VEELA
Harry and Hermione had been a couple for about five months, but that didn't mean jealousy didn't exist.
One morning when Hermione was on her way to the Auror training office to say hello and good morning to Harry, when she got to the office and opened the door, she was met with a scene that broke her heart. One of the new apprentices who was apparently a veela, because she had noticed that most of the male staff in the ministry drooled over her. Of course, she hadn't seen Harry drool over her, but when she saw what was in front of her, she couldn't help but wonder if he was drawn to the veela's charms and her eyes filled with tears.
Amelie Leclerc, a beautiful French veela of medium height, had dyed her hair dark brown, leaving its waves unchanged and bright blue eyes. And of course, something that men looked at her with fascination, were her sensual curves and her beautiful perfect body, something that brought out the insecurity of many women, including Hermione.
This girl, it was known throughout the ministry, had a certain interest in the chosen one like most women in the magical world.
Determined to get the auror, she entered the training room quite early, knowing that the jet would arrive well in advance to prepare for class.
Harry was surprised to see her arrive so early; he greeted her politely as he asked what she was doing so early.
"I want to train more, I want to be the best, and for this I think I should have more training" the Veela said with confidence.
Harry nodded as he stepped aside to give her room to train, but Amelie had other plans.
"Huh? Could I train with you? I've practiced a new muggle defense move, but I don't know if it's safe to practice it with any of my classmates, would you help me?" Amelie asked feigning innocence.
Harry was going to shake his head when the girl quickly approached him and attacked him with a blow to his right side.
The jet reacted quickly and managed to dodge the blow while putting his body in defense mode.
Amelie spread her legs and flexed them in preparation for her planned move and without warning, the veela slithered as if to attack Harry's legs, when instead it hooked and knocked him down.
The green-eyed man fell on his back, placed his hands on the nape of his neck protecting that area, which the apprentice took advantage of to place herself on top of him and with impressive speed planted a kiss on him.
At that precise moment, Hermione appeared through the door, seeing that kiss that had nothing innocent. Surprised, Harry brought his hands to the veela's waist to pull her away from him.
The brunette emitted a groan of pain that reached the ears of the jet-black, who, realizing that she was there and that she had surely misunderstood what had happened, stood up abruptly, causing the apprentice to get off, and without thinking, he left fired behind her when he saw her run off.
He knew that Hermione was several meters ahead of him, because when he left, he couldn't tell where she had run, so he continued between walking and jogging to look for her.
''I needed to explain to her what had happened. This couldn't be happening."
He had arrived at Hermione's office, but she wasn't there, so he went to Ron, but to his bad luck, she didn't go to him.
His red-haired friend, very worried, asked him what had happened, so he had to take a few minutes to explain.
"It was a mistake, a misunderstanding. Amelie came early and wanted to train Muggle-Style… she was defending me when she put me in a headlock and I ended up on the ground and in a blink of an eye she was on top of me" Harry explained with desperation in his voice, causing Ron to widen his eyes in disbelief he heard, but encouraged his friend to continue.
"She kissed me Ron, she kissed me! And the worst, Hermione entered the room at that precise moment! God! I need to explain to her!" Harry finished yelling.
"I'm sorry friend... I'll help you look for her, but for now you go to your office, there's still work and as chief you can't get rid of that, I'll look for her" Ron said.
"Thanks Ron, but promise me that if you find her or see her, you'll stop her and call me" the green-eyed man begged.
"I promise" assured the redhead.
Dejected, Harry returned to his work with a severe headache, he couldn't stop thinking about Hermione and how he would fix it.
Several floors away, Hermione entered a broom closet, without stopping to think, it was the first thing she saw as a place that would give her the "safe" space to vent her grief.
In her mind the scene she just saw, Harry and that girl kissing, was repeated, jealousy began to eat away at her, she understood that the young apprentice was beautiful and her quality as a veela made her more striking, but within her she harbored hope and the firm conviction that Harry would resist such charms.
"No, no, no, I must have seen wrong… Harry wouldn't do that to me, he's not that kind of man…" the brunette repeated, clearly hurt and jealous.
She let the tears flow for hours, until she thought of the only place where she would feel safe and where she knew for sure she would be safe.
As Ron began to search, unable to find her friend, after several hours he went to notify Harry of his failed attempt.
The jet decided that at night he would go look for her at her house, but he didn't find her there either. He assumed that she must have gone to his parents' house and decided to give her a time.
But Harry didn't count on the fact that Hermione had decided to avoid him and she had done it perfectly, because it had been four days in which he hadn't seen the brunette and the truth was that he was getting frustrated and desperate.
It got to a point where everything started to go wrong. He wasn't in the mood for anything, his workouts were going badly and he had started going to a pub at night and getting drunk, which is why Ron and Luna started to worry and tried to cheer him up, but it didn't work.
They were difficult days for Harry and it didn't help that gossip spread so quickly either, because he had just entered the pub and was about to drink a fire whiskey, when his ex-girlfriend Alana approached him and surely saw him so miserable that she decided to ask.
"Don't tell me, did the bookworm blow you away?" Asked the woman mockingly "What does that girl have? She's not attractive at all and she's got three handsome wizards after her" She gritted her teeth and rolled her eyes.
His comments soon angered Harry, who gave his ex-girlfriend a dirty look.
"How did you tell her? asked the green - eyed auror, clenching his teeth and with a look of hatred, which apparently the girl didn't notice, since he continued with her diatribe against Hermione.
Harry was tired of people talking about Hermione like that, because even if they were in a fight, she was still important to him, so he decided to put a stop to Alana's teasing.
"Do you know why I broke up with you? Besides the fact that you were another one of Hermione's many jealous ones" Harry asked, now laughing sarcastically.
"Why?" exclaimed the woman haughtily, who looked at him mockingly.
"Because you're not her" Harry blurted out proudly, and after thinking about it, he had noticed that his previous dates didn't work out because somehow Hermione was the ideal girl, without knowing it at the time he compared each of his girlfriends with the honey - eyed.
"I'm not her? What do you mean Potter?" The girl asked annoyed.
"That I always compared you to her and you were never up to my standards. She even surpasses them. She has brain" the auror left a bit of contempt with his words and the girl in front of him was now furious and clenching her teeth. With nothing to come to her mind, she angrily turned around and left the pub.
Harry smirked a little, because the way Alana walked out of the pub with no idea what to say back, made him absolutely right when he said that Hermione has a brain.
After that little conversation with Alana, Harry stayed in the pub drinking, feeling miserable remembering that Hermione wanted nothing to do with him at the time.
It wasn't until very late that Ron, Neville and Luna arrived at the pub and found him quite drunk and reluctantly, between the two boys they took him home.
"Harry... really, you've got a drunken championship friend" exclaimed Ron placing one of his arms under the shoulder of the raven to help support his weight.
"Yesssssssssss I was champion of the threeeee wizz – zzzar tournament" Harry stammered.
Luna and Neville looked at him in disbelief, the dark-haired man helped Ron carry Harry to take him home.
"He won't be able to make an appearance, he's so drunk that he may leave half his body here... he'll suffer a dismemberment," Luna said when they were crossing the street.
"Yes, you're right" Neville said.
"Well, fortunately, his house is not far away, a few blocks to the south, it's in the private complex in the area, Raymond the security guard will be able to open his house for us" commented the redhead.
Harry, still in a drunken state, began to babble, neither Ron nor Neville could understand what he was trying to say, however Luna seemed to be having a conversation with the jet, since she answered everything she heard, in monosyllables.
"Uh-huh, yes" the blonde repeated for the fifth time.
"How much are you talking?" Neville asked.
"He's saying that he was to blame, that he needs her and that he lost her" Luna said dreamily.
"I think she's trying to say that she drowned her sorrows for a certain Gryffindor" Luna clarified when she saw Ron look at her in confusion.
The redhead sighed and as they walked, he told them briefly what had happened.
Arriving at the housing complex, Raymond, an elderly man, greeted them as he opened the main gate for them.
"Mr. Potter! Mr. Potter?! By Merlin! What happened to him?!" exclaimed the doorman shocked.
"Ray! Ray! It was my fault, Ray! I lost her! I was an idiot!" Harry tried to speak a little better, before Ron could open his mouth.
"Easy Harry, give Hermione time, let her breathe and then you can talk to her" Neville told him.
"Hermione! Hermione! My sweet Hermione… please… I want… to see you… I want… I love you" Hearing the brunette's name, Harry began to call her desperately.
In a quick movement the jet jumped into Raymond's arms to hug him while he continued to call out to Hermione.
The doorman tried to wriggle free and only succeeded with the help of Ron and Neville who seemed to be holding back their laughter.
Luna seriously pondered the behavior of the auror, debating whether to speak or not, with the brunette to clarify things.
"Ray! You do believe me… Right? I didn't kiss her!" Harry exclaimed.
"By Merlin's beard! What has Mr. Potter drunk?! It stinks of alcohol!" Raymond exclaimed, walking away a few meters.
"Come on… come on Harry. Mr. Raymond, could you let us in? My friend clearly needs a revitalizing potion to bring him down and I'm sure there must be one in his house" Ron asked.
"Of course, of course Mr. Weasley, but I'm afraid they won't be able to go directly, there are many neighbors who can see Mr. Potter and won't hesitate to take advantage of this, I can almost swear to you that first thing in the morning there will be several photos with a huge header "Potter caught with enormous Drunkenness ," said the doorman.
"Bloody hell! I didn't think about that, I'm sure some passersby must have already seen us when we were on our way here" complained the redhead.
"Oh! Come with me, inside the guardhouse I have a chimney that connects to all the houses, it is only used in an emergency and from what I see, this can be considered an emergency" Ray declared as he guided them inside the booth.
Once they arrived, they used the fireplace, transporting them directly to Harry's house.
Luna, Ron and Neville widened their eyes in surprise to see the place in a mess, bottles of liquor lying on the floor, announcing the perfect scene where Harry had surely started drinking.
The jet, helped by Neville and Ron, went to the couch, where he leaned back in a clearly strange position and after a few seconds he ended up asleep.
Ron sighed tiredly and commented that he would stay there until Harry woke up, for which he thanked Neville and Luna for accompanying him and helping him, as well as thanking Raymond who looked disapprovingly at Harry's behavior.
Luna gave Ron a quick kiss goodbye, assuring him that Neville would take her home.
And so, Ron spent that night almost awake looking after his best friend.
The next day, Harry woke up with a pounding headache, his muscles sore from the position he had slept in.
Ron greeted him with a smile of sympathy seeing him in such a deplorable state, fortunately the redhead already had the revitalizing potion ready for when his friend woke up.
"I, uh... God! Ron… I'm so frustrated" Harry said after taking the potion and starting to feel its effects.
"I know, friend, and I understand you, but getting drunk that way is not the solution," said the worried redhead.
"Not Ron! You don't understand… I've lost Hermione, I don't know what to do… I'm so down and what's worse I can't get Amelie off my back. I've tried to be polite but she doesn't seem to understand what I'm saying," Harry exclaimed with a sharp exhalation.
"I think there would only be one thing left to do then..." Ron blurted out, looking at him carefully.
"Yes, I've been looking into it and yes… I need Amelie to be changed groups," Harry said with another sigh and nodding.
"I can do it myself, if you don't feel up to it," Ron said with an understanding smile.
"Er... no... I can do it... I need to make it clear that my priority is Hermione, and I have to solve this that happened..." Harry said bringing his hands to his face, clearly frustrated.
"Okay, now let's go buddy...we should be on our way to the Ministry by now," Ron said, standing up.
"God! I don't know why I had the brilliant idea to drink in the middle of the week," Harry stated getting up and massaging his head as he left to take a shower and get dressed.
An hour after Harry and Ron arrived at the ministry of magic, the jet prepared the documents for the transfer of the veela, however it was poorly written, because his mind only conjured up images of Hermione, distracting him.
Ron watched as that day turned out to be the worst for his friend, starting with his training class where each of the trainees took him down with remarkable speed.
Harry suffered a few bruises, so he went to the infirmary to heal, unfortunately the place was closed because they were doing an inventory of potions and they couldn't attend to anyone, the resigned jet returned to the training room to take a shower, which was prevented from being added to their list of bad luck, because the hot water pipe had been damaged and they being magicians, being able to fix anything, avoided those tasks so they called external people to fix those types of disasters.
Harry with body aches, sweaty and obviously in a bad mood, ended his day exploding, when the transfer papers he had done in the morning were returned to him due to poor writing and for which he was ordered to enroll in a professional writing course.
Because of that little incident, all of their research documents and paperwork would be returned to them to redo shortly, and once their twelve-hour course was over.
Harry ended up so physically and mentally exhausted that he couldn't go to Amelie and tell her about his group change.
On the verge of leaving in the afternoon, Ron approached him with a beaming, triumphant smile.
"Harry... you suck," Ron said sitting across from him and joking.
"Mmm," the green-eyed man let out as a complaint while keeping his face pressed to the desk.
"I need her…I'm going crazy Ron; I can't focus on anything other than her…" Harry said after several minutes of silence.
"I know friend, your day has been horrible, I've never seen the boys (auror apprentices) so euphoric when they presumed that they had beaten the best auror in the ministry…" the redhead joked again.
"Are you coming to make fun of me?" Harry asked dryly.
"I wouldn't be a good friend if I don't enjoy this a bit," Ron added, trying to make him laugh, failing when he saw Harry crush his forehead further into the wood of his desk, so after clearing his throat he commented, "Well mate, I've got good news that might get you through this day…" Ron added hopefully.
"Is it Hermione? Return?!" The jet said with renewed enthusiasm and quickly raising his face towards his red-haired friend.
"Er, no... not such good news," Ron said apologetically with his eyes, and added seeing how Harry seemed to return to his old position, "I managed to get Amelie transferred to another ministry of magic effective immediately, so that's it. She's not going to bother you and with her gone, all that's left to do is clear things up with our favorite brunette" the redhead explained.
"At least that happened…" Harry thanked his best friend with a slight smile and nod.
"Come on now Harry, you really need that shower... you suck," said Ron getting up from his chair.
The green-eyed man got up with his head down and followed his friend.
Luna had promised to talk to the brunette when she saw her, which was quite difficult because the brunette knew that she was going out with Ron and that obviously they had both been seeing Harry, but just with some luck she found her alone in her office two days later of Harry's drunkenness, and sat down to talk with her.
She had told Luna everything and then she began to cry with anger as she remembered that moment when she had seen that kiss between the veela and Harry. She knew he wouldn't do something like that to her, but she was also getting carried away with jealousy and that jealous part of her thought that Harry might have gotten carried away by the veela's charms and she was too angry to face him now and for him to give her an explanation surely it was true, but she was furious and jealous of having witnessed the kiss.
"Luna, I'm sure Harry got carried away by the charms of that damned veela," the brunette sobbed with her bloodshot eyes, besides she had big bags under her eyes, because she hadn't slept well in several days, she was devastated.
"But…" the Blonde began to debate.
"You should have seen them! That position… she was practically on top of Harry, while kissing him. Just remembering it makes my stomach sink" the brunette said between sobs.
"Hermione! By Merlin! You know Harry! You know him better than I do and you know perfectly well that he wouldn't do something like that to you!" The blonde exclaimed, trying to make her friend see reason.
"Luna! It was a very compromising position!" Hermione yelled.
"But, Hermione... there are always two versions of the story, you should talk to Harry, he's the same or worse than you..." suggested the blonde.
The brunette groaned and rolled her eyes.
"Luna, I don't mean to be rude, but look at all I have to do and I can barely concentrate," said Hermione, letting her head fall into her arms on top of her desk.
"As you wish, but you know perfectly well that at some point you will have to face this and talk to Harry. He is becoming crazy! The day before yesterday, Ron, Neville and I found him drunk at the pub and the three of us had to take him to his apartment," the blonde complained trying to make her friend think about things.
Hermione, hearing this from Luna, felt her heart tighten as it hurt her to know that Harry had gotten drunk, but she couldn't show that she cared at the moment.
"Besides, the poor guy had a very bad day yesterday, the rumor spread that he was scolded for writing badly and in his training sessions he was knocked down by all his students... Hermione! Did you hear me?! He was shot down by everyone… Everyone!" Luna said, giving her friend a sad smile.
Another statement that made Hermione's heart tighten, knowing what a good leader and coach Harry was, it hurt her to know that he had had a bad day.
"In addition!" The blonde said again "Admit that you are also wrong! You miss him! Hermione. I can see it in your eyes and I can feel it, you are not performing at your jobs and it seems that you have not slept. It's obvious that you miss him, you're not even writing or thinking coherently" Luna accused, raising her voice a little and taking one of the sheets that were on the desk with her hand, which was immediately snatched by Hermione, without hiding her blush and the fact that she was doing an extra review.
"Please think about it. You both need each other" the Ravenclaw requested, turning around and leaving the office.
It didn't take long for the blonde to meet Ron and Harry, who asked her questions, mainly the raven, to which Luna only told them that she was also wrong.
Harry felt his chest ache at that statement, sadness invaded him again.
"Apparently, she hasn't slept well in several days. When we talk about it, she just cries and gets angry, cursing the girl and protesting that surely you let yourself be carried away by her charms and that's why you reciprocated" Luna said, with a sadness that made Harry even more frustrated, bringing his hands to his face.
"I don't know what else to do. I think I lost her" said the green-eyed man, with his lost gaze and his eyes misted with tears.
"Stop!" exclaimed the surprised blonde "this is not the Harry Potter that I know, he doesn't give up so easily and even less so when it comes to someone so important to him" Luna now expressed with her dreamy air, making Harry smile slightly and blush.
"She doesn't want to know anything about me, Luna," the auror tried to explain, lowering his gaze sadly.
"Just give her time. She knows that at some point she will have to talk to you" Luna encouraged him a little.
There were days when they just happened to run into each other at meetings Kingsley held for missions. Meetings in which Harry didn't take his eyes off Hermione. He leaned with his back against the wall with his hands in the pockets of his auror pants or with his arms crossed and his green eyes fixed on Hermione, but when their gazes met the brunette turned to look elsewhere trying to avoid him.
''Why can't I stop looking at him and thinking about him? He looks incredibly handsome in his uniform and when he's in that damn position against the wall, oh, Hermione, cut it out!" the brunette said to herself as she tried to ignore Harry.
"God! She's beautiful, how could I be so blind? Look at me, Hermione... please, look at me. I need you" thought Harry focusing his gaze deeply on the brunette.
Every time they shared space, they both tensed, Hermione trying to avoid looking at him, while Harry tried his best to catch even the slightest glance. Their faces showed completely different expressions and at various points in the meeting they were both lost in their own thoughts and oblivious to the information that the minister provided.
Twice they were both called to pay attention, and during those two times they both blushed and looked at the ground ashamed of their attitude.
Once they left the meeting and by pure chance and a bit of luck, they found themselves alone in an elevator and she tried to leave when she saw the auror enter, but Harry, immediately with his perfect reflexes, pressed the button to close the bars.
"Hermione…" he said almost in a whisper, ravenous, "please listen to me, I didn't kiss her. I tried to push her away as soon as I felt her kiss me" the green-eyed man said, making the girl turn towards him, to feel even worse when seeing her little face full of tears and feeling that his heart sank for every tear she shed.
"Sure, you wanted to push her away, the position you two were in, was very specific... You were kissing her," she said even redder than before.
"No, no, it wasn't like that..." the jet denied, trying to explain, when he was interrupted.
I have been in love with you for almost ten years. I have loved you and I love you like I have never loved anyone and all that time I hid my feelings as best I could, being only your best friend. Because of this, I don't know what I'm going to do with my heart Harry, because this was another reason why I never said anything to you, I didn't want either of us to go through this or ruin our friendship, which despite what little that our relationship lasted, your friendship was sacred to me" said Hermione, beginning to tremble with anger and her sobs.
"Mione, please, you've been my best friend for thirteen years, you know me, how do you think I could do something like that to you?" The green - eyed man asked incredulously, trying to get a little closer to her, but she backed away, making Harry feel even worse, because she wouldn't even let him get close.
"Leave it," said Hermione, her voice cracking from tears, as she turned around to get out of the elevator, which had already reached her floor.
She was about to leave, when Harry took her arm to stop her and turned her towards him, making them stand a few inches apart and with his right hand he caressed Hermione's cheek, while they both stared into each other's eyes with their longing gazes of a kiss. Those eyes that every time they met transmitted so much.
The lips of both sought each other longingly, the touch was unique and electrifying, their breasts rose and fell with emotion. A few long seconds passed like this and they were about to kiss, when someone cleared his throat to get on the elevator and they both separated, a little flushed and disappointed.
The brunette turned around and left the elevator shattered and leaving Harry nervous and eager for the kiss they didn't give, he was even more furious, sad and frustrated, because he didn't know how he was going to convince her and bring her back to him, but he would. He couldn't lose Hermione. First of all, she was his best friend and now he was completely in love with her and would do anything to win her back.
After getting out of the elevator, Hermione was walking quickly looking towards the ground, so she hadn't seen someone coming in front of her, until she collided with him.
"I… I'm sorry," Hermione apologized sheepishly.
"It doesn't matter. Hermione, what's wrong?" Bertram asked, noticing that she was crying. He hugged her without consulting her and let her cry on his shoulder.
Hermione broke down and told him about her fight with Harry, hinting to the German auror that their relationship was over. "I didn't want to be insensitive, however, that meant Hermione Granger was now free and he could try again."
Meanwhile, Harry got off his floor and walked towards his office in frustration, his face showing a distorted smirk, and feeling a lot of frustration he kicked his office door too hard, causing it to fall, causing his red-haired friend, who was waiting for him, jumped from fright,
"I hate being Harry Potter!" The green-eyed exclaimed, as he walked towards his desk, passing over the broken door, not caring about the accusing look of his best friend.
"Harry! What happened? Did you meet her after the meeting?" Ron asked, worried by the look on his green-eyed friend's face.
"Yeah, we had a little talk in the elevator and…" Harry started trying to speak, stopping himself from continuing.
"And?" His friend encouraged him.
"Damn! Ron, We almost kissed! Almost! We were so close… but we were interrupted… I'm such an idiot Ron…" Harry declared frustrated.
"Hey no, don't worry, Harry, if you were about to kiss, it means that she still has feelings for you, right?" asked the redhead trying to lift his friend's spirits.
"But she doesn't want to know anything, Ron. She's devastated and I really don't know what to do. I deserve a punch," Harry said, sitting down at his desk.
"Hey, you know perfectly well that it wasn't your fault," the redhead clarified as he repaired and replaced the door that his best friend had destroyed with his wand. "Amelie kissed you, but..."
"It wasn't intentional, but I still hurt her. How ironic, to be willing to break the face of anyone who dares to hurt her and here I am, although I didn't do it on purpose, I broke her heart." Harry said furiously, clenching his fists and jaw, as he raised his face towards his friend with a not very satisfactory idea in mind.
"Ron! hit me!" The jet asked his best friend, who was shocked to hear his request.
"What?! Are you crazy?! Do you want Hermione to kill me?!" Ron asked, a little shocked. "You know very well that no matter how angry she's with you, she would beat me up if I hurt you, anyone who hurts you."
"Ron, please...I deserve this," Harry insisted, pleadingly.
"No! No way!" The redhead exclaimed, refusing once more.
"Ron, come on...hit me," Harry begged.
"No!" Ron continued to deny, a little tired of doing it.
"Come on! I'm your superior and I order you to hit me," Harry debated, facing his friend.
They both stared at each other and after a few minutes in silence, the redhead had no choice but to agree against his will.
"Good. Because you are my boss I will do it, but as a friend I do not agree. Hold still Harry," Ron spoke raising his hand and taking a step back.
The redhead hit Harry in the jaw with his fist, making the green-eyed take a few steps back, he brought one of his hands to his face, noticing immediately that he was bleeding from the mouth.
"If Hermione hits me or puts a spell on me, you tell her it was your idea, huh?" The redhead threatened, rubbing his fist a bit after hitting Harry's face.
The jet nodded, as he reached for a handkerchief on the desk and wiped away the blood. He knew that now he had to hide the blow with magic, otherwise he wanted someone to ask him or worse, his best friend to find out.
A couple of hours later, Luna and Ginny convinced Hermione to go out by telling her that it would be a girls' night, what Hermione didn't know was that they had made a plan with Ron and Neville to get together, without telling her that Harry was going. The other two boys did the same to Harry.
When they got to the place, where they were supposed to meet, Hermione saw that Harry was there and tried to run away, but her friends stopped her, giving them an indignant look, but they didn't care.
It was being quite awkward for the two of them, since they hardly spoke to each other, and they only saw each other again when the other was not looking. Both of them were creating a palpable tension.
Hermione was one of those people who could keep up with any conversation, however she was very quiet and clearly her mind was oblivious to the looks her friends were giving her.
"I'm going for other drinks, does anyone want something special?" Ron asked.
Luna and Ginny refused, half showing their drinks, Neville ordered another beer and Harry seconded it, when the redhead looked at the brunette, she was still looking at the floor.
"Huh? Hermione?" He finally asked his brunette friend, who was the only one who hadn't answered.
"Excuse me, what?" exclaimed the brunette upon hearing her name.
Ron asked her again if she wanted any drinks, she looked at Harry and immediately shook her head.
After Ron returned, Ginny tried to cheer Hermione up, but it was really difficult, Harry on his side was talking to Neville and Ron about work, giving his best friend subtle glances.
"Hey Hermione, you hardly talked, come on you must have a funny anecdote about work, Harry has a lot of them" Neville said trying to integrate the conversation between everyone.
"There are no funny anecdotes at work, I dedicate myself professionally to taking the affairs of the ministry seriously," said Hermione energetically, after an uncomfortable silence, quite embarrassing and heavy.
Harry felt a pang in his chest, that was clearly directed at him, his face contracted, noticing the change in everyone's mood, he was about to refute that, but Luna beat him to it, preventing an even more awkward discussion.
"Well, sometimes things out of the ordinary happen and that causes a funny story to tell your friends," The blonde intervened in her attempt to improve the atmosphere.
"Sure, I understand, it's happened to me, but friends are those who don't cheat or lie for who knows what purpose," Hermione attacked.
"Hermione, we just want to have a quiet and stress-free night, it's nothing that complicated," Ginny intervened.
Hermione excused herself to go to the bathroom, causing everyone to breathe again after that tense moment. By the time the brunette returned, they put the matter aside and went on enjoying their night, all except Hermione and Harry.
After a while, their eyes met, getting lost in silent conversation, their friends realized that, but decided to ignore and try to lighten the mood, until Neville innocently toasted to old times.
"Yes, because currently thirteen years of friendship is going to waste." Harry opened his mouth without thinking and then realized his mistake, when he saw Hermione's eyes meet his, finding them furious.
The table was completely silent, until Hermione apologized and got up from the table upset enough to leave and walked out of the pub, determined to go back to her apartment.
"Now you messed up, mate," assured his red-haired friend, as they all looked at Harry, "go and fix it," said Ron, as Harry got up from the table and ran after Hermione.
He caught up with her just as she was about to disappear and grabbed her arm, turning her around.
"Hermione! wait!" Harry said trying to stop her and apologize, but when he saw her stern face, he knew hell was coming.
"Wait what? Harry," Hermione asked, her tone rather sullen, "stay here while everyone watches me fall apart and my heart shatter again? No, I already went through that for ten years and it's not going to happen again." She raised her chin trying to speak firmly, while her voice was trembling a bit.
"How do you think I feel? Hermione," Harry asked incredulously, "when my best friend of thirteen years still thinks I was unfaithful to her!" He exclaimed feeling hurt.
"It was you who said that thirteen years of friendship went to waste!" Hermione yelled, bursting into tears.
"Who is the one who doesn't want to talk to me to solve what happened? Who is the one who has not accepted explanations?!" The green - eyed auror questioned, raising his voice.
Hermione gave him a hurt look, but when she didn't respond, Harry continued.
"On top of this, we made a promise!" Harry was now noticeably upset. "We promised that no matter what happened, we would always be best friends!" He exclaimed, feeling a rush of emotions run through him.
It came to Hermione's mind when Ethan demanded that she get away from Harry to be with him and she wouldn't allow it, but now here she was fighting with Harry and she felt like a traitor knowing she was breaking a promise.
"Are you taking it out on me?" Hermione asked through clenched teeth.
"You have never broken a promise! Hermione!" Harry assured, raising his voice and gesturing with his hands.
Hermione hated herself for this, and she couldn't just think about giving Ethan the pleasure, thus distancing herself from Harry.
"What did you expect, Harry?! To run into your arms?!" Hermione exclaimed. "Well, no! You're going to have to give me time! It will not be so easy!" He raised his voice dramatically.
They were silent for what seemed like hours and not knowing how it happened, they both jumped at each other and brought their lips together in a desperate kiss.
Both were carried away by the kiss, but Hermione was so busy feeling Harry's arms wrap around her and it was a fact that she wanted to stay there and never separate from him, she was lost in that swing of his lips, until she remembered her anger, that at this point she really wasn't very clear on why, but realizing they were kissing, she put her hands on Harry's chest and pulled away annoyed, though gasping for breath.
"No!" Hermione exclaimed sternly, walking away from him.
"Don't you… anymore?" Harry asked breathlessly and looking hurt, he stuffed his hands into his pants pockets and lowered his face in fear of Hermione's response.
"You know how I feel about you. That hasn't changed, nor will it change tomorrow," the brunette clarified, understanding his question before it was over and still with tears in her eyes, "but it hurts, Harry," Hermione said and then turned around and disappeared, leaving Harry feeling as if they would have stabbed him in the heart.
Returning to harsh reality, after the kiss he shared with Hermione, which if it were up to him, they would continue to kiss meaninglessly, Harry brought his hands to his mouth, remembering the blow he had asked Ron to give him, then hiding it with magic and bless Merlin, for he hadn't let his guard down completely and the wound hadn't been discovered, but he had felt the burning of it, when he crashed his lips with Hermione's.
Frustrated and miserable, he went back inside with his friends, to tell them he was leaving, and left the pub to go to his apartment.
The next day, Hermione had to go to Harry's office to give him a report on her investigation of the dark artifact.
She walked through the corridors with some haste, when she turned a corner, she collided with a somewhat wide back.
"Ouch! Sorry I didn't notice," Hermione said quickly as she made sure she hadn't dropped any documents.
"Well, well, well... but just look at who it is... the incomparable and insufferable Miss Granger."
The brunette recognized that tone of voice, which harshly addressed her with resentment and hatred.
"E-Ethan?" Hermione stammered, now facing her ex-boyfriend.
"You seem to be seeing a ghost," the man roughly took one of Hermione's hands and brought it to his chest to add, "I'm real."
Hermione wanted to free her hand and walk away, but Ethan with a mocking smile and with his other free hand hit the documents that the brunette was carrying, causing them to fall to the floor dramatically.
That violent act made Hermione feel a terrifying shiver run down her spine, while Ethan wasting no time began to attack her verbally.
"What face is that little princess? Are you afraid? Tell me, now that you're not surrounded by Potter or Weasley with you, do you feel weak?"
"Ethan, please let me go... you're hurting me," exclaimed Hermione, feeling her eyes glaze over, as she tilted her face, noticing that the corridor seemed deserted.
"Did I hurt you? Ha! Please, Hermione, don't be ridiculous. And who are you looking for? Potter?" Ethan asked mockingly.
Hermione looked down, remembering that she was still upset with the green-eyed man. This small action made Ethan tighten his grip and get closer to the brunette dangerously.
"Now I understand... Potter has preferred another woman before you, right? What a fool you are! You left me for your best friend who has no interest in you! How pathetic you are!" Ethan said smirking.
Without being able to avoid it, two tears slipped down Hermione's cheeks, her heart was beating painfully and she closed her eyes for a brief moment.
Harry had arrived at the ministry a few minutes earlier, his hands stuffed in his pockets, thinking about what had happened with his best friend several hours ago. While he was walking, he heard voices, so intrigued he approached stealthily and when he located the origin of the voices, his jaw tensed firmly, his eyes twitched with fury at Ethan's words, so he decided to reveal himself, quickly catching the gaze of Ethan and having Hermione with her back to him.
Ethan opened his eyes surprised by the jet, and it was not for less, since the fury he saw in the green eyes made him gulp with obvious fear, so he released Hermione from his grasp, who blinked when she was free.
"How dare you?" Harry spoke, announcing his presence to the brunette, who instinctively moved towards Harry, standing next to him, but keeping a safe distance.
Hermione looked from Harry to Ethan sensing the clear tension between them, both of them distorting their faces to go defensive.
"Why do you always butt in, Potter?!" Ethan protested annoyed.
The aforementioned concentrated on Hermione analyzing if she was alright, which was obviously not, since the brunette had tears running down her cheeks and was trembling slightly. Seeing this, Harry clenched his jaw, felt his muscles clench, and turned to face Ethan.
"Listen to me, you idiot! I'm going to give you just this one chance to go! Don't go near her again! Or else I'm going to take you to the training room and we'll see each other..." Harry warned angrily.
Ethan gulped at the green-eyed firm and furious gaze, since he wasn't foolish enough to face the best auror, so he only gave Hermione a fleeting glance and turned to walk away, wincing to himself.
Seeing Ethan leave, Hermione bent down to pick up her papers, her heartbeat still fluttering.
After making sure that Ethan had moved away, Harry bent down to help his best friend, all in complete silence, somehow the moment was sour and annoying, it turned into a tense one, it was as if Hermione and Harry were thinking the same thing, everything It happened several hours ago. Their discussion and the kiss they had given each other.
"Are you okay?" Harry broke the silence after a few seconds.
"Yes... thank you," the brunette answered briefly once she had collected the papers and practically snatched the others from the auror.
Without looking at him, Hermione got up and straightened, she walked slowly, with Harry close to her, watching her all the way, noticing that she was so focused on the papers she was carrying in her hands, that she seemed to want to avoid looking at him.
Hermione walked to Harry's office, with him at her side, looking at the papers distracted by the questions that formed in her head. ''How was I supposed to face him now? What was she going to say, if the subject came up? If she were to look into his eyes when she was in his office, all her determination and anger would go to waste. Merlín! Why did she have to have such a soft spot for Harry's beautiful green eyes?
Harry stepped forward and opened the door, then passed Hermione, who entered trying to stay focused on her papers. Big mistake, because she had to give him the papers and explain everything. She took a breath once more and raised her head slightly, meeting his green eyes for an instant and then looking back at the papers in his hands.
''To Merlin again! What the hell was wrong with her? Harry's hands were another matter for her. Those hands with which he caressed her face, with which she had already held hands a million times. Those hands that she still secretly fantasized about caressing every inch of her body, the same ones that made her shudder imagining them on her." She shook her head slightly, when Harry's gruff voice snapped her out of her musings.
"Are you going to explain to me?" he asked, keeping his voice firm in a merely professional tone. If Hermione was going to act like this, he would too and show no weakness.
"Sure," she said, deciding to face this. "In short, it is an artifact that works to make the relics, a single relic. All the power concentrated in a single object, without the need to obtain something from each one. As far as I have been able to investigate, it does not have a definite shape, it is similar to an obscurial with a silver color like unicorn blood. Its size can go unnoticed, it can resemble the size of a snitch. And the last piece of information I have is that the wearer of this object can give it the shape they want, since the object adapts to what the magician wants.
Harry had been looking at her with interest, always impressed by her intelligence and remembering how in love he was with her.
"By Merlin's pants! Every time she speaks like that with such determination and wisdom, it drives me crazy. I wish I could get close one more time and kiss her senseless. He had already fantasized about her several times, running through her body. Damn Potter, focus." He rebuked himself.
According to what he heard from Hermione's explanation, it was a sure thing that the death eaters would seek to get to him and he looked at the brunette briefly, to realize that despite all the situation they were in, there was concern in her eyes… He smiled slightly knowing that she still cared for him.
"Interesting. Thank you, Hermione," the raven continued in his professional tone.
"Of course. I'm leaving" said the girl, she turned around and walked towards the exit hoping that he would stop her, but he didn't. Then he took the lock, opened the door and left the office of the head of auror, feeling a pang in her chest.
" If there was one other thing he loved about Harry, it was his talent and ability to keep matters strictly professional. As much as she wished he'd stop her and kiss her senseless, here he was being an expert chief auror, keeping his serious and professional attitude towards her, which obviously also hurt her deep in her heart.
The brunette, unable to walk, leaned against the door of Harry's office, felt her body heavy and slowly plummeted, she did not register the moment when her eyes began to shed tears, nor when her body touched the ground, her head leaned against the door sobbing almost silently.
The jet, for his part, ended up sitting behind his desk, his hands covered part of his face, he was undeniably frustrated, his head replicated the way she acted and without knowing how to continue, he fell into the anguished sense of loss, somehow, he felt that Hermione might end up hating him, something he couldn't bear and would hurt him tortuously.
So lost in thought about everything that was going on with Hermione, he never stopped to think how the death eaters would look for him, he thought they would go straight to him.
Did someone say drama?
Hello! We read each other again and we come with a bit of drama in the story, don't kill me, drama is always necessary.
We'll keep reading soon, it depends on how muggle life treats me and my beta, plus I want to start posting my other story.
I appreciate your favorites and your comments letting me know that you like the story.
Bye.