Charming
Disclaimer: I don't own HP or any of these characters. That belongs to JKR, Scholastic Books, Warner Brothers, etc.

Chapter Eighteen : Process

Hermione sat at her desk, waiting for the hammer to drop. Surprisingly, Malfoy didn't have any snide remarks to make when she first entered their office that morning, considering the fact that she cancelled on him on Saturday and then never answered him on Sunday. But then, Harry was very good at distracting her when he put his mind to it.

She smiled, thinking of how everything had changed so quickly. It seemed like ages ago when she and Harry had been arguing. Now look at them. At the same time, however, some things had moved too quickly for her. She hadn't intend to sleep with him. The first night was one thing. Nothing had happened. They had simply shared a bed. The night after that was a different story.

And that scared her. She had wanted to wait, to take her time. She knew that Harry didn't take it as seriously as she. She knew from personal experience that he was more willing to engage in casual sex than her, even with witches he barely knew. So she hadn't want them to make love so soon so that she could see how deeply he was committed to her. He said that he loved her – and she did not doubt that he thought so for he wouldn't lie to her about that – but that didn't mean that he actually did. It might be a combination of lust and affection instead. If that were the case, Hermione didn't know how she would ever mend her broken heart.

What made the situation even more precarious was the fact that he hadn't been interested in her as long as she had been in him. He admitted it himself yesterday. He never really considered her romantically until very recently. That scared her. He could feel safe in her love and affection because he had it for so long. The same could not be said for her. He had only begun feeling that way about her, and rather suddenly to boot, and she was afraid that his fancying her would be transient, that it would pass like a phase of the moon. But his honesty was reassuring. At least he told her the truth about how long he had fancied her. If he had lied, Hermione would have been in a near-panic about what to do about the whole situation.

But he hadn't. So maybe it would all work out. She should stop thinking about it as overanalyzing the situation wasn't going to do any good.

That was especially true when she had Malfoy to contend with today. So far he had been giving her the silent treatment. He had said nary a word in greeting when she arrived that morning or when he had handed her some books to go over. It was getting a bit maddening. Hermione knew that he was upset with her, and frankly, she thought he had good reason to be. She'd rather that he explode at her now, so she could apologize, instead of drawing it out like this.

Unless he was waiting for her to take the initiative. She supposed she owed him that much. Hermione doubted that he was interested in her in a romantic nature, though she knew Harry thought otherwise, but she thought that was only because he was jealous of the time she had spent with him. He was too sensible to fancy her. He had even said himself that dating a co-worker was a sure way to get into trouble. Hermione felt that was fortunate. She would be in a much more difficult position if he did fancy her.

"Malfoy," she said. "I'm awfully sorry about not meeting you Saturday and not giving you much notice about it." Malfoy looked up from his desk, but didn't say a word. She pressed on. "I do hope you're not too upset with me."

That got a response. "I'm not upset at you in the slightest, Hermione," he said. "By the way, you never received an owl from me yesterday, did you?"

"What makes you say that?" she asked.

"The fact that you never replied tells me that you didn't receive it . . . and that makes me suspect—"

"No, no, I did get it. And I'm sorry for not replying. But something . . . something came up." Hermione could feel her face turning red. Dear Merlin. Something had come up. She couldn't believe she had said that. She desperately to end this conversation now, before she said anything else like that, but she couldn't see a way out.

"I see," he drawled. "You did receive it . . . and then decided it wasn't important enough to answer. You did read the part about my inviting you to dinner last night to make up for not getting to see you on your birthday." He paused. "And happy belated birthday. I do hope it was lovely."

"It was," she said. "Thank you for asking."

He waved a hand lazily. "Don't mention it," he said. "If you have no plans for tonight, I can take you out to dinner as a late celebration if you would like," he offered.

Hermione hesitated. She didn't want to go with him. She would rather spend her time with Harry at the moment. Hermione also knew that Harry wouldn't feel comfortable to know that she was continuing to spend so much time with Malfoy. Harry had nothing to worry about, and he ought to know that. But Hermione was well aware of the fact that knowing something and being able to not worry about it were two different things. She knew that this thing between them was too new for him to be completely at ease with her spending time with men he thought wanted her. Hermione didn't have any plans per se to limit her social life based on what Harry was fine with but . . . a relationship was all about compromise. Maybe in a couple months, if he was still jealous for no good reason, she would have accepted and hoped that he would get past it. However, she wanted to strengthen their relationship, to make it tighter and more secure. . . and spending the night with Malfoy was not to way to go about that.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I'm afraid I'm busy tonight."

"I see." He turned back to his desk. "I thought as much, but I wanted to make the offer. It's good any time you feel like taking me up on it."

And that response just made her feel guilty. If he had yelled at her or accused her of fawning over Harry, that would have been easier to take. But for him to so gracefully accept her refusal . . . it made her cringe with guilt. She had originally promised to go for dinner on Saturday with him, and she wound up breaking that promise, though for a very good reason. Hermione thought that there had to be a way to make amends.

Suddenly, she was struck with the thought that perhaps it would be all right if all of them went out together. Surely, Harry couldn't worry about Malfoy trying to romance her if he was there with them. And if she invited Harry along, she'd ask Ron if he'd like to go as well, though that might be asking for trouble. She frowned. She thought that she could get the two of them to behave for one evening, so long as Malfoy didn't bait them.

It was worth asking to see if he was willing. "Um . . ." she mumbled, trying to think of the best way to phrase this. "I don't know if you're interested, but if you'd like, how about Saturday?" He perked up. "I was thinking that you could spend some time with me and my friends—"

His face fell at that, and his cold demeanor, that she hadn't seen for so long, returned. "I thought you didn't want to play peacemaker between me and those—" Hermione glared at him, stopping him in his tracks.

"I don't," said Hermione shortly. "But it's kind of ridiculous for me to try to keep my work life and my home life completely separate. I was thinking that perhaps the four of us could go somewhere and see if everyone could get through the night without a hex being cast."

"Somehow I doubt that," he muttered.

"Do you doubt that, or do you mean that you're not willing to try?" she asked.

"Tell you what, Granger. I will promise to be as polite to them as they are to me for the whole evening. How does that sound?"

That sounded like a yes to her. Now all she had to do was to get Harry and Ron to promise to behave. "That sounds reasonable," she replied. "I'll ask them tonight."

He looked in askance at her. "You mean you haven't already?"

"No," she said. "It was just a spur of the moment thought I had. I would like it if the three of you could be in the same room, without me having to worry about an explosion being imminent." She smiled at him. "But you can mark your calendar for Saturday. I am positive they will agree."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

When Harry arrived home that evening, the aroma of spaghetti filled the air. He sniffed experimentally. He couldn't smell even the faintest wisp of smoke. That was a very good sign that he would find the kitchen in one piece. One piece that was more than a smoking ember, to be exact. Trotting into the kitchen, he found Hermione scooping some sauce over the pasta she had made. He smiled. It was rare to find Hermione being so domestic. Although that was not for lack of trying on her part. He was struck with the thought that he ought to be more supportive of her attempts to cook.

"Hello, love," he said, dropping a kiss on her cheek. She turned around and hugged him, her face beaming with affection.

"I've missed you," she declared.

"Same here. It's been too long since I've seen you last," he replied.

"I agree completely with that sentiment." She pointed at the plates. "Are you hungry? Do you want to eat?"

"Am I hungry?" He raised an eyebrow at her question. "Hermione, I'm a growing boy who used up a lot of energy both yesterday and today. Do I need to answer that?" Hermione started laughing aloud at that, and he joined her. Something told him that phrase would bring a smile to their faces for quite some time to come.

Dinner was excellent and very relaxing. It was nice to spend time alone with Hermione in the privacy of their own flat. Going out had its own charms, but they had spent the last two nights out, and Harry supposed he had got a bit tired of it. He always had to worry about being followed and photographed because of who he was. Harry didn't like the fact very much, but he had learned to live with it. Not gracefully at times, but then some people knew how to push his buttons.

The only thing that stopped him from enjoying dinner entirely was the air that hung about the table. Harry had known Hermione for such a long time that he knew that there was something she wanted to discuss, but was afraid to broach. And he was afraid that he knew what that topic would be. And that was the fact that as far as he knew, they hadn't been very careful over the weekend.

He should have known better. Harry thought that he should have known better than Hermione, as he had had more relationships than she had. Somehow, the thought that they would need to cast a spell before continuing had never crossed his mind. Maybe that first night it had been because it was so unbelievable that he and Hermione were finally happening that he didn't remember to take precautions. That wasn't an excuse, however. And since she was having such trouble broaching the topic, he supposed it was up to him to set her at ease as best he could.

Sighing, he reached over to take her hand into his. "Hermione," he said. "I know you're worried . . . and I don't know how to say this but . . . well, I should've known better, should've known enough to take a step back and cast that damn spell . . . and whatever happens, I'll be by your side, you know."

Hermione looked at him, confusion written all over her face. "Harry, what are you—" She blushed as she understood what he was trying to say. "Oh. That. I . . . uh . . . well, I've been on Muggle birth control for awhile now." His face soon matched hers for redness. "It really . . . really helps for other things and doesn't taste half as horrid as that awful potion."

"Oh," he said. Now that made him feel stupid. Evidently, she had taken precautions a long time ago.

"But I'm happy you . . . that you said what you said," she said quickly. "Really, I am. It's awkward, just to talk about it, and I . . . it really tells me that you care, the fact that you mentioned it."

"Thanks," said Harry, still feeling flushed. He cleared his throat several times. "So if that wasn't bothering you . . . what was?" he went on to ask.

"Well . . . I . . . please hear me out, okay?" He nodded solemnly. Hermione twiddled her thumbs before continuing. "I kind of . . . asked Malfoy if he'd like to go some place this weekend with us," she said.

Harry blinked. "You what?"

"I asked Malfoy if he would like to spend some time with you, me, and Ron this coming Saturday," she said again. "And he agreed."

"I see." Harry leaned back in his seat. "It might have been nice if you had asked us first," he noted mildly.

"I know, but I . . . well, I felt bad. I never answered his owl yesterday, on top of canceling Saturday so when I went to work, I fully expected him to be sore with me. But he wasn't. And that made me feel—"

"Guilty, of course," Harry finished for her. That was typical Hermione. She felt guilty so she tried to make it up to Malfoy. Of course, Harry could feel some pity for the blond wizard. To Harry, it was as clear as day that Malfoy was interested in Hermione and to find out suddenly that she was no longer available must have come as a shock. Still, Harry had to wonder what Hermione was thinking trying to get him and Ron to spend any time with that ferret.

He heaved a sigh. "If we don't go, will you still meet him?" he asked out of curiosity. He wanted to hear her say no, but he knew her better than that. She would feel very badly about it, but more likely than not, she would meet Malfoy alone for the weekend.

"I . . ." she stammered. "I'd prefer for all of us to go. Or at least us two, if Ron won't agree. I do want you to be with me." She bit her lip. "And can't you find it in you to feel sorry for him? In a blink of an eye, everything in his life has changed. His family fortune is all but lost, with his mother trying to spend her way through the last of it. He has to work for a living, unlike his father, who didn't have to work if he didn't want to."

"The last time I checked, we all had our problems getting into the flow of things in the real world once we left Hogwarts," Harry pointed out. "Look at how long it took both of us to find jobs."

"Yes, I suppose so," Hermione said. "But . . . I know this is hard to believe, as I wouldn't believe it myself if I didn't see it. He is trying, Harry, to be a better person. And being raised the way he was and the world changing for him like it has . . . that can't be easy. And I thought maybe we could help a little bit by spending a bit of time with him." She paused. "That might improve his reputation."

"I hope you don't expect us to become the best of friends, Hermione," said Harry. "There's been too many things said, too many—"

"Too many arguments, too many hexes thrown for that." She added softly, "And that's the same reason why there could never be anything more between myself and Malfoy."

"I know." Harry wondered what he should say. He didn't want to go, in all honesty, but he didn't want to leave Hermione alone with Malfoy, even though he knew that she wouldn't let anything happen. He was a bit miffed with her for making such plans, but this was Hermione he was talking about. She was always looking for a way to better the world, from her own personal life to items on a grander scale, like S.P.E.W. And he supposed it was a bit unpleasant for her to know that her boyfriend and best friend despised the wizard she had to work with.

"You know I don't want to go," he told her at last.

"I know." She slumped down in her seat.

"But I will. Because you asked," he said. She brightened at his words. He raised a hand to stop her from thanking him. "On one condition though."

"And that is?" she asked.

"Since you got to chose who to invite, I get to chose where we go."

She nodded. "That sounds fair. So where do you want to go?"

"A karaoke bar," he said, grinning. He always wanted to try that. Besides, between his singing and Ron's, they might be able to drive Malfoy away. It was a good compromise to make,

Hermione groaned. "A karaoke bar? Harry, I've heard you trying to sing in the shower."

"Hey! I'll have you know I'm much better when I have a prompt for the words."

"Have you gone before?"

"No. But I'm sure I won't be as bad as you think."

"If you say so," she said doubtfully. "And it is fair . . . since I chose to invite Malfoy, that you get to chose where we go. Though I don't know of any places off hand."

"That's fine. I'll find out." He grinned broadly. "I have other research to do anyway."

"True that." Her brow wrinkled and Harry knew what she was going to ask next.

"Let me guess. You want me to get Ron to come along," he said.

"Yes," she said, startled that he had been able to guess that. "How did you know?"

"Because you've asked me before to break bad news about Malfoy to him."

"Is it really bad news? That I promised we'd spend a couple hours with him?" she asked.

"Well, there are far worse things to hear, but it's not something I'd decide to do on my own." He looked directly at her. "I'm doing this for you, Hermione. I'll try to be polite, but if he's snide, then all bets are off."

"He's promised the same thing," she said quickly.

"Good. But like I said, I'm doing this for you. So I'll ask Ron."

"Thank you," she said. She bent forward to kiss him. "And I know you're not happy about this, and I'm sorry . . . but it's something that I thought I should do. Because I really do hate breaking promises."

"I know," he said. "You wouldn't be the witch I loved if you didn't feel that way." She smiled shyly at him. "But where do you plan to be when I'm telling Ron about this?"

"I thought you could talk to him tomorrow when I'm at my parents' house," she said. Harry shuddered at the mention of her parents. He would hate to meet Mr. Granger in a dark alley alone at night. "I know, last weekend wasn't easy on you. And I thought I'd best talk to my dad about it . . . I'd prefer for the two men I love the most to get along, you know. And if I'm asking you to do something difficult, I should be doing the same."

"That sounds fine with me." Especially as it gives me an excuse to not meet Hermione's dad again so soon, Harry thought privately. That's one good thing about this plan of hers. Although there's actually two good things . . . the fact that she's said she wants to be with me. How could a bloke not be happy to hear that?

Author's note: That's all for this chapter, and the next one will be up next Friday. I hope everyone enjoyed reading this one, and I would appreciate it if you could let me know what you think. Finally, thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter: Shawn Pickett, Rebeca, ExcalibursZone (thanks! am glad you liked it), shaznay17, lee74, Ramy, Fatima, Disco Duck (why not Hermione? ^_~), Silverfoot, Sam8, Euphoniumgurl0, myman-harry526, Bulma Queen of Saiya-jin, avada kedravra, ears91, Wirez, Jen/Irish Dancing Girl, stephen, Amynoelle (yes, they are rather like bunnies right now, but they're still in their honeymoon period, so to speak. They'll stop eventually), Kage Miko (I think they're totally screwed even without Draco ^_~), Big Fat Beluga, Leah6, Orlando's Gurl, TheSilverLady, malu (*cough* Harry's a teenaged boy, so that explains his recovery time stamina), danielerin, tOmLoVeR17, blondi gurl, HermionePotter17, tearsofher (he kind of does have feelings for Hermione, but he won't admit it now), Korine (Thanks! Writing a together H/Hr is more fun than the alternatives ^_~ And am glad you liked that extra cookie), Quis, Izabel, koishii-glory, spacey-me90, Sheilalein (there's still one major plot point to cover, so this fic will take a little longer to be over than you might think. And it's not about Draco), Wytil (he can't get in, though Harry would be more than happy to hex him if he appeared), Fire-bound heart, juliet's rose, xxbabysparklesxx, hpfanmelissa, LeslieGlady (he's not going to throw a tantrum about it. He's not happy, but he's not going to show how much it affects him), Field-99, elvenprincess17-imladris, Star19, PoTtErSPaYnE, and PrincessME. I really enjoyed reading everything you had to say about it. ^_^ Thanks once again!