A/N: So this was a oneshot that was not on the list, but came to be anyway. A huge thank you to one of my lovely Alphas, mimifreed for the help on this project; this one's for you!

Never Really Over

Tuesday, 20 March 2001

Hermione stared at the little parcel her assistant had dropped onto her desk. She had just come back from lunch with Draco as they figured out their next move to get her proposal approved so she could move forward with her plans. It had been much easier to get the Wizengamot to listen to her ideas with Draco's backing. Sure, it was frustrating that her status as a war heroine didn't seem to account for much, but she would take help anywhere she could get it. And honestly, she wouldn't trade her newfound friendship with her former bully for anything.

The package on her desk was familiar though. Even if it was discreet and had nothing but her office number written across the front, she already knew exactly what she would find inside. Sure enough, when she finally stopped playing with it and opened it up, the hotel room key along with a little note with nothing more than a hotel name, room number, and a time. Regardless if the words had been charmed onto the paper, Hermione knew exactly who it was from.

Her jaw clenched as she thought about what she had heard that morning in the lift. That a bunch of Aurors had returned from their mission in Cornwall. The long awaited capture of Dolohov had been successful, but not without some casualties. Upon hearing that Harry had been one of those lucky to return, Hermione had stormed straight to her office and screamed into the room the second she silenced it.

She toyed with the key in her hand as she sat back in her chair. It wasn't the first time she had come to work to hear that kind of news first thing in the morning. Being an Auror was serious business and it wouldn't matter if they were just friends or whatever it was they had turned into; she would always have a minor heart attack and go out of her mind with worry every day.

The last time she had received an envelope like this, he was telling her about the missing in Cornwall. About how he would be gone for a bit and not sure when he was coming back. It had been on the tip of her tongue to tell him how she really felt, but she held back. She had promised herself that if he returned, she would say it, but now… Now she wasn't sure she could take much more of this.

Coming to that conclusion was hard; harder than the one to end things with Ron nearly two years ago now. It had already been a strange situation; to go from being left with Harry in the tent, to turning to him for comfort in Ron's absence, to then forsaking Harry out of fear of losing Ron again. But when it came down to Ron's proposal, she had shocked the entire world by saying no. At least Harry had realized he and Ginny weren't meant to be before it was too late. They were over before they even really began. Yet, out of respect for their friends, when she and Harry chose to resume what they had started years ago, they kept it a secret.

But now, a little over a year later, she knew he was ready to stop living in the shadows. She was too, but she had a lot to think about before then. And after hearing what she had that morning, she knew it was time that they talked about it. With a sign, she put the note and the key into her purse and went about her day, waiting until she could meet Harry and hash it out.

When Harry walked into the room he'd acquired, he stopped short at the sight of Hermione on the bed. She hadn't stripped down to her undergarments or put on something fancy for him like she had gotten used to doing. Instead, she had sat on the edge of the bed and folded her hands in her lap. Her legs bounced with nervous energy and when she lifted her gaze to his, she could tell he knew exactly what she was about to say.

He gave her a sad smile as she came to sit beside her. Gently, he took her hands in his and pulled them to his lap so he could lace their fingers together and bring them to his lips. "I'm not going to like this, am I?"

She pulled her hand from his and pushed herself to her feet. She wrapped her arms around herself and began to pace in front of him. "I heard about what happened in Cornwall."

The smirk on his face was short lived after he realized she was glaring at him instead of celebrating his heroics. He pushed his glasses up his nose and tilted his head. "I did what I had to do, Hermione. I'm an Auror. You know danger comes with the territory. It's not like the bad guys see us and surrender willingly."

Her jaw ticked as she continued to stare at him. "I know that."

"Then you can't be mad at me every time you hear-"

"Yes I can!" she snapped, cutting him off. "You died," she added in a whisper. "You left to face Voldemort on your own and you came back in Hagrid's arms."

He got to his feet then, reaching for her until she let him take hold of her hands. "You knew why that had to happen. And technically, I was alive when you saw me in Hagrid's arms."

"Harry-"

"Is that why you won't go public with our relationship?" he asked, interrupting her this time. "Don't get me wrong, I'll take any part of you that you'll let me have, but…" he shrugged as his lips curved into a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Is that it?"

She swallowed hard as she nodded stiffly. "I want to start a family someday," she said slowly, stepping back from him as she paced again. "I want someone who I know will be home every night. That when he leaves for work in the morning, I won't spend the rest of the day wondering if I'll see him again or if every letter that crosses my desk won't be one that tells me the worst has happened."

Hermione stopped pacing and started back at him, a sad smile on her face.

"The war ended half a decade ago, Harry. I spent seven years before that at your side, doing whatever I could to keep you from dying. I don't want to spend the rest of my life doing the same." She shook her head as her breath started to quicken as panic settled in. "I can't do it again, Harry. I can't, I-"

He was there; his arms wrapping around her to pull her into a tight embrace. "I know," he murmured against her temple, his breath fluffing her hair. She sighed as she held him back and buried her face into the center of his chest. His hands stroked up and down her back, soothing panic out of her as fast as it had arrived. "What if I wasn't an Auror anymore?"

She pulled out of his arms and stared at him in shock, wondering if she had heard him correctly. "I would never ask you to change for me."

He smirked and reached up to rub at the stubble that covered his chin. "What if I didn't do it because you asked? What if I did it for myself?" He shrugged as he moved his hand up to push his glasses back up his nose again. "Making you happy because you had to worry about me less would be a really nice perk."

Hermione wanted to laugh with him; wanted to enjoy the hope and relief he offered, but she was still skeptical. "What would you do?" she asked softly.

He shrugged after a moment. "I'm not sure, but there are plenty of jobs out there, both magical and Muggle. I'll find something."

She shook her head. "I really don't want you to give up anything for me. I wouldn't want you to wake up someday and regret walking away from a job you love to be with me."

He was standing before her in an instant; one hand on her hip, the other curled under her chin to tilt her face up. "Trust me, there's nothing I would regret more than choosing something else over you. You already got away from me once. I'm not going to let it happen again."

He pulled her close then, his arms banding around her and holding so tight she struggled to breathe for a second. And before she could even fully process what he said, he had moved again so he could capture her lips and pull her towards the bed. Their hands roamed over one another as they went and by the time they collapsed atop the bed, they were completely bare; a trail of garments littered the floor in their wake.

Hermione wasn't sure what kind of future was in store for them. Or if there was going to be one at all. She had come here determined to end things; to walk away before she couldn't. Now, as each tug of his lips against hers, each caress of his hand against her skin promised her change was coming, she wasn't sure. But if this did happen to be the last time, she wanted to remember everything.

Instead of focusing on the unknown, she concentrated on the here and now. Of the way he tasted like treacle tart and pumpkin juice no matter when he'd had either of them last. Of the sounds he made as he slid his cock into her body. Of the way he whispered her name just before he came for her. Of the way he held her close afterwards, as if he were afraid to let her go.

And when they took their leave of the hotel room in the early hours of the morning, he whispered a promise she found herself hoping he could fulfill.

Thursday, 12 April 2001

A few days after Harry's return from Cornwall, Hermione and Draco submitted their proposal and a date was set for the hearing. It meant a lot of late nights in either his office or hers. After the end of the second week, Hermione was tempted to just transfigure her office furniture into beds and live at the Ministry until the hearing was over. But after another grueling week of early mornings, late nights, and living off of takeaway, the day finally came to present her proposal.

She had wanted to ask Harry if he would be able to sit in just so she could have some moral support, but she had been too busy to even see him. Of the three weeks since their talk in the hotel room, she hadn't seen him much other than passing by one another here and there at the Ministry. There were a few times he brought her coffee in the morning. Upon seeing Draco there, the next time he came up, he had one for him too.

So when she walked into the courtroom to see Harry already seated in the spectator's benches, she was relieved. His presence gave her the confidence boost she desperately needed and by the end of her meeting, she felt she had nailed it. He congratulated her along with a few other people after she had gotten her approval, but he couldn't stay long.

On the way back to her office, Draco had invited her out for a celebratory dinner despite his claim of not wanting to see her face again for the next month or two. They had shared a laugh before he took his leave. She had received the details on when and where to meet him after work; even the added note of the attire required. She had rolled her eyes at that, but she would happily don something fancy for this win. She even left two hours early so she could take her time getting ready for the night.

Hermione had used that time wisely; taking her time to soak in the tub and sip at a glass of wine while she read a book. She had charmed it to hover before her and turn the pages with a non-verbal, wandless spell. After that, she dried her hair with magic; the Muggle way too far too long and made it much less manageable. She even did her makeup. Granted, she usually wore concealer or blush most days; sometimes both. But she decided to go all out. It wasn't perfect, but she surprised herself at how it turned out.

When it came to what she was going to wear, she was torn between two looks. One was a gold cocktail dress she had worn to the Ministry Christmas party a few months before. However, as she looked at it again, she could hear Draco calling her the Golden Girl and decided to go the other route instead. Her second outfit in mind was a red wrap dress. She tied it off to the side with a flick of her wand knowing she couldn't hand-tie a bow to save her life. Not wanting to listen to Draco prattle on about anything Gryffindor, she chose silver for her jewelry.

Hermione left a little earlier than she normally would have, but he had chosen a Muggle establishment so she wanted to make sure she had plenty of time since she was taking a cab. When she got to the restaurant, it took her a moment to get out of the cab. She cursed him under her breath for choosing something so fancy, but after a pep talk about deserving this, she finally made her way inside.

She approached the maître-d with a light smile, one that he returned. "Hi, my friend said he would already be here. Draco Malfoy?"

"Ah yes, right this way," he said, gesturing for her to follow.

He led her through an interior mostly decorated with black and white, but used silver and gold for accents. The other colors came from the warm glow of the lights hanging down over the tables. Hermione was so busy looking at everything around her that she didn't even notice the person seated at the table the maître-d stopped at had dark hair instead of blond.

She looked around the room before settling her eyes back on Harry. She still had trouble believing it was him even after he stretched his arm across the table and slid his hand over hers. "Draco-"

"Set this up for me," he interrupted, a large smile on his face.

Hermione shook her head at that and then glanced around again. "Why?"

"Because he's been hogging enough of your time these last few weeks and I didn't want to wait to celebrate your win today."

She felt her lips twitch, but she suppressed the urge to smile. "Even if I hadn't been prepping for this, I don't think we would have seen much of each other."

He pulled his hand away to rub at his jaw. "I haven't forgotten our last conversation, Hermione," he said, his smile fading a bit. "But I'm your best friend, first and foremost and I wanted to celebrate with you tonight." He reached for his menu then. "Besides, Draco owed me a favor, so make sure you order more than you'll ever eat. He's buying."

Hermione laughed hard at that. To the point where she thought she might cry and ruin her makeup. She was grateful that it didn't get that far and as the pair began to fall into easy conversation, she relaxed. As much as she had been putting off seeing him again, he was right. They were friends first. She just hoped that whatever came of their eventual discussion, their friendship remained. Things were already strained with Ron after their breakup. She knew being estranged with Harry would tear her apart.

She wasn't surprised when he ordered dessert the moment they finished their meals, but she was glad that he told the waitress to take her time in bringing it over. She wasn't sure she could eat another bite, but she wasn't about to turn down an expensive dessert. Especially when someone else was paying.

Once their table was cleared and they were just waiting on dessert, Harry took a deep breath and rolled his shoulders. She eyed him suspiciously as he reached down for something in his jacket that was draped across the back of the chair. She held his gaze as he produced an envelope and stretched his arm across the table to hand it to her. She took it tentatively, her eyes going wide at the familiar seal of Hogwarts on the back.

"What is this?" she asked, running her fingers over the already broken wax.

"Just read it," he insisted, smiling widely.

She opened the flap carefully and pulled the letter from within. The familiar scrawl of Professor McGonagall made her smile while the actual words had her lips parting in awe.

Dear Mister Potter,

I cannot even begin to tell you how thrilled I am that you have finally accepted the position as Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor. Professor Sierko has been quite adamant he return to his retirement and I was having trouble finding an adequate replacement. There is still plenty of this current school year left, so I will be in touch with more details later. I look forward to seeing you next week for tea.

-Minerva

Hermione read it twice before she looked up. "Harry-"

"I meant what I said, Hermione," he interrupted, reaching across the table for her hand again. This time she laced her fingers with his; no hesitation. "I won't regret trading in my Auror badge for Professor robes." At the sight of his eyes going glassy with unshed tears, her own eyes began to mist over. "To be honest, I've had enough of the spotlight for a few lifetimes. I'm ready for this kind of change. I can make a real difference in the world."

"You'll do great, Harry," she said, trying not to let her voice waver. "You led the DA so well. You've always been an excellent teacher."

He squeezed her hand for a moment before pulling back to reach for something else. "That's because I had the best mentor anyone could ask for," he said, handing her another envelope. It was identical to the first one, but the seal was unbroken and it was her name scrawled across the front instead of Harry's. "You're changing the world too, just like you always wanted and I couldn't be more proud, but I was asked to pass this along."

Hermione opened the letter with the same hesitancy she had before. Seeing a personalized note from McGonagall made Hermione swallow hard and tremble as she read.

Miss Hermione Granger,

You and I are long overdue for tea, but Harry assures me you've been quite busy. While I applaud your efforts in the Ministry, I can never pass up the opportunity to try and lure you away. Mister Potter assures me his acceptance will sway you and I will not apologize for exploiting that.

For the life of me, I cannot find anyone I trust to take over my beloved subject of Transfiguration. I would teach it myself, but my duties as Headmistress does not afford me the time to do so. It would make me very happy if you would consider a career change as well. If not, I completely understand.

Whatever your choice, dear, please owl me when you are available for tea.

-Minerva

Hermione read that letter a few times; each pass through harder than the last due to the tears that threatened to fall. When she finally looked away from the parchment in her hands, she did a double take at the sight of Harry. He was no longer in his chair. Now he was down on one knee before her, one hand reaching for hers, the other holding an open jewelry box; the diamond ring sparkling in the ambient lighting.

"Last time we had a conversation, you were right pissed at me and I don't blame you. Ever since I met you, all I've ever done is put you in harm's way. Even so, you stuck by my side no matter what. There was even a time where it was just you and I against the world."

Hermione used her free hand to wipe away her tears as Harry took a second to clear his throat.

"I know you considered walking away from this; from us, but I can't let that happen. I thought our time had come and gone once, but it turned out that you and I were never really over. We were always meant to be."

He cleared his throat again and let go of her hand so he could take the ring out of the box. She placed her hand over her mouth while the other continued to wipe at the never-ending stream of tears.

"I love you, Hermione Granger. I think I always have. I may have realized it a little late, but here we are." He held the ring gently between his thumb and forefinger and took a deep breath before asking, "Will you marry me?"

Hermione nodded rapidly as she tried to find the ability to speak without falling apart. Her lips parted a few times and when the broken, "Yes," left her lips, the whole restaurant around them erupted into cheers.

Harry slipped the ring onto her finger and then rose to his feet, bringing her to hers along with him. They wrapped their arms around one another as they engaged in one of their best kisses yet. It wasn't lost on Hermione that it was the first time they had kissed each other publicly. That she no longer had to hide the fact that she was in love with her best friend. The one that everyone had suspected for years, but she tried to deny.

Even Voldemort's defeat hadn't left her feeling this whole.

Careful not to get too lost in the heat of the moment, they extracted themselves from one another. In doing so, Hermione was greeted surprised to see a photographer approach them, camera in hand. He showed them the shots he had taken and said he would let them know when the prints were ready for pick up. As their dessert arrived, Harry let her know Draco had helped arrange that too.

Hermione could barely eat her dessert. She was too excited from the high of taking such a big step. She still had to consider McGonagall's proposal, but the idea of living back at Hogwarts with Harry; the two of them out of the public eye for as long as they wanted sounded heavenly. Like Harry said, real change could be made by teaching and she wasn't sure she would be up for the long road ahead of her to get where she wanted at the Ministry. The idea of working for the same government system that had been out to get her in her adolescence wasn't her dream. It was just something she took and did well at.

But that was something she could dwell on later. At that moment, all she wanted to do was stare at her ring and picture the life with Harry that it symbolized.

When their time at the restaurant came to an end, he laced his fingers with hers and led her through the room and out to the entrance. Once they were outside, he opted to walk instead of hailing a cab. She followed him down the street until they came to an empty alleyway. They laughed as they both tugged the other into it, but her laugh was cut short as he pinned her up against the exterior of a building and captured her lips with his own.

She wasn't sure if she was the one that Apparated or if he was, but one second they were in the alley and the next she was standing on the top floor landing of Grimmauld. They reached for one another to steady themselves and once they were sure they weren't going to topple over, he grabbed her hand and led her towards his bedroom down the hall.

Hermione stopped short at the sight of all the candles hovering around the room. The ceiling was charmed to look like the night sky and the twinkling of the stars made her smile. She did a double take at the sight of the bed. Leading up to it was a trail or rose petals with even more arranged into a heart atop the bedding.

She turned to him then, more tears cascading down her cheeks. "Yes," she breathed.

He chuckled and raised her hand up; his thumb brushing over the ring he had given her. "You said that already."

She shook her head. "To your marriage proposal, but now I'm saying yes to all of it."

The smile he gave her was larger than when she had said yes at the restaurant not even an hour ago. He pulled her to him and cupped her face. His lips were soft against her own and she wrapped her arms around him; her hands resting flat against his upper back. "I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you, Hermione."

"Neither can I," she whispered as she let her hands slip away from him so she could undo the bow holding her dress together.

Harry placed his hands on her shoulders and gently pushed back. The dress slid down her arms and eventually pooled around her feet on the floor. They took their time stripping off the rest of their clothes before moving towards the bed. The petals were soft against her skin as she laid on top of them. As Harry settled himself over her, his lips pillowing her own, Hermione sighed.

Last time she had been wondering if they had even had a future. This time she was able to see it clearly. She could see herself standing in a classroom before a group of students, teaching them to harness their magic. She could see Harry doing the same and looking just as at home as he had when he was fifteen and teaching his fellow peers how to defend themselves. She could picture quiet evenings in shared quarters similar to the Gryffindor common room. If she thought hard enough, she could even picture what their children might look like and the sight of Harry with a son that looked just like him.

She wanted it; all of it. She hadn't even realized how much until that very moment. The thought of almost not having it nearly made her weep. While she stood by her word, that she would have never asked Harry to change anything about himself for her, she was also glad that he had. That he had wanted it enough to change. Had wanted her enough.

He was right, after all. This thing between them wasn't over. In fact, it had only just begun.

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