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!
Another quick note: I don't know when kids in the UK start learning algebra so if I mucked that up, sorry. In the states, they don't learn until they're around 13 or so. Also apologies for this chapter taking so long! My life has been crazy. Hope you enjoy this!
Masquerading As Your Best Friend
The day after his proposal. Harry set about trying to make an official announcement in the Prophet about it, but someone had already leaked the news, but the good part was, no one had leaked any pictures. One of his friends must have had loose lips, but no camera, thankfully. So the paper was going to run a story without a picture. But Harry promised them pictures and an exclusive interview, if they would stop whatever they had planned, and just listened to his story and print just the facts, and no conjecture or 'sources close to the couple' like they did the last time. The editor was more than happy to put the brakes on the planned puff piece of gossip to hear the real story. And the pictures were a selling point too. The Prophet wasn't always known for its accuracy, so whenever they could get a story from the source itself, they were pleased. Especially one from Harry Potter who was notoriously tight lipped about his life and rarely gave interviews. Mostly because Harry never had anything of interest to actually say. But this time he did. And Hermione agreed to be a part of the article as well. That is after she called her parents to tell them the news. She did not want them reading it in a paper, and was thankful that Harry stopped the presses before a gossip piece ran about the proposal. Her parents had been thrilled beyond belief to hear that their daughter was getting married. They knew this was in the cards eventually, but with the way Hermione kept making them shush up about it, they were not expecting it so soon. They had been shocked and elated. And they both hoped that the rest of the Wizarding World would be just as happy for them.
This had been their first interview together in many years. After the war, they were interviewed all the time, but that had been over a long time ago. In fact, Hermione hadn't been interviewed at all except for some work related articles, in the last several years. It felt weird sitting there with a reporter telling them her most private thoughts for the public to read. But she knew this was part of the deal when you got involved romantically with Harry Potter. People wanted to know everything. So they were going to make it seem like that's exactly what they were doing, except some things were still private. Like the ceremony itself. Which seemed to annoy the reporter when she found out the wedding would be at an undisclosed location on an undisclosed day. And that no press was allowed. She tried to argue that their wedding was almost like a royal wedding and that people had the right to witness it, but Harry abruptly cut her off and informed he was nothing like royalty. He was just a man. And hardly the only one who had fought in the war, even if he was the one to ultimately kill the Dark Lord. He didn't think that accomplishment afforded him royal treatment, even in the Wizarding world. The interview was cut short when the reporter kept arguing that point, and Harry felt like she had enough information.
"I'm sorry, but that's all we really have to say," he said, standing up, and taking Hermione's hand.
"But I still have more questions about the gown and the guests," the woman protested.
"I'm sorry, but I haven't even thought of a gown yet. And our guest list is private. And we haven't made it yet," Hermione chimed in, feeling frustrated with how intrusive the interview had gone.
"Can we schedule a follow up when you do have these details?" the reporter asked.
"No. No more questions. We explained how we got together, and how we got engaged. I handed you several pictures of us the night it happened. And I allowed you take pictures of us here, along with the ring and its history. That's enough," Harry told her adamantly.
"Don't you realize that the public has waited for the day when Harry Potter would get married? You owe your fans the opportunity to see into your life more clearly. It's part of being a public figure," she argued.
"I never asked to be a public figure. I don't want any of this really. But I knew you'd hound me and print falsehoods, so that's why we're here. But this is all you're getting. I think it's quite good and enough. And if you print anything that wasn't said here today, you will never get another interview from me again. Do you understand?" Harry asked her.
"Yes, alright. Congratulations you two. And I do wish you all the best," she said with a sigh, as she watched Harry and Hermione leave her office.
Once they got outside the building, Hermione started laughing incredulously.
"I can't believe the questions she asked! She wanted to know about our love life what kind of underwear you wore. I thought I was on a prank show," Hermione held up her hands.
"I was a bit in shock when she asked you 'boxers or briefs' as I wondered how that was relevant. I'm not getting married in my skivvies anyway. I liked your answer though, even if it was rubbish," he laughed slightly.
"I couldn't think what to say so I just said I wouldn't know until after we were married. But I don't think she bought that."
"No one is going to buy that. But I don't care. I don't really think I 'owe' the world to knowing what sort of undergarments I wear. And why didn't they ask me if you wore grandma knickers or a lacy thong?" Harry wondered.
Hermione giggled and covered her face.
"I suspect no one wants to know about my knickers because I didn't save the world."
"Rubbish. You did plenty to help! And also, I'm sure 90 percent of the men out there would want to know about your knickers," he teased her.
"Only 90 percent?" she teased back.
"Well some of them are gay," he shrugged.
"True. Which means they'd rather know about your underpants."
"I still don't get what underpants have to do with anything!" he lamented.
"I hear that it's the 'now' thing to do to ask people that question. Like it tells a lot about a person or something. In America they even asked a president that question once, if it makes you feel any better," she consoled him.
"I thought English people had more sense. No one's asked the Queen about her knickers, have they?"
"Oh God, I should hope not."
"Let's just get out of here and get some lunch," he told her, as they walked along the street and away from the Daily Prophet headquarters in Diagon Alley.
They strolled along until they reached a popular café that sold sandwiches and soups. It was slightly early for lunch, so they were seated right away on the patio and got a good view of all the passersby as they did their shopping. They could see the Weasley joke shop too from where they sat. They ordered their food and sipped hot teas while they waited. Just then Hermione spotted someone in the crowd walking and she slouched down in her seat and urged Harry to do the same.
"What are you doing?" Harry asked, as he slid down in his chair and felt like a moron.
"I just saw someone walking that I didn't want to see," she told him seriously.
"Who?" Harry turned his head, but she reached over and grabbed his face and turned it back to her.
"Don't look! He'll see us!" she told him.
"Who is it we're hiding from? Not very well, I might add. People can still see us. We're just crouched in our chairs like we're drunk or something," he informed her.
"It's Malfoy," she informed him with a whisper.
"Malfoy? So what? He's not going to talk to us," Harry informed her as he scooted back up in his chair slightly.
"He's walking over here right now," she told him with a cringe.
Harry looked over his shoulder and saw the blonde man coming closer and he didn't look overly friendly, not that he ever had. It had been years since either of them had seen him. But Harry wasn't sure why Hermione was so worried about seeing him.
"Potter. Granger. Or is it just the Potter's these days? And why are you hiding half under the table?" Draco asked Hermione.
"I uh, dropped my spoon," she mumbled as she sat up straighter and Harry looked at Draco.
"Malfoy. It's still Granger for now. We're not married yet. Why would you think we were?" Harry wondered.
"Saw a story in the paper awhile back about you two possibly eloping. I gotta say I never laughed so hard as I did seeing the pictures of you two running from that party," Draco chuckled.
"Oh, yeah. Well, it was a strange night. But we're not married. But we're going to be," Harry told him, as he took Hermione's hand and showed off the nicely sized ring to his old enemy.
Draco glanced at the ring.
"Lovely. Not too shabby. They must pay you well as an Auror," he remarked.
"They do actually. But this ring was my mum's," Harry said, unsure why he was explaining this at all. He didn't even like Draco.
"So, Granger, did you ever recover from that story they ran about us three years ago?" Draco laughed slightly.
"What story?" Harry asked with confusion.
"Nothing. It was a stupid, stupid story. And you were out of town on assignment then. You missed it," Hermione told Harry quickly.
Draco laughed.
"Oh man, you never told him? That's interesting. Why wouldn't you tell him?" he wondered.
"Because it was rubbish. You and I both know that. And I may have discreetly tossed that paper in the bin while Harry was gone," Hermione admitted haughtily.
"Wait, you tossed my paper in the bin? But you always gathered my mail and such for me when I was gone. What else did you throw away?" Harry wondered.
"Nothing! Just that paper. It's totally not important. So just drop it please," Hermione blushed.
"Well if she's not going to tell you, I will," Draco laughed slightly.
"Please don't," Hermione pleaded with him.
"Sorry Granger, it's my story too. Anyway, I met up with your lovely fiancée at a charity event. She spilled her drink on me. I'd say on purpose, honestly. And then as she drunkenly tried to wipe it off me, she didn't realize she was wiping a very personal area. But someone snapped a photo and the headline was all about how Hermione here threw herself at me. It caused quite a stir. Of course my parents had a conniption fit when they thought I took her home with me. I can't believe no one else told you this about your supposed best friend and future wife. We were the talk of the town for a while," Draco chuckled.
"It wasn't funny! It was horrible. And Harry didn't get back until it died down and everyone knew it was rubbish. Thanks for telling him though," she said, making a face at him.
"Wait, you ran into Malfoy, spilled a drink on him, and then wiped up his crotch?" Harry said, trying not to laugh, but it was difficult.
"Yes! And everyone thought it meant something, but I barely spoke three words to him. Tell him, Draco. We barely spoke!" Hermione urged him.
"She's right. We barely spoke. But a well-timed photo can be turned into a scandal. You must have been living underground when this happened. I got shit for it for weeks," Draco told him.
"Is this when I went to Russia? I was gone for three weeks. Is that when this happened?" Harry wanted to know.
"Yes. That's when it happened. And thankfully once you got back, everyone had shut up about it," Hermione sighed.
"So I completely missed the time in your life when you were romantically linked to Draco Malfoy and you never even told me?" Harry wondered.
"I wasn't romantically linked to him. The story merely said I threw myself at him like a drunken whore basically. And that Draco ushered me out of the place. Which did not happen! He didn't usher me anywhere. I ushered myself out, but I was very drunk. I embarrassed myself. And I didn't want you to know about it," Hermione admitted.
"She was a right mess, that's for sure. She was muttering about you, of course. How you'd been gone too long. As if I cared. Then the next thing I know she's on her knees wiping vodka and cranberry off my trousers with her cocktail napkin. All I did was say hello to her. Which I immediately regretted, mind you. I didn't need to hear her sob story," Draco told them.
"Why did you even speak to me at all?" Hermione wondered. "And why are you speaking to us now?"
Draco held up his hands.
"I was just being polite. Both times. And I don't know. This time I wondered if you were really married. My curiosity got the best of me."
"Yeah, well, we're getting married soon. And you won't be getting an invite. Sorry," Harry told him with a sigh.
Draco held his hands over his heart.
"I'm crushed. And here I thought I'd be best man," he said mockingly. "Besides, I'm getting married too. In February. And you two aren't invited either."
"You actually found someone who'd marry you?" Harry asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Ha-ha. I could say the same for you. Of course Granger was always your little groupie. Surprised it took this long to get engaged. I was shocked when I saw she was with the Weasel after the war. I knew that wouldn't last," Draco told them.
"Just shut up. You don't know anything about my life or my choices. And don't call Ron the Weasel!" Hermione said with irritation.
"Whatever. I have places to be. It was nice catching up," Draco said with a sigh as he prepared to depart.
"Knockturn Alley is that way," Harry pointed.
"Cute. I'm not going there. I don't shop there anymore. I'm going to Flourish and Blotts. My fiancée has a book she loves and I'm surprising her with it," Draco informed them.
"Wow, a book. All your riches, and you get her a book. How thrilling," Harry said with a roll of his eyes.
"Just because I have money doesn't mean everything I buy is encrusted in diamonds. She's the bookish sort. Kinda like you, Granger. But much prettier," he said giving her a smirk.
"Fuck off, Draco," Hermione scowled at him.
"Such language for a lady!" he feigned shock.
"Just go before you hear the rest of my vocabulary," she urged him.
"Bye you two. And congrats. I mean that. You're perfect together. You're both annoying as ever. Hope we won't meet again," Draco said as he waved at them and stalked off.
Harry turned to Hermione.
"You wiped a drink off his crotch?" he burst out laughing.
She smacked him on the arm over the table.
"Shut up! I was drunk. And you were gone. You were supposed to be my date that night, remember? I'd told you about the charity ball months in advance and then you ran off to Russia," she said with a pout.
"I remember. But I had no choice! It was work. And I can't believe you tossed my paper and tried to hide this from me. You never even told me you'd seen Draco at all," he pointed out.
"So I threw away one lousy paper. You want the knut it cost you? And I didn't tell you about seeing Draco because I hate that guy. And so do you. And I was mortified people thought I was throwing myself at him and that we spirited away together. That never happened," she explained.
"Did you really cry to him about me being gone too long? I'd only been gone a week by then, if I recall," he told her with amusement.
"I did cry to him about it. And I don't know why. He didn't care. And a week felt like a long time. Don't you remember when you came back? I practically knocked you over with my hug right in the middle of the Ministry. I was so relieved you were safe and sound and not in Russia, of all places."
"I knew you were happy to see me, but I guess I didn't realize how happy," he admitted with a smile.
"Well I was ridiculously happy. I hate those long dangerous trips. Thankfully you haven't had many in quite some time," she told him with a small smile.
"I hate being away that long too. Believe me. It's not usually fun. And I miss you too. Especially now I'd miss you. Now that I can be honest with how I feel. I guess I really should have realized it then too. But then again, there you were consorting with my old enemy while I was toiling away in Russia catching Death Eaters," he teased her.
"I was not consorting with the enemy! But I'm really glad you weren't around when it happened. It was so embarrassing. That's why I never told you. I made a total fool of myself. That's why I didn't want Draco seeing us. I just knew he'd bring it up. Although it was embarrassing for him too. But not as bad as me, since I was painted as some desperate floozy."
"We both know you're not a floozy, nor would you throw yourself at Draco, of all people. I would have just laughed about it with you if you told me," he explained to her.
She shrugged.
"It just didn't seem like it was worth telling. And it was three years ago."
"Yeah, but it kinda proves you were pining after me all that time ago," he pointed out.
"I guess I was, yeah. But I just thought I missed my friend," she told him.
"You did. I missed you too. We're still best friends. Regardless of anything else. We always will be. Which is why I know this will work," he told her, as he took her hand over the table and squeezed it.
Just then, their food arrived and they let go of their hands and began digging into the soup and sandwiches. They were silent for a time until Harry spoke up.
"So did you throw the drink on him purposely?" he was dying to know.
"No! It was an accident. If I was going to throw it purposely, I'd have thrown it in his face. But despite how much I dislike him, he hadn't really said anything offensive that night. He was more interested in where you were, which is why I was all upset and telling him the story. I swear, I'll never understand the obsession you two have with each other," she admitted, shaking her head.
"It's not an obsession! Not anymore. I just wanted to make it my life's mission to prove he was a bad guy. At least for a while," he told her.
"In the end, he wasn't that bad. You even saved his life and testified at his trial saying he was being coerced. You didn't have to do that."
"I know. But it was true. He was being coerced. He was just as terrified as the rest of us."
"Maybe you should marry him instead?" she teased him.
"Shut up. Besides he's taken. And I'm probably not as pretty as his fiancée either," Harry joked back.
"Yeah, well you're taken too. Besides, do you really think he's getting married? I think he made it up. I never saw anything in the paper about it," Hermione mentioned.
"The Malfoy's don't want to be in the paper, these days. Plus, do you read the entire thing all the time? I've watched you just peruse the headlines and throw it away," he remarked.
"True. I don't always read it when they pile up. Not that I care if he's telling the truth. I totally don't."
"Me neither. So why are we talking about him at all? We should be talking about us. And our wedding. Like are you honestly serious about having a snow covered ceremony in the forest?" Harry wondered, taking a sip of his soup.
"I am serious about that. I was thinking about that one spot we found next to the river. It was so beautiful. And there was a perfect clearing where we set up camp where we could seat people," she informed him, as she ate her own soup.
"Do you even remember where that was?" he wondered.
"Yes. I it was my favorite spot in the Forest of Dean. I'm the one who took us there on purpose."
"Would we have the reception out there as well? Would we set up a tent? People don't want to eat and drink and dance in the snow. It'll get a bit chilly and wet," he pointed out.
"I was thinking of a tent, yes. Like how it was at Bill and Fleur's wedding. Only I want the ceremony to be outside by the river," she told him.
"Alright. If that's what you want. When do you want to do it? I guess that's the biggest question," he said.
"How about on New Year's Eve?" she offered.
"That's really soon. Are you sure we can throw this together that quickly?" he wondered.
"Yes, of course. It's not going to be that incredibly fancy. Or big. It shouldn't be a problem," she assured him.
"What about music? Are we having a band? People usually have bands," he pointed out.
"I don't know. I guess. I hadn't thought that far ahead yet."
"Well if we really want to do this on New Year's Eve, we better make a plan quickly. I don't even know if we could get a band on that night with such short notice."
"If we can't then we'll just bring our own music. I have lots of songs. Don't worry about it Harry. I'll have this planned to the T. You're forgetting that you're dealing with the most organized person on the planet," she informed him with a chuckle.
"That's true. I don't know why I'm worried then. I'll just leave it all up to you," he held up his hands in defeat.
"It'll be perfect. Promise. And of course if you have ideas or suggestions, tell me. It is your wedding too," she pointed out.
"All I really want is for you to show up. The rest are just details," he admitted.
"Oh, I'm showing up. Don't worry. And it's going to be perfect," she smiled, as she leaned over the table and kissed him.
They finished their meal and Harry wanted to revisit this spot in the forest to see it again for himself. They'd been in so many places, they all sort of blurred together. And it had been a long time since he'd thought of any of them. Going camping again was something he wasn't very eager to do, but having the wedding there might bring something good to a place that was fraught with panic at one point in his life. And the place meant something to Hermione. So she agreed they'd apparate to the spot and check it out. It was November now, so she highly doubted anyone sane was camping there, like they would in the summer. So she wasn't exactly worried about running into Muggles. Harry held onto her arm and they disappeared in a flash and landed smack dab in the middle of a forest that he couldn't say he recognized as being any different than any of the other places they'd gone to and hidden in. But he glanced around and took it in.
"So this is it?" he asked curious.
"Sort of," she said scrunching up her face and taking his hand. "It's more over this way that I'm thinking of."
She led him through the trees a short distance until they found a clearing and a river that ran steadily past them. It was rather cold out there already, even if there was no snow yet. But Harry wished they'd brought jackets. She held out her arms with a flourish.
"Ta-da! This is it. What do you think?" she asked him excitedly.
"It's lovely. But it's a bit cold already. People will need to wear fur coats or something to this shindig," he chuckled slightly.
"Oh it's not that cold! God, we lived out here for ages and you never complained of the cold then," she remarked.
"Well I was more worried I was going to die then, and now I'm not. So I notice the chill in the air," he answered with a grin.
"You hate it, don't you?" she pouted slightly.
"No! I don't hate it at all. I think it's beautiful. And right over there, we could put our guests because the ground is fairly even. And maybe over yonder the tent for the reception?" he offered, getting into the idea more so she wouldn't feel like he wasn't interested.
"Yes, exactly. That's what I was thinking. But I had to see it again to be certain it would work. But it's really perfect. Over there is where we camped. Do you remember this place now?" she wondered.
"I do. I mean, it looks very similar to some of the other places, but I do remember the river. And that tree right over there," Harry pointed to a tall tree with red leaves on it, and a greyish colored bark. He walked over towards it and she followed him.
"Look at this," he said pointing to a spot on the tree that had been burned with the words 'HHR was here'
"What is that? Did you do that?" she asked with some confusion.
"Yep, I was bored one night so I burned our initials into the tree. Harry, Hermione and Ron. Figured no one would know who it was, and if they did, we'd be long gone when they saw it. I guess I was taunting them a bit. Daring them to find us. I knew they wouldn't. Or at least I hoped," he explained.
"Did you do this in all the places we were at?" she wondered.
"Well a few places, when it was just you and me, I left off the R. He wasn't there," he admitted quietly.
"So our initials are all over the forest then?" she smiled slightly.
"Yes. I'm guessing no one to this day would have a clue who it was referring to."
"No, I'm sure they wouldn't. Considering it's mostly Muggles who come out here. You know, you marred up perfectly beautiful trees, Harry," she scolded him.
"I did not mar them. I left a mark. In case we didn't make it, I wanted to prove we existed out there," he said quietly.
"Well I guess I can understand that. It was a bit risky if anyone noticed and put the pieces together," she told him.
He shrugged.
"They never did."
"How come I never saw you doing this?" she wondered.
"I did it when you were sleeping. And I did it when I knew we were likely leaving the next morning. It was kind of stupid, but I wasn't exactly thinking too clearly out here all the time. None of us really was."
"True. Are you sure you want our wedding to be out here? It seems like it brings up bad memories for you. I only thought it was perfect because this is where I loved to be as a child. But you don't have those memories with me," she said softly.
"No, I don't. But this spot meant something to you. And it means something to me too. I mean, this is where the three of us spent countless hours together. My best friends. And even if it was scary, it was important because I had you guys with me. And you never left my side. That's what I think of when I think of the forest. You never leaving me. Do you know how worried I was that you would?" he asked curiously, kicking a stray rock on the ground.
"I didn't know you worried that really," she told him quietly.
"I did. All the time. Sometimes you were so distant and always writing in that journal of yours, I wondered when I'd turn around and you'd be gone. I wouldn't have blamed you. Just like I didn't really blame Ron. I mean, if I could have left, I would have too. But that wasn't exactly possible."
"I couldn't leave either. Not really. And I didn't want to. I promised to stay with you, and I did. And if I had left, where would I have gone? I didn't know where Ron was. And I had no home to go to. Plus I was a huge target, not just for being me, but for being a Muggleborn. Leaving wasn't really in the cards. But if it had been, I still wouldn't have done it. I was not about to leave you all by yourself out here. Never," she insisted.
"So you never thought of leaving and at least trying to find Ron?" he wondered looking her in the eyes.
"No. I was angry at him. I didn't want to find him. You saw how ballistic I went when he came back. He's lucky I didn't go find him," she chuckled softly as she took Harry's hand.
"You were pretty scary when he showed his face again. I thought you were going to kill both of us," he laughed as he kissed her hand.
"I was never mad at you, I just wanted my wand. But God only knows what I was going to do with it. Attack Ron with more wayward birds? I had no plan, I was just angry. But obviously I got over it."
"Thankfully. It would have been really hard to do all the things we had to do if you were both pissed at each other the entire time."
She went over and put her arms around him and hugged him tightly.
"What do you say we make new memories in this forest? Better ones," she whispered as she kissed his neck and buried her face in it.
"Hmm, what are you suggesting? Besides the wedding?" he asked with a raised eyebrow as he pulled back and looked her in the eyes.
She smacked his arm playfully.
"Get your mind out of the gutter! I was gonna ask you if you knew how to skip stones on the river. Ron showed me. I'm really good at it," she said with a grin.
"I actually can do that. Probably better than you," he teased her.
"Care to make a wager on that?" she asked deviously.
"Alright. What do I get if I win?" he wondered.
"Hmm, if you win, I'll let you have your way with me in this forest. But if I win, you have to cook me dinner and massage my feet while I sip very expensive wine," she offered.
He laughed.
"Your reward is far more reaching than mine. Mine will last for a couple of minutes, and yours is an all night affair. Besides, you really want me cooking?"
"It's better than me cooking. Do we have a deal?" she held out her hand for them to shake on it.
He shook it.
"Deal. I'm gonna win anyway. Ron isn't that good at skipping stones," he stuck his tongue out at her as they walked towards the river bank.
"I think you underestimate me, my dear. I only pretended I didn't know how to skip stones so Ron would feel important teaching me. My dad taught me when I was a girl," she said sticking her tongue back out at him too.
"Hey, you're a cheater then! No fair. I only learned when I was older. I wasn't born to do this," he complained.
"Too late, we already shook on it."
She picked up her first stone and skimmed it across the water effortlessly. Harry hadn't done this in years so he was very rusty and his first rock plummeted to the depths of the river immediately. She laughed at him and they kept picking up stones to skip and it was obvious who the winner was going to be. And it wasn't Harry. But they had a lot of fun doing it. It was worth losing to see Hermione laughing so much and ribbing Harry about how badly he sucked at this. But in his defense he was self-taught and only had a stupid little stream of water to practice on when he was a kid. A swiftly moving river was more challenging than a stagnant stream. Harry finally threw up his hands.
"You win! I'm terrible at this. I think I only made four skips to your five hundred. Are you sure you're not using magic over there?" he teased her.
"I'm not! I swear. I'm just very competitive and good at this sort of thing," she laughed.
"I still think I should have my way with you in this forest," he joked as he grabbed her up and kissed her hungrily.
"No fair, you lost," she uttered against his kisses.
"Yeah, but you didn't tell me you were some sort of stone skipping prodigy before we made the bet," he kissed her again.
"But it's cold out here," she reminded him as they fell to the ground, next to the river, with Harry on top of her.
"You said it wasn't that cold," he reminded her back as he crushed his lips to hers again.
"I'm going to get leaves stuck in places I don't want leaves," she muttered to him breathlessly.
"So?"
"So, you be on the bottom and you get the leaves stuck up your ass instead," she protested with a small giggle.
Harry couldn't keep up the seduction because she made him laugh too much. He stopped kissing her and rolled off her and just laid on his side next to her.
"Okay, I guess fair is fair. I lost the bet. And no one wants leaves up their ass. Plus, I suppose we shouldn't defile our wedding spot," he relented as he picked leaves out of her hair idly.
"Right it would be really wrong if we shagged on the very spot we're going to take our vows on," she pointed out.
"But I bet not many other people have done that," he grinned.
"Stop. You're such a bad influence. You almost had me convinced for a second. Now let's get up and get out of here. If you want that sort of fun, at least wait until we're at home," she scolded him.
"I thought you had a sense of adventure," he told her with a small sigh.
"I do! Just not this adventurous. If we had a blanket, maybe."
"Okay, let's go then," he said, getting to his feet and helping her up.
"Ugh, the ground was sort of wet. My clothes are muddy, aren't they?" she asked, trying to see her backside.
"No, it's fine. It's just a little damp. Mostly you have leaves all over you," he laughed as he helped brush her off.
"Yeah, and you wanted me to get naked on them. You're such a perv," she made a face at him.
"Where's the craziest place you've ever done it?" Harry asked curiously as he finished brushing her off.
"I don't know. Where's your craziest place?" she asked not wanting to answer him.
"I asked you first," he insisted.
"I don't know if it's crazy, but once Ron and I did it in his closet in his bedroom with his Mum picking up his socks on the other side of the door. She had no idea. We were busy, you see, and then she just opened the door thinking we'd gone out and we were on the floor by the closet and we just rolled in there and shut the door," she said with a giggle.
Harry started cracking up.
"Are you even serious? You kept going?"
"Sort of. I mean, we just kind of laid there until she left, but we were still sort of connected, if you know what I mean," she cringed.
"Oh my God, I thought my story was good. But Molly wasn't in the actual room with me and Ginny," Harry said through his laughter.
"So you almost got caught by Ginny's mum too?" Hermione asked with a grin.
"Not exactly. But it was one of our very first times and being alone was hard to come by. I was staying over at their house before she went back to school and we snuck outside to the toolshed before anyone else was awake. Needless to say Molly woke up early and found us walking through the yard in our pajamas, inside out, I might add, and we told her we'd gone for an early stroll to watch the sunrise. She looked at our clothes and then just said she didn't want us taking any more strolls without Ron or George with us. She claimed it was a safety in numbers issue, but I think since there wasn't any actual danger at this point, it's safe to say we were fairly busted. But thankfully Molly was in a favorable mood towards me at the time and didn't want me to die at the hands of her husband so she never told Arthur about the 'stroll'," Harry explained.
"You shagged in a dirty old toolshed? I've been in that shed and it's filled with dirt and spiders. Ron won't even go in there," Hermione laughed at his story.
"Ginny wasn't afraid of spiders. And honestly, it was over in about thirty seconds so we weren't really in there for long," Harry held his face in his hands.
"Thirty seconds? You are quite the stud," she shoved him playfully.
"Hey, I was new at it. I know Ron sucked too. He told me he didn't, but I know he was a liar," Harry pointed out.
"How do you know he sucked at it?" she asked with a raised eyebrow. "I never told you anything about it."
"You didn't have to. I overheard you telling Ginny, and it was a real ego boost, by the way. You both laughed and said me and Ron were hopeless. My only consolation was that it wasn't just me you were laughing about," Harry sighed.
"Oh God, you overheard that conversation? Why didn't you say something?"
"What the fuck was I was supposed to say? Sorry that guys are dumb horny beasts who can't control their bodies?"
"Maybe! I mean, neither of us knew what was supposed to happen or how long it should last. We thought it was supposed to be that way!" she informed him.
"It was! I mean, back then. We were kids. If you didn't know anything, how the hell do you think Ron and I knew anything? In case you forgot, they didn't teach sex ed at Hogwarts," he reminded her.
"True. But even if they did, they never would have said what we needed to hear. God knows my mum didn't prepare me very well," she admitted.
"Your mum told you something then?"
"Of course. Once I turned fourteen she sat me down and explained things that I already knew because hello? Voracious reader. Don't think it was just magic books I read. I read plenty of steamy romance novels on my summer breaks, thank you. But let's just say that wasn't what I experienced the first time. In fact, it was so quick, I wasn't even sure if it counted," she said laughing at the entire conversation.
"Well no one really told me anything. I mean, I knew what to do! I wasn't that hopeless. Thank God for Dudley's computer," Harry lamented.
"Dudley's computer?"
"Yes. They have porno on that thing obviously. And the best part was, his parents found the evidence I left behind in the search history, and blamed him. I kinda felt bad, except he's the one who used to brag to me how he'd watch the stuff without his parents knowing. He just forgot to instruct me how to erase it," Harry chuckled. "I got my head shoved in the toilet for that one after they took the computer away from him."
"Boys are so gross. Looking at porno on the computer!" she said shaking her head.
"Oh and your steamy romance novels are so much more decent and not at all pervy," he rolled his eyes at her.
"I didn't realize they were pervy until I read them! I thought they were love stories only," she turned up her nose at him.
"Right. So that's why you kept buying them and reading them. Don't play innocent with me. We've had sex. I know what a dirty mind you have," he said crossing his arms and giving her a look.
"Fine, so I liked the books! They were interesting. But they still didn't prepare me for the real thing. For one, I wasn't in a stable with my much older riding instructor, who knew everything to do," she told him.
"Riding instructor? What sort of stupid book were you reading?" he laughed.
"Oh shut up. I thought we were going home," she tried to change the subject.
"We were, but then this topic came up and it's funny. Don't you think it's funny?" he wondered.
She gave him a hard look, but then she dissolved into giggles.
"Okay, so it is funny. I guess I wasn't any better than you. But for some reason literary erotica seems much more acceptable than drooling over porn on a computer," she told him.
"Well it's not that much different. And let's just say the selections on what you could get for free back then was very limited. I learned what sex was through a series of twenty second clips that took me thirty minutes to download. And each just left me more confused than the last. I just knew I wanted to do it. That was really all my brain was thinking. But you gotta admit, I'm better at it now. Ginny never got to see me get better. She probably feels sorry for you marrying me," he surmised.
She laughed and shook her head.
"She probably does. Should I tell her you've improved your game?"
"No. I don't think she cares. Although if you can work up a conversation at the wedding about how amazing I am in bed, I wouldn't complain."
She smacked his arm playfully.
"As if. Which just reminded me, we're inviting Ginny to the wedding I take it?" she wondered.
"Well yeah, I think we should. We didn't invite her to the engagement thing or the other party she crashed. But her whole family will be at the wedding, I reckon. We can't leave her out."
"True. I don't know why, but she just makes me uncomfortable now. I think it's because I inadvertently stole your heart and I broke up with her brother too. I feel like she secretly wants to kill me," Hermione admitted.
"Nah, she doesn't. She was pleasant at our party," he pointed out.
"Then why didn't you invite her to the engagement Halloween bash?"
"I don't know honestly. It just seemed weird. I mean, she dumped me. I didn't know how to ask her come watch me get engaged to someone else."
"Precisely. Which is why I don't know how to ask her to watch you come marry me either," she told him.
"This is different. And we've been over forever. She has what's his name now. And Ron is your ex. He'll be there. There's just no way I'm inviting the entire Weasley family to my wedding and not asking Ginny. If she doesn't come, that's her choice. But she has to be invited," Harry insisted.
"I know. You're right. It's not that I don't like her. She was once my best friend. But she's not now. It's just awkward," Hermione told him.
"Speaking of best friends, who will be your maid of honor?"
"Luna. I haven't asked her yet, but I think it should be her," Hermione said.
"Not Charity?" Harry wondered.
"Charity? I don't know her very well."
"Yeah, but Ron's my best man, and maybe she'll feel left out?"
"Well I barely know her. I want Luna. Charity can be a bridesmaid."
"We're having bridesmaids, plural? I thought this was going to be very small?" Harry asked.
"It is. But I figured you'd want Neville to be up there with you too. So I thought maybe one bridesmaid and one groomsman?" she offered.
"Okay. Sounds reasonable. But we're not gonna have like ten of each right?" he asked.
"No, definitely not. Just the ones I mentioned. Everyone else can be a guest. Which honestly, we should go home and plan this. Not stand in a forest and plan it. Besides I am getting cold and my bum is damp from the ground still," she pointed out.
"Right. Yeah, let's go home. I guess we've got a lot of things to sort out."
"Yes, we do. Starting with what you're making me for dinner and what kind of wine you'll get me," she grinned as she grabbed his arm and they quickly disapparated out of the forest and back into Harry's yard.
"I have to do the shopping as well? I barely know how to cook pasta. What do you even want to eat?" he asked as they walked arm in arm up the back steps and into the house.
"Surprise me," she kissed him on the cheek. "I'm going upstairs to change, but I want you to be gone when I come back down. Off to the grocers and the liquor store. I'll be wearing something comfy when you get back."
Harry readied himself to skip out to the grocers and find some sort of meal he could put together. He wasn't the most skilled in a kitchen, but he figured something simple like steak would be pretty hard to mess up. So once he got to the grocer he had them wrap up two filet mignons and then he got some potatoes and a bagged salad. He was cheating a little with the salad, but he hardly guessed she'd care. At least it would be edible. And then he bought a cheesecake at the bakery for them to have for dessert. It was quite an indulgent meal, but they hadn't properly celebrated their engagement with food yet. They'd merely had potato skins and chicken wings in a bar. Not counting the soup and sandwiches for lunch. He wanted to make this a nice meal. Including the wine he knew Hermione loved. So he picked that up too and set off back to his home. When he arrived, Hermione was on the couch wearing her bagged comfy jeans and a purple jumper with bare feet as she lounged on the sofa with a book and her cat. She noted all his bags and asked if he wanted help with them.
"Actually yes, please. I'm going to drop this bakery box," he said, balancing it precariously on his arm.
She jumped up and grabbed it and he let out a sigh of relief that it didn't fall and smash to the ground.
"Thanks."
"Ooh, what's in here huh?" she asked, trying to take a peek inside the pink box.
"It's a surprise. So stop peeking!" he scolded her with a grin. "Just help me put this stuff in the kitchen."
They walked towards the kitchen and she laid the box on the counter and helped Harry with the other groceries.
"We're having filet mignon? Impressive," she grinned as she held up the butchers package.
"Yes, and we're having salad and potatoes too. It's going to be very posh," he told her.
"It all looks delicious. But where's the wine?" she wondered.
"It's in that bag over there," he pointed. "I made sure I got two bottles as one is never enough for you," he chuckled.
"Stop!" she smacked his arm. "It's not enough if you're drinking it too. I mean, two and half glasses isn't that much. I'm breaking this open right now. You want some?"
"Sure, you can pour me a glass. But then you need to go sit down and relax. That was the deal. Although I'm afraid the foot rub will have to wait until after dinner, as I don't want to burn anything," he explained.
"Alright. I'll take my wine and go back to my book," she told him as she set his glass down on the counter.
"So what book is it? How I Fucked My Riding Instructor On A Hay Bale or something more cerebral?" he teased her.
She smacked his bum for that comment. "That was not the name of the other book! And for your information I'm reading The Notebook."
"The Notebook? Isn't that a movie now or something?" he wondered idly.
"Yes, but I've not seen it yet and I wanted to read the book first. The books are always better," she informed him.
"It looked boring. A lot of kissing in the rain and talking and crying. Am I gonna have to watch this movie with you at some point?" he asked with a slight cringe.
"Yes, you are. It's part of being with a woman. No wonder all your girlfriends broke up with you," she joked as she stuck out her tongue at him.
"Ha-ha. It's fine. I'll watch the movie. God knows you've made me sit through worse, I reckon. And we weren't even together then," he relented holding up his hands.
"Just concentrate on dinner and I'll get back to my reading. It's really quite romantic. You may even like it," she offered.
"Does anything explode or is either of them a spy?" he asked.
"No, I don't think so."
"Then I won't like it. But for you, I'll watch it," he said as he leaned over and kissed her.
"Impossible to please," she muttered as she walked out with her wine and went back to her book.
Harry just stood there and realized he had no idea how to cook a steak properly. Did you put it in the oven or in a pan? He had made it before, but he used a barbeque, but it was too chilly outside to do that. Plus he didn't have the supplies either. He tried to think back to when his aunt would make it, except he was never allowed in the kitchen then because she didn't want him thinking he could eat something as good as steak. He always got to eat a bowl of cereal when they had a fancy dinner like that. As if it would have broken their wallets to buy one more steak for Harry. But that was in the past. He just didn't know what to do. So he called up the only person he could think of. Ron. He answered after several rings.
"Harry?" Ron asked into the phone.
"Uh, yeah. How'd you know it was me?" he wondered.
"You're the only one who calls me. Is something wrong? Did you piss Hermione off already?" he asked with some concern.
"No, why would I piss her off? We just got engaged. Things are fine. Except that she wants me to cook dinner for her and I don't know how to make a steak. How do you do that?" Harry asked him.
"Steak? I don't know. Why would I know?" Ron wondered.
"Because your mum must have cooked it. Didn't you ever see her cook it?" he prodded him.
"No, we never ate steak, Harry. We were poor, remember? Blimey, nine steaks would have cost a fortune," Ron complained.
"Can you ask Charity? Surely she knows how to cook one," Harry offered.
"Oh yeah. Sure. Hang on," Ron told him. Then Harry could hear him shouting, "Charity how do cook a fucking steak? Harry wants to know!"
Harry heard some muffled talking in the background then Ron got back on the phone.
"Yeah, she told me to watch my mouth and put in it in a pan," Ron said.
"Put your mouth in a pan?" Harry chuckled.
"No dipshit, the steak. She's on my case saying I swear too much. But I always swore this much. She thinks it's unseemly. But I've heard her launch into a an F-bomb fueled tirade when I leave my dirty drawers on the floor," Ron sighed.
"Well, just try and placate her, I guess. And thanks. In a pan. For how long?" Harry asked again.
"Shit, hold on." Ron yelled out to Charity again, "How long for the steaks?" He came back on the line. "She says it depends on how big they are."
"Fuck, I don't know. They're just little filets. Not that big."
"They're filets!" Ron yelled to his girlfriend. Harry heard more talking he couldn't make out, then Ron came back. "She said six minutes per side for a rare steak. She said just add more time if you want it well done. And she's also asking why you didn't just take Hermione out to celebrate because you don't know how to cook."
Harry chuckled.
"I would have, but she requested I cook. It was a bet. Long story. But thanks. I think I'll be able to figure it out."
"So have you guys picked a date yet? I know it's only been a day, but have you?" Ron asked, before Harry ended the call.
"Um, yeah. We have. New Year's Eve."
"Really? That's fucking soon. You guys don't waste time! Are you sure she's not pregnant? I mean, why the rushing?" Ron wondered.
"I'm sure she's not pregnant. We just don't want to wait. We've waited long enough, don't you think? This should have happened years ago," Harry told him.
"True. Well congrats again. I am the best man, right? I mean, you never asked me, I just assumed," Ron said a little quietly.
"Of course you are. Who else would I ever pick? It's definitely you," Harry assured him.
"Good. Because I have the best Stag Night party ever planned. George is helping me. We already talked about this like right after you and Hermione got together. And it's going to be amazing," Ron told him happily.
"Nothing too crazy, eh? I wanna still get married. You can't have strippers and such frolicking around," Harry laughed nervously.
"Just trust me. It's gonna be great. I gotta go though. Enjoy your steak!"
Ron hung up and Harry just sighed and hung up as well. He hoped whatever party Ron and George had planned wouldn't get him into trouble. But he didn't have time to worry about that now. He had a dinner to prepare. He worked his best to make the dinner good, but he wasn't so sure about the meat. It was really thick and he was worried it didn't get cooked enough, but he did what Charity said to do. So he just put everything on a plate and put the salad in a bowl and then started taking it out to the dining room. Hermione came over with her now empty glass of wine and sat down at the table.
"It all smells wonderful," she smiled at him.
"Thanks. Let me know if the meat is too rare, though. It seems a little bloody," he admitted as he noted the red juices all over his plate.
"I'm sure it's fine," she said as she put her napkin in her lap and started to dig in, while Harry refilled her wine glass.
She took a small bite and then put the fork back down as she tried her best to swallow the meat.
"Is it not good?" he asked, noting her expression.
"It's a little cold actually. I do like my meat a little rare, but this one is still mooing in a field somewhere," she giggled slightly.
"Sorry, I'll cook it more. Eat the salad first and I'll put these back in the pan," he said grabbing up the food and taking it back to the kitchen.
He quickly turned the pan back on and threw the meat back in. Then he wiped up all the blood off the plates that had gotten all over the potatoes. He sighed. He should have just taken her to dinner. But he supposed he should learn to cook at some point instead of always eating take out or a pot of noodles every night. But he left the meat cooking and came back to the table where she was eating the salad.
"The salad is good, just so you know," she smiled up at him.
"Thanks. I opened the bag and poured it into the bowl, which can be really tricky. I almost dumped it on the floor, but I saved it in the nick of time," he joked with a grin.
"I think it's really sweet you actually cooked for me. We could have gone out," she told him.
"Now you tell me. I thought this was a test or something to see if I could feed you properly," he chuckled.
"No, I just wasn't in the mood to get dressed up but I wanted something yummy. But I'm sure once the meat is cooked more, it'll be lovely."
"I hope. How long would you cook a steak like that for?" he wondered, as he sipped his wine and played with his salad fork.
"I haven't a clue. I don't know how to make anything except pot roast and spaghetti and that's because you really can't ruin either of those things. You know I'm a terrible cook," she reminded him.
"You're not terrible. Well, maybe a little. But so am I! It doesn't matter," he assured her.
"Someday we'll learn. It just takes practice. Besides kids like pizza right? We can eat that a lot someday," she giggled sipping her wine.
"We're not gonna be like your parents are we where we don't allow the kids to eat sweets?"
"No. We are definitely not going to be like that. Although there are limits, of course. If I find out one of our children buys out the entire sweets trolley on the Hogwarts Express like you did once, I'll send them a Howler they'll never forget," she laughed heartily.
"Hey, I wasn't used to ever getting a treat. And I never had money either! When you're eleven it's like a miracle that you can buy all that shit and just gorge yourself. I'd barely even tasted chocolate before then," Harry reasoned.
"Well we won't send our children to school with so much money then. Not if they're gonna blow it all on sweets like their father."
"Hey, I barely eat sweets now. Just once in a while I do. I'm over my sugar coma phase now. Although you are going to enjoy dessert though. I happen to know it's one of your favorites," he smiled at her.
"Let me guess then. Cheesecake with raspberry on top?" she grinned.
"Yes! Damn it, you ruined the surprise!"
"I'm a good guesser. Plus it was either cheesecake with raspberry or chocolate mousse. And that didn't look like chocolate mousse in the box. It was too big."
"True."
"But I am quite impressed you knew my favorite dessert," she said happily.
"Hermione, there's not much I don't know about you at this point. I think I know everything," he admitted rather smugly.
"I doubt that. Granted, you know a lot. But a girl has secrets too," she informed him.
"Like what?"
"I'm not telling you everything. Not right now. We have our whole lives," she reminded him.
"I think you know just about everything about me."
"I'm sure there are plenty of things I don't know. Trust me. But one thing I do know is that you can't cook very well. I think the meat is burning now. Do you smell that?" she asked wrinkling up her nose.
"Oh shit! I forgot all about it!" he jumped up and ran into the kitchen and the meat was smoking and sizzling quite a lot. He flipped it over and it was black on the bottom. He sighed and just put it on the plates and hoped for the best.
"I'm afraid it's burnt now. At least on one side. But it's not bleeding at least," he told her as he set it back down.
"It'll be fine. Plus there's potatoes. Did you sauté these?"
"Yeah, I think they got a little cold though. I'm sorry, this dinner is a disaster," he said shaking his head.
"No, no. We'll still eat it. I'll just cut off the bottom of the steak."
They went to work making due with what they had and the meat really wasn't that terrible. But the potatoes were a bit cold and crunchy, so neither of them ate those. But they did drink copious amounts of wine, while Harry tried to get Hermione to spill her darkest secrets that he didn't know about. But she wasn't budging. At least not yet.
"I told you, I want to have some mystery to me. If you know everything, then what on earth will we talk about for the rest of our lives?" she chided him.
"I don't know. New stuff. Like whatever is happening in the moment. People don't just run out of stuff to talk about. Otherwise no one would stay married for more than a few years," he pointed out.
"Well I don't want to tell you the statistics, but that's pretty much what ends up happening to most couples," she pointed out as she raised her glass.
Harry frowned.
"Do you think that'll be us?" he asked quietly.
"Oh hell no. We'll be together forever. I know you can't live without me. And let's face it, I can't live without you either. I cried to Draco Malfoy about missing you and that was three years ago! I'm utterly hopeless when it comes to you, Harry," she told him as she held her hand over her heart.
"Good, because I'm utterly hopeless without you too. Like really dreadful. I'd probably just give up everything and move to Tibet and become a monk," he told her.
"Harry the monk. Would you shave your head too?" she wondered.
"Yes. I'd be bald and in ugly brown robes. And I would just renounce magic and do whatever monks do. Of which, I have no idea, so don't ask me. It's just what people say they're going to become when their life sucks," he chuckled feeling slightly drunk from the wine they'd had.
"I think they pray a lot. To Buddha. Or someone. But I doubt you'd last. Especially since a lot of them take vows of silence and you talk a lot. You'd last about an hour before you had some sarcastic remark about someone's sandals or their holy beads or something," she giggled.
"Yeah, I really don't fancy being a monk. Where is Tibet anyway? Is that like its own country?" Harry asked with confusion.
Hermione started laughing.
"It's in China, dummy. Didn't you ever learn anything about geography in Muggle school?"
"I didn't really pay much attention. But I can do math! Some of it. I don't know what that one with the letters is all about though. I never did understand that shit."
"Well most people never need to use that. Especially not a Wizard. But I took it in summer school when I was ten. I wanted a jump on it, but then I never needed to know it anyway. Which is good because I got a terrible mark. I nearly failed," she admitted, refilling her wine glass.
"You nearly failed a class? What is nearly? Like less than one hundred percent?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.
"No, I mean nearly failed. Like I was only three points above failing it. I was so humiliated. But then I got the Hogwarts letter the next year and it didn't matter at all. But let's just say I cried over it for days. I thought I was a complete imbecile," she pouted.
"You're hardly an imbecile. You were taking a class that was far more advanced than what your peers were doing. Why did you always push yourself so hard? Was it your folks doing that, or you?" he wondered, taking a sip of his wine.
"It was mostly me. They encouraged it, but it was always me signing up for extra classes and extra credit and trying to be ahead of everyone else. I felt like I was such an outcast and I wasn't really sporty and I was particularly pretty or popular, so I felt like being really smart was my thing. But turns out when you're really smart like that, it just makes you a nerd who everyone makes fun of. It's not really a 'thing' you want to have," she sighed.
"I like that thing about you. I always did. To me, you were cool," he smiled at her.
"Thanks. But I know that even you thought I was nuts when I showed you that Time Turner and told you I was taking twice the classes that a normal person would take," she reminded him.
"Um, well, yeah. That was a little mental, Hermione. I don't know how you didn't collapse from exhaustion," he told her.
"I know. I almost did. It was a really stupid idea, but I thought I could get a leg up on everyone. But what difference did it really make in the end, huh?"
"Not much. But you did know a lot of useful things that Ron and I didn't know," he pointed out.
"Eh, I knew some stuff. But that was mostly from my extracurricular reading and not classes."
"That is when you weren't reading about shagging riding instructors," he threw that in her face again.
"Ugh, I never should have told you that secret! You're horrible. Go get the cheesecake and bring it in the living room. I want to eat it and sip my wine while you rub my feet, as promised," she told him as she stood up and walked past him and kissed his cheek.
"You're never living that story down, you realize? I'm always going to bring it up," he called after her with a smile.
"Bring me my cheesecake!" she yelled out to him from the other room, ignoring his comment.
He just got up and went to the kitchen and got the cheesecake and cut it up. He brought out two plates and handed hers to her, and set the other one down on the side table. She stuck out her feet for him to rub.
"Now get to work," she grinned as she took a bite of her dessert.
He rubbed her feet and resisted the urge to tickle her. At least for the moment. He gave her a proper foot massage, and she kept offering him bites of his dessert, feeding him as he worked his magic on her feet.
"This is heavenly. You should really do this every day. Especially when I get home from work and have to wear heels all day long," she told him dreamily.
"What do I get in return if I offer this service daily?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.
"What do you want? And I already know it's probably going to be completely scandalous and dirty, but tell me anyway," she laughed.
"What makes you think it's going to be dirty? Maybe I want a foot rub too? Or a back rub? I could do with either of those. Or better yet, a neck rub. I get really tense sometimes and it gives me headaches," he told her.
"I could do that. I was totally expecting something else."
"Yeah, I know. Although I wouldn't turn down something dirty everyday either," he told her as he ran his hands up her legs and leaned up to kiss her.
"Mmm, yes, I thought you might have other ideas as well."
"And you don't?"
"No I do too, believe me," she said, grabbing his shirt and pulling him up closer to kiss her.
"I love how we're on the same page here," he grinned at her.
"We usually are."
"Sometimes I can surprise you too though," he told her deviously.
"Really? How so?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Like this," he said as he attacked her feet and tickled them mercilessly.
He knew for a fact that she was insanely ticklish and he used this to his advantage. She was laughing and kicking at him and trying to escape, but he just grabbed her and held her down on the couch and tickled her ribs until she begged for mercy.
"Please, no more! Stop! I'm going to wet myself!" she cried with laughter.
"Eww, you're gonna wet on the couch?" he laughed at her.
"Yes, if you don't stop! I've drank all this wine. You're going to ruin not only my clothes but the furniture as well," she informed him.
He just looked down at her smiling face and he smiled back and kissed her happily. She was so beautiful when she laughed. He couldn't help himself. Her laughter was the one thing in the world that never failed to make him happy, even when he was at his lowest points of life. He looked into her eyes.
"I love you, Hermione."
"I love you too, Harry," she smiled back at him. "Why don't we go upstairs and maybe I'll surprise you this time?"
"What are you gonna do? Throw water on me or hex me so I hang upside down in the air?" he wondered, trying to guess his punishment for tickling her.
"No, I think you'll like this better," she told him cryptically as she pushed him up and took his hand and led him upstairs.
They went into the bedroom and she looked at him with a large smile.
"Take off all your clothes and get into the bed. I'll be right back," she instructed him.
He wasn't sure exactly what her surprise was, but if it involved him naked in bed, it had to be good. Unless this was a ruse to hang him upside down naked, which wouldn't be a pretty sight with things flopping about. But he did as he was told and climbed into the bed while she went into the bathroom. She was gone for a while but when she emerged she was in her fluffy blue bathrobe. He smiled and assumed she was naked underneath, which was fine with him, but he still didn't get the surprise part. But she walked towards the bed and stood next to him.
"Do you wanna unwrap your present?" she asked, playing with the ties on her robe.
He smiled at her widely and grabbed the belt and untied it quickly and opened the robe. He was stunned speechless to see a very racy, very sexy red corset with black stockings and garters with the little red ribbons.
"Holy shit, you look amazing," he said with extreme excitement.
She threw the robe off entirely and let him have a good look.
"You like it?" she asked coyly.
"Like it? I'm about to explode over here. I didn't even know you owned something like that," he said with wide eyes.
"I told you a girl has her secrets. Would you like to ravish me now?" she asked playing with her hair, which further drove him wild.
"Definitely."
He grabbed her up and pulled her onto the bed and they began kissing frantically and rolling all over the place. He couldn't get enough of seeing her in this outfit, as it was nothing like he'd seen her wear before. She looked like a goddess. And he knew she was his goddess now. She wasn't anyone else's. She was his. And he was hers. And soon it would all be official. He couldn't believe he was actually getting to marry this girl. This amazingly sexy and beautiful and smart girl. She was everything he could ever want. And he couldn't believe she chose him. She could probably have anyone, but she wanted him. And when they were being brutally honest with themselves, they'd always wanted each other deep down. The moment they met, something just clicked for them. Harry always believed it was an amazing friendship, but now that he'd been with her like this, and seen her so sexy and gorgeous, he knew friendship could never ever be enough to convey what he felt for her. He felt like the luckiest man on the planet. And he couldn't wait until he could call Hermione his wife.
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!