She'd already baked. She'd even cleaned a little, much to Dobby's protesting. Harry was always here when she got up - at least for a little while. Hannah was an early riser, so she usually chatted with him a bit before he headed to the Ministry or wherever he had to go for the day. Dobby said he had not come home last night. Dobby said Harry Potter stayed out late sometimes, but in Hannah's eyes this was beyond late. The sun was well past being up.

She jumped when she heard the door open. Hannah smoothed down the skirt she was wearing and met him in the entry way.

"And just where were you? Dobby said you didn't come home last night."

Harry dropped his jacket on the ground before kicking off his shoes. He leaned his broom against the wall and turned back to face Hannah. He rose his eyebrow, thinking that she sounded an awful lot like Hermione right then. "I was... out." He smiled slightly before walking around her and towards the kitchen. He was hungry. He'd worked up an appetite last night. He shook his head, the embarrassment still burning along his cheeks.

"Out?" Hannah chased after him. "Out where? Doing what? I mean, oh bother, I don't have the right to ask that, do I? I was just... you're always here in the mornings and Dobby said you hadn't been home and I got worried and I didn't know what to do. I mean, what if you were missing? What would I do then?"

And she had just said most of that in one breath.

Harry grabbed a bottle of butterbeer from the ice box and turned to look at her. "Well, I suppose you wouldn't have to worry about rent, if I was gone. I'm sure Dobby would let you stay here." He grinned before taking a seat at the table and looking up at her. "Hannah, I was out. I met a friend," he inwardly cringed, "and I decided to stay there instead of coming home."

He cocked his head to the side. "What'd you do last night?"

Hannah blushed, thinking of the many times Blaise Zabini had seen her in her underthings yesterday and how pretty he'd made her feel last night. "Nothing like... that." God, was everyone save her having sex these days? She felt like the last virgin on the planet right now. The thought made her uncharacteristically cranky. She knew she had no right to be questioning Harry, but she'd been worried. She honestly had not known what to do.

She shook her head at herself. Perhaps she should have just married Wayne. At least then she'd know what was expected of her.

"Silly Hannah. Harry Potter has people worrying about him every day. He doesn't need your assistance there." She turned to leave the kitchen.

Harry scrambled away from the table. "Hannah, wait!" Stupid. She just broke up with her fiance, who'd been cheating at her, and you're going to make fun of her? Smooth, Potter, very smooth. He reached out and grabbed her arm, moving around to face her. "I didn't- I think it's nice that you were worried. Well, not nice, but sweet. I'm just not used to having to inform someone if I decide not to stay home. I should have thought to say something. I'm sorry. I'm sorry I made you worry."

"It's not my business. You're quite right. There are biscuits if you'd like any. I'll just... go clean something."

Just then Dobby burst through the door and tattled on Hannah. "Harry Potter was out all night. Miss Han is being cleaning when Dobby asks her not to."

"Hannah, stop cleaning." His eyebrows furrowed. "You clean when you're worried? Seriously? Why didn't you move in with me earlier?" He looked down at Dobby. "No offense."

Dobby's eyes got wide. "Where was Harry Potter last night? Miss Han and Dobby is worried."

"I met a friend."

"Which friend is Harry Potter meeting?"

"One you don't know."

"Dobby is knowing most of Harry Potter's friends. Which-"

"Since when do you grill me on where I've been?"

"Since Miss Han is asking Dobby to find out."

Harry turned and looked at Hannah with a smile on his face. "You asked my house-elf to ask after me?"

Hannah wrung her hands. "Well... I was worried. I didn't know what else to do. I... yes." Hannah straightened her spine. "I asked Dobby to ask after you when you returned in the event that I was not here."

He grinned. "Really?" Harry laughed, putting a hand over his mouth. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to laugh. It's just... you asked my house-elf to check into my sex life." He reached out and pulled her into his arms. "I will owl you the next time I have sex. I promise."

Hannah gasped. "Harry, I just want to know when you won't be home. Just so I don't worry. I so didn't need to know I'm still the only virgin I know."

She did hug him back. She missed being held. Already. She hadn't seen Ernie or Justin much since her wedding imploded. She got the feeling they didn't know what to say to her. Especially considering the pictures Ernie had seen. She should probably stop hugging Harry Potter. He probably had strange women pawing at him often.

"This doesn't mean anything," she clarified. "I just ended a relationship. I'm not looking for... that." If she kept saying it, perhaps it would feel true.

Harry put his hands on her shoulders, moving back far enough to see her face. "You do realize you just squashed my hopes and dreams, right? I'm crushed." He brought a hand to his chest. "Are you saying you won't be attacking me in my sleep? I'll stop leaving my door unlocked then." He frowned at her before grinning.

He wasn't sure if joking with her would be the right thing to do, but he hadn't seen her smile enough in the days she'd been staying with him. He wanted to see her smile. That was how he remembered her. Smiling and laughing in school. He didn't like that Wayne had made her not smile anymore.

Hannah laughed loudly. "Harry, I think the last thing you need is another witch trying to get your pants off. Besides, if I were to attack anyone these days it would be-" Hannah stopped herself. Oh my God. "Um, no one. I wouldn't attack anyone. Nope."

She moved away from Harry and started pacing and wringing her hands, brow furrowed. She didn't, did she? Hannah quickly went over the entire shopping excursion in her mind, and her reactions yesterday. Oh bother, maybe she did. She had not had a crush since her fifth year.

Harry rose an eyebrow as she paced the small area of the hallway. "Is there something wrong? I mean, besides the fact that I didn't owl you to let you know I was having sex?" She looked nervous. "Is there anything I can do?"

Hannah looked at him. She hated to regulate him to the role of best girlfriend, but she didn't really have one of those... unless she counted Ernie, and Ernie hated when she told him stuff like this.

"I... I... oh bother. I think I just realized I might have a bit of a crush on an entirely inappropriate person, and I haven't had a crush on anyone since I was in fifth year and even then... oh bother. Don't worry. It's not you, but... oh dear. I just... well, oh, you don't want me talking about this with you."

"I want you not pacing and if you talking makes that happen, then you talk. I'll listen. Just-" He shook his head. "Don't tell me your pregnant. I would hate for my first roommate to be a pregnant witch. No offense if you are, which I sincerely hope you aren't. I'm not sure if I'd feel this house was safe for a pregnant witch." He held up a hand. "I'm not saying this right. Let's go in the kitchen and you can tell me what's wrong."

He felt like a prat. Ginny had told him time and time again that he really wasn't good talking with distraught girls. She really hadn't been kidding.

"Harry, my being pregnant is not possible," Hannah said as she followed him into the kitchen. "Unless you really can get pregnant from a toilet seat, in which case it's yours. I'm a virgin. Seriously. I was waiting until I got married. Guess the wait's still on, huh?"

He was giving her this look.

"Harry, I'm only twenty-two. And I'm picky. I wanted it to be... right. I think sometimes I'm the only girl not in a hurry to cast off my knickers," Hannah sighed. "As for what's wrong with me? Where do I start? But I don't think that's what you meant. Oh bother, I don't think I want to tell you. I only just realized. Maybe I'm wrong. What if I'm wrong?"

"Does it feel wrong?" Harry slid into the seat across from her. "If it feels wrong, then it might be. But it doesn't then it not. But if it does, then it's alright." He laughed at her look. "I'm sorry. First question. Does it feel wrong?"

"When I forget that it should be? No. It's nice... and squidgy."

Harry made a face.

"Well, you asked."

"I don't think squidgy is a good word." He put his elbows on the table and leaned forward. "Why is it supposed to be wrong?"

"Well, I just ditched a man at the altar, and I'm thinking about another one? Already? And he's totally not what I should be looking for... and yet..."

"First, you didn't ditch a man at the altar. You saw the slime he really was and ran away as quickly as possible. No one is going look down on you for that. Second, never let anyone make you feel like you don't want what you want. If you want this, you deserve it. It's that simple."

Hannah didn't know if he's be saying that if he knew who she was talking about. "Even if, um, I suspect I have formed an unhealthy and entirely one-sided attachment to Blaise Zabini?"

"Why?" At her look, Harry tried to explain himself. "I don't mean 'why' as in 'why would you remotely consider Blaise even a human being' I mean 'why has he made you think of him like that?'" He didn't really know much about Blaise Zabini, besides the fact that he was a sort of manwhore in school.

"He took me shopping. He took me to his house, Harry. Let me sleep in a bed there, in his clothes. I didn't have anywhere to go just then, and he'd deny it and scoff, but he was nice to me when I didn't even know I needed someone to be that nice to me. His chest's distracting. And I do things I'd not normally do around him. Nothing crazy... just a bit bold."

"Bold doesn't necessarily mean bad, Hannah." He'd almost asked who had made her think that, but he was pretty sure he'd hexed the answer not too long ago. "Sometimes we don't understand why we want something, we just do. If he was nice to you, then he was nice. You don't have to justify that to anyone but yourself." Merlin, he felt like a girl. "If you like him, it's not a bad thing."

"But... oh I don't know. For so long I never even looked at anyone besides Way-er, you know who. It feels like it should be wrong, but it just... isn't. I know I'm going to pale in comparison. He's so worldly compared to me, you know? What if I kiss wrong or something?"

"I'm going to ignore that you just said that. No one kisses wrong. There are wrong kisses, sure..." He trailed off, the events of the morning replaying in his mind. Yes. Some kisses were wrong, and you weren't sure why they happened in the first place. "You won't know until you try, I suppose."

"Did you just tell me to kiss Blaise Zabini?"

"Um..."

"Maybe I should find someone to practice on or something," Hannah said, not realizing what she was saying. She was just trying to work the 'problem', so to speak. She eyed Harry for a moment. No, nothing. Maybe Ernie or Justin? No, they'd be horrified. "Do you know of anyone who... oh no, no. I just couldn't. It's too embarrassing. I'm so awkward about this stuff."

That said she let her forehead rest against the table with a pathetic groan.

Harry stared at the top of her head for a while. "Obviously you aren't a horrible kisser, because the git-bag wanted to marry you. There's not of things that you should be embarrassed about, but wanting to kiss someone is not one of them." He cocked his head to the side. "Plus, if he does find out you used someone as practice, it might be worse."

Hannah looked up at Harry. "Wayne couldn't snog his way out of a paper sack. It was like kissing a statue. I doubt I should pin all my expertise on that." Hannah scowled, thinking on Wayne. "I wasn't allowed to hold his hand in public. I had to walk slightly behind him if he had not offered me his arm. In a crowd, I was required to look mostly at him even when another person was speaking."

Hannah shook her head at herself. How had she even let it come to this?

"Pathetic, yes? And all he let me do was kiss, so I don't even really know about anything else outside of books or gossip, and you know, books just don't do some things justice."

His felt his eye twitch. "No offense, but if I had seen you with him, I'm pretty sure I would have hexed him into submission. Several times." If there was one thing Harry could not stand, it was the fact that some people thought themselves better than others. It had been the story of his life, and it didn't make sense whether it was due to blood status or sex. "I wouldn't say that books don't do some things justice in front of Hermione. She might try to argue with you, and there's no arguing with Hermione. Ever."

"Not that I'm an expert or anything, but I doubt you were out reading a good book last night."

Harry looked offended. "I read!" He sat back in his chair, raising an eyebrow. "I'll have you know I learned quite a lot last night. And this morning. That knowledge included the fact that some people are just not meant to be more than friends, but it was knowledge none the less." He crossed his arms over his chest. "I highly doubt all you want to do with Blaise Zabini is read a book with him."

"Well, I guess that would depend on the book, now wouldn't it?" Hannah said with a cheeky grin. She loved being able to make her 'inappropriate' jokes now without fear of repercussions. "So... there was a girl who's just a friend now? But you had sex with her then?"

"Yes, to both. It was... awkward. But, she's an awesome girl. I'm not regretting it, but I'm regretting it. I know, that doesn't make any sense, but that's how I feel." He flicked his wand at the icebox and summoned a butterbeer for her too. He grabbed it from the air and set it down in front of her after popping the top. "But I believe we were talking about you, not me."

Hannah sighed. "We should talk about you instead. At least you're not hopeless, and you obviously know what to do with a member of the opposite sex. Half the time I'm near him I'm unsure of what to even do with my eyes, let alone the rest of me."

Hannah started sipping her butterbeer.

"I'm awkward, Harry, and absolutely no match for him. I spend most of my time with him averting my eyes and blushing."

"Maybe he likes that. Maybe he's not used to someone as innocent as you." Harry shrugged. For some people, that was a turn-on, and he didn't harbor any hard feelings towards the Slytherin, but he didn't think innocent was exactly what he got most of the time, not with the reputation he carried around. Harry didn't mind someone a little innocent.

"So maybe I'm different and that's a good thing?" Hannah took a large sip of her butterbeer. She could deal with that. That gave her hope.


{SUMMARY} Hannah grills Harry on where he was last night. Harry gets a bit of a secret from her.