The next morning, Jenny stayed true to her word and called me before work to grab coffee. As much as I wanted to hear about her night, I also sort of didn't. Harry had looked at her the way I'd always dreamed he would look at me, and that was tearing me apart.
I'd probably gotten two hours of sleep, so I was planning on ordering the largest cup of coffee with a double shot espresso from my favorite coffee shop. t I grabbed my bag and looked in the mirror, giving one last check for bags under my eyes. Jenny was just leaving her flat as I was locking my own door.
"Good morning!" she said cheerily.
"Morning," I said, trying a little too hard to match her bright tone.
When Jenny noticed me, she frowned a bit. "Are you okay? You look like you barely got any sleep last night."
She wasn't wrong, but I didn't really want her knowing the reason why. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just some insomnia was all," I lied.
We left the building and walked down the street toward my favorite coffee shop. Jenny was chattering on about how she needed to unpack and attempt to get some laundry done today. "Maybe I'll even take a nap this afternoon as a reward," she added.
I wished I could take a nap. Hopefully I wouldn't fall asleep and drool all over my desk. That was the last thing I needed: Harry walking in and seeing me like that.
After we picked up our coffees and sat down at one of the small tables, I noticed Jenny was picking at her nails. She was probably waiting for me to ask about how her night was. I knew I was going to find out one way or another, so I took the bait.
"So, how was the rest of your night?" I asked casually.
Jenny broke out into a wide grin. "It was amazing! Harry took me to this posh restaurant where we ordered drinks and split an appetizer, and then he invited me back to his place. I didn't get home until four, but I've just been so wired that I haven't slept."
"You're this awake and you haven't slept at all?" The words slipped out of my mouth before I could stop them.
Jenny smirked. "It's funny. I've always heard about how 'when you know, you know,' but I never believed all of that rubbish. Yet last night, with Harry, things just made sense! He was so easy to talk to, and things felt different with him than the other blokes I've seen."
"O-oh, well that's good, isn't it?" I asked, trying to sound pleased for her.
"He's not normally my type, you know, the quiet, brooding kind, but there's something mysterious about him that makes me want to go back for more."
"Yeah, I guess he is," Hermione said, trying to keep the bitterness out of her voice.
"Tell me everything you know about him," Jenny begged. "I want to learn more!"
I took a long sip of my coffee before responding. As much as I didn't want to share that with her, I couldn't resist talking about him. "Well, he's such an inspiration! His parents died when he was a baby, so he was taken in by his Godfather, who was then murdered when he was fifteen. He worked really hard at school to fit in and make a name for himself that wasn't necessarily tied to his parent's horrific car accident."
"Oh, my God, I had no idea," Jenny said as her hand covered her mouth in shock.
I nodded. "They got into a car crash when he was one, and they both died on impact, but he was fine in the backseat. Everyone called it a miracle given the state of the car. He doesn't like to talk about it, so I wouldn't bring it up unless he does," I added.
"Noted," Jenny said as she nodded. "What else?"
Hermione took another sip as she thought. "Well, he dropped out of college, and used his inheritance to start the company. Harry worked as a temp for a major publishing company, saw how ruthless they were to many authors, and decided he wanted to help. It was either that or go into law enforcement. I personally think he's happier here, but every now and then his reckless need for adventure strikes."
"He likes adventure? What does he do when the urge kicks in?" Jenny asked with rapt attention.
"He'll volunteer with the local police department. He got to know some of the detectives there when they were investigating his Godfather's murder. Harry likes to help out with various neighborhood watch programs, too, and becomes a bit obsessed with helping solve the smaller cases."
"This is so fascinating! I would have never guessed that about him. What about some of his random interests and likes?" Jenny pressed on.
"Harry loves treacle tart, he adores his dog Padfoot, and he plays for an amateur football league in his spare time. Did you two even talk last night?" I asked, surprised that she was asking me about him.
"There wasn't really much time for talking," Jenny chuckled.
"Right," I said. I was pretty sure my voice sounded hollow as my heart dropped into my stomach. It looked like they were intimate.
"Harry wants to have lunch today, so now I'll have things to talk about with him!"
That was peculiar. Why wouldn't they have other things to talk about? Wasn't she going to talk to him about her own life? "What do you mean? Surely, you'd have your own stories and experiences to share?"
"Oh, yeah, I do, but I'm more interested in him! It's not often I meet a man who isn't shallow and full of lies. Harry seems like the real deal. Someone I've been waiting my whole life for!" She seemed to be dodging my question about herself, just like she did whenever I asked anything too personal. It didn't sit well with me.
"Ha, yes, your whole life for…" I echoed. "But won't you have to leave in a few months for work?"
"Maybe," she said in a noncommittal tone. "I was thinking of making a career change soon, so maybe now would be an opportune time if I've found someone to settle down with! That way I could finally stay in London."
My mind was feeling rather fuzzy, and I was realizing I needed to get out of there. I was holding onto the hope that this would be a fling because Jenny would ultimately have to leave again, but even that was looking grim judging by the way she was talking. I checked my watch. "Oh, no! I'm going to be late if I don't get going. I'm so happy things worked out for you last night! You'll have to let me know how today goes," I told her as I stood up and gathered my things.
"Okay! Tell Harry I said hi, will you? I promise we'll catch up later!" she flashed me a genuine smile as I returned it with a half smile of my own and escaped toward the exit.
I tried my best to shake the conversation from my mind and not worry about it as I walked into the office. This wasn't something that was worth fixating on, so I focused on my work to distract me. After verifying the to-do list that I left on my desk the day before, I pulled out my Filofax, wanting to double check that I hadn't missed any appointments.
What I found instead was that the red headed pain in my arse decided to defile the one thing that held my entire life. "I'm going to kill him," I said under my breath as I ferociously flipped through each page of my Filofax.
I grabbed my phone with a little too much force and punched the numbers into the keypad before holding the handset up to my ear and waited as I listened to the ringing.
"Weasley," he answered. Why did he always have to sound so buggering cocky?
"Not only did you read my Filofax, but you defiled it with your name and number as well? What is wrong with you?" So much for attempting to begin a civil conversation.
"Hey, you got my message!" Ron responded in a disgustingly cheerful voice.
"How could I not? You seem to have penciled yourself in on all my Fridays for...oh, let's see, the rest of the year!" I scoffed. "What do you want?"
"A drink. That's all I'm asking for," he said simply.
"Yes, well, that's never going to happen so you're going to have to get over it."
"Well, the offer stands if you're ever looking to meet up with someone who doesn't want to talk about tulle and event menus."
I laughed derisively. "Thanks, but no thanks. Goodbye, Ron." I slammed the phone down on the hook before he had a chance to respond.
The nerve of him! I was beginning to regret that he was the one who helped me come to after my fall last weekend. For once, I wished it was Lavender who was there to help. I closed the planner and shoved it in my bag as I did my best to get through the rest of my day distraction-free.
~o~
The next few days dragged on, and the reminders of Jenny seeing Harry were enough to make me want to bang my head against my desk and smash my computer in. Harry never returned after lunch on Tuesday, and when I walked into his office on Wednesday, a new frame made its home on his desk. Inside was a picture of him with her. I thought that was fast, but I wasn't about to say it out loud.
Jenny came in Wednesday afternoon and hung out in Harry's office, learning all the ins and outs of his job, which I guess was nice. I could keep tabs on them and knew that at least they weren't having sex in his office. The downside was I couldn't get my own work done since I was too distracted by their vomit-worthy cuteness through the windows that connected the two spaces.
Thursday evening I came home from my seminar and had the unfortunate experience of running into them snogging outside Jenny's door. I was mortified and just wanted to get inside my own flat without being caught. It didn't happen, though. I dropped my keys as I fumbled with getting them in the lock, which broke the pair out of their passionate embrace. Harry made some awkward comment about not realizing I lived so close. Thankfully the walls were thick so I didn't have to listen to them doing things all night.
Work used to be a comfort for me and I couldn't wait to get to my job every morning, but this week flipped everything upside down. I just wanted to get to the weekend where I could distance myself from them. That hope was short lived though when I saw Teddy running into the office.
"Hermione!" he shouted when he saw me.
"Hey, Teddy!" I said as I gave him a hug. Teddy Lupin was Harry's 'little brother'. He'd been paired with the teen through his volunteer work at the Boys and Girls Club, and it'd been a perfect match.
"Are you ready for the game?" I asked him.
Teddy was dressed in his football jersey, and I knew he was waiting for Harry to take him to the sports complex where he played during the summer season. Harry never missed a game.
"Yeah! I've got a good feeling about today. I really think we're going to win. Harry promised to run some drills with me before the game starts. Where is he anyways? He said he wanted me to meet someone." Teddy looked at me quizzically.
"I think he's in his office. Let's go see!"
I walked next door and sure enough, Jenny was in his office, and they were making eyes at each other. Knocking on the door to break them up, I announced Teddy's arrival. I watched as Harry rushed over.
"Teddy! Hey, bud. There's someone I want you to meet. This is Jenny," Harry introduced the beautiful redhead that was standing to his side.
"It's nice to meet you, Teddy," Jenny said with a warm smile.
"Hey. Are you Harry's girlfriend?" he asked unabashedly.
Jenny laughed. "I am. So, you play football?" she asked interestedly.
I watched as Teddy nodded. I was surprised to see Jenny so friendly towards him. She did not seem like the type to like kids, but she seemed really genuine. It made me wish I knew her better than I did; not that I hadn't tried, which made me wonder how open she was with Harry.
We arrived at the sports complex, and Jenny and I settled on the stands while Harry went to the field to warm up with Teddy. Harry wasn't the coach, but he helped out and hosted clinics for the kids from time to time. He always looked so young and carefree when he was playing football, and I loved that about him.
"Harry is absolutely everything I could have ever dreamed of in a man. Have I thanked you for introducing us? Because I feel like I owe you my life," Jenny told me.
Great, she's falling in love with him. I felt my grip on reality slip even further, and I was clutching to a nonexistent hope that this wasn't going to last.
"It's...nothing," I said. Deciding to change the subject, I asked, "What do you think about Teddy? Isn't he great?"
"He's the coolest teenager I've ever met! He seems like he's got a good head on his shoulders," Jenny commented as they watched.
"He's an orphan too, you know. I think that's why Harry hit it off with him. They've got a lot in common. If he could adopt Teddy, he would in a heartbeat. I wouldn't be surprised if he's trying to make that happen."
"I think that would be great for both of them!" Jenny said sincerely.
"Do you want a big family someday? Lots of kids?" I asked her, trying to learn a little bit more about her background.
"Kids, yes. A lot? No. I don't want to subject my own future family to a life like that. I know what it's like," she said as her voice trailed off.
Before I could ask her what she meant by that, Harry was waving over to us, signalling for Jenny to join them. As she ran over, I pondered her answer. It implied she had a larger family than she let on. I only knew about the one brother in London, whom I'd never met in the five years I'd known her, and she rarely talked about her parents. Though I was pretty sure they were both alive and well.
I watched as Jenny interacted with Harry and Teddy. I saw her shake her head at something they said, and then it looked like they were teaching her certain moves. That completely baffled me. I thought she told me she was an athletic football trainer. What did she say when I'd asked her about it? That's right! She said 'something like that.' Something strange was going on here, and I was starting to develop a bad feeling about it.
I shook my head. No, I wasn't going to let myself go there. Not yet, at least. I needed more concrete evidence first. That's what I resolved to as Harry and Jenny came back over and we settled in to watch the game.
~o~
Luna's wedding was Saturday, so the reprieve I was hoping to find from Harry and Jenny was delayed, and now I'd only have Sunday to pretend my life was what it had been a week ago. Lavender and I were both in the wedding, so we were dressed in bright yellow evening gowns because Luna believed the colour should be a vital part of weddings since it's supposed to bring happiness to the newlyweds.
The dresses were made of a polyester material for the long, flowy skirts, and the upper half was a delicate floral lace pattern. The neckline was strapless, with flutter sleeves that were off the shoulder.
"I still can't believe we have to wear these dresses," Lavender hissed as I was pinning the sunflower to her hair.
"They're not terrible," I told her.
"Oh, so you don't mind looking like a hippie? And this color! I'm completely washed out and look sick. I'd take that taffeta lilac dress any day," she continued complaining.
"It's not your day, it's Luna's," I reminded her. "Now come on, we've got an aisle to walk down." I shoved her bouquet in her hands as we lined ourselves up for the procession.
While we were standing by Luna's side during the ceremony, I couldn't help that my eye was drawn to where Harry and Jenny were sitting. They were smiling and whispering things to each other.
I tried so hard to pry my eyes away, but I couldn't stop staring. It was becoming harder and harder to keep a smile on my face. Lip reading was not my forte, but I was certain I just saw Harry mouth 'I love you.' My suspicion was confirmed when I saw Jenny's look of surprise before she grinned and said it back to him.
I knew my smile had faltered, but there was nothing I could do to fix it, and I prayed the photographers weren't flashing any pictures. Thankfully Lavender also witnessed the same thing, no doubt following my gaze to see what was upsetting me. I caught her disgusted look out of the corner of my eye, and that helped me fake a smile through the rest of the night, no matter how much I was hurting on the inside.
~o~
I was wrapping up at the office late on Wednesday night. I had a couple of manuscripts that I needed to drop off on Harry's desk and then I could go home to relax with a glass of wine. I slung my bag over my shoulder and walked over to Harry's office, setting the manuscripts down on the corner of his desk.
As I was about to head back out the door, I noticed something sticking out from under another folder that was splayed on his workspace. Moving the folder, I realized it was his wallet. I quickly scanned his desk calendar and saw that he was having dinner with Jenny at Valentini's. It was still early, but I figured I could meet him there. I was sure he'd need it, after all.
When I got to the restaurant, I entered to find it completely empty. I looked around, thinking I'd gotten the day or time wrong, but then I saw Harry. A quartet started playing Italian music at my arrival, and Harry turned around with an excited, anxious look on his face.
After seeing me, he made a 'cut' motion with his hand and said, "No, guys, she's not the one."
The music immediately stopped and the musicians reset themselves as I looked around in shock. "Hermione, what are you doing here?" Harry asked, snapping me back to reality.
"Y-you forgot your wallet," I said as I walked forward, my arm extended to hand it to him.
"Oh, er, thanks." He didn't seem concerned in the slightest as he tucked it into his jacket pocket.
"I'm sorry. I should go—" I turned around and walked a few paces when Jenny came around the corner.
"What's going on?" she asked.
"That's her! She's here, she's the one," I heard Harry say from behind me.
Immediately, the music began playing and a banner was dropped that read, 'Will you marry me?' Padfoot came from who knew where with a small box tied to his collar. This couldn't be happening.
I tried to shrink away and hide, but somehow I couldn't escape. I looked back and forth from Harry, who had extricated the box from the dog and gotten on one knee, to Jenny, who looked like she was in complete shock.
"Jenny, I know it's only been a few days, but you're everything I've ever hoped for, and I just know you're the one for me. I can't imagine my life without you. Maybe this is rushed, but I've waited long enough to find you. Will you marry me?"
"Yes, of course!" I heard Jenny say as her head was nodding vigorously.
I watched as Harry stood up and slid the enormous solitaire diamond onto her finger and they shared a tender moment. I thought I was going to vomit. I needed to get out of there.
"I'll see myself out," I mumbled. "Congratulations, both of you. I'm so happy for you," I said as I side stepped myself away.
My feet carried me out of the restaurant, and I stopped at the edge of the sidewalk to lean against a streetlight. Harry and Jenny were engaged after only knowing each other for less than two weeks. How was I still desperately waiting and hoping for my own love story to begin, when Jenny's had fallen right into her lap without even looking. And to the man I was determined was meant to be mine! Everything around me was crumbling, so I did the only thing I could think of that might help take some of the pain away.
I needed someone who wasn't privy to the situation. Who wouldn't judge me for being heartbroken over a man who never gave me the time of day. So, I opened my Filofax and pulled out my phone to dial the number that was written like graffiti over every page. He answered after four rings.
"Hello?" There was an air of formality in his voice that I wasn't used to.
I took a deep breath and hoped I wouldn't regret this. "So, about that drink…"
