A/n- For Gandalf's Beard (Btw- I love you, dude, you are awesome!), Vegasman59, and lucada.
Happy Valentine's Day Guys, I love you!
Disclaimer- I don't own Harry Potter, Rocky Road, the Notebook or Ryan Gosling (But man I wish I did).
Take A Chance
Who needs a boyfriend when you have Ryan Gosling and rocky road?
Hermione Granger snuggled in her blanket and waited for her favourite movie to begin. She knew it was a little sad to spend valentine's eve sitting at home watching 'The Notebook', and eating ice-cream, but she just couldn't bring herself out to care. She hadn't planned on spending tonight like this; she'd planned to go to Ginny's before-valentine's-party, but had begged off after a particularly long day of work.
But honestly, the thought of having to watch Ron and Harry flirt with girls all night made her gag.
Well, not Ron, per say. When her thoughts turned to the boy she'd spent her last three valentines' with made her thankful for their break-up. Though it'd taken three years for them to realize that they weren't meant to be or even a slightest bit compatible, they'd realized it. But all-in-all, everything was good.
Well, everything was good with Ron, who was really enjoying the single life. They'd laughed together more in the last six weeks than they had in the last six months of their relationship.
But the reason for the sudden break up wasn't only the lack of spark between them, and they both knew it. They both knew that it was because Hermione had realized that what she was looking for wasn't Ron. And all of Ron's doubts were true.
She was in love with Harry Potter and it wasn't the kind that would easily go away.
She sighed, and willed herself to stop thinking about Harry's green eyes, and get lost in Ryan's piercing blues. She tried to get lost in the love story of Noah and Allie and forget about the love story, she wished would exist, of Harry and Hermione.
She'd just gotten comfortable and had taken the first bite of her ice cream when she heard a knock on her door. She inwardly groaned at having to get up, and screamed out "Nobody's home."
"Open the door and I'll say hello to nobody then." Was the reply, and hearing the all-too-familiar voice, Hermione frowned.
She stood up and shivered as the cold hit her bare legs and wondered if going out to open the door in just a sweatshirt was socially acceptable, and maybe she should put on some pants, but then decided against it.
She walked to the door and opened it to find him leaning against the hallway wall and wearing a hoodie and jeans and grinning, a grin which soon turned to a fierce look when he noticed her clothes, or lack thereof.
"Hey, nobody." He said, reinstating his grin, and walked in.
"Come on in." She muttered as she closed the door. She tried really hard to be angry at him for intruding in her Ryan-Rocky night, but couldn't.
When had she been able to stay mad at Harry Potter, anyway?
He took one look at the T.V., another at the opened carton on rocky road on the table and the throw blanket on the couch and flopped down, putting his jeans clad feet on her table and picked up the carton of ice-cream and started eating.
"Why are we watching The Notebook?" He asked, and Hermione couldn't help but smile at how much at home he was in her apartment.
"Well, I'm watching The Notebook because it is an excellent piece of cinematography, but I don't know what the hell you are doing." She replied, folding her hands over her chest, now very aware of her braless state.
He snorted and said, "An excellent piece of cinematography? You are watching it because of Ryan Gosling and I'm here to keep you from eating all the ice-cream on your own and gaining a million pounds."
Hermione sat down next to him and stole her carton from him.
"Hey" he complained, and she took her wand from the table to "Accio spoon."
A spoon came flying out from the kitchen and she gave it to Harry, and kept the ice cream carton in between them.
They both resumed eating the ice cream and watching the movie. After a while, though, Hermione, couldn't take the silence and asked,
"So, why aren't you at the party tonight?"
"Why aren't you are the party?" was his reply.
"I asked first." she said, and took another bite of the ice cream.
"I couldn't go to a Valentine's Party thrown by my ex-girlfriend and her new boyfriend." He said, faking a catch in his voice as he said 'new boyfriend'. Hermione just snorted and looked at him because his and Ginny's break up was the most amicable she'd seen in her entire life.
Hers and Ron's included.
He sighed and said, "I didn't feel like dressing up." He said, and Hermione laughed because she knew that as absurd as it sounded, it was probably true.
"And I'm guessing you decided to spend the night with Rocky road and Ryan Gosling instead of hanging out with, I don't know, real people?" he asked.
She looked at him with narrowed eyes, faking annoyance, "That's two strikes, buddy, one more and you'll be thrown out of this apartment."
"Wait, how is it two strikes?" he asked, frowning.
"One against Rocky and one against Ryan." She replied, and took another bite.
He rolled his eyes, but took another bite.
"So, Harry, tell me the story about your worst date." She asked, suddenly remembering something she had wanted to know.
"Umm... What?" he asked, surprised by her question.
"Oh come on, what was your worst date ever?"
"Okay.." he said, giving her a strange look, "You remember valentine's day, the fifth year?"
"Ohh... Your date with Cho." she said, grinning at the memory, "I'm still sorry about that, you know."
"It's alright, I recovered."He replied, "But man that girl was strange."
"Yeah she was." Hermione agreed.
"So what was your worst date?" he asked, and Hermione didn't have to think.
"Slughorn's Party, Mclaggen, worst date from hell." She relied, with a shudder.
Harry laughed, "Served you right for going with him."
Hermione couldn't help but smile at his laugh, her heart sighed and asked 'Can we keep him?', but her mind sighed and replied, "You know we can't.'
Suddenly, a vague memory of singing dwarves came to her mind and she remembered another of their Valentine Stories.
"Talking of Valentine's Day, do you remember in the second year, when Lockhart changed the decoration and those stupid little dwarves?"
Harry grimace, and said "You're talking about Ginny's poem."
"Yeah, god that was embarrassing."
They both laughed at the memory of Harry's eyes being compared to a 'fresh pickled toad' by a singing dwarf.
They both watched the movie in silence for a few minutes, all the while eating ice-cream. She couldn't help but wonder what she'd have done if he hadn't shown up. Well, she probably still would've eaten the whole ice-cream and watched the movie. But she was sure she wouldn't have enjoyed it as much.
"God, this is pathetic." He said, and Hermione felt her temper rise. She swatted his arm and he laughed.
"What? It is. "He said, "We're eating ice cream and watching The –freaking – Notebook. What's not pathetic about that? Oh wait, maybe the fact that we're doing it on Valentines Eve."
"Well, what's actually more pathetic is eating ice cream and watching The –freaking – Notebook on Valentines Eve, with a girl who is not even your girlfriend."She replied, and watched his grim grow wider.
"Touché, Hermione, touché." He replied, and cheered her with his spoon.
"So what's the problem, Hermione?" He asked, after a few minutes and she frowned.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"Hermione, I've know you for twelve years now, and since I know you are not pining after Ron and I also know you are not the kind to spend a night moping around because you don't have a boyfriend. So, something is wrong, and don't insult me by saying it isn't. And now you are going to tell me what it is."
Hermione sighed and rested her head on his shoulder, knowing that lying would get her nowhere.
"It's just I'm a little afraid. " She admitted is a soft voice.
"Of what?" He asked
"Of taking a chance and losing everything I have." She replied.
He took her face in his hands, looked in her eyes and said, "Hermione, sometimes you have to take a chance to achieve success, nothing that doesn't require a little risk is worth having. You took a chance on me all those years ago and chose to stay behind even as Ron left; now I think you should take a chance on yourself."
Hermione looked in his eyes, saw something that forced her to take a step, so she closed her eyes and took a chance.
She kissed him.
He sat still for a moment against her, and she felt her whole world crashing around and she tried to retreat when he wrapped his hands around her waist and pulled her closer. He kissed her and she could feel all the walls breaking away, she could feel his heart against her own and felt them beat as one. A few moments later he removed his lips from hers but held on tight.
"Do you know why I love The Notebook so much?" she whispered, and he shook his head.
"Because even after everything, war, her illness, they still remained together, their love stood strong. After surviving through storms and fires, their love stood strong, that is why I love The Notebook."
"We've survived war, Hermione. We could've easily lost each other then and we did lose a lot. But we will never lose this, never lose us, I love you, I have since the moment you came into our train compartment when we were eleven years old. And now that you've finally taken this chance on us, I'm not letting you get away."
Hermione felt a tear scroll down her cheek and felt him brush it away; they heard the end music of the movie and heard the clock on her wall chime midnight.
Valentine's Day had begun.
"Happy Valentine', my love." He said and kissed her again.
The last thought in Hermione Granger's mind that night was, 'It is indeed a very happy Valentines.'
A/n- Hope you guys liked it! Please take a moment to review, it would make my day!