CHAPTER TWO

A/N: Thank you for bothering to read my first chapter and for reviewing my other story. In this chapter, you might be able to discover a little more of the drama behind things. Enjoy!

Hermione,

I sent this as soon as I got home. Mr. Saunders and the guys are sending me to Italy for three weeks forcing me to blow some steam off, and they have set me up with a suite in Villa San Lorenzo, the hotel you work in. If it's not too much trouble, is it okay if you meet me at the airport? I don't know my way around Italy, and my flight arrives at night. Please send a reply as soon as you can. I will arrive on the twenty first of April at about nine thirty PM.

Can't wait to see you,

Harry

Hermione pushed the hair out of her face and reread the letter. She didn't know how to feel, sad or happy. It was her biggest dream fulfilled, but in the same way, it was also one of her biggest nightmares. She couldn't wait to see Harry again, but then, seeing him would make her go crazy in love with him again. Not that she wasn't anymore, but it was on a lesser degree. She dated other guys, more good-looking guys, but it all came down to the same thing. None of them were good enough for her because they weren't as good as Harry. Not as handsome as Harry. Not as compassionate and sensitive as Harry.

She had been in love with him since the moment she met him on the train in her first year at Hogwarts. She didn't approve of his troublemaking ways at first, but she discovered soon after that he was the fire to her calm, the mess to her order. She also knew that he was a kind and loving person, and always made time to listen to her, even if he had a thousand things to finish for school. Even through his heartache with Cho Chang, she had steadfastly listened to him and offered advice for him, even if it hurt her so much. And when he found out that it was all a sham, she held him in her arms as he cried his heart out to her, knowing that he would never feel that way for her.

But however distant they were, Hermione still wrote to Harry constantly. Ron joined in, and they still kept in touch after all those years. Ron was now working with a top modeling company, and was now living in Rome, which wasn't so far from here. Apparently, he had filled out with muscles after school, and was hired the minute he graduated from college. Harry was working with England's Quidditch team, and was the reason she had their official team magazine owled in from England every month. But no matter how good the pictures were in the magazines, Hermione knew that the smiles he displayed for the world to see was only a mask, for she knew he was hurting so much inside. Damn that Janina.

He hadn't been the same since he caught her cheating on him. All the spunk and spark had gone out of him, and from the looks of the letters he had been sending, he was working himself exhausted. How she wished she could do something for him, and now it seemed that she was getting what she wanted. But the question was, would she survive it?

About a week later, at the airport

Harry tiredly walked down from the plane's steps, moving on autopilot. He had already been harassed by several news reporters on his way here, and while on the plane, he couldn't sleep. He just hoped to hell that Hermione hadn't forgotten him.

After claiming his bags from the baggage claim, he walked out of the terminal, where the cool air hit him in the face. He looked about the deserted reception area and saw a few people behind the gate. Behind an old lady hugging her son, stood a tall woman wearing all black and a hat. Her bushy brown hair was flying around her, framing her face. Her hands reached out to wring it into a bun under her head. Funny though, the smooth, effortless way she did that was exactly the way a friend of his did…

Hermione finished twisting her hair up when she looked up again. She was looking for Harry, whose plane supposedly touched down about fifteen minutes ago. The weather was getting chilly, and it was due to rain anytime soon. She glanced at the exit and saw that most of the people were filing out, but she couldn't see the entire line because a guy stood directly in her path. She frowned at him, but to her surprise, he smiled instead of frowning back. Right then it hit her. She would know that smile anywhere.

Harry walked towards her and stopped to stand directly in front of her. "Hermione Granger?" he asked in a mock-serious tone. She decided to humor him by imitating his tone. "Harry Potter?"

His smile widened. God he was handsome. "Hi 'Mione. You're looking good." He said. A corner of her mouth twitched up in amusement. "And you're looking…" Older. You look older. She wanted to say.

"…fit. How was the flight?" she quickly asked, hoping to cover up her bluff. "It was good. A few reporters here and there. But I'm really tired." He sighed. Hermione took a good look at him under the fluorescent light of the reception area. He seemed to have aged about fifteen years since the last time she saw him, even if he was younger than her by a couple of months. And it had only been about five years since they last saw each other.

"Of course. Here, I'll take this." She briskly said, reaching for his bag. He swung it out of her reach, but instead, rested his free elbow on her shoulder. She could feel him supporting himself on her, and in that simple gesture, she could already feel the summary of their entire relationship. But she didn't have the time to moon over that. At least, not now.

After stuffing his bags in the trunk, he shuffled to the front seat and buckled himself in. Before she got in though, she gave herself a mental slap on the face. Don't screw anything up Granger. He's exhausted, frustrated, and can't listen to your drama right now when he's living in one.

When she got into the driver's seat, Harry was already snoring in his place. A small sigh escaped her lips. She was safe for now.