A/N: Much appreciate the reviews. Special greetings to snHP892 again. Thanks so much for keeping up with the story, and I am so happy you're enjoying it. What are your thoughts on Harry and Hermione's relationship, especially now that Ron knows about the whole thing? Find out in this chapter!
CHAPTER NINERon and Harry's suite, after dinner.
Ron had just come out of the bath wrapped in his bathrobe when he heard the doorbell ring. "I'm coming!" he hollered. When he looked through the peephole, he saw that it was Hermione, looking quite dejected. "Hello luv, what's wrong?" he asked, once he opened the door.
"Ron, hey. Is Harry here?" she asked. Ron shook his head. "Nope. He ran out shortly after dinner because he wanted to go out and buy something. Couldn't quite figure it out though; he seemed like he was in such a hurry," Hermione just nodded and collapsed on the couch. In the short span that the two had been living there, it was apparent that they both put their mark on the place. Harry's side of the place was as neat as a pin, with every personal item he owned in a strategic place on the vanity. Ron's side however, was almost as messy as a magpie's nest; clothes were strewn everywhere, and his toothbrush was soaking in a glass, head down. "Sorry I wasn't able to clean up. I had no idea you were coming," Ron sheepishly said.
"You're on vacation. You're supposed to be messy," Hermione answered. Ron studied her body language. Her shoulders were drooping considerately, her eyes had dark shadows under them, and the corners of her mouth were constantly quivering. It was almost as if she was going to burst out crying anytime soon. "Hermione, what's wrong with you? You look so sad,"
She just looked up at him with her big brown eyes. She didn't say anything for a bit, but she looked down at her hands and said, "Ron, it's so difficult to be in love with your best friend. Honestly, I didn't think it would happen, but it did." Ron looked at her, a little puzzled. "You're not in love with me, are you?" he asked. Hermione smiled a little. "You're such a sweetheart and a wonderful friend, but no. It's Harry I'm in love with. I just don't understand why he can't see what's right in front of him," she answered.
Ron went to the sideboard and pulled out two glasses and a bottle of Firewhisky. "I think you need a drink 'Mione. Tell me everything," he said.
She accepted the glass, but she didn't drink it right away. She swirled the glass around first. "Ron, I've probably loved Harry since our first year at Hogwarts, right after we tackled the troll. But I was still so young and I didn't understand the way I felt about him." She started. Ron sat next to her and put a hand on her knee. "Keep going; I'm listening,"
She took a sip. "Then came second year, when I spent part of the school year Petrified in the Hospital Wing. I was so scared for him, you and Ginny, but when you both came out fine, I felt a lot better. Even if I couldn't move, I was still capable of thought and I spent every minute worrying about you two. Third year came, with the Dementors. God, if I could count all those times I thought I would have to stand between Harry and a Dementor, it would probably make you dizzy."
Ron nodded in comprehension. "Apparently you were a lot more worried than you let on 'Mione. You were always the levelheaded one among us all," he said. She continued, as if Ron hadn't spoken. "After the Dementors left, I was now more aware of how much danger Harry was really in. The Triwizard Tournament, facing Voldemort in the Department of Mysteries, Dumbledore dying…all of those events made me sick with worry. I wanted to help him so much, but I couldn't. When we graduated from Hogwarts, I thought that maybe I could forget about him if I went to school in a Muggle university so I wouldn't be reminded of how much I cared for him. It was eating me up inside Ron, you have no idea."
"Then I started interning at the Villa. Vittorio helped me get a good recommendation from the board of trustees so I could get a job working there even if I studied in a Muggle university. By that time, I was kind of over Harry, thinking that I had moved on. We only communicated through owls, and we never saw each other. But when he signed on with the National Quidditch Team of England, I found that he had gotten more and more handsome over time. Deep inside though, he was still the sweetest guy and he still was as gentlemanly as he was since I last saw him. All his girlfriends were beautiful of course, but the last one ripped him apart. I couldn't do anything about that, and it hurt so much."
Ron held a hand up. "Hermione, I understand your history with Harry is full of pain and all, but I don't understand why you're so unhappy," Hermione flicked her glass upward and drained it. She extended it for more Firewhisky. "I wasn't so passive though. Of course I went dating, saw a couple of guys here and there. But none of them could ever take the place of Harry. None of them were as good as he ever was. There was this one guy though, named Alex. When I was with him, he'd treat me out to the most expensive restaurants in the city, take me out on nice dates, and give me loads of pricey jewelry. For a while, I thought I loved him. He was so nice and handsome and perfect."
"One night though, I was working late and I went to the kitchens for something to eat. When I flicked the light on, Alex was on the kitchen counter doing my headwaiter, Michaelo. For a moment I almost screamed at him, but my brain kept saying that I had known it all along. I just turned on my heel and left. Vittorio found me on the other side of town in my car with a killer hangover. Michaelo quit the next day, and I haven't been the same since. Now that Harry is here, I thought that maybe things would be better. But after lunch yesterday, Harry wasn't talking to me. I figured he had fallen for your redheaded friend. It wasn't surprising though, especially since he's had a lifelong attraction to gorgeous women. So now I just came to tell him everything and exit his life forever. It's not fair to me, and it's definitely not fair to him either. That's all Ron,"
Ron was stunned. Hermione had finished two more glasses while she was talking to him and was now pouring herself another while he barely finished his first. That was the whole story; he had to tell Harry. It was a little quiet between them now.
"Ron, what do you think?"
He turned his head around. "Hermione, you shouldn't back down so easily. Georgia is never serious with her boyfriends, and you and I know that Harry deserve better than that. You're worth a million of her," he answered. Ron wanted to tell Hermione how much in love Harry was with her, but he felt that it was better if Harry was the one who told her. "Do you really think so?" she slurred, the alcohol finally taking effect. Ron didn't get a chance to answer because she raised herself on her knees and kissed him.
The initial shock jolted him a little, but he grabbed her arms and tried to push her away. But the more he tried to push, the harder she came onto him. Her tongue started tracing the line of his lips. The taste of alcohol on her breath was intoxicating and it was murder on his self-control trying to evade her mouth. Her hands weren't passive either; they burrowed under his bathrobe seeking out his tightly muscled flesh.
Harry was racing through the corridor, with a Cartier bag in tow. He had run out of the Villa into town to buy a ring for Hermione. It had taken him some time because he had to choose the best ring, one that would fit everything he loved about her onto one small ringlet of gold with a beautifully cut diamond on top. He also had to charm the female shopkeeper into keeping the store open for just a little while more while he made his selection. All his feeling suddenly became clear to him, and he had decided to ask Hermione to be his girlfriend that very night. Everything about that day was better than usual; the pancakes he had for breakfast were creamier than normal, his toothpaste mintier, his smile brighter, and the sun shinier.
Hermione wasn't in her office; Vittorio said she was in his suite.
As he approached the door of his suite, he was deciding on how to ask her. He was running on pure adrenalin right now, especially with the thought of Hermione already waiting for him inside his suite. He shoved the door open.
Ron heard the door crash against the wall, and he knew he absolutely had to stop. It was a bit of a struggle, but Hermione came off him in an obvious lack of breath.
For ten whole seconds, a stunningly lifelike tableaux was made; Harry standing at the entrance of the door staring at his two best friends making out, Ron lying on the chaise with his robe partway open and over his shoulder, and Hermione leaning against him, panting for breath. Then the tableaux blazed to life.
"What the hell are you doing, you two-faced bastard?" Harry roared, charging towards Ron.
"I didn't do anything! She just came on to me!" Ron answered, leaping off while trying to fix the sagging robe. Hermione was still a little tipsy, but the roar Harry made cut through her cloudy pink haze. Instantly, she was aware of what just happened between her and Ron. She focused again on the two guys, and Harry obviously was ticked off by what he had seen. He was now grabbing Ron by the collar and shaking him until his head snapped back and forth. "It didn't look like you trying to stop her!" Harry shouted. Ron was now struggling for breath and turning blue. "Harry, you sodding arsehole, listen to me! She's drunk!" he yelled in broken intervals as his head was rocking violently back and forth.
The scene was too much for Hermione to handle. She ran out of the room sobbing.
"So did she suddenly consume so much Firewhisky that she couldn't distinguish between you and me or did you suddenly decide that you wanted what you knew you couldn't have?" Harry demanded. Frankly, Ron was getting a little frantic now; he had never known the full extent of Harry's temper, but he never figured him to be so violent. "Harry, let go of my collar and let me explain!" he begged. There was only a slight loosening of Harry's fingers before he drew his arm back and slammed his fist into the front of Ron's face. There was a sickening CRACK and Ron slithered to the floor clutching his bleeding face. "I cannot believe you would do this to me Ron. Ever," Harry hissed before grabbing the Cartier shopping bag and tucking it in his jacket pocket. Ron didn't reply, so Harry stormed out of the suite and out of the Villa.
As if in one of those clichéd dramas, the rain started to fall on Harry. But he didn't care; they were welcome to soothe the pain in his raw and bleeding heart. After several months of trying to get over Janina, he thought he could love again. With Hermione, there was just so much more to life, because she was the only one who could make him feel that way. Janina had left him devastated; Hermione left him traumatized forever. As he walked on further, his brain tried to rationalize with him; why wouldn't Hermione be attracted to Ron? He was only the most sought-after male model in the world. They also kept more in touch with each other than with Harry himself, so obviously they were closer.
The blended mix of feelings inside him was ripping him up until his raw. The only two people in this world who he could trust had betrayed him in the lowest, most vile way possible. He had lost it all.
And as in all those clichéd dramas, a car pulled up slowly beside him. Harry thought it was another pedestrian, but someone called to him from inside:
"Signor Potter! Over here!"
Vittorio was driving in his car right beside Harry. He only glanced, but kept on walking. "Harry, please get inside the car. I won't take you back to the Villa," Vittorio pleaded. Harry stopped walking, but only long enough to face Vittorio. "I appreciate what you're offering, but I can't be with anyone right now. It's just too difficult," he answered.
"Harry, no. I heard everything that happened inside the suite. If you just let me, I will be able to explain," Vittorio pleaded. "What's there to explain Vittorio? You heard what happened, didn't you?" Harry snapped. Vittorio looked at him in sad eyes. "Ah, Signor. There is more, so much more."
A flash of lightning cut across the sky. Harry looked around him, and then relented. He opened the door to Vittorio's car and fitted his frame into the seat.
Vittorio drove them to a little house on the outskirts of town. It was a typical Italian home with a small garden out front and a wide porch for entertaining guests. "My home is not much, but it is the only place I ever need," he said. Harry only nodded, but got out of the car. Vittorio opened the front door and lighted his home with a wave of a wand. Harry noticed that he favored wall sconces over regular chandeliers or oil lamps. "Sit down over there and I'll make you some hot chocolate," Vittorio directed. "Vittorio, no thanks. We're not at the hotel anymore. Out of there, you're not my valet" Harry tiredly said, standing up to help when Vittorio barked, "Sit! Signor, I may not be your valet anymore, but you are stressed out as it is. Listen to me," he said. He stepped out of the kitchen then waved his wand at the stove. A cupboard flew open and a kettle, 2 cups, and 2 teaspoons flew out. The kettle settled on the stove where it began warming up some hot chocolate.
"I understand how you and Signora Granger feel because I have been on both sides of the story before," he started. Harry was about to ask when Vittorio held up a hand. "Let me finish. While Alex was dating Signora, I was dating Michaelo. He was probably the One, but after that night, I knew I was terribly wrong. It did not strike me as surprising when I found out that Alex had been with Michaelo too because there were signs," he sadly said. Harry just sat there, gaping. Vittorio, dating another guy?
"Signs…what signs?" Harry asked. "Sometimes Alex would tip Michaelo much more than what was acceptable. Or on those occasions when Signora would be in the office late because Alex could not make it to their date, Michaelo would mysteriously disappear as well. There were signs Harry, they were everywhere. But what I need to tell you is this: Michaelo explained to me long after that he was never fully in love with me, but he was madly and passionately in love with Alex. We were going out for three years, but he knew that Alex was the one right after he met him. What I'm trying to say is, that you will know it when you find the one person you are willing to give up the world for. Michaelo found it in Alex; and I know you have found it in Signora Granger," he said.
During the lull, Vittorio waved his wand and the two mugs floated over to them. Harry accepted his gratefully and took a sip. Flavors and scents of rich chocolate with a little vanilla permeated his nostrils and mind, but the harsh juxtaposition of the chocolate and his thoughts stung to the quick. "Vittorio, I came on this vacation to relax and to have fun. But now, I don't know if I can stay here anymore. I have to go home. Coming here was a big mistake," he finally said.
Vittorio looked at Harry with sad eyes. "How I wish I could chide you for running away from Signora Granger, but the hurt will only magnify it more. Signor, you will soon realize your mistake, and it is not in coming here," he sadly said.
Harry answered as if he did not hear. "I'll book a flight home tomorrow morning. Vittorio, it's been great having you as my valet. Thanks for everything," he said, putting his mug down and walking towards the door. Vittorio sighed, but he stood up after Harry. "Signor, it is not in our custom to let a guest go out into the rain when he has no place to stay. Stay here for the evening, I insist,"
Harry stalled at the door. "I guess I could. Thanks for everything Vittorio; I owe you a lot,"
"It is my pleasure Harry. I come to you as a friend now, since after tomorrow I will not be your valet anymore anyway." Vittorio smiled.
But if you think you are going to go home and forget Signora Granger after everything that's happened, you are dead wrong. He thought to himself.
A/N: School is almost done for us, and it's only a matter of days before I can regularly update. I hope you're enjoying the story so far, because I know I'm enjoying it myself. By the way, for the fans of 'Stolen Kiss' by PrincessPatty and me, I will be putting up the sequel veryvery soon, so please stick around for that. There have been loads of requests for a sequel, so I just had to oblige. You can find that story on as well, just type in the title. Please email or review and tell me what you think of this chapter!