Chapters 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 ,11, 12, 13 are already on Pa tr eon
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Pat re on. c om(slash)belleveela(delete spaces)
Coffee turned into lunch and a promise to meet again without their dogs in tow. Both pets got along well and waited by their table without causing a fuss or getting in each other's way—which was good for Crystal, whose name Hermione finally mentioned without Harry asking—because Sirius could probably swallow the little guy in one bite, not that he ever would.
They spent their time at a small sandwich shop with outdoor seating, undoubtedly a holdover from the pandemic, and Harry could have easily spent twice as much time, but he eventually had to excuse himself to prepare for his bar shift. She didn't ask, and he didn't offer a second date, but he left with a warm feeling that everything was falling into place and returning to where they left off nearly a year ago. Moreover, neither of them was now burdened with other relationships. All in all, it was the best encounter Harry could have hoped for.
The next day, Harry found Hermione waiting on the same bench they had sat on the day before at the dog park, and he smiled to himself, thinking she seemed even more eager than him to rekindle their connection. Not that they ever had a relationship, just a friendship, tied to their dogs and little else. He didn't know much about her then, and even less now, as they had talked about things that weren't too personal during lunch yesterday. Harry promised himself that he would fix that when he woke up in the morning.
"So," he began after they greeted each other and shared an awkward hug before sitting down. "What have you been up to lately?" He didn't mention that he had no idea what she was doing a year ago—it seemed pretty lame that he didn't know, but somehow, he didn't. He wouldn't make the same mistake twice.
"Oh, this and that," Hermione said with a distracted look. "And what about you? Are you still working at that bar you used to work at?"
Harry was impressed that she remembered he worked at a bar, even if she didn't recall its name. "Underground Tavern."
She nodded. "Yes, now I remember. Have they gotten past the pandemic?"
"It was worse last year, so we're probably going to make it. We're packed most nights."
Hermione asked more questions about Harry's job, how he managed to reintegrate into the Muggle world, and how he liked his boss and coworkers, how he got into bartending, and what his future plans were. But every time he tried to turn the conversation back to her, she deflected his questions. Finally, he decided to press her.
"You never talk about what you do, Hermione," Harry said bluntly, and she blushed. "Why?"
"I'm embarrassed," she whispered. She didn't look at him for a long time before finally lifting her gaze, and he saw her eyes filled with tears.
"It's okay," Harry reassured her. "I'm not judging you, I'm just trying to get to know you."
"Well, I never really had what you'd call a career." She looked away from him, and the words came out with difficulty. "I've tried half a dozen things over the years, but nothing ever fit."
"What do you do for money?" Harry knew it was a bit rude, but it just slipped out. She didn't seem offended, though.
"I have roommates. They cover the rent and living expenses." She looked at him again, clearly unwilling to say more, so he nodded and looked away. If she didn't want to talk about it, he wasn't going to push her.
"Let's talk about something else then," Harry said eventually. "How do you get along with your roommates?"
"Fine. Fine." She didn't turn to look at him, and he felt he was getting nowhere. "Do you like your roommates?" Harry smiled at her awkward attempt to turn the conversation back to him, but he didn't want her to cry again, so he let her.
"They're alright. I don't have much in common with them." Harry made a semi-joking remark about them being younger and not very mature even for their age. After a while, he sensed Hermione had heard enough about his situation, so he tried again to encourage her to talk. "What about you? Do you and Tracey and...?" He hinted that he didn't remember the name of her other roommate.
"Fleur." She hesitated. "They're very busy with their careers, but when we're together, we get along really well." She gave him a look. "They're really close."
Damn. Was he seeing something in her eyes? He didn't know whether to push for more information or not, but he was so frustrated that he decided to go for it.
"How close?" he asked as gently as he could.
She looked at him again. "Really close." She frowned. Okay, enough said.
"Is that a problem for you?"
"No, it's not a problem. It's just..." She looked away again, and Harry wanted to kick himself for making her cry again. This wasn't going how he expected. "Lonely?" he suggested.
"Sometimes." She didn't look at him, but she leaned against his shoulder. He offered her his hand, and she took it.
"Yeah, I can see how that could be hard." They sat in silence for a long moment, holding hands. It was really nice. Harry said as much.
"Yes, it is," she said warmly, then leaned back and looked at him. If ever there was an invitation to kiss her, it was now. He did, and it was wonderful.
"I don't want to pressure you, Hermione," Harry whispered as she laid her head back on his shoulder. "But I've thought a lot about you over the last few months. Actually, for the last year."
She looked at him again. "I've thought about you too. I really liked talking with you when you brought Snitch. A lot."
"Really?" Harry wondered what to say next, but everything in his head sounded wrong. He had no idea how to express himself without sounding clueless and untrustworthy. "That's so cool!" – lame. So he kept silent. Until he couldn't.
"I want you to know that I didn't come here with any ulterior motives. I didn't get a dog just to find you again." Damn, that came out wrong. "I mean, I didn't..."
She leaned away from him again and put a finger to his lips to hush him, thank God. "It's okay, Harry. I get it. And it's okay."
"I'm off on Monday night. Would you like to go out to dinner?" Harry held his breath – was it too much, too soon?
"I'd love to, Harry. But can you... can you afford it? We don't have to go anywhere fancy." She looked at him, and he suddenly realized what she was worried about—he had been hit hard by the pandemic and had complained about the slow hospitality industry when they talked last year. He shook his head.
"It's all good, Hermione. I won't take you to restaurant, but it won't be McDonald's either." She smiled and laid her head back on his shoulder. Harry felt torn between appreciating her concern for his situation and being embarrassed that he seemed poor or something. He set aside the latter thought.
"What time should I pick you up?" he asked, then immediately regretted asking – he should have suggested a time. He wasn't good at dating.
"Let's meet at the place," she said, and he wondered why but didn't think more about it.
Dinner went great.
They met at a nice restaurant Harry knew but hadn't been to, located near the dog park, so they both walked there without any trouble. The weather was perfect, and the food was delicious, but mostly it was nice to be with Hermione in a semi-formal setting for once. She had her hair up and wore a beautiful dress that highlighted her figure in a way Harry hadn't noticed before—she had a great figure but always hid it under loose clothes when bringing her dogs to the park. Tonight, she went all out with heels and stylish but subtle makeup and perfume that was amazing. Harry was impressed with the effort she put into their first real date.
During the meal, Harry finally got Hermione to open up a bit about her life and what she had been up to, but she still kept her cards very close. She told him a little about her childhood, how she was an only child but had a group of cousins who lived nearby, and how her parents were largely absent from her life now, though not entirely estranged. But she remained closed off about what she did for work until Harry pushed her a bit too hard, in hindsight.
"I'm not doing anything, Harry," she said, choking back tears again. Damn, this woman cried easily. Or maybe it was just him provoking her. He didn't quite understand what she meant, but he didn't want to make a bad situation worse, so he simply shut up to see if she'd explain. She didn't.
Needless to say, Harry didn't bring up the topic again for the rest of the evening. After finishing dessert and paying the bill—he didn't expect her to share, and she didn't offer—they left the restaurant and walked towards the dog park. It was a directionless walk, neither towards her place north of the park nor his place to the south. When they arrived, the park was deserted. Harry wasn't sure if suggesting walking her home would be too forward, since she hadn't mentioned inviting him over, and he didn't mind. More than anything, he didn't want to pressure her in any way, especially after making her cry once.
As they stood by the park gate looking at the empty expanse, Harry finally gathered the courage to ask if he could walk her home. She smiled and said it was no problem but gave no indication of what might come of it. He just nodded, and they headed north.
"I have the whole day off tomorrow," Harry said, realizing too late how it might sound—like he wanted an invitation to stay over. Instead of retracting his statement, which would have been awkward as hell, he just let it stand. Thankfully, she didn't react negatively. She didn't react at all, which, he guessed, was in itself somewhat negative. They walked in silence the rest of the way to her building, and he wondered if she was thinking about inviting him in for "coffee" or if he had blown it and she was eager to get rid of him. Eventually, he couldn't stand the silence any longer.
"I meant, I was wondering if you'd like to do something tomorrow, assuming I see you again at the dog park."
She looked at him with wide eyes. "I'll be at the dog park every day, Harry." He was almost sure he sensed an undertone in her voice, but again, he didn't want to assume. Even if he was being overly cautious, he felt it was the best approach.
Then she said something he would remember for the rest of his life. She didn't look at him, just spoke as they walked. "Will Sirius be okay if you don't go home tonight?"
Harry glanced at her, but she didn't turn to face him—just kept her eyes on the sidewalk ahead. "Yeah, I can text one of my roommates to take him for a quick walk before bed."
When he finished, she turned to look at him and smiled shyly. "I'd really like that."
He pulled out his phone and quickly typed out a text. As soon as it was sent, he pocketed the device—he wasn't really close with any of his roommates, but the one he shared a bedroom with owed him one and liked Sirius well enough. Harry reached for Hermione's hand, and she allowed it, even giving his fingers a gentle squeeze.
"Are you sure?" he asked, immediately regretting it as soon as the words left his mouth. She didn't miss a beat.
"I'm sure, Harry."
Chapters 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 ,11, 12, 13 are already on Pa tr eon
If you would like to read the next chapters faster, see exclusive content, or support my work, please visit
Pat re on. c om(slash)belleveela(delete spaces)