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Disclaimer: I own nothing, nothing I tell you! All the characters, places etc. belong to JKR.
*** HAPPILY EVER AFTER?
*** Le Petit Choux was probably the most exclusive restaurant in Diagon Alley. From the outside it looked like nothing special, but once you walked through the glass doors it was like stepping into another world. It was like stepping back into another time, a classier, more sophisticated time. It was one of those places where you'd feel underdressed if you were wearing just one diamond necklace. Looking round, Hermione was sure there was a three necklace minimum. She herself was wearing dark blue dress robes which shimmered slightly in the candlelight. She had a simple gold chain around her neck which had just a single diamond hanging from it. Harry was wearing a pair of dark forest green robes which brought out the colour of his eyes. Gentle music was being played by a string quartet and the staff wore elegant suits. The moment Harry and Hermione entered the establishment, a smartly dressed waiter appeared. "'Ow many I be of assistance, Monsieur?" he asked in a distinct French accent. "Table for two in the name of Potter," Harry told him. Hermione watched in slight amusement as the waiter's eyes flicked up to Harry's hairline to check for the scar. When he spotted it, he nodded and said: "Of course, Monsieur, Mademoiselle. Let me escort you to your table." He led them to a table in the corner of the restaurant and presented them with a wine-coloured velvet menu. He reeled off the specials then disappeared off somewhere else, probably to warn his staff that the Harry Potter was in the restaurant with his girlfriend. "I thought you hated the celebrity treatment?" Hermione said, raising an eyebrow suspiciously at him. "When it comes to you I don't mind," Harry told her honestly. "I want you to have the best." Hermione blushed slightly. "I already do," she replied, holding his hand across the pristine cream linen tablecloth. Harry smiled and kissed her fingers. The small diamond ring on Hermione finger flashed in the light. A second later there was another flash, though it was much brighter and didn't come from Hermione's ring. Hermione suddenly dropped her hand from Harry's and paled. "What is it?" Harry asked. "Nothing," she told him shakily, "it's just that tomorrow morning news that the famous Harry Potter is to be married with be splashed across every newspaper on the globe." She sighed. "By the time we leave the restaurant there'll be hundreds of photographers and journalists crowded outside." "Are you sure?" Harry asked. She nodded. "I'm sure. Heck, if I wasn't the one marrying you I'd be the one taking the picture!" Harry took a long drink from his glass of water. "To be honest, I don't really care who knows," he told her. "It's not like it's going to make a difference." "I suppose," said Hermione. "You do realise we're going to have to really start planning now, don't you?" He nodded. "Yeah." He held her hand once more and said, "But like I said: I don't care. I just want to be married to you." Hermione smiled happily, a red tinge appeared on her cheeks. As Hermione had predicted, there had been hoards of reporters waiting outside the restaurant. They had been almost blinded by flashbulbs as they raced to their car. The morning newspapers were full of pictures of the two of them. Some of the pictures were of the previous night, though others were older, some even dating from their early Hogwarts years. The Daily Prophet had made something of a feature of the news. There were pictures, interviews with people who had been at Hogwarts at the same time as them (even though neither Harry nor Hermione knew the people well), and even predictions about their relationship by several Seers. Much to both Harry and Hermione's chagrin, Ron had insisted on keeping copies of every single newspaper for 'future reference'. "Your children are going to cherish these one day," he told Harry as Harry washed the dishes from their evening meal. "Hermione and myself are not having any children yet," Harry had reminded his friend firmly, brandishing a wet dishcloth at him. "Yet," said Ron grinning, as he carefully snipped around the last picture of Harry and Hermione and stuck it carefully into a large scrapbook. "Eventually." "Yes, eventually. Hey - we could say the same thing about Lavender and yourself. When are you going to pop the question?" Ron flushed and mumbled something incoherent under his breath. "What was that, Ron? I didn't quite hear you." Harry grinned wickedly at Ron's discomfort. Ron rolled his eyes. "I'm thinking about Christmas," he admitted, his eyes focused on the lid of the bottle of glue which he was try, unsuccessfully, to screw up. "Really?" asked Harry in amazement. That wasn't the answer he had been expecting. Ron and Lavender constantly insisted they weren't ready to settle down yet, and probably wouldn't get married for a few years. Ron shrugged. "Yeah, I mean, it's not like we have to get married right away. You and Hermione had hid your engagement for a year! Have you even started planning the wedding yet?" "We've just started," said Harry defensively. "Well, don't hesitate to ask me and lavender for help. Hey - Ginny'll be here in a couple of weeks, I'm sure she'll help." 'Why do I get this feeling this is going to take over my entire life?' Harry asked himself silently as he set the last plate on the drying rack and left the kitchen to get ready for Quidditch practise. Harry was just finishing his breakfast two days later as the morning post owls arrived. Hermione quickly picked the letters up at began to sort through the many envelopes, placing them in different piles. "Bill, tabloid, tabloid, love letter, howler..." she threw the smouldering envelope into a bucket of water she had placed by the table. A couple seconds later there was a strange gurgling from the bucket and smoke arose from the water's surface. Hermione shook her head and continued to sort the letters. "Glossy mag, tabloid, tabloid, glossy tabloid..." She skimmed through the rest of the letters in a record time before disposing of a great deal of them. Since news of their engagement had been confirmed, Harry had received hundreds of love letters from hormone-ridden teenagers world-wide who all thought Hermione wasn't good enough for him. Hermione had received several dozen howlers, hence the reason she kept a bucket of water nearby when reading the mail. "When are they going to get the idea that we're not selling our wedding pictures?" asked Harry, opening one of the letters. He shredded the parchment and banished it with his wand to the bin which stood in the corner of the room. "They're not. Even on our wedding day there'll be photographers lurking around trying to get a shot of us and bribing our guests to let them use Polyjuice potion!" said Hermione tearing another letter which had offered the couple a ludicrous amount of money. "They do that?" Harry asked. Hermione nodded a slight pink tinge on her cheeks. "Hermione have you ever done that?" he asked. Hermione blushed slightly more. "I'll take that as a yes," Harry said. "It was only once!" Hermione protested. "Anyway, they annulled the marriage before we could even publish the pictures." She pouted in disappointment and Harry said: "People can be so inconsiderate." Hermione scowled and sent sparks at him from her wand. Seamus strolled into the kitchen at that moment, thus saving them from what could have become a blazing row. He was wearing his usual work robes, even though his Muggle trainers could be seen beneath them. "Morning, all," he said brightly. He busied himself with the toaster, making his breakfast. Harry and Hermione looked at each other in surprise. Seamus wasn't exactly a morning person, and as he started to whistle a jaunty tune, Harry cleared his throat. "Are you feeling all right, Seamus? You don't seem yourself." "What because I'm not half asleep and moaning that it's too early?" asked Seamus without turning around. "Yeah," said Harry. "What's up with that?" "Nothin'. Well, Ginny's moving in a couple of weeks from now, but that's about it." Harry smiled knowingly. The past year apart from Ginny had been torturous for Seamus. Suddenly Hermione groaned and the sound of a piece of parchment being screwed up could be heard. "Guess what?" she asked. "They loved my pictures of the England squad." "What's the problem then?" asked Harry confused. "They want more. I've got to go in for another photo shoot today." "That means we get to spend the day together!" Harry said, standing behind her and wrapping his arms around the waste. Hermione leaned back on him, enjoying the security of his embrace. She nodded and Harry kissed her cheek. He began to kiss her neck and Hermione giggled slightly, turning around so they were facing each other. They kissed softly and Seamus turned around, holding his plate of toast. "Oh, gawd. Not now! It's too early!" Harry chuckled. Loosening his grip on Hermione he said, "Ah, now there's the Seamus we all know and pretend to love!" Seamus narrowed his eyes and scowled, muttering something under his breath that would have made a sailor blush. Grinning Harry and Hermione continued with one of their favourite pastimes: kissing. A/N: Here's a thanks section for Chapter One:
Review, Flame, Whatever. silverphoenix |
Happily Ever After?
By: silvernatasha
***COMPLETED*** The sequel to 'So What Now?'. After seven years at Hogwarts the gang are ready for the real world, but is the real world ready for them?
Rated: Fiction K+ - English - Romance/Humor - Harry P., Hermione G. - Chapters: 21 - Words: 50,369 - Reviews: 458 - Favs: 74 - Follows: 9 - Updated: Oct 31, 2002 - Published: Mar 20, 2002 - Status: Complete - id: 669417
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Full 3/4 1/2 Expand Tighten
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