-A/N: lol, I read some of my earlier chapters and I realised that the notes sounded childish. blush I think I will have to change it a bit there…

Enjoy the chapter, even though it may sound like a five-year old wrote it.

(Note: I did not want to offend five-year olds who write stories. That's great if you do!)-

-At Home-

A phone rang in the apartment. Hermione had insisted in getting a phone so as to "keep in touch with the other world". Needless to say, Ron never touched it. In fact, he treated the bit of muggle technology as if it would bite his head off. So now it rang. Hermione almost ran to the phone. It wasn't everyday that a telephone rang in the wizarding world. She picked up the phone and put it to her ear.

Harry, who had been in his room, had been sorting out paperwork when the phone rang. His ears immediately picked up the almost foreign sound. Thinking that no one was home, he got up with a groan and hurried to the phone. He heard the audible click of the phone being picked up by someone. He stopped. He hadn't realised that anyone had been home! He stopped and turned around to go back to his room. That is until he heard Hermione's voice.

"Hello?"

Harry wasn't really a man to eavesdrop but his curiosity had been aroused. He slowly turned around and tiptoed nearer to Hermione. He ducked behind a wall. Luckily, Hermione had been facing the other way.

"It's been a long time I heard from you…"

Hermione's conversations were really quite boring. Harry yawned. She was probably talking to her mother.

"Oh no, that's not what I meant. Of course I wanted to her from you. I mean after last time. Why are you calling anyway?" There was a pause.

"Oh. I'm not sure. There's a party soon for some old school friends. I'm not sure I can come…" There was another pause.

"Actually, come to think of it, I think I will come. It has to be before I get back to work on Tuesday. Can we do it?" There was yet another pause. Harry slapped his head in frustration. Why were there so many pauses?

"Yes alright. Can you pick me up?" This time it was a very short pause.

"Today? One O'clock is fine for me. Okay, see you then," Hermione put the phone carefully in its cradle. She tapped her mouth thoughtfully and walked to her room.

So, she was going to miss the party at Dean's. Harry sighed. He had been looking forward to that party with Ron and Hermione going with him. He wondered where Hermione was going. 'Probably some family gathering,' Harry thought to himself. He just thought that the party at Dean's wasn't going to be the same…

-Near One O'clock-

All three occupants of the apartment had decided to have lunch together. Ron had come from one of his "social chats" with Draco, Ginny and Luna. Harry, Hermione and Ron sat in silence at the dining table. Ron looked up and breathed in. He had to breathe in quite hard since he had eaten quite a lot. Typical though, thought Harry.

"Compliments to the chef, Harry. That was pretty good. You should make that pasta more often," Ron said while rubbing his stomach.

"Ron, you would eat anything that was placed in front of you," Hermione said. She daintily wiped her lips with one of the napkins. "Though Harry, that was very good," she said as almost an afterthought. She seemed rather absent-minded now. Harry observed. Could it be that she was actually worried about this gathering? He realised with a start that she had started talking again.

"I won't be here for the next three days. I also won't be here for Dean's party. Can you tell him that I'm sorry that I can't come?" Hermione was fiddling with napkin she had neatly folded. She actually looked anxious! Hermione anxious? Harry was doubtful. Perhaps he was reading her wrongly.

"I better go out now. A person is coming to pick me up," Hermione got up and went to her room.

"But, but… Where are you going? Why are you going?" Ron spluttered. Ron thought to himself, 'this will surely mess up all of our plans for a close meeting between Harry and Hermione! I have to tell Ginny!" Ron's question was met with the sound of a door slamming.

Harry was left alone at the dining table when Ron rushed out of the door muttering to himself. He could hear the sound of a car pulling up in front of the apartment. He got up and peeked out the window. There was a nice silver car waiting outside. No one had come out yet.

"Harry? Has a car pulled up at the house?" Hermione shouted from her room.

"Oh what? I mean, yeah there's a silver car outside." Harry came away from the window and his eyes caught the sight of Hermione. She had actually put some make-up on! Something was very fishy…

"I should better go now. I think he may be a bit impatient," Hermione walked to the door with a small traveller's bag. Harry had noticed the pronoun, "he". 'Must be her dad coming to pick her up, he thought.'

Before opening the door, Hermione dropped her bag and turned around. She hugged a surprised Harry and said, "Have a good time with Ron, Harry." She dropped her arms and turned back quickly. She nearly flew out the door with that bag of hers. As if in slow motion, Harry saw her opening the door and almost running down the steps into the arms of a man.

Harry's eyes widened. His eyebrows rose and his jaw dropped. This man could not be her dad! He was way too young; in fact he looked like his own age… Who was he? If Harry had been surprised before, he was now astounded. Had his eyes been deceiving him or were his glasses foggy? Could he have seen Hermione kissing that man? And there it was, Hermione reaching up to kiss the unknown man. Both people went down to the car soon went off. Could he have been dreaming? Surely he had been. He had seen Hermione kissing a man.

Harry went inside the apartment full of shock. Had he thought deeper about why he was shocked, he would have realised that it was not because of the kiss, but because of a swelling emptiness in him. That emptiness could be called despair. Had Harry Potter thought about why he suddenly felt a hot angry feeling in his gut, he would have realised that it was jealousy.

-A/N: So yes, it was short, I know. I would have made it longer but I thought about trying to take a point across. Ooh… Harry is jealous! Who is the unknown man? This story is turning out to be too much of a cliché.-