All's Fair (in Bidding Wars)

Chapter 2

Hermione was an analytical person at heart, so that she meticulously evaluated her conversation with Harry about his date with Daphne, and more importantly her feelings during it, went without saying. Consequently, it took her less than a week of mental examination to come to a clear realization about the entire affair, about herself and about him.

It was Friday morning when Hermione came to understand that she had feelings for Harry - that she had romantic feelings for her best friend.

They'd gotten lost amidst the multitude of feelings she had for him just as his friend. They were so complementary and interchangeable with the platonic feelings that Hermione had not consciously noticed them! She cared about him, had things in common with him, always had his well being and best interest in mind, loved spending time with him, was incredibly comfortable with him, knew him like no one else and, admittedly, thought he was especially good looking (and really - those eyes and that hair? How could she not)! That her feelings had bled beyond their chaste boundary after 13 years was no great mystery.

It was undoubtedly surprising for Hermione to reach this conclusion but not as much as she would have thought. It was not shocking, unbelievable or even upsetting, and by mid afternoon on Friday she'd accepted it. It was obvious now: her willingness to spend 100 galleons in the auction so she could secure the date with him. The newfound part of her that carried the romantic feelings had wanted to revel in the fact that it was labeled and recognized as a date, and see if Harry would recognize it, too.

It seemed… right. Recognizing the full scope of her feelings for him seemed right (and even put a nervous but bright grin on her face whenever she thought of it). By Saturday, Hermione wanted to tell someone the news; it seemed too consequential to contain! She was smitten with Harry! However, the revelation was brand new so she surmised that she would sit with it longer by herself, to feel confident in it, while she decided whom to share with. In the meantime, it would be her private little secret that made her feel giddy and hopeful.

Coincidentally, Harry had big news during that week as well. He revealed that he sent Daphne an owl after work on Wednesday that claimed he had many lingering thoughts about one of their date conversations, and he would not be able to sleep properly if he could not share them with her, should she be willing to listen. The blonde witch happily accepted his tongue in cheek way of asking if she wanted to meet with him and replied the next evening, claiming that she would hate for him to lose precious sleep and noting that parks and wine were excellent mediums for getting pesky thoughts out of one's head. Daphne added that she knew of a wonderful park and was free Tuesday if Harry was, and if he could find a wonderful bottle of wine to join them.

Hermione discovered all of this on Saturday when she, Harry and Ron met at a pub for drinks. The dark haired wizard delivered the news in an enlivened tone and Ron was as pleased as punch with the development. He remarked that Harry was overdue to have a beautiful witch in his life again and joked that they could double date, as he was also continuing communication with the Cape Verdean woman who had bid on him. Hermione, on the other hand, was not excited for their mutual best friend like the red head was. She felt like she'd been punched in the gut, truthfully. It was the day after her exciting epiphany and now it felt like it had been trampled by a giant. The excitement had been taken from her.

When the wizards turned expectantly to her for her reaction, she froze. What was she to say at this moment? She was struggling against a jarring situation, and emotions, she had not anticipated. Be a supportive best friend. Be a supportive best friend! the brunette instructed herself. You encouraged him to be in the auction and this is the outcome! You can't sulk now! Did you not consider that he could have a good time with his date and hit it off?

No. Hermione honestly had not considered that. Harry had been so adverse to participating in the event that the possibility of him enjoying himself had not crossed her mind, and now that it was the reality she was not prepared for it. However, she reminded herself that someone who did not have feelings for their friend would not be upset if this friend had a successful date, and for all Ron and Harry knew she was that someone. As such, Hermione fixed her face, tried on a supportive smile, and lied that she was glad Daphne was worth a second date. She wore this supportive mask for the rest of the outing, although she did get caught in her head and speak a little less, but she ripped the mask off the second she got home. She fell onto her bed and buried her face in the pillows, telling herself it was much too early to cry over the matter.

Hermione avoided Harry as much as would go unnoticed in the days that followed. She did not trust that she had full control of her emotions so she chose to stay away from him. The pair typically had lunch together on Monday but she had her department's secretary tell him that she was too inundated with work to be able to meet when he showed up to collect her. On Tuesday - the day Harry was supposed to see the woman who didn't blink an eye at spending 200 galleons on him - Hermione had an interesting encounter with Dean Thomas that helped keep her mind off her best friend's date. They ran into each other on a 15 minute break at the Ministry (since he worked in the Auror Department as a forensic artist) and took tea together. He brought up a topic that he'd mentioned to her before and this time she was more apt to listen. Dean's boyfriend had a friend whom had expressed romantic interest in Hermione months previously; he was one year older than her and a Muggleborn, as well, but she'd not given it much thought at the time.

Now, however, she was lamenting over Harry's new connection to Daphne Greengrass and reminded of the fact that she'd not been romantically involved with anyone since Anthony Goldstein, and that had been 11 months ago. These two facts coupled together made her feel pathetic and daring, so when she agreed to a date with this man Dean was quite pleased, although he was ignorant of the reasons behind it. Her old schoolmate asked if she would be okay with the wizard calling on her the next day and she consented, and the development with her own dating life almost pushed her woe over Harry's from the forefront of her mind. Almost.

The friend of Dean's boyfriend, named Alexander, did in fact find Hermione right as her shift ended on Wednesday. He interrupted her day long worrying over how Harry's date had gone (she'd refused to contact Harry and find out) and they scheduled a date for Saturday evening. She felt rather hopeful for it as they departed ways because he seemed to be smart and she did feel some physical attraction to him, but it was nothing to leave her speechless or bowl her over. Regardless, the brunette thought it would be a nice change of pace from her usual routine and be a splendid distraction from how confusing her feelings for Harry had gotten lately.

Incidentally, Hermione and Harry finally crossed one another's paths on Thursday when he showed up at the Ministry. Her avoidance of him finally grinded to a halt through his machination and she saw no point in trying to keep it going. It had been five days since they'd seen one another and the wizard was quick to point that out as they settled in for lunch.

"It feels like I haven't talked to you in ages! We haven't seen each other since Saturday," he mentioned, peering at her, "I thought we'd have lunch on Monday, like usual, but you -"

"I was busy, yes. I'm sorry I couldn't let you know earlier," she replied in an unconscious, somewhat formal tone, "It is a bit odd to see you today since you work at the foundation on Thursdays."

"I only nipped away for lunch, and I wanted to see you. I would have tried for lunch with you yesterday when I was here but I was under a pile of work then."

"Well we both know that happens. It's all right."

"True. But I'm glad we caught one another today," Harry attested. Hermione felt her heart start to swell at the repeated message of his desire to see her, "Plus, I wanted to tell you about my date with Daphne on Tuesday." She felt the swell immediately pop and deflate but did a spectacular job of keeping it from showing on her face.

"Oh. Yes, you did see her again, didn't you?" the witch posed, adopting the formal voice once more. He gave another nod, beginning to smile.

"She wanted to see the foundation's headquarters so we went and I gave her a tour. Andromeda took to Daphne right away and Lavender was as smug as Malfoy to see her; I think she felt vindicated. She probably thought that the charity event - an event I'd gripped about - helped me with my tragic love life, or some rot like that."

"I can imagine."

Hermione felt desolate at hearing that Andromeda had immediately liked the blonde (a Slytherin connection?) and alarmed, maybe halfway panicked, that Harry'd referenced his love life. Is that where Daphne was being placed? Into his love life? Already? Was it that promising?!

"Afterward, we went to a park for a couple hours to drink wine and talk," added Harry.

"You stopped working for a date?" she questioned after taking a silent, deep breath. She raised an eyebrow.

"I'm the boss. I can do these things on occasion."

This was a quip and he was smiling but she did not mirror his amusement. Instead, she uttered:

"I suppose you can."

A stilted silence emerged in which Harry looked at her in mild concern but she wore a placid expression and tended to her food.

"It was great, overall. It was even better than our dinner together," he reported, scratching nervously at his neck.

"That's good." Hermione answered in a tone to match her countenance. Consequently, the wizard stared at her as his concern and confusion grew. Something was not right and it was evident in her reactions.

"Er, are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Why do you ask?" She peered at him as she said this. Harry's brow turned down as he gazed back before he gave a small shake of his head and tried a different route.

"Well, erm... what are you doing in the next few days?" he pondered.

"Work, of course," Hermione answered, "Oh - and I have a date on Saturday."

"What?"

The brunette was thrown by the rapid, cutting tone of his voice and how his stare had become bewildered.

"What what?" she wondered, looking at him in a calculated manner.

"You have a date?" Harry questioned.

"Yes. Richard - Dean's boyfriend's - has a friend called Alex. We scheduled it yesterday."

"How'd that come about?"

"Dean told me that Alex had asked about me again and I thought I'd give him a chance." Hermione relayed.

"When is it?" the wizard demanded.

"Saturday."

There was a long pause during which a distinct frown made its home on his face then he was asking:

"Why didn't I know about it?"

"I'm sorry?" she uttered, appearing as baffled as he'd been.

"Why didn't I know about it?" repeated Harry.

"Well, like you said, Harry, we haven't seen in each other in days -"

"That doesn't mean you can't owl or fire call me!"

Hermione's lips pursed at the interruption and she gazed at him, feeling irritated at his odd reaction.

"I didn't know it was that important," she bluntly remarked.

"Your best friend going on a date with a stranger is important. You think my dates are important," he insisted, "You wanted to know all about the time I spent with Daphne so you would think you'd return the favor!"

"I wanted to know about your first date, not the second! You came in here without hardly so much as a hello before you started on how amazing Tuesday was for the two of you. I didn't ask!"

This escaped Hermione's mouth before she had the chance to filter it and she instantly knew it was a blunder. This was apparent from how overly harsh it sounded and from the way Harry's face twisted into a blend of embarrassment, anger, and hurt; her face, by comparison, twisted with regret and a degree of mortification.

"Excuse me for thinking that you'd give a toss about something that happened to me. My mistake," he grumbled.

"No, Harry -" Hermione commenced in a worried voice.

"I won't say another word to you about Daphne or burden you with the details of any more of our dates."

"I didn't mean -"

"I'll let you finish your lunch in peace, shall I?" Harry offered, standing up. A flare of panic shot through the Muggleborn at his mention of future dates with Daphne and at his implied departure.

"Will you let me finish a sentence? Let me explain?" she pondered, her desperation making her tone sound more like impatience.

"Why?"

"Don't start to be rude, Harry."

"You started it. Not me," he pointed out. Hermione clenched her fists as anger joined her fear and regret. He was being antagonistic now and, as much as she was confused as to how things had escalated so rapidly between them, she was not going to put up with it.

"Now you're being unreasonable. Please act like an adult," she stated through grit teeth.

"You know, if this is going to turn into you scolding me then it really is best that I leave."

"Fine! Goodbye."

This was something else that slipped from her tongue without warning but she did not care at that precise moment. She was aggravated by his insolence and they glowered at one another for a tick in charged silence.

"Well I hope you have a wicked time on your date. Maybe I'll get to hear about it three years from now when you're marrying the bloke!" Harry declared before he stalked out of the room, leaving half of his food untouched.

Hermione blinked back tears for about ten minutes after his swift departure, alternating between staring at the door and his deserted meal. He seemed to have taken her anger with him when he left and all she felt now was crestfallen. How had the conversation soured so quickly?! It'd practically been instantaneous! She'd messed up by blurting out that she hadn't asked to know about his second date, surely, but Harry's reaction seemed disproportionate. He'd taken such grave offense! Hermione felt horrible, which was compounded by the fact that he'd referenced other dates with Daphne. It sounded like he planned to keep seeing her and this was the real source of Hermione's woe as the day wore on. Their fight had been unexpected and awful but so was the idea of Harry developing a romantic relationship with Daphne, the knowledge of which she'd just excluded herself from.

The brunette needed someone to speak to that evening about her distress. Ginny was traveling at the moment due to Quidditch and Ron would not understand the situation (or even get past the fact that Hermione had feelings for their best friend) so she resorted to Hannah. While she got tearful once more, being able to purge her thoughts and emotions to someone who was understanding was helpful. Hannah offered validation, yet did not push Hermione to tell Harry how she felt about him or to think of solutions for how to resolve the conflict that had been drummed up during lunch. Hermione appreciated this as she was not yet in a rational, logical place to problem solve; she simply wanted someone to wade in her emotional waters with her.

By the day of her date, the Muggleborn felt better than she had on Thursday afternoon but she remained upset - it was merely muted. She and Harry had not spoken since their fraught lunch and it continued to weigh on her mind. Accordingly, she knew it would have to be addressed soon if only for the fact that she detested tension with him because it threw her off balance. Hermione was used to prolonged bouts of conflict with Ron but not Harry. Fighting with the dark haired wizard was much more uncommon and pierced her soul in a way that she could not tolerate. She knew, however, that any resolution with him would have to wait until the start of the new week because she needed to pour her energy into her date with Alex.

Most of her positive anticipation for it had been ruined thanks to the unfortunate run-in with Harry but she was still able to enjoy their outing. She enjoyed it more than she expected, in fact. Hermione was rather distracted when it began, resigning herself to the fact that Harry may date Daphne exclusively if they kept on and wondering whether the two had kissed or snogged yet, but she was not preoccupied for most of the evening. She and Alex parted ways after nearly three hours together and the wizard left her with a kiss to the back of her hand and the declaration that he'd be happy to "do this again"; she, in turn, nodded and gave him a warm smile. She reflected on the night as she let herself into her apartment but her gentle musings were brusquely interrupted when she saw a figure - a person - seated on her couch. Hermione screamed as the man jumped to a standing position, and her wand was already rising to point at his chest two seconds later when he spoke.

"Hermione!" Harry exclaimed with raised hands. The witch's heart was pounding as she froze and took him in, took in the scene. She always left her living room lamp on when she left home so the fact that it was on had not warned her that something was out of place.

"I-I used the spare key you gave me to get in. I know you ward against Floo and Apparition when you're not home and I wasn't sure when you'd be back," he reported, peering at her. She gazed at him a bit longer but she did not drop her wand until her breathing began its descent back to normal.

"Harry," said Hermione, nostrils flaring, "That was an awful surprise to come home to."

"I know. I see that now," he commented, wincing, "I wasn't thinking. Sorry."

"How long have you been here?"

"For half an hour."

"Why are you here? Why are you in my flat?" she demanded, balling the fist that did not hold her wand. Cold anger was starting to wash over her as his presence fully settled in her mind.

"I wasn't thinking, like I said. I clearly should have done this another way… just waited until you got back. But it felt urgent, like I had to do it then - now. Oh, Merlin," rambled Harry. He raked a hand through his hair and she scrunched her face in confusion.

"I don't -"

"I needed to apologize! For our row, on Thursday? I was an arse! I'm sorry for it, for how I stormed off." There was a pause.

"Oh." Hermione said, feeling all of the tension leave her. Her shoulders dropped, her eyes widened a bit, and she took a deep inhale.

"I've felt stupid for it for two days now. Stupid and guilty. It hasn't felt good and I should've apologized sooner but… I'm an arse," he stated. There was another, brief round of silence.

"I'm sorry too. I've felt awful about it, as well, about what I said that made you upset. It wasn't very sensitive," she claimed. Harry gave a single nod, also appearing to relax.

"We both could have handled it better."

"Yes. And you're not an arse - just hot headed."

She said this with a tiny smirk and the dark haired wizard grinned at her. Hermione then closed the large distance between them, walking into the living room to be next to him. They looked at each other with their fledgling smiles. From their body language, it seemed as though they subconsciously wanted to touch in some form to signify that they'd made up but, in the end, they refrained.

"How… how was your date?" Harry inquired.

"Nice. It was nice," she shared, "Alex is nice."

"Nice enough to see again?"

"Mmm. Perhaps."

The date had been good but something had been missing. They'd had stimulating conversation, which was partially why the night went as long as it did, but Hermione did not feel the spark that usually accompanied her romantic interests. (Though, she reasoned that she could also see it developing as time passed if they moved forward). Harry looked at the carpet and nodded.

"I was out with Daphne tonight," he mumbled. That familiar, hard jolt returned to rankle her heart but she did her best to not succumb this time. She had to accept this. She had to support Harry.

"Oh? Third date?," the brunette pondered. She received another nod, "How'd it go?" His head rose to meet her gaze once more.

"She ended it early."

"Really? What happened?"

"She could tell I wasn't present with her, not really. Not mentally. She called me on it," informed Harry. Surprise hit Hermione with his assertion.

"Why were you distracted? Because of our fight?" she asked.

"A bit, yeah. But it was mostly because I couldn't stop thinking about the fact that you were on a date."

They stared at each other. Her surprise had evolved into shock and it showed all over her face, rendering her speechless, whereas he peered at her ardently. Okay… Hermione did not want to jump to conclusions here but why would Harry ruminate over that?

"Going out with her tonight wasn't a good idea. I couldn't get you - your date - off my mind. Not since Thursday when you told me," he professed, "At first it only bothered me but then it grew, and before I could wrap my head around why I realized that I hated it. It bothered me that I didn't know but I hated the thought that you were dating someone. I hated that it wasn't me."

Hermione surpassed shock and was catapulted head first into astonishment as she continued to stare at Harry.

No. There was no way he had just said what he'd said.

His eyes raked over her face in a hungry manner, her silence not appearing to faze him in the slightest.

"Can I take you out? Can I take you on a date?," he implored, taking her hands in his, "It can be as though you had won me at the auction... which I was actually disappointed didn't happen."

The mention of the charity event, the catalyst for all of this, seemed to knock her back into reality.

"W-W-What about Daphne?" Hermione finally gasped out.

The wizard shook his head as his earlier interaction with the blonde played out in his memories. The movie and subsequent dinner… Daphne getting him to tell her what was on his mind during the meal… her inquiring about his feelings for Hermione... her dismissing his spluttering and eventually managing to get him to vocalize that he carried a torch for his best friend… her understanding, her joking that he was missing out because she'd planned to let him feel her up that night… her telling him to keep in contact in case it ever so happened that it did not work out with Hermione… her kissing the side of his mouth before she took her leave.

"I like her, I do. But tonight put things into perspective for me," Harry replied, "I think Daphne is going to be a brilliant new friend."

"I-I'm your friend," she said in an unsteady voice. Hermione did not know the point she was attempting to make with this statement and did not even have time to analyze it because he was speaking.

"I want more. I've known that for months now but tonight was the first time I had to confront it," He brought a hand up and slowly stroked her cheek, "Let me take you on a date, Hermione."

She watched him through sentimental eyes and moved into his touch, her hands still gripping his free one. This was really happening. Her heart was fit to burst once more but this time from fulfillment.

"If we're to do this like the auction then I should take you on a date," she corrected, swallowing back emotion. A fragile smile bloomed on her lips and Harry let loose a dazzling grin, pulling her a little closer.

"Is tomorrow too soon?" he posed. It most likely was, if only to give them time to process this bombshell news and the feelings it brought, but neither of them could be made to care.

"No."

"What time will you be by?"

"Six o'clock?" Hermione offered.

"Perfect," he remarked. He brought her left hand up to his mouth and kissed her palm in a way that was both sweet and electrifying, "I'll see you then."

And if the witch needed any proof to convince her that she was making the right choice, or that Harry's feelings appeared to be as real as hers, it was the knowledge that that one kiss to her palm had galvanized her beyond anything she'd experienced in her three hours with Alex.


Hermione marveled that she was going on a date with Harry as the hours on Sunday ticked away. She hardly remembered what she did with her time before 6PM, in fact. She simply could not believe that she was going on a date with Harry. In a matter of three days, she'd gone from fighting with her best friend to dating him; she'd gone from sorrow, to anger, to disbelief, to happiness. This did not seem like something that happened in real life. On the other hand, she also felt persistently nervous all day about the impending date. It felt like so much was hinging on it! Her recognition of her feelings for him was still quite fresh so it seemed that more disconcerting that he returned them. What if it turned out to be a disaster? This was all so new! However, as Hermione sat with this fear, an innate voice inside of her assured her that Harry would still be her best friend no matter what. No matter what happened at the end of this date or any others they may have, whether now or in the far future, he would not leave her side as her dearest friend, even if this romantic path led to ruin. She wholeheartedly believed that.

This truth helped to wipe out the majority of Hermione's worry, so by the time it was 6:03PM and she was knocking on his door, all that remained was nerves over going out with an exceptionally attractive man and not fear that she could lose someone so vital to her. Harry swung the door open upon her arrival and was on the verge of a cheerful greeting before he got the full view of the woman on the other side of the door; when he did, that greeting got lodged in his throat. Hermione was dressed in a fitted, black blouse, a flared, burnt orange skirt and black, knee high stockings, and her big, curly hair had been primped, demanding attention. She looked even better than she had the previous night. She looked… she looked simultaneously adorable and like he could eat her up and greedily lick his fingers once finished.

"Wow," he uttered oh-so-eloquently, staring at her.

"Hello." Hermione said, a blush dusting her cheeks.

"You… wow. You look fantastic."

"Thank you." Her blush intensified.

"That's not to say you don't look good at other -" Harry quickly commenced.

"I know that's not what you're saying, Harry," she noted with a kind smile and quick laugh, "So tell me what will we be doing, Mr. Potter." He gave a quick shake of his head to rid of the discombobulation her appearance had caused then grinned, holding up an old, empty butterbeer bottle. The Muggleborn quirked her own head in a silent inquiry.

"Fancy a trip out of the country?" he asked.

Harry's Portkey took them to Rotterdam, which pleased Hermione to no end. She had wanted to visit the city for quite some time and the fact that they were strolling the Muggle streets for their date told her that he remembered the conversation when they'd discussed it weeks prior. She thanked him by planting a kiss on his cheek, which coaxed a victorious smile from him, and he admitted that he used his name to help secure an international Portkey under such short notice. Harry rarely threw his fame around to get what he desired and it was always for the benefit of others when he did, but Hermione was a special case, one for whom he was willing to do practically anything.

Since neither person had been to Rotterdam before (or the Netherlands at all), they had plenty to see and explore during their time in the city. Their hands found each other early on with very little conscious thought and remained intertwined for most of the date, really only separating while they ate dinner. The witch and wizard discussed what they typically do on first dates as they ate and had a few laughs over memorably bad dates. While they were on their second glasses of wine, the auction cropped up as a topic of conversation.

"I was rather upset that I lost. I knew I wouldn't win but I just felt so... put out when it happened! It surprised me how disturbed I felt," she reported, playing with her glass stem, "Clearly, it was my first sign."

"Your first sign?" Harry repeated.

"Yes. That my feelings for you were more than platonic."

He matched her shy smile with an amused one but his was also full of heat, and it made Hermione feel much warmer than the wine they'd been drinking.

The pair resumed their explorations of Rotterdam for an hour after dinner and chose to return to England at 10PM, which was nice in that it was only 9PM when they arrived home. Hermione accompanied him back to his apartment and he quickly asked if she wanted to come in for a nightcap, as he was not yet willing to part ways with her.

"We drank an entire bottle of wine at dinner," she pointed out, chuckling.

"A cuppa, then." Harry suggested. Since she was also unwilling to end the night just yet, she smiled then answered:

"I'd love to."

They settled on the sofa with their tea and fell right back into easy conversation. Hermione took off her booties for additional comfort and their bodies were turned toward one another as they chatted, which Harry secretly appreciated because it gave a prime view of her legs and thighs.

"So, what's our mark?" he questioned after 45 minutes.

"Our mark?" she wondered.

"For the date. How'd we do, professor?"

She laughed and it pulled a grin from him.

"Did it feel real, or like you were just spending more time with your best friend?" he continued.

"It definitely felt I was spending more time with my best friend but that's a good thing," Hermione explained, peering at him, "It also felt like I was a school girl when when he smiled at me a certain way, and like there were 500 hundred butterflies in my stomach when he put his hand on my waist."

Harry gazed at her with the same, heated intensity he'd displayed at other, various points while in Rotterdam, but it was its most concentrated and potent that it'd been all night.

"Or when he looks at me like that," she breathed out, eyes now glued to his, "S-So I'd say our mark is an O."

Their playful interaction had taken a sharp turn into something that had been hinted at but not yet explored, something that held such heady promise.

"Do you remember when we were talking about our first date rules during dinner?" he prompted, maintaining the hypnotic eye contact.

"Of course," came the tremulous answer.

"I forgot to ask one."

"What is it?"

"Do you kiss on first dates?" Harry wondered in a voice that had no business making her insides feel like that.

"I-It depends on the person." Hermione revealed, feeling her heart jump erratically. She could not look away for the life of her!

"What if the person promises to make good on those butterflies you mentioned?"

If the brunette had not been kept in place by his riveting stare, she believed she would have swooned off the couch. She did not swoon for anyone - she never had - but goodness! How was she supposed to react to those eyes and that face and that proposition? Especially after newfound feelings and such a splendid evening with him?

"Please."

Hermione halfway whispered the plea, not even fully aware that she'd made it. But Harry heard it without question and was imbued with an unmatched fervor, causing him to surge forward and show her that he was a man of his word.

One hand held her throat while the other hand snaked around her waist, and her hands cupped either side of his neck as their lips connected for the very first time.

Their kisses were slow, initially, but held no hesitancy. They were marked by passion, and both Harry and Hermione gave as good as they got since their eagerness was much the same. The kisses soon evolved into open mouthed territory and they unconsciously pressed themselves closer together, but it was when their tongues were not long to follow and she made a few, soft sounds that were part whimper, part moan that he thought he just about lost his mind.

Groaning, Harry pushed them forward so that Hermione was on her back. In his most guarded musings, he'd occasionally fantasized what his best friend would sound like in situations such as this, but hearing it for himself drove him into a miniature frenzy. It was glorious. In fact, kissing her was glorious and nothing like he'd imagined; it was far beyond what his mind could have, and had, conceived when considering the scenario. He had believed it would be good, even great due to their emotional connection, but the reality of it was overwhelming. The gratification of it was so striking that his primal brain took over and gave his body the controls, which took up the job with gusto.

Harry held Hermione's right thigh tightly in his grip as the kissing became more insistent. He began making noises to supplement hers and pressed her into the couch without thought. The wizard was not thinking of his actions and simply following his body's lead to blissful feelings, so when he automatically started grinding against her it did not register in his rational brain. It did not register until their mouths finally separated and her lips were stationed next to his ear, gasping into it with their sensual movement. For some reason, this brought Harry back down to Earth. He was able to comprehend how far they had gone as he puffed out heavy breaths and peered down at her. The pleasure he got from this was dousing, was immense, yes, but why was he rutting her like a 15 year old boy overwrought with hormones? Oh dear… that is exactly what he had been doing!

He closed his eyes and dropped his forehead to hers, sighing to himself. Hermione deserved more than that, especially on a first date - their first date. She deserved so much more. And he would be damned if the first time he became intimate with her happened on his sofa as the result of hurried, haphazard snogging.

"Bugger," he muttered. He took a moment then dropped a tender kiss at the base of her throat.

"Harry?" she questioned. Harry pulled back and looked into her eyes, his primal brain stirring when he observed that her pupils were blown.

"I'm sorry, Hermione. I had to stop. That was amazing - you're amazing - but I want to give you more."

"More?"

"More than this," he clarified, gazing at their positions. He dropped her leg then sat up, pulling her along with him.

"What do you want to give me?" the witch pondered, sounding rather confused. Her blouse was a little off kilter and her hair was in disarray but she looked so lovely to him.

"More dates. More attention. More than friendship."

Her eyebrows rose at his words and Harry smiled.

"You do?" she inquired.

"Of course. I was hoping this wouldn't be a one time thing," he answered, "Like I mentioned - I've thought of this, of being with you this way, for months."

Months. Harry had seen her in this light for months. Hermione had only had two weeks with her romantic feelings and she already felt head over heels! God, this was real… this could be real. They could have this. It was enough to make her dizzy and she felt the urge to ground herself somehow.

"And if I want this," She leaned forward and kissed him lightly, "Just as much as what you listed?"

"Then I will be more than happy to provide all the snogging you can handle," he claimed. He gave her a sinful grin and she giggled. They stared at each other with pensive, blithe expressions for a period as they took everything in, Hermione especially.

"I want all those things, too," she attested in a tranquil voice, grabbing his hand. Harry merely smiled and lifted hers to his mouth, turning it over and placing a kiss that felt like a vow on her palm.


Six weeks later found Hermione and Harry lounging together on her bed on a Saturday evening. Both were busy with their own tasks - Hermione a book and Harry papers for his foundation - but she was snuggled into his side and he had one arm draped around her shoulder. The two friends had spent the day with Teddy and returned the young boy to Andromeda not two hours earlier. They'd originally planned to go out upon ending their babysitting duties but after an active day with an excitable godson, a mellow night at home sounded more appealing. And besides, they reasoned it could still be considered a date if they stayed in.

The pair's dating status was no longer a secret in the wizarding world but it had been kept under wraps for the first month. They'd wanted privacy and time to explore the new facet of their relationship alone, without interference; what was more, with the dynamics of their friendship, no one was able to tell anything had changed because they reserved the more obvious physical affection for when they were behind closed doors. Perhaps appropriately, Ron was the first person to discover the news and the only person they told intentionally. (They assumed word would spread quickly enough if they did not hide it but they were not going to do anything to promote the development either). He had been silent for nearly an entire minute after hearing the revelation, gawking at his best friends with an open mouth. His stupor had concerned them and started to make them think that he would not respond well, but when he jumped up with a wide grin and laughed, swearing and hugging them both, they were reminded that the only support they needed was Ron's.

It had only taken six days after that for the news to get out to society at large that Harry and Hermione were dating but the subsequent mania of it was, oddly, easy for the pair to block out. Of course, this may have had something to do with the fact that they were wholly preoccupied with one another and had little attention for trivial things like their fame.

"Lavender shared the idea of her next, big fundraising event with me yesterday." Hermione casually reported as her eyes skimmed across the book's page.

"Yeah?," Harry prompted, peering at her. He set down the sheet in his hand, "What is it?" The brunette grinned and stopped reading.

"Another auction."

"Ugh!"

She laughed and glanced at him, only to see that he had rolled his eyes.

"This time witches would be bid on," she added. He shuffled his papers then grumbled:

"Well at least she's fair."

"She said with the success of the men's auction, she'd be foolish to not repeat it with women."

"Hmph. She should participate in it." Harry pointed out.

"You know she gladly would," countered Hermione.

It was silent for a stint while her entertained mood lingered and he picked up another sheet.

"If I volunteered, you would have to bid on me. And I'd expect your pockets to be drowning in Galleons to guarantee that you win," she mentioned in a sly voice. He looked at her and raised an eyebrow.

"Oh no. That wouldn't happen because you wouldn't be auctioned," he remarked.

"Is that so?"

"It is. You see, in order to qualify a volunteer can't be in a relationship, and I have no plans for you to be single beyond next week, Ms. Granger!"

Harry tossed his papers aside and ripped the book from her hand with a mischievous grin, and Hermione's tinkling laugh encased them as she rolled to the side to escape the clutches of the man she was absolutely crazy about.


A/N: In case anyone cares, Dean is bisexual in this particular fic. Hence the mention of a boyfriend :)

What'd you think of the story's second half? Let me know in a review/comment! As always, thanks for reading.