Accidentally in Love
Chapter 8: Close Call
It was a warm morning in Brisbane and Hermione sat on the terrace of the hostel she'd been sleeping in, drinking a huge cup of coffee. Most travellers in the hostel were slightly older than her, backpacking through the country. She met people from all over the world, some even from the UK. And there was more than one guy hitting on her, but she just told them all that she had a boyfriend back home. She didn't mind the disappointed glances. It was obvious that flirting in hostels was part of the travel experience. If she wasn't heart broken, she would have probably enjoyed the attention. If you were invisible to guys for what felt like years, it was nice to notice sexy surfer boys hitting on you. But whenever a guy appeared in front of her, she could only think of deep, green eyes, that genuine smile, those black locks and the voice that could touch her to the quick. Harry.
How did he feel? Was he still at the Burrow? How were things with Ron? Why the hell had she left without him? It felt so stupid, now that she thought about it. Was distance really a good idea? What if he didn't think about her the way she did? What if Ginny would take her chance and win him back? Thousands of thoughts like that bothered Hermione but she still didn't dare to contact Harry. She was in Australia for two weeks now. She knew where her parents were. They lived in a city called Newcastle and were both working as dentists. Hermione had used a simple tracking spell and could have been there in the blink of an eye. But she didn't want to. There were many questions she couldn't answer yet and she knew her parents would ask. So she drove around in a cheap car, using the money she had saved for years on her bank account. It made her feel free and part of her really enjoyed it not to know where she'd spend the next day. It could have been perfect. But it wasn't. Nothing would ever be perfect without him.
The days were nice. Even though it was actually winter time in Australia, weather was still nice and warm, especially in comparison to the UK. Hermione enjoyed the warmth and spend as much time outside as possible. She took pictures, read a lot and spend hours at the beach. She tried hard to enjoy it, but she just couldn't stop worrying about what was going on back at the Burrow. So the next morning, after a night of tossing and turning, she finally decided that it was time to stop being a coward. She had to know what was going on and she had to clear things. And she had to do it, before finding her parents.
It was early morning in Brisbane, so it was late evening in London. Hermione was sitting in a single room in her Hostel, looking down at one of Harry's shirts. She'd taken it without asking and had been sleeping with it for the last couple of days. She would never tell anyone, because clearly it was pathetic, but now that she needed to track him, it was good to have something that belonged to him. First she'd thought she would simply go to the Burrow, but then she decided to use the spell first. She wasn't sure that Harry was still there and if she was being honest, part of her really hoped he wasn't. Dealing with Harry AND Ron would be too much. Besides, she really wanted to talk to Harry alone and it was nearly impossible in the Burrow.
After walking around her bed for what felt like ages and wondering whether she should do it or not, she finally gathered her courage and said the spell. And as expected, Harry was in Grimmauld Place. Hermiones heart was beating as fast as if she'd been running at high speed and her hands were sweaty. Why was she being that nervous? It was Harry. Her hands started shaking. No turning back now, she thought and felt the familiar pull before apparating.
ooooo
Hermione appeared in the dark alley of Grimmauld Place, heart racing. Number 12 was visible, which surprised Hermione. She'd expected it to be difficult to make an entrance, but now she just had to knock. She approached the door with sweaty palms and knocked three times. It was too late to back down now. Excitement and fear made her heart beat even faster and then she heard the door open and looked into green eyes – but not the ones she'd been hoping for. Kreacher looked at her expectantly, not letting her in.
"What do you want?" he finally asked and Hermione frowned.
"Uhm, I… well, I wanted to see Harry." She answered surprised and the old house-elf nodded.
"Master Harry is not home yet. Kreacher knows you. You're Master's friend. You can wait inside." Kreacher said with a little bow. He really did remember her. Hermione nodded relieved.
She entered the big house and even though it was still glum, it looked much better. The dark Portrait of Sirius' mother had disappeared and everything was lighter and friendlier. It was not a house Hermione would have wanted to stay in forever, but it was much homier now that Harry was living here.
Hermione sat down in the living room and looked around. Kreacher brought some tea and she smiled grateful. There were several letters on the table, all fan-letters apparently. In one corner was a huge clock showing that it was nearly 11 o'clock. Where was Harry? It was late, why wasn't he home? A strange feeling settled in the pit of Hermiones stomach.
"Kreacher? Where is Harry right now?" Hermione asked friendly and the house-elf looked at her motionless.
"Out." He just said and Hermione sighed but nodded grateful.
Maybe she shouldn't have come. Maybe this had been a stupid idea. Hermione clearly felt out of place. Something was strange and fear settled in her heart. Before she could think of leaving, she heard the front door open, followed by laughter. Hermiones heart was racing out of different reasons now. Harry wasn't alone. And she knew the voice of the girl that was with him. She'd been so stupid to think he was being home alone, sulking because of her being gone. Just when Harry opened the door to the living room, Hermione had already disapparated.
Back in her hostel room, Hermione wanted to throw Harry's shirt away, but she couldn't. Instead she put it into her pearl bag, wiping the tears from the corners of her eyes and leaving the hostel for good. It was time to find her parents and go back home.
All kinds of emotions raged inside her heart while driving towards Newcastle. She didn't really see anything, except pictures of Harry and Ginny having a good time. She couldn't stop it. She was wondering if they were back together, if Harry had been so angry about her leaving, that he'd turned back to his ex-girlfriend. The simple thought of them being alone in that huge house made her so angry, she nearly hit a truck. Hermione didn't care. She was just furious and even though she knew deep down that she was being silly and unreasonable, she couldn't help it. And she didn't want to. The last time she'd been so angry, was when Ron came back right after her and Harry had hooked up. She remembered as if it was yesterday.
ooooo
The next hours passed in tension. Ron told them everything about his adventures when he was gone and Harry told him about theirs. He didn't tell Ron everything of course. Not a single word about what had happened between them. Hermione had never been that angry and confused at the same time. And what bothered her most was Harry locking up. He didn't even look at her properly and it drove her crazy. After everything that had happened, he was now avoiding her? So not going to happen.
As usual Ron fell asleep soundly, but Hermione couldn't even think about sleeping. Harry had left to keep watch and she covered herself in a thick blanket and went outside. She sat down quietly next to him, not daring to touch him. They both sat in silence, looking at the stars in the clear sky. It was cold, but Hermione didn't mind. She started shaking softly and soon felt Harrys arm around her shoulder, holding her close to warm her. She put her head on his shoulder and they sat like that for a while until Harry finally broke the silence.
"I said his name. That's why he found us."
Hermione nodded.
"I know. Kind of ironic considering that it's the same way to alert He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named…"
Harry snorted.
"I know that I would have been probably dead without him, but am I stupid for still regretting that I said it?"
Hermione took his hand and squeezed it.
"You are a lot of things, Harry Potter. Stupid is not one of them."
Their eyes locked and time stood still. How did he do this? How could a simple look do so many things to her insides?
"We can't do this. Not with him here. Not like this. It's… not right." Harry said husky, frowning as if he was surprised that these words actually came out of his mouth.
Hermione nodded with a heavy sigh. It was so messed up.
"Why did it take so long for me to realize?" Harry asked low and Hermione wasn't sure if he was asking her or rather himself. "It's really ironic. Now that I might die any moment, I feel like such an idiot. We could have had so much time…"
Hermione shook her head and squeezed his hand one more time.
"Don't you dare talking like it's already over, Harry. You're going to make it. We are. We have a ton of time when this is over. I promise."
Harry smiled.
"Always saying the right things, aren't you Mione? You give me hope. You always have. Even before I noticed that I'm crazy about you. You were always the light in my dark. If there really is an after, I will do the right thing. I'll take you on a date."
Hermione laughed. He had that sparkle in his eyes. She knew that this was just dreaming, that none of this would probably come true. But it felt so good. They talked about places they wanted to visit and things they wanted to do. It was a long list and they had a lot of fun. And even though Harry tried to keep a certain distance, his hand was still holding hers. For a while it felt as if they were still all alone. As if the magic of the last days was more than just a bittersweet memory.
ooooo
Harry was frozen in shock. She'd been there. He'd seen her. Just for a moment, but he'd clearly seen her disapparating. His heart was still racing at the thought of her leaving like that. And he couldn't stop wondering why.
"Kreacher? When did Mione come?" he asked distracted, not able to focus on anything else than the look on Hermiones face. She'd been devastated. Why?
"Mistress came half an hour ago." The old house-elf said low.
Harry started walking around confused.
"She just left. Without even saying hi! What the hell? I haven't seen her for over 2 weeks and then she vanishes like that without even saying something?" he started ranting, out of his mind because he couldn't cope with the fact that she'd been this close and he still hadn't been able to talk to her.
Ginny sighed and sat down, which made Harry stop in his tracks.
"What?" he asked frowning and Ginny shook her head, as if to decide if she should really tell him.
"I might regret this, but I can't see you like that… Harry what do you think how Hermione must feel seeing you and me alone together in your house this late in the evening?"
Harrys eyes widened in surprise. Could it be that simple?
"You can't be serious." He said determined. Hermione was one of the most reasonable girls he knew. Never would she vanish like that without giving him the chance to explain.
Ginny sighed again, a small smile on her lips.
"Harry, you are one of the bravest and smartest guys I know, but you are so dense when it comes to girls, that I can't help thinking you spend too much time with Ron."
A shadow crossed Harry's features. He still wasn't talking to Ron and every time he heard his name it felt just wrong. He focused on Hermione instead and kept frowning.
"You try telling me that Mione is jealous?" he said as if the simple thought was crazy.
Ginny laughed.
"I say that she must have given in to her wish to see you and then she finally appears on your doorstop and you bring another girl back home. And not only a girl, but your ex-girlfriend. She must think you do fine without her. If it was me, I would have cursed you or beaten up the other girl, but Hermione is not like that. She rather disappears, keeping what is left of her dignity."
Harry snorted, not sure if he should laugh or cry. She'd wanted to see him. After all those lonely nights. He could have slapped himself. He'd been home alone every night and the only night when he decided to give in and show Ginny what a Muggle cinema looked like, Hermione decided to come looking for him.
Harry stood up determined and Ginnys eyes darkened a shade, as if she knew what he was about to do. She sighed again, this time deeper.
"I knew you would do this." She confirmed his thought and smiled crooked. "Good luck, Harry."
Harry nodded. "Thanks."
With a small smile, Ginny disapparated. Harry didn't have time to feel sorry for her. He'd told her that he only wanted to be friends. He even told her he would understand if she'd prefer to keep her distance. She didn't want to. And to be honest, he was grateful. Ginny was a good friend. And she could have kept him in the dark tonight. He would have needed some time to figure out what was wrong and she'd clearly helped him.
While Harry started packing a few things, he kept thinking about Hermione. He was done waiting. He was done being patient. He was done being noble. He'd accepted Ron's blows only because he felt like he deserved them. He did fall in love with the girl his best friend loved and it felt like the right thing to accept those punches. But now he was done being the good guy. He was done always stepping aside and playing nice. It was time to stop being everybody's darling. He knew what he wanted and it was time for him to take it. This time he would be the one pursuing happiness. And the name of his happiness was Hermione. And once he had her, he'd never let her go again.
Author's note:
Here is finally chapter 8. I am so sorry for such a long break… The only excuse I have, is that I actually gave birth to a beautiful, little girl and she took everything I had the last nine months. :-) Even though I wanted to write now and then, I never found the time. And if you don't sleep for what feels like months, you kind of miss motivation^^
Even though it's late, I still hope there are some people who still read this story and like it. The last chapter was criticized a lot for Harry letting Ron beat him up. I still think it suits Harry to act this way. Even though most of you don't seem to like Ron a lot, he still was/is the person who was Harry's first real friend. I don't think you really understand what this means to a guy who was all alone and mistreated for most of his life. The importance of Ron and Hermione is so huge in Harry's life, because they are the only ones who stick to him from the beginning until the end. And even though Ron sure has his quirks, he still gave Harry what he always wished for: friendship and a family. Harry knows that Ron's greatest fear is to lose Hermione to Harry. And he knows that by falling in love with her, he breaks Ron's heart in every way possible. What are a few punches compared to the pain Ron must be feeling when his best friend steals the girl he loves? So, I'm sorry you didn't like that part, but for me it shows so clearly who Ron and Harry are, that I really think it fits perfectly in my story. :-)
Now I hope you like chapter 8 and I will try to update as soon as possible. I promise it won't take 9 months this time :D
