A/N: Thanks again for all the reviews! I know some likes it, others don't, and that's perfectly fine.

To answer some reviews: the reason why Harry just can't apparate into the flat because there is a charm protecting it, like Hogwarts. Remember, Harry usually leaves the building before apparating anywhere.

I like to make it clear that this story is not for people who are into happy couples in a perfect world. There are obstacles in life and no one here is perfect. I just hope no one is wasting their time. But I can assure it will end H/HR happily. I know it's been a while since I updated but I have been working hard! Bare with me, I'm not much of an imagery writer, because I'm all about the dialogue. But I did try! Please continue to read and review!

Chapter Seven: Night at the Stork Club

"Are you sure that stuff is good for a nosebleed?" Harry handed Seamus back his bottle of firewhiskey. Another day has gone by and both men are now sitting together, sulking by the bar at the Leaky Cauldron. Harry was holding an ice pack gently on his still painful nose, with his head down.

"Best thing in the world. I always use it." Seamus said, looking at the bottle more intently, "Then I don't know, I use it for everything." He removed his thumb on the label and noticed a number scribbled in the corner, "Oh yeah!" Seamus's face lit up. He quickly stood up and walked over to the other side of the bar.

"I guess I am a kind of a dummy," Harry remarked as he shifted his icepack over to one side of his nose.

"Uh huh," Seamus replied, returning to his seat with a telephone in his hand.

"The last thing in the world I should do is chase her," Harry continued, "Leave her alone for a week or ten days."

"Uh huh," Seamus answered robotically as he concentrated on dialing the number on the bottle.

"She's used to me," he realized glumly, "I can't get to sleep until I get home. I'll have fun for a couple of nights. Play a little poker with some of the boys on the team."

"Lavender?" Seamus said into the phone.

Harry abruptly raised his head. He looked around before realizing that Seamus was talking on the phone. "Oh, thought one of your girlfriends were hanging about over here," he explained.

"Hi there, Lavender," Seamus held the handset on his shoulders as he took another drink, "Uh huh, yes, and I'm kissing you back!" he teased, smacking his lips together making smooching sounds.

Harry rolled his eyes as he listened to their conversation.

"Dean?" Seamus frowned, "This is no Dean, this is Seamus! Yes, that's right," he replied; now smirking, "Did you miss your Seamus honey?" he asked playfully. He held the phone away from his head as he leaned towards Harry whispering, "She's a wonderful girl. Society girl now, real class!" He placed the phone next to his ear again, "How about tomorrow night? I've got a friend. How about Susan?" Seamus suggested. He leaned over to Harry once again, "You'll like Susan," he assured him.

"Me?" Harry asked, confused, "Susan?"

"Oh, he's a wonderful chap! You must remember him from Hogwarts! It's Harry Potter!" Seamus said on the phone. He waited for a few seconds before Susan apparently gets on the line.

"Oh Susan, say, I've got a nice little dinner partner for you tomorrow night," Seamus told her, "but he kind of needs some cheering up, you know what I mean? Okay then," he handed the phone over to Harry, "She wants to talk to you."

Harry looked at him suspiciously before taking the handset, "Hello?" A strange expression appeared on his face as he looked over at Seamus. He covered the mouthpiece with his hand, "She's kissing at me."

"Kiss back at her," Seamus egged on like it's the most normal thing in the world.

Harry hesitated for a moment, "But I hardly know her."

"It's all for a laugh," he assured him, "She's a great girl."

Harry reluctantly obliged, awkwardly finding himself making the same kissing noises as the voice on the other line, "It feels kind of silly," he said to Seamus. "Huh?" Harry turning his attention back to the phone, "Well how do you know you're crazy about me?" His expression changed as he listened, now relaxed and confident, "Oh, well, it's just an ordinary voice," he said modestly with a slight chuckle, "I use to sing a little."

Seamus laughed as he took the handset away from him, "Didn't I tell you? He's a great fellow. Eight o'clock?" He leaned over to Harry, "Where did you want to meet?"

Harry thought for a moment, "The Stork Club," he answered.

"Maybe this will give Hermione something to think about when she came into the club with Ron," Harry thought grimly.

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That night, Harry arrived at the Stork Club, dressed in proper bow and tie. A formal, classy dance club, the Stock Club was modeled after the one in New York and is located in the center of Diagon Alley. It has always been a favorite of Hermione's.

"Mr. Seamus Finnegan's party," Harry told the host in the lobby.

"Oh yes, they're expecting you," the host replied from behind the podium, "Follow me please,"

Harry felt a pleasurable sense of anticipation as he walked through the crowded club. The host led him through the double French doors and past a long bar. As they walked, music from the main room grew louder and louder. The establishment was decorated in 1940's American style and included a live swing band located in front of the room which they passed just as they came in through from the arched doorway. A fine, mahogany dance floor occupied the center of the room, surrounded by small round tables, covered in fine, bright white linen. Harry had to slide and dodge away from all the dancing couples in order to cut across the floor. He finally spotted Seamus towards the back, sitting with two other girls.

"Harry my boy!" Seamus waved out to him, "Over here!"

He recognized Lavender immediately, sitting right next to Seamus. She looked at him admiringly and gave a polite smile.

"The one and only Harry Potter!" Seamus announced to the girl sitting on the other side of him, "In the flesh!"

Then, within touching distance of the table, it was only his hastily summoned will power that kept him from turning and fleeing.

"Well what's been keeping you?" Susan called out as she took a bite out of her celery. She looked as if she might have stepped straight out of a burlesque show. Though she still wore her hair in a long plait down her back, she had changed since her days at Hogwarts. From makeup to clothes, she was Broadway at its most blatant. His face froze to hide his disappointment as he stood there by the table.

"She's been waiting for you for over an hour!" Seamus said.

"Oh, I've been a little busy over at practice," Harry replied agitatedly. He reluctantly sat himself by the empty chair next to Susan.

"Have a drink Harry!" Seamus suggested excitedly. His exuberance had been indubitably augmented by too many before-dinner cocktails.

"Waiter!" he turned his head back and called to the server just as he was rushing by, "An old fashioned for my boy here!" Lavender playfully stuffed a piece of celery in his mouth.

A haughty, but attractive raven haired girl sitting at the next table, so closely placed that it seemed a part of their own, glanced contemptuously at Susan, then let her gaze rest coldly on Harry before turning back to her companion.

Harry, feeling quite awkward, looked around desperately, "Um, couldn't-umm- isn't it a little crowded in here?" he asked, trying to avoid Susan's gaze, "Shouldn't we go someplace where-quieter, maybe a little darker?"

"No dear," Susan replied with a giggle, "We'll go to one of those dark, romantic places later. We're eating first. Haven't you ever been here?"

"Oh yes, I've been here often," he said, still looking around, "That's why I wanted to go someplace where it was darker."

Miserable eons passed over Harry's head. Then, looking up, his throat went dry, his forehead dampened with perspiration, he caught something in the corner of his eye. Hermione, cool, poised and never lovelier, and Ron, groomed and distinguished just sat down at a secluded table a few feet away. Harry's eyes grew wide with fury as he concealed his face conspicuously with a menu. He observed a clumsy Ron trying to hold Hermione's hand on the table, accidentally knocking and spilling the wine glass.

Harry placed the menu down and looked back at his own table. "It's awfully hot in here. I know a place that's very cool," he declared.

"Don't rush it. We're stuck with the cover charge anyways," Seamus leaned over Susan to Harry, "I tell you, a couple of more hours of this," he gave a sly wink as he gestured over towards Lavender, laughing and sipping a glass of wine.

"I beg your pardon," the waiter grabbed their attention as he started serving their plates of pheasant.

"Oh, finally! I'm starved!" Susan exclaimed, "I could eat a horse!"

Harry merely sat there uncomfortably, defeated, taking big gulps from the drink the waiter just set down in front of him.

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Meanwhile, Ron and Hermione were at their table, sitting in silence. Ron was nervously tapping his fingers on the table, trying to come up with something clever to say. Being on his first date with Hermione, he felt a bit intimidated. Hermione felt uncomfortable as well. She looked away and to her surprise, spotted Harry's party at the table a few feet away.

"Harry's here," Hermione made her voice sounded nonchalant, though she kept rubbing her knuckles anxiously together.

Ron looked over at the direction Hermione was referring to. "Yes, he is," he said callously, scooting his chair a bit closer to her.

"Who's he with, I wonder," Hermione rested her chin against her arm, speaking in a forced, casual manner.

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"So you want to wrestle do you?" Susan said to the pheasant as she tried to carve a piece from the plate in frustration.

Harry looked away from his date disgustingly, embarrassed. He turned his attention towards Hermione's table and noticed her glance in his direction, pausing with a barely perceptible start of surprise. She quickly looked down as Harry made eye contact with her.

Harry easily recognized Hermione's jealousy and decided to use it to his advantage. He leaned toward the attractive girl, whose chair almost touched his. She was staring at Hermione, and Harry moved his lips as though he was speaking to her in a loving, affectionate manner.

"She's rather pretty isn't she?" Hermione remarked, upon seeing this display, "Do you know her Ron?"

"No, I don't," he replied.

Harry knew that his plan was working. He reenacted the scene again, this time adding a sly smirk.

Hermione used most of her will power to suppress her anger. She turned to Ron, holding her chin up and forcing a large, but awkward smile, "I want to dance."

"Oh fine," Ron replied, getting up swiftly. They made their way over to the edge of the wooden floor. Hermione wrapped her arms so obviously close around Ron so they could be seen. She glared back over to Harry's direction as he is again keeping up with his charade.

Ron felt quite uneasy as Hermione's grip grew tighter and tighter while he gracelessly rocked her back and forth on the dance floor.

Harry leaned in and whispered silently again. However, his eyes were so caught up in Hermione's movements that he failed to realize that the woman had turned and was now watching him disdainfully. She nudged her date. The two of them stared strangely at Harry.

Harry finally realized the couple staring at him. He drew back sheepishly, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible. He kept his head straight ahead, frozen in pokerfaced expression.

"Do you want to dance dear?" the man asked his date, still keeping his eye on Harry. The attractive woman nodded and they both left their seats. Walking pass Harry from behind, the man looked down at him, "You're looking for trouble," he said derisively as he walked away.

By this time, the entire dinner party was now completely engrossed with the food on their plates. Harry made no effort to listen to Susan's complaint about sauce on the pheasant. He quickly ordered another drink, gulping it down hoping it would ease the duration of his evening.

The only coherent though Harry had was that he had to do something. He didn't care what. He passed a frantic hand across his face, and under its pressure, his recently injured nose throbbed painfully. He winced inadvertently, but it gave him what again he believed to be an inspiration. His nose had been bleeding a little bit off and on all day. If he pressed on it really hard—

It worked. Holding the folds of his handkerchief against it, he rose so suddenly that he barely escaped upsetting the table.

"My nose started to bleed again," he announced, and only the muffling thickness of the handkerchief kept jubilance out of his voice, "I have to go hom-"

"Oh that's alright. I can stop a nose bleed!" Susan, taking Harry completely by surprise, quickly pulled him down onto the chair and forced his head down onto the set of another vacant chair before he knew what was happening. Holding him there, she shrieked for ice and a cold knife. With the ice on the back of his neck, and the cold knife under his nose, she addressed the crowd that had collected around the table.

"Step back and give him some air!" she ordered brassily.

The effect made the people crowd closer. Foremost in the throng was Hermione. Her face, that had first been apprehensive and concerned, became disdainfully remote again, as she took in his companions. Ron leaned towards her and murmured something. Without a backward glance, they turned and went back to their own table.

"Hand me another cold knife, somebody!" Susan shrieked in her strident voice.

Harry closed his eyes, and shook his head numbly. "Just cut my throat with it," he muttered bitterly.

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