this week end."
Hermione almost fainted as she finally took a breath; Harry wants to marry me this week end, repeated over and over in her head.
Harry not sure how to take the silence began to blush furiously then he started to back from the room, "Sor- sorry Hermione I er- well I'll just go."
"Would you kiss me Harry?" She asked as she walked over to him.
...
