Disclaimer: Everything in and about Harry Potter is owned by J.K. Rowling. I'm just borrowing them for a little while.
Author's Note: Sorry that this chapter took soooooooooooo long to be posted. It's just that I'm bombarded with schoolwork and I just finished reading HPOOTP it's sooooooooooooo good. :) Anyway, this is going to be the last chapter for "She's Happy" but you'll see that it's open for a sequel. Please review and tell me what you think. :)
***
Harry woke up from his uneasy sleep with his eyes still closed. But that was before he felt something on top oh his chest, and then he realized… it was Hermione's arm. He quickly shot his eyes open to make sure if it really was her arm and it was. He casually removed it and looked around. When he put his glasses and he regained his eyesight, he looked at the wall clock and found out that it was just 3 o'clock in the morning. He tried to remember the moments that happened last night…
He had just confessed that he loves her… again. But this time it was different; he knew that they couldn't be together anymore. They wouldn't be able to do the things that they did before like casually hold each other's hand… She was going to be married, not to him, but to Brian. He tried to recall, she said that she loves him too… Harry knew that his life would be forever changed after last night.
He got up and took a shower, not really caring that it was so early in the morning. He dressed up, took his stuff, and made to leave. He didn't leave any note nor woke her up; she would just figure it out. He wondered how Hermione really felt; he wished that sometimes he could read thoughts and feelings. He then apparated to his flat…
***
Weeks passed by and finally it was the week before Hermione's wedding. Harry tried to just go on with his schedule to forget about the wedding, but he couldn't. There wasn't any time of the day when he wouldn't feel his heart wrench, and sometimes it was even literally hurting… he wondered if he had an illness of some sort.
He wasted his time on quidditch whenever possible, at least that helped a little. And he was now walking on the streets to his flat after a quidditch training session. He knew that he could always apparate but he felt like walking instead just to think a bit… He had always been a sentimental person though no one really saw it in him.
He just opened the door of his flat… And there he saw Hermione… There was no one else, but the two of them… At least in Harry's world. It seemed that everything was now in darkness, and all that he could see is Hermione, looking straight at his eyes with an expression, which he could not understand, though surely it wasn't happiness.
"Hermione… I - " Harry stammered 'cause he knew he couldn't continue.
Hermione continued to look at him, not laying her eyes off him for a minute. "Umm, I just came to hand you your invitation." She finally said. "I really hope you could come, since you're Brian's bestman and all." Then she faked a laugh.
"Hermione…" he couldn't think of anything else to say.
It was a very awkward situation. It was as if Harry's defenses were so easily broken down by Hermione, suddenly he couldn't pretend anymore, what he was right now was who he really was. His feelings didn't lie either… He knew deep in his heart that he would love no other than Hermione. He wanted to say this to her but he can't… Somehow, for some reason, he couldn't tell her that he loves her… Something was holding him back. He just felt tears stroke his cheeks as they fell from his eyes…
"Oh look at the time…" Hermione acted as though she was in a rush, but Harry saw that there were also silent tears flowing. "I've got to go now… I've got… I've got… something to do." And she made her way out of the door.
"Hermione…" he said as he watched her leave. When he finally realized what was happening, he bolted out of the door and followed her.
"Hermione!" he shouted. "Hermione!" he finally caught up to her and he grabbed her arm.
"What Harry?" she asked, trying to free from his grip. "Please… I've got to go… really…"
"Look at me, Hermione." He said. "Look at me in the eye and say that you love Brian."
Hermione looked away and said, "Harry…"
"Hermione, answer me, do you want to be married to Brian?" his grip on her was tightening as his voice trembled and tears continuously flowed from his eyes.
She looked at him straight in his emerald green eyes, her eyes also shining with tears, looked away, and said, "Yes…"
Harry's breathing stopped as he let go of his grip on her hand. She slowly walked away, not looking back nor really doing anything just… walking. Harry cried for what seemed like forever… he thought by doing so, he would feel better… He didn't… He knew that no one could make him feel any better… no one, but Hermione.
***
He didn't know how he got through that one week but he did and finally it was the day of Hermione's wedding. He felt like he was numb… Not feeling anything, not joy or sadness. He was nothing without her… He felt his eyes, dry with all the crying… He wondered how Hermione was today… Was she happy? Knowing that she left him? Knowing that she hurt him?
He reached for his coat and made his way through the door. He then apparated to the site of the wedding. It was a nice, big garden with flowers around and the altar up front. The walkway to the altar was covered with purple and pink petals. Though there were a lot of people, nobody saw him. Harry looked around. It seemed that Hermione invited some wizards along with Brian's muggle guests. Was that a good idea? Harry asked himself. And as if by instinct, he quickly found Ron inside.
"Hey mate," said Ron "So, you all right?"
"Of course!" said Harry a little too brightly.
"Of course you're not," continued Ron. "If you were then you wouldn't be here."
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"C'mere" Ron led him to one of the benches. "You can't hide it anymore, Harry. It's all written in your eyes. I doubt that you can make it through this wedding without me having to rush you to St. Mungo's afterwards."
Harry chuckled a bit. He always appreciated it how Ron kept things at a light note. Was he that obvious, he asked himself. He then started to tell Ron everything that happened between him and Hermione. After which, he felt considerably lighter knowing that at least he still has his bestfriend who knows how he feels.
"Well," said Ron after he finished. "I don't know what advice I could give you. But I can say this, do what your heart tells you to do, even if it's the wrong decision, at least you wouldn't have any regrets, knowing that you did the thing that would satisfy you the most."
"Something tells me that I want to leave this place," he said to him. "But I don't think Hermione would be too happy about that.
"My point exactly," replied Ron. "In the end it'll be up to you mate."
Harry thought about this. Do I really want to leave? He asked himself. He knew Hermione would be angry if he did. It was she who said that it would really mean a lot to her if he attended this wedding and became Brian's best man. He tried to make some sense out of this but he couldn't. But then he stood up and decided that Ron was right, he doesn't know if he can make it through the whole wedding without him losing his mind.
"All I know is that I couldn't be here without losing my mind." He repeated to Ron. "How about you?"
"Oh I wouldn't dare," he said jokingly. "Hermione has always bested me at dueling, I wouldn't want to come home having a pumpkin for a head. But I think I'll go before the wedding ends, I'm also against the wedding if that makes you feel better. I think you'd best be alone for the moment anyway."
Harry laughed. "Thanks a lot, mate. You don't know how much you've helped me."
"Well what could I say," he replied. "You're the closest thing I have to a brother. Since my real brothers don't really treat me like one." He sniggered at himself.
"Then I guess I'll see you around then."
"You know where to find me."
Harry walked slowly as he made his way out of the garden. He didn't try apparating since there were a lot of people around. He thought about what Ron had said about following his heart. At least now he knew that he was being true to himself. He asked Hermione whether she preferred Brian to him and she said yes and that was enough reason for him to get out of this place. Then he noticed that his pace was quickening and soon he was running out of his will because someone is pulling his arm and with a loud CRACK, they were gone.
He didn't notice who was pulling him but he was incredibly strong. They reappeared in what looked like a normal muggle pub. They were few people inside since it was still morning and nobody paid attention to them. He looked to his right to see who the heck pulled him and made him apparate to this spot. It was…
"SIRIUS!" he shouted. "You scared me out of my wits."
His godfather was now straitening up his coat and tie and said, "Well, sorry about that. But I had to find a safe place to apparate."
"Where are we anyway?" he asked as they started to walk towards one of the seats.
"I figured you wouldn't know." Said Sirius. "But this is the place where Hermione met Brian."
"What are we doing here?" Harry asked angrily as he made his way to the door. "This is the last place I'd want to be right now."
But Sirius grabbed his arm for him to stop. "This is the best place for us to talk." He said firmly.
Harry didn't know what Sirius was up to, but he was angry with him just the same. What was the point of going to the place where Hermione and Brian first met? He decided to let Sirius have his say first before he would leave. They walked towards one of the seats and started to talk.
"So can you tell me why we are here now?" Harry asked coldly.
"No particular reason." Answered Sirius. "I just want you to know this place."
"And why is that?"
"I know that you're very upset, Harry," he said. "But all things happen for a reason, remember that. I brought you here because it's my obligation as your godfather to be there during your darkest moments, isn't it."
"I don't want to talk about it." Harry said.
"Of course you don't," said Sirius caringly. "But I just feel that you need company, and besides, I don't want to go to the wedding anyway."
"Well," he said. "Thanks, I guess…"
"That's it then," Sirius stood up and made to leave. "I've done what I need to do. I better go. Remember this place Harry, visit it every so often, you might one day be surprised by what you'll see. If you've got anything else troubling you, you know where to find me, ok?"
"Sure." Said Harry as he watched Sirius go until he was out of sight…
***
Harry was lying on his back, looking at the ceiling of his bedroom, oblivious to whatever was happening outside. He didn't know or care about Hermione's wedding anymore. He knew that there was nothing more that he could do. The only comforting thought that he had was that he still had his bestfriend and godfather… He knew he was not alone… Both of them were also against Hermione's wedding.
He will have to move on starting now, he thought. It wasn't going to be easy but he had to. He wondered what it would be like, waking up in the morning with somebody else in his arms… It was painful but he knew he had to face reality, someday, even if it was not now… someday…
Besides, he thought reassuring himself, she's happy and that was what was important to him. Nothing else matters… Even if it was not he at her side, at least he was sure that she was happy. He just couldn't remind himself enough about that. At that he drifted to an uneasy sleep…
He did not know, however, that right at this moment, there was someone playing the piano in a bar, thinking of no one else but him, who didn't marry her fiancé because it's he that she really loves.
Hermione Granger didn't marry Brian Walker after all…***
