Disclaimer- I don't own anything related to Harry Potter. J.K. Rowling does. Even if she screwed up the ending. Nor do I own the songs that I use they belong to those artists. I make no money from this. Just want to entertain people

A/N- Sorry for the delay. I go to school during the week and I work on the weekends. Well here we go.

Chapter 5- Every Waking Moment/ Love is the End/ Just Like Heaven

Harry and Hermione had just arrived at Saltgrass Steak House. It was a little rustic steak house in Houston that Harry liked to go to.

"I love this place" said Harry as they walked in.

When they walked in Hermione said, "It has a nice feel to it. It kind of feels like we are in a really nice ranch house."

It was a Sunday afternoon and the place was crowded with people that had just got out of church. When they were seated neither of them could figure out how to start the conversation until Harry spoke.

"You look good Hermione. Not that you didn't look good before, but you look even better now" he said trying to sound as truthful as he could.

"Thank you, Harry" she said blushing. "You don't look too bad yourself. You look better with short hair and clean shaven." Harry had cut his hair and shaven after Julian told him he looked like a hobo.

"Yeah well a friend of mine told me I looked like a hobo" replied Harry with a chuckle. Now it was time to get serious so Harry asked Hermione, "So how have you been Hermione?"

Hermione sighed. She knew that they were going to have to start talking seriously soon but she wasn't sure if she was ready for it. "I've been okay. I work for the Ministry now" replied Hermione.

"Oh, really? What do you do?" asked Harry.

"I am head of the Muggle Liaisons Office" said Hermione. She wanted to get to why Harry had left, not talk about what they've been doing. "What about you Harry? What have you done since you left Britain?" she asked a bit bitterly.

He knew he would have to tell her what he had done and why he had done it but he really didn't want to. He decided that he might as well get it over with and said, "Well, first I am sorry I left like that Hermione. I was wrong to leave without telling you what was going on."

"I forgive you Harry. So what did you do when you left?" she asked with sadness in her voice.

"Well, I had no idea what I was going to do so I apparated to Grimmauld Place. When I got there I started to think about where I wanted to go. I decided to come over to America. I did it the muggle way. I bought airplane tickets and left later that day for New York City. I did it the muggle way because I knew that no one in the Wizarding world, except maybe you, would ever think to try and track me down that way. When I got to New York, I decided that I needed to head somewhere else because, although I was not sure, I figured that there were too many magical people there. Also because it would be one of the places that they would look for me if they started to look for me in America. So, I bought a map and started to look at where I could go. It took me a while until I finally decided that Houston would be the best place to go. It was a big city with good opportunities, but it is not widely considered an important city like New York or Los Angeles. When I got here I didn't know what to do, so I worked a few odd jobs. Then one day one of my co-workers talking about going to an Astros game and I overheard him. Well I decided that I wanted to see what all the fuss was about so I went by myself. Remember I had just moved here so I didn't know that many people. So I got there and bought a ticket and went to my seat. I had no idea what was going on so I asked some people that were sitting next to me if they could explain the game to me and they did. They were the first friends that I made here in Houston. One of them was a wizard and immediately recognized me. I thought that I was going to have to move again when he told me that he didn't care and if I didn't want him to say anything then he wasn't going to say anything. I met a few more people over the next few months and I decided that I was getting bored with myself. I mean I didn't need to work since the goblins at Gringotts knew where I was and I could get my money from them when I needed to. So I decided to buy a guitar and take some lessons. Well I took lessons for about five months before I decided to attend an open mic night at Tric. At that time they booked random acts all the time and had open mic nights once a week. Well I did my set and apparently everyone thought that I was pretty good and the manager at Tric booked me for the next week. Since that night I signed a contract to perform five nights a week at Tric. I had some offers to sign to major labels and release CDs, but you know how I hate being famous so I turned them down. That's been my life for the last four years; playing at Tric, going to Astros games, and hanging out with my friends" explained Harry.

"Wow. Sounds like you've been really busy Harry" said Hermione. She was surprised at how well Harry had covered his tracks. She of course had tried to track him down the muggle way but had lost his trail after New York. Now she knew why. "So you haven't thought about going back home, to Britain?" she asked.

"Well to tell you the truth I think about moving back home all the time. But I don't know if I could face everyone after all these years. And I know your going to be mad at me for this, but I go back once a year" Harry said. He knew that she was about to blow a gasket.

"What?! You've been back and you didn't think of visiting me?" she asked angrily. She then calmed down and asked, "So why do you go back every year, Harry?"

"I'm sorry Hermione. I really did think about visiting you but it would hurt too much. I go back every year on Teddy's birthday. I stay a few days and then return. I do it the muggle way so no one will know that I had been back. I'm his godfather, Hermione. I know what's it's like to grow up without parents and without my godfather. I don't want him to suffer through that like I did" Harry said trying to calm down. He had let it slip out that it hurt too much to see Hermione and he had hoped that she hadn't heard that part.

"I understand Harry. I am glad that you have stayed in his life. Now I know why Andromeda always seemed to get nervous when I asked if you had kept in touch with them. And I knew I had heard Teddy say something about seeing you the week before I went to see him one time" she told Harry. Then she replayed what Harry had said in her mind and asked, "What do you mean it would hurt too much to see me, Harry?"

She heard it, damn thought Harry to himself. He knew that this was it. This was the moment that he was going to tell Hermione why he had left and how he felt about her. "Well Hermione, you were the reason I left" he said.

She was speechless. She didn't know what to say. She had no idea that Harry had left because of her.

"Hermione, after the final battle I was looking for you, not for Ginny. I wanted you to be the first person I hugged after it was over. Those months that we spent in the tent together made me realize a few things that I thought had been absurd before. I thought back on all the time we spent together. In our first year, I saved you from the troll, and you saved me from the Venomous Tentacula and you helped me with the potions to defeat Quirrell and keep Voldemort from returning so soon. In our second year you stood by me when everyone thought that I was the Heir of Slytherin. When you were petrified I felt like my whole world came crashing down. When you woke up I was so happy and then you did what no one else had done before, you gave me my first hug. In our third year we had the fight over the Firebolt, but I knew that you had done it to keep me safe. Then you helped me save Sirius from a fate worst than death. In our fourth year, you were the only person to stand by me even when Ron deserted me. You believed me when I said that I hadn't entered myself. If it wasn't for you I wouldn't have survived the first task. You don't know how hard it was to see you down at the bottom of the lake and know that you were not mine to save. In our fifth year, I started to realize some things that I just thought were plain absurd and there was no way that those things were going to happen. When we were in the Department of Mysteries and Dolohov hit you with that spell, I almost died myself. I couldn't bear to see you in pain like that. I honestly thought that I was capable of killing someone after that had happened. I had never thought like that before or since. Then in our sixth year our friendship was shaky. We were arguing over the book and you had a crush on Ron. You didn't believe me about Malfoy, and don't worry I forgave you a long time ago about that. You had always believed me and then you didn't, I felt like I had lost something very dear to me. Then in the hunt for the Horcruxes you stayed with me even after Ron left. I don't think I can ever thank you enough for what you've done for me. If it wasn't for you I would've have been dead a long time ago" he said. He took a breath and continued.

"I think it was back in fourth year that I started feeling something for you. Actually I'm sure it was before that but that doesn't matter. I knew that Ron fancied you so I buried my feelings for you so that he could be happy. When I dated Cho for that short time, I did it so that I could get over you, but it didn't work. Then in our sixth year when you had a crush on Ron, I knew that I had no chance so I went after Ginny. She made me forget about my problems for a short while, but she wasn't you. When Ron left I started to examine my feelings for you again. I knew that Ron and I's friendship was over so I didn't care about how he felt anymore. He didn't deserve you. I didn't tell you because I didn't know if I was going to survive. But when I defeated Voldemort, I went to look for you. When I found you, I saw you kissing Ron. I felt like I hadn't won anything, but that I had lost everything. I didn't care about Ginny anymore like you thought that I did. I had told Ginny how I felt about you the summer before we left to hunt down the Horcruxes and she understood. I had to leave Hermione. I was going to tell you…. I was going to tell you that I love you" he said struggling to say the last part.

Hermione was stunned. She had heard what she had wanted to hear for the longest time yet she could not say anything but, "Harry….I….I…"

"I'm sorry, Hermione. I have to go" with that Harry left the money on the table and disapparated.

Hermione tried to get to him before he left but she didn't reach him in time. Where could he have gone? Harry just told me that he loved me and I just froze. I have to find him she thought to herself. She then apparated to Harry's apartment.

Harry's Apartment

CRACK!

Hermione apparated inside Harry's apartment and called out, "Harry?! Harry are you here?!"

"Who are you?" asked a short, dark-haired, Mexican guy that was just coming out of Harry's bathroom.

"I'm Hermione. I am looking for Harry. He lives here right?" she asked thinking that had entered the wrong apartment.

"Oh. I'm Julian. I left something here this morning so I came back for it. But I thought Harry was with you having lunch" said Julian.

"We were and then he told me why he left Britain and then just left. How did you get inside?" she said, then she realized that this man was inside Harry's apartment when the door was locked.

"I apparated. I'm a wizard. So he told you, huh? He's been trying to forget you, you know. He drinks pretty often and when he is drunk he starts talking about how much he loves you" Julian said. He didn't mention the women because he didn't want to ruin this chance that Harry had with Hermione.

"Yeah he told me. I am so stupid. But he left without me explaining to him how I felt. Do you have any idea where he is?" she asked.

"Well let's see it's three-thirty on a Sunday. The game is over so I think I have an idea of where he is. He always goes there to think. Come on and grab on. I'll take you there" Julian said offering his arm.

"Thank you" she said as she grabbed onto his arm and they both disapparated.

Outside Minute Maid Park

"Well here we are. You see there a little park area just around this corner, he always comes here to think" Julian said with a sad smile.

"Where exactly are we?" asked Hermione. She had no idea where she was, all she knew was that there was a massive building to her right.

"We are at Minute Maid Park, home of the Houston Astros. This is where I first met Harry. We come here all the time with our muggle friend Luke" replied Julian. "There he is" said Julian pointing at a bench where Harry was sitting as they turned the corner. "Well I leave you two to talk" he said before disapparating away.

Hermione moved over to the bench that Harry was sitting on and before she reached out to touch his shoulder he asked, "How did you find me?"

"Your friend Julian brought me here when I went your flat looking for you" said Hermione. "Harry let me tell you my side of the story."

Harry nodded.

"Well…."

Flashback

Hermione couldn't believe it. It was finally over. Voldemort was done. They could finally live their lives the way they wanted to.

She was seeking out the young man that she had sacrificed everything for and that had saved her many times before. After Harry had defeated Voldemort everyone surrounded him trying to congratulate him. Now she was looking for him.

She was finally going to tell him that he was her whole world, that she loved him like no one else. That's when she felt a tap on her shoulder and as she turned around with her eyes closes she felt someone's lips crash onto hers. She thought that it was Harry so she started to kiss back with passion.

That was until she opened her eyes and saw Harry looking at her with such anger, such sadness in his eyes. Then he disappeared. She stopped kissing who she was kissing and slapped him. It was Ron.

"What the hell?!" screamed Hermione.

"What do you mean? The war is over, we can finally be together" replied Ron as he was rubbing his left cheek.

"You think I would get back together with you after what you did Ron? You left Harry and I to do what needed to be done all alone. You have no idea what we have been through. You were not there at Malfoy Manor when I was tortured, Harry was. You're a coward Ronald. You always were. I don't know what I ever saw in you" she said as she slapped him again.

"I knew it. You chose him over me. He always gets everything. I am going to kill him" said Ron angrily.

"Are you that selfish? I was never yours Ronald. You always wanted what Harry had even though Harry never wanted any of it. He would have given anything to have a family like you have. To him you had everything that he wanted. You need to take a long look at yourself in the mirror" she said as she walked away. "Oh and don't ever talk to me again."

As she turned around she saw Neville and Ginny kissing and assumed that that was why Harry was so mad. So she left to go look for him. But she never found him.

She waited for him for hours, then days, then weeks, then months. Those months turned into five years.

End of flashback

"… then I found you here" said Hermione relieved to finally have got that off her chest.

Harry sat there dumbfounded. He had left because of something that turned out to be a lie. He didn't know what to say. Then Hermione spoke again.

"Harry" she said as she grabbed him by the cheeks and looked into his eyes when she said, "I love you too" and kissed him.

A/N- Sorry for the delay. I had work all weekend and a date and I didn't have time to write. This chapter was inspired by Every Waking Moment by Citizen Cope, Love is the End by Keane, and Just Like Heaven by The Cure. If you haven't noticed I really like The Cure. I am 19 but I love their music. I recommend that you listen to songs that inspired the chapters so that you get a feel for the mood.