Disclaimer : The Harry Potter characters in this story belong to J.K. Rowling. Many thanks to her for letting them roam about in the world I created for a bit.
Sorry for the delay! As it tends to happen, life in general kept me busy and when I was finally ready to start this chapter my muse and I were apparently not on speaking terms. Thankfully, I'm apparently back in her good graces againso I was able to get the next installment to my little story out. Hopefully, there won't be such a long gap between this Chapter and the Next.
As always, thank you sooooooooooo much for your reviews! I'm glad someone liked me even when my muse didn't. )
CHAPTER 3 – Natural Born Lovers
Hermione checked her watch for what felt like the hundredth time in the past thirty minutes. It was almost 12:45. In just a matter of moments, she'd be finished with her shift, and she'd be on her way to have coffee with Ronald, the redheaded British god who had caught her eye about forty-five minutes ago.
She checked her watch again, deciding that it was close enough for her to leave. After all, her shift had officially ended fifteen minutes ago, but on the nights she sang, Hermione liked to work over fifteen minutes to make up for her time on stage. Gary, her boss, had said that it really wasn't necessary, but she insisted. Tonight was the first night that she truly regretted being so damn stubborn.
Hermione walked in front of the stage, winking at Joe as she made her way to the table Mark was seated at. She sat down on his lap and leaned in close to his ear so he could hear her over the music.
"Hey, I'm going across the street for coffee. You don't need to wait on me."
Mark leaned in close to her ear this time and asked, "How are you going to get home? I didn't see your car out in the lot."
"Yeah, I rode in with Sabrina, and I just figured that I'd catch a ride home with you. Plans change." She winked at him. "I'll take a taxi."
Hermione knew she had been smiling like a fool the entire time, and she could see the battle waging behind Mark's eyes. She was sure that he could pick up on her giddiness, and she was hoping that it would win over the battle for him to be protective and protest the taxi ride.
"You know how I feel about you taking a cab so late."
Hermione sighed and her smile faltered slightly. Apparently it had been too much to ask for. "I'll be fine, Mark. I've taken a taxi this late loads of times and I've been fine. You know that I always call dispatch and request that Jai come pick me up." Hermione silently prayed that he'd give it a rest. She really didn't want her good mood killed by an argument with him.
"This is about the redhead, isn't it?" Hermione just smiled. "Miranda, do you really think this is a good idea? You don't know anything about this guy. He could be some sick weirdo who's only planning on raping and murdering you."
She just rolled her eyes. "Don't worry! I'm just going across the street for coffee. You can watch me walk over if you like. And you know that Officer Campbell is there every night between one and two, so if I start to pick up some weird vibe from this guy, I'll just ask the policeman to drive me home."
She paused for a moment and fiddled with a piece of lint on Mark's shoulder. "Plus, there's just something about this guy that tells me that he's alright. Just call it my woman's intuition."
Mark pulled back to look at her skeptically. "Well, if you're sure. Have a good time. You deserve it."
Hermione squealed with delight and smiled bigger than she had all night, if that was even possible. She gave Mark a chaste kiss before she bounced off his lap, saying "don't wait up," before heading to the room behind the bar to retrieve her bag.
'This is it! Mark's right…I do deserve to have some fun. Intuition don't let me down now!'
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Ron drank his beer slowly. He had paid more attention to Hermione than he had his drink. He still was fighting a plethora of emotions at finally finding her, but he worked hard to keep elation at the forefront. He knew he was probably grinning like some daft git, but he didn't care.
He assumed that he had sat the entire thirty minutes with the dumb look on his face and wondered how he was going to be able to keep from gawking foolishly at Hermione while they had coffee. However, the smile was wiped from his face when he saw her plop down onto another bloke's lap and lean in close to speak to him in a way that Ron thought looked awfully intimate.
Ron's heart sank. It never occurred to him to prepare for that fact that the love of his life could possibly have a boyfriend in this life that she had been lost in. 'Or worse, a husband!' He had never thought that she would find someone else. How could've he been so stupid? Of course, she'd have no reason not to date. She'd have no memory of Ron, let alone any of how she felt about him. 'And look at her. She's dead gorgeous. You expect that blokes wouldn't have noticed her?'
Ron's mood was further soured when he saw her give this other man a kiss before heading behind the bar and out of sight. He closed his eyes and attempted to swallow the lump that had unfortunately formed in his throat.
He suddenly felt someone place their hand on his shoulder and say, "Hey, mate."
"Harry!" Ron spun around quickly to face his friend. "What are you doing back so soon? I expected you to be gone at least a couple of hours. Where's Lupin and Ginny?"
"Full moon."
"Bloody hell! I hadn't even paid any attention. What do we do now?"
"Well since only four people were present during the spell to know the incantations and two of them are dead, one's had her memory erased and the last is recovering from his transformation last night, I'd say we wait."
"Dammit!" Ron pounded his fist on the bar as he swore.
"Hey, this works out for the best anyway." Ron shot Harry a piercing look as if to ask what the hell he was talking about. "Look, I flooed Gin from the Portkey Office waiting on my return and she said that the potion needed to fill the special Pensive takes 72 hours to brew anyway. At least we know where she is now; we just have to play it cool and everything will be alright."
"Yeah, I suppose you're right. It's just been so long, and I don't know how much longer I can wait until I have her, the real her, back."
"Don't worry. It'll happen soon enough."
"What'll happen?"
Both men jumped at the sound of Hermione's voice coming from behind Harry. Ron jumped up off the bar stool quickly, almost losing his balance, and Harry spun around so fast that he almost made himself dizzy. In unison both men said, "What?"
Hermione blushed and looked at her hands a moment. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pry. I just happened to catch that last statement as I walked up and my curiosity got the best of me."
Ron quickly stepped up next to her and put his hand on the small of her back. "No problem, love. It's just boring work-related prattle." Ron silently chastised himself for the endearment, but Hermione seemed unaffected by it. "Miranda Chase, I'd like you to meet my co-worker, best mate and favorite brother-in-law, Harry Potter."
Harry extended his hand toward Hermione, smiling, and said, "I'm your only brother-in-law!" This elicited a smile from Hermione and Harry simply smiled back even bigger. "Pleasure to meet you, Ms. Chase."
"Please, call me Miranda. It's very nice to meet you Harry Potter."
Ron watched Hermione smiling at Harry as she shook his hand. 'Oh, Merlin, how I've missed that smile!' Then the smile was directed toward him and he felt his heart leap for joy.
"Are you ready?"
Ron couldn't seem to lose the look of excitement that he knew had to be plastered over his face. He was acting like a ruddy lovesick teenager! "Ready when you are!"
"Going somewhere?" Harry asked suspiciously.
"Just across the street to get some coffee." Ron answered. Then a thought occurred to him and he quickly reached into his trouser pocked and wrapped his hand around the shrunken Honda Valkyrie Rune. He never traveled without it even though most of the time he was traveling it spent its time in its miniature state.
Ron quickly extended the hand holding the cycle toward Harry to shake his hand before he left the bar with Hermione. Harry looked slightly confused at first, but once he grasped Ron's hand, Ron saw understanding flash in his friend's eyes.
"Now, mate. You know I don't mind it at all if you want to borrow my bike, just remember to park it out front when you get back."
Harry smiled knowingly at Ron, which eased Ron's nerves, because this was the indication that Ron was looking for that Harry understood what he needed to do. "Yeah, I think I might take it out for a quick ride before I head back to the hotel. I'll see you later then." With that, Harry turned and left the bar.
Ron turned his attention back to Hermione, who was watching Ron with much interest. He smiled then offered his arm to her and said, "Shall we?"
Hermione gratefully took Ron's arm and they exited the bar. Just as they approached the street to cross, a car came speeding around the corner nearly hitting them both. Luckily, Ron and his Auror-enhanced reflexes pulled Hermione back just in time.
"Asshole! Watch where you're bloody going!" Hermione shouted toward the car that was now clearly out of earshot.
Ron just stared, dumbfounded, at Hermione. She started to cross the street but Ron didn't budge. She stepped back on the sidewalk and asked, "What?"
"You swore!"
Hermione giggled at the absurdity of his remark and replied, "Yeah. Sorry if I offended you."
"No. It's not that. You don't swear. I mean you just don't look like you'd be the type of person who'd swear."
"Oh, really? And exactly what type of person do I look like I should be?"
It was Ron's turn to chuckle at the absurdity he found in her question. "Well, a prim and proper, know-it-all, bookworm, of course."
Hermione let out quite a hardy laugh and said, "You couldn't be any further off, Mr. Weasley! I really hope that your job doesn't require you to make such assumptions about people or you'll be going hungry." She shook her head and attempted unsuccessfully to hide her smile before grabbing his arm once again and saying, "Come on, let's go."
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An hour and two pots of coffee later, Hermione still couldn't believe that she had found someone that she clicked with so well. They were so completely different, but she couldn't help but feel an indescribable connection to this man she had met not even two hours ago. Her friend, Sabrina, always talked about soul mates and rubbish like that. Hermione had always thought that the concept was just that, rubbish. Now she was beginning to wonder. She had never, to her knowledge, ever felt so attracted physically and emotionally to anyone as much as she was now toward Ron.
In the time they spent together in the diner, Hermione had learned that, unlike her, he came from a very large family with five older brothers (two of which were twins) and one sister who was younger. She learned that he, too, was no stranger to grief, because one of his twin brothers, his second oldest brother, his oldest brother's wife, and his other twin brother's fiancée had been killed in a horrible accident. However, he chose not to elaborate on the matter at all.
He had spent a lot of time telling her about each of his siblings. He spoke of each with great respect that made Hermione regret the fact that she was an only child. She had found the story about how he had asked his future sister-in-law to a school dance when he was fourteen years old particularly funny. She also took note of the fact that his eyes held as much sadness for the brother that was estranged from the family as for those whom had been killed.
She had also learned that he had known his best friend, Harry, since they were eleven and that they had both attended the same boarding school where they managed to get into a lot of mischief together; however, he didn't elaborate much on that subject either. Ron did share an enthusiastic story about his sister and Harry's relationship: they had been married almost two years and they were expecting their first child in three months or so.
For her part, Hermione had told him about growing up an only child and about the private school she attended back in London and how proud her parents had been when she had graduated at the top of her class. She also talked about the classes she was currently attending for her law degree and how different they were from any class she had attended back home. When he asked what had brought her to the United States, she had briefly told Ron about her parents accident and about moving almost five years ago to Salem to live with her Auntie and Uncle.
Ron had just finished telling her about how much he was missing his mother's cooking when she realized that he hadn't told her what kind of work he did.
"So, what exactly is it that you and Harry do and what brought you to the States?"
"We work in a special branch of law enforcement for the Ministry. The squad we are in now is a lot like a group of bounty hunters. We hunt down criminals who have really done some heinous things."
"Oh, so is that what has brought you to Boston?"
"Yes. We tracked our latest prisoner almost two weeks ago to New York City and finally caught up with him yesterday here in Boston."
"Wow. Sounds exciting but like it could be rather dangerous."
"Can be, but Harry and I are the best! This time we were in charge so we could pick the best from the rest. It only gets really dangerous when we get stuck with complete idiots."
"And you're not the least bit conceited, are you?" She gave Ron a mischievous smile then winked at him. "You know, you'd probably get along rather well with my friend, Mark. He works in law enforcement as well. He helps with crime scene investigation, you know, collection of evidence and all that. I'm not completely sure what he does because he really doesn't like to talk much about work and I don't push the subject."
"Mark, huh? He wouldn't by chance be the bloke whose lap you were sitting in just before you met up with me, would he?"
Hermione was quite touched, by not only the hint of jealousy that shown in her companion's eyes and the condescending tone in his voice, but she was also moved that he was obviously attracted enough to keep tabs on her while she had finished up her shift. It really was amazingly sweet.
"Why, Mr. Weasley, surely you aren't jealous?" she asked very coyly.
Ron's ears immediately turned red from embarrassment and he looked down at his hands that were currently wrapped around his coffee mug. Hermione thought that he looked absolutely adorable.
She smiled and reached across the table to lay her hand on his forearm. Ron's eyes shot back up to meet hers. She patted his arm slightly and said, "No worries. You're more his type than I am."
"Oh," was all that Ron said in reply and it was said almost thoughtlessly and quite distantly. When Hermione's statement had apparently sunk in, his eyes went wide and he said, "OH!" as he chuckled nervously.
Hermione just grinned back at him. 'My goodness, am I ever going to stop smiling like a fool?' Her heart fluttered as she saw his eyes light up in what could only be labeled excitement. She had a very good feeling that Ronald was quite relieved at hearing that her friend had no romantic interest in her.
"Mark and I have a relationship that's a little hard to define." Hermione stated as she removed her hand from Ron's arm and sat back in her seat.
"Well give it a shot. Tell me about this bloke."
"Hmm. I met Mark not quite three years ago. He was a 'friend' of my cousin, Jarrod. They actually went to the same private school, and the summer before my cousin was to leave for college, Mark came to spend the summer with us. We instantly hit it off. We liked the same movies, music and books, and we could talk non-stop for hours. Many times, when everyone else had gone to bed, we'd stay up just talking until the early morning hours.
"I was going through some pretty tough stuff, relationship wise. I had gone through my sixth boyfriend since moving in with my Aunt and Uncle, none of which were anywhere near serious relationships. I was also still having a rather rough time with my parents' deaths. Mark was extremely supportive and he helped hold me together when I would've swore that I was falling apart."
"Before leaving for school in Arizona, my cousin had told Mark that he didn't think a long distance relationship would work out and that they should both start seeing other people. Needless to say, Mark was devastated. I was able to return the favor of comfort and being supportive."
"Eventually, he realized that he couldn't live without me and he moved me into his house just outside the city." Hermione chuckled at her and Mark's inside joke and hoped that Ron would see that she was embellishing the truth quite a bit.
"So he couldn't live without you, huh? I've heard blokes use that line before. I've also heard of them pretending to be poofs to get into a woman's 'good graces' if you know what I mean. Are you sure there's nothing between you two?" Hermione was surprised that he was being so forward with the question, but she was also relieved to hear that there was no animosity in his voice. His tone was much like the tone that Mark used in his playful banter.
"Well you know." Hermione answered and once again winked at Ron. "Honestly, though, we do live together. Mark and I have been everything to one another except lovers, but we are both perfectly content with that, and thankfully, Mark's boyfriend, Joe, is perfectly content with that as well."
"Yeah, but what have the other men you've dated thought about this relationship?"
Hermione blushed slightly and cast a downward glance before answering, "There haven't been any other men since Mark and I became friends." Even though her sight was fixed on a spot in the middle of the table, Hermione could still see the look of panic in her new friend's eyes so she thought it was best if she elaborated. "It's not what you're thinking. There hasn't been anyone else since Mark came into my life because I haven't found what I've been looking for. One of the first things he told me when we would discuss my failed relationships was that I was obviously searching for something specific in a man or from a relationship and that my other endeavors had failed because these men did not possess the quality I was looking for. Since then I just started looking for the quality a little harder before I started accepting dates."
"And this quality is something that I possess?" Ron asked hesistantly.
Hermione turned a deeper shade of pink. "Perhaps." Hermione willed herself to calm down and looked up to meet Ron's eyes. They took her breath away. Those eyes…she knew those eyes…and the look in them. In that moment she felt something wash over her that she hadn't felt with those six poor guys who had attempted to date her years ago or any who had attempted since. 'Desire. Lust. Intense Need. That's what you're feeling. Everything you've been looking for is right there in front of you and you can feel it…Oh, dear lord, please help me!'
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Ron was completely entranced. Just seconds ago Hermione had locked eyes with him after proclaiming that he may have what she had been looking for, for years, and now all he could see in her eyes was want. He knew that was what she was feeling because that was the same look that she'd had in her eyes so many years ago when she had looked into his eyes and asked him to make love to her for the first time. If he allowed his guard to drop at this moment, he'd be in tears within nanoseconds. It took every ounce of restraint he had to not jump across the table and pull her into his embrace before proclaiming his undying love for her and demanding that she remember how much she loved him in return.
The waitress clearing her throat and asking if they would like another pot of coffee pulled the pair from their trances in each other's eyes. Ron shook his head as if to clear it of cobwebs and looked to Hermione for the answer.
"I'm good. How about you?" She asked.
"We're okay here, but thank you," he answered the waitress.
Both were staring into their nearly empty cups, when Hermione broke the silence. "You know, I really should think about calling the cab so I can get home before Mark goes spar."
"A cab. You mean you don't have a vehicle of your own?"
"I do, but I didn't drive in tonight. I caught a ride with a friend of mine 'cause I just assumed that I'd be riding home with Mark. Parking is kind of tight, so I don't like bringing the car if I don't have to."
"Are you sure you should be taking a taxi this late?"
Hermione chuckled and smiled at Ron. He couldn't help but think that he would never grow tired of seeing that smile.
"You're as bad as Mark. Really, I'll be fine." She was reaching for her bag when Ron placed his arm on hers to stop her movement.
'You cannot let her out of your sights yet…do something to stall!' Ron ran his hand down her forearm and grabbed hold of her hand noticing that she inhaled suddenly and closed her eyes for just a quick moment.
"Let me drive you home." Ron could see the uncertainty in her eyes. He was glad that she wasn't so willing to be coerced by a stranger, but at the same time he couldn't help but think 'But I'm not a stranger.'
"Please. It would make me feel better knowing that I got you home safely instead of watching you pull away in a taxi with only Merlin knows who, especially since I'm the reason you didn't have a safe ride home tonight."
Ron couldn't help but think over and over 'oh, please, let her accept' while he waited for her response. He could see the silent debate in her eyes but at the same time she looked as if she was confused about something.
"Merlin?" she asked with a small laugh.
Ron immediately realized that he had slipped up, big time. He just threw her his famous lopsided grin and shrugged. He was relieved when she just shook her head and laughed. Ron ran his thumb gently over the back of her hand, further distracting her from his slip of the tongue. Apparently that small act was all she needed to forget that he had said something that clearly made no sense to her and was what she needed to make her decision.
"Alright, then. I don't want you worrying yourself or Merlin sick over my safety," she replied playfully.
He just laughed, took her hand and led her to the door. Neither one noticing how giddy the other one was.
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Ron wasn't sure how he managed to keep his composure on the ride to Hermione's place. His body tingled everywhere her body was pressed against his. It was all he could do to concentrate on her directions as she gave them with her mouth very near his ear. He kept reminding himself that he needed to exercise restraint and he was doing a fairly good job.
When they pulled up in front of Mark's two-story suburban home, Hermione had instructed him to pull into the driveway and up to the door in the fence that surrounded the backyard. When he stopped, he shut the motor off and it was merely seconds until he was feeling the loss of contact when she got off the motorcycle.
"Thank you very much for the ride. It was much more pleasurable than a taxi." Even in the dark, Ron could make out a bit of a blush creeping up her cheeks.
"You're very welcome. It was a pleasure to meet you, Miranda Chase." Everything in Ron's body was telling him to get off this bike and snog her senseless, but once again, he was maintaining his restraint remarkably.
"The same to you, Ronald Weasley."
Ron watched as she walked to the door in the privacy fence and stopped, her hand on the latch, as if contemplating something she wanted to say. Ron couldn't help but smiled because he knew that even though he was looking at the back of her head, she most definitely had to be chewing on her lower lip just as she had back at Hogwarts when she was contemplating a tough question.
When she turned to speak to him, she didn't disappoint him. "Would you like to come in a bit? After all that coffee, I'm really not all that tired."
Ron didn't answer. He simply smiled before dismounting the bike. He noticed that she had stood awaiting him to join her. He was surprised when she didn't move but stood staring up at him as he approached. 'There's that look in her eyes again. Maybe its time to take a risk.'
"Exactly what did you have in mind to pass the time, Ms. Chase?" Ron asked looking deep into her eyes with his voice low and husky.
This time it was Hermione's turn to answer non-verbally. Ron was totally shocked when she quickly reached up, laced her fingers in his hair and pulled his mouth to hers. His last coherent thought was 'Bloody Hell!'