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.
It's been brought to my attention that some of my words and phrases are not "English enough" or improperly used in England. Sorry for any of that, but as an American I'm winging it here! And I watch a lot of British TV and movies, so I'm doing the best I can. But if you are British and see mistakes, sorry. I'm just a lowly American girl doing her best. Hope you still enjoy the story!
Masquerading As Your Best Friend
Two weeks went by and Hermione's birthday was just two days away. Harry wanted to do something special for her, but she kept insisting she didn't want a party because they'd already had a party recently with all their friends, to celebrate their getting together. But Harry felt like turning twenty five was special and she should want to celebrate it. But she threatened to throttle him if he dared to throw a surprise party for her, so he'd relented and they were just going to spend the evening together and have a nice dinner out somewhere. But he still wanted to get her a gift. He just wasn't entirely sure what it should be yet. Ron had the day off and Charity was going shopping with her girlfriends, so that meant Ron was bored and lonely and had invited himself to tag along on Harry's shopping trip.
"I'm not sure why you wanted to come," Harry told him, as they stood in a women's clothing store perusing items that neither of them knew anything about.
Ron picked up a flowered dress and held up to himself.
"I had nothing else to do. What do you think? Is this my color?" he joked.
"It's perfect. You should buy it. It doesn't make you look at all like a gay flowered grandma sofa," Harry said dryly.
"I'm just trying to be funny, mate. If I was gonna wear a dress, it'd be like this one!" he said grabbing up a black low cut number and holding it up.
"Is there something you wanna tell me? Like you enjoy wearing dresses? Or are you actually going to help me pick something for Hermione?" Harry sighed, trying not to laugh, because it was rather funny. He was just very focused on his task.
Ron hung up the dress and shook his head.
"I'm afraid I'm not a crossdresser. Not unless you count that Yule Ball outfit my mum got me. But I'll take trousers over a dress any day, trust me. How do women even wear these things?" he wondered as he messed around with the front of the low cut top and stuck his hands in it to mimic boobs. "Your tits would be right falling out of this thing, and you couldn't wear a bra."
"Ron, I'm not buying Hermione a cocktail dress anyway. I'm looking for something that says 'I love you'. Not 'I want your tits to fall out of your dress over dinner'."
"Well, that sorta says you love her, in my book. But clothes are a stupid gift anyway. Girls like to buy their own clothes. Trust me. I bought Charity a sexy outfit once and she returned it and accused me of thinking she was fat because I got too big of a size. I don't know sizes! Do you even know sizes?" Ron asked him pointedly.
Harry scrunched up his face and shook his head.
"No, I actually don't. I figured I'd just wing it."
"You can't wing it. If you buy it too large she'll think you think she's a cow. And if it's too small, she feel like a cow when it doesn't fit. There's no winning. You should have looked at her clothes before you left."
"Fuck. What about purses? Women love purses, right?" Harry offered.
"Sure, but do you know what color she'd want? Or how big, or what sort of strap? Does she carry it or sling it over her shoulder?" Ron asked.
"I don't know. Both. All of the above. She has different purses depending on what we're doing or what she's wearing. But usually it's over her shoulder. And big. But I don't know what color she'd want. The one she has now is brown. Another brown one?" Harry wondered.
"Nah, boring. Plus, purses are something women want to pick too. Trust me. It took Charity three hours once to pick a bloody handbag. I wanted to shoot myself. I actually fell asleep in the chair they had by the dressing rooms because it was so boring," Ron admitted.
"Okay, so then what do you buy a girl for a gift?" Harry asked curiously.
"I don't know. What do you usually buy her? I always get her a book." Ron shrugged.
"But she's read all the books they've ever printed. And I usually get her a CD or something. Except for Christmas last year I bought her a diamond snowflake necklace. I told her it was a fake though," Harry chuckled.
"That necklace wasn't fake?" Ron's eyes got wide.
"No. Of course not."
"Shit. How much did you shell out? I saw that thing and it had like a hundred diamonds on it," Ron was in awe.
"It had a hundred and twenty five, actually. It wasn't cheap. But I didn't want her to know that! Not then anyway," Harry explained.
"Fuck me, you're richer than I am, by far. Don't tell Charity that thing was real because then she'll want one too."
"I don't really want to spend a humongous fortune on this, because I'm sort of saving up for a bigger purchase soon enough," Harry told him quietly.
"A bigger purchase? Like what? A house?" Ron asked.
"No, a ring. An engagement ring."
"Shit, already?" Ron was surprised.
"Yes. I know it's crazy and it's rash, but I don't care. I just want to be with her. Forever. And I don't want to ask her on her birthday because it's a little too crazy soon, and also, it's predictable. I'd rather wait a little bit. But that's why I want the birthday present to be slightly less pocket emptying," Harry told him.
"Right. Well, then get her earrings or something. It's nice and one size fits all. And they don't have to break the bank," Ron suggested.
"Earrings? I guess I could. But they only sell cheap gaudy shit here. We'd need to go to a jewelry shop," Harry insisted.
"Fine, lead the way Romeo."
"I'm not Romeo. Do you realize that story is fucking ridiculous? They barely knew each other and they were like thirteen years old and then they killed themselves. I don't know why people think it's romantic," Harry scoffed, as they headed out of the clothing store.
"It's not romantic? Everyone always acts like it is. I've never read the story. You actually read that ancient Muggle garbage?" Ron made a face.
Harry sighed.
"Hermione made me read it. But I could barely understand it. But once she explained it to me, I wondered why on earth people thought Shakespeare was so great. Bloody stupid, if you ask me. I mean, I'd die for love if there was a good reason. But for some bird I barely knew when I was thirteen? If I followed Romeo's example I would have thrown myself off the tower at school because I couldn't have Cho."
"Cho? Damn, I almost forgot all about her. I wonder what she's doing these days?" Ron asked idly as they walked along the street in search of a jewelry shop.
"I haven't a clue. I heard she married a Muggle. But other than that, I don't know. I haven't actually given her a thought for a million years. I'm not sure why I was so nuts for her," Harry shook his head.
"She was cute, I guess. She was your first kiss. I remember how bloody awful you were at it," Ron laughed.
"I was not awful! She was awful. She was the one crying. Not me," Harry pointed out.
"Yeah, but who kisses a girl when she's crying her eyes out? Not very smooth, mate."
"So sue me. My hormones took over. But the point I was making was that Romeo and Juliet isn't very romantic. It's more tragically idiotic. But then Hermione said Shakespeare was known for his satirical works and being over the top," Harry shrugged.
"Honestly, I don't care mate. Since when did you become a classic book expert? I just called you a name and suddenly you launched into a literary critic speech. You've really spent way too much time with Hermione," Ron laughed.
"I think I have. I'm sorry. I don't know why I said any of that. I know you don't care. I don't even care. I'm just frazzled because I was stupid and waited till the last minute to get this birthday gift. I should have had it sooner, except she's always with me now."
"Joined at the bloody hip, eh? But then again, weren't you always?" Ron wondered.
"Not like this. Not that I'm complaining! I'm not. It's just it's kind of hard to shop for a gift when she's with me 24/7," Harry explained.
"What did you tell her you were doing today?" Ron asked curiously.
"I told her you were bored and lonely and wanted man time. It was partially true. She said she was going to hang out with Luna."
"Luna eh? That's bound to be an interesting time. I like the girl, but I never understand half of what she says. Does Hermione understand her?"
"Honestly, none of us really does. Including Neville. But that doesn't stop you from wanting to be around her. She's just unique. That's all," Harry shrugged, as he searched in vain for a shop to enter.
"Think she and Neville will get married?" Ron asked.
"Maybe? Luna said once that she already felt married in spirit so I'm not sure how high it is on her list of priorities."
"I still can't believe you're gonna ask Hermione. Like soon. That's a bit out there. I realize you've been friends forever, but getting married is huge. I'm terrified to do it! You should be more terrified. I mean, Hermione griping at you forever? That's a long time," Ron chuckled.
"She doesn't gripe at me all that often," Harry shrugged. "I think we have a very different relationship than the one you had."
"Obviously. I love the girl, but my god, she was so grating on my nerves sometimes. I don't know how you take it," Ron said.
"It isn't like that with us. It never really was. I mean, sure occasionally she gets on my nerves. But so do you, and I still manage to keep you around," Harry joked, giving Ron a little shove.
"Yeah, well you annoy me too sometimes. Like a lot of the time. But yeah, I'll keep you around I guess. Be a shame to throw you away after thirteen years," Ron joked back, shoving Harry too.
"Wait, here's a jewelry shop," Harry said, stopping them in their tracks.
"Looks fancy," Ron remarked.
"Let's check it out anyway," he said as he pulled Ron into the shop with him.
They were greeted immediately by a man in a suit who smiled pleasantly at them.
"Good day, sirs. What can I do for you? Would you like some champagne or a cappuccino?"
"Champagne?" Ron asked with confusion.
"Yes," the man answered.
"It's free?" Ron wondered.
"Yes, it's complimentary. Would you like a glass as you shop?"
"Hell yeah. Bring two," Ron smiled.
"No thanks, I don't want any," Harry put up his hand.
"They're not for you, they're for me. It's free, Harry," Ron nudged him.
"I'll bring two glasses and if you're in the market for rings, there are some lovely ones right over there," he pointed towards a case as he walked off to get Ron his champagne.
"Why did you get champagne? I don't even know if I'm buying anything here," Harry chastised him.
"He offered."
"It's only eleven am."
"So? He offered. Shit, I would have brought some sort of thermos if I knew they were giving away free champagne. I bet it's not even the cheap stuff I get Charity that I tell her costs a lot more," Ron told him conspiratorially.
"You're hopeless," Harry shook his head as he walked over to the ring case, just for the hell of it.
Ron followed and they both looked at the wedding sets and engagement rings and they both noted that most of them were very pricey indeed.
"Look at that one? Blimey, £25,000! I think that cost almost as much as my parents house," Ron exclaimed.
"Shh. Don't let on that I can't afford this shit, or else you probably won't get your champagne. Besides, I'm not here for a ring. Yet. Where do they have earrings?" Harry wondered looking around.
Just then, the man appeared with a tray that held two champagne flutes which Ron grabbed both of them and thanked the man.
"So do you two see any rings that suit you? This is a lovely wedding set right here," he pointed to a pair of men's rings.
"What? Those are men's rings," Harry said with confusion.
"Oh, I'm sorry, were you looking for a ladies style? I thought you two were together," the man chuckled.
"Wait, you thought Harry and I were getting married to each other?" Ron started laughing hysterically and almost spilled his champagne.
"Don't mind him. It seems the champagne has already gone to his head," Harry sighed. "But no, we're not together. Not even close. And I'm actually looking for earrings. For a woman," he clarified.
"Ah, my mistake. Sorry. Times are getting so progressive these days, one never knows. But earrings are a lovely choice. Right over here," the man led them to another case.
Ron just gulped down the champagne and set the first glass down on a counter and started in on the second. They looked in the case and noted that a lot of the choices were incredibly fancy and nothing Hermione would or could wear every day. They were more for special occasions.
"Do you have anything simpler? Like smaller? I want her to be able to wear them all the time. Not just if we're having tea with the Queen," Harry said with a small chuckle.
The man could tell his commission was getting smaller and smaller by the moment, but he kept his pleasant face on. At least until Ron slammed down the second champagne flute and wiped his mouth on his hand.
"That was bloody good. Can I have another?" he asked the man.
"Ron, that's enough. Two is plenty. Let's pick out something first okay?" Harry said getting slightly exasperated with his best friend.
"Alright. But it was good," Ron muttered as he tried to focus on the new case they were looking at.
Harry spotted a nice pair of sapphire earrings that were not very large and were a stud with a small teardrop dangling down. Harry pointed at them.
"Those. I like those. May I see them?"
"Of course."
The man pulled them out of the case and handed them over to Harry for his perusal. He examined them closely and found them to be stunning and not too flashy. Blue was Hermione's favorite color, but this was a much darker shade than the one she loved so much. But they'd go with Cerulean blue. He held them up to Ron.
"Can you see Hermione with these on?" he asked him.
"Yeah, sure. I guess so," he shrugged.
"You don't like them?"
"No, they're great. I just never paid attention to her ears that much. I'm sure they'll look perfect. She loves blue."
"Right? It's her favorite color. Even if she normally goes for Cerulean, but these are nice," Harry said.
"Ceru-what-ing? What does that mean?" Ron asked making a face.
"Cerulean. It's a shade of blue. It's her favorite," Harry explained.
"Oh. There are names for that? I just thought, dark blue, light blue, etcetera."
"No, they have names. Didn't you ever own a box of crayons?" Harry wondered.
"No. What are crayons?"
"Oh God, never mind," Harry said disbelieving his friend had never owned crayons. But he supposed they were a Muggle thing. "I think I'll take these," he told the man, as he handed them back.
"Excellent choice. Is there anything else you'd like to see? A matching bracelet or necklace?"
"No, I think I'm good with the earrings," Harry said nodding.
"I would like more champagne if it's not too much trouble," Ron perked up.
"Certainly, sir," the man said through gritted teeth. You could tell he was annoyed but refused to show it.
Harry smacked Ron's arm.
"More champagne? I thought I told you no! Maybe if I bought the £25,000 ring you could get a free bottle."
"Calm down. You bought something, didn't you? And he offered it to us," Ron explained.
"Yeah, but you're embarrassing sometimes," Harry lamented with a sigh.
The man came back with another glass of champagne and a velvet box with the earrings in it. He handed the champagne to Ron, and the black box to Harry.
"Now that will be £458. Cash or credit?"
"Credit," Harry said, handing over his card.
The man disappeared with it and Ron looked at Harry.
"So those credit card things. You just give them that, and then you don't actually pay for it?" he asked curiously, as he gulped his drink.
"No, you still have to pay. It's just like a promise to pay for it later kind of deal. It's hard to explain," Harry told him.
"I need one of those. Then I could get things without having money, and just worry about it later. Think of all the shit I could get!" Ron said dreamily.
"Yeah, and then you'll be bankrupt because your eyes are always bigger than your wallet, mate," Harry informed him.
"Right. Probably best I don't get one of those things. I'd have a house full of crap I can't afford. Not that I'm broke, mind you, but I still can't afford everything I see."
"Well neither can I. I try to pay the balance straight off. I just don't want to carry a wallet full of cash. It might get stolen or lost and then I'd be fucked."
"True. That's why I don't keep much on me. Not out here in Muggle land where they kill you for your wallet and I can't even defend myself properly without getting in trouble with the Ministry. But really if it's self-defense, they'd have to let me off for using magic, right?" Ron wondered, getting slightly tipsy after he emptied his third champagne flute.
"Yes, they probably would, but it'd cause a huge hassle. It's best to just give up the money and hope they don't stab you," Harry told him.
"Fuck that. I like it better in Diagon Alley or Hosgmeade. London is shit."
"It's not shit, you're just not used to such a big city, that's all."
"I guess."
The salesman came back with Harry's card and his receipt and he signed his name to it, as the man put the velvet box into a fancy little bag.
"Would you like some champagne in a paper cup to take with you," the man asked Ron with some amusement, tinged with annoyance.
"Uh, no, I think I'm good. Thanks."
"Very well, we do thank you for your patronage. And please come back again."
"Thank you," Harry nodded.
"Thanks for the free drinks!" Ron shouted as they headed for the door.
They got outside and Harry gave Ron a glare. Then he couldn't help but start laughing.
"My God, shopping with you is like shopping with a tiny drunk child. I can't take you anywhere," he joked.
"Oh come on. You know I never pass up free food or drinks. It's a shame they didn't have biscuits or little sandwiches too," Ron laughed.
"It's a jewelry store, not an all you can eat buffet. If you're really that hard up to drink and eat, let's go to the pub. At least then no one will think you're my wacky alcoholic sidekick," Harry grinned, dragging Ron across the street to where there was a pub open for business.
"You buying?" Ron wondered.
"No! I bought you breakfast last time we went out. Plus I just spent a ton of money on these earrings."
"Fine, I'll buy my own. But at least get me one beer for coming with you today. It's been rather boring. I think I deserve a beer."
"You just had loads of free champagne! And you're the one who asked to come along, remember?" Harry reminded him.
"Okay, okay. Let's go get a few and maybe some hot wings," Ron grinned as they opened the pub door and walked inside.
They walked over to an empty table and sat down and looked at the menus.
"All of this sounds good. I'm feeling really peckish right now," Ron said happily.
"The day you're not feeling peckish, I think the earth might rotate backwards," Harry ribbed him.
"Right I know. What about potato skins and hot wings and onion rings?" Ron asked.
"Are we not getting any real food?" Harry wondered.
"You can I guess, but I thought we could share appetizers."
"Alright. But get a basket of chips too. I have a hankering for those."
They ordered up their plethora of food and a pitcher of beer to share. And they just sat there in silence for a bit until Ron spoke up.
"So really, you're actually going to ask Hermione to marry you soon?"
Harry nodded.
"I sure am. I know she said we should wait, but I've been waiting. I wanted to marry her four years ago. So I'm sick of waiting."
"Yeah, but what if she says no? If she wants to wait, she might turn you down," Ron told him, taking a gulp of his beer.
"She won't. I think she wants it as much as me. She's just being Hermione. Trying to be sensible. But if we spent our whole lives being sensible, we'd never have gotten together in the first place," Harry reasoned.
"True. I just worry what'll happen if she says no. What if it fucks everything up?"
"It's not going to. And she won't say no. I have a plan. And if she says no, she'd be embarrassing me in front of people. So she won't say no," Harry informed him.
"In front of people? Are you planning to do this in public then? You're crazier than I thought," Ron shook his head and laughed.
"I am doing it in public. I mean, I want the whole world to know about it. About us. I'm that happy. And I think it's going to be a smashing success. Hopefully," he added with a slight bit of uncertainty.
"So what's this plan of yours?" Ron wondered.
"I'm not telling you. It's a surprise. For everyone. It's my secret," Harry said taking a drink of his beer.
"You're not even telling me? I'm your best mate!"
"I know, but I don't want anyone to know my plan until it happens. You'll just have to deal with it," Harry informed him.
"Fine. But if it's a disaster, don't say I didn't warn you. Me? If and when I ask Charity that question, it's gonna be in private where no one will see my humiliation if she throws the ring back at my face," Ron lamented.
Harry laughed slightly.
"She'd never do that. But I see your point. I'm just going with making a bold statement, rather than a private little declaration."
"Attention seeker," Ron said sticking out his tongue at him.
"Chicken," Harry shot back.
"Fame whore."
"Gutless fraidy cat."
"Okay, got the point. I am a gutless fraidy cat. Shit, I asked Hermione once, you realize. She said no. Flat out, no. I'm just looking out for you," Ron told him.
"Wait, you never told me you asked her to marry you. When the hell was that?" Harry asked quizzically.
"It was yesterday," Ron said sarcastically. "When do you think it was? It was years ago when we were together. And I never told you because I felt like a right asshole and a moron."
"You had a ring?"
"No. I just asked her if she wanted to do it. We'd just had this wonderful shag, and I said, 'Marry me!' and she got all wigged out and said no," Ron explained.
"You just threw it out there after a shag? No wonder she said no. She probably figured you didn't mean it anyway," Harry surmised.
"No, she knew I meant it. And she meant what she said too. Because we broke up three weeks later. How's that for timing."
"Ouch. I had no idea."
"I know. No one did. I mean, we were falling apart already, granted. The only thing we did have in common was shagging. I thought maybe it was enough and if we got married some sort of magical fairy would grant us happiness. But that was a dumb idea anyway. Fairies don't make your life happy. They just sort of flit about and do nothing. There isn't magic to make a person wanna be with you for real. Not unless you count a love potion, but then it's not real. It's just a potion that wears off. So I let her go," Ron explained.
"I thought you were happy to be free of her," Harry asked.
"I was. But it was still disappointing. I mean, she was the girl of my dreams. But I wasn't the man of hers. You were. Damn you," Ron laughed slightly and gulped his beer.
"I'm sorry she turned you down, but it's not gonna be that way for me. I know what we have is special. And it seems like everyone else knows it too. Even you. So stop dooming me to failure."
"Alright, I'll shut up. You're right it's different with you two. You're not desperately trying to hold onto something that's already gone like I was. She'll say yes. I'm sure she will. But she might give you a what for about asking so bloody soon," Ron chuckled.
Harry knew he was probably right about that last bit, but he didn't really care. He'd spent his whole life wanting something he feared he'd never have, or live long enough to have. But here he was, and it was right in his grasp. He was sick of waiting. He didn't care what was proper or not, he wanted to get married. And he wanted to marry Hermione. He had for a long time. And if she thought he was insane, he was betting she'd still say yes. He hoped so anyway. Otherwise Ron was right. He was going to make a right fool of himself.
When the night of Hermione's birthday came, he'd made a reservation at the Italian restaurant they'd had their first unofficial romantic date at. He thought it would be special for them, and when he showed up at her place after work, he'd brought a dozen roses for her. When she opened the door, she beamed at him.
"Oh Harry, they're so lovely! Thank you," she leaned over and kissed him as he handed her the roses.
"I know you love roses. And also daisies. But I felt like roses made a better statement and not like I picked them off the side of the road," he chuckled.
"I would have loved daisies too, but these are perfect. Do I have time to put them in water first?" she asked as she led him inside and he closed the door.
"Sure, we have a little time. Plus I figured we'd just apparate to the restaurant. Quicker. You look amazing, by the way. That dress is stunning," he told her, admiring the red off the shoulder number with a plunging neckline.
"You really like it? Luna made me buy it. I felt like it was a bit too low cut, and I don't have much to show off. My tits are literally taped to my dress," she laughed.
"Taped? Isn't there a spell or something you could have done instead?" he wondered.
"A spell to make your tits not fall out of a dress? Not that I know of. It's not in the standard book of spells," she laughed. "No, I got this tip from a magazine. Double stick tape keeps the dress from falling open. Movie stars do this."
"Now I know. Ron and I were wondering how women kept themselves covered in some of these dresses. I never would have thought of tape though," he admitted.
"Let's just hope I don't sweat the adhesive off. It's rather warm out tonight for the end of September. Blasted Indian Summer."
"I know. I'm sweating a little in this jacket, and I couldn't bear to wear a tie. Hopefully it's not required. I figured this was fancy enough," he said looking down at his casual grey suit and blue shirt, unbuttoned at the collar.
"You look perfect. And I don't think they care about ties really," she said giving him another kiss. "Let me just put these in a vase and I'll be ready to go."
She went into the kitchen and got out a vase and undid the flowers to put them in the water. Harry watched her and smiled. She really did look amazing in that dress. And her hair was up on the sides and flowed down her back in waves, almost like the style she wore at the Yule Ball all those years ago. And she had little red crystal barrettes in the shape of flowers holding up the sides of her hair.
"You know, I think we should spend the night at my house tonight, so you may want to bring some other clothes," he suggested to her.
"I already thought of that. I've got my enchanted purse yet again. I even brought extra shoes this time in case we have to run somewhere," she chuckled.
"I hope we won't need to run, but that's good. I wanted you to come to my place because I bought a cake for you at the bakery. It's chocolate and strawberry. It sounds heavenly, and lord knows I can't bake."
"It sounds like something to look forward to. First people got me cake at work, and now more cake? I'm going to get fat!" she laughed.
"Hardly. Besides, everyone eats tons of cake for a birthday. Not that I ever did as a child, but most people do. I get cake now," he smiled.
"Yes, you do. And someday our kids will have splendid birthdays. Nothing like what you experienced. Have you ever even been inside a bouncy house?"
"A what?"
"A bouncy house. My parents rented one for me when I was nine. It was so much fun. Of course, I didn't have very many friends, so my parents just invited the neighbor children to come play in it. I didn't really know any of them. I remember being sad that I had no school friends to invite, and my father told me that children's birthday parties are like old people's birthday parties. Someone else invites people over and you have no idea who any of them are, but you still get cake and presents, so you don't care," she giggled slightly.
"How come you didn't have school friends? I thought you did," he said curiously.
"Not really. I may have lied a bit about my old chums. Mostly they were just kids who lived near me and felt sorry for me. I was always so bookish and also a bit odd, with the uncontrollable magic that would erupt at inconvenient times," she explained.
"Yeah, I remember that happening to me too. Plus, you know I had no friends at all. Even if I did, I wouldn't have been allowed to invite them over," Harry sighed.
"Well someday our kids will have a much better time of things. I can guarantee that," she smiled. "Are you ready to go?" she wondered as she put the vase of flowers on her kitchen table.
"Yep, all ready. Let's go, shall we?"
He held out his arm to her and she grabbed up her purse and they apparated to an alley behind the restaurant. Luckily no one was around to see them, except a stray alley cat who hissed at them and jumped inside a dumpster. They smoothed their clothes down and walked out of the alley and over to the little bistro where they'd had their first romantic moment together. They were shown to another table on the patio and they both picked up menus and decided to order something more than just a pizza this time. They each ordered something different so they could try each other's food, and then Harry got them a bottle of wine as well. The waiter poured them glasses and left them alone.
Harry raised his glass.
"Happy birthday, Hermione," he smiled at her.
She clinked his glass.
"Thank you, Harry."
He reached in his pocket and pulled out the little velvet box that he'd put a bow on and handed it over.
"For me?" she asked happily as she clutched the little box to her chest.
"No, I got this for that woman over there, but I'm afraid her male companion might take issue with me giving her gifts," he chuckled.
"Shut up, silly! I just meant I thought the dinner and the flowers were my gift. I didn't realize you'd give me something else," she stuck out her tongue at him.
"Just open it. I hope you like it."
She pulled off the bow and opened up the box and she was surprised at how beautiful the earrings were. She held up the box and grinned widely.
"Oh, they're gorgeous! And they're blue! I love them. Thank you Harry," she said as she leaned over and kissed him passionately.
"You should put them on. I know you're already wearing some, but I think these would look great with that dress."
"You think so? I won't look like a flag with red and blue?"
"Nah, I'm pretty sure no one will mistake you for the flag. Just put them on. I want to see how they look," he smiled.
She took out the small faux diamond studs she had in her ears and put on the sapphires. Then she turned her head this way and that to show them off to Harry.
"How do they look?"
"Beautiful. Almost as beautiful as you."
"Stop. But thank you. I love them! You're the best boyfriend ever. And let me guess, these are actually real right? No more pretending they're fake so I don't realize you're mad for me?" she giggled.
"Yes, they're real. Sapphires. I hoped you'd like them."
"I do! You're the best present giver ever. I feel so spoiled."
"You deserve it."
"Ron sent me a book by owl. I didn't have the heart to tell him I'd already read it. So don't tell him, okay? I already owled back my thank you to him. Plus Luna bought me a lovely blouse the other day when we were out. She saw me eyeing it and told me she knew I'd probably hate anything she got for me, so that was my gift. And my parents, bless them, they sent me money and a card. It's been a lovely birthday, really," she said with happiness radiating from her eyes.
"It's not over yet. It's just starting. And I think you'll love the cake I got. I haven't looked at it yet because I was short on time, but it's supposed to be decorated with your favorite color and it has roses and daisies on it. I had them make it special," he told her.
"It sound wonderful. This is so much better than last year when I decided to throw that awful dinner party and everyone was crammed into my flat and Crookshanks threw up hairball on Ron's shoes, which made him vomit because he'd drank so much Firewhiskey he couldn't handle a hairball like a man. He's going to be awful with a baby someday. He barely made it to my loo and I had vomit splattered on my shower curtain. I almost didn't forgive him for that disaster," she recalled with a chuckle.
"I didn't even know he was sick until he came back and told me he needed my help in the bathroom. I thought his zipper was stuck! But then I saw the mess, right before you walked in. Nasty business. Thank god for magical clean ups! I would not have touched that mess with my bare hands," Harry laughed.
They both had a laugh at Ron's expense and remembered how different things were at her birthday last year. Harry had brought a girl with him, and Hermione had a date as well. Someone who ended up ditching her in the middle of the festivities and Harry's date drank so much she passed out on the sofa for hours. Everyone ended up leaving in the end, except Harry and his passed out date. And he and Hermione had shoved her over onto the floor and stuck a pillow under her head, while they curled up on the sofa and watched infomercials most of the night. But tonight was going to be better than that. And it wouldn't involve some passed out bint lying at their feet snoring. But Harry was curious where Hermione's date went because she never told him. He decided to ask her.
"So last year, your birthday date, where did he go? He just sort of disappeared right after the cake was cut."
"Oh, Jerome, you mean? He was a healer at St. Mungo's and he claimed to have an emergency. But then I realized that there had been no owl sent, and they don't use pagers or mobiles. And no one called my flat. He just ditched me. And I found out later that he already had a girlfriend, so I suspect he went to go be with her. But at least he gave me a gift card to a day spa. I was pampered and massaged. It was heavenly. Even if I never saw him again," she explained.
"Damn, I should have bought you that. But I can massage you, if you'd like," he offered with a slight smirk.
"I bet you would. But somehow I'm imagining it leading to something incredibly dirty. It wasn't that way with Svetlana. She was Swedish."
"I'd hope it didn't end the way I have in mind if it was someone named Svetlana. Because that would change the game spectacularly if I was competing with a Swedish goddess of massage," he laughed.
"No worries. I don't have any romantic interest in women, thank you," she said shaking her head.
"Good to know. I'm not equipped to for that game."
Just then, the waiter brought out their food and they both dug in readily and kept offering each other bites of their food. They were a sappy looking couple and they were certain they were probably making everyone else ill with how cute they were. But they didn't care. They were having fun and trying not to spill anything on each other. It was silly but also kind of sexy to feed each other, Harry noted. He'd never done this before with anyone. But Hermione was always surprising him in good ways, these days. Once they finished their meal and paid and drank the last of the wine, they headed home to Harry's. He had a little surprise waiting for her there, as he'd decorated the place magically with floating candles and stars on the ceiling. Along with a perfectly timed shower of sparkly confetti dropping from the ceiling as they walked through the door. That little gem was courtesy of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes to use as a party gag. But Hermione started laughing and trying to spit out the sparkly confetti bits that got in her mouth.
"Harry, you've outdone yourself. Now I look like a unicorn exploded on me or something," she giggled.
"Nah, unicorns would explode silvery blood all over the place, not sparkles," he reminded her.
"Yuck. Thank you for that grisly image. I'll sleep better knowing that," she made a face at him.
"Go ahead and sit down at the table and I'll get the cake," he instructed her as she walked around the candles floating and sat down at his table.
He went into the kitchen and got the box out of the refrigerator. He opened it up and was prepared to be dazzled by its beauty, but he was just disappointed instead. They'd spelled her name wrong. Like completely wrong. And he'd instructed them perfectly at the bakery and even spelled it out. But now the cake read "Happy Birthday Herminny" He thought about trying to fix it with magic, but he didn't know how exactly to fix a cake. He didn't want to blow it up accidentally. And he had no way to actually re-write the name. And it wasn't even close enough to salvage. He could scrape off the inny part and just say "Happy Birthday Herm" but he never once called her 'Herm'. He just sighed and figured even if it sucked, she'd probably get a laugh out of it. So he took it out of the box and stuck candles in it and lit them up and carried it out to her. He refused to sing, even though she clapped and asked him to, but he shook his head.
"No, I'm not singing! And the cake is rubbish, I'm afraid. Your name is spelled all wrong. But make a wish anyway before it catches on fire!" he urged her.
She leaned over and blew out the candles and then noted the ridiculous spelling of her name.
"Herminny? Did you do this over the phone? Didn't you spell it?" she wondered, trying not to giggle too hard.
"I went to the bakery and spelled it perfectly. But the idiot who took the order obviously wasn't listening. I'm sorry. It's horrid. But the daisies and such are nice, right?"
"It's wonderful. I need to get a picture. In fact, we need a picture of us together too, because we both look hot tonight," she grinned as she pulled a camera out of her bag.
She snapped a picture of the ridiculous cake and then she held up the camera and got a picture of the two of them together. In fact, she took a couple because Harry kept kissing her cheek or tickling her to make her laugh. She hoped they didn't look too ridiculous, but she knew for sure they'd both look like they were having fun in the photos. But she finally put the camera down and they dug into the cake. It may have been spelled wrong, but it tasted wonderful. And they both were stuffed full afterwards.
"I can't eat another bite. I'm all caked out. It was delicious though. Thank you so much for a wonderful birthday evening," she leaned over and kissed him softly.
"You're very welcome. I'm pleased you enjoyed yourself.
"I did. Best birthday ever."
"So you wanna go upstairs and get that massage?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Hmm, give me a few minutes to let my food baby settle," she giggled, patting her full tummy.
"Food baby?" he laughed.
"Yes, that's what they call it when your stomach pooches out from eating too much. I mean look at me! I look up the duff at least four months. I don't feel sexy right now," she pouted.
"Oh please. You do not look up the duff. It's a cute little belly," he said getting on his knees and kissing her tummy over her dress.
She giggled and played with his hair.
"You're so silly. But I love it. You always make me feel beautiful, even when I'm not."
"You're always beautiful though. That's what you don't realize," he whispered softly as he caressed her stomach and then the tops of her thighs, as he leaned up to kiss her.
They kissed for a bit and then she finally pulled back and looked at him.
"I think I'd be okay to go upstairs now," she whispered to him.
"Hmm, okay. Let's go then," he grabbed up her hands and pulled her towards the stairs.
The stumbled up as quickly as they could and didn't even both to stop when the portrait started making noise. Neither of them cared. They were too excited to be together to care about much. For once, life was heading in the right direction for both of them. And neither of them could be happier. Harry just hoped that his plans to ask her to be his wife, would be met with as much enthusiasm as the rest of his plans were. Her lips might tell him she wanted to wait, but he could see inside her heart and it was telling a different story. It was telling the same story his was telling. Why wait to start your life when you had everything you wanted at your fingertips?
To be continued…Please leave feedback! I hope you're all enjoying this so far! Thanks to all those who have commented! Keep 'em coming!