Chapter Four
Harry awoke to the sound of Teddy's cries. It was early morning judging by the sunlight seeping through the minute gap in the curtains. Harry was about to get out of bed, when his bedroom door banged open and Hermione rushed in.
"Hey Teddy, shhh" Hermione picked the toddler up out of his cot and cuddled him "It's okay sweetie."
Teddy's crying started to subside, at hearing Hermione's comforting words.
Hermione instantly turned to her best friend "That's it Harry you just sleep, while I deal with your godson."
"Cheers Hermione" Harry said, groggily, lying back down onto his side and fell back to sleep.
Hermione gave a small laugh, rolling her eyes at Harry's laziness and headed out of the room with Teddy still in her arms.
Harry skulked out of his bedroom half an hour later, yawning and ruffling his jet black hair.
"Oh look Teddy, Uncle Harry has finally decided to wake up and join us!" Hermione joked as she was keeping an eye on Teddy, as he ate his breakfast in his high-chair.
"Ha-ha" Harry replied sarcastically as he came over and ruffled Teddy's hair, and grinned thankfully at Hermione for seeing to Teddy.
Andromeda came to pick Teddy up not long later and Harry left the flat at the same time to go and buy paint. As promised, Harry had agreed to spend all of Sunday helping Hermione paint her room, the muggle way.
Harry returned from the local DIY shop with many pots of magnolia paint in his arms, Hermione had gone with that colour as she could not decide what other colour to go for. As soon as Harry had walked into the flat, his ears immediately caught the sound of music coming from Hermione's bedroom. Harry, intriguingly, followed the source of the noise. On entering her room, Harry dropped the paint tins down quietly and stood in the doorway, laughing, at Hermione. She was dressed in very short denim shorts and one of Harry's old shirts, whilst singing and dancing around to the song 'Girls just wanna have fun' which was playing on the radio.
"Hermione!" Harry said, despite his laughter "Hermione!" he called loudly over the music.
Hermione spun around and her eyes widened at spotting Harry standing there. She turned the music down and blushed bright red "Hi."
Harry laughed and raised his eyebrows in amusement "Enjoying yourself there, Hermione?"
Hermione blushed further "Oh shut up you!" she grinned, sheepishly "Got the paint then I see?" as she noticed the many large tins by Harry's feet.
"Ahuh, I got quite a lot. This orange is going to be a nightmare to cover; it's going to need quite a few coats." Harry then remembered the pressing question he wanted to ask her. "Hermione, I've got to ask, why are you wearing one of my shirts?"
Hermione blushed again "Oh, you don't mind do you? I know it's one you don't really wear, I just needed something to wear to paint in."
Harry raised his eyebrows "So it's alright to spoil my shirt, but not any of your clothes?"
Hermione objected "Hey, I'm wearing my own shorts."
Harry was gazing down at her slender shaved legs; the shorts hardly reached halfway down her thighs "Hmmm, I noticed."
Hermione threw a paintbrush at Harry.
"Oi!" she giggled "Come on we've got to make a start on this painting, I'd like it done today y'know."
"Alright, alright, take a chill pill" Harry said, and hastily ducked to dodge another paint brush Hermione threw at Harry, playfully.
Harry got changed into an old green polo-shirt and some shorts himself, before the two of them began painting the room with the radio on quietly in the background. The furniture having been levitated out of the room, and sheets had been placed on the floor to protect the beige carpet.
Harry and Hermione took ages to put the first coat on the walls, and Harry had kept insisting to stop for tea breaks, with Hermione not so helpfully commenting.
"Harry if I had wanted people to come to decorate and take tea breaks every ten minutes, I would have hired the builder who did up my parent's kitchen! Now come on."
Harry rolled his eyes and grabbed hold of the roller covered in magnolia paint, accidently catching Hermione's arm in the process.
"Sorry Hermione" Harry said, apologetically.
Hermione had dismissed it, but only for only a matter of seconds before she in turn used her roller to get paint onto Harry's arm.
"Oi!" Harry said and looked at Hermione who was giggling heartedly.
"Oh so you think it's funny do you, Miss Granger?" Harry raised his eyebrows mischievously, and purposefully targeted her this time, getting paint on her leg.
"Harry!" Hermione said, as she laughed "Right, this means war!"
The two of them began a playful fight with their paint rollers, covering each other in the magnolia paint, both of them laughing at how pointless the play fight was, but neither would be giving up easily.
"Harry, cut it out!" Hermione said, as she got some in his hair.
"No chance!" Harry replied back with a laugh, getting more all over the front of Hermione.
Hermione retreated back away from Harry, not realising a paint tray was behind her. Hermione was about to fall backwards, her roller fell out of her hand and Harry dropped his instantly as he moved as quickly as a dart, to catch Hermione before she fell. Hermione gasped as Harry caught her, she gazed up at him, Harry gazing directly back down at her. All the laughter had been automatically zapped from the atmosphere as they stared fixedly at each other, both wishing the other would make the first move and move in for a kiss. Harry put his arms more securely around Hermione to pull her up onto her feet. The moment passed. As quickly as that.
Hermione felt extremely crestfallen, not that she showed it in her facial expression.
"Thank-you" she blushed "Just proves why you are such a good seeker."
Harry grinned "Quick reflexes" he smiled, but hidden behind that smile Harry was now regretting not acting on the situation they had just found themselves in.
'You could have kissed her!' The little voice in the back of Harry's head said 'You had the perfect opportunity, and you didn't take it! You idiot!'
Hermione was looking at herself covered in paint "Look at the state of us!" she laughed.
Harry laughed too "I know, got a bit out of hand" Harry looked at Hermione, watching her take her curly hair out of her ponytail.
'She even looks beautiful with paint all over her' Harry thought silently, wishing he could say it out loud, but did not for one simple reason. He was scared of the consequences.
"Harry" Hermione said, as she came closer to him "Do you mind if I say something?"
Harry's heart gave a jolt "Go for it."
"I'm fed up of painting now."
Harry's heart sank, hoping she was going to say something much different, but on the exterior he laughed "Do you want to know something?"
Hermione nodded.
"Same here" Harry grinned and Hermione giggled, before Harry continued "Do you want to just magically put more coats of paint on the walls?"
Hermione responded positively and the two of them used their wands, pointing them at the paint and then onto the walls. The walls soon became a satisfactory shade of magnolia, all the orange colour completely disappeared.
"There, looks perfect" Hermione said, satisfied.
Harry smiled too before suggesting "Hermione why don't I finish cleaning up in here and you make a start on tea? I don't know about you, but I'm starving!"
Hermione chuckled "Yeah alright, it's my turn to cook anyway" she grinned before leaving the room.
Harry finished cleaning up the room and got the furniture back in, as his stomach gave another loud grumble Harry retreated out of the room and called out to Hermione, but could not find her anywhere.
"Bet she's gone to get takeaway" Harry said quietly to himself "Sneaky thing trying to get out of cooking tonight" he grinned before heading to the bathroom to use the loo.
Soon as he stepped inside, there was a loud shriek and Harry immediately backed out of the bathroom, the door slamming loudly behind him. Not only had Harry found out where Hermione had gone, but he had found her lying in the bath. No bubbles at all to cover her modesty.
"Oh bloody hell!" Harry said aloud, whilst his head was screaming "I've just seen Hermione in the bath!"
Harry did not think he had ever felt this hot in all his life, if he could've see his face Harry knew it would be beyond red in embarrassment.
"Hermione?" Harry called as he tapped on the door "Hermione, I'm so, so, so sorry! I didn't realise you were in the bath! I thought you had gone out to get a takeaway or something! Honestly I really did not know. You aren't angry are you?"
There was no response from Hermione inside and Harry sighed "I've made you mad haven't I?" he said as he slid down onto the floor, leaning against the door. "I don't blame you really. Not exactly what you want, your best friend barging in on you while you're in the bath. I should have thought you would have wanted to clean yourself of all the paint."
Hermione was not responding, she was still lying in the bath, too humiliated to say anything.
"Do you want me to go out and get us some food?" Harry suggested "Shall we do that, have chippy tonight? I mean we have worked hard all day, saves you having to cook."
Hermione still did not say anything and Harry sighed again, getting back up onto his feet, yet he had still not finished talking.
"Hermione, listen, I just want you to know…" he put his hand on the door "I didn't see anything; I mean not that I was looking…not that I wouldn't! …I mean not that I'm saying you're not..!" Harry was babbling, trying to dig himself out of a very big hole he had now dug for himself.
Hermione was giggling from the inside, but Harry could not hear her.
"Right, I'll leave you to have your bath in peace Hermione. I'm sorry again."
Harry walked off, feeling downhearted. Not wanting Hermione to think badly of him. He ventured back into his room to get changed and used his wand to get all the paint off himself.
Hermione had got out of her bath and wrapped a dressing gown around herself, having finally coming to her senses she was determined to find Harry and apologise.
"Harry…I didn't mean to" she barged into his room without knocking.
It was Hermione's turn to gasp as she found Harry standing there in just his boxers.
A bright blush spread across Hermione's face "Oh heck!"
Harry laughed "We have both really got to start knocking before going into rooms."
"I'm so sorry Harry!" Hermione said, so embarrassed "I'll let you get dressed."
"No it's fine" Harry assured her; he grabbed some jeans from his wardrobe and began putting them on "It's not like you walked in on me naked now, is it?"
Hermione blushed even more "Stop it Harry, you're making me go all red!"
Harry laughed as he put on a blue t-shirt "There we go, all dressed now."
Hermione smiled, silently wishing he still had his top off. 'Hermione get your mind out of the gutter!' she thought to herself. All she could think about was how all of the years of quidditch training had done wonders for Harry's upper body physique.
"Hermione?" Harry repeated, having never got a response the first time.
"Huh?" Hermione replied, now concentrating on Harry's face again.
Harry laughed "I said, was there something you wanted to talk about?"
"Yeah…" she turned instantly serious "I just wanted to apologise for making you think I was mad at you for walking in on me in the bath. It was completely my fault, I should have locked the door."
"But I should've knocked in the first place, then it wouldn't have happened" Harry protested.
Hermione grinned "Shall we just agree to disagree?"
"Sure" Harry laughed "Friends?"
Hermione beamed at Harry and he got his answer as Hermione rushed over to give Harry a tight hug.
Harry smiled widely. It was all okay. She was not mad.
"Just one more thing we need to talk about now" Harry said, as they withdrew from the embrace.
"And what's that?" Hermione asked, with a sweet smile.
"Can we definitely have chippy for tea?"
Hermione burst into laughter and Harry could not help himself and laughed along with her.
...
Chippy, by the way, is the British phrase for 'Fish and Chip shop' if any of you were confused.
Reviews are, as always, very appreciated!