Harry and Hermione were sitting in a dimly lit karaoke bar, watching as people came and went off the stage trying their hardest not to embarrass themselves.
"They actually have pretty decent singers here tonight." Hermione commented as she leaned over and whispered into her boyfriend's ear. For the last month they found themselves coming to the bar every Friday, just enjoying the company and time away from the Wizarding World after a long work week.
Harry nodded his head in agreement. Hermione rested her head on his shoulder as another performer made their way on stage and began to sing a rendition of Kelly Clarkson's "Because of You". After what seemed like an hour, the owner and host of the Karaoke Bar stepped onto the stage and grabbed hold of the mic.
"Good evening, Ladies and Gents." The middle-aged-man greeted, his pearly whites smiling happily. "Are we all having fun this evening?" A roar of calls and applause echoed within the building. "I'm glad to hear that. Anyhow, tonight I have a special treat for you, well rather a special lady."
Hermione could hear as people talked amongst themselves, wondering who the owner was talking about. "Now there's been a couple that have been coming here for a month and the young man that I talked to last night informed me that today is in fact the couple's five-year anniversary. And this lad would like nothing more than to perform for you all this evening with nothing more than his voice, this microphone, and an acoustic guitar. Please help me welcome Harry Potter up to the stage."
Hermione's mouth fell open, completely awestruck as Harry stood up from his seat and winked at her before taking his place on stage. He grabbed hold of the microphone and carefully sat atop the barstool. "Good evening everyone. My name is Harry and I'd like to dedicate this song to my Girlfriend, Hermione. Without her, I would not be standing here before the lot of you this evening." Hermione just shook her head, smiling from ear to ear as she watched Harry place the microphone on the stand and leveled it to his height. He grabbed hold of the guitar and his eyes immediately locked on hers.
He began to strum a few cords as the spotlight focused on him, the lights in the bar now dimmer than earlier. And when he opened his mouth to sing, Hermione was in for a surprise.
"When your legs don't work like they used to before and I can't sweep you off of your feet will your mouth still remember the taste of my love? Will your eyes still smile from your cheeks?"
Hermione's eyes went wide, unknowing Harry had not one, but two hidden talents she never knew about.
"And darling I will be loving you 'til we're 70 And baby my heart could still fall as hard at 23
And I'm thinking 'bout how people fall in love in mysterious ways Maybe just the touch of a hand
Oh me I fall in love with you every single day And I just wanna tell you I am"
Harry's voice was melodic, hypnotizing as each word fell out of his mouth. Hermione couldn't help but sway her body back and forth, getting lost into the sound of his voice and the guitar.
"So honey now, Take me into your loving arms. Kiss me under the light of a thousand stars
Place your head on my beating heart. I'm thinking out loud. Maybe we found love right where we are." Harry stood up from the bar stool and walked closer to the front of the stage, his emerald eyes locked directly onto Hermione's as he winked at her once more.
"When my hair's all but gone and my memory fades and the crowds don't remember my name . When my hands don't play the strings the same way, mm I know you will still love me the same 'Cause honey your soul can never grow old, it's evergreen Baby your smile's forever in my mind and memory" Hermione couldn't help but giggle, her cheeks becoming crimson. She couldn't believe how confident he looked on stage, signing in front of a group of strangers. 'It's because you're here.' she heard the voice in her head tell her.
"I'm thinking 'bout how people fall in love in mysterious ways. Maybe it's all part of a plan, I'll just keep on making the same mistakes. Hoping that you'll understand So baby now take me into your loving arms, Kiss me under the light of a thousand stars. Oh darling, place your head on my beating heart. I'm thinking out loud that maybe we found love right where we are. Oh maybe we found love right where we are. And we found love right where we are." Once Harry strummed the last chord and the last note drifted off, the crowd broke out into applause, and the lights returned to their normal setting. Harry couldn't help but chuckle as he set down the guitar and plucked the microphone out of the stand as he waved to the crowd of people.
He held out his hand to Hermione, signaling for her to join him on stage. She eyed him curiously and pursed her lips together as she stuck out her hand and placed it in his as he pulled her on stage. "Happy anniversary my darling. I hope you know that each word I just serenaded you, I meant it all. We are twenty-three-years-old and we didn't fall in love in normal circumstances, but I'm glad it was with each other." Harry told her as he continued to hold her hands in his as he put some distance between them. "Because of that, there's a rather important question I'd like to ask you tonight." Harry knelt down on one knee and pulled a velvet box from his jeans. Hermione's hands flew to her mouth as he asked " Will you marry me?"