CHAPTER 7: Everyone knows the truth

A/N: Hey guys, welcome back. This chapter is a bit short as well but I like it this way. Not a lot of action happens in this chapter but you learn somethings about Harry's 6 months absence and there is another sneak peek into the past. Hope you enjoy and without further ado...

Exterior, St Katharine's Way, The Tower Hotel, London – Afternoon

Draco was casually leaning against a concrete column with his arms folded across his chest as his eyes stretched over the river Thames. The water shimmered golden under the obscure angle of the sunlight, cascading its way through the narrow gaps between tall buildings and ghosting the rooftops of smaller structures.

He twisted his arm a little and checked his watch. The short finger was pointing straight at 4 and the long finger was angled at ninety degrees. He sighed before craning his neck to the side as a luxurious car came to a halt right in front of the steps that led to the main entrance of the majestic hotel.

The driver got out of the car, dressed in a smart black suit and walked around the front to stand with his hands folded behind his back as he waited patiently for the family of four walking down the steps.

The happy family comprised of a husband, wife and their two children, both boys who were excitedly jumping down the steps, two at a time.

"Boys!" They stopped immediately and pouted petulantly at seeing their mother's glare.

Their luggage was being carried down by two staff members dressed in red coats in two separate trolleys down the sliding pathway off to the side.

Draco's attention was torn by the sound of fast-moving footsteps and he turned his head to see Harry stomping towards him.

"About bloody fucking time." He rolled his eyes. "I was about to lea-" His eyes turned wide when he got a closer look at his face as Harry hurried past him and made his way towards the steps.

"Shit!" he cursed, before breaking into a jog after him.

He finally caught up to him at the top of the steps and turned Harry around by pulling on his shoulder when he was about to walk in through the revolving doors.

"I told you to not shoot up more!" he whispered harshly, averting his gaze around to check no one was near them.

Harry shrugged his hand off a little to forcefully which made Draco tilt his neck back towards him with shock written all over his face.

His shock quickly turned to worry at getting a closer look at his face. Harry's eyes were ablaze with fury and the colour of his face had taken on a bright shade of red. On top of that he was sweating profusely.

"What happened" he whispered tentatively, as if afraid to hear the answer.

Harry didn't answer and continued to breathe heavily through his nose. His jaw made a chilling cracking noise, effect of how tightly he had been clenching it.

"Stay close to me" his voice came out as a ragged whisper.

Draco's stoic features loosened a bit and a much calmer expression took over his face. "Of course,"

Harry turned around and was about to take a step when Draco stopped him again.

"Maybe we should come some other time"

Harry didn't even bother turning around as he shrugged his hand off before walking inside the building.

"Oh boy" Draco muttered, before following him.

Interior, IMA – Afternoon

Draco spotted Harry heading towards the long reception desk straight ahead, built with pristine white marble, behind which half a dozen wizards and witches were spread out working diligently with their head turned down.

Draco tilted his head back a little as he took in the sheer magnitude of the building. The size of the hall was so vast it could fit easily fit in two quidditch stadiums. The middle was completely vacant except for three large letters hanging close to fifty feet in the air.

IMA.

They created a large shadow on the floor as the sun's rays wafted from the top of the entirely glass ceiling.

Draco looked around with his mouth slightly open at the top floors that seemed never ending.

He shook the dazed expression off his face before walking over to Harry.

A bemused expression came over his face as he noticed the young witch Harry was standing before hastily turn over pages of a black journal. She appeared to be in her early twenties.

She stopped at a page and turn the journal around before plopping it on the shelf for Harry to look.

Draco came to stand next to him and leaned one elbow on the shelf. His gaze landed on the pin attached to her uniform with her name written on it. Sandra Kaskate.

"A-As yo-you can s-see, Mr. Kyle is booked f-for the whole day" she stammered in a small voice and appeared on the verge of tears as her bottom lip started trembling.

"Sandra" Draco addressed her warmly with a polite smile on his face.

She shifted her eyes towards him.

"Calm down, darling. Trust me, he's all smoke" he pointed his thumb towards Harry whose eyes roamed across the page with an irritating scowl.

A hint of a smile came over her face and she seemed to relax a little.

"So, how long have you been working here?" Draco asked her.

"Umm...just two months" she spoke softly.

"i thought so" he nodded his head. "You look like you just came out of Hogwarts" he grinned.

Her mouth stretched into a wide smile as a small giggle escaped her lips. "I graduated last year"

"Hmm. So, how did you get this job. I presume you didn't have much experience before and everyone else seems at least a decade older than you" he nodded towards the other receptionists.

"Oh, well, you see- my mum- she works in one the research departments and recommended me"

"Nice" Draco chuckled. "I wish my father was as generous. But no, he wanted me to pave my own way. He was always against nepotism, always believed in hard work. A trait I absolutely despised him for at the time but the one I admire most him now."

"Oh, I'm not planning to do this for the rest of my life. You see, I'm also studying Runealogy at Trimrett's. This is just to pay for the tuition."

"Trimrett's?" Draco arched an eyebrow. She nodded. "Wow. You must be pretty smart then. Last, I remember they only take students who got 7 Os on their Newts."

A proud smile came over her lips as a blush rose over her cheeks. "I want to follow in my mum's footsteps"

"She works in historical artifacts department?" he inquired.

"Yes, she is head of a team. They go to expeditions all over the world new discoveries"

"How very touching" Harry growled sarcastically as he snapped the journal with a loud thump, making Sandra jump in her seat. She gulped, training her eyes back to Harry. "Look, I don't give a fuck if he's booked all day or not. I'm going in and I would advise you or anyone for that matter" he turned his head towards the other receptionists who it seemed were all listening as they immediately ducked their heads. "To not bother calling in security because I'm feeling a little on the edge today"

He gave her a twisted smile before storming off to the side.

"Buggering hell" Draco rubbed his temple before facing Sandra. "I'd listen to him" was all he said before following Harry.

They were in the lift, going up.

"Any idea how you going to begin" Draco asked him as the lift came to a stop and the doors opened.

"No" Harry said, before getting out.

"Brilliant" Draco drawled as he followed him.

He had to jog to keep up with him which wasn't easy as the corridor was packed with people bustling about.

They turned left at the end of the long corridor and continued ahead. This hallway was much shorter and even more congested than the previous one.

They zigzagged their way through, often bumping into others in Harry's case who was steaming straight through the middle.

"Sorry"

"Sorry"

Draco apologized on his behalf as people were scowling in Harry's direction. That is until they didn't look at his face. The shift in change in their expression was so quick and so dramatic that it almost seemed rehearsed, not unlike a play.

They rounded another corridor and came to a small hallway that only had one door, staring right at them.

Board Room, was written in big bold letters on the brown oak wood.

Draco's eyes turned wide as he saw Harry head towards it with long powerful strides. "Harry, wait, hold on!"

But he didn't listen to him and barged through the door.

Interior, Board Room, 15th floor, IMA – Afternoon

Everyone whipped their heads towards the door, alarmed expression on all their faces. Harry walked in and stopped, his eyes roaming over every pair of eyes before setting on Rowan who was sitting at the head of the table.

Rowan's shocked expression morphed into confusion before turning passive. He cleared his throat, attaining the attention of everyone.

"We'll continue this meeting some other time. I apologize for the inconvenience" he smiled sheepishly.

He backed his chair before standing up. Everyone followed him before they started making their way towards the door.

An older gentleman came up to Harry. "Read in the papers you were back, Mr. Potter" He clasped Harry's shoulder. "It's good to see you in person" he patted his shoulder before leaving.

Harry's eyes remained locked on to Rowan the entire time who stared right back at him, his hands stuffed inside his pockets. His gaze shifted as Draco walked in after everyone had left, an arch in his eyebrow.

"Malfoy"

"Kyle" Draco addressed him with a brief nod before closing the door and walking towards the large oval table sitting in the middle of the room.

Harry followed him at a much slower pace. He walked on the other side but unlike Draco, who sat on the chair closest to Kyle, he remained standing, as did Rowan.

Harry ran a hand through his hair as he stopped a few feet before him.

"How's your back" Rowan asked, his tone casual.

"Take a seat" Harry said.

Rowan's right eye twitched and his face hardened immediately. "I'll sit when I please to, Potter. Don't forget who owns the place you're currently standing in"

Harry scoffed as he scuffled his shoe against the carpet. The dirt from his shoe stained the blue carpet.

Rowan's jaw tightened as he looked at his shoe before snapping his eyes back up to his face.

"Sorry about that" said Harry, but he didn't seem sorry at all. Infact he seemed the opposite as he smirked at him.

"That's quite alright" Rowan pointed his hand at the dirty spot on the carpet. "Scourgify" the dirt vanished in a small wisp of smoke and the carpet was once again, stainless. Rowan shot Harry a smirk of his own before doing a gun motion with his hand and blowing on it.

"What the fuck was that" Draco asked him with a raised eyebrow. A perplexed expression on his face.

"Oh, that" Rowan turned to him and almost seemed a little too excited to share the backstory. "I picked that up a long time ago in the summer after sixth year when I stayed over at Hermione's for two weeks."

He turned towards Harry who had turned his gaze down. "She made me watch western movies. We watched everything from John Wayne to Clint Eastwood. Used to stay up till four in the morning. We used to then imitate and act the scenes out ourselves." He let out a wistful sigh. "Good times. It's been so long since we had done anything like that. Last time was probably when Ka-"

"We're here to talk about the Witherfield case" Harry cut him off as he looked up at him. A stricken expression on his face.

Draco's eyes dropped to his hands that were curled around tightly into fists.

"It's better if you sit down" he addressed Rowan.

Rowan looked between them a few times before slowly nodding his head and taking his seat.

"How can I help you" he leaned back and crossed his arms behind his head before propping his feet on the edge of the table.

Harry sat opposite Draco before nodding his head at him.

Draco faced Rowan before speaking. "We believe that Witherfield's murderer was at the ceremony."

Rowan raised an eyebrow as Draco continued.

"We've also learnt that the murderer got his way into the party through Julius Hitchview. They obliviated Mr. Hitchview and then fed him false memories. They-"

"Hold on" Rowan lifted his hand in confusion. "They, how many people you think were involved"

"They, in the contest I'm speaking of simply pertains to one person as we don't know whether it's a male or female" Draco answered.

Rowan nodded his head and propped his arm back. "Go on"

"As I was saying they then polyjuiced into Mr. Hitchview before using his floo to attend the party."

"How do you know it wasn't Hitchview who killed him. He could have simply lied and fed you a fake story"

Draco sighed and cast a quick glance in Harry's direction. He saw Harry close his eyes and his jaw slacken under tension.

"Because we talked to everyone who was present at the party and most of them don't even remember that he was at the party. Only a couple saw him enter but even they said they lost sight of him almost immediately, which we learned is completely opposite to Hitchview's behavior as he is described as an extrovert. But that aside, the main point is that the killer then polyjuiced into Witherfield in the middle of the party when he went to the use the toilet and then after everyone had left, flooed back with him to Hitchview's house before apparating."

"So, that could've been Hitchview all along. He could've waited in the bathroom for Witherfield to arrive and then polyjuiced into him"

Draco let out another sigh, this time a lot more exaggerated. "No, that can't be possible because Hitchview's elf found him sprawled in the living room at a time when the ceremony was still going on. Unfortunately, after putting Hitchview to bed the elf left or he may have been alerted by the floo which was around midnight"

"Oh" Rowan stuck his bottom lip out and made tutting noises before nodding his head. "So, you don't believe it was someone invited to the party?" asked Rowan.

"Merlin's balls" Draco muttered under his breath before shooting him a fake smile. "No, because as I said only those who were invited to the ceremony had their floo connected to IMA and since Mr. Hitchview was invited but he wasn't able to go, well not the real one anyway, and that he was drugged and his memories had been obliviated which we confirmed with veritaserum"

"Hmm, interesting" Rowan pondered as he slowly shook his chair back and forth. "I still don't understand how I can help you in any of this. Wait" He stopped shaking and turned to Draco with wide eyes. "I'm not a suspect am I"

He didn't give Draco the chance to answer as he burst forth laughing.

Draco pinched the bridge of his nose as Rowan's laughter slowly subsided. "Oh, lighten up. I'm just-"

"Not yet"

Silence. Rowan's light chuckling halted immediately as he turned to him. "I beg your pardon" His voice didn't hold any of the levity that was previously present.

Harry's lips curled into a smirk. "I said not yet"

"What's that supposed to mean"

"It's meaning is fairly simple. Not...yet"

Rowan's eyes narrowed into a glare whereas Harry's expression remained totally stoic, devoid of any emotion.

Draco, sensing the tension, cleared his throat. "The reason we're here is because we learnt that the invitations were handed out by your reception team and that they were under strict orders not to tell anyone about it"

"Yes, I didn't want any drama in the newspapers. Hermione would've hated that if people knew who was attending and how many were invited. It would've caused an unnecessary ruckus"

"Yes, that was very smart of you and as it turns out very beneficial in our case proceedings" Draco said.

"So, you think they told someone else or that it was one of them who could be the killer since none of them were invited" His voice had taken an apprehensive tone at the end as he brought his feet down and sat straight.

"We don't know yet. We just want to talk to them and inform you beforehand as protocol."

Rowan nodded his head before shaking his head. "You can't trust anyone nowadays can you" he scoffed. "Fuckin hell. I'm closing in on a massive deal in a few days' time and can't afford this type of baggage if one of them really is a culprit"

"Well, you better start praying then" Draco stood up. "In the mean time we advise you to remain calm and not talk to anyone in reception until we say so"

Rowan distractedly nodded his head.

"Have a good day. Harry" Draco motioned him to get up before he turned around and started walking towards the door.

Harry remained seated; his eyes trained to the floor. Rowan's eyes trained towards him.

Draco reached the door before turning around. "Shit" he whispered, when his eyes landed on Harry's back. "C'mon Harry" he tried to sound casual but panic was written all over his features.

"You go. I'll be along shortly" Harry called out to him. Harry looked over his shoulder after a few seconds and nodded towards the door to Draco.

Draco seemed to be having an internal battle with himself and after a few seconds finally appeared to have reached a decision as he walked over to Harry.

He bent down and brought his mouth next to his ear. "Not now" he whispered.

"Leave" Harry whispered back, but his eyes remained locked on to Rowan the entire time.

"You could get in a lot of trouble and this could directly impact the case" Draco gritted as he squeezed his shoulder.

Harry tore his eyes from Rowan and turned to him. "Leave"

Draco glared at him. "Dammit Harry!" he whispered before turning around and stomping out of the room.

Harry's head remained turned to the side until the sound of the door closing reverberated around the room.

No one spoke for what felt like an eternity. Harry was staring at his hands and Rowan kept staring at him.

"Don't do anything you're going to regret, Potter" his voice was laced with warning. "Not unless you wish to go back to hiding"

A scoff escaped Harry's lips as he finally looked up at him.

"You always had the weirdest sense of humor" Rowan continued.

Harry nodded his head, the smile still present on his face. He ran a hand through his hair as he turned to look out the window. It was a few seconds later when he finally opened his mouth.

"I'm only going to say this once" he started, his voice deep and gruff. "You ever hurt her or treat her in any bad way...I'll kill you" He turned his head back to him. Rowan's eyes turned wide for a brief moment before he schooled his features back to normal.

"I'll know, believe me, I'll know" he paused. "I'm going to let you on a little secret just so you know how serious I am. For the past six months I was gone, that is true. No one saw me or knew where I was. But I saw her, everyday"

"Wait-what" Rowan's forehead scrunched in confusion.

"Every day during her break she goes to this little bookstore for fifteen minutes. It's a muggle shop, so small it barely fits five people but it's her favorite place. She found it during her first week when she first started working at Mungo's. It started out with few trips once a week but quickly became her obsession which then became a tradition. Never once had she missed it, unless she was out of town or sick or whatever.

During the six months I was gone I used to pop in just for those fifteen minutes...just to see her...to make sure she was doing alright. And she was"

He nodded his head before swiping a hand through his hair. A small smile came over his lips as he appeared to be reminiscing about something.

"I figured pretty early on, even before we got together that if she had a frown on her face while she was reading then it meant that she was okay. That nothing was bothering her. Nothing major anyway because something's always bothering her"

A smile came over both their lips but they avoided each other's eyes.

"But if she had a blank look on her face" continued Harry. "Then it meant that her mind was restless, with worry and then her haven of solace could only provide a little distraction as opposed to the stimulation she desired every time she opened a book."

"During the months you were gone to fight him she only had blank looks" Rowan commented with a forlorn look on his face.

"She didn't during the six months I was gone."

Rowan's head snapped towards him and he arched an eyebrow.

Harry nodded his head. "No matter how much I tried to fool myself there was always a line on her forehead every day I saw her through the window. I knew then I lost her"

Silence enveloped them once again. Rowan was staring contemplatively in front of him while Harry's expression was blank.

"That's the sort of love she deserves" He focused his eyes back on Harry as he continued. "This sort of commitment...and nothing less" Harry finished, looking back at him, his jaw clenched. "But in the end even that wasn't enough, which tells you just how much I'd fucked up." Another pause. "She isn't perfect...there are things I'm going to resent her for the rest of my life...things I'm never going to forgive her for" Rowan averted his gaze as Harry gave him a pointed look. "But...the love is always going to be there...as much as I don't want it to.

I'm telling you all this to let you know that's the type of love she deserves and only, and I mean only go after her if you can give that love to her every second of every minute of every hour of every day for as long as you breathe air and if you can't then leave her alone because you're only going to end up hurting her and not only ruin your relationship but also your friendship. But you won't have to worry about that because I will kill you. Remember that"

Harry hastily stood up and made his way towards the door.

"Potter"

He stopped and looked at him as Rowan stood up. "I've loved her long before she ever laid eyes on you and like you said, it's always been there"

Harry walked out of the room.

Interior, Hallway – Afternoon

Draco pushed himself off the wall as the door opened and Harry walked out.

"Is he alive" He asked, as Harry stopped next to him.

"For now"

"Oh, thank merlin" He breathed a sigh of relief and clapped Harry on the back.

Harry arched an eyebrow. "You really thought I was going to kill him!"

"Yeah!" He said as if that was obvious.

Harry shook his head as his lips curled upwards. "Listen, we're not going to act today. If the killer is any one of the receptionists, I want him or her to feel safe. I want them to breathe a sigh of relief and think they've escaped. That we missed them. They are going to act in of two ways if that's the case. If they feel we're closing in then they are going to make some kind of move. It could be anything. Something as mundane as a day off or as suspicious as resigning or if they feel secure then their guards will be down come morning and that's when we'll hit.

For now, all their defenses will be up along with a neatly formed made up memory to throw us off and someone as that good of a schemer is bound to have a vial of Opio on their person at all times so veritaserum will be useless"

"Alright. Let's say none of them is the killer and that they talked to someone and accidently mentioned the list. The killer could've used the imperious curse and made them bring the list of people invited. The killer would've obliviated their memory afterwards and we'll be back to ground zero"

Harry sighed as he rolled his neck clockwise. "Look, we're going to end up using legilemens on them tomorrow, anyway. If any of them is the killer, we're fucked because then the memory will be fucked, if they are not and the killer did use imperious curse and then obliviated them, we're fucked but, if the killer somehow missed a beat and left a little clue by not fully obliviating every single detail, because don't forget that if we're assuming the killer did imperious them to bring the list then there were multiple meetings"

Draco's eyes turned wide as Harry's mouth curved at the corner. "Imperious doesn't erase the memory."

"True, and this is something that is only taught in auror training. You don't lose your memory when the curse if lifted off, you're just not aware of it as it resides in the corner of your brain"

"Ha! Simpson used to say that" Draco chuckled.

"So, we know the killer would've obliviated the person who brought the list while under the imperious curse, but as we know there is another spell for obliviating an imperious memory. Did the killer do that, now that is the question"

"Boy, this case is getting so convoluted" muttered Draco.

"One more thing. How did the killer get Witherfield's hair for Polyjuice potion. We know it had to be at the party because his bodyguard was always near him whenever he went outside and he never went out much. I mean there is a chance he could've gotten it before the night of the ceremony but I highly doubt it. So, that means at some point during the party he or she came in contact with Witherfield because surely their plan couldn't have been to wait in the toilet to see if or when Witherfield would come. No, I think Witherfield was told to go and it had to be just before or when the ceremony ended because that's when he went."

"Yeah, but that would still be Hitchview, I mean the killer polyjuiced as Hitchview and wouldn't seem suspicious at all because they are old friends"

"Hmm" Harry hummed. "Just a thought. I'm going to visit Dylan tomorrow and see in his memory once again.

"Not a bad plot. What now, you want to check in the pensieve. I talked to Dave and John. They brought it and set it up in the conference room."

"I'll do that before addressing the media tomorrow. I'm calling it a day for today" they stepped inside the lift and Harry pressed the button to the ground floor.

"Everything alright" Draco asked as the lift started moving.

"Hmm"

"Because you didn't seem alright when I first saw you"

"Draco" Harry whined, craning his neck up.

"Alright, alright" he lifted his hands as the lift came to a halt and they stepped out.

Interior, 11 Raptors Lane, Hogsmeade, Exterior – Night

Knock! Knock!

Severus arched an eyebrow from the open kitchen in Harry's direction who was seated on the sofa before the fireplace, a bottle of firewhiskey in one hand and a comic book in the other.

"Expecting someone, old man"

"No"

"Well, they are not here for me so go and check"

Severus wiped his hands on the apron he was wearing before heading towards the door. Harry went back to reading his comic which was a hardcover of Kingdom Come, a DC comics publication.

He brought the bottle to his lips and took a large swig as the door opened.

"Is he inside?"

The colour drained from his face and his eyes turned wide as the voice reached him.

"Umm...I-" He sat tensely, as he heard Severus nervously stammer. "I don't think now's a good ti-"

Harry got up and turned around and saw Hermione standing before him with Severus standing behind her with his head turned down and one hand on the door. He sighed and closed the door.

Harry shifted his eyes back to Hermione and gulped.

There were tear stains all over her cheeks and it looked that she hadn't slept in a whole day.

Suddenly, she moved forward in his direction. He shifted on the spot as she came around the sofa and stopped when she reached him.

Thwack!

Her slap echoed for several long beats before it slowly died down. He sighed and removed the hair that had fallen over his face before looking at her. Tears were now openly running down her cheeks. "How dare you say it was only a passage of time for me" she whispered, as more tears ran down her cheek.

She turned around and walked back towards the door. Severus held it open for her before she walked out.

Harry slumped back down on his seat and stared into fireplace. The bottle and comic book lay forgotten on the small round table to his side.

A few minutes passed by during which he hardly blinked and simply watched the ember flames swirling behind the grate.

"Here"

He turned his head around and saw Severus holding an ice pack.

He took it from his hand and brought it to his left cheek which had a large hand print mark on it. "Thanks" he muttered, turning his attention back to the fireplace as Severus sat next to him.

The older man put an arm around his shoulder and Harry leaned in his embrace before laying his head on his shoulder.

1997

Interior, Sixth Floor Corridor, Hogwarts – Day

Hermione was walking down the hallway with a bag hanging from her left shoulder. Her cheeks were flushed and there was a sheen of sweat over her skin.

She turned the corner and continued walking.

"Hey"

"AAh!"She let out a high-pitched scream as Harry stepped forward from behind a statue of a wizard.

He doubled over in laughter while pointing a finger in her direction. Hermione's cheeks turned red in anger and embarrassment as she glared at him.

"Are you out of your mind!" she yelled, as Harry wiped the tears from his eyes. "You could give somebody a heart attack!"

"Sorry, sorry" he lifted his hands and backed away a couple of steps at seeing the fuming look on her face. "It was just a joke"

"Well, it wasn't funny and you're not a child!"

"I know and I'm sorry"

She shook her head and adjusted her bag over her shoulder. She looked at him when he kept staring at her with a smirk on his face.

"Well, what are you still doing here? You've played your pathetic little joke so get out of my way"

"I will...once I've given you your present"

"Oh god" she moaned, tilting her head back. "How many times have I told you I have a boyfriend so stop pestering me because nothing's going to happen between us, ever."

"Oh, I know" he shrugged of casually. "But like I said, I don't care about your boyfriend"

"Well, you should because I had to stop him from going after you this morning when I told him you still haven't stopped bothering me. So, will you please stop" she whined.

"C'mon you know you love it" he grinned.

"No! I don't" she exclaimed, exasperatedly.

"You will" he said cheekily.

"Oh god! You're pathetic. Seriously, any respect I had for you after all the stories I read and heard about you is gone and it's all because of you! Look, this is my last year and I want it to be great but you've already made it the worst time of my life and it's still the first week"

"Oh, all lies. It's all a lie because I know you're loving it." he moved his feet and slowly walked in circles around her. "I see your eyes light up every time they land on me. The way your cheeks blush when you catch me staring at you. When you're trying to look for me in a room because you can't keep your eyes off me. And stop with all that boyfriend crap. What's his name, McDagnell, Schkdagnell, you're sure it's not McDonald's"

"Mclaggen" A hint of a smile came over her lips as she corrected him. "HIs name is Cormac Mclaggen"

"Whatever. The point is he doesn't matter because you know the truth." He stopped in front of her and pointed a finger at her. "I know the truth" He pointed the finger at himself. 'Everyone knows the truth" He swirled his finger around. "Even McDonald's," a chuckle escaped Hermione's lips which she muffled with her hand. "And that is that it's going to be you and me. It's written in the stars honey, so stop fighting it. Now, close your eyes" He leaned forward till his face was only inches apart from her.

"What" she whispered.

"Close your eyes, princess" he whispered.

Hermione's eyes fluttered for a moment before she closed them. She licked her lips and waited.

Harry's mouth twitched at the corner as he straightened and took his wand out and pointed it at his shoes. "Quietus" he whispered. He stomped his feet on the floor but no sound came. He then took out a red ruby stone from his trouser pocket and bent down to place it before Hermione's right shoe.

He stood back up and leaned forward till his mouth was next to her ear. "I love you. Now, count to ten and wait for your present"

He leaned back before dashing past her and around the corner.

A few seconds later Hermione opened her eyes. Her eyebrows scrunched in confusion before irritation took over her face, and a few seconds later it was replaced with anger.

"Git!" she yelled, before taking a step forward. "What the-" She lifted her shoe and took a step back. Her eyes turned wide as she picked up the stone she had just moments ago stepped on.

She examined it and gradually, a smile started forming on her face as she closed her fingers around it before walking.

A/N: As always guys post your comments below and let me know your thoughts. Anyways guys hope you enjoyed this chapter and I'll see you on the flip side.