Chapter 2
Disclaimer: I own nothing except the plot.
Hermione brushed her fingers on the emerald pendant that was hanging from the chain, pressed over her heart. She felt something different, it was as if the gem was emitting some kind of energy that made her feel uneasy. She dismissed it and turned to Harry. Harry noticed the shift on her expression so he cupped her face with his hand and began to speak. "Are you okay?"
"Of course I am. How could I not be?" Hermione flashed him a warn smile, which he returned.
"You know, your mother was nice for letting you borrow that necklace."
Hermione bit her lip. *Harry thinks this necklace is my mom's!* "Uh, yah, she was. She knew this necklace would match my dress." Hermione felt more uneasy. She had never lied to Harry before. For her it sounded ironic that she could lie to him now that she's his girlfriend but not when they were just friends. But that's the point. They started as best friends. It's not good to lie to your best friend. But Hermione knew keeping the truth from Harry would be more advisable at the moment. Knowing Harry, she knew he wouldn't be delighted to see Hermione wearing that necklace anymore once he knew whom it came from.
Harry leaned forward and rolled down the window. The limousine had just parked outside a very large wooden gate. There were signs engraved on it, signs Hermione had never seen. She thought if they were some kind of language she just didn't know. If she only had her wand, she would cast a spell to translate those symbols for her. It was a sort of magic she learned from Fred and George during her last year at Hogwarts. The twins were then working on their joke shop and they were able to create a simple charm that would recreate any foreign symbol into plain readable English. Hermione smiled as she remembered when she tried it once to Ron's doodles on his notebook. They turned out to be 'Fleur the lovely veela' and 'I sleep with a stuffed broomstick.'
Harry stepped out of the car and opened the door to Hermione side. He held out his hand, which Hermione took. It was cold outside, Hermione thought. Harry handed a jacket, which was, to her amazement, was also green. It was as if everything was planned. Her clothes, the car, and now, the place. Hermione walked forward and looked up. She was thinking that if the gates were positioned to stand this high, then they must be hiding something very important behind it. Hermione wondered if it was a castle. Could Harry be taking him to a castle? Hermione knows that Harry has inherited a lot of money from his parents, and playing as quidditch seeker in one of the best teams in England earns him enough money to buy him a house. But Harry has decided to get his own apartment near Hermione's house. Hermione has been there a couple of times, and has even helped to keep it tidy. She was so immersed in her thoughts that she barely noticed that the gate was slowly opening. What she saw next made her breathing stop.
***
It was a quidditch field. It was quite the same as that in Hogwarts, with the stands positioned all around the field. But something else caught Hermione's eyes. There were about a thousand candles hovering in the air, and a pathway of candles lead to the middle of a field, where a round table with only two chairs on either side was placed, with one green candle as the center piece. Hermione walked forward slowly, carefully taking in the scenery. She was moving between the candles, their lights glowing and flowing with the evening air. The beads embedded on her dress displayed their luster as she moved, and her necklace was sparkling like the stars on the night sky watching above her.
Harry met her by the table. He pulled out her chair and she took the seat. Harry then sat on the chair across her. "This is beautiful," Hermione finally spoke, resting her hands on the table. "Harry, this is more than anything I had ever seen. This is more than anything that I expected."
Harry reached for her hands and held them tight between his. "You know I would give you the best, Hermione."
"Thanks."
Harry snapped his fingers and suddenly, two medium sized broomsticks came dashing out of nowhere, carrying a large tray of food Hermione had never seen. The silver plates magically hovered into the air and dropped on the table. Then two clean plates appeared on the table, one in front of Harry and the other in front of Hermione. Other silverware appeared next: spoons and forks, knives, and goblets. Hermione was impressed but the worried look on her face urged Harry to explain.
"I know we're not allowed to use magic like this, especially around Muggles, but you don't have to worry. This place is hidden from the sight of Muggles. Non-magic people will see nothing but an abandoned field when they look here. And besides, the place is locked from the inside, only we can open the gates."
Hermione smiled once more. Harry did plan everything. He made sure that there was no flaw in their date. And looking down on the food served before her, she knew it would be perfect, even more when the goblet rested beside her plate magically filled with red wine.
They started dinner and had a meaningful chat while eating. They reminisced the times they were at Hogwarts, the countless times they almost died, the fun they had when they were younger, and all the wonderful friends they have had for the past years. But mostly they talked about Ron. They miss him terribly. Ron's trying to work for the Ministry of Magic and also as a part-time quidditch player. He needs a lot of money to be able to buy his dream house for his parents. They both agreed that Ron is such a good son, only he had the idea like that for his parents. And the best part of it, he was working hard for it. No magic, just plain hardwork.
After eating dinner, the table was cleared, similar to that at the Great Hall. Then Hermione heard faint music playing from a distance. Until it got louder and more defined that made it clear to Hermione that it was magically playing inside the field. Then she saw Harry's hand waiting for her to take. "May I have this dance?"
"How could I resist those eyes?" Hermione muttered.
They danced the evening away. They gave life to the figurines of couples that are dancing, locked in each other's arms. Hermione's dress flowed with the wind as she turned and moved with grace. "Harry, you never told me you were a great dancer."
"That's because I wanted to show you."
Hermione grinned and as she did two complete turns, her arms stretched upward, holding Harry's. Their laughter echoed around the field and seemed to harmonize with the music. Finally, when the music ended, both of them were standing, with Hermione's back rested on Harry's chest, and Harry's arms wrapped around her waist. They both looked up at the sky, admiring the beauty of the countless stars. Harry started to speak. "You know, before I thought you were one of those stars up there, something so distant, one I could never reach."
"But you never reached me, Harry. I fell for you."
"You did." Harry smiled at her. Hermione turned around and places both her hands on Harry's shoulder. She looked straight into his eyes.
"Do you know why people desire to reach the stars?" Hermione asked him.
"Why?"
"Because we always long for something we know we can never have. We are never satisfied. It creates a temptation to reach for something that is distant. Because it's easier for us than to strive for something that's reachable, but seems distant as the stars." Harry had a look of confusion all over his face. "That's the very essence of meteor showers. We disguise them as the stars that have decided to fall for us, to come to us and close the distance. That's why we make a wish. It's a rare opportunity for your star to fall for you. It's magic." Harry can't seem to grab the reason why Hermione is telling him all these. Nevertheless, he admires the way she speaks of things that he has never thought of. "Don't worry, someday you'll get it."
"Oh I get it now." Harry started to tease Hermione. He wrapped his arms around her waist again and slowly closed the distance between them, like that of a star falling to a person on Earth. "My star has fallen for me, and I'm not letting her go." He pressed his lips on hers and kissed her passionately, unaware that above them at that very moment, a couple of tiny meteors were showering down on Earth.
Disclaimer: I own nothing except the plot.
Hermione brushed her fingers on the emerald pendant that was hanging from the chain, pressed over her heart. She felt something different, it was as if the gem was emitting some kind of energy that made her feel uneasy. She dismissed it and turned to Harry. Harry noticed the shift on her expression so he cupped her face with his hand and began to speak. "Are you okay?"
"Of course I am. How could I not be?" Hermione flashed him a warn smile, which he returned.
"You know, your mother was nice for letting you borrow that necklace."
Hermione bit her lip. *Harry thinks this necklace is my mom's!* "Uh, yah, she was. She knew this necklace would match my dress." Hermione felt more uneasy. She had never lied to Harry before. For her it sounded ironic that she could lie to him now that she's his girlfriend but not when they were just friends. But that's the point. They started as best friends. It's not good to lie to your best friend. But Hermione knew keeping the truth from Harry would be more advisable at the moment. Knowing Harry, she knew he wouldn't be delighted to see Hermione wearing that necklace anymore once he knew whom it came from.
Harry leaned forward and rolled down the window. The limousine had just parked outside a very large wooden gate. There were signs engraved on it, signs Hermione had never seen. She thought if they were some kind of language she just didn't know. If she only had her wand, she would cast a spell to translate those symbols for her. It was a sort of magic she learned from Fred and George during her last year at Hogwarts. The twins were then working on their joke shop and they were able to create a simple charm that would recreate any foreign symbol into plain readable English. Hermione smiled as she remembered when she tried it once to Ron's doodles on his notebook. They turned out to be 'Fleur the lovely veela' and 'I sleep with a stuffed broomstick.'
Harry stepped out of the car and opened the door to Hermione side. He held out his hand, which Hermione took. It was cold outside, Hermione thought. Harry handed a jacket, which was, to her amazement, was also green. It was as if everything was planned. Her clothes, the car, and now, the place. Hermione walked forward and looked up. She was thinking that if the gates were positioned to stand this high, then they must be hiding something very important behind it. Hermione wondered if it was a castle. Could Harry be taking him to a castle? Hermione knows that Harry has inherited a lot of money from his parents, and playing as quidditch seeker in one of the best teams in England earns him enough money to buy him a house. But Harry has decided to get his own apartment near Hermione's house. Hermione has been there a couple of times, and has even helped to keep it tidy. She was so immersed in her thoughts that she barely noticed that the gate was slowly opening. What she saw next made her breathing stop.
***
It was a quidditch field. It was quite the same as that in Hogwarts, with the stands positioned all around the field. But something else caught Hermione's eyes. There were about a thousand candles hovering in the air, and a pathway of candles lead to the middle of a field, where a round table with only two chairs on either side was placed, with one green candle as the center piece. Hermione walked forward slowly, carefully taking in the scenery. She was moving between the candles, their lights glowing and flowing with the evening air. The beads embedded on her dress displayed their luster as she moved, and her necklace was sparkling like the stars on the night sky watching above her.
Harry met her by the table. He pulled out her chair and she took the seat. Harry then sat on the chair across her. "This is beautiful," Hermione finally spoke, resting her hands on the table. "Harry, this is more than anything I had ever seen. This is more than anything that I expected."
Harry reached for her hands and held them tight between his. "You know I would give you the best, Hermione."
"Thanks."
Harry snapped his fingers and suddenly, two medium sized broomsticks came dashing out of nowhere, carrying a large tray of food Hermione had never seen. The silver plates magically hovered into the air and dropped on the table. Then two clean plates appeared on the table, one in front of Harry and the other in front of Hermione. Other silverware appeared next: spoons and forks, knives, and goblets. Hermione was impressed but the worried look on her face urged Harry to explain.
"I know we're not allowed to use magic like this, especially around Muggles, but you don't have to worry. This place is hidden from the sight of Muggles. Non-magic people will see nothing but an abandoned field when they look here. And besides, the place is locked from the inside, only we can open the gates."
Hermione smiled once more. Harry did plan everything. He made sure that there was no flaw in their date. And looking down on the food served before her, she knew it would be perfect, even more when the goblet rested beside her plate magically filled with red wine.
They started dinner and had a meaningful chat while eating. They reminisced the times they were at Hogwarts, the countless times they almost died, the fun they had when they were younger, and all the wonderful friends they have had for the past years. But mostly they talked about Ron. They miss him terribly. Ron's trying to work for the Ministry of Magic and also as a part-time quidditch player. He needs a lot of money to be able to buy his dream house for his parents. They both agreed that Ron is such a good son, only he had the idea like that for his parents. And the best part of it, he was working hard for it. No magic, just plain hardwork.
After eating dinner, the table was cleared, similar to that at the Great Hall. Then Hermione heard faint music playing from a distance. Until it got louder and more defined that made it clear to Hermione that it was magically playing inside the field. Then she saw Harry's hand waiting for her to take. "May I have this dance?"
"How could I resist those eyes?" Hermione muttered.
They danced the evening away. They gave life to the figurines of couples that are dancing, locked in each other's arms. Hermione's dress flowed with the wind as she turned and moved with grace. "Harry, you never told me you were a great dancer."
"That's because I wanted to show you."
Hermione grinned and as she did two complete turns, her arms stretched upward, holding Harry's. Their laughter echoed around the field and seemed to harmonize with the music. Finally, when the music ended, both of them were standing, with Hermione's back rested on Harry's chest, and Harry's arms wrapped around her waist. They both looked up at the sky, admiring the beauty of the countless stars. Harry started to speak. "You know, before I thought you were one of those stars up there, something so distant, one I could never reach."
"But you never reached me, Harry. I fell for you."
"You did." Harry smiled at her. Hermione turned around and places both her hands on Harry's shoulder. She looked straight into his eyes.
"Do you know why people desire to reach the stars?" Hermione asked him.
"Why?"
"Because we always long for something we know we can never have. We are never satisfied. It creates a temptation to reach for something that is distant. Because it's easier for us than to strive for something that's reachable, but seems distant as the stars." Harry had a look of confusion all over his face. "That's the very essence of meteor showers. We disguise them as the stars that have decided to fall for us, to come to us and close the distance. That's why we make a wish. It's a rare opportunity for your star to fall for you. It's magic." Harry can't seem to grab the reason why Hermione is telling him all these. Nevertheless, he admires the way she speaks of things that he has never thought of. "Don't worry, someday you'll get it."
"Oh I get it now." Harry started to tease Hermione. He wrapped his arms around her waist again and slowly closed the distance between them, like that of a star falling to a person on Earth. "My star has fallen for me, and I'm not letting her go." He pressed his lips on hers and kissed her passionately, unaware that above them at that very moment, a couple of tiny meteors were showering down on Earth.