When A Man Loves A Woman

When A Man Loves A Woman

Harry wiped the sweat off his brow using the back of his hand; it had been a long and tiring day, but that paled into insignificance now that he was finally going home. His last assignment had taken him longer than expected to solve, but now that Meredith Peachblossom, Viktor Krum's English wife, had been freed from the Death Eaters who kidnapped her and was returned home safely, Harry had been given two glorious weeks to relax and live like any normal person. Or at least, as normally as possible.

With a click, he turned the knob and swung the door open.

"Home, sweet, home," he said dryly to himself.

A thick layer of dust had settled across the living room. He sighed tiredly as he settled his gaze on the dirty dishes piled high on the kitchen sink, then sighed even louder upon seeing the rumpled clothes scattered in disarray on the carpeted floor. His lips curved into a grimace. Although he had gotten used to living alone, he still hated doing house chores.

'If she was here, she would never have let this house reach this state of disorder.'

He froze at this sudden thought, a dark shadow crossing his face. His feet felt like lead as he slowly walked through the living room to his study. He reluctantly opened the first drawer in his work desk and pulled out a silver photo frame.

It was the photo of him, Ron and Hermione taken just after graduation. His hands shook when he placed the photo back in the drawer. He slammed the door shut. Breathing heavily, he went inside his room and forced himself to look outside the window. To any casual onlooker, he was simply looking at the sky. But if anyone had looked closely, Harry's emerald green eyes glittered with unshed tears.

It had been three years since Hermione had disappeared. He closed his eyes and willed himself to think of something else. But the memories were still fresh in his mind, as if it were only yesterday. What happened that fateful day slowly unraveled inside his mind . . . .

"Harry!" Hermione looked surprised to see him standing outside the building where she worked as a Charms Specialist, waiting for her.

He turned to see her running towards him. She linked her arms at the back of his neck as he wrapped his arms tightly around her waist.

"You weren't at home so I thought I'd meet you here."

He leaned and kissed her, lightly at first, but it gradually became more passionate, their tongues cavorting with one another. She moaned and pressed herself close to his body.

"Get a room," a voice came from behind them.

"Oh, hi, Ron!" Hermione said, reluctantly pulling away from Harry.

They broke apart, faces both flushed and looked guiltily at their friend. Ron worked on the building next to Hermione's.

"Where's Lavender?" Hermione asked curiously. "I thought you said she'd meet you after work?"

"Lavender can't come," Ron answered. "Her uptight boss wants her to stay up all night to make sure that every books been categorized and tagged before tomorrow morning's sale," he grumbled irritably.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Harry told Ron. "Big book sales tomorrow in Flourish and Blotts, huh?"

"Yeah, she's always busy this time of year. I'm glad she got promoted to assistant manager and all, but I feel like I never get to see her anymore," Ron muttered. "Anyway, what movie are we going to see?" he asked, clearly changing the subject.

"The Seduction of the Innocent," replied Hermione, "starring Fleur Delacour." She caught Harry's grimace and grinned. " I know it sounds cheesy but Ginny said it's really worth watching." She threw a glance at Ron. "Besides, didn't you two used to like staring at Veelas?"

"Minx," he whispered to her as he playfully tweaked her cheek.

"Great," Ron exclaimed sarcastically. "Do we still have time to grab something to eat?"

"There's plenty of time," Harry commented, looking at his watch.

"Let's eat, I'm famished." Ron rubbed his stomach.

Harry and Hermione shared a smile. Ron hadn't changed; his stomach was still his top priority. They decided to dine at the popular and classy bistro owned by Susan Bones.

"Hermione said you're working on the Gringotts's break-in case," Ron said in between bites of his extra-large helping of Spaghetti Leviosa.

Harry nodded. "I'd rather we don't discuss this publicly, though." He gave Ron a meaningful look.

Ron nodded. "Sorry, I was just curious, not everyone lives the exciting life of a Ministry secret agent," he told Harry under lowered voice.

"It's okay." Harry smiled at him. Then he turned to look at Hermione, who was staring at him with a glowing look on her vibrant face. "Love you," he whispered to her ear. She blushed.

"Uhurm," Ron cleared his throat.

Hermione took Ron's hand and gave it a friendly squeeze. "I'm sorry if this is making you feel like a third wheel. It's just that . . . Harry and I . . . ."

Harry placed his arm around Hermione and said, "Ron, we want you around with us. Just because we're engaged, doesn't mean that you're no longer our best friend."

Ron grinned. "I guess I just wanted to hear that from you two," he started saying, "I'm a bit touchy because Lavender and I had a fight." They gave him a look of sympathy. His smile widened. "Say, Hermione, when are you going to make an honest man out of my best friend here?"

Hermione blushed prettily, lost for words.

Harry took her hand and kissed it lightly. "Soon . . . Ron . . . soon," he said, not taking his eyes off her.

"It better be soon," Ron remarked as he gulped down his iced tea. "I mean you two have been living together for almost six months now. And you know Mum keeps asking me why you two haven't tied the knot yet."

Hermione was still blushing as she looked down and happened to catch a glance at her watch. "Oh, we'd better finish this or there won't be enough time to catch the movie."

They were about to enter the cinema when an owl swooped in front of them and hovered in front of Harry. He quickly untied the parchment and read its content. Hermione watched as Harry's face suddenly turned serious.

Before Harry could say a word, Hermione placed her hand on his arm. "You have to go, right?" When he nodded unhappily, she gave him an understanding smile. "Then go." When he didn't move, she linked her arms to Ron's. "Ron will keep me company." She kissed him on the lips, then whispered, "I'll wait for you tonight."

Only then did Harry managed a small smile. "Take care of her for me, Ron."

Ron quickly nodded. "She'll be fine with me."

And with a slight wave, he Disapparated.

His last memory of her was a smiling Hermione tugging Ron inside the cinema. Later that night, he was surprised to return to an empty house. Thinking they were only late, he had waited for them. But when the clock struck one, he had started to become alarmed. He had decided to go back to the cinema to look for them when he heard a knock on the door. He pulled the door open and found himself face to face with his friend and co-worker, Ben Goldshire. The grave expression on his usually jovial face had made Harry's heart sink.

Ron had been found in a dark alley, more dead than alive. He had been admitted to St. Mungo's Hospital and was being treated for the same illness that had struck Neville Longbottom's parents.

He had nearly gone out of his mind when Ben told him that Hermione was nowhere to be found and most probably dead. For a whole year, he abandoned his work to look for her.

If it weren't for Professor Dumbledore, he might have been dead by suicide or became mentally deranged. Hermione's disappearance left him devastated. Only Dumbledore's words of wisdom and strong fatherly presence pulled him through his depression. And only Dumbledore believed that she might still be alive.

It had been exactly three years, two months and twenty-four days since that fateful evening, but he still hadn't given up. He had paid no heed to Professor McGonagall's well-intentioned advice of moving to a new house and starting a new life.

Instead, for the past two years, he had hired several private investigators, many of them old work colleagues, to search for her. However, no traces of Hermione Granger could be found.

Again, he closed his eyes. The pain struck him like a blow. His shoulders shook when he realized just how much he missed her. Now all the guilt, anger and frustration he felt before came back to him in full force, overwhelming him.

Wearily, he slumped into the sofa, with his face buried in his hands.

'Hermione, where could you possibly be?'

To be continued