A/N: Thanks for the reviews so far. Special word out to SuiJin…whatever you meant by stalking. Anyway, I should warn you that in this chapter, Hermione is going to be a little on the drama queen side. But whatever, you know? I think I'm going to make this chapter a bit below standards in terms of length, but hopefully you will forgive me for this.

CHAPTER SIX

It was nearing 7:05. Harry fidgeted uncomfortably in his suit, and fingered the soft pink rose. The minute Hedwig had arrived with the response tied to her leg, he hadn't been easy with himself since. Everything had to be perfect; from the way he styled his hair to the perfectly pressed tux that he was sporting. It was a good thing he bothered packing a suit at all, since he didn't think he was going to be attending any formal occasions.

He took a quick look around, and coming towards him from the welcome desk was Hermione.

It was as if he had forgotten to breathe. The intimidating figure of neatness and efficiency was gone, and in its place was a gorgeous and carefree doppelganger. She was wearing a soft blue dress with strappy sandals. Her hair had been tamed down into diminutive little waves that framed her face and brought out the color in her eyes. This was a side Harry had never seen before, and he had to catch his jaw before it dropped off entirely.

"Harry! You look great." Hermione genially smiled, coming closer and giving him a polite kiss on his cheek. Harry's face automatically turned to the side to kiss her cheek, but he smelled the faint scent of some exotic flower and a scent that was all Hermione's. His lips lightly brushed the side of her neck when she drew back. "Hermione…you're….gorgeous. Look at you! I haven't seen you look this great since the Yule Ball in our Fourth Year." he faintly said. Hermione blushed a light pink. "I never found much occasion for which to dress up for anyway. And believe me, this dress is a lot more uncomfortable than it lets on." She grinned, taking in Harry in his tux. She nearly melted away into a lump of nothing when she saw the whole picture of Harry. His tux was charcoal grey with a bowtie. The cut showed off his broad shoulders and well-proportioned chest, and when she saw that stray lock of hair sticking up at the back of his head, she almost giggled. "Um, shall we?" Harry awkwardly asked under her scrutiny.

Hermione blushed, but hooked her arm through his. "We shall."

Harry led them both to a table near a window where a window framed an excellent nighttime view of the town. He pulled out a seat for Hermione and slid it under her when she took a seat. None of their anxiety seemed to wear off, but luckily, a waiter saved them from having to start the conversation by asking for their orders. "I'll have a gnocchi, extra spicy." Harry said, and Hermione replied with a "Make that two please." When the waiter walked away, Harry looked round at Hermione and gave her a nervous smile. "I've got to hand it to you. You make that dress look so seamless."

"You mentioned that already. And thanks; at least you remembered that I love roses. Especially pink ones." She said, adjusting herself in her seat and motioning to the flower. Harry seemed to relax at the comment, because he leaned back and started talking. "You know, I've been around town lately, and it seems as if I'm back home in London. I feel like I never left, only in another language. No wonder you love it here so much." He said. "I've always admired Italy, especially the culture. People here are so kind and generous, and they love food so much, it's a culture all by itself. It's something that you never really have back in England." She answered.

They continued in this line of conversation until the waiter served their meal and poured the wine that Harry had selected earlier. Once he had disappeared, they both raised their glasses. "To a wonderful vacation here, and to friendship." Harry smiled. Hermione added, "And to a successful career, both ways around." And to a love that will never be. Hermione sighed to herself in her mind before taking a sip of her wine. It was sweet and rich, and it rolled around nicely in her tongue.

Immediately Harry began to eat. The little pockets of potatoes swimming in their rich tomato sauce were aromatic and flavorful, but the meal was almost tasteless as Hermione ate. Just watching Harry eat like he did in a tux was enough to take her appetite away. No matter if his manners weren't perfect; she was content with just watching him. "Hey, you should eat you know. None of the Italian takeaways at home have food this good." Harry grinned through a mouthful of food. Hermione automatically picked up her fork. "I know. I'm glad you're enjoying yourself." She answered.

"Why, don't you usually enjoy yourself on a date?" he asked, after swallowing his food. Hermione instantly regretted saying that. "No…I mean, yes! Yes I do. I don't know, I'm just really strung up with work, that's all." She answered. Memories drifted through her mind at that moment.

FLASHBACK

The music was soft and romantic. Alex had taken her out to one of the most expensive restaurants in the city. Everything was perfect, and Hermione felt that this was the night when he would pop the question, because for the past year he had been the reason she was doing so well at her job in the Villa.

"Hermione, you have not touched your food. Come on cara, you should savor the taste of our exquisite Italian cuisine." Alex crooned, brushing a hand across her cheek. Hermione giggled girlishly. "I'm full Alex. You have a bigger appetite than I do."

"Ah, peccato (a pity). Food is so much more delicious here than anywhere else." He said, slipping a tomato into his mouth. Hermione sighed as she watched the morsel slip through his handsomely carved lips. Handsome and sensitive, this man was the best boyfriend she had ever had. How could things get any better than this?

"Hello, space station calling to Hermione!" Harry said, waving his fork in front of her face. Instantly, Hermione snapped back into the present. "I'm here Harry. Just a flashback." She replied, sighing pathetically. What was the use of bringing Alex back up when she knew he meant tnothing anymore to her. But somehow, she wished that she had never caught him kissing her head waiter because that one-year she spent with him helped her get over Harry just a little bit. When she looked at Harry's plate, she saw that his food was gone, as was most of hers.

"Flashback about what?" he asked. Hermione didn't really want to answer, but she allowed Harry to nick the French fries off her plate. "Look, are you going to eat the rest of my dinner for me? Because where I come from, openly eating bits of food from other people's plates is considered a social faux pas." She sighed in mock exasperation. "Well, where I went to school, filching uneaten food from plates is perfectly okay, as you might remember." Harry grinned, after snagging another fry off her plate. That boyish grin that never failed to set her blood pressure rising made her smile. "So Hermione… what's new, lovewise?" he asked, almost blithely.

She swallowed a little, but since that question was too direct to ignore, she decided to humor him with the least details she could spare. "Uhm…I've had dates here and there. Only one of them lasted for more than six months though. But the breakup was…mutual. We needed to go our separate ways." She offered. Harry knew she was bending the truth somewhere though, but he didn't want to press her for the truth. Everything Vittorio had told him was testament to how miserable she had been, so at present, it seemed like the situation was best left alone.

"Ookay. That being said, do you want to dance? I've taken a few lessons back home, just for the fun of it." He said, standing up and offering a hand to Hermione. The feeling of sadness that she was harboring in her heart had dissipated the moment he had asked her to dance. "A long way from the Yule Ball Harry; you never knew how to control your feet on the dance floor." She gently teased, taking Harry's hand and allowing him to lead her onto the dance floor.

To say that Harry could dance was a bit of an understatement. Those few lessons he had taken had not been in vain because Hermione felt totally in sync with him. The slightest pressure on her back, the barest brush of his arm against hers, he swept them across the room in perfect time to the music. Hermione once again was reminded that Harry never failed to melt her heart, no matter how small the gestures he made were. He was making her fall in love all over again, possibly even more in love.

This is good. At least for now. Hermione said to herself, as Harry pulled her close against him.

A/N: Ack. I know I've been a bit sloppy with this chapter, but I promise you, this is waaay substandard. Even I'm disgusted with the way it turned out. So please don't be mad at me, I promise a better Chapter seven. Hermione will not be such a drama queen anymore. It doesn't suit her. Oh yeah, and for those who are waiting for Ron to appear…he's coming soon. Ciao!