DISCLAIMER: I have yet to own it...
My hair's a wreck, mascara runs, my feet get dirty and my skin burns in the sun. My lips they bleed, but I still sing my songs. Takes me a minute to admit it when I'm wrong. Pretty is as pretty does, but pretty's not my thing...
"Imperfection" by Saving Jane
Chapter 5: Feeling
Hermione surveyed herself in the mirror thinking that she may have went a little over the top. She didn't think that this would be considered a 'saucy' dress, but she thought it could be thought of as sexy, though why she would want to look sexy was beyond her.
The black halter dress struck her mid thigh and fitted her curves nicely. The back dipped low on her and she had to say that she thought it suited her just fine. She accompanied the dress with a pair of strappy hills that added about an inch and a half to her height.
She twisted her hair up, just to see whether it looked better, but decided to just leave it down. Though it was still bushy and the bane of her existence, she liked the effect. Her hair, though troublesome, was her.
She glanced over at the clock and saw that it was about time for someone to be coming so she quickly snatched up her purse and left her room. As she was walking down the stairs, she wondered briefly at who they would send to pick her up.
Hermione was shocked to see Blaise waiting for her in the pub part of the Leaky Cauldron. He smiled up at her and Hermione was stunned at how good he looked in khaki pants and a black button down shirt. She smiled back at him as she finished walking down the stairs and made her way towards him.
"Didn't expect to see you here," she greeted, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek. She moved back to get a better look at him and noticed that he wore all designer clothes, something Harry hardly ever did. "You look…nice."
"Me?" he said with a grin. "Hermione, you are gorgeous!" He let his eyes roam over her appreciatively. "I think I can happily say that every man in the room tonight is going to wish to be in my place."
Hermione blushed and gave a nervous laugh, though her first instinct was to run upstairs and put on something that wouldn't draw attention to her. "Thanks, Blaise, but you are too kind. But let's not argue the fact. I bet they're all waiting on us so we should get going."
He held out his arm and she took it with a slight hesitation. She liked Blaise, really she did, but it still didn't feel…right.
"My lady, it will be my pleasure to escort you to your party," he said, smiling down at her as they weaved their way through the crowd and outside into the dark night.
Five minutes later, Blaise was leading her into a house which she didn't recognize at all. Actually, she couldn't ever recall being in this part of the country before.
"Er…Blaise, where exactly are we?"
He looked down at her and gave her a charming smile. "This is Draco's new place. Didn't Ginny tell you they had bought a new place?"
"No, I don't recall her ever saying anything but then again I haven't exactly been myself lately so I'm not likely to remember it," she informed him with a slight frown. She smiled. "It's really rather lovely, though. Quite the country house, I'd say, nothing like Draco's normal tastes."
He laughed. "I agree with you on that front. Come, they'll be out back I wager."
Blaise was right, Hermione soon discovered, everyone was waiting for them in the backyard. Everyone including Harry and Cho. Hermione had spotted him right away. He was standing by the snack table talking to Ron while Cho stood beside him studying her fingernails. Ginny was standing beside of her but was making no effort to make the other woman feel welcome.
"Hermione!" Fred shouted as he ran up to her and swung her around in his arms, pressing a swift kiss to the tip of her nose when he let her down. "You're finally here."
She laughed and hugged him. "Did you honestly think I wouldn't come? You should know by now that I never miss a chance to party with you lot."
Fred turned and shouted to his twin, "Hey George, I found out how we can keep Hermione here- just keep throwing parties!"
"Let me rephrase that," she said quickly, "I'll never miss a party while I'm in England."
"Bummer," the redhead said as he wrapped an arm around her waist and led her away from Blaise, though he followed close behind them. Fred was leading her over to where Molly Weasley sat with a tiny baby in her arms.
"Ah, Hermione, you're here," she said as they drew to a stop in front of her. "This is Franklin Thomas Longbottom. Isn't he precious?"
"Adorable," Hermione agreed as she bent down to peer at the baby. He was an exact replica of Neville only with Hannah's eyes and mouth. He was cute.
"Would you like to hold him?" Molly asked even as she placed the baby in Hermione's arms. Instincts kicked in and Hermione shifted the baby in her arms to make him more comfortable.
Once upon a time, Hermione had dreamed of having her own child. But when she fled to America, she had quickly put that dream on the back burner, saying that the only child she wanted was Harry's and since she couldn't have him, she just never thought about having children again.
But holding little Franklin in her arms made her realize that she did want a baby. She wanted someone who she could take care of and who, in return, would depend and love her. She wanted a child.
She didn't hear anyone come up behind her but she did hear Molly say, "Cho, would you like to hold baby Franklin?"
Cho made a sound of disgust. "Merlin, no. Babies are so…uck! They puck and poop and just cry all the time. They're filthy creatures who are demanding."
The silence that her statement caused was shocking, even Harry was looking at her dumbfounded. "You…don't want kids?" he asked slowly.
"No," she said quickly. "One, it will ruin my figure and two, I just don't have enough time. The only way I would consider having one of those brats is if it came gift wrapped from a designer store and with a nanny. Soon as the kid hits seven, they're off to boarding school in Germany."
Harry drew in a deep breath and moved away from her. "I never knew you felt that way."
"You want kids?" she asked sceptically.
"Well, yeah. I always imagined myself with a large family."
Everyone was looking between the two, unsure of what to say to break the silence. Finally, Hermione found she couldn't stand there any longer. She uncomfortably handed Franklin back to Hannah. "Er…well, if you'll excuse me, I need to go freshen up."
She quickly manoeuvred through the crowd and back inside the house. Now all she needed to do was find the bathroom in the bloody house that was a lot bigger than it looked.
Just her luck, the bathroom ended up being the last door she tried. She splashed some cold water on her face and studied her reflection in the mirror. Maybe coming to the party wasn't such a good idea after all.
Taking a deep breath for confidence, Hermione stepped out of the bathroom. She walked down the hall and found herself in a bedroom though it didn't appear to be the master bedroom. She was even more shocked to find that the room had an occupant.
"Oh, I'm sorry," she stuttered as she tried to back out of the room but he held up a hand to stop her.
"No, no, stay. Please." His emerald eyes locked onto hers and she couldn't refuse him.
She took a seat on the bed beside of him. She observed him closely as he sat there with his head hanging down, his eyes sad. It killed her to see him like this. "Harry?"
He gave a sharp, dry laugh. "I've totally screwed up this time."
She placed a hand on his arm . "Harry, you haven't screwed up…"
He turned his head and looked at her. "Yes, I have." He looked away. "I don't love her, I never really have, you know. I gave up on her a long time ago."
Now she was confused. "Then why…?"
"Because I was scared. I was scared of what I really felt and found that pretending to love Cho was an easy solution," he explained without looking at her. "A solution I regret with every ounce of my being."
"I don't understand, Harry. You love Cho…"
"No, I can assure you, I don't." He turned towards her and took her hands up in his. "Hermione, I've made a lot of mistakes over the years, but I have never regretted any of them, until you."
She tried to slip her hands from his grip but he held fast. "Are you saying that you should never have became friends with me, Harry, cause that's what it sounds like."
"Merlin, no! I have never for one minute regretted getting to know you." He shut his eyes as he drew in a deep breath. "Hermione, you scare the living daylights out of me, you know that? You're so pretty and smart and…I'm just a boy that gets himself into trouble one to many times."
"When you told me that you loved me, it was everything I could have ever wished for," he went on. "But while I laid there, I just kept thinking back to how many times I got you into a tight spot, how many times you could have died. I wanted to tell you how I felt, but I was scared, scared that my presence alone could ultimately lead to you getting hurt or killed."
"I could have kicked myself when you left for America. I realized that it was my treatment of you that actually drove you away. You have no idea how many times I had packed by stuff and was getting ready to come and retrieve you."
"Why didn't you?" she asked softly.
"Because I was afraid that you would reject me. That maybe you had gave up on me and found someone else to love," he admitted softly. "I wanted you, Hermione, but I wanted you to be happy."
"Harry, if you think I was happy over there then you are wrong. I hated it."
"I know that now," he said, brushing a curl behind her ear. "I should have came, but I just couldn't bring myself to. Then Cho came along and I thought a relationship with her would get my mind off you, but I was wrong…again."
He drew her closer to him and leaned his forehead against hers. "Every time I looked at her, I saw you. Every time I went into the bookstore, I thought of you. Every time I walked in my house, I imagined you running down the stairs and leaping into my arms. Every time I walked past the jewellery store, I realized that it was your finger that I wanted to put my ring on."
Hermione could stop the tears that were now running steadily over her cheeks like a crystal waterfall. "Why are you doing this now, Harry? Why?"
"Because I can't lose you again, Hermione. I need you here, with me. I need you to be the one that I hold in my arms. I need you to be the one that greets me when I come home. I need you to be the one that I call my wife."
Hermione sniffled and removed her hands from his to cup his face. "Harry, I need to know how you feel for me. Please, no more avoiding me or the truth. I need to know."
Slowly, he kissed her, his mouth movingly with slow deliberation over hers. He didn't try to further the kiss at all. He just seemed to be enjoying the feel of her lips against his.
"I love you, Hermione," he whispered against her mouth, his breath mingling with hers. "I always have and always will. I love you so very much."
Hermione threw her arms around him and they both tumbled backwards to lay out on the bed, holding each other tightly. She vaguely felt Harry pulling her closer as he apparated them both away from Draco's house and into an unfamiliar room.
As his lips found hers, she forgot everything- the party, her friends, Cho. The only thing that existed in that moment was her and Harry, two people who loved each other deeply with an unconditional love bred from many years of friendship.
XoX
Hermione stirred the next morning and paused momentarily as she felt the body beside of her. Last night's events flooded back to her and she smiled. Turning her head, she gazed upon Harry who slept on, his hair in total disarray.
She snuggled in closer to him, his arms instinctively tightening around her. She was hoping that he would wake up soon so that he could give a repeat performance of last night. She knew now that she truly loved him and there was no way she was letting Cho…
Cho?
Oh, Merlin. They had left the party. Cho was there. Everyone knew she had gone to the bathroom and then she had so 'conveniently' disappeared along with Harry. Cho could be looking for Harry now…she could find them…oh Merlin.
"Harry," Hermione said as she leaned up in the bed, tucking the sheet around her, "Harry, wake up. Come on, darling, you need to get up."
He muttered something in his sleep and pulled her back down beside of him. He held her close to him and she could help but chuckle. She had always thought of Ron as being the harder one to wake up but Harry was proving much more difficult.
"Come on, Harry, you have to get up," she repeated, more firmly this time.
His emerald eyes blinked open to look down at her. Confusion drifted in his gaze before it was quickly covered by a little of utter contentment as he smiled and kissed her. "Morning, love, sleep well?"
"Perfectly," she answered. "But now we have to get up and get moving."
"What's the rush?"
"Harry, we left the party last night without a word. You left your fiancée. She could walk in on us at any minute now and discover…"
"No, she can't," he said while trying to pull the sheet away from her.
"What?"
"She can't come in because the only person that can pop in and pop out of here without a key is me. I never allow her to come over here without me, and she never gets in without me either."
"What about someone else?" she asked, desperately trying to keep her focus even as Harry's hand made its' way down between her breasts and across her stomach, his mouth kissing her neck.
"Nope, sorry, no one else. I'm very protective of my space and usually no one tries to come without permission anyways," he said while his tongue and mouth worked at her throat, his hand sinking further down.
"What do we do now?" she whispered, her breath coming in short gasps.
She could feel him smiling wickedly against her neck. "Well, at the moment we are going to make love until we are both on the point of exhaustion. Then, later I say we go to Diagon Alley and find you a ring that equals your beauty and…"
"Harry," she said, trying to keep her brain functioning, "you have a fiancée. May I suggest you get rid of her before buying me a ring."
"Good thought," he murmured, his hand finding its' target, "but we'll do that later. Right now, I have something else on my mind."
She could only moan in reply.
!ATTENTION!
If any of you guys have photoshop out there and are able to make icons, avatars, or pictures and are willing to do so for me, will you please contact me. I need two things made for my websites and I really have no idea how to do them. Oh, visit my new website "Who Will Win?". A HP affiliated website. The Link can be found under my profile. THANKS FOR THE HELP!
