"How are you getting on Luna?"
"I'll be out in a minute!"
Harry Potter, The-Boy-Who-Lived, The-Man-Who-Won, and newly minted youngest-ever Senior Auror at the age of only twenty-five, slumped back into his seat on the couch in Luna Lovegood's flat and sighed. He checked his watch and saw they were already running late. He didn't mind their tardiness – he hated going to Ministry functions due to how uncomfortable all the attention he attracted made him feel – but he just wanted to get this over with.
His popularity in the wizarding world had soared to heights he hadn't thought possible following his defeat of Voldemort and he already knew he was in for an insufferable evening of stares and sideways glares from those who'd agreed with Voldemort's ideas, and who didn't realise how good Harry's peripheral vision was. The worst part for him though was the sheer number of women that he knew would be trying to hit on him, jostling to get close to Britain's most famous wizard. The entire thing made him feel horribly uncomfortable.
Harry sighed again and unconsciously bounced his leg up and down as he waited. He glanced around and a soft grin slipped onto his face as he watched the smiling faces of his friends waving down at him from the many photographs dotted around the room. He climbed to his feet and wandered over to look at the photo above the fireplace more closely. It was a picture he knew well as he had the same image framed in his study back at Grimmauld Place. The photo was of a small group of five friends, arms around each other, smiling happily into the camera. It had been taken during their fifth year at Hogwarts and Neville, Ron, Ginny and Luna were stood by Harry's side as they had been for most of their time at Hogwarts.
Ron and Neville had been his friends since their first train journey and Ginny had joined them (pulling Luna along with her) at the start of his third year. Despite Luna being sorted into Ravenclaw, she'd spent more time in Gryffindor Tower than in her own and had been informally adopted by the House. Those four friends had stood with Harry through thick and thin. From the accusations thrown at him of being Slytherin's heir in his second year to the debacle of the Triwizard Tournament in his fourth, then onto the final battle with Voldemort and the camping trip that never seemed it would end in his seventh. They'd all been there for his best, and worst, times.
It was inevitable that relationships would form within the group and, although neither Neville and Luna nor Harry and Ginny, were together anymore, they were all still friends, though not as close as they had once been. The pull of their lives after leaving Hogwarts meant they rarely had time to catch up nowadays. Neville was just finishing up his apprenticeship with Pomona Sprout, was due to begin taking on some teaching responsibilities at Hogwarts and had been dating Hannah Abbott for the last two years. Luna was busy running The Quibbler and touring the world in search of her fantastic beasts. She had told Harry in great detail about a series of recent dates that had gone exceptionally well with a man called Rolf (who was apparently the grandson of the famous Newt Scamander) and who was, as it sounded to Harry anyway, seemingly well on his way to being besotted with his petite blond friend.
Ron, meanwhile, had tried out for the vacant Keeper spot at the Chudley Cannons following the war but his nerves had let him down at the worst time during the trials and he'd missed out. He was now working for Fred and George at Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes and was splitting his time between setting up their new store in Hogsmeade, and what appeared to Harry to be a relationship with Lavender Brown, but that both Ron and Lavender insisted did not need to have a label put on it. Finally, Ginny was off making waves in the world of Professional Quidditch. Where Ron had faltered, Ginny had seized her opportunity and was now a starting Chaser for the Holyhead Harpies and was in a long-term relationship with Colin Creevey, who was happy to travel with her around the country pursuing his photography career as he went.
Harry hadn't dated seriously since he and Ginny broke up after the war. They'd tried to give a relationship a go, but he'd been rapidly turning into a recluse due to how overwhelming the attention he was receiving was. Ginny, to her credit, had understood Harry's plight and tried to support him as best she could but, in the end, they had parted amicably with both recognising that what they had wasn't working. Ron had seemingly taken their breakup as a personal insult for a while, apparently determined Harry was going to properly be a member of the Weasley family, and had barely spoken to Harry for months before turning up at the pub one evening and proceeding to pretend that the entire period of silence had never happened. With Harry working all the hours under the sun, he'd just let it slide and shook his head, welcoming his friend back with a Firewhiskey and a slap on the back in greeting.
After their break-up, Harry had thrown himself into work and it was due to this hard work and diligence that he'd reached the rank he now held at such a young age, but all of this effort had come at the cost of his social life. Ginny and Luna had taken it upon themselves to try to arrange dates for Harry and to encourage him to rejoin the social side of the wizarding world, but for one reason or another, every date had been a terrible failure and Harry was slowly coming to the belief that perhaps there wasn't someone out there for him. Instead of heading out and hunting for a relationship, he chose instead to spend his limited free time doting on his orphaned godson, Teddy Lupin, who never failed to make him smile with his cries of 'Uncle Harry!' and his morphing to messy black hair and emerald green eyes whenever he saw him, much to the amusement of Teddy's grandmother Andromeda.
Harry checked his watch again and shook his head in exasperation. The only reason he'd agreed to attend the Ministry function they were now late for, was because Luna had asked to be his plus one so she could talk to (or more likely conduct an interview with) the new Head of The Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, a witch from France that Harry was yet to meet.
Finally, the door to Luna's bedroom opened and she stepped into the living room. Harry smiled at her as she slipped on the yellow heels that complimented the ruffled yellow and orange dress that she wore.
"How do I look?"
"Beautiful as always Luna. Rolf is a lucky man."
"Yes. He is, isn't he." Luna said happily as she peered into a mirror and nodded approvingly at what she saw. "Are you ready to go?" she asked, as though Harry hadn't been waiting for her for the last twenty minutes.
Harry snorted in amusement and directed her to the fireplace where he offered the pot of floo powder to her. "Of course. Ladies first."
Harry smiled politely as the gaggle of young (and not-so-young) ladies that were gathered around him chatted and giggled vapidly, each trying to gain his direct attention. He responded courteously to their small talk but inside he was feeling that this was much worse than he thought it could possibly be. Luna had abandoned him almost immediately upon their arrival and was making her way around the room, conversing happily with all those she spoke to whilst Harry was left to be accosted by many of the unattached (and one or two of the attached) women in the room.
He jumped as he felt a pinch on his bum and he turned to see Madam Edgecombe wink at him as she walked away. He'd been at school with her daughter for Merlin's sake! Enough was enough. He was going to find Luna, say goodnight and head home. It was too late to see Teddy but maybe Andromeda would still be awake. He wouldn't say no to a cup of tea and a slice of normalcy right about now.
Making his apologies to the ladies around him, he moved swiftly away from the group, ignoring the disappointed expressions on their faces as he tried to work out where Luna had disappeared to. He grabbed a drink from a passing waiter's offered tray and sipped as he wound his way through the multitude of witches and wizards, responding absent-mindedly to greetings and comments from many of those he passed as he did so. Finally, he caught a glimpse of her dress through the crowd and had just started to make his way towards her when the throng parted, and he got a good look at the person she was deep in conversation with.
The witch Luna was speaking to was wearing a deep red cocktail dress that he was sure Ginny would describe as 'chic'. It certainly made her look both elegant and sophisticated and the colour stood out against the many dark formal robes being worn by those around her with only Luna's dress competing for attention in that stake. Harry frowned as he saw a number of the more... traditional attendees wrinkle their noses at her but he was strangely pleased to see that the witch took no notice of them. Her chestnut hair fell in waves to just past her shoulders and, although it had been stylishly clipped up, the occasional stray strand fell forward as she chatted animatedly to Luna. He grinned as he watched her gesturing with her hands as she spoke, smiling widely and repeatedly reaching up to tuck that strand of hair back behind her ear, only for it to fall once more a moment later. Even from across the room, Harry could see the sparkle in her eyes as she conversed with his friend and he felt a strange desire to join them.
As he took his first step, the witch glanced around the room and her eyes met his. Harry felt a jolt in his stomach as she smiled shyly at him, looking away as she continued to listen to Luna but glancing back at him repeatedly. A sudden desire struck Harry. Who was this witch? He didn't know her yet, but he knew he wanted to.
Luna, realising she no longer held the undivided attention of her conversational partner, looked around to see what had pulled the other witch's attention away and beamed at Harry as she saw him watching.
"Harry! Come over here!"
Harry gathered his wits and strode over to Luna, smiling softly at his friend, glad to now have an excuse to talk to the woman who had captured his attention.
"Harry, this is the new Head of The Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures… I'm so sorry, we've been talking for fifteen minutes and I completely forgot to ask for your name!"
The witch beamed and let out a small laugh that rang pleasantly in Harry's ears. "No need to apologise Miss Lovegood. I'm Hermione. Hermione Granger."
"Luna, please, Hermione," Luna said happily as she smiled at the fleeting looks being shared between Harry and her new acquaintance. "And this is Harry Potter."
Harry took Hermione's offered hand and placed a soft kiss on the back, as all good purebloods (or those non-purebloods who took the time to understand the culture they were now a part of) were taught to do when being introduced to a lady. He looked into her eyes and the world around them seemed to fade into the background. A soft smile graced her lips and his heart beat ferociously in his chest.
"It's a pleasure to meet you," she said.
"Yes, and me." Harry paused for a moment as his brain attempted to decipher what he'd just said. He groaned and flushed in embarrassment as Luna let out a peal of laughter, with Hermione smiling softly in amusement at his mistake. "I mean, it's a pleasure to meet you too." Harry closed his eyes and wished the ground would open and swallow him up.
Luna watched the pair with glee and on seeing that Harry wasn't ready to pick up the thread of the conversation, she decided to help him out as best she could.
"Hermione was telling me that she went to Beauxbatons."
Hermione nodded. "Yes, I was originally enrolled at Hogwarts but my parents decided to move to Chambéry in France shortly after my eleventh birthday."
"Really?" asked Harry with interest. "When was that?"
"Is that a not very subtle way of asking my age, Mr Potter?" Hermione said, her eyes sparkling with mirth as Harry stuttered an apology. "We moved there in January 1990," she grinned.
"So we'd have been in the same year at Hogwarts if you'd stayed," Harry said thoughtfully. "Do you know much about the Hogwarts?"
Hermione nodded. "The girls that attended the Triwizard Tournament told us all about Hogwarts when they returned and I found that Hogwarts: A History fascinating when I read it." She looked around conspiratorially and leant towards Harry who found himself leaning closer. "You certainly made an impression on a number of my fellow students as well," she whispered. Harry flushed in response and she laughed again before sipping at her drink, her eyes twinkling over the rim as she observed him. 'What is wrong with me?' he thought as he desperately tried to fight down the blush adorning his cheeks.
Suddenly, the sounds of chatter from the crowd around them diminished as the opening strains of music filtered throughout the hall.
"Oh, the dancing is about to begin!" exclaimed Luna. "I'm sure I can find someone to partner me. I'll see you two later!" She turned and wandered off into the crowd that was now moving towards the dance floor, leaving Harry and Hermione alone.
Harry cleared his throat, suddenly nervous. "So… would you…?"
"Yes."
Hermione slipped her hand into Harry's and smiled up at him, gently squeezing his hand with hers and together they followed his friend.
Neville Longbottom stepped out of the fireplace into the hall and passed his cloak to a waiting attendant before helping Hannah with hers. He pulled his girlfriend to his side and bent down to kiss her softly then looked around, trying to spot his friends. He'd been fortunate to make the function that night as he'd been elbow-deep in fertiliser until only an hour before, but Pomona had waved him off cheerfully and told him to enjoy the evening, giving him enough time to dash home to wash and change before surprising the woman he planned on marrying some day.
Standing a head taller than most of the crowd, it didn't take long to discern where Ron, Ginny and Luna were sitting with Lavender, Colin and Rolf. He waved at his friends who made no sign that they'd seen him and gently guided Hannah to their table.
"Hi guys," he said after pulling out a chair for Hannah before seating himself beside her. He frowned at the distracted greetings he received in return. All his friends appeared to be absorbed by something happening on the dance floor. "What's going on?" he said, twisting to try and see what had captured their attention.
Ron turned to look at Neville, a smirk on his face. "Harry." He said simply and pointed out into the crowd. Neville shifted his gaze and his eyes widened as he saw Harry and an unfamiliar witch dancing closely together, her arms around his neck and his hands on her waist. He could see their lips moving as they spoke, though couldn't hear their words over the noise of the party. The witch threw her head back and laughed and Neville was astonished to see his best friend redden before smiling widely.
"Who's that?" he asked the others, unwilling to tear his eyes from his friend who looked like he may be on the verge of finding the happiness that had long evaded him.
"Hermione Granger. She's just taken over from Amos Diggory as Head of Creatures," said Ginny, smiling happily at her ex-boyfriend and snuggling into Colin's side. "She went to Beauxbatons but would have been in your year at Hogwarts."
"She's British?" said Neville surprised, "Not many Brits end up outside of Hogwarts."
"Moved there before her first year," Ginny said, waving a hand dismissively but still watching the dance progress. "Anyway, they've been dancing for the last three hours now. We're betting on whether Harry will make a move."
Hannah snorted. "Harry? That doesn't seem likely. Neville said it took you running at him and snogging him in the common room for him to get a hint didn't it?"
"Yeah, that's what I said. Ron's the only one who thinks Harry will make the first move."
Neville watched Harry closely. He peered at the expression on his best friend's face and saw something familiar. It was the same expression he knew he wore when he looked at Hannah. "What's the bet?"
"Losers pay for a night at Finnigan's."
Neville winced. Seamus Finnigan had originally taken ownership of a bar in County Antrim before somehow getting involved with a local whiskey distillery to create a whole new range of explosive wizarding alcohol. Almost overnight his pub became the place to go and he and his wife had expanded their business to include some truly amazing food with a price tag to match.
"OK, I'm in."
"Looks like it's going to be an expensive night for you Ronniekins" Ginny smirked at her brother who scowled in response.
"No, I'm siding with Ron," Neville said firmly. "Harry's going to make the first move."
"Are they still staring at us?" Hermione asked quietly, laughter evident in her tone.
Harry glanced over at the table of his friends and was pleased to see Neville and Hannah had managed to make an appearance. He looked back down into the sparkling chocolate eyes of the witch in his arms and felt his heart flip again. "Yep. I'm sorry, they're not exactly known for their subtlety."
Hermione beamed up at him. "It's fine. They're just looking out for their friend."
"What about the other lot?" Harry asked, refusing to look at the other side of the dance floor. He gently spun Hermione, allowing her to turn her gaze without making it obvious.
"Wow! If looks could kill!"
Harry groaned and Hermione ducked her head to hide her laughter. "Those are some rabid fans you've got there! And such a variety of ages too! You've clearly got broad appeal."
"One of the older ones – a mum to someone in the year above me at Hogwarts – pinched my bum earlier."
Hermione snorted then covered her face with her hand in embarrassment at having made that noise. Harry only found it endearing.
"Yeah, yeah… laugh it up."
Eventually, with the final refrain of music hanging in the air, Harry and Hermione left the dance floor and Harry introduced her to the rest of his friends who had suddenly scrambled to find anything else to be interested in as they approached. Shaking his head in amusement at the group, and catching the eye of Neville who nodded and smiled approvingly, they said their goodbyes. Harry gathered their cloaks and escorted Hermione out of the hall and into the brisk, late-night air.
Harry was desperate for the night not to end just yet and they strolled through the streets of London, vaguely heading in the direction of the Thames. Harry stole more than a few glances at the witch walking serenely in silence at his side and felt his heart pounding in his chest once more. His nerves began to build. Had he misread the signs he thought he'd received throughout the evening? He was definitely aware of his attraction to Hermione but was she feeling the same way?
Just as his doubt really began to kick in, Hermione slipped her small hand into his once more and Harry felt his heart soar. They continued to walk in silence, simply enjoying each other's company, past Leicester Square and the National Gallery before coming to a stop at Trafalgar Square and sitting together on the edge of the fountain, in the shadow of Nelson's Column.
Hermione pressed up against Harry's side, feeling the chill of the night air now they'd stopped walking and Harry nervously slipped an arm around her, allowing her to bury into his side. He took a deep breath.
"I… I've really enjoyed tonight Hermione."
"Me too," she said, tilting her head to look up at him and smiling softly.
He looked back down at her. Their faces were only inches apart. "I was wondering… hoping really… would you…?"
"Yes."
They weren't sure who made the first move, but they both agreed, that delicate kiss they shared would not be their last.
Hermione smiled at Harry once more before she apparated away and he welcomed the pounding in his chest and the flipping of his stomach as she did so. He watched her go, a broad smile on his face and with one thought burning in his mind.
I wasn't expecting that.