The One That Got Away

Chapter 2: Can We Talk About This

Harry grabbed Ron off the sofa and struggled to lift him up. With Ron's body leaning against him, his head bobbing listlessly on his neck, he opened the door of the restaurant and joined his friends who were engrossed in conversation on the sidewalk.

"I don't understand why we have to walk there," complained Seamus. "Why can't we just apparate?"

"The Witches' Brew won't let people apparate there," replied Dean. "Not since Justin apparated himself on some guy's lap."

A look of amusement fell on Seamus' face, as his eyes darted at Justin. "Is that true?" Justin did not answer him, opting instead to look up at the sky. Seamus burst into laughter.

Justin faced Dean, glaring at him. "Why did you have to tell everyone?"

"Shut up," said Dean. He took a step back before Justin would hit him on the arm. "You should have seen that bloke's face when Justin was on top of him. I feel sorry for him though. One minute he's watching a beautiful woman shake her body around and the next minute he's looking at Justin's ugly mug."

"It's not funny. I wound up straddling the guy and I could feel his...you know what against my pelvis. It was so disgusting."

Seamus stopped laughing as a wave of shock came over him. "You could feel the guy's erection? What did you do?"

"What do you think I did?"

"You ground yourself into his lap?"

"No! I got off him as fast as I could." Justin scrunched his face in disgust. "You know what the worst part of it was? When I got home, there was a stain on the front of my pants, from the other guy."

Seamus' mouth flew wide open. "How could he get a stain on you unless his willy was...oh my God. People can expose themselves in the club?"

Justin furrowed his eyebrows. "Haven't you ever been to a strip club? People do a lot worse than expose themselves. Some guys pleasure themselves when the girl's dancing in front of them. That's why the club keeps a large stack of tissues by the side of the stage, so the girls can clean themselves off.

"

"You had some guy ejaculate on you?"

"I didn't say he ejaculated on me. I just said there was a stain on my pants. I don't know what that stuff was, it could have been anything." He grimaced when he snuck a glimpse of Seamus' amused face. "Harry, you were there. Tell him that the guy did not ejaculate on me."

Harry shook his head. "I don't know what went on. I wasn't watching you or that guy."

Dean's eyes ran up and down the green-eyed man's body. "Of course you weren't watching. You were too busy looking down at your watch because you had to run home to the little lady."

"Yeah, I remember," said Justin. "You didn't appear to be having a good time that night. You wouldn't even let any of the girls come near you."

"How would you know what I was doing?" snapped Harry. "You were too busy giving that man a lap dance."

The group erupted in laughter.

Justin crossed his arms against his chest. "I remember enough to know you kept talking about how Cho was going to kill you if you got back late." He put his finger to his temple. "And as I recall, that was the last time you ever went back there with us."

He poked Dean in the ribs with his elbow. "I bet you that's the reason he's not going with us tonight," he said loud enough for everyone to hear. "She probably forbade him."

Dean nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I think you're right."

They watched as Harry shifted on his feet. "Harry," chanted Justin. "We're waiting."

Dean moved towards Justin and whispered into his ear. When they pulled apart, both men gazed at Harry before looking at each other once more. Justin put his hand over his mouth and turned around so no one could see his face.

Harry observed the two men in silence. The expression on his face changed from slight annoyance to embarrassment as he began to stare at the ground. He looked up for a moment and glanced at Seamus, as if begging him to change the subject, which he obliged.

"I still say that Harry's the luckiest one here," Seamus began. "Even though we get to see naked girls, he'll be able to go all the way with one. I'll end up going home all frustrated, while he'll be able to get a release. Lucky bastard."

The color in Harry's cheeks began to darken as he glared at Seamus.

Seamus looked back at him. "Why are you so embarrassed? If I were you, I'd shout it from the rooftops."

Harry cleared his throat. "I won't be shouting anything tonight because I'm not going over there."

"Why not?"

"I have to take Ron home."

He looked at the redhead's appearance; he was in bad shape. With his free hand, he smacked his friend on the cheek, trying to awaken him. He watched as Ron's eyes fluttered halfway opened then closed. He abruptly lifted his head, mumbled a few incoherent words, and then fell back into his stupor.

"I'm gonna stay with him," continued Harry. "Just to make sure he doesn't hurt himself. He has a habit of doing some strange things while he's intoxicated."

"Just put a protection spell on him so he doesn't do any harm to himself," suggested Justin.

"No, I think it would be better for me to be there. Plus, I want to make sure he gets to the wedding on time."

"I can do it," interjected Neville. "I'll take him home. And I'll make sure he's dressed and ready for the wedding."

"You don't have to do that."

"It's no problem. I have nowhere else to go tonight. You should be able to see your future bride before tomorrow."

Harry considered the offer. "Yeah okay, thanks." He leaned Ron against Neville's body. "You got him Nev?"

"Yes."

"Thanks again. I owe you big."

"Don't worry about it."

Harry took a step back as Neville and Ron disappeared with a popping noise.

"This is so sad," said Seamus. "Our little party of sixteen is now reduced to four." He put his face in his hands and pretended to cry.

"Well, I'm kinda glad certain people left," Dean declared. "The night is a lot better without their presence."

Harry looked at him. "Who are you talking about?"

"Hermione."

Harry wrinkled his eyebrows and glared at him. "Why would you say something like that?"

"I felt uncomfortable having her around. I couldn't do anything; I couldn't act like myself. It was as though Professor McGonagall was with us." He looked around to the other guys. "Didn't you guys feel a bit constricted with Hermione around?"

Justin and Seamus looked at one another. "I felt all right," said Seamus. "I've known her for awhile, so it was no big deal."

Dean narrowed his eyes at him. "I know her too." He walked over to Harry and put his hand on his shoulder. "I know that you guys are close friends, but you shouldn't have invited her."

Harry moved away from him. "I don't hear anyone else complaining. Besides, no one else seemed to be having a hard time relaxing. The twins were goofing off and acting like their old selves."

"Then why did they leave early?"

"They had to go back to the shop. You know they're having some Midnight Madness Sale, or whatever."

Dean folded up his arms as if to declare defeat. But then he turned around again and gazed at Harry. "I know for a fact that you weren't having a good time with her around."

Harry raised his eyebrows. "I wasn't?"

"I noticed you weren't as relaxed as usual. You barely said anything all night."

"Who could get a word in edgewise with Ron yapping his flap?"

"No, that wasn't the problem. Before she got there, you were laughing and telling jokes, just being loud. But the moment she arrived, you tensed up, went all quiet."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"You did look a little tense," said Justin. "But I don't think having her around was so bad. She was able to put up with all of our sexual jokes without much complaint."

As Harry and Dean exchanged glares, Justin continued to talk. "I bet she's a real fox in the sack."

Seamus eyeballed him. "What?"

"Just think about it for a second. It's usually the conservative girls who are wildest in bed. They spend all their days following the rules, but once they get in bed, they just let loose. You know, once she lets her hair down and relaxes, I bet she's a real pistol."

Dean curled his lip. "She looks like a lousy lay to me."

"I have to agree," said Seamus. "I don't think that persona goes away once you take off her clothes. I think she's still the same way in bed." He began to laugh as a thought came to him. "She'll probably give you instructions on what you're doing right or wrong."

"I can imagine that," said Dean.

"Or else you'll be on top of her and she'll pull out a book and start reading it to you." He cleared his throat and adopted a shrill high-pitched voice that was cognizant of Hermione. "Now hold still while I read Hogwarts: A History to you."

Harry's face began to harden as he watched the other men, wincing as Justin began to thrust his hips into the night air, demonstrating how he would penetrate Hermione. "She's not like that. She's a very passionate person."

The three men all turned and looked at him. "Really?" asked Seamus. A gleeful look began to spread on his face. "And how would you know?"

Harry shifted uncomfortably on his feet. "Just by seeing how passionately she's reacted to such issues as the plight of the house-elves."

"Not those things again." Seamus sauntered over to Harry, resting his head on the other man's shoulder. "All this talk about sex has gotten me thinking. Do you think you'll get lucky tonight?"

Harry pushed him away. "Will you stop all that?"

"I think that's a yes. You shouldn't be so shy, share with us. What position will you guys use?"

Harry remained quiet, and avoided his eyes.

Seamus glanced at Dean. "What position do you reckon they'll use?"

"How the fuck am I supposed to know?" Dean shoved his hands in his pockets and took a few steps away from the group.

"What do you think Justin? Doggy?"

Justin began to rub his chin. "I don't think so. She seems a little too conservative for that. I say missionary position, lights out."

"Do you think she'll be giving him some oral?"

Justin coughed loudly. "Are you kidding me? She's not going near his icky penis. I don't think she's ever done that to him, nor will she ever. She's too much of a lady to indulge in that practice. Isn't that right Harry?"

Harry opened his mouth to say something, but then paused. "Shouldn't you guys get going?"

Justin looked down at this watch. "Shit! They close in three hours. We have to go."

Seamus glared at him. "Calm down. It's only a couple of blocks away. See you later Harry."

As the three men began to walk down the street, Harry called out, "Hey! Did any of you see if Hermione apparated home already? She left her purse behind."

Seamus turned around. "I don't think so because I saw her walking down that way."

"Thanks Seamus." Harry turned around and began to walk down the direction Seamus had pointed. The noise of the other three men echoed into the night air until they rounded a corner, then it was silent.

Soon the only sound surrounding him was that of his footsteps coming into contact with the pavement.

The street suddenly got dark, as the light of the restaurant was no longer able to guide him on his way.

His walk was stopped abruptly when he noticed that the street reached a dead end. "Now where do I go?" he muttered to himself. He looked to his right and left, before turning right.

As he walked down the street, his eyes scanned down the long rows of shops and eateries for any signs of the raven-haired woman.

His gaze came into contact with a moon faced man, who stood in his path.

As Harry passed by, the man said, "Sir, would you like to come in and look at my merchandise?"

Harry turned his head to look at the display in the store's window. He found himself gazing at an arrangement of multicolored dildos and whips. "No thanks."

"No sir, wait. Don't you think your girl would like this dildo?" The man began pointing at a big, black synthetic penis.

Harry's eyes widened as they moved up and down the length of the apparatus. "I don't think so."

"But sir, this is our biggest seller." The man put a fat wrinkled hand on Harry's arm. "All the women love it. There are ridges towards the end, so your lady is assured complete pleasure each time."

Harry shook his head and continued on his way. As he walked, he noticed other similar shops; each of their windows displaying objects of pleasure or torture, illuminated by the translucent glow of florescent lights. Seeing other men standing outside, he arranged his hair over his forehead.

Having walked around the block several times, he stopped by a small bench and leaned against it. "She probably went home already."

******************

As Hermione crossed the street, her trench coat billowing behind her, she looked both ways, making sure that she had lost the man. From the corner of her eye, she could see a stranger standing in the mists, not moving; he was staring at her.

She brushed her long wavy hair in front of her face and began to walk in the opposite direction. As she continued down the street, she heard the faint sound of his footsteps behind her. She quickened her pace. She snuck a nervous glimpse behind her to see if he was still following her, he was.

"Hey," the man shouted.

"Why don't you just leave me alone?" she replied to the darkened figure.

"I need to talk to you for a minute."

"I've already heard what you have to say. I already know that you're well endowed and that you want to give it to me hard. Now will you just let me be?"

She rounded the corner in an attempt to get away from him. She could hear him as he ran after her. She stopped walking and turned around, awaiting the man as he came around the corner.

"Listen asshole, if you don't leave me alone, I'm gonna turn you into a dung beetle!" She pulled out her wand and pointed it at him.

"Hermione, it's me Harry."

She pushed her hair out of her face and stared at him. "Harry?" She squinted into the darkness to make sure that it was truly he. "Hi," she said, her voice flat. She tried to force a smile onto her face, but it did not work.

"You don't seem too pleased to see me."

"I really wasn't expecting you to be here. How did you know where I was?"

"Seamus said you'd gone in this direction. Thank God Neville volunteered to take Ron home, or I wouldn't have gotten the chance to come down here." His gaze traveled from her eyes to her hand. "Can you put your wand down for a second?"

She looked down. Her wand was still tightly clutched in her right hand. "Sorry about that. You spooked me back there. You should have made your presence clear from the beginning. You don't know how close you came to being turned into an insect."

"Have people been bothering you?"

"Yeah. Some guy was following me around, harassing me." She put the wand back in the inside pocket of her coat. "What are you doing here?"

"I should be asking you the same thing."

"I'm going to a bookstore. There's book on famous witches who've battled dark magic. I was considering it for the class. I would like the students to get a female perspective on things."

"What on earth made you want to walk there? You should have just apparated."

"After a testosterone-filled night of belching and talks of the female anatomy, I really needed to get some fresh air."

"You're not afraid of being by yourself out here?"

"I'm not worried. I can handle a few catcalls and obscene gestures by drunken men. I can also deal with some freak following me around for half an hour, talking about how'd love to bend me over a chair."

She shook her head and looked at him again. "Why do you guys even bother with stuff like that? Do you actually expect a girl to stop and talk to you after saying something like that to her?"

Before Harry could answer, she continued. "Anyway, I can take care of myself. And as you could plainly see, I'm very quick with my wand. But, I'll feel better when I get to the bookstore; it's for witches only. I'll apparate home from there."

Her eyes gazed over him, watching as he tried to flick his hair out of his eyes. "Did the other guys already leave for their night of debauchery?"

"Yeah. I think they're already there by now. Justin is probably trying to jump on stage like he did last time."

She raised her eyebrows. "So you've been there?"

His eyes darted away from her stare and he lowered his head. "Only once."

An amused smile spread on her face. "It's okay, I'm not judging you. I can understand that you have needs only a stripper can fulfill." Her smile began to fade, her face tightened. "How come you're not over at Cho's?" She bit her lip at how venomous the tone of her voice sounded.

"I just wanted to--"

"Get her some flowers? The shop's over there." She pointed her finger to the left, not caring how her voice came out this time.

"That's not want I was going to say." He reached into his pocket and pulled out the letter she had written him.

Her heart began to beat rapidly as she saw her handwriting on the paper. She had forgotten about it till now, her mind was previously occupied with thoughts of trying to elude a certain deranged stalker.

"I wanted to ask you about this," he said. He furrowed his eyebrows and looked down at her. "What did you mean by it?"

She did not respond to his question, but stared blankly at him.

"Hermione."

She took a deep breath and stiffened her body. "What in that letter don't you understand?" she asked in a calm voice.

Harry opened his mouth, stammering for something to say. "I don't know where to start. First, why don't you want to come--"

"I think the letter is pretty self explanatory." Her hand rose and rested on his shoulder. "You're a smart boy, you can figure out what I was saying. It's not like I wrote it in a poem that you had to decipher."

"How can you be so matter of fact about this?"

She laughed nervously. "Because everything is pretty much laid out. Look, I've had a really long night and I'm not in a talkative mood at the moment."

"But I really want to discuss this with you," he said in a soft voice. He looked past her shoulder and down the street. "Why don't we go somewhere and have a cup of coffee? I think there might still be a few cafes open."

She opened her mouth to say no, but he took her hand in his. As that warm familiar skin touched hers, she no longer wanted to hurry off.

"There's a place over there," he went on. "And by the looks of it, there doesn't seem to be a lot of people inside. So, we'll have all the privacy we need."

She glanced up at him, observing the crooked smile he bestowed on her. "All right. But only for a short time." She allowed him to lead her across the street.

"I don't blame you for writing that letter. I can understand that you must have been feeling really low after our little conversation, feeling like I rejected you."

She stared up at him, a questioning look on her face.

Oblivious to her battled expression, Harry continued to talk. "But I just want you to know that..." He finally noticed her glaring eyes. "What?"

"You believe I feel as if you rejected me?"

"Not so much rejected, as turned down. But I can understand it." He began to tug at her hand in an attempt to get her across the street.

She pulled her hand out of his grasp. "How do you know what I was feeling when I wrote that note?"

"I don't know the exact things that were running through your head but I could only guess. I suppose you felt upset because I don't have those same feelings for you that you have for me. You were peeved that I was able to get over you and move on with my life."

She put her hands on her hips and glared at him.

"I thought we resolved everything back at the restaurant," he continued. "But I guess I was wrong."

"I was peeved you got over me?"

He held out his hand to her. "Let's wait until we're indoors. I think you'll feel a little calmer once you get a nice cup of coffee. Perhaps some herbal tea might do you some good cause you look a little on the edge."

"I don't need any tea to calm me down. And as for those feelings you say I had for you, well they just got resolved right now." She shook her head. "Your ego must have gone through the roof when you read that note. You were probably thinking to yourself, `Poor Hermione, she can't get over me, the great stud that I am.'"

"I didn't mean it---"

"Yes you did mean it like that. You know what? I have nothing else to say to you. And if you'll excuse me, I have to get going. And I suggest you do the same. I certainly wouldn't want you to look like a wreck for your big day tomorrow."

"But what about our discussion?"

"We've already had it." She turned on her heels and began to walk in the opposite direction. "Have a good night," she shouted over her shoulder.

Storming down the road, she ignored him as he called out, "Hermione, Hermione!"

She made her way down another street, thinking about what he had said to her. "Arrogant prick," she muttered under her breath.

She stopped walking when she realized she was heading down the wrong direction. She closed her eyes and threw back her head. "No! The bookstore is down the other way."

She took a deep breath as she considered heading back in Harry's direction.

Just as she was about to make up her mind, she heard footsteps coming after her. "Hermione, wait!" came the voice from the darkness.

She quickly turned around and began to walk down the road again. "Go home to you bride Harry. She's expecting you."

"Will you hold on for a moment?"

His voice was now a bit louder, she assumed he was directly behind her, but she did not want to turn around and look at his face. She was about to turn into another street, when he grabbed her arm.

"Why do you have to make everything so difficult?" he asked, a little out of breath.

"And why do you have a problem understanding that I have no desire to talk about this matter any longer?" She tried to pull her arm away from him, but his grip tightened. "Will you let got of me?"

"Is this young man bothering you, Miss?" came a deep male voice behind her. She turned around and looked into the eyes of an elderly man.

"Are you being accosted?" the man asked again. "Because I can take care of him if you want."

The man looked Harry up and down and shook his cane in the green-eyed man's face. "Don't give me that look. I know I'm old, but I still have some spark in me. I still know some spells." He reached into his robes and pulled out his wand. "Let me see. I can turn you into a--"

"There's no need," said Hermione. She placed a hand on the man's wand and redirected it away from Harry. "I'm fine."

"If you say so." The man kept his eyes on Harry as he made his way around a corner and out of sight.

When Harry released his grip on her arm, she moved away from him.

"I don't want you to go away mad," he stated. "I wasn't trying to upset you back there. I just want to clear up everything..." He began to look down the street. "Do you hear that noise?"

She turned around to see what he was talking about, when he grabbed her around the waist and pushed her against a wall. Just then, a stagecoach came speeding down the road, close to them.

Harry placed his body between her and the coach just as the wheel ran over a large puddle, splashing water all over the couple. Harry was able to shield her with his coat just as the water hit them.

"That bastard!" he shouted. "He did that on purpose. He didn't have to drive that close to the curb, he had plenty of room."

Hermione's face was pressed against his chest. She closed her eyes as the heat of his body began to swamp her. But that warmth vanished and the cool night air surrounded her once more when he moved away.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

She opened her eyes. "Aside from the fact that you slammed my shoulder against a brick wall, I'm perfectly fine."

"What? I was trying to help you out."

She moved her hair back behind her ear. "There was no immediate danger. The worst that could have happened was I'd get soaked."

She looked up at him. "My God, you've got water all over you."

She considered for a moment his act of heroism. "I guess it's a good think you pulled me away from the curb like that." She managed to smile at him. "Thanks."

"I can feel the water running down my back."

"Hold still. I'll use a drying spell on you." She pulled out her wand and pointed it at him. In a flash, his drooping wet hair and coat were dry. "Is that better?"

"Yes. Thanks." He ran his hands threw his hair, trying to fix it into some sort of style. "Do I look all right?"

She quickly glanced at him. "Yes you look fine. You always look good." She immediately looked down when she heard those words escape her mouth. She gazed at him to see if he had noticed; a faint smile was on his face.

She loudly cleared her throat. "I guess I'll be going now. I want to get the book before the store closes."

As she said those words, she found it very hard to move her legs; she remained in the same spot. Making a second attempt to leave, she saw his body coming closer to her. She moved back as his fingers touched her face.

"You've got some mud on you," he said. He cupped his hand under her chin as his thumb moved against her cheek. "There. It's gone now."

Although he had completed his task, his hand did not move away from her face; his fingers remained where they were, stroking her skin. She wanted to turn her head or move his hand away, anything to get him off of her, but she could do no more than stand there.

"Look at me," he whispered.

She did not dare move her head and look at his eyes; she was intent on staring at his chest.

She felt his hand push her chin up, forcing her to look at his face. She tried not to meet his gaze; her eyes fluttered everywhere on that face, but his eyes. But it soon became unbearable to resist that emerald stare, as it beckoned for her to move her gaze upwards.

Looking at his green eyes, she tried to conceal all the emotions running through her. Her eyes tried to remain placid, showing no signs of what she was feeling. But she soon began to melt into his stare.

His hand dropped from her chin and ran down her neck, settling on her collarbone. Her breath jetted out in a light pant as she felt his fingers caress her skin. The strong control she had over her body was now beginning to fail; her hands began to relax out of their tight fists. She closed her eyes and surrendered to his warm touch.

Feeling his hand lift off her body, her eyelids flew open as she stared up at him. The expression in his eyes had changed; the once calm look that had relaxed her a few minutes ago was gone. He took a step away from her.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

He stood back against the street lamp and continued to stare at her in silence. Without realizing it, she began to slowly close the gap between them. She reached out and took his hands in hers.

Standing on the tips of her toes, she lifted herself and rested her lips on the corner of his mouth.

Her eyes closed as she felt his lips against hers. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and increased the pressure of the kiss.

Her lips moved against his, as she attempted to arouse a response from him. Soon, his mouth was finally coaxed into participating in the embrace.

Taken aback by the response, she pulled away.

She looked up at him, watching as he stared back at her through half closed eyes.

She threw her head back and tilted her face towards him, her wet lips awaiting him. Through long lashes, she could see as he looked down at her; his facial expression indicating he was pondering something.

She soon saw him bend his head down, coming towards her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her into him.

His head was now hovering above hers, half his face shielded by his hair, which swept against her cheek. She could feel his breath as it came down in wheezing pants, the warm air brushing against her skin.

She let a low moan escape her lips as she thought of the pleasure that was to come. The dreams and fantasies of the past couple of years were finally becoming a reality. She tilted her head further back. Her lips puckered, she awaited the weight of his mouth on top of hers.

"Hey you two!" shouted a voice. "I will not have any of that in front of my establishment. If you want to mess about, go to a hotel."

The shouting startled them, as they both quickly pulled apart and began to stare with bright eyes at the berate man.

"You kids are all the same, snogging where ever you find fit," the man began. "Now get out of here before I cover you both with warts, then you won't want to snog each other anymore."

Harry took a few steps back and began to adjust his coat.

The man stared at him, inching closer. "Hey, might you be Harry Potter?" He tilted his head and squinted his eyes, staring at the young man's half obscured face.

Harry quickly turned the other way, brushing his hair over his face in the process.

"You look just like him. Do you mind turning around so I could get a better look at you?"

Hermione looked up to see Harry glance back at her. The look in his eyes was trying to tell her something, but before she could interpret its meaning he took off running down the street.

She stayed perched against the wall, her hand floating over her mouth as she watched him disappear into the darkness.