Chapter 38

1 August 2003

Even as tired as she was, Hermione worked late that night. She couldn't bring herself to go home to her empty flat knowing that Harry was probably still celebrating with Ginny. Or maybe they were at the Burrow celebrating with the entire family. She was sure that Molly would be over the moon that they were back together and having a baby as well.

Hermione couldn't help but think about the last universe and how happy she'd been with that Harry. It hurt more than she was willing to admit to anyone that she wasn't going to get that in her own world. She found herself wishing that she had just returned to the time it had been in the other universe instead of coming back to the point she'd left. If everything had gone the same way, by the time she returned Harry would have already known about the baby.

It would have still hurt, of course. Especially coming directly from a world where she was with Harry. But at least she wouldn't have gotten her hopes up. She found herself wishing they hadn't already dismantled the Universe Hopper.

Hermione shook her head to clear it of that thought. That was ridiculous and she knew it. She knew what would happen if she tried to use it again. That wasn't a solution.

Her stomach took that moment to remind her she hadn't eaten anything since lunch, and even that she'd just picked at. Hermione tidied up the parchment on her desk and stood. She might as well head home, it was nearly eight. And it wasn't as if she was getting much work done anyway. Her mind was too jumbled.

She grabbed her bag and made her way from the DOM to the lifts. She would stop and get her favorite takeaway and then hide away in her flat for the weekend. Padma had invited her to go out to some new club that had opened in Diagon Alley with Gavin and a few of their other former classmates, but Hermione had declined. She would be horrible company. Maybe she would visit her parents. She could use a hug from her dad and a bit of consoling from her mum.

Harry paced in front of the Floo. He'd tried calling Hermione several times, but her Floo had been locked. She should have been home from work well before now. He was starting to get worried.

After his talk with Ginny, his first instinct had been to go back to the Ministry and talk to Hermione. He couldn't get into the DOM proper, but he could have spoken with the receptionist and asked her to give Hermione a message. The only thing that stopped him was the realization that it wouldn't be an appropriate place to tell her everything that he wanted to tell her.

Instead, he'd come back to Grimmauld Place to wait until her workday was over. He'd planned what he intended to say to her when she got home. He would explain the Ginny situation first, of course, but then Harry was going to tell Hermione exactly how he felt about her.

He was sure that she was going to tell him that it was too soon after his divorce. And if she wanted to take things slow, he was fine with that. They probably should, actually. But he was going to make sure that she understood this wasn't some kind of rebound thing; that he'd had feelings for her for a long time.

He couldn't do any of that if she didn't answer her Floo though. Harry was afraid that she'd locked the Floo because she didn't want to talk to him. And as much as he hated that she would feel that way, it also told him that what he hoped for might be true. That Hermione had feelings for him too. It made him all the more anxious to talk to her.

Harry glanced at the clock on the mantel. It was half eight. Surely, she was home from work by now. While she worked late sometimes, it was rarely on a Friday night and, for the most part, she was usually home by this time. But when Harry tried the Floo again, it was still locked.

He raked a hand through his hair, unsure what to do. He didn't want more time to go by without telling her the truth about Ginny. He could go over there; there was an Apparition point a few streets from Hermione's flat. Then again, he didn't want her to be angry with him if she wanted to be alone. But maybe she only wanted to be alone because of what she thought she knew.

Making a noise of frustration and realizing his thoughts were going in circles, Harry shoved his feet into his trainers and hurried out of his house. This was stupid. He would go to Hermione's flat and talk to her. Then he would know once and for all how she felt.

Hermione had just sat down on the couch, carton of takeaway on her lap, when someone knocked on her door. She frowned, looking at the clock on the wall. It was nearly nine. Who on earth would be knocking this late?

Sighing, Hermione set her food on the table in front of her and walked to her front door. She looked through the peephole and saw Harry standing on the other side. Hermione closed her eyes and leaned her forehead against the door. This was why she'd kept her Floo locked when she got home. She wasn't up to talking to him tonight.

There was another knock at the door, louder and longer this time. She glanced through the peephole again and Harry looked agitated, running a hand through his hair. He didn't look as though he was going to give up anytime soon. The last thing she needed was Mrs. Hughes next door getting upset at the noise.

Resigned, Hermione waved her wand at her door to drop her wards and then opened it.

Harry stood with his hand raised to knock again. "Hermione," he said in relief.

"What are you doing here, Harry?"

His brow furrowed. "Your Floo was locked."

"For a reason," Hermione said.

"I was worried."

She sighed and opened the door wider, letting him in before the neighbors complained. "I would think you'd have more important things to worry about." She walked past him and sat back down, picking up her food. She was hungry. He could say what he needed to say while she ate.

"Listen, Hermione, I'm sorry about last night. What you walked in on and what you heard. I-"

"Don't worry about it. I'm sorry I interrupted. I shouldn't have just come over like that."

"You don't need to apologize. You always just come over like that."

"Well, I'll stop," she said.

"You don't have-"

But Hermione interrupted him again. "Of course, I have to. I didn't just pop over like that while you were married, unless I was invited. Why would I keep doing it now?"

Harry's brow furrowed. "But I don't want you to stop popping over."

Hermione looked at him a bit incredulously. "I'm sure Ginny would have something to say about that."

"Why would she? She doesn't live there anymore."

Hermione stared at him. Was he being purposely obtuse? "Once she moves back then."

"She's not moving back."

"What are you talking about? Of course, she is. Are you planning to get remarried? I'm sure Molly will insist on it."

"Hermione-"

"Is Molly going to throw you another wedding or are you just going to go to the Ministry and do it?" Hermione continued. She was trying to keep talking so she didn't break down in tears. It was harder to see him than she thought it would be.

"Ginny and I are not back together," he said.

"Harry," Hermione said with a sigh. "I know you're divorced but don't you think you should at least try again? I mean, it's different now."

"No, it's not different. There's no reason to-"

"No reason? She's having your baby! The baby that you've always wanted. The three of you should be a family."

"Hermione, listen-"

"I know this is your decision, but you really need to think about this, Harry. Don't you think you should at least try? For your child? I mean, you've got a while before the baby is actually here. The two of you could at least date or-"

"Ginny's not pregnant!" Harry shouted.

Hermione stared at him for a few moments, unable to process what he'd just said. "I'm sorry, what?"

"Ginny isn't going to be moving back into Grimmauld and we're not getting back together because she's not pregnant."

"She's not, I mean, what?"

Harry shook his head. "She was never pregnant. She lied."

"But why?"

"It's a long story," he said with a sigh. And then he proceeded to tell her everything Ginny had told him.

Hermione couldn't help but feel a bit of compassion for Ginny. She couldn't believe that Molly and Arthur had never gotten Ginny any help after everything that happened. It still didn't excuse what she'd tried to do to Harry, of course. Hermione was incensed when Harry told her that it had been Ginny's hope that he would sleep with her, and she actually would get pregnant. It was akin to assault. Hermione told him as much and his cheeks heated.

Hermione's eyes narrowed. Had he slept with Ginny? "You didn't, did you?" Hermione internally cringed at how accusatory she sounded. It wasn't her business who Harry did or did not sleep with.

"No!" Harry said indignantly. But his eyes shifted to the left for a moment, a sure tell.

"What aren't you telling me?"

"Nothing," Harry said. "It's not important."

"If it's making you react like that, then I think-"

"Hermione, it's fine. Nothing happened."

She stared at him for several seconds, her mind whirling. Ginny had had a mission when she went to Grimmauld Place and knowing the woman as she did, Hermione doubted it would have ended because Harry sent her to bed in a guest room.

"She got in bed with you, didn't she?" Hermione asked, fuming.

Harry sighed. "I wanted to see how far she would go so I pretended to be asleep. But nothing happened. I stopped her before it did."

"Harry, that's-"

"Assault, I know," Harry said. "And trust me, if I had been asleep and she had done what she intended, I would have taken her into the DMLE myself. But I wasn't and I stopped her. After everything I found out later, I just decided to let it go."

"But-"

Harry moved to sit next to Hermione on the couch, taking her hands in his. "I don't want to talk about Ginny anymore."

"Oh?"

Harry shook his head. "I want to talk about my birthday."

Hermione swallowed. "What about it?"

"After I left, why did you decide to bring me the cake?"

Hermione fidgeted in her seat. "Well, I had planned on sending it home with you in the first place, so I thought I'd just, erm," she trailed off and looked away from him.

"Hermione," Harry said. She met his gaze. He squeezed her hands. There was a pregnant pause, the air filled with tension. This was it, the time to tell him how she felt. Ginny wasn't pregnant and out of the picture. There was nothing keeping Hermione and Harry from being together. But something kept her from speaking. Instead, Harry did.

"I'm sorry that I left like that." He was running his thumb back and forth across her knuckles which was distracting. "I should have stayed to talk to you after the kiss."

"I'm sorry about that, Harry," she said. "I didn't mean-"

"I don't want you to apologize," he interrupted. "The reason I left is because I panicked." He raised his head to meet her eyes. "I know how I feel about you but I'm not sure how you feel about me. I was afraid to do anything to ruin our friendship."

Hermione's heart was pounding in her chest.

"As soon as I got back to Grimmauld, I regretted leaving. I was actually on my way back here to talk to you when Ginny showed up." He took a breath and let it out, seeming to steel himself. "What I feel for you is more than friendship. I want to be with you, Hermione. I don't know how you feel or if that's even something you would want. I've probably just bollocksed up our whole friendship but-"

"Yes!" Hermione blurted. He stopped talking abruptly and stared at her. She smiled and squeezed his hands. "Yes, Harry. I want to be with you too. I have for a while now. That's why I came over with your cake. I wanted to talk to you as well."

Harry's face broke into a brilliant smile and Hermione couldn't help but return it. "Really?"

"Really," she said with a laugh.

They sat and stared at one another for a few moments with silly grins on their faces. Then Harry tugged on her hands and leaned forward. Hermione met him halfway and he cupped her face in one hand, the other resting on her hip, before he lowered his lips to hers and kissed her. She wrapped her arms around his neck, sinking into the kiss.

She had no idea how long they sat and snogged on her couch. It could have been minutes or years for all she knew. It didn't matter. Something inside her clicked into place as soon as Harry kissed her. This was what she wanted, where she belonged. Harry was home.

When they finally pulled apart, Harry rubbed his thumb across her cheekbone, staring at her with an intensity that made Hermione's breath stutter. He leaned in again and kissed her once more, soft but chaste. When he pulled back again, he lowered his hand and took one of hers, giving it a squeeze.

Hermione's stomach clenched at the look on his face. She wasn't sure exactly how to read it but there seemed to be a bit of hesitation maybe. Or, gods, was that regret? But no, after what he'd said, he surely didn't regret it. Did he?

"What's wrong?" she asked, unable to wait for him to explain.

Harry chuckled, squeezing her hand again. "I can't hide anything from you, can I? You know me too well."

There was silence for a few moments, as he looked down at his lap.

"Are you, do you-" Hermione trailed off, not wanting to put voice to her fears.

Harry's expression immediately changed to one of alarm. "I don't regret it. Gods, Hermione, it's not that at all."

She felt something inside her relax slightly. "What is it then?"

He sighed, moving to lean back against the couch. She stayed where she was, facing him as he looked up at the ceiling. "It's something that Ginny said."

Hermione felt her stomach drop again. She tried to pull her hand away from him, but he held fast. He looked up at her again and shook his head. "I'm fucking this up. I'm sorry." He sat up fully, facing her again and took her other hand for good measure.

"I'm not going back to Ginny. Everything I've said to you tonight has been true. I do want us to be together. All right?"

Hermione nodded.

"Just, let me get all this out before you react, yeah?" Harry looked at her earnestly.

She drew in a breath and then blew it out. "Okay. I promise."

He squeezed her hands again. "It's actually something Alex said to Ginny. He told her that he thought they should take things slow, let Ginny figure out what she really wanted. And he was also worried about the press thinking they had been having an affair if they started dating publicly right away."

Hermione forced herself not to react. What Harry was saying made complete sense. Still, though, she didn't want to wait, and she knew how she felt. Maybe Harry needed time though. She'd had a couple months longer to figure it all out than he had, after all.

"I understand," she said.

Harry studied her face. "Do you?"

"Yes, Harry. And it makes perfect sense. It's all right if you need time. I'm not going anywhere." She took a breath and forced herself to meet his eyes. "And if you ultimately decide that this isn't what you want, I'll understand. I'll still be your best friend no matter what."

He stared at her for a moment, looking a bit surprised. Why though, Hermione wasn't sure. Then he shook his head and pulled her closer to him, kissing her again. She was breathless when he pulled away.

"Daft witch," he said fondly. "That's not what I meant."

She looked at him in confusion.

"I want you, Hermione. I've wanted you for far longer than I should have, in fact. So, no, I don't need time to figure out what I really want."

"Then why-"

Harry held up a hand to interrupt her. "I realize you and Ron have been over longer than Ginny and I have been, but you were together just as long. I want to make sure that you're positive this is what you want."

Hermione laughed and then grabbed his face with both hands, pulling him towards her. She stared intently at him. "Who's being daft now, Harry Potter? I've wanted you for far longer than I should have as well. You are who I want. I don't need time to figure it out." And then she kissed him again.

"Wait a minute," Harry said once they'd separated. "How long?"

"Since that night in the tent after Ron left," she said.

Harry stared at her in shock. "You too?"

"What?"

"I thought, the next morning you said that we could just forget about it, and I thought you regretted it."

"But you, you were acting so awkward about it all, I thought you did want to forget it happened," she said.

"I'd just shagged my best friend that I was fairly sure was in love with my other best friend. So yeah, it was a bit awkward. But not because I didn't want to. As a matter of fact, I was up for another go if I'd thought you wanted to. Literally."

Hermione stared at him for a moment before she started laughing. Harry joined in a few seconds later. The two of them laughed until their sides ached and they were panting for breath.

"Oh, gods, we're pathetic," she said, through a few remaining giggles.

"We were seventeen. What did we know?"

"Excuse me, I was eighteen."

"Right, seduced by an older woman. I forgot."

Hermione playfully smacked him in the chest with the back of her hand. Harry grabbed it and raised it to his lips to kiss her fingertips. He held an arm out to her, and she snuggled into his side. Harry ran his fingertips up and down her upper arm and Hermione wrapped her arm around his waist.

"I fancied you in third year, you know," she said a few minutes later.

"Did you?" Harry replied. She could hear the smile in his voice.

"Yes. But you hadn't even noticed girls at all then, let alone me."

He snorted. "No, you're right about that." He took her free hand in his, playing with her fingers. "I fancied you a few times during school. But it always seemed to be when you liked someone else. Viktor, then Ron."

Hermione nodded, knowing what he meant. Her crush on Harry had resurfaced in fifth year but he had still been mooning after Cho. And then in sixth, she'd fancied herself in love with Ron and Harry had felt the same about Ginny months before they actually ended up together.

They were quiet again for a bit before Harry spoke once more. "Do you think that if we had talked in the tent, we might have gotten together then?"

Hermione bit her tongue to keep from blurting out that they had done just that in another universe. "I don't know. Maybe. It wouldn't have been the best time to start a relationship though."

"Yeah, you're probably right." He paused. "There is something else we need to talk about."

Hermione sat up and turned slightly to face him. "What?"

"Alex wasn't wrong about the press. And you know as well as I do that it will be worse for us than it would be for Ginny and Alex."

Hermione sighed. "I know. So, what are you saying? Do you want to…wait?"

"It's probably for the best," Harry said. She nodded even as her heart twisted. Even though she knew he was right, she didn't want to wait.

"At least in public, anyway," he continued. Hermione met his eyes which glinted with mischief.

She smirked. "Are you implying you'd like a secret relationship, Mr. Potter?"

He returned her smirk. "That's exactly what I'm implying, Miss Granger. What do you say?"

"I say," she said, as she moved towards him and straddled his lap. Harry's eyes widened, looking surprised at the move. But his hands moved to grip her hips. "That sounds very…exhilarating." He grinned up at her as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Even…stimulating, you might say." She shifted slightly in his lap and his eyes fluttered shut as he pulled in a sharp breath through his nose.

"You could definitely say that," Harry replied, hands travelling slowly up and down her sides. He leaned forward to kiss her neck. "Sneaking around." Another kiss to her jaw. "Pretending we're just friends." Another kiss. "Lying to everyone."

"Not lying," she said with a gasp as he kissed just behind her ear, making her shudder. He grinned against her neck. "Just…fibbing a little. Protecting them from the truth, really."

"I don't know," he replied. "I don't think friends do this." He moved back to her mouth and snogged her properly.

"Some friends might," she said when they parted, a little breathless.

"Been snogging Padma then?" he asked.

"I should be so lucky."

Harry gaped at her and Hermione laughed. He chuckled, shaking his head. Then he hugged her tightly. "I love you, Hermione."

She tucked her head into the space between his shoulder and his neck. "I love you too, Harry."

Though neither said anything, she was quite sure they both knew that it meant more than when they usually said it.

"I should go," Harry said a while later. After their discussion, Hermione had finished her food and then they had ended up lying next to one another on the couch talking. Hermione's head was resting on Harry's chest, her back against the back of the couch, their legs entwined. "It's late."

"We don't have work tomorrow," she said. She was rather comfortable. And, if she were honest, she was a bit afraid to let him leave. Now that they'd finally admitted their feelings, she didn't want something else to happen to drive them apart.

"I know, but," he trailed off with a sigh.

Hermione frowned, then propped herself up on an elbow so she could see his face. "What is it?"

He reached out a wrapped one of her curls around his finger. "That whole taking it slow thing? I think that maybe we should, a little bit anyway."

Her brow furrowed in confusion. Harry leaned up to kiss her. When he pulled away, he rested his forehead against hers. "I want to stay. Fuck, you have no idea how much I want to stay." He pulled back to meet her eyes. "But I just, I don't know." He huffed in frustration, maneuvering to sit up. He rested his elbows on his things, hands dangling between his knees.

Hermione sat up at well, putting a hand on his back. "It's okay, Harry."

He looked over at her, a bit skeptical.

"I mean it. And you're right, anyway. As much as we know what we want, we both did just get out of long-term relationships. There are bound to be lingering feelings there."

"Hermione, I-"

She shook her head to interrupt him.

"It's okay if you still love Ginny, Harry. I'm not upset about that. She was your wife."

"And I understand if you still have feelings for Ron," Harry replied.

She didn't really. It was more that she missed Ron as her friend. But again, she'd had two more months than Harry to get to that place. And she'd been rethinking her relationship with Ron for a long time before she disappeared. She just nodded, though, not able to tell Harry about her extra time.

"So, we can go as slow as we need to," she said, smiling at him. "Like I told you before, I'm not going anywhere."

Harry smiled back, leaning towards her. He cupped her face in both hands and kissed her. Slowly but very, very thoroughly. Hermione was breathless when he pulled away. They stared at one another intently for a few minutes.

"Right," Harry said, standing from the couch. "I should just…go then."

"Right," Hermione repeated even though everything in her wanted to grab him and have her wicked way with him.

Harry walked to the Floo and grabbed the pot of powder on the mantel. He looked back at her expectantly.

"Oh, right, sorry," she said, still flustered. She waved her wand at the Floo to unlock it.

"What are you doing tomorrow?" Harry asked.

"I was going to have lunch with my parents. You're welcome to join us."

He smiled. "I'd like that. And you know, I doubt we'd run into any Wizarding press in your parents Muggle neighborhood." His grin widened.

"Are you asking me out on a date, Harry Potter?"

"I suppose I am."

"All right then," she said with a grin of her own.

He leaned over and gave her one last kiss before throwing in the Floo powder and calling out for Grimmauld Place. Hermione stood staring at the fireplace with a silly grin on her face long after he'd left.

2 August 2003

"Hey," Harry said as he came through the Floo to Hermione's. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her. He had thoroughly regretted leaving her last night even though he knew it was the right thing to do, the mature thing. They should both take some time to come to grips with the ending of their respective relationships. That didn't mean he was going to hold back altogether though. He didn't think he could give up kissing her now. Or ever.

"Hey yourself," she said once they'd parted. She had that smile on her face, the one that she seemed to give only to him. He'd never seen her smile at Ron like that in any event.

"About my parents," she said pulling Harry from his musings.

"Yes?"

"Would you mind terribly if we didn't tell them about us just yet?"

"If that's what you want. I mean we did say that we were going to keep this secret for a while." Inwardly, Harry was a little disappointed. He thought that maybe being at her parents, in the Muggle world, would give them a bit of cover. He didn't mind keeping it to themselves, but he had actually hoped that maybe outside of the Wizarding world they could just act like a normal couple.

"It's just that my mum knows about my feelings for you, and she was worried the last time we were there that if we did get together it would be some kind of rebound thing and we'd both end up hurt in the end and I just-"

"Hermione," he said stopping her rambling. He knew if he let her she'd get herself completely worked up and probably cancel the lunch altogether. "It's all right."

"It's not that I don't want them to know about you," she insisted.

"I know," Harry said with a smile, taking her hand to try and reassure her. "I understand and it makes sense. I want your parents to like me. I'm not going to do anything that makes them think I'm just jumping into things with you because I'm lonely or you're available or something."

"They do like you," she said.

"And I want it to stay that way." He smiled, then leaned in and kissed her again. "To tide me over," he said with a grin.

She laughed and squeezed his hand. "Let's go then."

Hermione should have known that she couldn't hide anything from her mother. While Harry and her dad were cleaning up from lunch, her mum confronted her about Harry.

"I thought you weren't going to push anything."

"I didn't, Mum, I swear."

"Are you going to tell me that two of you aren't together? Because I won't believe you."

Hermione sighed, not surprised her mother had figured it out. "We are, but-"

Her mum sighed. "Hermione, Harry is a lovely young man. Your father and I really like him and if the two of you ended up together at some point, we'd be thrilled. But this, I don't want you to get hurt again or lose your best friend."

"It's not like that," Hermione said.

"He's been divorced for two weeks, Hermione."

"I know, Mum. But Harry was the one that came to me. He admitted that he'd had the same feelings for me since that night in the tent. We both thought that other regretted what had happened and because we were stupid teenagers we didn't talk about it.

Neither one of us wants to be accused of having an affair or something by the press so we're keeping it to ourselves for now. We've agreed to take it slow. But we both want this, Mum. We don't feel like it's a rebound thing, even if it has happened quickly. I've known him since I was eleven. He's my best friend. I think we've gotten the getting to know you part of dating down."

"I realize that but how long do you think you can keep this a secret? I'm sorry, sweetheart, but even if you don't act any differently than you always do with one another in public, there will be some people that will figure it out just by being in the same room with the two of you. I know how badly you've been treated by that newspaper. I don't want to see that happen again."

"It's not like we can just turn our feelings off. Especially now that we both know. But we'll be careful."

Her mother sighed. "You're sure about this then? You've thought through what might happen if things don't work out between the two of you?"

"Things are going to work out, Mum."

"How can you be sure, Hermione?"

Hermione couldn't tell her mother that she knew things would work out with Harry because she'd already lived through it. She decided to turn the tables instead. "How did you know things would work out with you and Dad?"

Her mother laughed lightly and held her hands up in surrender. "All right, I'm convinced." Then she reached over and took one of Hermione's hands, giving it a squeeze. "I'm happy for you, sweetheart. Truly."

Hermione smiled. "Thanks, Mum."

"What's this then?" her dad asked as he and Harry walked out of the kitchen.

"Just a bit of girl talk," her mum replied.

Richard looked between the two women, then shook his head, clapping Harry on the shoulder. "Probably better we don't know, eh, lad?"

Harry chuckled. "I'm sure you're right."

Hermione gave Harry a soft smile that he returned. Her mum gave her a knowing look and Hermione glanced at her father to see if he'd noticed. He hadn't seemed to. They were going to have to be more careful.

"Thanks for inviting me today," Harry said later as they cuddled on Hermione's couch. They'd spent part of the afternoon with her parents and then Hermione had taken Harry to the high street. They'd done some window shopping, had a bit of ice cream and ended up at the park her parents used to take her to when she was little. The best part of the afternoon was being able to walk around hand in hand with Harry, stealing kisses now and then, knowing that they wouldn't run into anyone they knew. Hermione decided they definitely needed to have more dates in the Muggle world.

They'd come back to Hermione's afterward and had supper. She knew Harry was going to leave soon but she wasn't looking forward to it. She would be patient though, for Harry.

"My mum knows," she said.

Harry pulled back to look down at her. "I thought we were going to keep it to ourselves for a while."

"I didn't tell her," Hermione said. "She figured it out."

"How?"

"She says it's the way we look at one another. To be fair, she already knew about my feelings for you, so it wasn't a complete surprise, I suppose. Although, she figured that out on her own too."

"Does your dad?"

"I don't think so. She probably won't tell him either. At least not right away."

Harry was quiet for a few minutes. "What did she say then? About us?"

"She was a bit worried," Hermione said, and she felt Harry tense.

"Not about you," she assured him. "She really likes you, Harry. Both her and my dad do."

"Oh, what then?"

"She's concerned we're moving too quickly after the recent end of our other relationships. And she's afraid of what the papers will say about us. She's still angry about what happened to me fourth year after Rita printed that article."

"I understand her concerns, I suppose. Especially with the press."

"Anyway, she said that it's only a matter of time until other people figure it out, given how we act around one another." Hermione bit her lip and Harry frowned.

"What?"

"Maybe we shouldn't spend as much time together in public."

"Everyone knows we're friends, Hermione."

"I know but if the wrong person sees us and realizes," she trailed off as Harry shook his head.

"I think it would be more suspicious if we stopped doing things together. You've been with me during the entire divorce. Why would you all of sudden stop now?"

"I suppose," she said.

"We'll just have to get better at hiding how we feel. Think of each other as just friends when we're out and about."

Hermione supposed she could do that. She'd been doing it for weeks, months really. But then she'd been doing it to make sure Harry didn't realize. It was different now that he knew. Still, she didn't want to hole away either here or at Grimmauld all the time either. And there would be times, events, where they would both have to be there. The charity ball for the war orphans fund was next month. Given Harry had started the fund in the first place, he would have to be there. And Hermione always attended as well.

"All right."

"Good." Harry leaned down and kissed her, effectively pushing all Hermione's worries out of her head.

4 August 2003

"Are you all right?" Padma asked. She'd come into Hermione's office moments after Hermione arrived. "I tried to Floo you this weekend, but your Floo was locked. I almost came over, but I figured you must want some privacy."

"Sorry," Hermione said. She did feel awful for worrying her friend.

Padma waved her off. "You don't have to apologize. I just want to know how you are."

"I'm good." Hermione couldn't stop the smile from forming on her face. "Really good, actually."

Padma's brow furrowed. "You talked to Harry?"

Hermione nodded. "You were right."

"About which bit? I had a few guesses if you remember."

"Ginny isn't pregnant."

"Ha! I knew it!" Then her expression changed, and she looked incensed. "That bint!"

"I'm not going to disagree," Hermione said. "But there are other things going on that you're not aware of. I'm not going to tell you everything, out of respect for her privacy, but she never got any professional help after her first year."

That stopped the tirade Hermione was sure Padma was about to go on. She sighed. "It's still not an excuse."

"It isn't. But Harry just wants to put it behind him, so I'm respecting that. Even if I am still furious with her."

Padma nodded and Hermione waited, sure that as soon as Padma processed the fact that Ginny wasn't pregnant, she'd figure out the rest.

"Wait, does that mean…is that why your Floo was locked all weekend? Are you two?"

Hermione grinned again and nodded.

"Together, you're together?" Padma looked almost as excited as Hermione felt.

"Yes."

"Oh, my gods, that's brilliant! I'm so happy for you!" Padma hugged her.

"Thank you," Hermione said hugging her friend back. "For being there for me through all of this and listening to me whine about it."

"You never whined," Padma said as they separated. "I mean, only a little."

Hermione laughed.

"We should have dinner this weekend, you and Harry and Gavin and me."

"We can't. And you can't tell anyone about Harry and me."

"Why not?" Padma asked in confusion.

"We're not going public yet. His divorce was just final a couple of weeks ago and Ron and I haven't been over for that long either. The last thing either of us want is speculation as to when our relationship actually started."

"Makes sense, I suppose," Padma said. "How are you going to do that though?"

"Everyone already knows that we're friends and we spend time together. It shouldn't be any different really."

"I'd be sure to try and control that giant grin you get whenever someone mentions his name then. I'm sure it's worse when you're actually with him," Padma smirked.

"I'm capable of hiding my feelings, thank you very much." So, her mum had figured it out. She knew Hermione the best out of anyone. It wasn't that surprising.

Padma looked at her skeptically.

Hermione huffed. "I've been doing it for months now. Harry never realized."

"But now he does know. Don't you think that will make it a little more difficult? And what about him?"

"Harry's a trained Auror. I think he can handle it."

"All right, then," Padma said.

Hermione's eyes narrowed and Padma laughed. "I believe you, I swear."

Hermione very much doubted that was true, but she let it go. She was much too happy to worry about all of that right now.