Hi guys!

We're starting off with a bit of Ron and Harry, and we're finishing with Harry and Hermione finally talking about what happened. I had a lot of fun writing both of them. I really love writing the dialogue for Harry and Hermione, they are just so darn cute together!

Thank you all for leaving comments, bookmarks and kudos: it absolutely makes my day! I had some time to spare today, so here's the latest chapter. I am being busy for the next couple of days, but I might try to squeeze a few hours of writing in, we'll see. Thank you all for tuning in and I hope you have a great day!

Love, Flora.

Chapter 3: How Hermione convinced Harry to actually go through with it

'You did WHAT?''

Harry looked into the bulging eyes of his other best friend, Ron Weasley. He brought the cup of tea to his lips and tried to keep a straight face.

'You heard me.'

'You proposed to her?'

Harry sniffed seriously as he looked his red-headed friend change from surprised to absolutely convulsing with laughter. It took several minutes for Ron to compose himself, and even then, when he took but one look at Harry's annoyed face, he started over again.

'Stop,' Harry pleaded, finally. It was bad enough that he hadn't spoken to Hermione since Saturday. Ron wiped a few tears from his face and sat upright in his chair.

'Mate, you can't be serious. You didn't. You did not. Please tell me-...'

'I did!' Harry yelled. 'Okay? I was mad at that Philip-guy, he was being very annoying and he was implying that Hermione would never get engaged, so I just went for it, okay? I got down on one knee and-...'

Ron got another fit of laughter and Harry leaned his face into the palm of his hands.

'Ron, honestly, this is hard enough on me without-...'

'It's not hard on you,' Ron replied, wheezing. 'It's finally happened. Bloody hell, Nicky owes me a galleon.'

Right on cue, his blonde girlfriend came through the door, supporting a heavy steaming cake tray.

'Well, looks like you're having fun,' she said, curiously, when she looked at his red face and teary eyes.

'Tell her what you did, Harry,' Ron grinned, while kissing his girlfriend on the cheek. 'Go on.'

'What do you mean "it finally happened",' Harry asked, offended. 'No, scratch that, what do you mean, "Nicky owes me a galleon?!"

'No way!' Nicky shouted, setting down her tray. 'Did you and Hermione... Are you...'

'No!' Harry stammered. 'No, we aren't... It's not... We have...'

'He accidentally proposed to her,' Ron said, starting to laugh again. 'Oh no, I can't take it any more. My belly hurts.'

'What happened?' Nicky asked, shocked, and Harry explained the story to her. Ron did his best not to laugh again, but he couldn't help a giggle every few minutes. Nicky - sweet, dear, Nicky! - didn't dare to laugh, and looked very serious when Harry had finished his story.

'That sounds crazy, Harry! Why did you do that?'

'I panicked,' Harry said, simply, and Ron cackled.

'You panicked, so you transfigured an engagement ring and went on one knee?'

'Well, you know, after I gave the first inkling of what was about to happen, I couldn't exactly back down now, could I? I would have made a fool out of Hermione and her parents!'

Nicky looked sweet but concerned.

'Did she say yes?'

'Of course she did,' Ron replied, before Harry could.

'What do you mean, "of course she did"?' Harry replied, confused. 'If we hadn't been keeping up appearances, she would have surely turned me down-...'

Ron and Nicky shared a knowing look and that didn't agree with Harry at all.

'You think she wouldn't have?'

'Mate, there's a reason why I was so jealous of you and Hermione, all the bloody time,' Ron stated. 'There's a reason why Cho, and Rita Skeeter, and Krum, and you know, half of our school thought you and her had something funny going on. Because, the truth is, for years you and her did have something funny going on. It's just that you're both too bloody stubborn to do anything about it.'

'Are you saying that Hermione has feelings for me?' Harry pressed. 'Because-...'

'Absolutely,' Ron interrupted. 'And that you return them.'

'I don't!' Harry yelped. 'I never have! We are friends, Hermione and I, just really good, really close-...'

'You are so close it's frightening,' Ron went on. 'I always felt like a third wheel for most of the part because you know, I was. Hermione and I never had the connection that you and her have. I realized that when she stayed with you in the tent, during the hunt. It was always bigger than whatever was going on. She would have always picked you. Always. I blamed her back then, but it's very obvious actually. She cares about you more than she cares about her own sake. And you repay that. I'm sure if it would have been the other way round, you would have picked her over Ginny. Always.'

'That's not fair,' Harry argued. 'Me and Ginny were more pals than lovers-...'

He had spoken the sentence before he realized what it meant. Ron and Nicky shared that look again.

'I don't mean it like that,' Harry sputtered. 'I mean that... Of course I care about Hermione! But like a sister, I've known her for so long.'

'I would report myself to the authorities if me and Ginny were that close,' Ron grinned. 'You and Hermione are not like siblings, mate. Me and Hermione - yeah. The constant bickering and fighting. Not you two. You two are so much more than that. She always gravitated towards you: all the big gestures, everything she did, it was always for you. And you have always taken care of her, haven't you?'

Harry thought for a moment, as Nicky began to cut her freshly baked cake.

'That smells delicious, Nick, thanks,' Ron said softly, as he kissed her on the lips. 'Lemon custard?'

'Your favorite,' Nicky replied and Ron smiled. It all went over Harry's head - the cogs in his head turning like clockwork. Was Ron right? Had he felt... More, towards Hermione, than just friendship? Maybe... He certainly loved her, deeply, but he loved many people. Like Ron, Nicky, Ginny, Neville, Luna - Harry loved all of his friends, and he would go through hell and back to help them out. But isn't Hermione a separate category in that? A voice teased. Isn't she the most special, the most treasured? Won't you always go the extra mile to please her, to be with her? Harry badly wanted to ignore that voice in his head, but it popped in another, infuriating question. And what about that kiss?

No, Harry did not want to think about that kiss. That wonderful kiss, the first, that had lingered on his mind for two days now. Everywhere he went, at some point of the day, those damned lips would pop into his mind. Their touch, their taste. He wanted those lips again. He wanted them again, badly. So badly that he thought he would go completely mad.

But Harry wouldn't be Harry if he didn't decide to bury all of those feelings and stick them away, somewhere in a far, dusty corner of his mind. They were too much, too complicated. And he knew Hermione through-and-through as well: if she was a pro at anything, burying and ignoring her feelings were on top of that list. It was too hard to face right now, so the kiss would definitely not be something they would talk about. Besides, it was Ron who said this. Ron was a great friend, but he was still a bloke, and not the brightest or most tactful one either. His observations were probably wrong, very wrong indeed, he convinced himself.

Very wrong. Nothing to worry about. Hermione and I will just have to power through this absolute mess, Harry thought. Just do some damage-control and we'll be fine. You'll see, Harry, you'll be eating sushi again and banter like old friends in no time.

He hated lying to himself, but over the years, he had gotten damn good at it.

'Do you want a slice, Harry?'

Harry nodded and took a bite. Absolutely delicious, like always. Nicky had started a pastry shop in Diagon Alley, thanks to a loan Ron had given her out of the Weasley's Wizard Wheezes's fund, and it was booming. Last year she had been able to hire two new assistants to keep the shop open, so she was able to go as she pleased - Ron had felt so pleased with that, because it meant she was able to accompany him on a lot of his trips now.

'I'm just going to have lunch with Hermione again, tomorrow,' Harry decided. 'Then we're gonna talk about it. I'm sure we'll figure it out.'

'No galleon for you yet, Ron,' Nicky quipped. Harry tried not to let it bother him as he wolfed down the remainder of his pie.

Harry hadn't been able to sleep that night, and on top of that he had been useless at work. He was filing - the favorite part of his job (NOT), and it took him four hours to realize he had been putting all the B-related files (Banshee-sightings, Be-headings, Bewitchment, Burglaries, etc.) upside down in the filing cupboard.

Grumpily he went to the right floor and Hermione's secretary Mimsy allowed him to walk through straight away. He hesitated for a moment and did a double take before knocking at Hermione's office door. He did not want to have this conversation. He wanted to run away, owl Hermione that "something had came up" instead, but he knew that he needed to talk with her. If he wouldn't talk with her now, he would talk with her never, and he didn't want to lose her over something so bizarre. Right. Here went nothing.

'Come in,' her voice sounded, muffled because of the door, and he slowly opened it, to reveal Hermione's office. Her face was friendly, but changed when she saw it was him.

'Oh,' she said. Harry had never hear her react to him so coldly, at it made his heart ache.

'Ready for lunch?' he asked, ignoring her statement.

'I-... Well, I'm quite busy, but... I guess...'

'You've never skipped lunch with me,' Harry added. 'Don't start now. I wont let you.'

She grunted, sorting her papers into even piles and shook her hair.

'Alright. I'll be there in a sec.'

They walked in silence along the rainy streets of London. It was frustrating, it was painful, bit it was necessary.

'Try out Dial once more?' Harry said - his first words in ten minutes. 'They have great sandwiches.'

'Sure.'

Yikes.

When they were seated in the lunchroom, Harry took off his coat and took a deep sigh. He needed to. He couldn't do it, but he-...'

'We need to talk,' Hermione interrupted his train of thoughts. She looked sad and strict at the same time. 'We have to thank our lucky stars that none of my other relatives are wizards. If they would have been, the Daily Prophet would have had a field day.'

'I know,' Harry said.

'How could you be so stupid?!' Hermione groaned. 'I know you meant well, I swear to God, but I just need to ask you this. How on earth-...'

'I just got so angry! It was that Philip bloke...'

'I eat bullies like Philip for breakfast,' Hermione said, darkly. 'I have dealt with bullies my entire school career. I've had Malfoy call me every disgusting name in the book. I've been hexed, I've been excluded on base of my bloodstatus, on base of my sex, I was petrified by a basilisk for being who I am, for Merlin's sake. Why on earth did you get your knickers in a twist over a pathetic piece of-...'

'I didn't get my knickers, whatever... I don't even wear knickers, Hermione!'

'It's not my concern what kind of underwear you wear, Harry,' Hermione replied snidely. 'But you know what is my concern? My marital status. The whole reason I asked you to come with me was so I wouldn't get worked up over my idiot relatives calling my parents stupid names. Instead, you end getting worked up, so freaking worked up that you proposed to me!'

'You could have said no,' Harry countered. 'But you didn't do that, did you?'

'Of course I didn't!' Hermione said urgently. 'My family members were throwing themselves at your feet! I had no choice, did I?'

'It would have made you more desirable to-...'

'While they were treating you like the second coming of Jesus Christ? Please Harry...'

'Well-... well-...' Harry said stammering, thinking of other excuses. 'Then at least you shouldn't have overreacted like that. With that cooing voice of yours-...'

'I don't have a cooing voice,' Hermione jabbed. 'Don't you dare insult me like that, Potter.'

Harry saw a glint of comedic offense in her eyes and smiled mischievously. If he could make her laugh, it would make all the difference.

'"Yes, a thousand times, yes!"' he imitated her, with a high-pitched voice. '"Oh Harry-..."'

'Stop. Stop this nonsense, right now,' Hermione said, with a stern look, but Harry crooked a smile.

'"Of course, Harry! Yes, a thousand times-..."'

'"Dear, sweet Hermione, you are my one-true-love, blah blah,"' Hermione started, mimicking a lowish baritone. "'Please do me the honor of becoming my wife, you absolute miracle of birth and life-..."'

'I didn't say that!' Harry said, grinning. 'That's not fair.'

'"Having you by my side, completes me, oh Hermione!"'

'You do a very poor impression of my voice,' Harry remarked. 'And that face you're pulling... Embarrassing, really.'

'Yeah, you know what's embarrassing, Harry?' Hermione replied, in her normal voice this time. 'That car ride back to our place. That was embarrassing.'

Hermione wouldn't budge just yet, Harry realized. A waiter came to take an order and an awkward silence ensued. Hermione looked at him arrogantly, studied the menu and ordered a salmon bagel. Harry just said "same", as he and Hermione usually shared a taste, and she ordered two cappuccino.

With pursed lips he thought about that those long, long 30 minutes. Jerome and Isabelle had been over the moon at first - beaming and overjoying in the announcement of their betrothal, like any normal parent would. Then - because they were not complete idiots, like a lot of others from Hermione's family, or, just maybe, because they knew Hermione and Harry a bit better - they had decided that this had been an accident. They had played along, but Isabelle had feigned a headache and soon after the announcement they had driven back to their house in London. They had both been chewed out. Harry hadn't been scolded like that since he departed from Private Drive. With every reason of course - Hermione and he had risked the finally healing relationship of Isabelle and her mom and they had felt very guilty about it.

'Yeah, I have to admit to that. Okay, you know what? I am sorry. I really am. I was really mad and I just wanted to wipe the grin off that idiot's face. I didn't think about any consequences.'

'Naturally,' Hermione said flatly. 'Because, why would you.'

'You can call up your grandmother, and announce that you found me in the bed with three young blondes, how about that?' Harry suggested. 'Make me out to be the bad guy. Like that moronic cousin of you said - special agents do tend to have a reputation. Just paint as bad of a picture of me as you can - make me an adulterer. Say that I would hit you with the carpet-beater...'

'I'm going to do no such thing,' Hermione replied shocked. 'A carpet-beater, which decade are you living in? Muggles use vacuum-cleaners, you know that. And no, I'm not going to hurt grandma. You didn't see how happy she was.'

'You can't beat someone with an entire vacuum-cleaner,' Harry mumbled, and he got a reprimanding look from Hermione, that said: "Oh no? Try me."

'Okay, so what then? Pretend to be engaged, not let me show for any parties or whatever and just casually let it fizzle out over the next few years?'

'That's one of the options I was thinking, yes,' Hermione nodded. 'Then, of course, there's one other...'

'Like what?'

'We could... You know... Pretend like it's actually real between us. Just for those few events, of course, which will be like... Once a year or maybe twice, at most.'

Harry's eyes widened and he was speechless for a moment.

'Oh, don't look at me like that,' Hermione said, irritated. 'They absolutely adore you. Mom, dad and I never had such a laid-back evening. It was nice, you know, to not be the laughing stock for once.'

Harry still wasn't able to speak and Hermione fidgeted with her napkin nervously.

'I'm sorry for asking,' she said, after a long moment of silence, and she licked her lips. 'I shouldn't have. I know it was wrong of me to-...'

'Let's do it,' Harry said brazenly.

'What?'

'I said: let's do it. That last option. Let's do it.'

'But...' Hermione hesitated, and she looked at him insecurely. 'You-... You mean that?'

'Of course,' Harry said. 'I was the stupid idiot to cause this chaos, I'd better see it out through to the bitter end, right?'

Hermione laughed.

'It's not your fault. You were actually being really sweet, you know. Stupid, yes. But sweet. So, if you don't want to...'

'No, I won't mind,' Harry said, feeling a weird, prickling sensation in his abdomen. He tried very hard to ignore it. 'As I said: I'd love to chaperone you to those events, if it makes you feel more comfortable. You have my word on that.'

'Oh,' Hermione said, clearly relieved. 'That's... Wow. Okay. Thank you, Harry.'

Harry smiled and thanked the waiter, who put their orders in front of them.

'I have one condition,' he said, finally. 'No more "a thousand times yes, Harry". That was absolutely awful, no one's going to buy that nonsense from someone as straightforward of you.'

'Oh, I just reacted in line with your tooth-rotting proposal,' Hermione teased. 'You would have kind of fallen flat if I'd just responded with "Yeah, sure bud. Whatever."'

Harry laughed loudly and he looked at Hermione. Gosh, she was amazing. He felt weirdly culpable, knowing that the reason he said "yes" to her request so easily was because he had thought of her lips again.