Thank you to Allthingsmagical for the wonderful idea...thank you to my beta TrippingOverYou for proofreading...Kissies to both of you!
~OOooOO~
Ron had placed a few rules on their Sunday outing. "I'm sorry mate, but I refuse to kiss you. Holding hands is alright, so is an arm around the waist or shoulders, but no kissing." He thought of something else. "And you are not to kiss me." Harry's husband laughed when Harry's expression fell.
"I'll make up for it when you get home, Love."
Ron and Harry left the Burrow that Sunday via the floo. They stepped out of the hearth at the Leaky Cauldron, hand in hand, almost inciting a riot. People scurried from table to table handing each other money and becoming so loud that Tom, the bartender, had to quiet them down. By the time the pub was quiet again, Ron and Harry were already out in Diagon Alley.
They were followed by several reporters from The Daily Prophet and Xenophilius Lovegood from the Quibbler. Xeno had been alerted to the prank, so he was just following to make good on his promise to his daughter to write articles about the 'dates' and post the odds in his paper.
The restaurant had to practice crowd control when Ron and Harry arrived for their dinner reservation that evening. Everyone wanted to see what the pregnant Boy Who Lived and his date ate for dinner and what they had for dessert. The restaurant management was savvy enough to take note of what Harry and Ron ordered and offered them as specials for the rest of the week. After the dinner, Ron and Harry walked back to the Leaky Cauldron, again hand in hand, and flooed home.
When they arrived at the Burrow, they almost fell over laughing. They told the crowd gathered there what had happened and some of the comments that were made. Harry's husband made good on his promise to make up for lack of kisses on the 'date' and Hermione made sure that Ron got his fair share as well.
~OOooOO~
Percy arrived to collect Harry the following Sunday for their 'date'. He was accompanied by his wife, Penelope, who was convulsed with laughter. "He only told me about this last night. I had to send the children off to Mama for the day because I wanted to be here when he got back. I can't wait to see the reactions of the press over this one!"
Percy held out his arm for Harry and made the same stipulations that Ron had; "No kissing of any kind." Harry looked at his husband again and was given the same promise as last week; "When you get back Harry."
Percy and Harry arrived at the Leaky Cauldron and, once again, the people in attendance went rabid. Tom gave Harry a weary look and Harry detoured to the bar to speak with him. Tom's expression lightened and he almost laughed when Harry told him what was going on. He agreed to help them and maintain some semblance of ignorance of the situation.
Percy offered his arm to Harry and they went into Diagon Alley. Percy had arranged a picnic for them on the commons and it was waiting, complete with sparkling cider for them to drink, instead of pumpkin juice or butterbeer. They enjoyed the finger foods that Percy had picked specifically for Harry. He had questioned his brother so that he knew what things Harry liked and had chosen accordingly. They drank their cider and talked about the baby, things like names and what sex they hoped the baby was. The reporters sitting near them on benches were quick to write down everything that was said; the ones who couldn't get close enough employed a Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes product, Extendible Ears. They arrived back at the Burrow, laughing at the denizens of the pub who had almost fallen over trying to get a last look at the 'couple'.
~OOooOO~
Bill refused to tell Harry where he was taking him on their 'date', he wanted it to be a surprise. He draped his arm across Harry's shoulders as they walked and Harry slipped his arm around Bill's waist, leaning into him slightly. They were gaining more and more attention as they walked through the crowded main street of Diagon Alley and Bill knew that at least four of their followers were reporters from The Prophet. Xeno Lovegood was there already, Luna having told him where they were going. He steered Harry into a new building close to the end of the street and watched the childlike joy spread across Harry's face.
"I've never been to an arcade! Thank you, Bill! What can we do here?"
"Anything you like Harry."
They played games and won prizes, the best being a large black and green dragon that reminded Harry of the Hungarian Horntail that he had bested in the Tri-Wizard Tournament. They ate candy floss and strolled for a while before grabbing something to eat at a small café close by, holding hands the entire time. They spent the better part of the afternoon in the arcade and, by the time they left, they were forced to shrink all the prizes they had won so that they would fit into a bag provided by the beaming arcade owner.
They walked back into the Leaky Cauldron and flooed back to the Burrow, happy but tired. After some conversation with everyone who was waiting, Harry's husband picked up the sleepy man and carried him into their rooms. The Burrow had been expanded quite a bit by Arthur and Molly, so that all of their children could live there, if they wished. He laid Harry on their bed and gently kissed him. "Did you have a good time today?" Harry nodded, smiling, right before he fell asleep.
~OOooOO~
Blaise showed up at the Burrow a good hour before their 'date' was supposed to start. He was accompanied by his wife of two years, Pansy Zabini nee Parkinson. She sat down at the kitchen table with a strangely subdued Blaise. "Alright Potter...Weasley...whoever the hell you are..." She smiled at Harry, scaring him a bit. "I've agreed to this simply because I want to see the public's reaction to you being on my husband's arm. No funny stuff, no kissing, no cuddling...hand holding is alright, but that's as far as it goes, got it?"
Harry nodded once. Pansy's jealousy might be the only problem with today's 'date'. "Pansy, I'm married to a man I love very much, why would I want your husband? I told him no when we were still at Hogwarts, why would I change my mind now and ruin not only my happy marriage, but yours as well?"
Pansy relaxed visibly. "I'm sorry, I can't help it." She turned to Harry's husband and asked, "How do you stand it when people are all over him? Blaise and I have been married for two years and I can't even begin to tolerate men and women telling him that he's beautiful and asking if he's thought about being unfaithful to his ugly pug of a wife."
Blaise stiffened and wrapped his arms around Pansy, hugging her tightly. "Don't ever let me hear you say that about yourself again. You are beautiful! Besides, I still can't figure out why you said yes when I asked you to marry me."
Harry's husband placed a hand on top of hers. "You can't get used to it, it's impossible. But, I'm secure in the fact that I know Harry loves me. You should be secure too; it's obvious to anyone who looks at the two of you together that you're both very much in love." True, Pansy wasn't the most beautiful woman in the world, but you could see how much Blaise loved her. His face lit up and he smiled constantly when she was near him; he looked almost lost and dejected when she wasn't.
That week's date, by unspoken agreement between Blaise and Harry, was short and to the point. They ate, held hands across the table and allowed the press to take as many notes as they could in a short period of time. They flooed back to the Burrow within two hours of leaving it. They could see Pansy's relief and happiness when her husband was returned to her. She stood on her tip-toes to kiss Harry's cheek. "Thank you for understanding." He returned the kiss and shook Blaise's hand. This would be the only week when there wouldn't be any other outings; he didn't want to make Pansy mad or harm Blaise's marriage.
~OOooOO~
Neville had to switch weeks with Fred and George because Luna went into labour, delivering a beautiful baby boy. The twins had decided to take Harry back to the arcade that Bill had taken him to. Bill had told everyone how much Harry had enjoyed their time there, and they wanted to make sure he enjoyed this date as well. They played games, teaching Harry how to play one called skee ball. They then took Harry on a tour of almost every shop in Diagon Alley, allowing themselves to be seen by everyone there that day.
They were told by several shop owners that Harry's presence in Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade had boosted their sales tremendously and they thanked him. Some of them realized what was going on and laughed when they came through the door, followed by their own personal entourage of reporters.
Once again, Harry was exhausted when they got back to the Burrow. His husband chuckled a little when Harry fell into his arms. "Remind me not to do that again. They're exhausting! They had me in and out of every store in Diagon Alley."
His husband kissed his forehead and pulled him into his lap. "I promise Love, but think of it as practice for when this little one gets old enough to want to go shopping." He placed his hand on Harry's obvious baby bump.
Harry leaned in and kissed him, cuddled into his chest and fell asleep within seconds.
~OOooOO~
Not a cliffie, folks! There is a chapter 3!