The One That Got Away

Chapter 10: Motives

Everyone had remained in the house long after Harry had departed; the abundant food and inviting atmosphere caused them all to make themselves at home. They sat at the large dining room table, filling themselves on the delicious meal Mrs. Weasley made and drank the champagne Harry had purchased for Bill and Charlie's extended visit. The two older Weasley siblings had taken off work to attend the wedding and were supposed to stay at Potter Manor while Harry was away on his honeymoon. But their mother, who thought it prudent that they leave the young man to himself, as he was still dealing with the trauma of the cancellation, quickly changed those plans.

After their meal, everyone clustered around Sirius, bombarding him with questions about his quick recovery. The twins, being the consummate businessmen and promoters that they were, shoved coupons for their store - despite the glares they received from their mother - into the hands of Dean, Seamus and Justin, and made the three young men promise to bring their family and friends to their establishment.

But now, only the Weasley family members remained in the house, as Dean and Justin had scurried off to enjoy the sinful delights the city could offer two young men with an endless supply of money. Seamus had other plans, as he was to venture to the Ministry on official business.

Molly was busy cleaning up the mess, saving Dobby - who had now made waiting on Sirius his sole responsibility - the trouble, when the doorbell rang. She opened the door and eyed the young woman, who was wearing a large black hat that obscured most of her face, standing before her. "Can I help you?"

"May I speak to Harry?" Cho asked. She had been standing in front of the door for what seemed like an eternity, debating whether to make her presence known. The sounds of laughter that drifted from inside the house had angered her somewhat, causing her to wonder if Harry was celebrating the cancellation of their marriage. But before Molly could answer her question, Cho's eyes suddenly darted to her right when she heard some noise coming from nearby bushes.

Mrs. Weasley glanced in the direction that the young woman's gaze was now fixed and eyed the small squirrel that scurried from underneath its hiding place. "Harry's not here dear. And I don't expect he'll be back anytime soon."

Cho looked down at her feet, mumbling to herself. She hadn't expected him to run to Hermione's house so quickly. In her heart, she had hoped he would pine over her for some time before showering his affections on another. She, of course, had not been able to deal with things as casually as she had hoped. The confidence she showed to Harry when he was at her house was a mere facade that hid her true emotions. Telling everyone the news and seeing the expressions on their faces - that of shock from her mother, disappointment from her father and joy from one of her bridesmaids - had been a lot harder than she led Harry and herself to believe.

"I was wondering," Cho said, "if I could leave this with you." She pulled out a small box from her pant pocket and handed it to Molly, before turning around and heading down the stairs.

"Ms. Chang," Molly called after her. "Why don't you come in for a while?"

Cho tilted her head to the side and stared at the other woman. Her initial reaction would have been to decline the invitation. She had often run into Molly and a number of her offspring in Diagon Alley, only to step into a shop to avoid talking to them. Thus, the notion of being alone with people she barely knew and ones she thought had a sour perspective of her - there was no doubt in her mind that Ron had told them horrific stories about her - made her feel uncomfortable. But she had no time to turn down the offer, as Molly had grabbed her by the arm and pulled her inside.

Cho reluctantly took off her hat, which she wore because it hid her appearance from certain news reporters who might be lurking in the bushes, ready to capture a snapshot or two of her for their article. Avoiding eye contact, she glanced at Molly and said, "I just stopped by to make arrangements to get my things and to drop off the engagement rin--"

She stopped talking when the chatter in the living room died down; the other guests were now aware of her presence. She met each gaze with her own, her eyes traveling from freckled face to freckled face until they landed on Ginny. The youngest Weasley was reclining in an armchair, a smug expression curled in the corner of her lips. Cho could have met that look of contempt with her own intense glare that would have put Ginny in her place. But she glanced away, as she was preoccupied with more important things.

"I have to get going," Cho mumbled. "Just tell Harry I'll call on him again some other time."

Molly placed her hand on Cho's shoulder, and prevented her from escaping. "You must be hungry. We have lots of food if you want anything."

Cho's eyes met Mrs. Weasley's for the first time. It was true she was famished. Although there had been plenty of food at her own house, she had doggedly refused to budge from her room and join her family and bridesmaids, who were in the ballroom enjoying the meal and festivities that her and Harry's reception offered. She closed her eyes, letting the aroma that wafted from the kitchen seduce her.

"I'll fix you up a large plate," said Molly.

"You don't have to bother. Harry and I aren't getting married, so you don't have to be nice to me. Plus, I'll just be in the way."

"Oh nonsense. I've always wanted to get to know you for a long time now. And just because you and Harry are no longer a couple doesn't mean I'm still not interested in you. And you won't be in the way."

Cho glanced in the living room once more, eyeing the way the twins alternated from whispering to one another and then looking at her. Ginny was still bestowing her with an unblinking stare. Cho grabbed her hat and placed it firmly on her head. "Thanks, but no thanks," she said to Molly, before walking out of the door.

~*~*~

Hermione had been at that kitchen table for nearly twenty minutes, her head lowered as she stared at the magazine article. She had read it several times already, her alert eyes scanning every word as her mind buzzed with doubts of the article's authenticity. She felt as though someone had read her innermost desires and printed out what she wanted more than anything in the world.

"Potter wedding called off," she read out loud, as if hearing herself saying those words made them appear more real.

"Transfiguration Today" normally would not have indulged on such a subject, as they depicted themselves as being a 'serious magazine' that did not deal with gossip and show business news; but Harry's celebrity was too great for even them to ignore. It had been surprising, to say the least, when her regular owl delivered the new issue to her house three days ahead of schedule. But she was more shocked when she glanced at the cover and saw a picture of Harry staring back at her. The magazine had used an old picture of him and Cho on the day they held the press conference to announce their engagement.

Since then, she remained in that kitchen, unable to draw her eyes away from the picture. Without knowing what propelled her to do so, she lifted her hand and brought it to Harry's image. Harry smiled sheepishly back at her. But the crinkle in the corner of his lips disappeared when Cho glanced his way. Cho then greeted Hermione with a cold stare.

Her eyes scanned the article for some explanation as to why they called off the wedding. But she saw nothing other than speculation from an 'unnamed source' who had been present when the former bride-to-be made the announcement. Hermione glanced at the picture of the woman with the blue circle blocking her face. Although the woman's curly blonde hair looked oddly familiar, she still couldn't come to a definite conclusion as to whether she was one of Cho's bridesmaids.

"All the guests," she read, "were shocked when they received news of the cancellation through owl post." Hermione sat back in her chair, and wondered why she didn't get word of the cancellation until now. But she knew Cho must have crossed out her name from the list of invitees the moment she got home from the restaurant.

She rolled up the publication and left it on her table, before walking into the living room. Sitting on the couch, her mind flooded with regret for refusing Harry's pleas to attend the wedding. The desire to be present at the gala had been very strong, although she tried to deny it. Even as Harry sat in her living room - she had sneaked her head out of her bedroom door several times to get a look at him - she wanted to wrap her arms around his body and tell him all was forgiven. But she had stopped herself from doing so; the anger and humiliation over that morning's conversation with Cho was still too fresh in her mind for her to forgive him so quickly.

But the task of hiding her excitement over the nuptials became more difficult when she heard her two roommates getting ready. Hearing their laughter through the thin walls almost caused her to venture to the closet to take out her own dress. The most difficult part came when Penelope and Hannah questioned her as to why she was not going to attend. Crawling into her bed and talking in a scratchy voice, Hermione pretended to be ill. But deep down, she knew they didn't believe her.

Left alone in the flat with only the sleepy cat to keep her company, Hermione engaged in activities she hoped would take her mind off the festivities that were occurring at Chang Manor. She guessed it would be an extraordinary event, as she had already heard stories of the twenty-four-piece orchestra that would be playing there from the numerous tabloid magazines she sometimes bought and read alone in her bedroom. She had to admit, it would have been exciting to be at Chang Manor during the celebration. Although she had been to Harry's home on several occasions and was taken aback by the estate's beauty, the Chang family's home possessed an Old World and gilded elegance she would like to have seen. She had often seen photographs in the Daily Prophet of balls the family held during the summer. She could never draw her eyes away from the images of people waltzing in the ballroom in their finest gowns.

Many emotions were running through her at that moment. She felt sad for Harry, whom she assumed was genuinely in love with Cho. And the thought of not being able to meet with former classmates one last time before they all scattered the globe in pursuit of their careers saddened her, as the reception would have been a Gryffindor reunion. And deep down - although she didn't want to admit it - she felt sorry for Cho.

Hermione could have done more at that time to keep from thinking about Harry - like prepare handouts for her students - but she stayed on the sofa. Her eyes were fixed on the door, as she had a strong inkling that he would visit her that night. But after thirty minutes, she grew weary and tired. As she drifted into a blissful five-minute nap, a sudden panic in her chest caused her eyes to snap open. She then watched as her cat scratched at the door.

~*~*~

Harry sat in the hall, feeling the awful repercussions of his celebrity. His attempt to walk around the city and enjoy the breeze of the cool evening air had gone awry when he passed a newsstand selling magazines and newspapers with his face on every cover. He was then accosted by a reporter, who chased him down several blocks.

He had left Ron at his flat, laying on the sofa in a half stupor. He rehearsed what he would say to Hermione, while his friend fell asleep. But after several minutes of sitting outside her flat with his head lowered, he began to lose his nerve.

He stood up and leaned against her door, and wondered what she could be doing inside. He then imagined her laboring over the course material, in an attempt to design a fun icebreaker for the students on the first day of school in two days. He brought his hand to his head, wondering if she would welcome his presence; he surely didn't want to upset her before she was to head off to school. But before he had time to consider leaving, the door swung open and he found himself staring into her eyes.

Harry watched her for several minutes. It seemed unclear whether she would welcome him inside. But her eyes were not filled with anger that would indicate she was still fuming over their previous discussion. There seemed to be sadness lingering in her gaze; but she looked away before he could detect even more of what she was feeling. Leaving the door open, she walked to the kitchen. Harry tentatively walked in, and closed the door behind him.

"I'll just put the kettle on for some tea," she said as she fumbled around the cabinets in search of a teapot. The fire blazing and the kettle put on the stove, she headed back to the living room and sat down on the sofa.

Harry remained by the door, watching her every move. "I see you're ready to go," he finally said.

"Yes, the day has finally come for me to head back to school. You'd think I wouldn't be in a hurry to go back there after just graduating." Her face lit up as she got up from the couch, and headed to where her trunk lay near the dining room table. "I just found where my bedroom will be. I'm in the Gryffindor Tower, near McGonagall." Her eyes gazed over the parchment she had received several weeks before that explained to her the sleeping arrangements and other details pertaining to being a professor. "And on the weekends, I get to go to Hogsmeade." The bright smile on her face was reminiscent of the one during their third year of school, when she prepared to leave for her first trip to the town.

"I have some fun things planned for the first day," she went on. "I really want to make it interesting for the students. I know it's not the same as when Lupin had us do battle with those Boggarts, but...oh well." She placed the parchment back in her bag. "Just two more hours and I'll be walking around those musty halls again."

Harry scrunched his face in confusion, as he looked down at his watch. It was seven at night. "If you're leaving tonight, won't you arrive at school in the early morning?"

"Well, there's a different train for teachers that only takes about an hour to get to school. The students take a longer voyage, so the house-elves and teaching staff have a chance to prepare for the banquet and sorting ceremony." She glanced over her shoulder, shooting him a delighted smile. "Isn't it great to be hearing all this inside information?"

Harry managed to smile. But that happiness was short-lived, as his eyes drifted to the kitchen table and landed on the magazine that had become unrolled.

Hermione's gaze also traveled to the publication, which she regretted not throwing away when she had the chance. Then, their gazes became locked on one another, as they grew quiet once more. From the way Hermione kept staring at him, he assumed she expected him to break down and start crying at any moment. But he was well past the point of having a mental breakdown and simply fell back into a chair.

He took a deep breath and sank into the cushy fabric, when he felt the warm touch of her fingers on the back of his neck. Although her fingers barely grazed his skin, Harry jumped none the less; he feared any fondling from her - whether little or great - would arouse him. But once he got used to the touch, he eased back into the seat, and allowed her hands complete reign over him.

Her expert hands moved from his neck to his shoulders, easing the tension that had developed in his body while he paced up and down the hall, his heart feeling as though it would jump from his chest.

The room was quiet for some time, only broken by the occasional meowing of Crookshanks, as he rubbed up against Hermione's legs, trying to steal some of the attention she was lavishing on Harry. But even he could not draw his master away from the task before her, as she stared down at Harry, her mind focused on relieving whatever stress he had.

Harry lowered his head, allowing her greater access to the nape of his neck. The tension that had filled his body was long gone, but he kept quiet, as he bask in her touch.

"I'm really sorry about everything," Hermione said, resting her hands placidly on his shoulders. "I didn't mean everything I said earlier to you. I was just..." She took a deep breath then and considered her words. 'Jealous' was on the tip of her tongue, but that would have been too much for her to utter. "I was just upset with you. I didn't care for the underhanded way the news was broken to me. I would have liked to hear it from you."

Harry's hand drifted to his shoulder, his fingers landing on hers. "I didn't kn--"

"You don't have to say anything," she interrupted. "I had a lot of time to think about it after Penny and Hannah left. And I realized I was just being selfish. This was your big day, and you didn't have to cater to anyone else's needs other than your own and Cho's. I shouldn't have given you all that attitude. I should have just accepted it."

Harry's fingers wrapped around her wrist, giving her it a light squeeze and signaling he was ready to speak. "I didn't know about your conversation with Cho. I didn't know she asked you not to stand next to me." He could hear Hermione let out a gasp, as she pulled her hands away from his shoulders - probably to place them over her mouth, he guessed.

She soon sat on the sofa and leaned forward in her seat, as not to miss a word he would say.

"When I came over here," Harry went on, "I didn't know what you were talking about. I only found out about it when I went to her house and we had an argument."

Hermione stayed quiet. Although she never wanted to believe Harry could do anything so cruel to her, she was extremely angered by what she thought was his lack of consideration. After she had banished him from her bedroom that afternoon, she fell back on her bed, swearing she would not communicate with him while at Hogwarts and would avoid him during her summer holidays. But now that she knew the truth, she felt a bit foolish.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I don't know why I'd think you would to that to me." Actually in the back of her mind, she knew what - or more accurately, who - would force Harry to exclude her from his wedding. They both knew. She tried to keep those thoughts to herself, but soon opened her mouth and blurted them out. "I believed you didn't want me at the wedding because I knew Cho wasn't too keen about me attending. I assumed you just went along it, because over the past couple of years the two of you had melded into one person: her."

She lowered her head the moment those words came out of her mouth. She didn't mean to sound vindictive or even escalate the hurt he must have been feeling, but she needed to say those things; they had been swimming in her head for some time, almost causing her to grab him on numerous occasions when she thought he was being too overly obedient to Cho's commands, and shake him until his dogged stubbornness re-appeared.

But the joy she imagined feeling when she finally gave him a piece of her mind was not there. She caught his gaze for a moment, before looking away and glancing at Crookshanks, who was now ignoring her due to the lack of attention he had gotten from her earlier. "But I would be the same way too," she uttered, "if I was in love with someone."

Harry leaned back into his chair. "No, you wouldn't. You had your own opinions even when you were with Krum." He then allowed his eyes to wash over her face, detecting every expression that flickered in her eyes. "You don't have to feel bad about what you said. Ron pretty much told me the same thing when I went over to his place. I know that it seems as though I allowed her to lead me around, but I haven't completely lost my identity. I would never want to humiliate you. You should know how much you mean to me and how I wanted you there by my side."

He reached out his hand to her and stroked her knee. "I was really mad when I found out what she had done. I couldn't believe it when she told me. But in the end, I guess she felt threatened by you."

Hermione lifted her head and raised her brows, as she was curious to hear how it was possible that she could threaten a seemingly self-assured woman like Cho. She always remembered seeing the other woman walking in the Hogwarts halls, exuding a glow of confidence while surrounded by her throng of friends.

"She knew something had happened between us," said Harry.

Hermione pushed his hand away from her knee. "I swear to God, I never said a word to her." She had indeed kept the truth about what happened between them to herself for all those years. There had been times when she had wanted to tell Cho - especially when the other woman was being particularly smug and needed to be brought down to earth - but she always kept her mouth shut. The only people who were even aware of her feelings for Harry were Penelope and Ron.

"She guessed it," Harry finally said. "And then today I revealed to her that we slept together once. I just couldn't keep it from her any longer. And that's when we started fighting. She started throwing stuff. She even hit me." His hand flittered to his cheek, as he recalled the unexpected blow.

"So, you guys broke it off just because you told her we once had a fling?"

Harry gave her a hard look when he heard the casual way she described their one night together. He kept a steady gaze on her while he tried to determine if she purposely tried to sound dispassionate.

"No," he replied, "it wasn't all because of our..." He hesitated, as he wanted to find a better word to describe their encounter. But he finally gave up and said, "Fling. There was much more to it than that. It was an accumulation of things she had seen over the years. The way we always acted around each other."

"The way we acted? But we never did anything wrong during all these years." Hermione then thought back to what she could have done to raise Cho's suspicions about her true feelings for Harry. She had tried to project an air of coolness whenever she was around him, but she guessed her attraction to him was clearly visible. "I didn't mean to do anything to jeopardize your relationship with her." She glanced down at her hands and lowered her voice. "I know that I never could keep my interest in you from showing. But whatever I did to anger her, it wasn't intentional."

Harry's hand found its way to her face. He touched her chin, gently trying to encourage her to lift her head and make eye contact with him. "You don't have to apologize for anything. I guess it was for the best that she and I broke it off. Things would have been disastrous in the long run anyways."

He got up from his seat and sat next to her, all the while never losing contact with her face. After a while, with the help of the gentle prodding of his fingers, Hermione eventually glanced up at him. He then began to talk once more. "I'm the one who should be apologizing to you," he said. "I'm sorry for all the things I've done to you all these years. I guess I never realized the kind of heartache you must have been feeling."

"Harry, you didn't do anything--"

"Yes I did. I was a coward for all these years. You were right about me when you said I was living a lie, because I was."

Hermione shook her head. "I was just mad at you, that's all. I was the one who was living in the past. It's just that everything hit me last night, and I finally realized you were really getting married. I just didn't want to give you up. But that was my problem, not yours. I'm the one with all the excess--"

Harry placed his hand on her cheek, his fingers slowly running down to her collarbone. "Cho and I didn't break up because of anything you did. It was all me. We broke up because of me." He grasped her shoulder when he saw that she was about to say something. "All of this mess was my doing. Two great women are unhappy right now because of my own fears. I've created everything." He released her shoulder and let his hand fall down to her lap, where his fingers curled around hers. "For the past two years, I have been lying to myself about how I feel about you."

Hermione's eyes swiftly flittered to his face, her gaze meeting his.

"I know what I said to you last night," he continued. "I tried to pretend things between you and I were casual."

"You don't have to say anything to try to make me feel better." However, the expression in her eyes betrayed her words, as they appeared to beg and yearn for him to continue.

"I'm saying these things because they are the truth." His head lowered as he tried to find some courage to continue. After focusing on the pattern in her throw rug for some time, he made eye contact with her once more. "I still have feelings for you. I never lost them one bit, even when I was with Cho. I loved Cho, I really did. But my strongest feelings were always reserved for you. Cho knew this as well. That's why she wanted to keep you from the ceremony and was a bit distant with you over the years. That's the reason we called off the wedding."

He felt Hermione's fingers squeeze around his own; she must have appreciated what he was saying, he thought. "I've wanted to tell you all of this before," he continued, "but I just couldn't. I tried to pretend you didn't affect me, but I was wrong. I couldn't think of anything else but you. That's why it became so hard for me to be around you at school."

He then recalled those moments of uneasiness when he sat next to her in class, and would suddenly be overcome with the desire to bring his hand to her face and gently brush back the hair from her eyes.

"You don't know," he went on, "the kind of hell I was in when I saw you and Ron walking around school holding hands. I had to force myself to be happy for you and him, but I hated every minute of it. And when you started dating Krum, that was...unbearable." Although Harry liked the Bulgarian man and would often seek out his advice on Quidditch, he still couldn't keep from looking away in disgust whenever Krum would place a large hand on Hermione's knee.

"But I thought," she interjected, "you were so in love with Cho. Isn't that what you kept telling me last night?"

The tone in her voice sounded bitter. But he deserved it, he thought. "I was lying to you and myself." Seeing that she still wasn't entirely convinced, he knew he finally had to utter those three words she had been longing to hear him say for all those years. "I love you. I always have."

Hermione's eyes grew wide with intensity.

Harry held his breath as he awaited her reply. But she continued to stare at him in silence. After several minutes, he was unable to keep his expressions neutral, and soon his annoyance over her lack of response was clearly evident on his face. In his dreams, he always imagined her running into his arms and embracing him. But he knew that scene would never happen, as there had been too many complications and bad feelings between them over the years. However, he never expected her to greet his declaration of love in such a detached manner.

But before he could utter another word, she placed her hands over her face and lowered her head. She then began to cry. Harry sat stunned and motionless as he watched her body shake. He eventually brought his hand to her back, in an attempt to console her. "Herm," he said, "why are you so upset?"

She didn't answer him immediately, but in due time lifted her head and glanced at him. "Do you know what you're doing to me right now? I don't think I can take anymore of this."

"What am I doing to you?"

"You're always playing these games with me. For two years you've kept me in limbo about how you feel about me. And now you finally decide to reveal your feelings?" She kept her reddening eyes on him. Harry could do no more than lower his head. But she prevented him from fleeing the intense glare of her eyes by placing her hand on his chin, and forcing him to look at her. "Do you know how long I've waited for you to say those words to me? I used to sit up late at night in my bed, hoping that one day you'd realize the obvious and say you loved me."

Harry's eyes stayed steady on the tear that trickled down her face, leaving a wet streak on that smooth skin and landing in her lap. But before he could wipe away the wetness on her face, she bolted from her seat. She headed to the dining room, and placed her hands on the large table, which she and her roommates never ate off of. She then allowed the tears to fall on the tabletop, watching as they formed a myriad of small puddles on the surface.

"Do you see what you've reduced me to?" she asked. She brought her hand to her face and wiped her cheeks. "I used to watch girls at school cry and become hysterical about some boy, and I swore to myself I would never act that way. But look at me now."

Harry crept behind her, debating whether to touch her or keep his distance. But he let his instincts get the better of him and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. However, Hermione did not meet his embrace with happiness, and swiftly moved away.

She then folded her arms across her chest and stared at him. "Is this for real or are you just messing me about? Because if you are, I'll--"

"I'm not messing with you. I really love you."

She dropped her head once more, but did not proceed to cry like last time. After a few minutes of staring at her feet, she sat down on one of the chairs and glanced up at him.

His eyes wandered from the hard expression on her face, to the furniture in the flat, as he waited for her to say something. But she would not utter a word. "Are you upset with me for saying those things?" he finally asked, as he was unable to decipher the look that was now evident in her eyes.

"I'm not upset. I'm just wondering what your motives are?"

Harry also took a seat at the table. "I don't have any motives. I just wanted to let you know how I feel."

"Harry you had to have a reason for revealing all of this to me. And I'm starting to think I know what it is. You've lost Cho and now you think you can find your way into my bed by telling me you love me. If you think I'm going to jump into your arms, you've got another thing coming."

"What?" He leaned forward in his chair, greeting her eyes with a bewildered expression. "That was not my intention at all. I don't have some contrived reason for saying this stuff to you. I just wanted to tell you how I feel." His hand traveled along the surface of the table in pursuit of hers. But before he could come into contact with her skin, her fingers recoiled and she pulled her hand away.

Over the next several minutes, he tried to maintain eye contact with her, but she glanced away. When he finally did catch her gaze, which caused his heart to flutter momentarily with excitement, he was met by the cold expression in her eyes.

"Hermione," he finally said, "I just wanted you to go off to school with the knowledge that you were and are loved. I'm not seeking anything else from you." He got up from his seat and took the chair next to her. After making sure that her wand was nowhere in sight, his hand tentatively made its way to her thigh. As his fingers landed on her leg, he prayed that she would not push him away, or do anything else to physically harm him. "I never meant to play with your emotions. I should have said all of this to you years ago, but I was..." He lowered his head and dropped his gaze to the floor. "I was scared. But what I feel for you is genuine."

He gathered enough courage in his body to grab her hand. "I'm not saying all of this to you because I feel lonely, or want a companion. I just thought it was about time I acted like a man and told you the truth. And I don't expect you to return my affections." His eyes flickered to the living room, as a sudden rush of emotion now overtook him. "I can't believe how badly I messed things up between us. We could have been happy together. Today could have been our wedding day." He let go of her hand and brought his fingers to his face. He then squeezed his eyes shut.

It took him a few minutes before he was able to regain control of his emotions. He glanced at her face. The expression in her eyes still remained distant; his words had obviously done nothing to assuage her suspicions.

Harry remained in his seat for a while longer, hoping she would eventually say something to him. But after enduring the eerie silence for longer than he had hoped, he accepted defeat and got to his feet. "I'll leave you now," he said in a low voice. "And I hope you keep in touch with me while you're away at school." His hand landed on her shoulder, as he gave it a gentle squeeze.

As he walked to the door, with his shoulders hunched over and head lowered, he was saddened that he was unable to make things right with her after all those years. But he couldn't blame her for being stubborn and not allowing him to win her over so easily. He knew those years of having to watch him with Cho and listen to him deny his feelings for her had taken its toll. "Maybe with time," he thought to himself, "she will eventually learn to trust me again." But hearing those words echo in his head only saddened his spirits even more.

He prepared to apparate home - where he would storm into his bedroom and sleep away that nightmarish day - when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"I don't want you to leave like this," she said.

Harry closed his eyes; he had been hoping she would say something of that sort to him. He turned around and met her gaze.

"I'm not angry with you," she whispered. "It's just that...I'm frightened." She closed her eyes and breathed heavily. "I don't want to get hurt anymore. I don't want you to say you love and care about me and then later on change your mind. These last couple of years have been a night--" She dropped her head and brought her hands over her face.

As her sobs reached his ears, Harry wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into his body.

"You have no idea," she said as she buried her face into his chest, "what I've been through. It killed me when you didn't answer me when I asked if you loved me." She stopped talking, as her sobbing grew more intense, causing Harry to wrap his arms tighter around her quivering body. "And seeing you with Cho made me insane. I not only had to see you guys around town together, but read about you two in the papers."

"I'm sorry," Harry was able to say, as he brought his hand to her head, his fingers making their way through her thick locks. He held her for several more minutes until her sadness subsided, and her body stopped heaving.

When she was finally calm, she glanced up at him. "I don't want you to hurt me anymore, please."

"I won't. I promise." He lowered his head then and placed his lips on hers. But this was not an urgent or deep kiss, but a reassuring and delicate embrace. He let a moan waft from his lips as he felt her mouth against his. He then hugged her tightly, almost lifting her up from the floor. "I'm so sorry for everything I've done to you," he whispered into her ear, his lips moving against her earlobe. "I never wanted to cause you any pain. I swear I'll make it up to you, if you let me."

"But how are we going to go about this? We can't just suddenly go back to the intensity we had on that night. Too much has happened between us."

His hand ran down from her hair to her face, fingering the rouged skin of her cheek. "I'm not asking much from you. I really didn't intend on us getting back into a full-fledged relationship. I just thought we could start slow, take it from the beginning, and get to know one another again. Maybe we can start off by going to dinner in Hogsmeade sometime. Or you could come over to my house and I'll cook for you. Would that be all right?"

Hermione didn't make a reply. But she didn't need to nod or utter a word as the expression in the depths of her eyes said it all: she was in absolute agreement with him. "Why did you wait so long to say all of this to me?" she finally asked. Her hand drifted to his waist, her fingers traveling underneath his shirt and pinching his skin. "I would have liked to hear this a couple of years ago."

"I'm sorry. But I promise to say it more to you, if you give me another chance."

Her arms tightened around his body, giving him the answer he needed. Harry lowered his head, taking deep breaths of the perfume that had brought about the feverish desire within him the night before. His mouth hovered just above hers, as he stared into her eyes, determining whether she wanted the kiss. Her darken pupils told him she wanted and needed it, and he proceeded to meet her lips. The embrace started slowly like the previous one, but became more intense with time. They stayed in that position for longer than any of them could even calculate, as their mouths became well acquainted with one another again.

Hermione never did make the eight o'clock train. Lying on her bed with him, she found herself unable to move from her comfortable position. They took that opportunity to drink in the delight of being with one another again. Their eyes locked on the other's face, as they savored the feel of each other's skin underneath their fingertips, and whispered endearments into each other's ear that they had wanted to say for the past couple of years. As the moon illuminated their bodies with a silvery glow, Harry breathed in the scent of her hair, inhaling enough as to lull him over during her absence.

~*~*~

Harry got home late that night. He had helped Hermione get to the train station at midnight and had stayed at that platform, waving to her until the train was out of sight. His journey home had been slow, as he walked around London, savoring the intoxicating taste of her mouth that still lingered on his lips. He eventually apparated in the hall of his home, humming to himself as his body still tingled from his earlier embraces with her. On the way to his bedroom, he saw a figure sitting on the couch, staring out the large windows.

He walked to where the other man was sitting and sat beside him. "You didn't have to wait up for me," he said. "I know you must be exhausted." Harry placed his hand on his godfather's arm, prepared to help him into one of the spare bedrooms.

"I feel fine," said Sirius. "I just want to sit here with you for a while. I have a lot of things I wanted to talk to you about, most importantly the cancellation. I was really disturbed when I got the let--" Sirius glanced at him, eyeing the crooked grin that was permanently fixed on the corner of his lips. "You seem to be in good spirits. Did you and Cho make up?"

Harry lowered his head, as he was almost ashamed of the delight he was feeling just then. "We didn't make up," he mumbled. He then glanced at the other man, wondering if he should reveal all to him. "I was in love with Hermione," he finally said after a long pause. "That's why Cho and I broke up." His eyes then flittered to Sirius' face, watching for any sign of a reaction.

Sirius' expression remained calm, as he stared towards the garden. But then something twinkled in those dark eyes, which caused his lips to curl upwards. "I guess you went over to Hermione's and had a successful 'conversation' with her."

Harry brought his hand to his face, trying to hide his reddening cheeks.

"I'm glad you followed your heart," said Sirius as he placed his hand on Harry's shoulder, and pulled him close. "Plus, I always liked Hermione. Very nice young lady. Cho was nice too, but..." He glanced down at Harry. "Anyway, I think you'll be happy with Hermione." They sat in silence, enjoying the glorious view of the lake, when Sirius added, "That reminds me, Cho brought back the engagement ring. It's on your dresser."

Harry sighed deeply. He knew the ring was something she treasured. He would surely send it back to her, for he had no use for it anymore. His hand glided down to his trouser pocket as he fingered the two wedding rings that lay inside; he would not have need for such rings for another couple of years. And when he did think of getting marriage again, he thought, it would be to the right girl.

~*~*~

The rain pelted down on Harry, causing his hair to plaster against his face and making visibility almost impossible. But he never let the thundering shower force him to forget his objective: getting the snitch. The game was a difficult one, as the Bats had proved to be a far more formidable team than anyone on the Cannons had expected. But the intense pace of the game and close score had brought the crowd into a frenzy; they were surely enjoying the hard fought match, which differed so much from the one-sided and quick ones that the first place Cannons always played - thanks to Harry's efforts in always getting the golden snitch so early in the game. But that golden prize was not so easy to catch on that night.

Harry leaned forward on his broom, his eyes darting left to right. Glancing over his shoulder, he could see Cho doing the same thing. But she stopped looking for the snitch just then and met his gaze, giving him a hard stare. She had done that a lot during the match, sometimes following the glares with a forceful bump of her broom against his. But he expected just as much.

She had been able to force Malfoy off the team and had now established herself as a top seeker. Draco had, of course, been picked up by another organization, which the Cannons faced the week before. The game, as usual, did not last long, as the struggling Arrows and their less than talented seeker did not put up much of a fight.

Just before him, past Ron, Harry saw a glint of gold. In that instant, he lunged forward, causing his broom to go whizzing through the air. Ron ducked, as his friend flew surprisingly close to his head. Despite the bombardment of the rain, Harry cut through the night sky with little effort, followed closely by a certain young lady. They were soon flying side by side with one another, both their determined eyes set on the snitch. The noise from the crowd had now reached a crescendo, as everyone wondered if their invincible Harry Potter would finally be beaten to the snitch for the first time in his career. Harry glanced at Cho for a moment, as he was surprised she was even daring to keep up with him. She met his glance with her own glare, as if saying, "I'm just as good as you."

He had to admit, she had an easy and relaxed way of flying - unlike Malfoy, who looked as though he was in pain as he whizzed through the air. But she was still not on his level, no matter how much she tried; Harry still possessed that extra oomph that surpassed all others. And he showed this by speeding ahead of her. Reaching out his hand, he finally clasped his fingers around that golden snitch.

The crowd erupted even more so than before when Harry lifted his hand in the air, displaying the snitch for all to see. To his left, he saw the disgusted look that was now on Cho's face. The grimace would have alarmed him before, but now he paid little attention to it. His life was going according to plan; his team was unbeatable and his budding relationship with Hermione was escalating into much more. He was scheduled to see her that following weekend, for their weekly excursion to Hogsmeade. Soon, he could no longer see Cho, as he was suddenly enveloped by his teammates who rushed him from all directions, their hands on his back or head as they congratulated him.

The End.