Hermione checked her reflection in the mirror for the 15th time as she waited for Harry to arrive. She'd raced off as soon as her shift at the Ministry was over so she'd have time to shower and change for her date. She'd wrangled her hair into a messy bun and applied some light makeup. She'd decided to wear her favorite little black dress. It was fit for most situations and more importantly, it was comfortable. Plus, it had pockets, and who didn't love pockets?

She checked the clock again, five to 6:00 pm. Harry would be there any moment. She knew she shouldn't be nervous. This was Harry, her best friend. The one that had seen her on her best and worst days, yet she couldn't stop the butterflies that had taken up residence in her belly. Had she ever been this frazzled before a date? She didn't think so, but this one just seemed….more important than the others she'd been on.

A knock at the door grabbed her attention, and she quickly opened it to see Harry. He stood there in black slacks, a white button down and a large bouquet of roses. He gave her a lop-sided grin. "For the lady," he said gallantly as he handed her the flowers.

"Oh, Harry!" she exclaimed. "They're beautiful! Thank you," she said and leaned in to kiss his cheek.

"They aren't near as beautiful as you," he responded. The line was cheesy, but that didn't stop the butterflies in Hermione's stomach from fluttering just a little more. Harry leaned closer and ghosted a kiss against her lips. When did he become so suave? she thought.

"I should put these in water," she said.

"No need," the wizard replied. "I put a stasis charm on them. They will be fine until we get back," he explained. Harry was bouncing slightly on the balls of his feet with excitement.

She slipped on a pair of black ballet flats as she tried to calm her nerves. "So, what's the plan?"

"I thought Mexican would be fun," he said and offered her his arm. She smiled and happily linked her arm with his.

"Sounds delicious. Which restaurant?" she inquired.

"Uh…somewhere new. Just a little place I recently found," he said nervously. Hermione frowned as he led her out of her building. Well, that was rather evasive. She wouldn't complain though. She loved Mexican.

*H*H*H*H*H*H*H*H*H*

They apparated into the alley next to the muggle restaurant. Harry steered her around the corner and to the door, careful to distract her from seeing the establishment's sign. They entered and were greeted with bright Mexican melodies being played by the house band. "Oh, it smells good in here," Hermione said looking around. It seemed somewhat familiar, but many restaurants had similar designs. Harry just smiled and looked to the host gave him a grin and nodded her head for him to go on in.

"You made reservations?" she asked.

"Something like that. I just wanted to make sure we got in. This place is apparently pretty popular around here," he said.

"Apparently," the witch repeated. It was fairly busy for a Wednesday night.

Harry led her to a booth near the back that gave them a good view of the band but still afforded them some privacy. As soon as they sat, a server set two drinks before them, some frozen concoction along with chips, salsa and queso.

Hermione frowned. "You ordered ahead?" she asked.

Harry gave her a cheeky grin. "Something like that. I was assured that you would like this. Take a drink," he urged before taking a sip of his own.

The woman followed suit, but as soon as she tasted the drink her eyes went wide. "Harry?" she gasped. He didn't answer, just gestured for her to try the other items on the table. She grabbed a chip, trying first the salsa and then the queso. "Harry, I don't understand. They closed."

The tastes were unmistakable. She and her parents had gone to the same Mexican restaurant every Friday she was home from the time she was eight until she'd sent them away for their safety during the war. That restaurant had been such a happy part of her childhood. She'd made friends with the son of the owners in primary school. Both outsiders for their differentness. It had made their Friday tradition feel like a family dinner amongst friends. She'd even been able to bring Harry, Ron and Ginny their before they'd gone to the Quidditch World Cup.

She'd always sworn that no one could come close to the quality of their salsa and queso or their chips for that matter. Her mother always got a frozen sangria swirl and had let Hermione sneak a sip when her father wasn't looking. It had made her feel like a grownup, and she'd sworn she'd get one of her own when she was of age. Unfortunately, by the time that happened and the war was over, her parents were gone, her house had been burned to the ground, and the business had closed. It had hurt her in a way she hadn't been expecting. It had felt like the last ties to her childhood home had been severed.

Hermione looked to the man sitting across from her. That wonderful, beautiful man that had just preformed a miracle. "How?" she asked.

Harry grinned. "They didn't close, they moved," he explained. He grabbed the menu that had been placed face down on the table and flipped it over. Casa Soto. The place where her and her parents had shared so many meals. She looked back at Harry in wonder. "Again, How?," she asked.

The wizard laughed. "I went back to where it used to be and asked around. I thought someone may be able to tell me of somewhere similar. The lady at the quilting store told me that they had moved here a couple years ago. And they agreed to help with your surprise as long as I shared you," he said gesturing to the three people, a woman and two men, that were now clustered around their booth.

Hermione jumped from her seat at the sight of them and threw her arms around the woman. "Tia!" she exclaimed.

The older woman hugged her then brought her hands to the witch's face. "Look how you've grown, sobrina!" she said. "I was so sorry to hear about your parents. If we'd known you were still in the country, we would have reached out. No tears, sobrina. You're with family now."

Hermione laughed. She hadn't even realized she was crying. "They're happy tears, tia," she reassured the woman.

Suddenly she was being pulled into another hug by the older of the two men. "It's my turn, sobrina," he said and held her tight. "It's been too long since I've seen you. You were what…16 or 17 when I last saw you? You were just a gangly little girl."

Hermione wiped her eyes and laughed. "I was 17, tio," she replied.

"Seven years? That's much too long without a visit from my girl," he responded.

"If I'd known you were here, I'd have been by much sooner," she assured him.

"Don't hog her, dad, it's my turn now," the younger man said.

Hermione jumped into the man's arms. "Javi! Oh my god, you've gotten so tall!" she exclaimed looking up.

"I hit a major growth spurt after you left. It was an…awkward transition. You were lucky to miss it," he laughed. "I've miss you, Mi. So, don't keep us waiting. We want a proper introduction to your boyfriend," he said.

"Oh, right," she said looking back to Harry who was smiling happily at the reunion. "But didn't you already meet him?" she asked.

"I did, but my parents haven't so go on introduce us," the young man prompted.

Harry quickly stood and Hermione took him by the hand. "Tio, tia this is my boyfriend, Harry Potter. Harry, this is Miguel and Teresa Soto," she started.

The wizard offered his hand. "Lovely to meet you Mr. and Mrs. Soto," he said.

The older woman pulled him into a hug. "You brought our girl back to us. You're family now. Call us tia and tio. Aunt," she gestured to herself and then to her husband. "And Uncle," she concluded.

Harry nodded and Miguel took his hand and pulled him into a quick hug. "Thank you," the old man whispered into his ear.

"And this is Javier," Hermione concluded then frowned. "But I guess you've already met him."

Javier took Harry's hand and shook it. "It was good to finally meet the great Harry Potter in person. She never shut up about you whenever she was home from school," the young man said.

"Javi!" the witch cried out as she hit him in the arm. "That was private! That is exactly why I told you I was glad you weren't here when I brought my school friends by."

Javier just laughed. "Join us, please," Harry said gesturing to the table. "If you're not busy that is."

Teresa answered. "We're never too busy for our girl, but we don't want to ruin your date."

"Nonsense," Harry replied. "It would be an honor, and you obviously have some catching up to do."

"Oh, please stay," Hermione begged.

"If you're sure," Teresa said.

"Of course, we're sure," Harry assured them.

They all sat and ate and spoke of the joys and sadness they had missed in the years since they'd last seen each other. After some tears and even more laughter, the couple left the restaurant with promises to be back soon.

"Harry, I don't even know where to begin," Hermione said as the walked back to their apparition point arm in arm. "That was amazing. I can't believe you found them" she said.

Harry smiled down at her. "I'm glad you liked your surprise. I just wanted to give you something special. It honestly worked out better than I had hoped," he confessed. "I was just hoping that someone would direct me to a place that had a similar salsa," he laughed. "So, Javier? Should I be worried that the two of you will run away together now that I've reunited you? He did say that he gave you your first kiss," he teased.

Hermione laughed, "Merlin, no! I solemnly swear that you have nothing to fear from him. We only kissed once, when we were eight. We mutually decided it was an awful, unsanitary action that should never be repeated again, with anyone."

"Wow, you know how to leave an impression," Harry chuckled and pulled her tighter to him. "What was it that the Sotos called you? Sabrina?"

Hermione giggled. "No, sobrina. It means niece," she explained.

Once they were back in the alley, she turned to him, pressing her lips to his. "Thank you, Harry. I feel like I got a piece of my family back."

"Anything for you, Mione. Always," he said earnestly.

"I know it isn't adventurous, but would you be disappointed if I asked you to make love to me tonight, Harry Potter?" she asked, her lips barely brushing against his.

"I would love nothing more," he replied kissing her gently before apparating them back to her flat.

Author's Note:

Never fear, there will be lemons next in Chapter 3: Making Love. ;)