A/N: Hello again! I decided to take a writing detour before I posted the sequel to Years From Now so don't hate me. I took the idea for this story from Harmony & Co.'s Tumblr account that asks for prompts. I loved the premise (see below) and thought it sounded like a lot of fun. It's going to be quick - two chapters - and I hope you enjoy!
"There's a charity bachelor's auction with Harry and Ron up for grabs. They put in some protections against sitcom shenanigans like requiring people only to bid for themselves and making sure only women under forty can bid. Hermione even promises to put in a ten galleon bid on the boys so they don't get bought for a single sickle. There's a bidding war on Harry that Hermione couldn't win even if she wanted to, and she's jealous when Harry has a wonderful time on his date." - Submitted by johnburtonlee
All's Fair (in Bidding Wars)
Chapter 1
Harry had never imagined, at any point in his life, that he would agree to women bidding on him for the chance to date him. And yet here he was.
There was more to it than that - quite a bit more - but the fact still remained. He was doing it in the name of philanthropy for a charitable foundation, but he was still doing it. And knowing that it was his charitable foundation, oddly, did not make the idea easier to accept.
At least not initially.
"An auction?" Harry pondered, gaping at everyone around the table. He was given earnest nods by the six other faces.
"Yes."
"An auction where people will bid on other people?"
"For a date, not ownership. Don't sound so dramatic, Harry." Lavender Brown advised, rolling her eyes before smiling.
"It was the fundraiser that received the most votes." Percy Weasley reported.
"I got the idea from Hermione! She was talking about a Muggle telly show she watched."
Harry frowned at the revelation, feeling irrational betrayal at his best friend's involvement.
"Please explain, because this sounds… bizarre," he stated. The others chuckled at his hesitancy. He had not been present at the meeting last month when they had originally discussed it so this concept was alarming for the wizard.
"We'll have ten to fifteen volunteers - wizards - who are willing to give some of their time to the person who offers the most money for them. There'll be a ten galleon minimum in order to bid." Andromeda Tonks shared.
"How are you going to get these volunteers?"
"Harry, dear - don't be modest. This is your foundation and you are well connected, whether you want to be or not," Augusta Longbottom cut in, sounding prim and peering at him, "I'm certain your friends and colleagues will participate for a good cause. There'll be even less trouble finding bidders!"
"And every wizard will be single, of course. No need for any mess." Susan Bones added. There were nods of assent.
"Do you have an idea of who you'd ask?" Harry wondered with an eyebrow raise.
"Of course! I made a list of 25 potentials." Lavender responded. She waved a paper at him and he appeared surprised.
"We'll vet the bidders, of course, to make sure they're safe and sane. If they want to bid, they'll have to go through a screening process." Marina Nash, a former Ravenclaw and friend of Andromeda's, remarked.
"And we won't list the names of the men in the auction when we advertise. We'll merely say some of magical Britain's finest men will be available." Percy declared.
Harry wanted to purse his lips as his aunt had done so often in the past but gestured for the list of potentials instead. Lavender passed it down and his eyes took in the multitude of names as chatter continued around him. A few Quidditch players, Ministry employees, entrepreneurs, Theodore Nott, Seamus Finnigan, Ron (Harry silently snorted; his best friend would surely participate)... He recognized a third of the men and had relationships with another third, and he was not surprised when he did not see Neville's name written down. Based on what they said about singlehood being a requirement, Neville did not qualify. He was in a serious relationship with Hannah Abbott and was two months away from proposing to the witch, the latter of which only his friends knew.
It was when Harry got to the last name on the paper that his head jerked up.
"I'm on here," he announced, his index finger pointing stubbornly to his name. There was a quiet pause while the others gazed at him.
"Well what do you expect, Harry? You're the founder and you're single. You have to be included!" reasoned Lavender. The dark haired wizard looked at his board of trustees, appearing helpless.
The Potter Foundation had been established one year after Voldemort's defeat when Harry, still recovering himself, had difficulty digesting the sheer devastation the war had wrought on British society. With the help of his older kin and his two closest friends, he started an organization that helped victims of civil unrest and war, both magical and non-magical, in many different parts of the world. Countries in Europe, Africa, Asia and Central & South America received aid from the foundation and, while young, the agency was successful in carrying out its mission and becoming increasingly well known. Grimmauld Place had been converted into the organization's headquarters and it teemed with the life of its employees, which included witches and wizards (some of whom were werewolves), squibs, and elves.
Harry was humble yet proud when it came to his foundation and he believed the board of trustees, on which he sat, was a solid bunch. Consequently, they typically only met as a group once per month as the majority of the board members had other jobs. Percy was a department head at the Ministry, Susan was an Auror, Neville was a consulting herbologist (and partial member since his grandmother would take his place when he was unavailable), and Marina helped run a family business. Harry himself worked part time for the International Magical Cooperation Department; he was at the Ministry on Monday and Wednesday, at the agency on Tuesday and Thursday, and Friday was a toss up. Andromeda, conversely, worked full time for The Potter Foundation as did Lavender, although Lavender was head of fundraising and not yet on the board. However, becoming a member was an eventual goal the young woman hoped to achieve.
Hermione also worked for her best friend's organization yet it was on a pro-bono basis, so while she could be spotted at headquarters often enough, she was not a regular like others. Her primary job was at the Ministry where she did litigation and advocacy work for underserved and overlooked people and creatures, something at which she excelled.
She also gives Lavender dodgy ideas for fundraisers! Harry thought, shaking his head. There had to be someone else who thought this idea was strange, and having to be in it in addition to the strangeness was too much for his brain at the moment.
"Andromeda?" he prompted, turning to his godson's grandmother.
"I agree with Lavender, son. I think it makes sense for you to participate," she smiled.
"You'll pull in loads of galleons for the foundation! People will fill cauldrons to the brim for the chance to go on a date with you." Susan said with a wink.
"And it goes without saying that we'll list the wizards' preferences. What gender, or genders, they're attracted to so there's no discomfort or confusion when bidding." Lavender expounded.
"Percy!" Harry uttered. He swiveled to the person with a notoriously pragmatic mind, hoping to find an ally in him.
"We talked about this at length last month during our meeting. It's sound and has the potential to garner a considerable amount of money," the red head answered. He gave an apologetic shrug.
The dark haired wizard stared at the list in front of him again with a set mouth.
"So what do you say, Mr. Potter? Are you in?" Marina posed after a moment.
"By that she means will you agree to be auctioned, because the event is happening even if you're opposed. It was a near unanimous vote." Augusta supplied, wearing a faint smirk. Harry released a prolonged sigh before he muttered:
"S'pose I don't have much of a choice, do I? Fine. I'll do it."
There was some noise of excitement from a couple of them.
"Don't you worry - it'll be wonderful!" Lavender assured, giving a magnificent grin. When she displayed that happy expression that took up the entirety of her face, the damage done by Greyback seemed pathetically infinitesimal.
"When exactly will this take place?" the dark haired young man questioned.
"Six weeks from now. It'll be a smash, you'll see!"
Harry had words for Hermione about this "smash" the next time he saw her, which happened to be the following day during their coordinated, Ministry lunch hour.
"A bidding war," he bluntly stated.
"What?" the brunette inquired, fork stopping halfway to her mouth. She gazed at him.
"The foundation's next charity event will be a bidding war. Wizards in the public eye are going to be auctioned so people can have the chance to date them for an evening."
"Really?"
"Mmm. I was told all about it yesterday during our board meeting. Apparently it was popular enough to win the majority vote during last month's meeting. Lavender's already compiled a list of possible wizards to be sold," informed Harry. Hermione laughed pleasantly while he crossed his arms.
"How interesting!" she noted.
"That's one way to describe it. You should also know that you were the inspiration for this brain child."
"How?"
"You mentioned some telly program to Lavender and she ran with it!" he relayed.
"I see…. I take it you're not keen on the idea." Hermione predicted, looking rather entertained.
"It's weird. And I'm one of the wizards being auctioned!"
"Ah, so there's your problem."
"Can you blame me?" Harry pondered in disbelief.
"No, not off principle. But it is your foundation, Harry, and I know how much you care for it," she commented, "It's for a terrific cause and featuring you would make it undeniably more successful. I know you will never embrace your fame but it's advantageous when you use it for good. I also can't imagine the board would let just anyone bid and allow such risk."
"No. They're going to screen," he grumbled, arms still folded, "And our identities won't be revealed beforehand."
"Then it sounds like they've thought this through, like they think everything through."
"So you'll really let me get on stage in six weeks and be bought? You won't agree with me that I should forgo it?"
"I have no say in this!" the witch laughed.
"You can tell the board why it's not a good idea to include me!" Harry answered.
"And why isn't it? Strictly because you don't want the attention?"
He gave a big sigh like he was suffering and then remarked:
"You're supposed to be on my side."
"You're whining." Hermione retorted, smirking. Harry made a face and she laughed.
"This is going to be an awkward hell," he predicted in a low voice after a moment.
"Well how about this, Mr. Pouty? To make the experience less awful... I'll bid on you."
The wizard peered at her shrewdly, uncrossing his arms.
"You will?"
"Of course! I'll sign up to participate. The money will go to something I care about, it'll be time won with my best friend, and I might be able to save you from a truly dreadful date. All positives," she explained.
"The minimum bid is 10 galleons. For everyone," he informed, continuing to watch her.
"Then I'll double that, at least. I know you'll be the piece de resistance; ten will get me nowhere."
A brilliant smile broke out on Harry's face after a few more seconds and he seemed to fully relax.
"Ta, Hermione! I can always count on you to help me out."
"I know. You're lucky to have me," the Muggleborn claimed with a twinkle in her eye. His smile grew, "You said it's in six weeks?"
"Yes: a Friday. The date is the next day. The first adverts will be out tomorrow," he noted.
"All right. I'm at Grimmauld tomorrow so I'll let Lavender know to count me in."
"You'll still need to be screened. Everyone knows how mental you are."
Hermione hurled something at him but he caught it, chuckling.
"Who else is being auctioned?" she inquired.
"Eh, don't want to ruin the surprise for you." Harry said.
"What? Are you nervous I'd ditch you and bid on a better option if I knew?"
"You won't get better than me and you know it, love."
He had leaned over the table to say this and flashed her a roguish grin, and Hermione froze for a tick. She knew he was being impish because he was comfortable but she still detected heat in his gaze and tone, even his damn grin, and it was enough to cause her pause, just like it did every so often during one of their playful exchanges. Hermione knew Harry well and knew where they stood with each other, but when her heart beat faster or she got that whopping feeling in her stomach from certain things he did or said, she wondered….
Six weeks later found Harry standing behind a blood red curtain, frowning. He gazed out at an impressive crowd of people sitting in golden chairs and conversing while they waited for the auction to start.
Marketing for the event had gone very well. The foundation got the eligible wizards it needed without trouble (15, to be precise) and had significantly more people request to participate than was necessary, so a cut off of attendees had been set. Harry had been approached numerous times throughout the six weeks as people expressed interest or attempted to learn which men would be involved (if he would be involved), yet it did nothing to increase his own enthusiasm for the fundraiser. He was glad for the buzz because it indicated the event would be prosperous, which would be good for his organization, but his zeal to be one of the wizards auctioned never manifested. The knowledge that Hermione was going to bid on him was all that mollified Harry, apart from the money that would be raised for The Potter Foundation, so he kept his mouth shut.
Similarly, once the brunette had learned Ron was also in the auction, she vowed to bid on him as well.
"That's our Herms - looking out for us!," the red head had stated, "But I just need you to keep things going, let the witches know I'm desirable by calling out a number here and there. I'll give you a signal to stop once I spot the one I want to go home with." Hermione had leveled him with a repulsed stare before declaring:
"Yes, please do. That way I can let her know what a brute you are!"
Like Harry had predicted, Ron was all too eager to be directly involved in the fundraiser and basked in the idea of being won by a woman. Still quite young at 24, he'd dated a healthy amount since the end of the war and was content with his casual affairs, cognizant of the fact that he did not want anything serious. His biggest commitment in life was working with George and he liked it that way for now. Harry's biggest commitment was also work but his views on dating varied from his best friend; the dark haired young man was not actively looking for romance but he would be open to embracing it if it presented itself. The issue was it had not been on the horizon for almost a year, since his 20 month relationship with a woman he'd met through foundation work had ended.
And he surely did not believe he would find romance this way: being obligated to spend time with someone in the name of philanthropy.
Harry's frown was on the verge of deepening when he saw Hermione seated among the horde of people, noticing her mane of hair before anything else. She was talking to Parvati Patil (there to support her best friend's venture by bidding) and a woman he did not recognize, and his unhappy expression transformed into a faint smile. He was actually dressed in clothing she had picked out, although it was an order that had come from Lavender. The bubbly witch had told Harry he was not allowed to choose his own attire for the night because he was likely to show up looking too casual in sneakers and jeans, so she directed him to have a woman in his life pick clothes for him or she would make a visit to his apartment and do it herself. Needless to say, Harry had gone with the first option.
"What's it look like out there?" wondered Ron, coming up behind the other wizard. Harry moved the curtain a tad so the red head could see.
"I can't believe I'm doing this," he noted.
"Too late to back out now, Potter."
"I was never allowed the chance to back out. Even Luna thought it was a good idea."
Ron laughed then said:
"It is! Being sold to good looking women who badly want to spend time with you? Can I spend all my weekends like this?"
Harry rolled his eyes but smiled a little as he let the curtain fall back.
Ten minutes later, Lavender stood on stage giving a prefatory speech about the foundation and event, and expressed gratitude to the attendees. She happily called for the volunteers to join her afterward and the crowd was allowed to see the men available for bidding for the first time. The excitement burst audibly when Harry was spotted and he kept his well practiced, cheerful expression plastered on his face, which was maintained by peeking at Hermione. She was his saving grace in so many ways and it never ceased to amaze him.
The wizards were ushered off stage relatively quickly except for the first one being auctioned, whose demographics were read to the audience. They were presented in no particular order but they knew when they would be next, and Ron was number five whereas Harry was number nine. The pureblood strode on stage when it was his time and made a joke after being introduced by his ex-girlfriend, which earned laughter from the bidders and some of the other men. His bidding lasted quite some time due to his popularity and he wore a magnetic smile the entirety of it. Hermione stopped competing at 35 galleons, sensing witches would go far beyond her offer, and Ron final's bid was for 100 galleons, a number of which he was very proud. A 26 year old Cape Verdean woman from Portugal was the victor and, by the look on the red head's face, he highly approved of her based on face value alone.
Consequently, Hermione knew she was in trouble once the bid for Ron ended. If he had gone for 100 galleons, Harry would go for even more and she would be outbid. Easily. The brunette had allotted 50 galleons for him but that would obviously not be enough. She felt a degree of anxiety as she watched the wizard after Ron be auctioned and deliberated what to do. She could Confound the other bidders but she'd sworn off doing that again for personal reasons after the debacle with Ron in sixth year. Before Hermione had even decided on a satisfying course of action on how to proceed, her other best friend was on stage and the noise of the room became fevered.
Half of Lavender's presentation of Harry was drowned out by exuberant squeals and whispers from the audience. She stated that he truly needed no introduction before highlighting some of his post-war achievements and asserting that whoever placed his winning bid would be the envy of the night. Harry tried not to turn an intense shade of red while Hermione unconsciously balled her fists and grimaced. She knew this was going to be one hell of a battle and felt like her weapons were suddenly, woefully, inadequate.
The bid for Harry was fast yet lethal. The initial offer started at 25 galleons and merely climbed rapidly from there. Parvati had her eyes on a different man but offered 40 just for the fun of it, knowing she stood no chance. Hermione shot her friend an annoyed look for contributing to the problem, but by the time she focused again the bid was already up by 10 galleons. Her first bid had been for 45 and the next figure she called was 65, yet she found herself speaking up again shortly thereafter to offer 80 just to keep up. Hermione had caught Harry's eye a couple times since coming on stage and his lingered on her at her third bid, but it was when other voices shouted higher numbers and her heart was jumping in her chest as she yelled "100!" that he stared at her.
Harry was shocked. She had offered 100 galleons for him - 100. She was willing to spend 100 galleons of her own money to save him. One hundred, of her own money! That was no amount to scoff at! As it were, it was a figure that was already surpassed by another woman calling out 110 yet Harry did not register that. He continued to peer at Hermione but also failed to register when her face fell in defeat. The Muggleborn could not offer any more money and she knew it. This was an expensive game which she had quickly been forced out of. Bluffing was not an option and continuing to play definitely was not, but she felt inexplicably crestfallen all the same.
Financially, it made little sense to pay such an exorbitant amount of galleons to spend time with Harry, something she did for free on a constant basis! She was not even supposed to think about going over her budget of 50 galleons but she had offered double, and meant it. What had happened? Hermione felt blindsided by the bidding intensity for the dark haired wizard and her own behavior, and she had to glumly sit back and watch while other witches continued the escalation.
The feeding frenzy came to a halt when a blonde witch offered 200 galleons. Harry's head whipped to her as did others, and his eyes widened at the sight of her. No one else countered her bid but the sour and upset faces of the numerous, other hopefuls were plentiful when she was announced the victor. He left the stage in something of a daze and was immediately greeted by Ron and Seamus (whom had been volunteer number three).
"It's a surprise to no one that you went for that much-" commenced Seamus.
"But to Daphne Greengrass?," Ron continued in a bewildered tone, "What the shit?!"
"I have no ruddy clue." Harry replied, appearing stupefied.
He had much to think about while the auction entered its last stage. Daphne Greengrass. She had been screened along with everyone else so she was assumed to be okay, something further supported by the fact that she had been one of the Slytherins to fight in the Battle of Hogwarts. However, Harry had not spoken to her in years, since Hogwarts, and even then it had only been sentences that he could count on one hand! Why in the world would she pay 200 galleons for a date with him? What was her motive?
And then there was Hermione. Harry wanted to groan. What had he been thinking? He should have given the brunette witch a sizable allowance of his money to bid. A few hundred galleons would have been appropriate; she would have won indisputably. It was a major oversight on his part and now he was destined to spend the succeeding evening with a former schoolmate he knew next to nothing about.
When the auction finished, the wizards and their respective bidders had a couple minutes to officially meet and schedule their dates. Besides the other volunteers and Lavender, Daphne was the first person Harry spoke to following the auction.
"Hello," he greeted as he stood in front of the former Slytherin.
"Hello, Mr. Potter," she answered, "I'm-"
"I know who you are."
Harry wasn't sure what to make of the formal address of his name, if she was being serious or facetious, so he scrutinized her a bit more as he figured what to say next. She was fetching, that could not be argued, but he surmised that reading her was not going to be an easy feat; for instance, he did not know what the expression on her face meant. She looked secretly amused, perhaps? Maybe?
"Saying congratulations to you doesn't seem to fit." Harry mentioned.
"No, it doesn't." Daphne agreed, her mouth ticking upward by a small fraction.
"S'pose I really don't know what to say, then."
"Well, we're supposed to use this time to set our date for tomorrow."
"Right, right. Yes," He cleared his throat, "Is half past six good?"
"It is. Where should we meet?" she prompted.
"Mmm… the Leaky? We'll go from there, if that's okay."
"All right. Since you get to choose the activity, may I ask where we'll be going? Or do you need it to be a surprise so you have time to think of it?"
She was insinuating he was unprepared and had nothing planned for their date, and the covert jab reminded him of her House so much he wanted to laugh. What was more, he could actually tell that she was being facetious this time.
"Surprises can be fun," Harry stated, arms crossed. He was feeling somewhat entertained himself, "I'll see you tomorrow, Ms. Greengrass." She gave him an obvious smirk and eyebrow raise before taking her leave.
Hermione approached Harry right after Daphne and most of his mood shifted. She looked disappointed and apologetic and he instinctively wanted to hug her, but something within him kept him from pulling her into his arms.
"I'm sorry, Harry. I just couldn't keep up," she said in a downtrodden tone. He stepped closer and grabbed her hand, squeezing it.
"You don't have to apologize, Hermione. It's okay; I understand. Thank you for trying," he assured.
"I should've expected that'd you go for such a high amount but it was still alarming."
"I wouldn't have wanted you to spend 200 galleons anyway. Merlin - two hundred galleons..."
"And to Daphne Greengrass!" the witch exclaimed, peering at him with a furrowed brow.
"I know. I don't have the slightest idea why she bid on me for so much." Harry noted with a shake of the head.
"Where are you going to take her? I can follow if you'd like, change my appearance."
"Just to dinner. And I can't ask more of you. You don't have to give up your Saturday evening."
"You didn't ask- I offered. Both times."
The young man smiled fondly at her and, interestingly, she thought she felt her heart swell.
"I'll be okay. But I will ask her why me, why now when we were at Hogwarts together for six years," he explained, "It's probably likely that she wants to meet for professional or political reasons." Hermione eyed him before sighing. If that were true, why didn't the blonde reach out to Harry in all the time before now? Why did she pay such a significant price for him at a public fundraising event?
"And you'll tell me what she says?" she questioned.
"Of course!"
"You'll tell me everything about the date?"
"Of course." Harry affirmed.
"Fine." Hermione uttered in a begrudging tone, earning another smile from her best friend. He squeezed her hand a second time as Ron came marching toward them, the large grin on his lips telling of how pleased he was with the woman with whom he was going out the next night, telling his best friends that they were about to hear all about his plans.
Hermione was perturbed the majority of Saturday. Quite perturbed. She got through everything she needed and wanted to do without trouble but there was an unmistakable edge. It was the worst during the evening and she knew fully well why this was so: Harry was on his date with Daphne Greengrass and Hermione was clamoring inside.
What did the other witch truly want? Was Harry enduring something terrible, or dull? What were they talking about? Could he be enjoying himself? Hermione knew she would get answers from the dark haired wizard because he'd promised but she did not know when she would get them. The Muggleborn fleetingly thought of contacting him that night around 9:30PM or 10PM before scolding herself for being too desperate. Not only was that relatively late and she didn't want to impose on him, but Harry had guaranteed he would tell her about the date so she would merely have to wait for him.
You can wait until tomorrow to hear about it. It won't kill you, she advised herself.
However, Hermione did not speak to Harry on Sunday and it only fueled her anxious agitation. It was not until Monday when they were at the Ministry together that they had the opportunity to catch up over lunch. They made a quick stop into Muggle London for food and then took it back to the brunette's office to eat. She tried to keep her impatience in check while they started on their meals, while she gazed at the top of Harry's messy head as he bent to take a bite. She had gone the entire weekend without talking to him and that fact seemed laughable, particularly because she had been starving for information from him. And he knew that!
"So," commenced Hermione, no longer willing to stay silent, "How was Saturday evening?" He nodded in understanding as he chewed what was in his mouth before responding.
"Sorry I didn't call on you yesterday. It was my day with Teddy and-" he began to explain.
"That's all right." A part of her wanted to snort in disbelief at the nonchalance. As if she had not spent the previous day gnawing at her nails in a figurative sense.
"Well, Saturday evening was… refreshing."
Harry had taken a long pause before saying the last word and Hermione's eyes widened when it hit her ears.
"Refreshing?" she repeated.
"Yeah," he confirmed with a surprised laugh, as if he was still processing it, too, "It was. It really was, Hermione."
"Oh! I… erm! So, s-so what… what happened?"
"We only went to dinner, like I mentioned, and I initially thought it wouldn't last beyond an hour, but we stayed at the restaurant for two and a half bloody hours!"
"Doing what?" Hermione stupidly asked.
"Talking. About everything. Anything! It was rather awkward at first, yes, but it turns out she's really easy to talk to. And she's snarky! I mean, that isn't so shocking, but it made it more fun to talk to her. We have the same sense of humor," reported Harry. The young woman felt like something heavy had just settled in her stomach as she peered at him.
"What'd she… what'd she say about bidding on you?"
"Ah. Yeah. Er, she told me that she actually had something of a crush on me during fifth and sixth year, but obviously couldn't act on it in any way due to who I was and how the climate had really started to change because of the war. And, truthfully, I wouldn't have given her a second thought then. Wouldn't have believed her. I would've thought it was some scheme thought up by the Slytherins to get at me."
The heaviness intensified for Hermione. Harry's cheeks had also turned red with the revelation and that did absolutely nothing to help matters.
"She fancied you," she remarked, struggling to keep her voice from sounding unpleasant.
"Unexpected, I know," he observed, shrugging in modesty. She bit her tongue to stop from saying that splurging 200 galleons on someone you had never truly spoken to was definitely one way to show it.
"Quite."
"Anyway, she works in the potion industry - we spoke about that for some time. And we talked about the foundation. She said she respects the work we do and it was a big reason why she participated in the auction."
"Yes, that and she fancied you during school." Hermione retorted. Hmm. She had been unable to stop that slip of the tongue.
Harry's expression warred between embarrassment and amusement, and he cleared his throat before speaking again.
"Er, she also told me what it was like for Slytherins who were non-Voldemort supporters, told me about her family, and we talked about Quidditch," he shared.
"Don't tell me - she loves it." Every woman Harry dated loved Quidditch.
"Not particularly. She appreciates the idea of it but thinks it's barbaric in play."
"I see," Hermione noted. Well she could agree with the other woman about the game's vicious nature.
"She's smart. She reminded me of you at times. I think you two might get on," the wizard commented. They might get on? If what? Baffled, she simply upheld a smile because she did not know how to respond to this statement.
"I-It sounds like it was a refreshing evening, then!" Hermione claimed moments later.
"Yeah. It didn't go how I thought it would and I'm glad. It was better."
The heaviness in her abdomen stirred, reminding her of its presence.
"Then I'm happy you had a good time. I was worried about that," the witch promptly said. Harry flashed her a quick grin.
"Me too," he attested, "And I think we both had a good time because she gave me permission to owl her."
"She did?"
The question sounded very squeaky to her ears and she knew she was staring but she could not help it. The shocks kept piling on!
"Uh huh. When we'd finished eating and were outside the restaurant. She said that if I wanted to continue any of our conversations on another day, I could send her an owl. Said that she'd… she'd look forward to it."
It was quiet. Harry's bashfulness got to him and he busied himself with his food, looking away, but Hermione continued to gaze at her best friend. The heaviness felt like it had spread over her entire body. She wanted to know if he would take the blonde up on her offer and contact her. She wanted to know badly but she was too frozen to ask.
"Will you?" Hermione inquired at last in a stoic voice. She pushed at her own meal but was not interested in it.
"I dunno. I think I might," he relayed. He kept his eyes on his lunch but wore a tiny smile.
She closed her eyes briefly. That did not mean anything important. That did not mean anything important. He and Daphne could very well start a friendship, which would be perfectly okay! Repeating this in her head, the Muggleborn opened her brown orbs. She had asked Harry to tell her all about the date but now it seemed like a storm for which she had not been prepared. It was a thunderstorm with rain that had interrupted over her sunny, mild day and left her soaked.
Having nothing more worthwhile to say, and urgently needing to change the subject, Hermione pondered:
"Have you talked to Ron yet? Did he tell you how his date went?"
Green eyes rose to meet hers again.
"Not yet. I sent him a Patronus earlier to come over tonight. Have you?" Harry countered.
"No. I was busy myself yesterday," she announced. Yes, busy worrying and wondering about his date.
"Well come over when he does and we can hear all about it."
She gave a tight smile and picked at her food more with admirable concentration. The silence returned but they had switched roles; Hermione was now the one avoiding eye contact while he studied her face and appraised her. He had been curious about something since Friday night but hadn't the opportunity to discuss it before now because they had not spoken since then. This was as perfect a time as any.
"So… you bid 100 galleons on me before you had to stop." Harry slowly pointed out. That got her attention.
"Yes," she said, peering at him in an astute manner.
"You said you were willing to spend 50."
"Again, yes."
"That's quite the difference," he stated in the same, careful tone.
"And that means?..." Hermione prompted.
"Well, it's just, you know, 100 is twice as much as your budget was. You were only going to do 50 but you got up to 100. That seems... I dunno. Important. "
She felt herself flush. Oh dear. What was this about?
"It's, it's clear why I did, Harry. I told you after the auction! Women were shouting out increasingly high numbers and doing it quickly. I had to keep up!" she rationalized.
"Sure, I get that. But even so - why didn't you stop at 50 like you'd planned?" he posed.
Why do you want to know? Why are you making something out of this?! her brain frantically retorted. The truth was Hermione did not have an answer for him - not one she had thought through, anyway. She had been confused herself on Friday evening when she'd gone well over her allotment for the fundraiser.
"You didn't have to bid that much because it's… it's not like you were serious about trying to win the date with me, yeah?" Harry added when she did not verbalize anything. Oddly enough, he was staring at her attentively and had leaned forward.
She, conversely, could not take the scrutiny or the direction this topic had taken. She felt hot all over under his gaze and knew she was on the verge of blushing profusely. She had to put a stop to it all.
"I-I got caught up. I wanted to, to save some face - as your best friend. I couldn't let strangers show me up." Hermione attested.
The words sounded wrong as they came out of her mouth. Perhaps there was a nugget of truth in them somewhere but they were not honest. Not really. They were fake and she wanted to take them back right away, but it appeared as though Harry had accepted them because his shoulders slumped slightly and he pulled his body back, molding against his chair once more.
"Right," he said on an exhale, peering at his lap, "Makes sense."
If Hermione did not know any better, she would have sworn there was disappointment in Harry's posture and voice, but analyzing his emotional state was far beyond her capacity at the moment when she herself was trying to understand how this whole conversation had led her to feel confused, unsettled, and maybe just the tiniest bit... jealous?
