Ice is also great

And would suffice.

I don't know how long it's been since I've been sitting on her porch. After I saw the pictures in the tabloids of her and Malfoy ring shopping I knew I needed to get my shit together and face her. I hadn't seen her in over for 4 years. Not since our graduation.

Senior year had been pretty uneventful compared to the Gala. Everyone showed up for lessons the next day waiting to see if Hermione or I would act differently. To see if we would slip up and reveal anything that would make the claims Ginny stated true.

And speaking of Ginny, she didn't show her face until the second week of school. And when she returned she was out for blood. My blood to be specific. Whenever we were in our advanced Vocal classes together she'd make sure she sung over me. And when the teacher would call her out for it she would blame me, saying that she was only trying to save the class from hearing my out-of-tune squawking. Her little comments all day long didn't bother me. The fact that she continued to sit across from me and viciously eat her food while glaring at me didn't bother me either. It didn't even bother me when she made out with Pansy Parkinson, Malfoy's female double and flaunted their 'relationship'. If anything, I considered it a blessing when she sat at Pansy's table on those occasions.

What bothered me was Hermione's lack of reaction. I was used to her pretending as though I didn't exist while we were at school. I dealt with that for two years. She was in some of my classes our last year though. After Dumbledore's announcement of her other talents, she was placed in both of my advanced vocal and choreography classes, and we both had to attend weekly meeting with Dumbledore and the two other students for our projects. But in every occasion, she pretended as though I didn't exist.

After some of the students heard Hermione's voice and witnessed her dance style, they quickly realized that she wasn't the weirdo others made her seem, she was actually, really extraordinary. Hermione caught on really quickly in class. She was able to quickly match pitch with whomever Madame McGonagall partnered her with (which was never me) and she could memorize entire dance routines like it was nothing. The teachers constantly praised her. And it wasn't long before the students began to fawn over her the same way they used to fawn over us.

But Hermione never changed who she was. She didn't really engage in the other students' butt-kissing, choosing rather to stick to herself mostly. Although she did make good friends with Neville and Luna.

Apparently, I was the one who had changed. First it was Ron who called me out on it.

"Seriously man, I'm going to need you to snap out whatever has been going on with you lately." Ron threw down his carrot with a look of disgust. Lavender put him on a diet restriction because she claimed he had begun to put on a few pounds in the wrong places.

"You've been acting weird ever since the Gala. You have your headphones in most of the time, even in class. And you've been dodging everyone's calls." Ron said.

"I'm fine."

"If you're fine, then I'm not black." Dean scoffed. Seamus snorted Milk out of his nose, causing Lavender to screech in outrage.

"Gross Seamus!" Lavender patted down her shirt. The Patil twins, Freshmen Pakistani girls Lavender had sort of adopted into the group quickly reached for napkins to help clean her off.

"Don't tell me you're still upset that I didn't hang out with you last Friday." Ron leaned forward and peeked over at Lavender to make sure she was still distracted with fixing her clothes. "I told you Lavender finally let me go all the way that night."

I felt my cheeks burn and looked down, unable to finish the rest of my sandwich.

"No, I-I told you it was cool. I mean I get it. She's your girl. You're not obligated to always hang out with me. We're not kids anymore."

"Besides," Seamus wiggled his brows, "Potter knows what it's like. He was banging Granger for a year. I'm pretty sure he would've ditched us too."

"Shut your fucking mouth Seamus." I narrowed my eyes at him. But he only smiled and shrugged.

"What. I'm not judging." He put his hands up in defense. "I've always thought she was kind of hot."

Dean punched him in the arm. "Quit it man. That's his ex you're talking about."

"She's not his ex! He wouldn't go out with her! She's—he wouldn't do that to me." Ron spit at Seamus and Dean. And I looked away towards her table. I thought Ron had forgotten all about that conversation we had back in Freshman year that we swore we would never talk about again.

He had confessed that the new girl was really pretty and that he was thinking about asking her out. But the next month when we all went to a party these two seniors were throwing, Ron got drunk and made a fool of himself. He approached and told her that she was 'fucking hot for a Pixel. And If the school didn't think she was so much of a freak he would consider asking her out'. Hermione broke his collarbone that night and ripped out that God awful earring (yes—he only wore one) he wore that year.

That weekend he spent the night at my house recovering and he told me that he felt bad saying all of that because he genuinely liked her and he got really nervous around people. It was kind of that night that started the war between Hermione and the rest of the school. The students that saw the altercation spread rumors that Hermione was a freak and that she was kicked out of her last school for killing a guy. Ginny, not taking lightly to having her brother get beat up (even though she was only an eighth grader at the time) came to school the following year with an intense dislike for a girl she had never met.

I pushed myself away from the table no longer being able to take the conversation about my maybe-maybe not relationship with Hermione last year. I didn't notice the pair of whiskey eyes that followed my exit, nor did I notice the frown on the freckled redhead's face that stares holes into my back.

It wasn't until the following week when Ron spent the night over my house because his mom was pissed that he spent part of his college fund on a house for he and Lavender, that Ron confronted me.

Ron was laying on the sofa in my room and I should've known he wasn't asleep since I hadn't heard his familiar snores.

"You really did date her, didn't you?"

I was quiet for a long time. Not knowing if I should pretend to be asleep or not.

"Yeah."

He let out a breath and waited a minute before speaking again.

"Why didn't you say anything? To me? I'm your best friend. I mean," I heard him move around on the sofa and I know he sat up. "I know I told you that I had a thing for her, but that was three years ago. I would've gotten over the fact that you went for my girl."

I rolled my eyes and sat up. Something welled up inside me and I couldn't swallow it back down.

"You want to know why, Ron? Why I didn't tell you or Dean or Shay?" I didn't wait for him to respond. "It was because I knew how you guys would react. You're all a bunch of spoiled, judgmental pricks."

I laughed incredulously but continued. "It's not like I'm all that better since I never stopped you guys. I hated the way you talked about her or laughed at your sister's comments. I wanted to punch you so many times. But I didn't want to lose your friendship either. Ron, we've known each other our whole lives. You hold grudges and get angry over the smallest thing. If I told you that not only was I dating the girl you liked and who had humiliated you back in freshman year, but I was also completely in love with the girl everyone enjoyed using as a verbal punching bag, you would've been pissed. And we probably wouldn't still be friends."

I huffed and laid back down. I turned my back to him after a minute when he didn't respond. Then I heard him take in a deep breath.

"A: You're an idiot if you think that we'll ever not be friends. Harry, you're stuck with me. My anger issues and snoring and all," I laughed with him, "B: Yeah, I wouldn't have reacted well. But I would've come to my senses and stood by you. God knows that Ginny would've kicked your ass and you would've needed some back up."

I snorted.

"Okay," he backtracked, "someone to at least call you an ambulance."

"And C: If you were in love with her, why didn't you treat her that way."

I shrugged, forgetting he couldn't see me in the darkened room. "I guess I didn't realize it for what it was and I didn't want to feel everyone's judgement. I just wanted to enjoy the time I had with her."

He scoffed. "I think you knew you were in love with her and you chickened out, preferring you live in denial. You knew that if you could admit to yourself that you were in love with her, you would feel really shitty for the way you basically let everyone believe she meant nothing to you."

I didn't say anything. Because a large part of myself knew that he was right. Just like Hermione had said so long ago, I'm afraid of being right.

My parents and Sirius were next to note my behavior. After that talk between Ron and I, I felt myself sort of pull away and reevaluate everything. Was I really this huge coward? Was it so obvious to everyone around me but me?

My dad pulled me aside and told me about how he faced a lot of backlash when he began to seriously pursue mom. Grandpa was a fan of her background and didn't support their union and was very vocal about it publicly. And when mom began to receive death threats from some of dad's fans he considered breaking up with her to save her. But then he thought about how mom made him feel and that he would have given everything up, his career and his relationship with his father, if it meant that he could just be with her. He told me that sometimes we have to face difficult decisions where we have to possibly sacrifice everything for our own happiness, and it's those moments that define who we are.

I told him he only had dad's disapproval. I had to face both he and mom, Sirius, Remus, and all of the Weasleys, whom I considered family. He shrugged and said the disapproval of family is the same whether it's one person or a hundred. It still hurts all the same.

Mom talked to me not long after and told me that she and dad would support me in all of my endeavors. She only cared about what made me happy.

Sirius...well he just slapped me on the back and told me I dodged a bullet with the red she-devil and that the weird silent chicks are always the kinkiest. Then he handed me a box full of condoms and told me that I needed them just in case I 'got my shit together and made up with the bird'.

And while all of that (minus Sirius) made me feel a bit better and a lot more confident that I had my family and friends behind me now, it didn't change the fact that Hermione wouldn't give me the time of the day.

I tried approaching her two months before the showcase. She was in the dance studio going over a routine and I watched from the hallway. Ginny chose to sit at our table today and I was getting fed up with her attitude.

"Are you just going to stand there and watch or are you going to actually say something?"

I jumped, not realizing that she noticed me. She bent to turn off the stereo and turned to face me, her hands on her hips. She wore workout shorts and a sports bra. Her chest was moving up and down, ragged from lack of breath. And the tan skin that I had become so accustomed to was glistening with sweat.

"I uh—"

"What?" Her mouth was fixed and her eyes stared at me hard.

My eyes flickered between her dark brown ones and I sighed looking away from her. Not being able to take the disgust she was throwing at me.

"Never mind. I'll just go."

I made to turn around when she laughed sharply.

"Yeah, you're good at that. You haven't said anything to me all year. If I didn't know any better I would think that I was just a piece of ass to keep your bed warm."

I could feel a red hot sensation well up inside me.

"You know it wasn't like that for me!" I yelled at her. I looked behind me making sure nobody heard my outburst and walked in the studio, slamming the door behind me. "You were more than a piece of—a piece of—!"

"Ass, Potter, " She rolled her eyes.

"Stop calling me that! Hell, I'd prefer Kid at this point."

She glared at me. "My 'Kid'," she sneered at me, "wasn't some little redhead's bitch. Sure, he definitely could've used a pair of balls on more than one occasion, but he wouldn't have let his life be run by everyone else around him." She grabbed a towel and her face of the sweat. "He definitely would have said something that night. Or have approached me since then."

"When? Huh? When?! After you left so fast with your family that I couldn't find you afterwards? Or what about all of the dinner invites my parents gave to the Tonks? Or the ignored phone calls and messages? When was I supposed to apologize about that night, huh? I screwed up, okay! I KNOW!"

She just looked passively at me before reaching for her water bottle and drinking from him. The only thing that could be heard was my loud breathing.

"We left because they took me out to dinner and told me that they were considering adopting me. We almost didn't make the dinner reservations in time because your friend decided to tell the whole world that I deflowered you. I'm never at your stupid dinners because I rather not face the parents of the guy I was hooking up with for better part of a year. Not only did you not claim me as your girlfriend, but I wasn't even good enough for the label booty call... No! Weasley was delusional for suggesting such a thing. I mean, damn! I know I never outright said you were my boyfriend, but I thought it was a bit more obvious than that. And I don't answer your calls or texts because I want you to be a man and face me!"

I stomped over to her. "I'm facing you now!" I grabbed her arms, not squeezing, just holding her. It had been so long since I touched her I almost forgot what it felt like to touch her. "I'm here now! I'm trying. I'm trying to be a better man for you now!"

She shook her head and laughed.

I growled. "Stop laughing at me! Dammit Hermione. I don't know what else you want me to do! I-I told my parents and I talked to Ron. I realized that I was afraid for nothing. And...it makes me feel even worse because I know I lost you for nothing. I'm not—I mean, I would like another chance, to do it right, but I know I don't deserve it."

"You're damn right about that." She crossed her arms, shaking out of my embrace.

I sighed. "I don't know what to say to make any of this better or easier."

We were both quiet until the bell rang.

"There's nothing." She said and walked past me out the door, grabbing her duffle bag on the way.

She didn't speak to me again until right before the Showcase when she told me congratulations before heading into the room. I was sitting next to Dorea with my parents, watching her sign to me about her day. I was nervous and Dorea could sense it. She was always so attuned to me.

Hermione's name was called and I watched all of the Tonks hug her. Nymphadora stood with Remus and little Teddy and told her to 'knock them dead little sis'. I knew the adoption had went through. I wished I had been there for her. I knew how much it meant for her to be a part of a family for once.

She came out two hours later and Teddy ran to hug her legs. When my name was called my father gripped my shoulder and my mother messed with my hair. I huffed out a sigh and broke away from her, embarrassed. I heard a small chuckle and I looked towards that direction. Hermione was looking down at her shoes but I knew that chuckle from anywhere. I had my hand on the door that would decide the rest of my life when she spoke.

"Good Luck Harry."

That was the last time my heart skipped at the sound of my name on her lips.

She was gone by the time I finished and the last week of school went by in a blur. Graduation was a huge event and the party my parents threw was lavish. But I didn't want to celebrate anything. I was scared out of my mind. I was stressing about signing with one of the recording labels that offered me deals and I didn't want to be around everyone. I found myself wandering out to my backyard and making my way up the half-constructed treehouse.

I looked around, imaging a small figure with dark brown and colorful curly hair sitting cross legged inside. Her feet dangling off the edge of the unfinished portion. Her staring at me with those knowing pools of swirling amber and mouth turned up in a mischievous smirk. I closed my eyes and I could practically hear her teasing me of hiding away from my 'adoring fans'. She didn't come that night. But I couldn't find it in myself to resent her for it. I probably wouldn't have shown up either.

Four years had passed by in the blink of an eye. I signed with Durmstrang Records and my career shot off almost instantly. My first album went platinum and my second and third both went double platinum. Ron is my publicist and Lavender is my stylist and they are constantly arguing over my public image. They had a nasty split when they were engaged and are now sharing custody of their twin girls Rose and Jasmine. Ginny married Parkinson and both are famous actresses. Dean started his own hip hop record label and it's been taking off really well. Last I heard of Seamus he had been arrested for public indecency.

Both of my parents picked up teaching positions at Hogwarts and Dorea has been having a hard time adjusting to having her parents constantly watching over her. She's a musical prodigy despite her hearing impediments. Juilliard has already started scouting her. And Cyrus, well he's recently discovered girls don't have cooties and is a huge terror to his third grader teacher.

Sirius, if you can believe it, used some of the fortune he inherited and started his own foster home. He was really adamant a while back about me getting a girlfriend that I finally broke down and told him everything about Hermione. Her past in the foster care system really stuck out to him and vowed to help out those kids. He's even been dating this lady named Marlene who's a social worker.

And Remus, well he and Nymphadora eloped not long after I graduated, much to the annoyance of their parents. But they were in love and it wasn't that much of a surprise. He officially adopted Teddy, whose father died before he was born, and they had another little boy a year later. They called him RJ. And now the love birds are going to have their third child in a couple of months. They both decide that they wanted this to be a surprise, but I know both of them are secretly hoping for a little girl. Nymphadora told me at her baby shower that if it's a little girl they're going to name her Mia after her aunt.

Which kind of brings me here. Sitting outside of Hermione Granger, family photographer to the stars, waiting until she got home. Hermione lived in a private complex in LA, not too far from her ex-boyfriend Draco Malfoy.

...Okay, so maybe I had done a bit of research.

You see, Hermione, while she wasn't a huge fan of the publicity, has been in the spotlight since she graduated. Her end of year project was a short documentary about modern adolescent self-discovery that got critical acclaim and won a few awards. She also remained close friends with Luna, who became a supermodel, and Neville, who is now the youngest most sought-after director. It also doesn't hurt that she kept contact with Draco Malfoy, the heir to Malfoy industries and the biggest playboy in Hollywood.

She's constantly a feature on Malfoy's reality show and, as much as I hate to support anything Malfoy's in, I can't help but follow it hoping to get a glimpse of her life. She's not on a lot but her and Malfoy are constantly seen together on outings. Many are speculating if they were having an affair that lead to divorce between he and Duchess Astoria Greengrass. They've both denied it, but it doesn't help that they are very close.

And it was the promos for the next season hinting at Malfoy's love life reveal and the tabloid photo of Draco and Hermione at a jewelry store ring shopping that had me running out of the studio and jumping into my car.

I called Nymphadora on Bluetooth in my car and begged for Hermione's address. After receiving an ear full from her and then one from Remus for upsetting his pregnant wife, it was Teddy that mentioned she lived near cousin Draco.

I was stopped twice by Police but gave them autographs for their daughters and were let off with warnings. The security guard at the gate to the complex was a bit tougher to convince, but I eventually won him over when I agreed to sing at his son's sweet sixteen. Apparently, his son has yet to come out of the closet and he knows he's a fan, so this is a way of encouraging him.

I checked my watch and noticed that it's been three hours and the sun wasn't helping me. I took off my jacket a while ago, but the heat combined with my nervousness had me sweating through my shirt. Fidgeting for the last forty minutes with the soaked top had me shedding it finally. I prayed that no one would notice me because this would look very bad and Ron would be pissed.

He told me last year to reach out to her and quit my moping. I did an interview with Jimmy Fallon who asked me about my lack of a love life.

"The female lead in your latest music video was very...uh enthusiastic." We were both looking at the screen where my music video for The Taste of You played and the female lead, Romilda Vane, caressed me while we laid in bed.

"Yeah uh, my little sister isn't allowed to watch the video." I said looking away and blushing slightly.

The audience laughed when Jimmy who nodded furiously.

"Yeah that would make dinner conversations very awkward. But speaking of love interests, do you have a leading lady in your real life? The media is always pairing you with different actresses and models, but they're never around long."

I laughed, used to this questioning. I shrugged.

"Come on, tell uncle Jimmy a little something." The audience laughed again at him. He leaned over and twirled his hair like a teenage girl. "Spill the tea girl. You are way too dee-lish to not have someone."

I cracked up at his impression and found myself revealing a bit.

"No," I said once I caught my breath. "There isn't anyone and hasn't been one for about four years, or so. Going on five, actually. She uh—was a high school sweetheart and I was an idiot." I scratched behind my ear, nervous.

Jimmy nodded like he knew exactly what I meant.

"I didn't uh, appreciate a good thing when I had it. She was—is an amazing woman. And I haven't quite found my footing since I fell for her all those years ago."

The audience awwed and the woman swooned.

"Well I hope whoever she is she's out there watching and you two can patch things up. When we come back from the break Harry's going to perform his new song The Taste of You."

Ron yelled at me for an hour about that interview because we hadn't discussed it before the taping. We agreed to keep it discreet about my love life. And he told me to reach out to Hermione to make amends. But old habits die hard and every time I picked up the phone to call or thought about going over to the Tonks on Sunday nights when they had family dinner, I chickened out, always making up an excuse.

But not today. And I stood up from my spot on her steps when I saw a green truck pull into the driveway. My breath caught as she exited the driver seat. And a whoosh of air left my body as I noticed a blonde man exit the passenger side. Malfoy looked between Hermione and I before opening the back seat and pulling out a little girl, who couldn't be any older than four.

I heard Hermione tell him that she would be fine and to give her a minute. I couldn't drag my eyes away from the little girl with big brown eyes and curly blonde hair.

Hermione stopped in front of me and I took her in. She still used the shampoo that smelled like apples and she wore her hair up in a messy bun. I noticed a lack of color and it almost made me a bit sad that she didn't look exactly like the girl I remembered. But the short shorts and the green shirt and matching sneakers reminded me that she was still in there somewhere.

"Is there a reason why you're standing half naked on my property?" She asked.

Her voice still sounded the way I remembered it. The freckles that decorated the bridge of her nose has darkened slightly over the years.

"Geesh. You're turning red. How long have you been here?" Her eyes ran over my form and I felt a small rush as her eyes kept straying to my abdomen. I made a mental note to thank my personal trainer later.

"Are you just going to stand there looking at me?" She asked, her eyes piercing into me.

"I... I uh—"

"You're sweaty," she walked closer to me "your hair's a mess," she put a hand over her eyes and glared through the sun in her eyes, "and you're stuttering. Can you get more embarrassing?"

I fought against the strong urge to turn and walk away, quickly. Until I noticed the teasing smile at corner of her lips.

I looked at her through my lashes "What would you say if I told you I had been sitting here for three hours?"

She laughed. "Three hours! You're lucky you're not dead."

I smiled softly at her. "How've you been?"

She smiled wryly, "Not as good as you superstar."

I rolled my eyes. "I wouldn't say that." I gestured to the house behind me. "You have a great career, a beautiful house, a family of your own..." I hinted at the blondes inside.

She rolled her eyes and chuckled. "Subtle, Kid. No, she's my niece actually. Agnes, my half-sister reached out to me about a year ago and she and Drake hit it off pretty fast. Lucy's her daughter and she's very taken by him. I babysit a lot. Drake's off work for the day so, we're gonna take her to the zoo."

I nodded and pretended as though my heart didn't just kickstart at the fact that she was still single. Still available. Still...mine.

"I've never been to the zoo."

She peeked up at me and smiled wide. She bent to pick up my jacket and sweaty shirt. She walked past me towards her house and looked back at me.

"I guess I'm taking another one of your firsts today." And I smirked with her, following her towards the rest of our life together.

That's it.