a word from me: I'm finally prepared to put up Chapter 4. I was quite busy with work and was sick for almost a week! I'm pretty excited about this chapter as this will escalate to a very long Chapter 5 which I will probably put up in two weeks time.

So enjoy and please leave reviews.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

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It was a bright Tuesday afternoon when Harry walked down the alley with a much lighter step. He seemed to be in a jovial mood and his heart was fluttering every time he thought about her. He was glad that Hermione decided to come to Istanbul with him. He was nervous when he asked her and he tried to sound nonchalant about it. He even practiced what he was going to say in front of the mirror. He wanted to look excited but not overly eager. He wanted to sound like it was a conversation between two friends but at the same time he hoped that he would sound just a bit more than that. He did not know when it happened or how it happened but he had been feeling this way for quite a while.

He had been denying it thinking that his affections for Hermione were from one friend to another. Everytime she was around him, he wanted to be next to her. Everytime a guy checks her out he had this emotion that rose up from the pit of his stomach and up to the tip of his heart; he only found out much later that it was jealousy. He only had eyes for her everytime they spent time in the club or a nice restaurant. If they were at a party, he would search for her in the crowd, giving her the casual smile that he had practiced. He would lie down on his bed every night, staring into the ceiling and wondering if she was thinking of him like he was thinking of her. He would close his eyes picture Hermione in his head and smiles.

Harry was not sure if he should tell Hermione. They had been friends for more than 10 years and if he telling her breaks the friendship, he would never forgive himself. He cared a lot about her and would not want to offend or hurt her in any way.

He bought a bouquet of flowers along the way. They were lilies and he knew she would love it. They had no plans together that day but he was going to surprise her with a visit. He made his way to St Mungo's and took the elevator to the fourth floor where her office was located. As soon as the door opens the big sign "Spell Damage Department" greeted him. He walked, fairly quickly straight ahead and made the third left turn. He was greeted by Michelle; Hermione's assistant and he gestured with his finger to his lips for her to remain quiet. She nodded her head and remained seated on her chair, the smile on her lips still intact.

Harry knocked on the door twice and heard Hermione answering to it. "What is it Michelle?"

He opened the door with the flowers held with his right hand in front of his chest. Hermione looked up from whatever she was doing and squealed in delight.

"Harry what are you doing here?" Hermione got up from her seat and walked towards Harry who gave her a hug and a kiss on her right cheek. "Lilies! I love lilies!" Harry held it to her and she took it with both of her hands, brushing her fingers on Harry's. She proceeded to the vase sitting on the corner of her table. She threw away the ones that were in the vase and replaced it with Harry's.

"I was wondering if you would be free for lunch." Harry said. He thought that it would sound more careless rather than asking her. It would seem like he was asking her out on a date if he made it sound like a question. He knew that Hermione would not mind either way but ever since he felt this way towards Hermione, he found himself backtracking and thinking about what he should do or say.

"Of course. Just give me a minute and let me clear this thing I was working on." Hermione said.

Harry took a seat on the brown leather couch that was placed in the corner of the room. He scanned the room and found it cozy. Hermione had placed pictures of her family and her on her desk. Mr Granger was on her left side while Mrs Granger was on her right. The background of the picture was the Eiffel Tower, rising up elegantly towards the clear blue sky. On the wall were pictures of the trio taken from the different trips they had made together. There was one of them in Hermione's dorm room when she was at the Healer Institution in France, a picture of Ron and Hermione when she visited him in Scotland and a picture of Harry and Hermione at the celebration party after winning the cup a few weeks ago.

"You ready?"

Harry nodded his head and they walked out of her office together. They walked to a nearby bistro that sells the best croissant sandwich that Harry ever tasted. The lettuces and the tomatoes always tasted fresh like it was hand picked from a plantation in the backyard minutes before it was served on the plate. During lunch they talked about Harry's scheduled training which was due to start in two weeks. Harry asked Hermione about her work which was her passion. It seemed like Hermione was fond about what she was doing. Her career was slowly carving itself into her life, making it into some kind of instrument to keep her alive. Harry did not mind hearing her talked about her career and about what she did at work. He not only hears but he listened, carefully taking notes mentally about her patients and how she had healed them.

"Did Ginny tell you her good news?" Hermione asked.

"Hmmm…let me guess…she was invited to try out for the Harpies?" Harry said with a grin.

"I have a feeling she did not tell you but somehow you already know about this."

"That's because I was the one who told Gwenog Jones how brilliant Ginny is." Harry said quite smugly and winked. "You and I both know that it's Ginny's dream to play professional Quidditch. So I thought I give her a hand."

"That's nice of you Harry. Always thoughtful."

Harry felt a rush of warmth on his ears and it spreads downwards to his body as soon as he heard that. After lunch, they made their way back slowly to St Mungo's and this was when Harry was told the bad news.

"Harry, we have to cancel that trip to Istanbul." Hermione said softly.

"What? But why?" Harry said slightly taken aback. Hermione took his arm and looped it around hers gently. It caused Harry to look up at her and saw the expression on her face. She was blushing, the colour slowly rushing up to her cheeks.

"Please know that I'm not blowing you off…it's just that there's this guy who I quite fancy." Hermione said and Harry's heart started to thump wildly.

What guy? How come I did not know anything about him?

Thoughts were zooming around his head but he kept it to himself. He would not want his reaction to scare Hermione.

"There's this Auror, I've been treating…" Hermione started. "His name is Kyle." She added quickly. "He asked me out and it falls on the same weekend as our trip."

"Can't you reschedule it?" Harry asked. I asked you first, he thought.

"Well, he will be away to Sweden for one week starting Sunday which was why I said yes. I mean he finally asked me out and we've been flirting occasionally when he comes down for an appointment with me." She started to blush again and Harry suddenly felt hot around his neck, regretting wearing the blue sweater that day.

Flirting? An appointment with her? How many times? Harry reserved the thoughts inside his head and he was quiet for a while. Hermione noticed that he was and broke the silence.

"Harry please don't be angry with me. I promised we'll go the weekend after this." Hermione pleaded.

Harry woke up from his thoughts and looked up at Hermione. He took a steady breath and smiled at her. "Don't be silly. Of course I'm not angry. You're right; we can always go next weekend."

Hermione sighed in relief. "Oh thank you so much Harry. And we can have Lila and Ron join us next weekend. It'll be fun." She said excitedly. That was what he wanted to avoid. He was planning a weekend for just the two of them. Maybe he could build up the courage he needed to tell her how he feels.

"Totally." Harry said. "Now tell me about this wighead." Hermione swatted his arms and he chuckled. "Fine…tell me about Kyle."

Harry nodded his head once a while acknowledging her words. He was half listening, and as usual taking mental notes on what Hermione was talking about. She said he was good looking, eyes as blue as the sky and he was two years older than they were. He had blond hair and goes to a magic school for boys in Sweden where he grew up.

Hermione went on and on about Kyle and Harry felt the pang of jealousy building up quite quickly. He breathed steadily hoping that the envy in him world just burn away. He wants to be as excited as Hermione was but he could not find a room in his heart to do that.

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It was finally Saturday and Hermione was quite excited about the date with Kyle. Earlier in the day Ginny had accompanied her to shop for a new dress. She had found it unnecessary at first but quickly realize the need when she discovered that she did not own a nice dress. She wanted to impress Kyle. He had only seen her in her Healer coat and she wants him to see her differently.

So they went to a boutique in muggle London and Hermione managed to find a violet halter neck dress that reach just above her knee and it neatly fits her curves. Ginny helped her to choose some accessories to go along with the dress.

It was 15 minutes to 6PM. Hermione took one last look at the mirror to check that her brown curls are in place. She took her purse and her coat and walked out the door. Sachway Alley was just 10 minutes away from where she lived so she decided to walk her way there slowly.

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Harry looked at the clock on the wall and sighed. It was Saturday and he knew what was on that day. He knew that Hermione would be meeting her date in five minutes and his insides were churning in envy. He would be enjoying Istanbul with Hermione if it had not been for Kyle Risis. It was unfair. Harry knew it was childish to think that Hermione should have said no just because he had asked her to Rome before Kyle asked her out on this date.

Harry kept taking glances on the clock, wondering what Hermione was doing with what he refer Kyle to as the "wighead". He was wondering if Hermione was flirting with him and his insides churned again as it did just a few minutes ago. He heard that they would be having dinner at 'The Connoisseur' and he knew what she was going to order. She would probably have the pan seared chicken breast with porcini sauce and a glass of white wine. Then she would order a chocolate truffle pudding for dessert. He knew about her so much to know what she was going to eat and what she will have for dessert. He knew what type of wine she preferred and he also could predict that she would love some mandarin orange meringue pie. But he guessed she would not be able to because he would always order that for dessert and they would share.

"No Harry you can't have a second from my pudding. I only had one of yours." Hermione said and swat his hand away.

"Since when? I can have as many as I want. I thought we're sharing." Harry scowled.

Ron chuckled at his best friends' antic.

"I will always order the pie and you'll order the pudding and we'll share. You know I can't have some from Ron's."

"Hey! What did you mean by that?" Ron asked with his arms crossed over his chest. "I can share." He added unconvincingly.

Harry smiled at that memory and was brought back to reality when he heard a knock on the door.

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"I'll have the chocolate truffle pudding please." Hermione told the waiter. She was satisfied with her pan seared chicken and she always had room for dessert. She looked expectantly at Kyle who was still reading the menu. "Need any recommendation?"

"I'm not much of a dessert person." Kyle said his eyes still on the menu. Hermione felt her face fell with disappointment and was glad Kyle did not notice it. If Harry's here he'd order the pie, she thought.

"I think I'll have what she is having." Kyle finally decided and gave back the menu to the waiter. Hermione shrugged off the slight frustration that was creeping into her and smiled at Kyle when he looked up at her.

The date had been nice so far as they discussed the recent changes going on in the Ministry. Kyle mentioned that his job might be affected if the Ministry decided to have their Aurors stationed to certain part of the globe.

"I don't mind going back to Sweden. Afterall that was where I grow up."

"What makes you come here? To England."

"When I decided to become an Auror, Sweden had not many opportunities. I've heard so much about England and how the Aurors here are well trained. I mean I've heard about Moody, Tonks, Kingsley Shackelbolt, they are all famous names in Sweden and I knew I had to come here and be trained right here in England."

"You must be good in school then. Straight A's? Hermione guessed.

"Well…I did." Kyle looked embarrassed when he revealed this piece of information.

They talked more and after finishing dessert, Kyle offered to walk Hermione home and she readily agreed.

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It was almost 9PM and Harry was still stealing glances at the clock. He felt restless. He had just finished a game of Wizard's chess with Ron and he had gone into the kitchen to have another helping of the whipped potato that Ginny had cooked earlier. Ginny and Ron dropped by for a surprise visit. Ron got back from Germany earlier than expected and Ginny wanted to personally thank Harry for helping her get the chance to tryout for the Holyhead Harpies. Thankfully, she had inherited Mrs Weasley's skills in cooking and the meal that she had prepared was sumptuous.

"If I get in Gwenog Jones herself will send me an owl. How cool is that?" Ginny said excitedly. "I tried for either Seeker or Chaser and I much prefer being a Chaser."

Ron snorted and she glared at her brother.

"What? What is it?" Harry asked sensing that there was something that Ron and Ginny knew and was not telling him.

"That boyfriend of hers is not supporting her." Ron revealed.

It happened so fast because as soon as those words came out of Ron's mouth, a zucchini was spiralling towards Ron who was lucky enought to miss it by inches. "You can't keep your mouth shut do you?"

"You know I can't...oh and that git is blaming you Harry. Said that you shouldn't have interfere in Ginny's career." Ron said adding more fuel to the already flaming Ginny.

She turned her back to Ron and helped herself to the kitchen carrying the empty plates and put it on counter top.

"Hey." Harry said tapping on her shoulder. "I'm sorry."

"You don't have to apologize Harry. It's not your fault...and ignore Draco. He's just being unreasonable...in fact I think he's jealous." Ginny added smugly.

"Why would he be?"

"I don't know Harry...he was the one who wanted to be a professor at Hogwarts since he graduated so I am not sure why he is acting this way. I wasn't the one who stopped him from becoming a professional Quidditch player and I still have not gotten any confirmation from Gwenog Jones."

"I'm sure things will go well. You just have to talk to him."

Ginny nodded her head and smiled but it faltered as soon as Ron walked into the kitchen. He apologized to Ginny and she was not letting him have it easy. However after a few minutes the tention ceased and they had laughed and talked like they did before Ron cause all the unnecessary tension. Harry's mind had to divert to Hermione occasionally and thought about what she was doing with Kyle. Are they holding hands? Is she entwining her arm around his like she always did his as they walked down the street?

Ginny left a few minutes before 10PM letting Ron and Harry hang out through the night. They played a few games of chess and after all those years, Harry still have not fully managed to beat Ron to his game. After their last game, Ron made his way to the kitchen and helped himself to more whipped potato.

"You're zoning out again." Ron pointed out when he came back to the living room.

"Huh?" Harry said turning his head to look at Ron.

"You're doing it again. Your eyes were almost blank." Ron tried to describe unsuccessfully.

"I think I'm tired."

"I may be daft at times but Harry you've been my best friend for more than 10 years. Something is bothering you." Ron scooped a big mouthful of whipped potato into his mouth and placed the bowl on the coffee table waiting for Harry's response.

Harry knew he had to tell someone about his feelings for Hermione. If he kept it to himself he might just burst and Ron had become trustworthy with secrets over the years of their friendship.

"You have to swear not to tell anyone." Harry started. That got Ron interested and he leaned in as Harry start to reveal the reasons for his behaviour for the past few hours.

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Hermione was smiling quite widely to herself. She still could feel the warmth on her cheeks and her neck started to feel the heat so she took of the scarf around her neck and drop it on the couch. She enjoyed her date with Kyle and was looking forward to meet him again when he comes back from Sweden next week. She sighed contentedly and went into her bedroom to reflect on the date. Kyle was no doubt a gentleman and he always said the right things at the right time. He made her heart flutter with excitement she felt like she could just blush all night long. She started to think about what he had said when he walked her home.

"Hermione, I really like you...a lot."

"Kyle, you really have to stop making me blush." Hermione said, almost whispering as her voice got caught in her throat.

Kyle chuckled. "Well it's true. I've been feeling that way since the first day I saw you. I think I will have to thank that first dark wizard I caught for letting us meet. If it's not for his hex, I won't be where I am right now...with you."

"Well then you have to go visit him in Azkaban then."

Kyle made a face when Hermione said 'Azkaban' and they both laughed at it. "No way I'm going there."

They reached the doorsteps to Hermione's apartment and before Kyle left, he planted a soft kiss on Hermione's right cheek and shifted his gaze to Hermione's eyes. "I'll see you soon." He whispered huskily.

Hermione shivered excitedly with the smile still plastered on her lips. She made her way to the bathroom and took off all her clothes leaving them in a heap just beside the bathroom door. She turned the knob for a warm shower to refresh herself for sleep. Once done, she put on her silk pyjamas and sat in front of the mirror. She brushed her hair, untagling her brown curls and she started to think.

She found herself comparing Kyle to Harry and was quite embarassed when she remembered doing that even when she was on her date with Kyle. It irked her just a little bit that Kyle ordered the exact same dessert as hers and thus narrowing down her need for dessert after every meal, especially dinner. But she had seen pass through that and enjpyed Kyle's company. So why was she still comparing them?

She started to close her eyes feeling the effects of the tiredness slowly sipping in. She fell into a deep sleep, forgetting the thoughts that was boggling in her head.