When A Man Loves A Woman

"Harry, which would you prefer, a boy or a girl?" Hermione asked him one Sunday evening. They were in the living room; he was seated in the sofa reading the Daily Prophet, while she was snuggled next to him, taking notes on the charms she was working on.

He stared at her in shock. "You mean . . . I . . . we . . . ?"

She giggled at his shocked expression. "No, I'm not pregnant, yet." He seemed to breath in relief. "But I want to be," she told him honestly. "What do you think?"

The question had thrown him completely off-balance. He looked down at her in shock, but once seeing the look on her face, knew instantly what his answer would be. "Nothing could make me happier than knowing you're carrying my child inside you. It doesn't matter whether the baby is a boy or a girl. What matters is that the baby is ours. Yours and mine."

"Oh, Harry..." Her eyes were glowing with happiness as she threw her arms around him. "I was so afraid you'd tell me you didn't want us to have children."

He held her tightly and kissed the top of her hair. "Well . . . if you ask me, I really would like a girl, with dark brown hair and beautiful brown eyes, just like her mother's."

She snuggled closer to him, her smile widening. "No, I want our first born to be a boy with big emerald green eyes and black unruly hair," she sighed dreamily. Then she chuckled softly. "Isn't it funny that we're already imagining how our baby would look like despite the fact that I am very much not pregnant."

He grinned wickedly. "Well in that case..." he murmured against her ear as he tilted her chin and kissed her on the lips.

Her hand wound up to his hair as he scooped her in his arms in one fluid motion. They continued kissing as he carried her to their room upstairs.

"More Pumpkin Pie, Harry?"

Harry gave a start. Disoriented, he stared at Molly Weasley as if her head had just sprouted horns. For a minute, he couldn't remember where he was. Slowly it came back to him. He was at the Burrows having dinner with Mrs. Weasley. "No thanks, Mrs. Weasley, I'm already full," he said slowly.

Less than an hour ago, he was standing at the Burrow's doorstep, deeply confused. But the sight of Molly's loving and familiar face had warmed him.

Her plump face had lit up when she saw him. Her hands went to her cheeks as her dark eyes widened in surprise.

At that moment, Harry realized how much Molly had been like a mother to him. Molly had seen him through his childhood and teenage years. Every Christmas and Easter holidays, he looked forward to her homemade treats. She was the one who comforted him after the Triwizard Competition. She was very proud of him.

He wrapped his strong arms around her in a hug. As they held one another, it was hard to tell who was comforting whom. Finally, she stepped back, dabbed at her tear-filled eyes with her frilly white apron, and took a good look at him.

"Look at you, you've lost so much weight," she clucked disapprovingly, sounding like the Molly Weasley of old. "I need to fatten you up."

He managed a feeble smile.

She ushered him into the house. Until that very moment, Harry had wonder if he would ever actually manage to set foot in it again. He followed her as she led him inside. She moved with unfamiliar slowness, he noticed with concern. Without the twins and Ron, he noticed how empty and silent the house was. Gone were the sounds of joyous laughter that he had grown accustomed to. His gaze drifted along the moving pictures hanging on the walls. There was a smiling Ron waving the Quidditch Cup proudly, a jubilant Fred and George in front of their newly-opened Weasley Wizard Wheezes shop in Diagon Alley, and a beaming Ginny on her graduation day. Harry was already feeling nostalgic when he entered the kitchen. It was still the same as he remembered it, warm and comforting. He inhaled, savoring the familiar scent of freshly-baked homemade Pumpkin Pie. Easing himself down into a chair at the kitchen table, he let his gaze drift over the small kitchen as warm memories flitted by. "Where is everybody?"   

"Arthur's in Romania with Charlie. And Ginny had gone to Egypt to work in the same bank Bill's working in," Molly replied lightly.

"I heard she had gotten engaged."

"Yes and since he's assigned in Egypt, Ginny decided to work there as well," said Molly, sounding amused.

"And the twins?"

"They've gone to Greece with Lee to promote their sixth Weasley's Wizard Wheezes branch." She gave a loud snort. "Who would have thought that their silly pranks could have amounted to something?"

Harry wasn't fooled. He could sense how much Molly missed her family. The sadness in her eyes was a dead giveaway, but he kept silent.

She moved about the room, humming softly to herself. She returned with a pitcher filled with ice-cold Pumpkin juice and two mugs. Nothing more was said as she placed a large bowl of steaming vegetable soup before him.

"Aren't you going to eat?" He noticed that she only placed one bowl.

"Oh, yes," she exclaimed in surprise. She was chuckling when she returned with her own bowl of soup. She sat down at the table across from him.

He ate in silence while she contented herself in watching him, letting her own soup grow cold. For a while, the only sound was the clink of his spoon scraping against the side of his bowl. He felt her eyes dwell on him.

He felt a familiar ache. It made him think of Hermione. She would be writing furiously on long rolls of parchments at her desk or reading before the fireplace, but no matter what she was doing, she would always look up at him with affection. Those images comforted him. He had summoned them in times of doubt. She had been there for him. How he longed for one more chance to hug her, to tell her how much he love her.

He was lost in thought when she asked him if he wanted more soup. He looked at her and saw the sympathy in her eyes. He didn't need to say anything, she knew. Finishing his soup, he laid his spoon neatly to one side.

Molly stood up and looked out the window, where a couple of Gnomes were busy wrecking her garden patch. "Yesterday, I got an owl from Lavender," she told him somberly.

"What did she say?" he whispered, his voice suddenly tight.

"She wanted to get our blessing." Her voice shook slightly. "She says she will always love Ron." Her voice trailed off. "But she finally decided to accept Roger Davies's proposal." Her voice broke at the word proposal.

Harry's eyes blazed furiously. "I saw them two weeks ago," he said quietly, the sides of his mouth white with anger. "I confronted her, told her she's being unfair to Ron."

Molly's eyes flickered. "Oh, Harry..."

"I'm sorry." Harry bowed his head in defeat. "If I hadn't been harsh to Lavender, perhaps-"

"It's not your fault, Harry," she said softly. "It's nobody's fault."

'If it weren't for me, Ron would be asking for her hand,' he wanted to say. "I better be going. I can't stay long anyway- "

She reached across the table and laid a gentle hand on his wrist. He gazed at her briefly, then looked away. The muscles on his jaw were set. He felt so damn guilty.

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Guilt still overwhelmed him when he went to the Pub to drown his sorrow. His fingers tightened at the glass in his hand until it suddenly splintered. "Bloody hell," he muttered angrily. All the rage bottled inside him suddenly exploded and he grabbed the empty bottle next to him and threw it against the wall, smashing it into pieces.

Only then did he slowly came to his senses. He stared at the mess, stunned at his total lost of control. Then he realized that everyone was staring at him in shock. "I'm sorry, I'll pay for the damage." He threw several galleons on the counter then like a tormented man, he stormed out of the Pub, slamming the door shut.

Outside, Harry had taken a few steps when he saw a woman with waist-length brown hair walking at the other side of the road. He crossed the road and ran after her. "Hermione!" he yelled, when she didn't stop, he grabbed her arm, and swung her around.

His heart plummeted. She wasn't Hermione.

Appalled that he had just accosted a brown-haired, brown-eyed stranger, he quickly let go of her arm and stammered his apologies. "I'm sorry, really sorry for grabbing you like that . . . I thought you were someone else."

"Pervert!" the woman hissed at him. She angrily shoved Harry away and continued walking.

Harry stood standing there, oblivious to the people walking past him. It was only when a large man bumped into him that he realized he had been standing in shock, for several minutes. Slowly, he took a step, and then another, until he reached the bus station.

He was in such a daze that he found himself sitting at the back of a packed bus; not taking any notice of the other commuters. His emotions swung between anguish and numbness. His mind struggled to accept that she was lost to him forever even as his heart rejected it. Whenever he looked at a crowd, he thought he saw her face.

It had never occurred to him that Hermione would not be by his side forever.

Some of the people got off the bus and by this time it had started to rain. At the next stop he got off, outside a park. The rain turned into a slight drizzle as Harry walked towards the park, ignoring the fact that he was getting soaked. He went over to a park bench and sat down forlornly. He noticed several couples taking shelter under the thick trees. They reminded him of the time they spent in a muggle Park one Saturday morning, before they started seventh year.

"Harry?"

"Hmmm?" he asked absentmindedly.

"I was just wondering," she said, chewing her upper lip the way he found so irresistible. "When did you start noticing me as a, you know, a girl?"

With his head comfortably settled on her lap, he looked up and gazed into her deep brown eyes. "Blimey, what kind of a question is that?"

She gave him a look. The same look which meant she wouldn't stop until she got an answer.

"Any particular reason why you're now asking me about this now?"

She tucked one unruly strand of hair away from his face. "I'm just curious, that's all." She smiled. "You never did tell me, you know."

"Yule Ball."

"What?" she said, appearing confused. Then it hit her. "Oh."

"Is that all you can say?"

"Exactly!" She made a disbelieving sound. "Harry, you're such a prat!" She whacked him on the chest with the book she was reading. "You're just making fun of me!

"I am not!" he shot back, an amused look on his face as he caught her hands with his own. "Have I ever lied to you?"

"Oh sod off," she said, swatting his hands away. "Have you lied to me?" she echoed. "Remember the time you told me you were going to watch the Quidditch games with Ron and then it turned out, you were-"

"I wanted to surprise you on your sixteenth birthday so I asked Parvati if she could give me some advice on what to give you."

She relented. "I love the bracelet but next time, if you need a woman's opinion, ask Ginny or Mrs. Weasley. At least, they don't try seducing someone else's boyfriend."

He chuckled, pinching her nose lightly. "Why do you find it so hard to believe that I started noticing you during the Yule Ball?"

"Because you had a huge crush on Cho Chang ever since third year. You only had eyes for her, remember?" she reminded him. "Don't you try deny it."

"I did, but when I saw you walking with Krum in that periwinkle robe of yours, all I could think of was 'Wow!'"

"How come you weren't exactly jealous during the dance," she asked eagerly.

"I don't know," he admitted with all honesty. "When I saw how Ron angered you so much when he accused you of being disloyal, I thought it would be better not to say anything at all."

When she arched one eyebrow, he added, "And besides, why would I be jealous of Krum, when I knew your heart already belonged to me."

"Oh, really," she challenged him. "Is that so?" she said shrilly and pinched him hard on his upper arm.

"Ow," he exclaimed. "That hurts!" He countered by tickling her until she collapsed into giggles.

"It's payback time," he said, leaning closer to her.

She stopped laughing. Their lips met in a searing kiss.

"I'm sorry, Sir, but it's almost closing time, you have to leave the premises."

Harry looked up, startled. He hadn't realized that he had been sitting there for so long. His movements were slightly stilted as he stood up and started walking aimlessly. He wondered if perhaps he was going mad. Wherever he looked, memories of the time they spent together kept flashing before his eyes. He craved the feel of her in his arms; missed the sound of her laughter, and worst of all, he missed hearing her say, "I love you, Harry." Keeping his head downcast, he kept on walking down the street. He had passed several blocks when he spied a tawny owl flying towards him. He recognized the owl, it was Ben's. His partner.

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He had Apparated inside a telephone booth near Mann's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood Boulevard. Pushing the door open, he walked past the man selling maps to homes of movie stars. He kept on walking, until he reached the entrance of Hollywood Entertainment Museum. He looked around, searching for their informer, and it didn't take him long to spot him. Colin Creevey stood leaning against a white Cadillac, also looking around, obviously expecting Ben not him. He strode towards his former schoolmate.

"Harry?" Colin's eyes widened in surprise. "Where's ol' Ben? I thought you were on vacation."

"I was," Harry replied. "Ben suffered a massive heart attack."

"What?" Colin spluttered, obviously shocked. "Is he okay?"

"He's still under intensive care."

Harry slid into the passenger seat just as Colin inserted the key to the ignition. He started the engine and began to drive in silence.

"Tell me about this assignment."

"We've kept the place under surveillance," answered Colin as he kept his eyes glued on the road. "Before Sally-Ann Perks went missing, she spied Marcus Flint going inside. He now has two of our people. The other one's Derek Pearson."

"How long since they've been missing?"

"Six hours to be exact."

"Anything else I should know about the place?" Harry noticed that Colin seemed a bit uncomfortable discussing it.

"Well..." Colin seemed to hesitate. He flicked a thoughtful glance at Harry, then made up his mind. "It's what you call an expensive brothel."

Harry frowned. "Sort of a high class prostitute club?"

At Colin's embarrassed nod, Harry nodded his head in understanding. "Marcus Flint did like to be in the company of willing women."

"Yes, but the girls in that place don't come cheap; from what I heard, they cost a thousand dollar at the least."

Harry almost choked.

"It's true!"

Harry shook his head in disgust. "How do we enter the place?"

"I've got it covered," Colin replied earnestly. "We manage to intercept two invitation slips, there will be no problem with access to the place." He glanced at Harry's brooding profile. "I just hope that we get hold of Flint, the earlier the better."

Harry shared Colin's intention. Marcus Flint had murdered countless wizards and Muggles. With Flint roaming the streets, he shuddered to think of the havoc he could wreak. They lapsed into an uneasy silence.

After driving for more than hour, Colin turned into a narrow road. He continued driving, passing several acres of fields and trees. When the stone tower came into view, Colin finally pulled to a stop. He reached inside the compartment, taking out two green cards, two invitation letters, and two plastic tumblers containing bogey-colored liquid. He took the tumbler labeled Becker and handed it to Harry. "Ready?"

Harry nodded. He drank from his tumbler while Colin did the same. With a grimace, he emptied the tumbler and waited for the transformation to begin.

Both of them slowly transformed their outward appearance according to their selected identification card. Harry changed into a reed-thin man with deep, sunken eyes, while Colin became a bearded, portly man, complete with a huge belly pot.

They climbed out of the car, and started towards the tall iron gates. As they reached the gate, it opened automatically.

"It has a movement sensor," Colin noted.

"I assumed as much," Harry agreed.

A nineteenth-century inspired chateau came into Harry's full view. They walked up the steps, reached the main entrance, and before they could even knock on the door, it swung open. A stiff-looking aristocratic man in his fifties appeared and asked for their invitation slips in the driest of tones. He took their invitation, bowed deeply, motioning for them to get inside. "Welcome, please sign your name in the guest register before entering the main hall."

Harry signed his name as William Becker, while Colin signed his as Kevin McAllister. Then they were ushered through the main double doors, which led to the hall.

"Have a pleasant evening, Mr. Becker, Mr. McAllister." The man bowed before closing the double doors.

Harry looked around, quickly taking note of the expensive mixture of antiques, Persian carpets and contemporary furniture. Colin seemed interested in a particular painting involving two women and a man in a very risqué pose.

They had barely reached the living room when several nubile, semi-naked girls wearing masks walked past them, carrying trays of assorted fruits.

Colin's eyes widened. "Our informers are not exaggerating, it does feel like a bloody harem in here," he whispered in a confidential tone.

Harry merely grunted, he was looking up the gilded ceiling and marveling at its design. As they continued their tour of the castle, Colin's head turned sharply towards an ornate marble fireplace. Next to the fireplace, a woman in dominatrix clothing was tied on a chair, being whipped by a shirtless man, also wearing a mask. Harry exchanged glances with Colin. They had to follow the plan. They left the living room, kept on walking until they reached a magnificent oak staircase. They headed upstairs in a leisurely pace, stopping once in a while to admire a painting to avoid raising suspicion.

Upstairs, Colin nodded at Harry. He took the left path while Harry took the right. Harry walked past four bedrooms, ignoring the intricately carved ornamental wall panels. He kept eyeing his watch which was charmed to indicate any signs of magic. At the end of the corridor, he eyed glass door. Curious where the door led, he reached for the knob and discovered a winding staircase leading down to a dark corridor. Warily, he went down the steps, crossed the dimly-lit corridor and found another door. Losing his patience, he pushed the door wide open and found himself staring at a garden, impossibly green and lush, with an abundance of plants. He blinked. There were Daffodils, Tulips, Bluebells, Apple Blossom, Spring Bulbs, Peonies, and some wild flowers he couldn't identify.  

Fascinated, he walked in daze and discovered to his amazement, a garden maze. Without a second thought, he slipped inside as memories of the Triwizard Competition flashed through his mind. After several wrong turns, he finally saw an opening. As he emerged from the maze, an enormous pool came into view. As he walked past the vast poolside garden, Harry realized he wasn't alone. A shapely form was draped seductively on the pool deck. He saw from the corner of his eye an eyeful of blonde hair. The scantily clad girl rose and sauntered towards him.  

"Looking for something?"  

Harry froze. It was the wrong accent but her voice sounded achingly familiar. He whirled around and stared at the woman in shock.  

"Hermione?"  

(To be continued)