A/N: This is a work of fiction using the characters from Harry Potter that are trademarked by J.K. Rowling.
Hermione walked over to Harry in the ministry lunch hall. She sat down, with no food, only a cup of steaming tea.
"Harry. I've been meaning to speak with you about something," she said overtly seriously.
Harry looked up from his soup and smirked at how weird his friend was acting, "Sure, what's up?"
Hermione then hesitated and fidgeted with her mug of tea, "Um…it's kind of…silly."
"Just spit it out," Harry said calmly, "You know you can tell me anything."
"Well…you know my parents. They think I'm working too much, and I felt really cornered and well they won't take no for an answer and would like to know if you wanted to come to dinner."
Harry paused, brow furrowed, confused, "why do they want to know if I can come to dinner?"
"Well, they are under the impression that we are dating," Hermione said her eyes refusing to meet his.
"And why are they under that impression?"
"Because I told them we were," she said, her cheeks flushed in embarrassment, "I'm so sorry. They just kept asking all these questions and I couldn't think of anything else to say. I'm sorry. Please come to dinner?"
"Sure. I'll be the best fake-boyfriend you've ever had," Harry said with a wide grin.
"I don't know, my fake-boyfriend in second grade was pretty great," laughed Hermione.
Hermione paced nervously back and forth in her parents' living room. She glanced at the clock every few seconds. Her parents were seated on the sofa and eyed her with a mix of concern and anticipation.
"Hermione, dead, when is Harry arriving? We're so excited to meet him," her mother, Jean, said.
Hermione tried to remain composed, "he should be here any minute, Mum. I just spoke with him."
The doorbell rang and Hermione's heart skipped a beat. She quickly composed herself and rushed towards the front door. She pulled open the wood door and there stood Harry with a charming smile.
"Hey, Hermione. You ready?"
Hermione gave Harry a grateful look and pulled him into a tight hug, "Thank you," she whispered in his ear before she pulled back and led him towards the living room.
"Mum. Dad. This is Harry," she said, "Harry, these are my parents. Jean and Dan."
"Nice to meet you, Harry. Hermione has told us so much about you," Dan said as he extended his hand.
Harry shook Dan's hand and said, "Thank you, sir. It's a pleasure to meet you."
The afternoon progressed smoothly with Hermione's parents engaged in conversation with Harry while Hermione chimed in occasionally to add in her own details and anecdotes to supports the tale they weaved.
Harry flashed them a smile, "Actually, Hermione and I were just discussing our upcoming project. It's quite challenging but thankfully we have Hermione. With her expertise, we're confident that we'll be finished within the month and ready for testing."
"Thanks sound wonderful. You two must make a great team!" Jean said enthusiastically.
As the night wound down, Harry decided it was time to take his leave. Hermione's parents bid him farewell with warm smiles and an invitation to dinner whenever he was free.
"It was lovely meeting you, Harry. Please come by anytime."
"Thank you, Mr. Granger. I'll be sure to do that."
Once Hermione and Harry were outside and out of earshot of her parents, Hermione exhaled deeply and felt all the tension in her shoulder release.
"Thank you, Harry. You have no idea how much this meant to me."
Harry grinned, "Anything for a friend. I hope tonight went well."
"Are you kidding? They loved you. Thank you again for helping me out."
"Well, I'm always up for a bit of adventure," Harry winked, "Besides, who wouldn't want to pretend-date the brilliant Hermione Granger?"
Word Count: 629
Challenge/Prompts:
Candy Cane Daily Writing Challenge - "Just spit it out"
Wicked Web – Harry & Hermione / Fake Dating