Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.

Edit: i realise now that the end of this chapter was confusing. But the upcoming chapter is clear in my mind, and I don't want you to be disturbed. That's the reason why I wrote the last paragraph again.

Every Little Thing She Does is Magic

"Yet I know, if I stepped aside,
Released the controls, you would open my eyes.
That somehow, all of this mess
Is just an attempt to know the worth of my life…

... Made of precious metals,

Inside"

Sleeping At Last - Mercury

A week later

Early September

Harry Potter, son of the prankster James Potter, was definitely not in a good mood that day. He had decided to completely stop working two days before, not wanting to spend a few hours every week at the Burrow and listening to Molly complained about how he needed to write to his wife more often.

"She sent me a letter last week, Harry, and she is terrified about the fact of being so far from James and you...," the Weasley matriarch had said with tears in her eyes. "You are meant for each other, and I don't want you to forgive that juste because she left for a year."

Harry had nodded, but it was just because he didn't want to make a scandal in front of James. Inwardly, he wanted to scream, to say to Molly that she didn't understand what was currently happening in his life, that he didn't even know if he wanted to continue his married life with Ginny at this point.

But he just nodded.

Distracted by James' babbling, Harry was staring at the parchment on the coffee table right in front of him. He had received it the day prior, but so far, he hadn't opened it. The thin writing of Ginny covered the first page, and he didn't even if he wanted to read what she wanted to say to him. Eventually, he let out a sigh and took the piece of parchment in his almost shaking hands and unfolded it.

"My love,

Someone once said that "no news, good news", right? Let us hope that he was right then.

I have my authorisation to come back home next weekend. And to be honest, I hope that things will be alright when I'll come back. Don't you dare say that everything is fine between the two of us. I'm trying, I do my best to cheer you up when I write you a letter, or when I have the opportunity to have you through the phone but... I have the feeling that you are still mad at me for some reasons.

And it is not just that. Since James' birth, we are both different, you know? I learned to be a mum and it changed me. I realised that I hadn't had the opportunity to make the things that I wanted to do back at Hogwarts, and that James could definitely forbid me to do these things, such as playing as a professional Quidditch player. But I grabbed my chance, and I am happy about it right now. The only thing that I ever wanted was you to be happy for me too.

As for you... You are not happy for me, and it hurts. It really hurts, Harry, because I thought that you would encourage me in every possible way to achieve my dream, and you aren't. You are just laconically answering to my letters – sometimes not –, and I have the feeling that something is broken between us since June.

I don't want to lose everything that we created since we left Hogwarts. You are a famous Auror, and soon I'll be an equally famous Quidditch player. James couldn't have better parents, and we have to be here for him.

Moreover, the club wants me to sign with them for the three upcoming seasons. They wanted a quick answer, and since you didn't answer to my previous letters in time... Well, I said yes. I'll be traveling a lot even after my training, but I am sure that we will find a way to see each other at least once a week this time. I will even be able to take James with me sometimes: this way, he will be with his mum more often.

Please don't blame me for wanting to have a career like you.

I can't wait to see you in a little more than a week.

I love you,

Ginny"

Harry read this letter several times, and, even if Ginny was saying how hurt she was, he was just seeing how not in love with him she was. She wanted to be with him, of course, like a perfect couple; she wanted James to have his two parents by his side, and he could understand that. But to know that, once again, she had taken such a hard decision on her own... He didn't even know if he needed to cry or laugh about this nonsensical situation.

How could she say that she loved him? How could she throw something that big to his face right after saying that she had taken such a huge decision without even talking about the implications of it?

During the almost last three months, he had learned to live without her, and during this short among of time, he had realised that their lives, what they had builded together, wasn't based upon true love. Love was different; love wasn't the fact of being just proud of your partner's career, or your partner's celebrity. Through her letters, Ginny had made him realise that she was in love with his image. She was in love with Harry Potter, son of James Potter and Lily Evans; she was in love with the Boy-Who-Lived, and now, she wanted her equal among of celebrity. Harry didn't even know if he could blame her for that. This, the whole celebrity thing, was a part of him, and he couldn't get rid of it even if he wanted to.

But the last thing that he wanted was to stay with someone who was not genuinely in love with him just because they had a son together. This wasn't the kind of family that he wanted to have.

Slowly, Harry turned his attention to James, and saw that his little boy was staring at him, his usual toy into his right hand. His green eyes were wide open, and he threw up his hands in the air, urging his father to take care of him. With a smile, Harry got up for the sofa and took James into his arms, kissing his cheek at the same time.

"I guess that you prefer to have a happy father instead of a desperate one, don't you Jamie?," he muttered next to his ear, smelling his usual baby scent at the same time.

James started to clap his hands, not knowing that he was giving to his father the answer that he needed since a few weeks.

XxX

It was late in the afternoon when Hermione eventually came home. With a profound sigh, she get rid of her shoes in the entrance corridor of her flat and headed toward the sofa, with just one idea in mind: to lay down and to never get up from this soft and comfortable place.

Her boss had been as despicable as ever, and working with Daniel was a relief after all. They were nice to each other, and she had learned more about running a bookshop with him than with Rufus Tertington. A few times, he had tried to invite her to have a drink with him, but she had always said no. Not that she didn't want to be his friend; but she had noticed that he wanted to have more than a friendship with her, and she couldn't give him what he wanted. She had been flattered to notice his lure, but she couldn't help but continue to think about what Harry had told her a week ago.

Hermione hadn't contacted him since then, and so far, Harry hadn't done it either. It was for the best, she thought while gazing at the ceiling, her head on a bunch of cushions. She didn't know if she could see him given the situation.

Several times during last week, she had made dreams portraying Harry and her, dreams that made her blush anytime she was thinking about it.

She didn't want to admit it, but she wanted to be with him. She had never felt something so strong for anyone, even Ron, and it scared her. It wasn't appropriate of her – or of him – to have these feelings toward her best friend, and it wasn't her type to break a relationship, no matter how damaged it was in the first place. Because yes, Hermione knew that things were difficult between Harry and Ginny since she had left, but there was always a little glimpse of hope, even if Harry didn't want to think about it at the moment.

She couldn't take the risk to develop a relationship with him while he was still married, just to know a few weeks later that he would return to Ginny because he loved her wife.

Hermione took a deep breath, and when she was about to close her eyes in order to take a nap, someone knocked at the entrance door. A frown over her face, she got up from the sofa, not knowing who it could be; she wasn't expecting anyone today.

When she opened the door, her surprise was total.

"Harry?"

The tall man in front of her ran a stressful hand into his black hair, swiftly revealing his scar on his forehead. It was always different to see him without his glasses.

"What are you doing here?," she asked when he didn't utter a single word.

"I wanted t–... Can I come in?"

Hermione thought about it for a fraction a second, but eventually she nodded.

"Yes, of course," she mumbled before giving him some space to enter into her flat. "Where is James?"

"Oh... I found this nursery a few blocks from where I live, and they take care of him when I can't. He made a new friend, actually, her name is Clara," he continued with a grin.

The young woman wanted to make a joke about it, but she realised that now wasn't the time to do such a silly thing. The atmosphere in the room was almost unbearable, and Harry followed her into the living room.

"Do you want something to drink?," she offered. "I guess that I have a few things left in the fridge, I didn't have the time nor the desire to go to the grocery store after my day at work, sorry."

"Don't apologise," Harry retorted. "I am not here to loot your fridge. I'd prefer to talk to you if you don't mind."

Of course, Hermione thought. Why would Harry be here if he didn't want to talk to her? She remembered about their last encounter, a week ago, and how bad it ended. She had spent the night into her bedroom, her head buried into her pillow, asking herself how such a thing could have happened between the two of them. They had been friends for so long, they had shared to many things in the name of their unbreakable friendship, and here she was, wondering if she could share something different, something stronger with him.

They sat on the couch, and Hermione started to play with her hands nervously.

"I've received a letter from Ginny," Harry stated in a neutral voice.

"Oh, great. How is she?"

"Good, I guess. I've answered her this morning."

He didn't continue, and Hermione gave him a side-glance.

"Gr–great then. Will she be able to come home soon?"

"Yes, she is supposed to arrive in a week and a half if I remember well."

Hermione smiled at him, but her leg started to nervously shake.

"It will be good for James and you to see her after all this time."

Harry looked up at her, and shook his head in denial.

"I plan to break up with her, Hermione," he said in a low voice, staring at her the whole time, as if he wanted to notice every emotion on her face. "And don't think that it is because of you. You have nothing to do with this decision."

The young woman breathed calmly, totally contrasting with her heart that was beating faster and faster into her chest.

"In my letter, I said that we weren't on the same wavelength and that I need to talk to her once she'll be here. She is already aware that I am more and more distant since her departure, but it isn't because of you," he repeated, his hand on her thigh. "I don't want you to think that you are the reason why my family isn't one anymore. You are not the problem, Hermione, you are my salvation," he concluded in a breath.

Hermione frowned slightly, as if she had trouble to understand what Harry was saying to her.

"You... you mean..."

"I mean that I can't stay with someone who doesn't see us as a couple and who takes all the decision by herself. I mean that I can't stay with someone who seems to be more interested by my Auror career than who I really am inside. I mean that this whole situation made me understand that I can't raise my son in the best conditions if I'm not happy myself," Harry explained, short of breath at the end of his tirade.

Hermione felt a tear form into her left eye, and she quickly closed them not to let it fall. A hand on her cheek, Harry forced her to look at him.

"You told me that you wanted me to be happy, Hermione...," he said slowly. "And as far as I know, you are the one who makes me happy. I can't promise you a perfect life, I'm sure that it will not be easy with Ginny around until things are properly done between us, but I know that we can be happy together, if you just let me try..."

The first time they kissed, Harry had been the one who took the lead. This time, Hermione didn't think twice, and her mouth crushed over Harry's lips, tasting him like it was the first time. A moan escaped her partly open lips, and for the first time in weeks, she felt truly happy. He was here, the man she loved, he was here right into her arms, and he was caressing her back under her t-shirt with his large hands.

"It this a yes?," Harry breathed close to her lips.

"Yes... Yes, I want you," Hermione answered, unable to hide her smile of happiness.

How had she done to put her feelings aside during all this time? When Harry helped her to get rid of her t-shirt, she knew that there was no looking back. There was no way for either of them to reverse their decision to be together, and that was the most important.

Everything will be alright now, Hermione thought when Harry's hands moved from her back to her hair, playing with her curls like no one had done before. She was in the safest place ever : into the arms of the man who had made her realise that she could be love by someone.

Damn, with all these updates, I think that I deserve to hit the 150 reviews mark soon, don't you think? And since Harry and Hermione are officially an item (to our eyes at least), your words are even more appreciated right now.

What do you think of this chapter? Too fast? I know that Harry needs to talk to Ginny first, but hey, I couldn't let him think about it for a week and a half without giving some hope to our dear Hermione.

Moreover, I think about moving this story to M (yes, again...). Let me know what you think.

Anyway, thank you for your reviews for the last chapter, I am always amazed to see thow involved you are into this story, I really am. So thank you. :)