Disclaimer: I own none of the characters here. I just use them for my own enjoyment and wish fulfillment. Everything belongs to JK Rowling and company. No copyright infringement intended.
Summary: Set after Harry's 24th birthday party. He had an epiphany and realized he had feelings for someone he never thought he'd have feelings for. His best friend, Hermione. Will he be able to tell her? Will she want to know? Does she feel the same? Harry struggles with this as he tries to cope with his wayward feelings, while keeping their friendship alive. Harry/Hermione obviously
Author's note: I am rating this M to be safe, for language and eventual sexual situations. Also in this story world, Hermione got her parents back and restored their memories. Just in case anyone is confused why she keeps talking about them. But they're back.
Sorry just a short chapter this time, but there's more to come!
Masquerading As Your Best Friend
The next day at work did prove to be a bit challenging for them both. Hermione and Harry arrived together, and they were holding hands. A soon as everyone saw them, the gossip mill started churning full force. Everyone had witnessed the two of them literally running out of the party together, not even caring if they were mowing people down to get out of there. And everyone had speculated why they ran, or where they were going or what might be transpiring. Especially their dates. Terrence and Stacey got the piss taken out of them by several people for being blatantly dumped in the middle of a party with their entire peer group watching. Needless to say, the two of them were not pleased. But other people were just wondering if the so called wonder duo had finally caved in and shagged each other senseless. Everyone had been waiting for it to happen. There were even some bets placed on when or if the two of them would ever stop masquerading as friends, and finally jump in bed. And it appeared as if those who had money on them jumping in bed, could finally see a payday.
But once they walked in, they tried to immediately uncouple and let go of their hands. They both felt like the entire Ministry was gawking at them, and they weren't actually wrong. Hermione leaned over to Harry.
"Everyone is staring at us. Why are they staring?" she whispered to him.
"I reckon because we made a huge spectacle running out of that party. Maybe everyone thought we were under attack again?" Harry said with a shrug.
"They all know everything, don't they? We don't even have to tell anyone, they already know," she lamented.
"Yeah, it looks like. Just try and act natural and go about your day, okay?" he told her with a small smile.
"Right. Natural. Okay. Here I go," she said taking a deep breath and heading towards her office.
Harry turned and headed towards his office which was not far from hers, but on the other side of a wall. He was immediately greeted by a very pissed off looking Stacey who was technically his secretary, which made him kick himself mentally for asking her since he couldn't hide from her. She was wearing a green dress this time, and she had her arms crossed and was giving Harry a death look. He approached as slowly as he could without actually crawling towards her. And he smiled and attempted to be pleasant.
"Good morning, Stacey," he said kindly.
She just glared at him and then smacked him hard across the face and kicked his shins. He was stunned momentarily and wasn't sure whether to grab his face or his already bruised shins, from Hermione's coffee table.
"Ouch! Damn it, what the hell is with you?" he asked, knowing full well he deserved that.
"What is with me? What is with you? I thought you were nice! Everyone always said how nice you were! But you're a prat. And a fuckwit. Do you realize how mortified I was when you ran off with that stupid Hermione trollop? Everyone laughed at me!" she shouted at him, and people had gathered to watch the show.
"Okay, for starters, she's not a trollop! And second, I'm sorry! Look, it was clear our date was in the toilet, and Hermione and I have a history," he tried to explain.
"A history? Right. We all know the bloody history! I still can't believe you ditched me," she said with tears forming in her eyes.
He cringed when he saw the tears. He was much more prepared for anger and not crying. He'd rather be kicked again if he had his choice.
"Look, I'm sorry I ditched you. But I'm sort of in love with Hermione. It couldn't be helped. I had to go be with her. It wasn't even really a choice. I just had to," he told her as gently as he could.
"If you were so in love with her, why did you ask me to the party and not her?" she demanded to know.
"I did! But we sort of had a falling out. It's a long story. And I'm sure you don't care to hear it. I'm sorry, Stacey," he said holding up his hands in defeat.
She grabbed a stack of papers off her desk and threw them in Harry's face.
"These are you messages, Mr. Potter. Now please fuck off," she said haughtily as she crossed her arms again and glared at him.
He bent down and picked up the papers and nodded his head.
"Alright. Thank you. I'll be in my office," he said with a sigh.
But as he walked there, other people were offering him high fives and congratulating him on landing Hermione. Finally. He didn't know what to say or do, and hadn't had this much attention since right after the war. He just tried to be polite and nice and get inside his office as quickly as he could so he could hide. He really disliked people clamoring for his attention because he never really knew how to act. Nor did he understand why the entire office cared about his personal life so much. But he knew it kind of went with the territory. Like it or not, he was still sort of famous. And he had no doubt that at some point, someone was going to blab this private news to a paper. And he'd likely see some old stock photo of him and Hermione from when they were kids. But he didn't really have time to worry about that. He still had a job to do.
Hermione fared better than Harry, since Terrence worked in a different department at least. But other people were gossiping and asking her if she was with Harry now, and all she could do was nod, and urge everyone to get back to work. But it was apparent that nothing exciting had happened in the Ministry for a very long time, because the topic of Harry and Hermione's coupling, was making the entire place buzz with chatter. And just like Harry, she had no idea why people even cared at all who she was dating. She supposed it was just the fact that it was Harry that made it newsworthy to everyone. Especially since everyone knew how vehemently they always denied the rumors of a romance between them. But now the rumors were true. And she wasn't sure what to say to people. It wasn't anyone's business really. But after about an hour passed, Terrence made his way to her desk. He just stood there and stared at her, and she refused to look up, pretending to be busy.
"I know you see me. I know you know I'm here. And we both know why I'm here," Terrence announced finally.
She looked up at him sheepishly. "Oh hey. Sorry about the party," she mumbled, feeling stupid.
"Yeah, sorry. I can't believe you ran off with that wanker and left me standing there," he told her with some disbelief.
"He's not a wanker. I thought you actually liked him. You went to his birthday," she reminded him.
"I only went because I heard there was gonna be free booze. He's not my friend. And obviously he never will be. I'd expect him to do something crazy like steal my girlfriend, but I thought you were better than that to run off."
"Excuse me? Your girlfriend? I was never your girlfriend. We had one date. And it was awful. Honestly, even if Harry didn't steal me, I would have walked away all on my own. You're a pig, Terrence," she informed him with a glare.
"A pig? How am I a pig?" he asked taking offense.
"Do you even remember how many times you grabbed my ass or what you whispered in my ear? Ugh. You're appalling!"
"Honestly, no, I don't remember all that much. Except you running out! I didn't mean to be a pig," he said apologetically.
"Well it doesn't matter. It's not happening again. And that's not just because of Harry. It's because of you," she told him.
"So what, you love Harry then? Like he's your boyfriend now? Or did you just let him take a poke in the name of friendship?" Terrence asked harshly.
"Get out of my office. And just leave me alone. You're a world class jerk. Why don't you go find Stacey? I hear she's pretty easy and also of the dumped. Go bother her," Hermione said angrily.
Terrence just gave her a glare and walked away. She was relieved to have him out of her sight. And her life. She couldn't believe he actually thought that one party date made her his girlfriend! That was ridiculous. But she just shook her head and tried to focus on work as best as she could.
When lunch time arrived, she and Harry met each other on the way to the cafeteria. They both exchanged harried glances, and they realized they'd both been pestered all day by the entire office.
"So are people high fiving you too?" Harry wondered, as they walked.
"High fiving me? No. But they are asking a lot of very nosy questions. I had no idea we made such a huge splash by running away," she admitted.
"Well it's not every day two people literally run out of a party like they're being chased by Death Eaters. At least not, these days. Plus, we apparently knocked over a few people on our way out. So as getaways go, it wasn't very inconspicuous," he told her with a small smile.
"True. I just don't know why everyone cares so much," she shook her head.
"Because people care what we do. We're still under a microscope. At least I am. And to hear other people tell it, this was something everyone had been waiting for, for some reason."
"Everyone really needs to get a life, I think," she sighed.
"True. But you and I are like this readymade wizard soap opera. The rumors about us have been swirling since we were fourteen. And now everyone gets the big payoff I guess."
They got in line at the cafeteria and picked out their food absently, while the workers behind the counter kept smiling at them and whispering. They both just tried to ignore it and they paid for their food and went to sit down at a table.
"I feel really stupid, Harry. Even the old ladies in the cafeteria were whispering about us," she told him with a sigh.
Harry looked around and noticed people were looking at them, as if somehow waiting for them to climb under the table and shag or something.
"I don't really understand why everyone is staring so much. So what if we left a party together? It's not like it's the first time we've done that," Harry told her
"Well it is the first time we've ditched dates and literally ran out of ballroom You said it yourself we weren't very stealthy," she pointed out.
"Do you think Stacey and Terrence blabbed to the entire Ministry that we were together now?" Harry asked her quietly.
"Probably. But so what? It doesn't matter. I don't care who knows," Hermione said giving him a smile and squeezing his hand over the table.
Just then, a co-worker came up to them carrying a paper and he was smiling awfully big.
"Hello, Harry. Hermione," he said pleasantly.
"Hello Tom," Harry said politely, and Hermione just smiled at him.
Tom plunked down the paper in front of them.
"If you're wondering what all the buzz is about, I'm guessing you didn't see yesterday's Prophet," he told them with a chuckle.
Harry and Hermione had not seen the paper as they'd been too busy having fun to even glance at it. Both they both grabbed it up now. There was a headline that read, "Has The Chosen One Finally Chosen A Mate?" And there was a picture of Hermione and Harry running hand in hand through the crowd of people, knocking into some of them, while both laughing hysterically.
"Oh my God," Harry said shaking his head. "I had no idea it was already in the paper. I feared it would eventually be, but they wasted no time."
"What else does it say?" Hermione asked with a slight cringe.
Harry read part of the article to her.
"The wizarding world's most eligible bachelor was seen with his longtime companion, Hermione Granger, literally running out of a Ministry function hand in hand. Could they have been running off to their secret love nest? Did Mr. Potter finally cave in to his love for Ms. Granger? Only they know for sure. But spectators had plenty to say about it…"
"My God, do I even want to know what the 'spectators' had to say?" Hermione asked, feeling her face flush with embarrassment.
"Oh they had lots to say. I'm quoted somewhere down towards the bottom," Tom pointed out with a grin. "So is it true? Did you get married?"
"Married?" Harry and Hermione both asked in unison.
"Well yeah, that's what someone said. You ran off to elope." Tom told them.
"Elope?" Hermione shook her head.
"We're not married. Who the hell said that?" Harry asked, as he skimmed the article quickly.
"Stacey. I believe she was to be your date," Tom chuckled.
Harry and Hermione both sighed and shook their heads.
"This article is mostly rubbish," Harry informed him as he laid it back on the table, and Hermione picked it up.
"Well it's partly true, eh? I heard from someone that said they overheard you tell Stacey that you and Hermione hooked up. Finally, I might add. Then Stacey punched you in the face," Tom told him.
"She did not punch me in the face," Harry protested.
"She punched you?" Hermione asked with horror.
"No! She did not! She just slapped me. And kicked me. And also threw papers in my face. But I never said we 'hooked up'. I said I loved you. That's what I told her!" Harry cried.
"You told her you loved me?" she smiled at him.
"Well yeah. It's the truth. But I never said we got married, nor did I say we 'hooked up'."
"So then you guys didn't, you know, do anything?" Tom asked, with slight disappointment.
"Oh no, we did. But the world doesn't need to know!" Hermione told him giving him a look.
Tom just laughed and picked up the paper off the table.
"Sorry guys, but you are the hot item right now. Get used to it. And when you do get married, I hope I'm invited. I've been predicting this since my third year at Hogwarts when I saw you two in the papers way back then," Tom told them.
"I'm sorry, but we barely even know you," Harry told him.
"So? I feel like I know you. I mean, everyone knows you!" Tom told him excitedly. "Anyway, cheers you two." He scooped the paper under his arm and walked off.
"Lovely. My parents read that paper, you realize. What if they think I got married and didn't tell them?" Hermione asked somewhat miserably.
"Your parents get the Prophet?"
"Yes. They like to know what's happening in my world. I'm shocked they didn't call me yesterday, but then again I never checked my answering machine. We were a little caught up," she said blushing slightly.
"You could say that. You better talk to them tonight. And Ron! God, what if Ron thinks we got married and didn't tell him or invite him?" Harry asked.
"He would have said something if he really believed that. He knows better than to believe nonsense. I mean, obviously we'd tell people and invite them and not just run off in the middle of the night. You can't even get married in the middle of the night! Where did they think we went? Las Vegas?" Hermione scoffed.
"We could have. But I didn't think of it," he joked slightly, to lighten the mood.
She stuck out her tongue. "No way am I getting married in such a garish place as that."
"I heard that if you get married in Las Vegas, you're only married there and nowhere else. What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. That's the saying," Harry pointed out.
"Harry, that's ridiculous. It's still a marriage. That's just a dumb saying that people who drank too much and lost all their money say to make themselves feel better."
"So then it's a real marriage? Even if you have Elvis do it for you?" he wondered.
"Oh Harry, Elvis is dead. These are just impersonators. And yes, they can really marry you," she told him with a slight giggle. "But we're never doing that! So get it out of your mind."
"I knew he was dead! I'm not daft. I just meant I thought it was for fun. Not real. But don't worry. When we get married, it'll be nice and it'll be here somewhere. I'm not whisking us to Vegas," he smiled at her.
"When we get married?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Well yeah. I mean, you want to someday right?" he asked hopefully.
"Sure. Yeah. Yes. I do. I just never thought about it exactly just yet. It's still so new," she admitted.
"Well I'm not saying let's do it tomorrow, but I want to. I've wanted to marry you for years. Surely you realize that now?" he laughed slightly.
"I guess I know now. I mean, I know you loved me now, I just didn't know the married part," she said sheepishly.
"It's only natural. I thought I was gonna get married really young like my parents did. But I'm glad I waited."
"I'm glad you waited too. For me."
He leaned over the table and kissed her softly.
"I think I would have waited forever for you," he admitted.
"I'm just happy I didn't make you wait forever," she smiled.
Neither of them knew exactly what the future would hold, but they knew they were at least on the right path now. For years, they floated aimlessly with no real direction. And no real prospects for love. They couldn't love other people, because they loved each other too much. They just couldn't admit it until now. But now that it was all out in the open, things were going to change drastically. Harry said he wouldn't rush the marriage idea for next week or anything, but he also didn't want to wait long either. He'd loved this girl for most of his life, whether he knew it or not. And he couldn't wait to start the rest of forever with her by his side. He just hoped she was as eager as he was to get started.
To be continued…Please leave feedback! I hope you're all enjoying this so far!
