Unexpected Endings

Harry Potter walked over to the scarlet couch in his apartment and sat down next to the girl that had been his girlfriend for the last three years. He smiled, kissed her and then pulled something out of his pocket.

"I love you with all of my heart. I have since our fifth year at Hogwarts. I know I never showed that kind of interest in you before then but I was too wrapped up in my silly obsession with Cho. What I feel for you is real and lasting," he said as he got down on one knee like he'd seen in so many Muggle films, "Hermione Granger, will you marry me?"

"Oh my gosh!" she exclaimed, "Harry you're a wonderful guy and since our first year you've been a wonderful friend. You've also been a great boyfriend for the last three years, but I've not been completely honest with you."

"This doesn't sound good," he said with a frown as he got up to sit back down on the couch.

"Perhaps not but I need you to listen. From the first day I saw you on the Hogwarts Express I was attracted to you. You're handsome, famous, brave, and a wonderful wizard. All those things make you completely desirable to a girl, even Muggle girls stare at you in the street. But anyway I was also attracted to someone else that first day. I was drawn in by his goofy smile and the cute little smudge on his nose," she said smiling as she remembered.

"Ron? Are you talking about Ron?" he asked sounding surprised.

"Yes, Harry. I loved Ron from the moment I laid eyes on him. Everything about him, his red hair, his cute little bad temper, even his being overshadowed made him completely desirable to me. No one expected me to like him, in fact I once tried to tell Lavender and she thought I was joking. No, everyone expected me to fall for you. To tell you the truth I expected it myself. That's one of the reasons I accepted you as my boyfriend," she said looking away embarrassed, her face matching her short, red dress.

"And the other reasons?" he encouraged looking not into her eyes but at something behind her head.

"Only one other reason existed. I didn't believe that Ron could ever love me. You accepted my friendship far sooner than he did. I cried so much that first Halloween when he said those mean things about me because I liked him so much. At that time I figured I'd get over it and I'd be okay, but all the time my love was growing stronger. Finally in our fourth year when he fell for Fleur I completely convinced myself that he'd never love me. I told myself he liked gorgeous girls and I wasn't pretty enough. Then of course the next year at the end of the year ball you asked me to be your girlfriend and it just seemed to make sense. I grew to believe that I loved you but I always knew that I didn't love you as much as I had Ron. It was wrong of me to even go out with you knowing how I felt about him, whether it felt right or not. I'm sorry for that," she said looking into his eyes and noticing a tear roll down his cheek.

"Well I understand that you can't marry me when your heart belongs to Ron," he said looking down awkwardly, "I always expected it but you two never started anything so I figured I was safe falling for you. But I don't understand why since graduation you've never tried to see him; in fact it seems as though you've avoided seeing him."

"Well for one thing I didn't want to hurt you Harry. By that I time I knew we were getting pretty serious or at least I knew you were. Then I wanted to fall out of love with him, I honestly did. But the biggest reason was guilt."

"Guilt that you loved him and I didn't know?" he asked suddenly looking up.

"No. The guilt of what happened on the night of graduation. That night instead of going home with my parents I went out with Ron. It wasn't intended as anything more than a friendly thing. You know that he and I didn't really spend much time together after you and I started dating, so we decided to spend a night alone. We would have told you but he said it'd hurt your feelings to be left out. Anyway, we went to a lot of different places sharing different memories and had a wonderful time. At the end of the night he brought me home and before he left we kissed. After that I felt guilty so I didn't try to see him again for any reason and I guess he felt guilty too because he never tried to contact me," she said almost in tears.

"Wow. That's interesting, I never suspected anything. But are you sure he feels the same? I mean it could have just been some kind of one time thing?" he asked seemingly still trying to hang on to what he thought he had just a while before.

"Well from that night you wouldn't think so," she started hesitantly.

"But I can tell from your voice you have other proof," he said looking discouraged.

"Well, yes. Yesterday I went to visit my parents right?" she said her voice shaking a little.

"Yes?" he encouraged looking up into her eyes.

"Well, after I left there I was in a Muggle coffee shop when in walks Ron. I was hoping either he wouldn't see me or wouldn't acknowledge me, but he did. He walked right over, almost as if he knew I'd be there. Well, one thing led to another and we ended up at my apartment. We talked for a long time about a lot of things, including graduation night. You can let your imagination figure out that we went farther than you and I ever dreamed of going or at least for awhile. I'm so sorry, Harry. I believed at one time that I did love you and that I was over Ron but I have always loved him in the deepest purest corners of my heart. I'm sorry I've put you through this and I'm sorry I've wasted the last three years of your life, but the man I truly love does love me and I can't marry you knowing that," she said in tears.

"Hermione, it's okay. You didn't waste three years of my life, I enjoyed every minute of it. Like I said I suspected that you loved him and I was pretty sure he loved you too, but I knew both of you were too stubborn to admit it. I truly was wrong to go after you when I even suspected that my best friend loved you. Of course I wanted to marry you. Who wouldn't want the most beautiful, most talented and smartest witch to be their wife? Besides you would have made a wonderful wife of the future Minister of Magic but you love him and I understand that. It'll hurt me for awhile but I'll be able to keep on living. Can I ask for one favor though?" he said looking near to tears himself.

"Anything," she said desperately wanting to ease the pain she had caused.

"Can I have one last kiss?" he said looking up as line of tears slid down his face, "I know it won't be real since you love Ron and everything but it will give me some sense of closure."

"Sure," she said and kissed him. She kissed him with intentions of giving him comfort and he kissed her trying to lose all the thoughts of anything else in the world but that one kiss. But it ended and then she was gone.

Almost four years later Harry walked into work. The phone rang and he answered it.

"Hullo," the female voice said, "May I talk to the Minister of Magic?"

"This is him," he said smiling at the title. He was the youngest Minister in a very, very long time.

"Harry since when do you answer your own calls?" the faintly familiar voice said.

"Since my secretary is late. Who is this?" he asked confused.

"This is Hermione. Where is Ginny at?" she asked.

"Well she's already on leave and her temporary replacement is always late. Oh well she should be here soon. What can I help you with, Hermione?" he asked smiling.

"Well I have a serious question to ask you," she said sounding exceedingly happy for a serious question.

"Okay," he sighed expecting some great magical ethical question or something of the likes.

"How would you feel about being a godfather?"

"Say what, Hermione?" he exclaimed.

"Ron and I are going to have a baby. It's due in October and we wanted you to be the godfather," she said with overabundant joy.

"Where's Ron?" he asked excited.

"Right here," she said handing the phone to Ron.

"Hey, Harry," Ron said sounding just as happy.

"Hey do you guys really want me to be godfather, after all that's happened?" he asked seriously.

"Yes of course. My best man should be my child's godfather. Besides if anything happens to us I want him to be in good hands," he said smiling, "Who better to take care of a young wizard than the Minister of Magic. So how's my little sis?"

"She's wonderful. I know you wanted to kill me when you found out she was pregnant but I'm glad you're not fuming at me anymore," he said grinning at the thought of Ginny.

"Well is the wedding still set for next month?" Ron asked with a bit of tension in his voice.

"Of course, you know she wanted to wait till after little Harry was born. She said she refuses to marry me fat. Of course I don't think she's fat I think she's beautiful. Wait you don't want to hear this," Harry said stopping himself.

"Well I better get used to it since Hermione's going to start being weird soon," Ron whispered.

"Hey! I heard that," Harry heard Hermione call.

"Sorry, honey. Well I have to get to work and I'm sure you have something important to be attending to," Ron said sounding happier than Harry had ever heard him.

"Well I am the Minister of Magic but I always have time for my best friend, both of you," Harry said.

"Later, Harry," Ron said.

"Later, Ron," Harry replied with a smile.