Only You
Chapter 4-A Friendly Visit
Disclaimer-J.K. Rowlings owns everything in this fic. I only own the plot.
Two weeks after Harry and Hermione had argued about the situation of her love life, Harry spoke to his friend from Hogwarts, Seamus Finnigan, after a meeting they had both attended at the Ministry of Magic.
They exchanged pleasantries for a few minutes before Seamus nonchalantly asked how Hermione was doing. Harry replied, "She's been bitter and depressed since her breakup with George last year. She refused to date at all and is convinced that any man she lets near her will hurt her terribly. I hate to say it because I still consider George my friend, but he messed her up completely, and I wish that he had never dated her. I don't know if she'll ever be the same Hermione again. I miss that cheerful know-it-all from our Hogwarts days."
"I hate hearing that. Hermione has always been such a beautiful and talented woman. I would never wish that kind of pain on her. She deserves so much more than that." Seamus replied while frowning slightly.
"I agree completely, but I'm not sure Hermione feels that way. She's so depressed and convinced that no man will ever love her again...and she doesn't want anyone to. She's too afraid. She won't even go out with us anymore. Ron, Hermione and I used to go out to dinner every Friday night after work, but she insists that she has to work late and won't be able to make it. It's been four months since we've gotten her to go, and that time she ended up leaving shortly after she arrived, saying that she wanted to go to bed early because she had some sort of meeting in the morning."
"A meeting on a Saturday morning?" Seamus questioned.
"I know, that's what I said."
"Maybe you should come up with some grand adventure to take her on like you used to back when we were at Hogwarts," Seamus joked.
"That's a thought,"Harry said sarcastically.
"No, but seriously, I'm sure you could find someone to set her up with."
"I'm sure I could to, but you know Hermione, she'd never agree to it. But hey, if you're voluteering, go right on ahead."
Seamus blushed and said, "I'd love to, but I don't think she would go for it."
Harry shot his friend a shocked look, "Really? When did this happen?"
"Well to tell you the truth, I have always kind of like her. I don't know why, but I think that know-it-all routine she pulls is kind of sexy." Harry snorted as Seamus continued, "I've always thought about asking her to go out with me, but the timing was always wrong. I realized it right after she and George had gotten together, and she was so happy about there relationship that she glowed. It was just the wrong timing, I guess."
"Well, its been a long time since Hermione has glowed. I think it's about time for her to again. I think you're just what she needs." Harry said.
"I don't know. I don't think she would let me get anywhere near her if she knew that I wanted to date her," Seamus said.
Harry smiled deviously, "That's why you don't tell her that you want to date her. You start out by earning her trush as a friend and then go from there."
"That could work," Seamus said as he contemplated the idea.
"Of course it could," Harry said and then explained, "Spend as much time as you poosibly can with her and be the close friend that she needs. She has pushed Ron and me away from her, probably because we remind her of the time she was with George, but you were never around then. Eventually, you'll prove to her that you're trustworthy and you can turn your relationship into something more than just a really good friendship."
Seamus thought for a second and then said, "Okay, I'll do it."
"Good, why don't you start today by taking her this note telling her that I want her to interview me about a bill we are trying to get passed in the ministry."
"And I could pick up some food on the way over and make an evening out of my visit."
"Now your thinking!"
"But you know she's going to ask why you didn't just floo over and tell her yourself."
"Tell her I have a hot date or something."
"Yes, yes. Harry Potter the ladies man."
"Damn straight, Finnigan." Seamus laughed as he took the note and headed out the door to go to Hermione's.
When Seamus showed up an hour later at Hermione's apartment with a pizza in one hand and a bundle of flowers in the other and Harry's note safely tucked in his pocket, Hermione was quite surpised at her visiter.
She opened the door and said, "What are you doing here, Seamus?"
"Don't sound so happy, Hermione," Seamus joked. "I might actually think that you want me to be here."
Hermione shook her head and shot him a bewildered look before said, "What? Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to be rude you just surprised me."
"That's okay, I forgive you. Aren't you going to ask me in?"
Hermione looked frazzled but said, "Yes, of course you can come in." and stepped out of the doorway so he could enter the apartment.
They shared an awkward silence for a few moments before Hermione spoke again, "What are you doing here?"
"Oh, I just got through with a meeting with Harry's and he asked me to give you a note," Seamus said as he tried to balance the pizza and the flowers in the same hand and dig the note out of his pocket with the other hand. "Could you stop staring at me for a while and give me a little help here?" Seamus asked as he continued the struggle.
Hermione stopped staring at him and closed her mouth that had been handing open. "Uh, sure," she said as she took the flowers out of his hand. "Who are these for anyway? Do you have a hot date to go to after this stop?"
"Of course," Seamus said and when she tried to trade him the flowers for Harry's note he shoke his head and said, "Those are for you, Hermione. This is my hot date. Aren't you excited?"
Hermione's unflattering look of shock returned as she backed away from him and the flowersin his hand, "What are you talking about?"
"Relax, Hermione. I'm not going to rape you, or even try to kiss you for that matter. I just thought I'd do Harry a favor and stop by to drop this off." he said as he raised the note he had in his hand up in the air. "I noticed that it was close to suppertime and I was hungry and I knew it would be rude of me to ask you to fix me dinner, so I brought something for us both, hence the pizza. As for the flowers, I saw some poor old lady selling them at the corner by Florish and Blotts so I decided I'd pity her and by a bunch. You can't fault my generousity. You have to take them now."
As she took the flowers she smurked as she saw the card that was included with the bunch, "Since when did Flora at Flora's Flowers become a poor old lady?"
"Have you seen her lately she looks terrible," Seamus said.
"Yeah, yeah," Hermione said as she smiled a genuine smile. Seamus was surprised by that small facial expression. He hadn't seen her smile in a long time. Far too long, Seamus thought, and he then knew that he was doing the right thing for Hermione, by becoming her friend first.
"Okay, I lied," Seamus admitted. "I thought I'd do something nice for a friend, and look it worked you're smiling."
"Well, I guess I'll have to say thank you then."
"Well, then I guess Miss Granger that I'll have to say you're welcome."
"Since you invited yourself over for dinner, why didn't you bring any cake?" Hermione joked.
"I know you Hermione, and I know that you are never without a chocolate cake," Seamus answered.
"Ah, I guess you got me there, Mr. Finnigan," Hermione said. "Well, come in and sit down then. I'll go get plates. I just realized that I'm starving."
When Hermione walked back into the room, she asked, "What are you thinking about?"
"Oh, nothing really. I was just thinking that I missed seeing all of my friends from Hogwarts. It's really strange to go from seeing them everyday for seven years to hardly seeing them at all."
"Yes, I guess I know what you mean." Hermione agreed.
"That's why I came here today. I never see you anymore, and we used to be such good friends. Remember our seventh year, when we used to sit up in the commons room late at night just talking. "
Hermione smiled at the memory, "Yeah, I remember. Harry, Ron and I would come down and you, Dean, Neville, Lavander and Parvati would be sitting down in the corner by the fireplace just talking and laughing at something you had said. You could make anybody laugh back then," she sighed and said, "God, we were so young then."
"Yes, we were. You know I miss you. I haven't seen you in what's it been? Four or five months? What happened, Hermione. We used to be friends."
Seamus immediately regreted those words when she saw the smile fade from her face. She sat quietly for a few moments before speaking again. "I don't know. I guess I haven't been too good of a friend lately. I don't know what's wrong with me. I don't feel like being around people much anymore, I don't even want to be around Harry and Ron and they're my best friends. What's wrong with me?"
Seamus patted her leg and said, "You got your heart broken and it hurts but eventually you've got to get over it."
"So everyone tells me."
"Well, everyone is right. You're too young to be this depressed. You need to wait until you're fifty or so and then you can be depressed."
"What?"
"I'm kidding."
"You're weird, you know that?"
"Yes, I know, but it's part of my charm, right?"
"I guess. When'd you get to be such a nice guy, anyway?"
"I don't know. I think I've always thought of myself as a nice guy."
"When I was at Hogwarts I remember that girls always flocked around you and that you always had a ton of friends, but I don't remember them talking about what a nice guy you were. They always talked about your sense of humor and your jokes. I seem to remember you teasing me mercelessly throughout the years about my study habits. I wouldn't consider that to be nice. Would you?"
"No, I suppose not," Seamus said. "But hey, you remember I have a lot of friends and girls flocked around me, how could I be so popular and be such a total asshole."
"Hey, that's not such a stretch. Look at Malfoy. Girls threw themselves at him and I don't think I've ever known a bigger asshole."
"I suppose that's true."
"And besides you dated Lavender and Parvati plenty of times and when they came back to our room after a date, they didn't talk about how nice of a guy you were."
Seamus leaned forward and rubbed his hands together in antisipation. "Now this is becoming a promising conversation. I finally get to hear a little girl talk. What exactly did they talk about when they returned from a lovely evening with me?"
"Who says I'm going to tell you anything? I'm sure you wouldn't be interested about what we talked about in our seventh year of Hogwarts."
"Wanna make a bet?"
Hermione rolled her eyes and decide to indulge him, "Well, they did say that you were a good kisser."
"Did they now?" Seamus asked and raised his left eyebrow.
"They did. Does that boost your ego?"
"Well it certainly helps. No one has ever told me that before."
"I wouldn't take it too seriously. You know how girls are at that age," Hermione teased.
"I am going to choose to ignore that statement."
"Suit yourself."
Seamus and Hermione continued their friendly banter for several more hours, talking about the old days at Hogwarts and discussing each of their lives since, and before they knew it Hermione was laying at one end of the couch while Seamus was slumped at the other with her feet in his lap. "You know Hermione, it's really strange that your feet don't smell. What is your secret?"
"I discovered a charm that prevents odors."
"And you use it every day?"
"Yes, it's part of my morning ritual."
"You're really odd, you know that?" Seamus said.
"So you've told me a million times over the past...six hours. How is it six hours from the time you arrived?" Hermione asked as she looked up from her watch.
"I don't know. I guess I should get home then. It really is getting late. I'll just apparate."
"You can't apparate from here."
"Why not?"
"The building has an anti-aparation charm on it. In fact you can't aparate within two miles of it."
"Really?"
"Yes, its part of the security plan."
"Well, I guess I'll walk to the next aparation point."
"No, you can't walk that far this late at night. It could be dangerous. You'll just have to stay here tonight. You can sleep in the guest bedroom," Hermione said.
"No, I've already overstayed my welcome. I'll just go."
"I would feel a lot better if you stayed here until the morning. I don't think I'd be able to sleep if I didn't know that you had gotten home."
"I guess I'll stay. But only for you."
"Thanks, I suppose its selfish but I really didn't want to stay up all night worrying about whether or not you got home alright."
"I'll agree, as long as you do one thing form me," Seamus added.
"What do you want," Hermione asked with her hands on her hips.
"You have to let me give you a goodnight kiss, of course," and before she could remove her hands from her hips to push him away, he gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. "Night, Hermione." he said. "Where's this guest room at."
She pointed down the hall and he left her staring at his back.
Hermione stood there looking at him as she thought about just how much it scared her when she thought he was actually going to kiss her. She knew she needed to stop pushing people out of her life, and that Seamus was just being a good friend, but she still felt that urge to protect herself. "Dammit George," she thought. "Why'd you make me feel this way. Why'd you force me to question everyone in my life and there feelings for me?" And then she walked to her room and tried to think of all of the good things she had talked to Seamus about. "I'm fine," Hermione thought. "I will get over you, George Weasley."
A/N-I've already written the next chapter and guess what. George and Hermione meet again. I may even upload it tomorrow!
