Disclaimer: look chapter one

A/N: Sorry it took me so long. I've some touble to find a beta for this. My friend looked this over but like me she is no native. So please don't be too hard.

The wonderful HermioneSnape asked me if she could borrow my idea about Fawkes being a cursed human. I think it's a crime to stop anyone from writing and being creative so of course I said yes to her question. (Did I mention that it was quite an ego-boost?) Well anyway check it out if you like: Fawkes Turn by HermioneSnape


Chapter 9:

31. December

To say his father had been pleased would be an understatement. He had been ecstatic -if one was daring enough to claim a Fawkes was able of such overt display of emotion.

"Son, I knew you would make the right decision!" the older wizard exclaimed and Nathaniel was astonished he didn't just simply told him -It's about time. Not willing to squash the good mood his father was in he simply nodded.

"I will contact her father at once. I'm sure Kenneth will be more than pleased. Our families should have united long ago. Both our ancestry goes back to some of the most noble lines there are in our community." Before his father could go on about ancient blood lines and the importance of holding them together he interrupted him.

"Please inform Lord Henderson that I would be very grateful if he doesn't speak with Isabelle about it yet. That is if he accepts."

"Of course he will accept!" his father snapped at once. "Who in the right mind would decline to bond with the Fawkes family? And what is this about not speaking with his daughter?"

"Father," he sighed,"Isabelle is much like mother a romantic at heart." Nathaniel knew that bringing up his mother would do his job and soften the wizard. "I would like to surprise her. Girls dream about the proposal nearly as much as about their wedding day, as mother assured me! I would like to make this right! A pleased woman is a good precondition for a successful marriage."

That seemed not only to soften him but satisfy him at the same time. "Ah, spoken like a true Fawkes. Though the acceptance of the woman isn't essentially necessary I agree that a happy wife makes life so much easier."

And with that it was settled. Not entirely two days later he was having dinner with Isabelle on one of their more private patios under the free starry sky. With all the candles and the quiet music in the background it was all quite romantic and Belle's pretty flushed cheeks told him that she shared that opinion.

He didn't lie when he told his father, that his little Belle was a romantic and he had to admit that he quite liked wooing her. Not primarily for her pleasure alone but for the look she would regard him with. As if he was everything she had ever dreamed about. That look never failed to make him feel manly and let his chest swell with pride.

No other woman he knew possessed such an innocence and honesty and he was well aware of the real treasure Isabelle was. Many wizards he knew were only interested in a show-off wife with the proper ancestry, who would bear them a heir in time. A delicate flower like Isabelle wouldn't stand a chance with most of them, but Nathaniel wouldn't allow that she lost that gleam in her eyes. He would do his best, to make her happy in their marriage.

He may not love her but enjoyed her company greatly and was sure that within time they would be able to form a deep fondness for each other, even when the love he knew she felt for him at the moment would vanish.

Yes, she was a sweet girl. Not a harpy like most of the women he knew. Their marriage would be of mutual satisfaction and he would make sure that she would want for nothing.

Fingering the ring he kept in his pocket, he smiled at her before he asked her to dance. It was near the end of the song that he took a step back and sunk to his knee, one of her hands still firmly in his grasp. As soon as fetched the ring out of its hiding place he could see her eyes going wide, while her free hand covered her mouth in shock.

"Isabelle," he started knowing that his next words were essential. "I knew from the moment I saw you, you were special and..." The brilliant smile she was sending in his direction was unnerving and all his well-considered words were suddenly forgotten.

"Well, I guess what I want to tell you," he quickly collected himself to not appear like a complete idiot in front of her, " is that I'm sorry it took me so long to do do this. Will you do me the honour and marry me, little Belle?"

"Yes," she squealed without hesitation. "Yes, yes Nathaniel. I would love nothing more than to become your wife!" She beamed at him and with a smile of his own he put the priceless princess cut diamond on her long delicate finger before he stood up to kiss her.

The kiss was like her: Sweet and innocent.


With a start Nathaniel woke up. His heart was beating wildly in his chest and like so often before he had trouble to bring his breath under control. Ever since he moved into the manor his dreams plagued him every night. Some were forgotten in the first ray of sunlight, but most gnawed at him throughout the day. It was unnerving and he did his best to ignore them though it seemed he had very little success in doing so. The manor and everything in it was a steady memory of his past and therefore a reminder of his dreams.

Sighing he allowed his head to fall back against the pillow and closed his eyes. Today was New Years Eve, day sixty-two in his second life as a human. He had to hold back a groan as he realised with utter clearness that most of his time was already up. Merlin. he was screwed!

There was a part of him, one that had developed during the time he had lived as a Phoenix, that told him, that it was his own fault and more than that he earned it! But the Slytherin, which had been part of him and his human form ever since he was born, rebelled against such thoughts. If anything he earned himself a life.

He was the victim after all, wasn't he? Most of his life had been stolen from him for reasons he didn't like to think about. A pair of accusing bright blue eyes appeared in front of him and instantly his eyes snapped open.

"None of that!" Nathaniel admonished himself and with that he stood up. Today was the day of Hermione's charity event and there were still a lot of things to handle before the guests would arrive. But more important was that Hermione would be here in about an hour, so that they could take breakfast together and speak about the necessaries. Malfoy and his mother would be there too, but he simply had to live with that.

Fawkes wouldn't jeopardize his chances with Hermione by treating her friends in any way that would displease her. And Malfoy wasn't so bad after all. He remembered his ancestor Perseus Malfoy, with whom he had gone to school and in comparison to him Draco was practically a modest saint.

After a quick halt in the bathroom he dressed in one of his brand new robes and took his time to make sure he looked perfect for her. With a warm smile he remembered their date and how she had allowed herself to enjoy their time together. He especially liked to remember the cart ride and the feel of her warm, curvy body against his own.

Afterwards they had spend a long time just talking and finally ended their evening with a nice dinner. When he finally escorted her home, it was late but if the smile on her face was anything to go by she didn't seem to mind. Ever since dinner Nathaniel had debated with himself if he should take the risk and kiss her good night. In the end he refrained from doing so and actually imagined he saw something like disappointment cross her face, even if it was only for the blink of an eye.

Nonetheless it was that look what gave him hope and let him look forward to today's event. If there was even the smallest chance that she could be interested in him -the way he was interested in her- he would jump on it. He would make her see that he was everything a witch could wish for. Their date had been a good start but it wasn't enough. Not for him anyway.

Nathaniel knew that Hermione wasn't the kind of woman who rushed into things, least of all relationships. Considering her insecurity and some rumours he had heard she hadn't really that much experience at all, when it came to relationships.

Not that it bothered him -well at least not the latter. The fact that she was untouched in nearly every aspect a wizard could think of only hiked his desire for her. But her inexperience would make it so much harder to bind her to him.

Sighing deeply he took a last glance into the mirror to make sure his appearance was flawless before he left the room. He had a witch to sweep from her feet and wasn't in any position to allow himself to fail.


George Weasley was feeling happy. Once that may have been nothing out of the ordinary, but since the end of the war happiness had become a foreigner to him. The loss of Fred had hit him hard and left a gaping hole inside him that was big enough to make him wonder if it was even possible to ever be whole again.

A lot of people tried of course. His whole family gave their best to comfort him as well as a lot of his friends from Hogwarts, even those who lost family members themselves but none of their efforts could pierce through the shell he had built around himself.

Losing your twin was different from losing friends or other family members, it was like losing a part of yourself. George felt as if someone had ripped out his heart without having the mercy to kill him in the process. Sometimes the pain was so overwhelming that his once so clever mind started to fill his head with ideas. Usually with ways to stop the pain, those ways that would bring him back to Fred. More than once he had found himself in their laboratory finishing a potion which would do the job but every time he tried to do it, it felt as if Fred was screaming at him.

Deep inside George knew that his brother would be disgusted at the idea of him throwing aside his own life to follow him to the side of the dead. The certainty of that was the only reason he had banished every thought of suicide from his mind.

Instead he had thrown himself into work. The shop was as much Fred's baby as it was his own and at times it felt as if it was the only thing that was left from him. George wouldn't allow it to be ruined and therefore Fred's memory.

In the last few month business was getting to a point where he had to think about appointing a new saleswitch. Verity and he were barley able to comply with the massive requests. It seemed after the war was finally over a lot of people were in the need for a bit of mindless fun and their products were just the right thing to do the job. Fred would have liked that. Making people laugh had always been their goal, only that he hadn't lived long enough to experience it.

But regardless how much time he spend working, how many products he was able to sell every day and how many people left his shop with a smile on his face, George wasn't happy. Nothing of all these things was able to put a real smile on his face.

Nothing apart from one thing. One person. Hermione Granger.

The time she approached him at Kings Cross station with her memory box he wasn't sure what to think of it. He was angry, excited and afraid at the same time, just thinking about the prospect of feeling his twin again. He didn't need to experience it to know that it would hurt like hell. But in the end it was the fact that she had no qualms in speaking out Fred's name in front of him, that ^made him try it out. Nobody said his name any more, too afraid of hurting him without realising that pretending he had never existed hurt so much more.

Nonetheless he was right, it did hurt but after a while he realised that the pain faded and he was able to live through happy memories again, without feeling as if someone had stabbed a knife into his chest. George wasn't ready to look at some of their most special moments, like their first birthday he remembered, receiving their Hogwarts letter or the opening of their shop but that was okay. One day he would be okay with that ,too.

Ever since that day at Kings Cross Hermione crossed his mind in a repeating manner. At first he didn't even find it odd, after all she was the one that gave him the memory box but after a while he couldn't deny that his thoughts were fixed on her a bit too much.

After he started contacting her on account of producing and selling memory boxes in his shop, he continued to write her every week and downright hungered for her reply letters that would follow suit.

They talked about a lot of things, but mostly exchanged ideas for new products. Well he shared his ideas with her and she would usually note how to improve them or point out faults he hadn't seen till then. She didn't even back away from mentioning Fred in a frequent manner. More than once he noticed her using plural form and he knew Hermione good enough to know that she didn't lapse but used it deliberately. Every time he read Fred's name or saw her using plural form he didn't break down and cry as one might have thought but felt his lips twitching into a smile.

He had seen Hermione briefly over Christmas, although she had refused to join the traditional Weasley Christmas dinner due to his stupid git of a brother. But she had stopped by regularly in his shop and they had spent lunchtime debating over the formal aspects of their working companionship which possible could contain more than the memory box in the foreseeable future.

Every day George would look forward to lunchtime and eyed the door, whenever possible, for signs of a curly haired witch to walk through. It was than that he realised that he might feel a bit more for Hermione than simple friendship. To be completely honest he wasn't sure what to make out of it. It wasn't love he felt for her but certainly a comfortable affection. One that could develop into more given the time -and the bravery to allow himself the vulnerability that came with love.

George knew he wasn't ready for that at the moment but that didn't mean that he didn't care for her. He would simply allow himself to see where things may lead to -starting tonight.

Humming quietly to himself he got dressed for the charity event which Hermione and Malfoy were hosting at Fawkes manor tonight. Without thinking much about it he went over to the big mirror to check his appearance when he stopped dead in his tracks. Blinking slowly he stared at he figure that looked back at him. He hadn't looked into a mirror since the day of the last battle, too frightened to look at his reflection and see him. The man that looked back at him today though didn't´t have much similarity with the picture he still had of himself in his head.

He was a lot thinner than he remembered. His hair was longer, even longer as in his fifth year and his skin paler but the biggest change was the look in his eyes. Once carefree and sparkling with mischief they now possessed a gleam of sadness and soul aching sorrow.

George wasn't sure what to make of it. On the one hand it felt good to look into the mirror without seeing Fred staring back at him, on the other hand he felt as if he had betrayed his twin in changing into this other person. Sighing deeply he decided to put that inner monologue aside for another time.

Tonight he would enjoy himself. And with a last flick of his wand he made sure that his robes fell the way they were supposed to do.

"Way to go Forge!" For the blink of an eye he thought he saw his reflection winking at him and slowly the smile found its way back to his lips.

"Way to go Gerd!" he mumbled back and apparated out.


The event was a success so far it seemed and Hermione could slowly feel her nervousness go away. Narcissa surely had done a brilliant job and obviously coaxed half of the wizard world into appearing here tonight. From the expensive looking robes, elegant hairstyles and alluring perfumes it was also quite clear that most of the guests were good clients at Gringotts. So all in all it were exactly the people Draco and she wanted here tonight.

Some of the things from their funds had already found new owners and alone the sum for the flight on one of Nathaniel's Sleipnirs was enough to made her dizzy. She didn't dare to think about what Oliver and Harry would bring them. But at the end of the night they surely wouldn't have to worry about money for the orphans for quite some time.

"Ah Miss Granger," a voice behind her interrupted her thoughts. She turned around and greeted the man. whose eyes barely lost the twinkle in it theses days,with a warm smile.

"Headmaster, how wonderful that you could make it."

"Oh, it wouldn't cross my mind to miss a spectacular event such as this. Young Mister Malfoy and you have made a marvellous job of this." The headmaster praised their work and Hermione could feel a faint blush in her face. "I couldn't have come up with a better location myself." He added and she couldn't help but think for a moment he winked at her.

"Yes the manor is exactly what we had been looking for," she agreed without hesitation. Fawkes manor wasn't only big enough to accommodate hundreds of people but was also charmingly decorated and appeared conspicuous warm and friendly. Completely different from the other Pureblood homes she knew and from the thrilled reaction of most of their guests she wasn't alone with her admiration for Nathaniel's ancestral home.

The thought of the lord of the manor let her sigh inwardly and she couldn't help herself as her eyes searched the room for him. He was standing with an older couple and from the look of their bright smiling faces he obviously had turned his charm on. Hermione knew from experience that it wasn't easy to withstand it and if she was completely honest with herself she didn't want to any longer.

Their date a few days prior had been wonderful but left her slightly disappointed when he didn't even try to kiss her in the end. Of course she had been the one who made the rule of no kissing but he had made sure that she regretted it entirely. She hadn't stopped thinking about him since and it was slightly unnerving. Regardless of what she was doing, sooner or later her mind would zone out and she would start analysing her date. How Nathaniel managed to make her laugh, how easily it was to hold a decent conversation with him and if nothing else how much effort he had put in their date. She was sure nothing would ever be able to top it.

Beside maybe a kiss from him, a voice in her head suggested.

"He is an interesting person, is he not?" She barely heard Dumbledore's voice as she let her eyes roam up and down Nathaniel's body. Like always he was dressed flawlessly in perfect fitting and very expensive looking robes. This time they were of a dark green and went perfectly with his eyes as she had noticed earlier this evening.

"Sometimes a glance says more than thousand words," the older wizard beside her chuckled and ripped her out of her state of awe and forced her to avert her eyes from the too good looking lord of the manor.

"What?" She spluttered and tried to fight the blush that started to rise in her cheeks.

"Life wasn't always kind to him, but deep down he is a good man Miss Granger, although he has the tendency to see the world mainly from his point of view," he told her before he added with a slightly worried voice. "And fear often causes us to act before thinking."

Baffled Hermione stared at him for a long moment. The fact that there was no twinkle in his eyes irritated her more than his actual words. She was just about to ask him what he was talking about when his expression changed into a smile and the twinkle was back in its familiar place.

"Ah, Nathaniel my boy," he exclaimed and made her jump as she realised that he must be standing directly behind her. Quickly she turned around only to be confronted with one of his heart melting smiles.

"Albus," he nodded in the direction of the headmaster before his eyes returned to hers. "Mione. Did somebody make the effort to tell you how stunning you look tonight?" He asked her and allowed his eyes to roam over her body much like the way she had eyed him up before. It wasn't the first time this evening that he complimented on her appearance but she found that she didn't mind it one bit. Somehow he never sounded cheesy but simply charmingly sincere. And the way his eyes wandered over her made her feel beautiful, powerful and more than anything else feminine. A feeling she wasn't very acquainted with.

"Yes," she nodded and hated how breathlessly her voice sounded. "In fact it was you who told me!"

"Well," he grinned and his green eyes sparkled. "You have to forgive a man for repeating himself when you look that breathtaking."

For at least th fifth time this evening she felt herself blushing furiously and it only got worse when she heard Dumbledore clear his throat behind them.

"I think I just saw Bill and Miss Delacour over there, I still haven't congratulated them on the birth of their second child." It was obvious Dumbledore was simply looking for a way to get away from them and Hermione felt mortified.

"I would be happy to see you more often, old friend. Though I understand that Miss Granger is far more lovely and charming company than myself I still hope you don't think about abandoning me completely." The old wizard winked at them before he added one of his typical riddles in Fawkes direction. "Sometimes it's necessary to embrace the past to have a future." And with that he was gone.

"Sometimes I just wish he would simply say what he means," Hermione mumbled staring after the older wizard. Nathaniel remained silent and when she looked at him she noticed that he seemed oddly stiff and his fists were clenched tightly.

"Nathaniel, is everything okay?"

She was just about to asked him again,when he finally ripped his eyes off Dumbledore's back and smiled at her, although his smile didn't reach his eyes. "Of course. Why wouldn't I be okay?"

Frowning she wasn't sure what to make of his behaviour but it wasn't the first time he reacted oddly when his past was mentioned. He had no problems speaking about what life had been in his century and the changes he had witnessed over the time but as soon as things got too personal he blocked it completely.

Like the curse, Hermione reminded herself. She had asked him one or two times but finally accepted that he didn't want to speak about it and part of her understood his need to keep some things to himself. Of course she had spend hours in the library searching for a logical reason what kind of curse had the power to turn someone in a Phoenix -one of the purest magical creatures there was -and it was possible that she was the one who broke the curse.

With everything going on in the last two months she hadn't as much time for her research as she would have liked but hearing Dumbledore speaking about Nathaniel's past, she might change that over the next few days.

"The auction will continue in a few minutes, how about we see how it goes?" Fawkes ripped her out of her thoughts. "If I'm informed correctly the dances are next on the list and I fully intend to spend a generous amount of money, to open the dance with a very special witch."

His green eyes bored themselves so deep into her own, that she couldn't mistake the meaning of his words and she didn't have to wait long for the traitorous blush to appear.

"I'm nothing special," she objected embarrassed and averted her eyes from his. Even after all the effort Fawkes made with her she couldn't understand what he was seeing in her. She was simply plain Hermione Granger, while he was everything a girl could dream of. He could have anybody.

A finger under her chin forced her to raise her head and suddenly she was swallowed whole in the depth of his eyes. Once again she was in her dream where nothing had mattered apart from him.

"To me you are, my fairy princesses." He told her before he leant forward and planted a kiss on her forehead that caused a warm ripple to flow over her whole body and made her feel as if she was the most precious thing in the world.

He was extraordinary good in creating that feeling.


"Our next auction, if you may call it that, is entirely for the wizards, but I'm sure all witches will get their money's worth later when it comes to the highlights of the evening," the wizard who lead through the evening informed the crowed and George couldn't help but notice that Fred and he would have made a much better job entertaining the guests than a middle aged wizard who was smiling brightly at them. Surprisingly the thought didn't make him sad but put a light smile on his lips while he made his way through the crowd, searching for Hermione.

He had seen her only briefly due to the many things she still had to oversee at first and later because he was stopped every few meters by family and friends who seemed surprised but happy to see him outside the shop. George knew that a lot of them were worried about him but it surprised him how much he enjoyed himself. He hadn't noticed how much he missed a casual talk, a warm hug and the sight of familiar faces who smiled up at him when he walked up to them.

"Tonight is your chance to dance with real war heroines, gentlemen. And let me assure you these young ladies aren't only brave but beautiful too. And when you bid for your dance don't forget it's for a good cause." The man reminded the guests who looked curiously around to figure out who those witches would be.

"The first Lady, who is willing to spare you a dance is the lovely Miss Luna Lovegood." The wizard found some more words for Luna but George wasn't really listening. Again he let his eyes roam for Hermione before he looked back at the stage where Luna was standing, smiling brightly at everyone in the room. He had to admit that she looked very pretty in her midnight blue robes and her elegant hairstyle even though she was wearing some of her crazy earrings.

"So gentlemen let me hear-"

"Ten thousand gallons!" A voice interrupted the wizard before anyone else even had the chance to react. Whispers could be heard all over the room while everybody was looking for the man who was willing to spend that much money for a simple dance.

"Did I hear that right, ten thousand gallons, sir?"

"Yes," came the clear answer and a moment later the white blond head of Draco Malfoy could be seen in front of the stage, while the smile on Luna's face had become radiant.

George wasn't the only one who seemed surprised by the odd pairing but it was obvious from the looks they were giving each other that there was more.

Who would have ever guessed, that Malfoy would fall for loony Lovegood? George thought snorting but wasn't astonished when nobody else started to bid against him. Who could hope to overbid a Malfoy on something he had set his eyes on?

He turned his attention from the blond girl who happily allowed Malfoy to lead her from the stage to the rest of the room again but only long enough till his sister was announced. His head snapped automatically back and he couldn't help the growl that escaped him when the wizards started bidding for a dance with his baby sister.

Did she have to smile at them like that? Didn't she realise that she was encouraging them?

"One thousand three hundred!" Someone to his left called.

"Bloody wankers," George mumbled still looking at his sister who was dressed in a much to revealing dress for his taste.

"One thousand fife hundred!"

He had to remind himself that it was indeed just a dance and it was for a good cause. Still it didn't feel right and the feeling only got worse when it seemed that it was a Slytherin who came out ahead. Adrian Pucey.

He wasn't happy and even less when the grinning snake approached his sister who had the gall to smile down at the slimy snake.

Where the hell was Harry bloody Potter, when he was needed. Wasn't he dating Ginny? Wasn't he supposed to rescue her from the likes of Pucey?

"Three-thousand!"

"Do I hear more?"

George was looking around, this time for the-boy-who-lived-only-to-be-killed-by-him but couldn't find him. Instead he spotted Hermione at the end of the room who was talking to a wizard. He was standing with his back to him but George was sure that he had never seen him before.

"The dance goes to Mr. Adrian Pucey for Three-thousand gallons!"

"Harry better has a good excuse for letting a Slytherin dance with our sister," Charlie's voice appeared next to him and he ripped his eyes of the curly haired witch.

"Yes he better!" He nodded.

"Pity, Malfoy has taken interest in Luna but I can't blame him. She sure as hell looks hot in that dress."

"Who would have thought, hu?"

"Yeah," muttered Charlie who was still eyeing the blonde who was beaming at Malfoy. In the end he shrugged and turned his eyes to a group of pretty witches. "The night is young!" He announced and winked at them which resulted in a fit of giggles on their part.

Chuckling at his brothers antics he was just about to excuse himself when the older wizard announced the next heroine.

"...Hermione Granger!"

In a blink of an eye his attention was back at the scene before him while his brother let out an admiring whistle as the witch in question walked up on the stage. Her burgundy dress robes fitted her body perfectly and showed clearly that Hermione Granger was a full grown woman.

A very desirable woman.

"I always knew that Ron wasn't the brightest bulb out there, but he has to be a complete idiot to let someone like her go. I mean she has the looks and a brain not to forget a loyal soul." Charlie seemed to be in a chatty mood today and obviously wasn't bothered about his short-spoken behaviour. Since Fred he wasn't much for talking, though tonight he didn't mind so much.

"He doesn't deserve her anyway!" Not after all he had done.

"Stupid," Charlie muttered again and shook his head while he listened to the wizard who introduced Hermione to the crowd, as if there was a living soul out there who didn't know who she was. As member, and only girl of the golden trio, Hermione was nearly as famous as Harry himself.

"...on you gentlemen. We start with one-hundred gallons."

He was just about to open his mouth and announce his bid but another wizard beat him to it.

"Fife-hundred."

"Fife-hundred from the wizard with the back hair in the front."

"Six-hundred!"

"Eight-hundred!"

"Nine-hundred!" This time the voice came from his right and George didn't need long to realise that it was the wizard in the green robes who had talked to Hermione before.

"What do you think, should we join the battle?" Charlie joked and George could only clench his yaw as he heard the wizards trying to overbid the others for a dance with a war heroine. But then he realised that he had absolute no reason to act...jealously. If he wanted a dance with Hermione all he had to do was ask. Sighing inwardly he reminded himself that he should take it slow and easy.

"Two-thousand!"

"Tree!"

"Four!"

"Five!"

"Six!"

"I guess, the orphans will not have to worry about anything for a long while," Charlie chuckled and watched the fight between the dark haired boy and the wizard in the green robes. All others seemed to have capitulated and enjoyed the match as well as the blushing war heroine.

"Seven!" The dark haired boy gritted out obviously annoyed at his competitor who was standing close enough to see the bright grin that graced his face.

"Eight!"

"Nine!"

"Ten and a new building for the orphanage!"

"Oi, someone's obviously quite taken with our Mione!"

Obviously! George agreed silently and took a better look at the wizard while the crowd was still gasping and whispering about his bid. He was tall, good looking and from the perfect fit of his clothes George would bet his shop that he was a Pureblood and from the sum of his bid it was quite obvious he was rich,too.

The way he was looking at Mione made it clear that he would bid his last gallon if he had to get that dance and from the shocked but happy expression on Hermione's face it was clear that she wasn't unhappy with how things seemed to develop. She was still blushing like mad visibly a bit overwhelmed by her popularity but the smile on her face was bright and happy as she looked at the wizard.

Maybe a bit too happy, George noticed and sighed again as he watched the wizard´s smile brighten when nobody started to bid against him any more.

"The dance with Miss Granger goes to the gentleman in the green robes for ten-thousand gallons and a new building for the orphanage," announced the older wizard not the slightest bit taken aback from the sum a few simple dances had earned the charity.

The crowe started clapping politely as the visibly pleased wizard walked up to the front to collect the witch for his dance. Hermione's smile got impossible bright as he took her hand to place a kiss on the back before he guided her back to the floor, not once letting go of her hand.

While the wizard on stage reminded the crowd that the next auction would be after a short break for the dance and Charlie excused him to join the still giggling group of witches all he could do was stare at the pair that had found its way to the dance floor.

The way he was holding her to him and she leant against him seemed so natural that George was asking himself if there wasn't more between them. They didn't appear as cozy as Malfoy and Luna who was practically melting in the blond man's arms but close.

It was the way she looked at him that brought him to realise how foolish his earlier thoughts had been.

Why would she be interested in being more than friends with him if she had this handsome wizard who obviously adored her and other than him wasn't broken?

This time he didn't make an effort to hide his sigh.


Nathaniel was kissing her!

They had danced and talked and danced...and...and...Hermione's brain wasn't working properly but right at this moment she couldn't care less. All that mattered was the pair of warm inviting lips of the wizard in front of her who was holding her against him, cradling the back of her head as if she was the most precious thing in the world to him, and kissing her as if his life depended on it.

She had dreamed openly about this kiss ever since their date and even longer if she was honest with herself but none of her dreams could compare to the reality of his kisses. Though she was comparatively inexperienced for a girl her age she had kissed a handful of blokes but none of her experiences with them came even close to what it felt like to kiss Nathaniel. Not even Victor who had been her first kiss and therefore would always feel special.

The kiss felt exactly the way every girl dreamed about: soft, warm and powerful. Knee-weakening powerful and she didn't doubt that his arms around her were the only reason she was still standing upright.

Hermione tried to protest when he finally leant back and pulled his lips away from hers. She didn't want to stop yet and before he could protest her arms were around his neck and she pulled him down again. This time she was the one who initiated the kiss but from his enthusiastic response he didn't seem to mind much. Never before had she been so daring in her life but the feeling of his lips against hers didn't even allow her modesty to take over.

It was only for the lack of air that they pulled away from each other the second time. Both of them were breathing hard and Hermione felt a shudder run down her spine each time his warm breath tickled the skin of her cheek. She noticed that she was still holding him against her but couldn't find it in her to let him go and since he hadn't loosened his grip either she thought it would be okay.

"Happy new year, princess!"

"Happy new year to you, too," she smiled and for the fist time noticed all the noise around her. The guests were watching excitedly the phenomenal fireworks George Weasley had worked out just for tonight. For a long moment they simply remained in a close embrace and watched the fireworks illuminating the air: Dragons, imps and centaurs filled the sky and a lot of ohs and ahs could be heard from the people around them. Though she had often witnessed the twins fireworks it never failed to amaze her. And she couldn't help but sigh sadly when it was finally over.

Still feeling a little dizzy from the kiss she leant back a bit so she could look at him. Nathaniel was watching her with a mix of awe and confusion on his face till finally his expression turned into a bright smile which let his eyes appear even darker.

"What do you think, do I get another dance for free?"

Again she blushed when she thought about the scandalous sum he had bid for a simple dance with her.

"You know you would have gotten the first one for free as well. You simply had to ask me, Nathaniel," she told him calmly.

"And allow that Campell boy to win you? Only over my cold dead body!"

Hermione blinked surprised at the forcefulness in his tone and frowned. "He would have won a dance, not me. I'm not a prize."

Other than Ron who would have simply snorted Nathaniel sighed. "Of course you are not, but I don't like him. He wants you for himself and I'm not willing to give him a chance to snatch you away from me. Not now. Not after you finally seem to take my wooing serious!"

Hermione blushed. "Wooing?" That sounded so old.-fashioned but the girl in her couldn't help but squeal inwardly with excitement.

This time it was his turn to blink if she had just asked him the most stupid question. "What do you think I was doing when I asked you out over and over again and practically stalked you everywhere you went?" He asked calmly but from the look in his eyes Hermione could tell that he was tense and obviously a bit shocked that he had to ask her such a thing.

"Well, um...I thought. Well I'm not sure. I guess I still thought it's your way of showing gratitude, you know because of the curse breaking. At least in the beginning," she added hastily as she saw he was about to interrupt. "And now..." she trailed off not sure how to continue. Though she knew what she wished it to be she still wasn't sure about his intentions.

"And now?" His green eyes were so intense that she wasn't able to turn away from them even if she wanted to.

"I'm not sure," she told him honestly.

"I'm not wooing you out of gratitude or pity like some of this silly rumours claim. And I'm not interested in your status as war heroine or brightest witch of your age. I simply want you for yourself, Hermione. For me you are my soul mate and I'm not willing to let you go."

Stunned into stupor she stared up at him.

"Soul mate?" When she finally found her voice again it wasn't much more than a whisper. She didn't believe in Divination and soul mating was definitely one of those crazy things Trelawney would come up with.

He shrugged but smiled at her. "Call it whatever you like, you are it for me."

"It," she repeated a bit stupidly.

"Yes ! You know the one witch I want at my side. Period."

"Oh!" Oh indeed!

The words 'soul mate', 'it' and 'period at my side' twirled in her head till she felt dizzy again but this time she found the strength to use her brain. "You mean it? Just me?" She asked nearly timidly as she remembered Ron´s hurtful words and the spiteful rumours she had heard about herself. Could a man like Nathaniel simply be interested in being with her -boring, plain Hermione Granger?

"You are neither boring or plain and I assure you I am."

She blushed deeply as she realised that she must have spoken the last part out loud but still didn't find it in her to turn her eyes from his.

"So? Will you allow me to woo you further?"

"I would like that very much Nathaniel!"

He was beaming so brightly at her that she couldn't help but smile back at him and as he leant forward in search of a kiss she happily looped her arms around him once again.


A/N: Thanks and cookies to:

Mfoto, JC1988, LadyBookworm80,

lucyferr: I'm sure you're not so happy about the George part in this chappie but there will be a bit more in later chapters. I hope you enjoyed it anyway.

Darkness-Lightness: You know, you are the first person who ever really asked me about the curse...^^ There will be more in the next chapter.

And: HermioneSnape: wow...I'm still flattered and happy that you liked my story enough to write your own Fawkes story.