Unconscious Confessions

Dinner Dilemmas

~Two Weeks Later~

Harry gave a start when he heard a loud 'pop' and Hermione suddenly appeared in front of him.

"Bloody hell Hermione!" he exclaimed giving her an annoyed look. "You almost gave me a sodding coronary!"

The brunette woman had the grace to blush "Sorry Harry, I just had to have a moment away from that house," she responded plopping down of the chair and giving him a dismal look.

"That bad yeah?" he inquired flipping off the tellie and studying his mate.

She released a dainty snort "You have no idea."

"What happened?"

She looked at him "Do you really want to know?" when he nodded Hermione allowed her head to fall and rest on the back of the chair. "They're driving me completely mental Harry. My mum keeps telling me that I need to get back on the horse while my dad keeps asking if I need him to give Ron a sound thrashing."

Harry chuckled and she shot him a glower.

"It's not funny -this is what I've been dealing with the last couple of weeks. Mummy will make some type of comment about how I need to get back out there and experience life and how she had always felt that Ron wasn't the right bloke for me. Then at the mention of his name daddy will frown and give me a sympathetic look –like I was the bloody one who had brought the git up. At which time he'll tell me how stupid Ron –who he now refers to as "The Prat" -was to let me go, how I deserve better and how what Ron needs is a nice swift boot in the arse."

Harry laughed once more and she kicked him.

"Ow! Sorry," he said with a chuckle "but I can't help it. Your parents are awesome."

"Yeah well you try having dinner with them and see how awesome you still think they are." She rolled her eyes "Then again you probably wouldn't be treated to the same torture as me since technically you'd be a gues-" she halted mid-sentence and gave Harry a wide-eyed look.

'Uh-oh,' he thought.

"Harry?" Hermione inquired with her best puppy-dog face.

Harry winced "Er… yeah?"

"What are you doing tonight?"

"Well… I just finished working a double so I thought I'd just take today to relax… why?"

"Where's Ginny?"

"She's working –she has night shift… once again may I ask why?"

"Wellll…I was just wondering –have you eaten yet?"

Harry rolled his eyes "If you want me to come to your house for dinner just ask."

She blushed "I'm sorry it's just that, well –I've skived off on dinner for the last two nights by telling my parents I had to work late. I don't think they'll let me get away with it again."

He gave her an amused look "So what where you doing then?"

"When?"

"When you skived off dinner?"

Hermione frowned "I was working."

"You know, I really don't think you get the whole excuse making thing," he commented shaking his head.

She continued to frown "What does that mean?"

"It means just because you give the excuse that you have to work, doesn't mean that you actually have to work," he answered with a boyish grin.

"I know," she grumbled blushing once more "I just –are you going to come to dinner or not?" she finished with an annoyed look.

Harry laughed "Sure."

"Well?"

"Well what?" he inquired with a confused look.

Hermione rose her brows and made a small shooing motion "Go and get dressed."

"What's wrong with what I have on?" he asked looking down at his clothes then back up at his mate with a frown.

'Nothing.'

"Harry you look like you're getting ready to go to bed," she commented in an exasperated tone.

He quirked a brow "I am."

'Me too,' her mind whispered huskily.

"I'm not," Hermione said standing and approaching him. "And neither are my mum and dad –go and get dressed Harry."

"Come on, I don't really look that bad do I?" he teased, waiting impatiently for her response… well, her mental one that is.

Hermione rolled her eyes "Yes."

'No, you look absolutely delicious…'

She leaned forward "So get up and get dressed, now."

'…before I decided to have a taste,' she finished mentally.

Harry flushed and quickly stood up, forcing Hermione to do the same.

"Are you okay?" she inquired, tilting her head back to look up at him.

"Sure," he said aloud.

'No!' his mind yelled as he took note of how close she was to him –their bodies were practically touching.

"Good," she commented with a grin.

'Go and get undressed,' her mind whispered impishly.

"Go get dressed," she insisted sternly.

Harry groaned, she was going to kill him with these musings of hers!

"Harry! Now, come on –we have dinner at seven thirty and it's already a little after seven."

"Alright, alright –just let me go and take a quick shower."

'Mmmm, can I watch?' she purred in his mind.

"Okay, but hurry up Harry we don't have all night," she commented aloud, taking a step back to allow him room to move and settling him with a reproachful frown.

Harry gave her an incredulous look –'How could someone have such randy thoughts but speak such priggish words?'

"Harry," Hermione said interrupting his thoughts and giving an impatient glance to her watch.

"Right, well I'm going to go take a shower," he repeated sidestepping her "a very cold one," he muttered, making his way to the restroom and shutting the door shut firmly behind himself.

~ One Hour Later ~

Harry sat across the table from Ella Granger and chuckled. The older woman, who appeared extremely animated as she told a story from work, looked just like he imagined Hermione would look at that age –except with slightly tamer hair.

"-so then I said, 'It's not what comes out of your mouth, it's what you put in it'," she finished with a mirthful smile.

Harry grinned, "Did you guys ever figure out what it was?"

Mr. and Mrs. Granger shared a look and then laughed, "Trust me dear you don't want to know," she answered.

Harry snorted and took a bite of his steak "This is really delicious Mrs. Granger, I must say it's been a while since I had a home cooked meal this good."

Hermione regarded him curiously "What do you mean? Ginny cooks, doesn't she?"

"Sure," he replied with a light shrug and tucking into his mashed potatoes "but lately she's been working a lot, since St. Mungos is a bit short on healers right now." He gave a thoughtful look "Honestly between both of our schedules we really don't get to see one another very often anymore."

"Well that must be pretty hard on you," Ella Granger commented with a soft smile.

"Eh, its not so bad, we still make time to see each other," he responded returning the smile.

'Probably just to shag,' the older woman snorted mentally.

Harry gave her a surprised look.

"Well I'm sure it'll work out," she commented aloud before reaching out and giving him light pat on the hand.

"I…er, me too," he stuttered flushing.

'Though I hope it won't,' Ella finished mentally before giving a sidelong glance to her daughter.

'What the hell does that mean?' Harry wondered, he opened his mouth to ask her just that before quickly snapping it shut. How would he explain knowing what she was thinking?

"You alright there Harry?" Dan Granger chimed, looking up from his plate.

"Yes sir, I'm fine –thanks."

"Are you sure Harry? You don't look fine," Hermione commented, Harry turned to look at her.

'You look bloody gorgeous,' she thought.

"You look a bit flushed," she finished aloud, reaching out and placing her cool palm on his forehead.

As she pressed her hand to his head, followed by his cheek and then his neck, Harry did his best to stomp down the desire she roused as well as the urge to grab her hand and gently kiss her wrist like Ron had that night at the restaurant.

As her fingers lightly grazed his cheek she looked him in the eyes "You don't feel hot," she commented in slightly winded tone.

'-but I do.' She finished mentally.

Harry's eyes widened and subconsciously flicked to her lips at this thought; he groaned when she licked them.

"So Harry, how long have you and your lady bird been together?" Mr. Granger quizzed, interrupting both of their inappropriate thoughts.

Blushing Harry quickly looked at the older man "I… uh we've been together about six and a half years –off and on that is."

"Harry and Ginny started dating a few months before Ron and I," Hermione added, while getting a fork full of potatoes. "They've been pretty much been going strong ever since."

"But you mentioned off and on Harry," Mrs. Granger interjected.

"Oh… well, yeah. We've only really ended things once, though. We were broken up for several months, but that was back when we were still in Hogwarts."

'And I had to leave to fight Voldemort,' he finished mentally, giving a quick glance to Hermione who shook her head to indicate that her parents had no idea about the war.

"Ahhh," Ella said noncommittally.

'Bugger, this is going to be harder than I thought,' her brain griped.

Harry frowned "Was there something else, Mrs. Granger?"

"Yes, I told you to call me Ella," she responded with a stern look.

"Sorry," he grinned, "have you guys met Ginny before?"

"Maybe we did," Mr. Granger said "that year we went to the burrow for Christmas, though I don't really recall..." he gave a thoughtful look, before smiling. "Remember hun, I got to see a garden gnome." He gave Harry a look "Didn't know there was such a thing you know, but Arthur and I even got to watch one of the older boys degnome the garden." He leaned forward a bit and pulled a face "Ugly little bastards aren't they?"

Harry laughed.

"I spoke with her briefly, can't say I really remember too much about her though," Ella added while taking a small sip of her drink. "Now the twins, those are some great blokes. Their items are a complete riot."

Hermione laughed "Oh yeah, my mum and the twins got along famously, in fact they still send her free samples of their latest inventions."

"Yes I actually gave out a puking pasty this last holiday to this really obnoxious woman at the office," Mrs. Granger said with an impish grin. "She was out for the rest of the week and I got a much needed break from her annoying pointless chatter."

Harry stared at her wide-eyed for a moment before bursting into laughter and looking at Hermione "Now I know where you get the whole brilliant but scary thing from."

Hermione rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Daddy you remember Ginny -the only other girl there my age?" when he gave her a blank look she sighed "The only girl to play in the Quidditch match…"

"Oh, her! -I remember her," he gave Harry an appreciative smile "she was smashing!"

The dark-haired man laughed, "Uh –thanks, I guess."

"Eat your food Dan," Mrs. Granger ordered primly. When both men looked at her she frowned "What? It's getting cold that's all. –Besides Dan how could you forget Ginny, she's Ron's little sister."

"She's related to "The Prat"?" Mr. Granger frowned and looked at Harry. "I hope being a git doesn't run in the family."

"I-uh, it doesn't, I'm sure," Harry stated.

"Did you hear what "The Prat" did to my Pumpkin?" the older man continued.

"Daddy," Hermione groaned, "please don't start. I told you I'm over it, let it go."

"Dan leave it," Mrs. Granger stated; her husband frowned but didn't comment. "So Harry what do you think about the whole situation? I know that the three of you are mates, so this kind of leaves you in the middle, yeah?"

"Well, a bit…" Harry replied with a thoughtful expression. "But I think that if they weren't happy anymore then maybe it was for the best. Now they both have a chance to find that person that makes them truly happy."

"I agree," Ella commented with a smile "I don't think Ron was ever really the chap for Hermione anyway."

'You are,' she finished mentally.

"Okay," Hermione interjected, "as fun as this mortifying conversation is, Harry just finished working a double and needs get home to get some rest. I would also like the chance to leave the table with at least a smidgen of my dignity in tact, so what do you say we head back to your place Harry?"

"But we haven't had afters," her mum voiced with a frown.

"I'm completely stuffed mum and so is Harry, right Harry?"

'You so had better say yes, or I will personally hex you,' she thought, though physically she just gave him a small glare.

"Yeah, completely," he said standing and patting his full stomach. "Everything was great Mrs- er, Ella."

"I'm glad you liked it, please feel free to come back for dinner anytime we'd love to have you," she smiled.

'As a part of the family,' she finished.

Harry chuckled "Sure that would be great."

'Though next time I'll have to make sure to block the thoughts…' he gave the older woman a smile and a light shake of the head 'especially yours.'

"Well Harry, it was good having you," Mr. Granger said giving him a hearty hand shake "I'm glad my daughter has you for a friend."

'I just wish she'd had you for a boyfriend instead of "The Prat",' he thought before turning away and clearing his plate off of the table.

"Me too," Ella commented coming around the table and approaching him. "So you will join us again for dinner right?"

He smiled "Right."

"Good," she said pulling him into a light hug. "See you next week."

Harry gave her a startled look but she had already turned and headed into the kitchen, the dark-haired man threw his mate a bewildered look.

Hermione smirked at him 'Sucker,' she thought before disappearing with a light 'pop'. Giving the laughing Mr. Granger an exasperated smile, Harry shook his head and followed.

--------

Harry arrived in his flat a moment later and gave a glower to Hermione who was resting on the couch.

"You could have warned me you know," he commented flopping down next to her.

"Why?" She asked throwing him an amused glance "You would have still fallen for it."

He gave an affronted look "No I wouldn't have."

She smirked.

"Fine… so maybe I would have, but at least I would have been more prepared," he grumbled.

"Okay, next time I'll give you a warning… some type of secret code or special signal," Hermione responded with a wide-eyed look. "How about next time I'll say something like… the eagle has landed in the berry patch, followed by this hand motion," she made a karate chopping action with her hand.

"Ha-ha, very funny," Harry commented, nudging her with his elbow.

Hermione laughed and grabbed his arm, pouting up at him "Aww, Harry what happened to your sense of humor."

"It's still at your house, I'm saving it for the next time I have dinner with your parents," he responded dryly, while removing his arm from her grasp and placing around her shoulders.

She laughed again and rested her head against his chest "Touché."

They sat together in a comfortable silence, watching the fire that Hermione had started when she arrived.

"I really do appreciate you coming," she murmured after a minute. "And allowing me to hang out here until they go to bed."

"No problem Luv, anytime," he replied kissing the top of her head.

Hermione pulled back and looked up at him as he looked down at her.

'Luv huh?' she thought 'I like the sound of that.'

"Thanks Harry," she said aloud, then after hesitating briefly, she moved forward and placed a light kiss on the corner of his mouth.

He froze for instant. Then bending his head down he placed a light kiss on the corner of her mouth in return "You're welcome," he replied with a smile.

Hermione's eyes widened and she blushed, 'Oh My.'


A.N. That's it for this chappy!! What do you think? Please Reveiw and let me know! Ja!!