A Simple Request

Posted originally on the Archive of Our Own at http://archiveofourown.org/works/57006799.

Rating: Explicit
Archive Warning: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Category: F/M
Fandom: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Relationship: Hermione Granger/Harry Potter
Characters: Hermione Granger, Harry Potter, Teddy Lupin
Additional Tags: Single Dad Harry Potter, Alternate Universe - Muggle, Teacher
Hermione Granger, Fluff and Smut, Fluff and Humor, Smut, DILF Harry
Potter, Hermione Granger has a daddy kink, Resolved Sexual Tension,
Idiots in Love
Language: English
Stats: Published: 2024-06-29 Updated: 2024-07-15 Words: 24,107 Chapters:
4/?
 A Simple Request
by Seekerofknowledge3119

Summary

A simple request from one of her students at parent teacher conferences leads twenty seven
year old Hermione Granger into a free fall of discovery after she realises just how attractive
his dad is. Who knew she had a thing for single dads?
 Parent-Teacher Liaisons
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes

Hermione Granger, Miss Hermione to her students, did not know what to expect from her
first parent-teacher conference of the year for the new batch of third graders. The children
were certainly good students and all of them seemed to love her so she figured their parents
must have been good people. All of her students were definitely raised right which meant
they had good examples to follow.

Still, she didn’t know for sure and the first parent-teacher conference of the year was always
the biggest one. It was essentially one to review the term at the halfway mark and outline her
expectations for the students to both them and their parents. More than that, however, it was
also her chance to foster a good rapport with her students’ families.

Still, everything ended up turning out well so far for her. The parents of nearly all of her
students were good people like she figured they were and were strict enough to make sure
their child would meet the expectations she outlined for them for the rest of the year. That
was all she could ask as a teacher. As far as PTCs went, this one had turned out well for the
most part.

The key phrase there was ‘for the most part’ because all but one of her students had
completed the meeting with her and their parents. Hermione knew she couldn’t pick
favourites or have a particular child that she was fond of but she couldn’t help herself from
being a little charmed by the little boy known as, Edward Potter. It was only him, his father,
and a few of his father’s friends that he called his uncle and aunts and it was obvious that he
hadn’t had a strong maternal presence in his life consistently.

She supposed it was only natural for her to begin acting a little bit more affectionate and
caring, in a subtle way of course, to the eight year old just to encourage him to break out of
his shell. He was far more shy than the other students and seemed to always try to keep
himself unnoticed but had started to gradually open up at her encouragements. Now, he had
some friends in little Annie Longbottom and Liam Finnegan but there was still some more
work to do for him.

It all began with his father, who she still hadn’t met or hadn’t even got a glimpse of. He was
always the only one missing at the PTA meeting and never seemed to leave his car when he
was picking his son up. All signs pointed to the man being disinterested in his son’s
schooling but she knew better.

On the few occasions she’d talked to Edward about his home life just to get a reading of what
it was like, the boy would not stop gushing about his dad. And when she’d designed an
activity for her students to draw a picture of them and their family along with writing a
composition describing them, he’d accomplished the amazing feat of making her giggle at
how cute all of it was. The boy was totally starstruck by his father. A real daddy’s boy.
But his dad was nowhere to be found even after the last of the students had left with their
parents. She hated having to send Edward home or, worse, see him disappointed by his
father’s absence but time was running out. She’d already stayed an extra ten minutes to wait
for the man and there was only so much more time left before she would have to leave with
the rest of the teachers.

“Edward, darling, are you sure your father’s coming today?” Hermione gently questioned the
little one who’d been waiting patiently for his dad without complaint.

“He will, Miss Hermione. I told him it was today,” the eight year old reassured her in a voice
that didn’t bely his tender age.

“Well, it’s just that he’s so late already and I’ve already stayed behind for an extra ten
minutes. If he doesn’t get here in another twenty, I’ll have to leave and won’t be able to meet
him.” And that would certainly be a disappointment for both her and her student. She hoped
the boy’s dad wasn’t as inconsiderate as all the signs suggested.

Almost like the man heard her thoughts, he announced his presence to her immediately after
the thought of his inconsiderate behaviour formed in her mind. Actually, Edward was the one
who announced the man’s presence. He’d been sitting at his chair in her classroom before
catching sight of his dad outside the door and taking off with a goofy grin to let him in.

“Hey, bud, sorry I’m late.” That was the first time Hermione heard Edward’s father’s voice
and…wow.

“It’s okay but Miss Hermione was just about to leave.” Oh, that interaction was too cute. The
way the little one was looking at his dad too melted her heart.

“Best not keep her waiting then, right?” The man ruffled his son’s hair before turning towards
her to let her get a good look at him for the first time.

Just like that, the air was cut out from the room for Hermione. Eyes that should not have been
that vibrant of a green met hers and she froze on the spot. Short but messy jet black hair
adorned his head above a jawline slightly tainted with stubble that looked so sharp that it cut
her in half. Did her student hire a model or an actor to be his dad? Because what in actual
heck was she staring at?

“You must be the famous Miss Hermione that my son keeps telling me about,” Edward’s dad
greeted her with an outstretched hand across her desk.

Realising that she needed to do something that wasn’t just gawking at the male specimen in
front of her, Hermione hurriedly rose to her feet and almost knocked her materials along with
herself over in doing so. She was already making a spectacle of herself without even saying a
word.

“H-Hello, you must be…erm…Mister Potter,” she shakily returned his greeting before taking
his rough hand in hers.
Actually, calling the coarse paw that completely engulfed her own smaller one a hand felt
like it was wrong. He had big hands that were definitely akin to ones indicative of a working
man to compliment the host of other breathtaking features he already possessed. Just
brilliant.

“Please, can you just call me Harry? Unless that’s too unprofessional, I wouldn’t want to
jeopardise your job after all,” the man now known to her as Harry Potter requested softly.
Then he put on a smile that just radiated kindness and was sure to make any woman’s, much
less hers, heart melt. “Mister Potter makes me feel old.” His laughter was just the right
volume too, not too loud to overwhelm her, not too silent where she couldn’t hear the
intricate notes of his voice.

Again, Hermione had to force herself not to keep ogling the man in front of her so she could
actually hold a decent conversation with him. “Well, it is certainly odd for me to refer to one
of my students’ parents by their first name,” Harry’s face contorted to show some
disappointment that she instantly hated, “but I suppose if you don’t mind, I can call you that.”

“I don’t mind at all, Miss Hermione.” He beamed at her. Somehow, the boy’s dad was
switching back and forth from looking so tooth achingly cute to devilishly handsome. One
second, he looked innocently cute. The other second, he looked like someone she would be
having impure thoughts about.

“Very well then, Harry, you can start by explaining why you’re late,” Hermione decided to
say just to foolishly put some distance between herself and the man in front of her. He could
not know the kind of thoughts she was having about him. It was strictly unprofessional.

“Right, I figured you’d be a bit miffed about that. Teddy tells me you’re the most amazing
person ever but you’re also very strict.”

Teddy must have been the nickname for his son, she figured, but that was the farthest thing
from her mind’s focus. What she found herself focused on instead was just how much the boy
had been talking about her to his dad. He appeared to be talking about her to his father just as
much as he talked to her about the man. It was already obvious before but the boy was clearly
smitten with both of them.

“Don’t change the topic, Mister Potter.” She tried to maintain the authoritarian tone in her
voice but it all went to utter shite when Harry looked at her through darkened eyes. “I…
erm…um…your son…” Hermione faked clearing her throat just to catch herself, “…is right
about me being very strict. I don’t know about the amazing part, however.” Those green eyes
were threatening to melt her into a puddle.

“I think he’s right about that as well, my son never lies after all. Right, Teddy-o?” Harry
looked over to his eight year old miniature self who nodded proudly at her before exchanging
a high five with his dad.

“Be that as it may.” That was the first time she spoke where there was actual steadiness in her
voice as she shook her head fondly at the two partners in crime. “I would still like to know
why you’re late. I’ve had to stay behind for an extra ten minutes because of you, Harry.”
“Yes, of course, I was in a meeting with some clients and my boss about a new project.
Negotiations were stiffer than usual so I was stuck there to make sure my boss didn’t get
lowballed,” he calmly explained to her, raising her intrigue as to the nature of his
employment.

“What work do you do? I’m guessing you’re in construction,” Hermione quickly asked
despite knowing she was only prolonging the meeting between them.

Harry chuckled at her then said to Edward, “You did say she was the smartest, son, now I see
why.” The boy nodded so damn cockily like he was saying, ‘of course I did, dad’.

The teacher honestly couldn’t tell if her student’s parent was flirting with her but it certainly
seemed like he was. Whether or not it was intentional, though, was another story. He just
seemed naturally charming and it was dear he was intent on making his son as involved in the
conversation as much as possible just so the boy wouldn’t feel left out. Hermione
commended him for that.

They got into the meeting shortly after that last comment from Harry with her taking over to
tell him just how gifted his son was. Teddy, as his dad called him, was well rounded in every
subject but had a penchant for mathematics as well as science like she once did at his age.
And just like her, he was also shy and unable to easily make friends. The only difference
between the two of them at the same age was that he had a teacher like her who had
experience with what he was dealing with while she had no one.

All of that was explained to Harry who didn’t look disappointed or mad that his son wasn’t
making friends quite fast. He did look concerned, though. She told him, “What I want to see
from Edward is him opening up a bit more and being more comfortable participating in class
more often. It’s not something I grade my students on but it is something I feel is necessary
for them to grow.”

“I understand, Miss Hermione,” Edward responded before his father could do so.

Nothing in his voice or the way he looked at her made her think he was being disingenuous
or that he was agreeing with her simply because his father was there with him. She nodded at
him while giving him a warm smile as his dad proudly patted him on the shoulder.

“We’ll get some ice cream and talk more about this, buddy,” Harry promised to which his son
lit up with joy right away. “You deserve a reward from what I’m hearing, apparently you’re
very gifted. God knows you didn’t get that from me.” The self deprecating joke pulled a
quick laugh from Hermione before she put a look of disapproval on her face when she
focused her gaze back on the man.

After that, she introduced him to Edward’s progress report and the grading system the school
used. It surprised him at first to see the sheer number of hundreds in each subject his child
took but he recovered gracefully as a prideful but still sort of bewildered expression graced
his features.

Every hundred mark on his subjects meant Edward placed first in the class for that subject,
though a number of people also got hundreds to join him. He, however, was the only one to
secure those marks in every subject. His aptitude for mathematics and science, though, were
far beyond his ability in other subjects.

“You’ve got a hundred in every class, son?” Harry looked and looked again at the progress
report to check if he was seeing correctly. “Looks like I’ll have to get you two ice cream
cones today. And maybe I’ll need to look myself in the mirror and ask where you got this
from.”

The interaction between the two of them melted her already melted heart, if that made sense.
Edward’s father’s humour was also quite refreshing compared to some of the other parents
who were more business like but still pleasant. He truly gave off the impression that he was
just a regular guy raising a son who was gifted. But Hermione knew it was just an act. His
occupation in construction required more brains and imagination than anyone would think.

“Teddy deserves a lot of credit for this but I’d like to say that I think you make it easier for
him to learn. Other than waking up early for school, which he hates,” Harry chuckled lightly
at the harrumph that came from his boy, “he says he enjoys being in your class and that he
loves Miss Hermione.”

If her heart wasn’t already a puddle before, it would have ended up like that when she saw
the shy blush that came on Edward’s face. He ducked his head away from her before hiding
his face in his dad’s side as the man heartily laughed at it all. They were so sweet together
that it was almost making her teeth rot. It was abundantly clear where her student got his cute
sweet self from. He had a good example.

“I’m very glad to hear that, Edward, and just so you know,” she leaned over when he peeked
out from his father’s side to look at her, “Miss Hermione loves having you in her class too.”
The blush he already was wearing became even more pronounced to the point that she started
to worry his cheeks would catch fire. Oh, but it was so cute.

“Thank you, Miss Hermione,” Edward shyly said to her, his face still buried into his dad’s
side.

“Thank you as well, Miss Hermione, sorry I was late and held you back,” Harry added after
sending the little one off to get his bookbag from his desk.

“It was no trouble especially because you were held up at your job. Plus, it was very nice to
finally meet you and I know now that Edward’s been amazing because he’s been following a
wonderful example set by his father.”

She didn’t think she would be able to make Harry blush but it happened and, needless to say,
it was blisteringly hot. Seeing a man such as him blush in front of her because of her praise
made Hermione nearly swoon. It was a miracle she was keeping her composure because the
daddy that was right in front of her was only making it more clear that he was absolutely
deserving of the title.

God, she really needed to stop thinking such…unholy…thoughts about Edward’s father. The
guy was hot for sure but that didn’t mean it wasn’t wholly unprofessional for her to be
thinking about him in a wildly deviant manner. But those strong hands of his, though…if she
could just feel them all over her body.

What was she doing with herself? She was twenty seven years, not seventeen. This type of
behaviour was closer to a hormonal teen than it was a fully mature adult with a teaching job.
Mister Potter was turning back her body’s biological clock. Just his presence was making her
feel things she hadn’t felt in a long time. Would it really be unprofessional for her to…no, she
couldn’t think like that.

“Miss Hermione, are you alright?” Edward’s little voice rang out to her, breaking her
thoughts.

“Yes, of course, what’s wrong, darling?” She quickly replied to cover up the fact that she
most definitely was not alright with the way Harry was looking at her. He wasn’t leering at
her but his intense gaze made her feel like he was seeing right through her.

“Well, nothing but I wanted to ask you a question and you weren’t responding.”

“I’m sorry, Edward, I was just…” Hermione went to look at the boy’s father but stopped
herself just in time lest she embarrassed herself, “…thinking of the plans for the next term.”
That excuse was horrible but it was the best she could do on such short notice. She
considered herself to be very intelligent but it was as though all her brain cells were gone
courtesy of Harry Potter.

Edward didn’t seem to find anything in her answer to not believe her and she wasn’t going to
chance a look at the boy’s father to see if he felt the same. Somehow, she knew he didn’t. His
almost unearthly green eyes were still staring at her, a fact she knew because she felt them on
her. He was going to be the death of her. Trying to get her mind off of him, Hermione looked
at her student and wordlessly beckoned him to ask his question to her. He did so without
missing a beat.

“Can you help my dad go get me a younger sibling?” The eight year old asked before his
father hastily reprimanded him immediately after he finished. He turned back to the man and
then said, “You said you needed help to get me one. Miss Hermione can help, she’s the most
amazing person ever. I’m sure she can help you, dad.”

Anything after the original question just vaguely passed through Hermione’s mind. She was
completely beaten by the question, taken fully off guard. The recovery from the utter shell
shock of that inquiry took her quite some time but she managed to clear her head and regain
her composure while Harry was busily explaining to his son that he shouldn’t have asked
that. He was being a little firm but not scolding the little one for his innocent question.

“Sit down, Teddy, let me talk to Miss Hermione.” The little one did as he was told with no
argument while his father turned his attention to her. “I’m sorry about that, ma’am, I don’t
want you to think I put him up to that because I honestly didn’t expect him to ask you for
help after our conversation the other night.”

“N-No, I understand,” a shaky Hermione responded to him. “I know how children can be and
even though Edward’s very advanced for his age,” she casted an affectionate look back to the
child to let him know she wasn’t mad at him, “there are some things he doesn’t quite
understand yet.” The appeal of perhaps making babies with Harry made sure to let her know
of its presence within her mind once she finished. She hurriedly tamped it down.

Harry shook his head and swept a hand through his short messy hair—he looked so bloody
hot doing so that it made a bit of heat swirl in her belly—before agreeing with her. “Yeah,
he’s been pestering me about getting a little brother or sister because one of his friends keeps
talking about how much she loves hers.”

“Oh yes, Annie Longbottom, she’s good friends with Edward. I completely understand now
because I’ve heard how much she talks about her little brother.” It made sense that perhaps
little Edward was jealous of one of his friends. And it also made sense that he was lonely
with just his dad in his home even if his dad was, in his words, the coolest person ever.

“Yeah, she talks all the time about Toby.” Toby was apparently the name of Annie’s little
brother, Hermione figured as Teddy rejoined the conversation. “Why can’t I get a little
brother or a little sister? I already don’t have a mummy and you say you can’t find me a
mummy just yet.” He spoke directly to his dad with a voice that belied so much loneliness
and pain despite its petulant tone. “If you can’t find a mummy for me, can’t you at least get
me a sibling? Miss Hermione can help you, won’t you, Miss Hermione?”

As Harry went to once again reprimand his son, the teacher shot him a placating look and
silently told him she was going to take care of it. Kneeling to her student’s level, she placed
her hand on his shoulder then began explaining to him why his dad couldn’t get him what he
wanted. It broke her heart to see him try to hold his angry tears back but she wiped them
away for him.

“Edward, sweetheart, your daddy can’t just go and find you a sibling with me because that’s
not how it works. I can’t help your daddy because your sibling would need a mummy to
create them. Your daddy needs a mummy to help him give you a sibling, not just anybody.”

“Well then, why can’t you be a mummy? Why can’t you be my mummy?” The little one
quickly shot back. He was as determined as they came. Eerily reminiscent of her when she
was younger.

Sensing she was going to be stuck in a cycle of never ending questions from her student,
Hermione patiently answered, “I can’t be your mummy, Edward, because I’m already your
teacher. And your daddy doesn’t want me as your mummy.” Though it would be nice to
actually give the boy she’d grown quite fond of a proper mother figure, it was asking too
much from both her and his father. They would need to love each other enough to make sure
he would never lose her from his life.

“So I can’t get a mummy and I can’t get a sibling.” Edward sulked away from her and his dad
who looked every bit as heartbroken as his son felt.

“Oh God, I’m sorry again, Miss Hermione. He’s…lonely…and I’m doing my best but I
thought he’d be better once he made some friends in school. I’m sorry again,” Harry
apologized. His voice was soft, his words coated with heartbreak for his little boy.
“It’s completely fine, Mister Potter. I was an only child as well so I know a little bit of how
he feels. I’ll try to make him feel better about it all during school,” promised Hermione. That
promise was as good as unbreakable to her. She would make sure it was fulfilled every day
without fail.

“Thanks, ma’am. I’ll have to talk with him too and explain everything as best as I can.” He
extended his hand to her once again for her to shake it and then bade goodbye to her as he
walked back to Edward who was waiting by the door.

Despite his sadness, the eight year old took his father’s hand before walking out of the
classroom with him. The two of them, well maybe Harry did, had no idea how shocked they
left her in their wake. Everything finally became more clear to her once they were gone. All
of the facts were crystallised inside her head

Firstly, Harry was hot. Secondly, he was a wonderful father to a son who thought the world of
him. Thirdly, Edward had been begging his dad for a sibling and when the man must have
told him that he couldn’t do so without help, he came to ask for help during the conference
because he also thought the world of her. Fourthly, Edward was also more than okay with her
being his mummy.

And finally, there was only a half term left before she wouldn’t be the boy’s teacher anymore
and it wouldn’t be unprofessional for her to perhaps start something with his dad. Though, if
she were to do that, it would have to lead somewhere other than just a fling or short term
relationship just because of Teddy. That was too much pressure.

But there was no denying that she was attracted to Harry Potter. He was very much a
hardworking man from what his body and the calluses of his hands suggested but he still
found time for his son. More than that, he was so attentive as well as focused on his little boy
despite how busy he was. She only needed the one meeting to know that. And it was so, so,
so obvious that Edward was completely taken with his dad. The man was damn near perfect.

Working construction was definitely not an easy job nor did it leave much free time for the
worker but Harry was handling it well. Even today with a likely huge negotiation happening
for a new project that would guarantee lots of money for him, he was still able to make it to
the PTC despite being ten minutes late. He was completely committed to the little one and it
was just too hot for her to deal with.

Now she knew the reason why God had made sure that she hadn’t come across Harry Potter
at the beginning of the term or during it with all the PTA meetings along with him picking
Edward up from school. That was another thing as well. The man worked construction but
still made sure Edward wouldn’t have to take the tube or a cab home. Back to her original
point, though, it was a good thing that she’d met him with only a half term remaining.

A full year knowing and contending with her student's hot dad was not a task she was up to.
Half a year maybe.

Her mind sensed the privacy and the freedom of being in her classroom by herself moments
later. As a result, her more wicked thoughts came through. It had been a while since she last
had someone and she couldn’t stop herself from thinking about having Harry Potter. Those
 big rough hands of his would surely feel amazing over her bare skin. The stubble on his face
would no doubt deliciously drag over her neck and between her thighs.

This was embarrassing. Here she was in the middle of her classroom fantasizing about one of
the dads she’d met. That was shameful. Dirty, even. It was so wrong but felt so right. Just
thinking about how dirty she was for having those thoughts was making her even more hot
and bothered. Still, Hermione couldn’t put a stop to it. She didn’t want to stop it. What she
wanted was far more carnal.

It was even a disservice to Harry to just call him a dad. He was the very personification of the
word ‘Daddy’. She could vividly picture herself calling him that one little word while he was
busy making her see stars. God, what was wrong with her? In her three years of teaching,
she’d never encountered something like this before. She’d encountered hot men before but
was woefully unprepared to encounter a hot single dad.

Hopefully, this new attraction of hers would pass. It had to because it was embarrassing to be
fantasizing about calling a man daddy while he was…taking…her. Embarrassing as it was,
however, it was still hot. Harry Potter was certainly a Daddy with a capital D and she was
more than just appreciative of that fact. He was perfectly fit to be called Daddy.

Chapter End Notes

The Harmony discord is really no place to float any kind of idea because it almost
always ends up in a fic that was never really supposed to be written coming to life lol.
 Plans and Propriety
Chapter Summary

Harry can’t get his thoughts of Miss Hermione out of his head and decides to see if he
can see more of her in his life.

Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes

Try as he might, Harry could not stop thinking about the first parent teacher conference of the
year for Teddy’s third year in primary school. His mind had been occupied by the very
attractive Miss Hermione who absolutely lived up to the high praise his son had given her
and kept giving her since he started her class. Teddy had embarrassed him a bit with that
question about her helping to find a sibling but it was quickly resolved with the both of them
having a long talk about it after they left the school.

Since that day two weeks ago, however, Miss Hermione had constantly been in his thoughts.
He’d seen pretty girls before, even dated a couple, but his son’s teacher was something else.
What really struck him about her was just how commanding but sweet she was. She was
fierce but also tender when she needed to be. It was really no surprise why Teddy was so
smitten with her. He took after his dad after all in liking strong women who knew when to be
warm and affectionate.

He’d never needed to be reassured of how good of a job he was doing as a parent because
Teddy was all the reassurance he needed but Harry had to admit that hearing his son’s
amazing teacher say he was setting a wonderful example for his boy was special to him. Her
opinion mattered. It mattered so much because his son loved her.

That was why he hadn’t tried to find a mummy for Teddy. As much as the boy wanted one,
the woman who was going to be his adoptive mother and his dad’s wife needed to be
someone who would at least stick around while loving him as her own and being loved by
him. Harry didn’t want to jump the gun but it was looking like that was the case with Miss
Hermione. From what Teddy had been saying, she was quite fond of him. The PTC was
further proof of that and he obviously didn’t need any proof of how fond the boy was of her
already.

It looked clear to him that the woman had recognized his son had no consistent strong
motherly presence in his life and had decided to fill that role. He couldn’t describe how much
he loved that. She checked all the boxes in a woman he was looking for. Pretty, intelligent,
fierce, affectionate, and loving towards his son. He wouldn’t be able to find a person even
close to her to be Teddy’s mummy. She was perfect.
And he hadn’t been able to rid his mind of her. The good thing that he’d kept telling himself
since their meeting was that she wasn’t taken. It was quite a reach but the fact that she hadn’t
said to Teddy that she was already married or involved or someone else’s mummy meant that
she was single. He was being quite hopeful in interpreting her words but that was all he had.
Hope.

Now Harry had to convince himself to go after Miss Hermione. There were questions of if it
was worth it and if he was jeopardising her job by making a move on her but the decision of
them being together would solely be up to her. If she didn’t find anything wrong with them
dating, then he wasn’t going to question her. The opportunity to find someone like her again
was surely never going to come. This was a rare woman who he was attracted to that also had
his son’s heart.

There was also the question if she wanted to be Teddy’s mother as well but he got the sense it
wouldn’t be a problem for her. The look in her eye whenever she looked at his son was
enough proof for him that she would be okay with being with him and helping him take care
of his son. What it all came down to was her job and the pressure of starting a relationship
with him that wouldn’t end in heartbreak for both them and the little one between them.

Harry felt that pressure too. It was one thing to be with his son’s teacher, it was another to
stay with her through everything for the sake of Teddy who was utterly smitten with her. That
was the real problem. They could be mutually attracted to each other, they could even love
each other, but they had to consider his son in everything they did. Almost everything, he
corrected.

Still, though, he didn’t feel as bothered by that problem as much as he ought to have been.
Something about Miss Hermione was assuring him that she would be in it for the long haul if
things did work out for them. He just had to test the waters with her to see where her feelings
laid. Hopefully, he wasn’t being too cocky about his looks but it seemed like she was at least
attracted to him.

He was by no means a devilishly handsome guy but he thought himself decent looking
enough to turn a few heads on a good day. And it did kind of look like he had turned his son’s
teacher’s head even after he rushed over to the school straight after work. He hadn’t looked
his best, no one in construction ever did unless they had a day off, but she was giving him the
impression that she thought he looked good.

If Harry could hope against hope, she was attracted to him like he was to her. That took care
of one problem. The other problem was her job as his son’s teacher. The obvious solution to
that was to just wait out the term until Teddy would go into year four and get a new teacher
so that took care of that. Everything else that would challenge them would come after they
got together.

So what was really stopping him from letting his intentions with her be made clear?

Nothing.

No harm would be done if he made some advances to her and she rejected him. Teddy would
move on to another grade and their interactions would be limited so it wouldn’t be awkward.
He had nothing to lose by asking her out and trying to make her his. At most, he’d be
rejected. That would sting but he’d move past it eventually. Now if he was able to succeed,
then he would have found himself a woman who would love him as his wife and love his son
as her own son.

The equation was one he could live with. There were two solutions to it that he was okay
with. As far as he was concerned, he’d take the chance in solving it. His decision was made
and now came the really hard part. Getting to action. He had to figure out a way to woo
Hermione or else the last two weeks and however long he had left until she was out of his
mind was going to be a waste.

But first, he had to learn more about her from his son. Little things like her daily habits, what
she liked to eat, and everything else in between just to prepare himself for her. It had been a
long while since he was part of the dating game. The last time he actually dated someone was
in his teen years the year before his adoptive uncle and aunt passed away. Their passing
resulted in the biggest addition to his life.

Parenthood.

Teddy had been his since he was barely a month old and Harry himself was nineteen. His last
girlfriend, Cho, had decided she wasn’t ready for him to take over guardianship of his godson
at such a young age and they’d split on amicable terms. That was the very last time he even
had a woman. Now, though, something seemed like it was going to change.

Miss Hermione was going to possibly be the first woman he dated in all the years since
Teddy’s birth. All he had to do was try to get himself back into a dating state of mind.
Luckily, he had some help. He wasn’t alone and his son had built a very good rapport already
with the woman of his affections. That worked in his favour.

Three days were left until the schools opened again after Christmas break and Harry was
going to make sure he got more involved in his son’s school life as well as try to glean
information from him about his teacher. If there was any way he could get closer to her
outside of going to PTA meetings which he already was planning to do, he was going to take
it. And it was starting now with him and Teddy eating lunch.

“So, kiddo, you excited to be heading back to Miss Hermione’s class?” Harry easily inquired
as they tucked into their meal of pasta and chicken cutlet.

“I can’t wait, I’ve really missed her.” In typical eight year old fashion, Teddy had already
forgotten about the disappointment of not having a mummy or sibling for Christmas. “I can’t
wait to give her my gift too.”

They had bought a snowglobe for Miss Hermione over the holidays just as a little token of
appreciation to give her when school restarted. Harry had picked it out while Teddy insisted
on paying for it with the allowance he’d saved up just for that. Part of him wanted to tell the
boy to make sure she knew who picked it out but he refrained from doing so, desperate as it
seemed. Though, he was very desperate. Just not as much as to take credit for his son’s gift.
“I’m sure she’ll love it, buddy,” said a smiling Harry. “She deserves a nice gift for being such
a good teacher to you.”

“Yes, she does,” Teddy agreed.

Conversation continued between them after that with him subtly trying to pick off some more
information about the marvelous Miss Hermione from Teddy. He ended up figuring out her
favourite colour was green because the glass had lots of green decorations and artwork, a fact
he’d missed during the PTC. Her love for tea was also made known to him by his son along
with her love for books. She was always reading when the kids were working on their new
project or were out for recess and lunch.

By the end of their lunch, Harry was feeling confident that he could woo Miss Hermione. She
was everything he expected her to be and all of the knowledge he gained was going to be
vital in talking to her. He would have to start planting seeds at the next PTA meeting or even
when he was dropping Teddy back to school for the first day of the term. He wasn’t going to
do anything too crazy, just try to make easy conversation with her.

———

Of all the things Hermione expected to happen after the parent teacher conference with Harry
Potter, seeing him take such an active role in his son’s school life was not on the list. She
understood that he was busy and that his job as a skilled labourer was very demanding but he
didn’t seem to be affected by it at all. It all started with the first day back after the Christmas
holiday where he’d actually stepped out the car for once to wave at her as she welcomed
Edward back to school.

Since then, his presence was never missing for too long. She saw more of him than ever now
that school had opened again. He was there waving at her during the morning drop off and he
was there doing the same at the afternoon pick up. And as much as she tried to avoid letting
her eyes wander over to him, it was like they had a mind of their own.

Hermione wanted to think that Harry had other motives for his sudden involvement with the
school but she didn’t know what those were. The most logical answer was that he was either
ashamed of being late to his own son’s parent teacher conference or that he was just trying to
show her that he was very much interested in his son’s school life. Whatever his reason was,
he was becoming more of a presence within the school and, as a result, her life.

Now his involvement had reached him attending PTA meetings. God help her. The meetings
were held at night once every month and it was strikingly obvious that the man could look
even better than he already did. When he wasn’t fresh out of work like she’d seen him during
the conference, he looked even better. That was saying A LOT.

His clothes were different as well when he actually had time to dress himself. She was stuck
next to the other teachers subtly glancing over to him sitting with the other parents and
admiring his jacket, the tight grey shirt that peaked from underneath it, and the navy jeans
that were fitted perfectly to his measurements. Who knew if she would get a chance to see
those same jeans hug his taut behind? She hoped she did.
Thank goodness her thoughts couldn’t be read by anyone else but herself because if they
could be, then everyone would be appalled by the number of dirty thoughts she had about
Harry Potter. They’d come during their first meeting and had continued for the seventeen
days since. It had even gotten so bad that she had to take some time during the night to…
indulge…herself in her thoughts about him.

The man would look at her in horror if he knew just how much she thought of him and what
he was doing in those thoughts. Hermione had told herself that it was a good thing she’d met
him at half term instead of the beginning of the school year but now she was stuck between
wishing she never met him at all and wishing she’d met him sooner. He was having an effect
on her no man had ever caused.

Whatever the headmaster of the school was saying went in one of her ears and out the other
as she continued sneakily ogling the handsome Mister Potter. It wasn’t until she saw him
smiling before saying something that she decided to pay attention to what was just
announced. Apparently, Harry had volunteered himself for something.

“If you need a dummy for the dunk tank, I’m your dummy,” he told the entire association
with a lopsided grin plastered on his face. They all fell for him just like that. He’d charmed
them all in only one statement and they erupted into subdued laughter at his antics.

“Excellent then, Mister Potter will be this year’s volunteer for the dunk tank game during the
annual spring carnival,” Headmaster Dumbledore announced while Harry made a show of fist
bumping.

Hermione couldn’t help herself from smiling at his antics. Another teacher joined in on the
fun and asked, “You seem very eager to take up that daunting assignment, Mister Potter, may
I ask why?”

“There’s a very high chance I’m most likely going to come straight from work so I’m not
going to pass up the chance to enjoy a good carnival and get a nice bath while I’m at it.”

She had to bite her cheek from joining in on everyone’s guffaws and simply watched Harry’s
drop dead sexy lopsided grin appear on his face again. He didn’t seem to revel in the
attention he was getting more than he was enjoying making everyone laugh. God, he was just
too cute for her heart to handle. Him and his son were going to be the death of her. Both of
them seemed designed to melt her heart.

The meeting dragged on for a bit more but Hermione didn’t mind it as she continued taking
in the man that was Edward’s father. He wasn’t shy like his son was and seemed committed
to charming everyone he met with either his humour or that stupid grin of his that made her
belly flutter. Would it really be so bad for her to try something with him?

How many times had she asked herself that question? Yes, it would be a bit bad and
unprofessional for her to solicit a student’s father for his affections. Regardless of the fact
that he was hot, a good father, a charming man, and was comfortable in his own skin, he was
still Edward’s father. That wasn’t going to change and she couldn’t allow herself to be swept
away by her attraction.
Even if Edward was going into fourth year next year and wouldn’t be with her ever again, it
was still odd for her to be dating his dad. And then there was the pressure of him wanting a
mummy and his dad needing a secure female presence in both of their lives. Hermione didn’t
feel like she couldn’t handle that pressure, it was just that she didn’t want to be a part of
something that didn’t work out especially when the consequences of that happening were so
dire.

Waiting until the summer break would easily circumvent the problem of dating one of her
student’s fathers but it would still be something that would garner a lot of unwanted attention
within the school. People, teachers and parents alike, would judge her. She would possibly
even lose her job because of it. All those things could happen so that meant it wasn’t worth it,
right?

Well, there was the possibility that no one would care. It was known to everyone that Harry
Potter was single just by his appearance by himself at the meeting and the fact that Edward’s
art project hung in the hallway showing him with only his father. Perhaps no one would be
appalled by her dating the boy’s dad. After all, the little one needed a mother figure and the
father wasn’t taken by anyone.

These were the same thoughts that ran through her head since the parent teacher conference.
Every day and night was a mental debate on whether or not she should try for Harry’s
affections. When she wasn’t debating, she was too busy doing other things to deal with her
single dad quandary. The man could never know about that fact or the fact that she was
completely entranced by the thought of calling him ‘Daddy’.

After the meeting ended and everyone began to leave, he was taking his time and making
sure to introduce himself to Edward’s future teachers as well as reintroduce himself to the
boy’s first and second year teachers. She herself was greeted by quite a few parents as well
but her thoughts and eyes were always tracking back to Harry. Half of her wanted him to
come over to talk to her while the other half warned her that she would probably
spontaneously combust if he did so.

The former half of her did end up getting what she wanted because he finished up with
almost all of the teachers before ambling over to her. The gracious and genuine smile he wore
on his face made her own one appear despite the fluttering in her belly. Her heart quickened
with every step he took towards her as the air began to be cut from the room until she could
barely breathe when he came to stand with her.

“Hey, Miss Hermione, come here often?” He opened with a joke that had her giggling despite
herself.

Somehow, she was able to engage him back in banter in spite of the butterflies in her
stomach. “As a matter of fact, Mister Potter, I do. One can even say I work here.” His
resulting laughter filled her with a rare type of happiness. She was able to make him laugh
and brighten his day. That meant so much to her.

“I thought I asked you to call me Harry, ma’am. You’re making me feel old with this ‘Mister
Potter’ business,” he continued laughingly bantering with her.
“Right, I’m sorry, I would imagine your job does enough to make you feel old without me
adding more to that.” Construction was both a good and terrible field for the body, if she
could say so herself. Harry definitely looked great but she just knew his body had aged a bit
in his occupation. Though, that older more mature blue collar look was also why he was such
a Daddy to her.

“You have no idea, Miss Hermione. And don’t forget raising a little miniature version of
myself who’s also going to be smarter than me in a few years.” The look in his eye softened
so damn much at the mention of his son that it made her nearly weep. He was so proud of his
little boy and was practically glowing at just the mention of him. It made him even hotter.
Wonderful, just bloody wonderful.

“How is Edward by the way?” Hermione just barely managed to ask over the dryness in her
throat, the heat pooling in her belly, and the rapid fire pounding of her heart. And wait, was
that Harry’s cologne she was smelling? Dear God, he was going to kill her.

“Oh he’s fine, doing better since that whole incident about him wanting a sibling and
mummy. He told me to ask you how you were liking your new snow globe too. He paid for it
with his own money, you know?” He winked at her conspiratorially at that bit and she
giggled again. The amount of laughing, smiling, and giggling she was doing reminded her of
when she was younger. Her cheeks were cramping up from it too.

“Tell him I absolutely love it. I have it on my study back at my flat and my cat seems to adore
it as well. Though, I can’t say I don’t feel a bit bad that Edward used his own money on a gift
for me.” She realised it probably sounded like she was subtly fishing for a compliment just
after the words were out of her mouth but didn’t care.

“Well, don’t feel bad. The most amazing teacher in the world deserves a little token of
appreciation for all the wonderful things she does. Thank you again, Miss Hermione, you’ve
truly been one of the brighter spots in Teddy’s life,” an earnest Harry said to her, his pupils
dilating completely with all of the affection he was looking at her with.

Okay, what was she supposed to say to that? There were lots of things she could do—like
jump into the man’s arms and kiss him until she couldn’t anymore—but there was nothing
she could say. Her brain was not working to form any words. Who even spoke English?
Certainly not her. The only thing she knew was that hearing those heartfelt words from Harry
made her want to jump his bones.

“Th-Thank you…Harry.” That was better than just undressing him with her eyes. She had to
keep talking or he would figure out that she was hot for him in the midst of all her colleagues
and the parents. What could she even say? Wait. “Teddy told me that you helped him pick out
the gift for me. I should…also thank you for that.”

A faint blush coloured the man’s cheeks as he reached up to sweep his hand through his
messy hair again. It must have been a little nervous tick he had when he was flustered but the
effect of it on her was…otherworldly. Hot was no longer the word to describe him. The man
was breaking the scale of attractiveness every time she met him. Hermione was so antsy at
the motion from him that she almost whimpered. Harry Potter was going to turn her into jelly.
“The little rascal disobeyed me. I specifically told him to say the gift was one he chose
because I wanted him to get all the credit. He must have had other plans.” He shook his head
at the antics of his son but it was clear that he was doing so out of fondness.

“If there’s one thing I know about Edward, it’s that he doesn’t back down from what he wants
and will do something if he feels it’s right. I wonder who he got that from?” She reflected the
fond look Harry was wearing and directed it at him as the feelings in her body calmed down a
little to give her a chance to speak.

“So he’s taken my stubbornness and is advanced for his age. God help me, Miss Hermione, I
can barely deal with myself, much less a younger version of me that is way more smart than
I’ve ever been.” His self deprecating humour pulled another giggle from her. She loved how
comfortable and confident he was to make fun of himself. Another thing that made him
scorchingly hot.

“I think you’re selling yourself short, Harry. Don’t think I don’t know that you construction
workers are a lot more than just muscles and brawn,” said Hermione with a wry smile on her
face.

Harry’s own cocky smile—damn, that was ridiculously hot—appeared before he said,
“Alright, you got me. I am a bit smarter than I look. How else do you think I’ve been keeping
up with Teddy?”

“Exactly, though you might not be wrong about him eventually passing you. I’d expect
you’re going to have your hands full with him as the years go by.”

“Sounds to me like keeping up with him will become a two person job.”

Hermione froze. Did Harry just…make a pass at her? It sounded like he did but maybe she
was reading too much into it. He was probably just being sarcastic again like his usual self-
deprecating self. Yeah, that was it. No way was he tactfully implying that he wanted her…
help…in keeping up with his son. It was just another joke from him and a way of
downplaying his wonderful parenting skills. That was it.

“Anyways, Miss Hermione, it was nice to meet you again. I’ve really got to get going now,
though,” he stretched out his hand for her to shake which she took almost too hastily,
“hopefully we see more of each other as I find time to get more involved with Teddy at
school. And I’ll see you at the carnival in a couple of months.”

“Of course, Harry, it was wonderful to talk to you again. I look forward to seeing more of you
too and I’m going to very much enjoy watching you get dunked during the carnival,”
Hermione replied, her lips stretched so wide that her cheeks started to burn.

The two of them exchanged goodbyes and some more smiles after that before he left her
alone to leave. At the exact second he turned his back to her and began walking away, her
eyes dropped straight to his rear. She was right. The way his jeans hugged that part of him
was heavenly. Shamelessly ogling him, the teacher only knew one thing.

She didn’t care any more about propriety. The more of Harry Potter that she got, the better.
 He just had to be there for every meeting in the months leading up to the carnival. She hoped
he would be. Hermione needed him to be. Nothing might ever happen between them but he
was too good of a man for her not to at least try to be friends with. They probably would
never date because of everything but it would be nice for her to keep in contact with him and
his son after the boy left her class.

Nothing was concrete yet in regard to the carnival as the planning had only just begun but, if
all worked out the way it ought to, Harry would be there helping in the months leading up to
and eventually volunteering at the event. He seemed so excited to be the victim of the dunk
tank as well that she just didn’t want anything to happen that would kill his plans.

Maybe her very real sexual attraction to Harry would fade with time but she knew that it
wasn’t just her being hot for him that made her genuinely like him. Because of that, she was
not going to pretend anymore and say that she was okay with only knowing him and Edward
for a year. She was going to stay in contact with the both of them when she could just to
make sure the little one wasn’t disappointed by her not being part of his life anymore and just
so she could have someone to at least call a friend.

Chapter End Notes

The carnival and dunk tank idea was made in discord as people kept adding to my
original idea of Single Dad Harry x Teacher Hermione. If you’re from the harmony
discord and you’re reading this, take some blame for this story on your way out.
 Opportunities
Chapter Summary

Hermione decides to wait for an opportunity to present itself only to see that happen
right away during the carnival.

Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes

The weeks went by easily after the first PTA meeting Harry had attended and he’d spent all
of them either trying to pick up some information on the wonderful Miss Hermione from his
son or making sure to interact with her as much as he could whenever the opportunity arose.
Teddy had showcased some of his perceptiveness after one too many questions from him and
asked why he had so much interest in his teacher but Harry had waved him off nonchalantly.

He didn’t think his boy would be able to figure out that he was trying to woo his teacher and
hoped he would never do so. Lord only knew he didn’t need the little one to be his wingman
lest the boy come clean directly to the woman herself and embarrass them both. This was a
job for the adult of the outfit. Hopefully, said adult wouldn’t screw the job up.

Teddy and him were back enjoying the weekend as they ate breakfast while watching a game
from the ongoing cricket World Cup. Harry was a genuine fan of the sport despite not having
played it since his younger days before custody of his godson was granted to him and he
started working construction. There was just no time to actually play the game outside of the
weekends where he was either too tired or where he had to do whatever his boy wanted. He
still loved the sport all the same.

Despite not asking for it, another piece of information about Hermione was granted to Harry
as the game went on to catch Teddy’s attention. “I think Miss Hermione has a shirt like that
but with her name and a number on it,” the boy noticed. The father’s interest was very much
piqued by that little fact and he quickly snatched up the opportunity to see what more he
could find out.

“Really? Do you know what colour it was or what flag was on it?” He carefully questioned
the child without sounding too desperate or eager.

“I didn’t see any flag, dad. And it was just a white shirt but it looked just like those ones on
the telly,” Teddy answered without looking as he took another spoonful of his cereal.

That was intriguing. Usually, when cricketers wore whites, it was because they were playing
another format of the game called test cricket. The format was a multiple day affair that had a
maximum limit of five days to determine a winner of the contest. Harry knew the uniforms
worn during matches of that nature never included numbers or names on the back so that
meant the shirt was either a football shirt or one that was potentially custom made.

“Are you sure it wasn’t a football shirt, mate?” He chanced a glance back to his son who
looked affronted that he would think the boy so dumb. It made him smile a bit. If it was one
thing the boy hated, it was when his words were questioned.

“No, we were supposed to dress down that day. I saw other kids and teachers wearing
football shirts and Miss Hermione’s did not look like any of those.” There was clear
aggression in the eight year old's voice and on his little face, earning an amused chuckle from
his dad.

“Alright, alright, bud,” Harry raised his hands in surrender with a grin, “I believe you. So
Miss Hermione likes cricket then?”

“Yes, she does. Just like you,” Teddy replied with a huff.

Now that was perfect. He could work with that. Maybe chat her up about her love for the
sport, talk shop with her about it if she ever played. It was a bit frustrating that he didn’t
know her favourite team because he wasn’t above pretending her favourite team was also his
if they didn’t have that in common but he had enough to work with. He had more than
enough actually. It was just a matter of not messing things up.

Being out of the dating game for so long to the point of not even having had sex in eight
years made him a nervous wreck. It had honestly been a miracle he was able to keep it
together during that first PTA meeting when he talked to Hermione. Then, it was even more
impressive that he’d slipped in a subtle suggestive line without giving away his intentions.

Repeating an interaction like that was surely going to be impossible. The woman was making
him feel like a shy teenager all over again. Everything about her just seemed to rattle his
nerves. Her beauty, her intelligence, her attitude, all of it. She was perfect and deserved a lot
of things that maybe he could give her. Harry definitely wanted to be the one to give her
everything she deserved.

Playing it cool for the rest of their interactions through the number of meetings before the
school carnival was his best bet of being the man who would give her what she needed. He
couldn’t reveal that he knew of her cricket fandom but he could very well drop hints about
his own love for the game so she would do so herself. Perhaps mention that he’d been
watching the World Cup or something like that. Nothing too crazy.

And yeah, he knew all of his planning made him look like a desperate mess but he didn’t
care. He was a bloody desperate mess. Almost everything was working against him. He had a
son who he very much loved but single women unless they had kids of their own were scared
away by that. He worked a job that made him very busy and tired which meant he would
rarely be free. The only thing that probably was in his favour was that he made good money.

Miss Hermione didn’t seem to care about any of that, though. She was very understanding
about his time because of his job, she definitely adored Teddy, and she didn’t give off the
impression of a woman who cared too much about the money her potential suitor made. Of
course, all her physical attributes and mental attributes were wonderful as well. He had hit the
jackpot.

She was the woman he was searching for. He was certain of it. Plus, he could kind of tell she
was attracted to him at the very least. Harry didn’t want to be too full of himself but he was
sure he caught her eyeing him up a few times when he wasn’t doing the same to her. The
more meetings he went to, the more proof of that he’d have.

Still, he couldn’t get ahead of himself. There was the chance that he was misreading
everything. What if she only adored Teddy because she only saw him for the duration of the
school day? That was a whole lot different than seeing him every day for nearly the
remainder of her life if she were to become his adopted mother. What if she didn’t have a
problem with his occupation because it didn’t impact her current relationship with him at all?

Those were very real questions to consider and Harry couldn’t think too far ahead until they
were either confirmed or denied. He wished dating wasn’t this damn complicated. He wished
so many people weren’t averse to the fact that he had a life where romance wasn’t necessarily
the top priority. His son and providing for him was tops for him.

“I think I want to learn how to play cricket now, dad. It looks really fun” Teddy’s voice drew
Harry out of his reverie to let him focus on him.

Just because he could, he teased the boy. “That’s great, buddy, but are you sure you just want
to play because it’s fun or because Miss Hermione likes it?” The cheeky smile on his face
was hidden behind his mug of coffee as he sipped on it.

Watching the little one attempt to glare at him nearly sent Harry into a fit of laughter. Had it
not been for the coffee in his mouth, he would have guffawed as the child looked at him with
an expression that tried so hard to be intimidating yet failed so miserably at it. He stayed
silent, though, and sipped on his coffee smoothly without any indication of his amusement.

“It does look fun, dad. I want to play because it looks fun,” Teddy vehemently protested to
his father who definitely didn’t believe him.

“Alright, bud. I’ll see about getting you a bat and ball then we can play in the yard, yeah?”
Harry offered like he was negotiating a peace treaty.

All of the child’s anger was forgotten right away at the mention of getting new toys. His face
lit up with joy, an expression that was far cuter than his angered one even though that one
was supremely adorable as well, and he began bouncing in his chair. There was no doubt in
the father’s mind, however, that the little one wanted to play so he could have more in
common with the teacher he was smitten with. He didn’t doubt that he thought it was fun,
though.

It was going to be good for the both of them as well. If Miss Hermione knew both he and his
son loved the game like she did, she would warm up even more to the idea of being part of
their family. Maybe it was probably wrong of him to want to use Teddy in that manner but he
was desperate. Plus, it wasn’t like he was actually using his son. He was just using the child’s
interests to finagle a way into his teacher’s heart.
More plans formed in Harry’s head as he lapsed into silence with his boy. During the next
PTA meeting, he would make mention of Teddy’s sudden interest in the sport to Hermione
while simultaneously talking about him watching the World Cup. It would probably be weird
or even stalker-ish for him to talk about the shirt she had so he wouldn’t say anything about
that. All he had to do was just bring the topic of the sport into play when she eventually asked
how his son was. From there, he would get a little bit closer to her.

———

As the months went by until she was now getting herself ready to leave for the school
carnival, Hermione found herself reflecting on the development of her friendship with Harry
Potter. She was glad to admit to herself that her decision to at least try to be friends with the
man had turned out wonderfully for the both of them. They had seen a lot of each other over
the last couple of months and had grown to learn a great many things about the other.

She was very pleasantly surprised to know that Harry seemed to share a lot of her interests
and some of those had been passed onto his son, Teddy. She’d started mentally referring to
Edward by the nickname his father had for him after having learnt so much about the two of
them that she was now greatly familiar with both of them outside of school. And a part of her
she didn’t want to acknowledge also enjoyed referring to the boy by his endearing name
because it was a symbol of her growing bond with him.

The more she’d learnt about both Harry and his boy, the more Hermione thought herself to be
a wonderful fit for their family. Combined with the fact that Teddy never seemed to stop his
admiration of her according to his dad, the question of whether she and the man should make
a go of a relationship was starting to have less reasons for her to say no,

That was really the only downside, or upside depending on how she looked at it, with her
growing friendship with Harry. They’d gotten really familiar with each other and had even
evolved to gently ribbing each other about little things just because they were that
comfortable in the other’s presence. It was nice but now Hermione was never not under
attack from the question of what would be so bad about her dating the father of one of her
students.

And really, she had no answer for that. She couldn’t very well find one bad reason anymore
in being with Harry Potter. They had a lot of the same interests but were still their own
people with different things that allowed them to play off of each other. He had a son who she
almost was starting to love as one of her own, especially now that she knew she’d been one
of his inspirations to get into playing cricket. They were friends who enjoyed being in each
other’s presence a whole lot.

Nothing was telling her straight to her face that pursuing a relationship with Teddy’s father
was bad. So she’d ended up conceding to the idea of letting things play their course.
Hermione wouldn’t outright deny or sabotage herself from being in a relationship with the
man should the opportunity arise but she also wouldn’t actively seek out that same
opportunity. If things were going to happen, they would happen.

Her concession had happened just over three weeks ago at the last meeting before the spring
carnival where Harry admitted to her that she’d been his first friend in a long time that he
actually had opportunities to spend time with. That had broken her heart so bad that she went
home and let a few tears fall for both the man and his son. Their first meeting during the
parent teacher conference had informed her that Teddy was lonely but it wasn’t until their
latest meeting that she realised he was just as lonely as the boy.

If she could be the cure for that loneliness, if fate had it in store for her to be able to rid the
two boys of their loneliness, Hermione was not going to mind at all. The only thing she had
to worry about was her own damn…desires…potentially scaring Harry off if they became
something more. Somehow, she just kind of felt that the guy would be taken aback by her…
willingness…to acknowledge his fatherly nature. That part was going to have to be kept
under wraps until it went away.

How long it would take for that desire to go away, she didn’t know. What she did know was
that she was a downright deviant who spent a lot of time taking care of herself at night to her
fantasies of calling Harry daddy. He could never know about that. It would be odd to him that
she wanted to call him that word while they were doing adult things. God, what was wrong
with her?

Shaking that thought from her head as she did a once over at herself through her mirror,
Hermione decided that she rather liked her outfit for the day. Harry hadn’t seen her in casual
clothes at all since they met and had somehow missed the opportunity when the school had a
dress down day a few weeks back as well. Teddy did tell him about the shirt she wore which
eventually led to them talking about their mutual love for the game as well as the boy’s
interest in it, though.

It wasn’t like she was now trying to seduce Harry with her outfit for the carnival today but
she wanted to look nice for him in an outfit that wasn’t her typical teacher uniform. She’d let
her hair down so the curls could hang freely, the weather had turned to be at a nice enough
temperature where she could wear a half sleeved floral sundress, and she’d ditched her
regular dress shoes for some trainers. The outfit was meant for comfort but she thought Harry
would appreciate how nice it looked on her as well. Especially because the dress matched the
colour of his eyes.

Okay, so maybe she did want to grab the man’s attention with her clothes but it wasn’t like
she was wearing anything skimpy or revealing. She just wanted to garner some of his
attention. Just make him do a double take at her and maybe have the realisation that, wow,
Miss Hermione could pull off an outfit that wasn’t dress pants and a button up shirt.
Hopefully, that happened.

Hermione exited her house some minutes later with all of her things before hailing a cab to
take her to the school. A teacher’s salary couldn’t afford her a car just yet and she usually
took the tube to work but today was a bit more special and it warranted her spending the extra
bit of cash to get there sooner even if she hadn’t done so in carnivals past.

A short ten minutes was all it took for the cabbie to bid her goodbye as he dropped her off at
the school. She figured she had to be the first to arrive with all of the other faculty but was
greeted by a number of parents already there with their children helping to make some final
preparations. Joining in right away after greeting everyone, she ended up offering to help
prepare the dunk tank just to make sure it was safe and ready for Harry.
Seeing her friend having to sit and wait before eventually being submerged in the tank was
going to be a riot. She knew how sassy and teasing he could be so it was definitely going to
be good for him to get a little bit of comeuppance. Knowing him too, he’d mock anyone who
couldn’t hit the target and dunk him. This was the one game she was most looking forward to
seeing. And the kids were going to love it too like they had in years past.

Everything was fully set up and ready to go by the time three in the afternoon rolled around.
The rest of the students along with their families began to arrive soon after. Some arrived
right away, some were a few minutes later, and Harry and Teddy hadn’t shown up with any of
them. Hermione expected that due to the demanding nature of his work and she had no
doubts he was going to show up eventually. Late seemed to be his version of ‘on time’.

She decided to greet the arriving students and their families while checking around to see
what games were catching the attention of the little ones. Naturally, like she expected, a good
set of children were eagerly poised in front of the dunk tank with looks of wonder on their
faces. They became heartbroken when they were told it hadn’t started yet but she was quick
to assure them that it would start soon.

“Miss Hermione, Miss Hermione,” a voice she recognised right away as belonging to Teddy
called out to her.

The teacher spun around quickly to be met with a little brown haired missile beelining right
towards her. He stopped short of her to give her a small wave and a shy smile. Her heart
melted as she took in the sight of him. His outfit was so cute with little shorts, a pair of
colourful trainers, and a junior England cricket team shirt. It took everything in her not to pull
him into a hug. She didn’t know if doing so would look odd and didn’t want to take the risk.

“Hey, Miss Hermione.” That voice could only belong to her student’s father. She broke her
eyes away from the child to bring them up to meet the man. “Sorry for being late again. I had
to yell at my boss to get here,” he joked at her but she didn’t even understand any of it.

Harry was right in front of her in nothing but swim shorts, a wife beater, and some flip flops.
He was carrying Teddy’s bookbag with him as well which was most likely stuffed with the
clothes he would change into once he was done entertaining the kids by being the dunk tank
dummy. But, Jesus Christ, the man looked good. She knew he obviously was going to be a bit
more on the muscular side because of his job but….damn.

“It’s…fine, we’re…erm…just getting started,” Hermione managed to say just to make it

seem like she wasn’t blatantly ogling Harry.

“Good to know,” he grinned at her and she almost jumped him right then and there with no
care, “let’s not keep the people from getting what they want.”

If only she could get what she wanted. Actually, it was what she needed. The Daddy in front
of her was a genuine need of hers. How could one man look so damn good? Teddy and him
shared a quick conversation, most likely with him explaining what he was going to be doing
while telling the boy to be safe or stick with her if he needed something, as she watched the
way his calves flexed when he stooped to his son’s level.
Then he bloody smiled at the boy before dropping a kiss on the side of his head. Hermione
swooned at the scene in front of her because there was just no damn way she could resist
doing so. And when the two of them fist bumped and Teddy went to look around by himself
afterwards, she almost took the opportunity to snog the living daylights out of the man. He
didn’t do anything too special yet she was feeling things in her lower belly that just weren’t…
innocent.

“Alright, Miss Hermione, let’s get this show on the road,” said Harry, plastering his signature
lopsided smile on his face that never failed to weaken her knees. “You’ll have to show me to
one of the school’s bathrooms afterwards when I get done so I can dry off and change, if you
don’t mind.”

“NO,” she shouted before collecting herself. “I mean, I don’t mind at all. I’m…err…I would
be happy to. Wouldn’t want you to get pneumonia.” Her laugh afterwards was weak and
forced but the teacher hoped she did a good job in hiding her excitement at getting some
alone time with the hot dad in front of her at some point during the afternoon.

He joined her in walking over to the dunk tank where the operator was waiting for him. Just
because she wanted to get a view of that tight arse of his in swim trunks, Hermione let him
walk ahead to greet the operator and shake the man’s hand. That investment provided a hefty
return, almost making her moan out loud from the way the shorts hugged that shapely bum of
his.

“Fuck,” she ended up whispering to herself as the coil in her tummy grew tighter. The word
just slipped from her mouth with the depraved thoughts running through her head. What
would it be like if she could just grab ahold of one of those taut cheeks while he was
pistoning into her? Fuck. She needed help.

“You alright there, Hermione?” Harry had finished going over the safety measure with the
operator and had turned back to stand in front of her. “Under the weather? You’re looking a
little flushed.”

“I’m not under the weather…” but I would love to be under you, she finished in her mind.
Clearing her throat to give herself some time to think, she eventually told him, “I’m fine, just
want to make sure this actually works. I mean, it has worked in years past but I wouldn't want
you to get hurt.”

“You’re cute, Miss Hermione, but it’s a half foot drop into water. I hardly think I’ll get hurt.”
He winked at her after that while patting her on the shoulder.

Had he just called her cute? Hermione couldn’t hear anything else from him after that word.
He thought she was cute. She hadn’t misheard him, right? Right? Harry had just said she was
cute. Oh, this was turning out to be the hardest day of her life. Not only was the hot Daddy
she had a crush on wearing an outfit that showed his lean muscled body off, he also had just
admitted that she was cute.

No movement was made by her afterwards when he went around to take his position on the
chair above the pool of water within the dunk tank. That one little word he’d just used to
describe her was left in her head and wasn’t going to leave anytime soon. She couldn’t tear
her eyes away from him as he sat down over the tank of water with the broadest of smiles on
his face but her mind was left so frazzled by him calling her cute that she didn’t even admire
him.

Only when a few of the kids started to excitedly come over to be the first ones at the game
did she manage to break out of her reverie. The little ones were teeming with excitement at
the opportunity to dunk Mister Potter who was waving at them joyfully. Hermione swore she
fell in love right at that moment. Her friend was so determined to put smiles on people’s faces
and was taking so much joy in seeing it happen. He was truly perfect.

“I think you should do the honours, Miss Hermione,” Harry nodded at her, “announce to
everyone that they can now try to dunk the dummy that is Mister Harry Potter.”

She did as she was told right away partly because something in her tingled at him telling her
what to do and partly because the request wasn’t unreasonable. He was waving to some of the
kids and Teddy when she stood with her back to him in front of the dunk tank to announce
the game’s opening. Following that, she explained the rules to everyone who wanted to try
along with how many attempts they would get for a certain price.

The rules were quite simple. Everyone had either two, five, or eight balls no bigger than a
regulation cricket ball that they had to throw at a target with enough force to trigger Harry’s
chair being pulled out from under him so he could be dropped into the tank. They had to
stand about six feet away from the big red target which made the task of dunking Harry a bit
more challenging to the children. An adult like her would be able to get him quite easily but
she was going to have mercy on him by not attempting to dunk him at all.

“Alright, who’s up first? Let’s see what you’ve got, little Miss,” he greeted a second yearer
who shyly waved at him when she stepped up to throw. Hermione swooned again when he
waved back at the girl. “Take your time and try to hit the target, ma’am. I just got home from
work and I really need a bath.”

Chuckles from everyone gathered around including her rang out at the self deprecating joke
from Harry. She couldn’t stop herself from fawning over him, though. The whole afternoon
was going to be like this. Her heart was going to melt and her belly would flutter with desire
the whole way through because of Teddy’s father. The man was designed to make her knees
weak and her body aroused.

Unfortunately, the little girl hadn’t been able to hit the target with enough force to trigger the
movement of Harry's chair after managing to only hit her mark once. She was a good sport
about it, however, as the man encouraged and waved at her. He was a natural at handling
children. It wasn’t surprising but it was definitely heartwarming. It made her want to be with
him that much more.

One of Teddy’s classmates stepped up next to take his chances. Harry was just as kind and
encouraging to the boy like he was to the little girl before him but knew he could be a little
more teasing to the slightly older third yearer. And when the boy failed to dunk him, he made
sure to show her the sassy side of himself that she had to admit she loved.
“Tough luck, mate. Looks like no bath for me again, I’m kind of disappointed,” he quipped at
the child who vowed to return and get him back.

On and on it went with each child from both younger as well as older years than Teddy taking
a shot at trying to dunk Harry. He knew just what to say to all of them. The younger years
were a bit more sensitive so he couldn’t rib them as much but the older years could handle his
little jests. Teddy caught a good brunt of his dad’s humour when he stepped up just because
the man knew he could mess around with his boy.

“Alright, buddy, we’ve played enough cricket in the yard where this should be easy for you.
Now why don’t you go ahead and try to dunk your old man?” Harry teased right away when
he saw his son getting ready to throw the five balls he’d gotten. After the first miss, he was
ready with another joke. “That was just a warm up, right? I know you can do better than that,
mate.”

Teddy was getting annoyed by the sarcasm and laughter from his father, Hermione could tell.
It ended up throwing him off his game as he missed his next two attempts. His dad had a field
day with that. “Don’t feel bad, kiddo, but we definitely have to play some more in the
backyard to work on your throwing.” More laughter from both the man as well as the
spectators around came while the eight year old hugged in frustration.

Not wanting to let Teddy see her giggling at him, Hermione bit her cheek to keep from doing
so and turned to Harry who was having the time of his life. Everyone was loving him. She
was falling in love with him. Her own little fond smile remained etched on her face for the
rest of the way through as the target proved hard for the children to hit and trigger.

His jokes made her giggle and her smile never left her face as she stared at him. Maybe she
would have to take the opportunity to date him. She would have to actively seek out that
opportunity. The feelings in her heart were telling her that she needed to try to be something
more than just friends with the wonderful man in front of her. The man who made her smile
so damn much and made her heart melt.

“Alright, kiddos. It’s been a while and I haven’t been dunked once, yeah? Do we really want
Mister Potter to be smelly for the rest of the night? Is there no one who can give me my
bath?” He teased every child who’d tried to dunk him.

Most of the little ones huffed at him but there were a few, specifically the younger ones, who
were completely enamoured with his charm. The first and second yearers were all laughing
joyfully at his little quips. They’d become smitten with him just like some of the adults, both
mums and dads who were shaking their heads in amusement. There were also a few women
eyeing him up as well, much to Hermione’s displeasure.

“Miss Hermione can!” Teddy yelled over the commotion. Everyone went silent as all eyes
turned to her. “Miss Hermione’s the best, she can do it. She can do anything.” The boy
doubled down on his announcement before looking up at her with an evil smile that she’d
seen on his father’s face before. Like father, like son.

“Edward…I don’t think…” She tried to decline but was swiftly interrupted by a horde of
children who were begging her to dunk Mister Potter.
All of the little ones were gathered around her with puppy dog eyes in their pleas to finally
shut Harry up. There was no way out for her so Hermione knew she had to give the kids what
they wanted but purposely throw bad. She didn’t want to be the first to dunk Harry but didn’t
want to disappoint the kids either. It would be better for one of them to do it, in her mind.

So it was with that plan that she stepped up to throw her five balls. The challenge was
pitifully easy for her because of her background in playing cricket for her school team during
her uni days as well. She hadn’t gotten a chance to tell Harry about her playing days or that
she’d once won an inter school tournament as a player. If he didn’t figure out that she was
purposefully missing, she’d reveal that bit to him.

Her first throw was met with a slight chuckle from him which she had to fight herself to
ignore. She hadn’t even come close to the target and his cocky smile was almost making her
want to wipe it right off his face. Resisting that urge, Hermione threw her second ball just as
weakly as the first one. This time, Harry had something to say.

“Sheesh, Miss Hermione, and here I thought you’d finally be the one to dunk me,” he
sarcastically said to her, testing every last bit of her self control.

Pointedly ignoring him for his own sake, the teacher winded up her next throw and missed
again. She had to keep telling herself that it was better for one of the kids to do it because it
would be more rewarding for them but, urghh, Harry Potter was getting on her nerves. His
booming laughter made her blood boil and filled her with the primal urge to just shut him up
completely.

“Well, now I know why you became a teacher,” their eyes met so she could see the utterly
mischievous gleam in those emerald orbs, “your options were very limited, Miss Hermione.
It’s a good thing you’re very smart and nice because you need all you can get with those
spaghetti arms.”

That did it. Any thought about sparing the git was well and truly out of her mind after that
particular rib. She could see the immediate moment Harry realised he’d gone too far when
she gave him a sickly sweet smile then decided to step back a few more feet for good
measure. His face showed his fear plainly when he noticed the dark look in her eyes.

She wasn’t upset at all and hadn’t taken offence. A lesson needed to be taught, however.
Hermione continued giving him a wicked smile that promised consequences for him running
his mouth off while he paled at her. She didn’t say a word to him and let her eyes do the
talking. They told him all he needed to know. It was time to shut up.

Hermione lined up her target easily like she was aiming for the wicket on a cricket pitch with
everyone waiting with bated breath for her to throw. She winded up her throw much more
fluidly than she did the previous two times then absolutely rocketed her ball into the target
ten feet away from her before Harry could blink. He let out a girlish yelp as the chair was
pulled out from under him.

Everyone erupted into raucous cheers and then chanted ‘Miss Hermione’ in joy at the sight of
Mister Potter getting his comeuppance. She joined them in cheering before they started to
laugh at Harry who’d finally climbed his way back onto his chair. He put on a fake sad look
on his face as the children teased and laughed at him but she could tell he was loving it. And
it made her fall that much more in love with him.

God, it felt like every second she had was another second spent falling more in love with the
man. His attention came back to her after the kids’ laughter died down and he shot her a
subtle wink along with a look that said he was impressed by that showing. Hermione decided
to keep the fun going.

“Mister Potter, I still have two more throws left,” she playfully announced.

Another round of cheers erupted from the students while Harry made a show of being afraid.
He played his part well as the villain and she got to be the heroine who saved the day. They
worked well together and somewhere in the back of her mind, she figured it wouldn’t take
much for them to be in a relationship while parenting Teddy.

After she dunked him two more times to the delight of everyone, Hermione realised just how
grave of a mistake she made. Nothing was wrong with Harry but his outfit had now changed.
He was wet from head to toe with his clothes clinging to him, accentuating his perfect body.
His wife beater stuck to him like a second skin and allowed his abs to print through the
material along with his defined pectorals.

It was like the oxygen had been sucked out of her lungs completely as she forgot to breathe.
Before being dunked, Harry was cute. Now, he was sexy as sin. She was seeing just how
blessed the man was. The way the water dripped off his soaked hair made her almost drool
but it was nothing compared to the sight of his muscles glistening under the afternoon sun.
She was definitely going to have some tantalising material for her nightly self care session.

Fire was lapping at her skin. Everywhere on her body tingled and she just couldn’t tear her
eyes away from Harry. She dropped her gaze down to his waist then to his legs where she
found his trunks wrapped tightly around his large thighs. Fit wasn’t even the word to describe
him. Other men were fit, this man was something more. He was sculpted by the Greek Gods
for the sole purpose of being sex on a stick.

What she wouldn’t give to feel all those muscles under her hands. What she wouldn’t give to
have his body on top of hers. Her legs wrapped around his waist, her arms around his neck,
his…oh goodness, she needed help. It had been so long since she had a partner and the desire
that was burning through her like wildfire was reflecting that. Only one thing could sate her
desire at this point.

The novelty of the dunk tank eventually wore off a half hour after she’d succeeded in
dropping Harry into the pool. With the sun having finally set and the temperature becoming
chilly, it was decided that it was best to close the game down. No one complained about it at
all as it was clear that Mister Potter was beginning to shiver. He stepped out—Hermione had
to bite back her needy moan at seeing his full wet body—to applause as well as hugs from
some of the children who thanked him for being their dummy.

“My pleasure, seriously, this was fun and I’m glad everyone enjoyed it,” he told them all
without a trace of dishonesty in his voice.
As he turned to approach her, however, the teacher began to panic. There was literally
nothing save for her own inhibitions that was stopping her from pulling him into a deep kiss.
Her body was burning with the desire to just wrap herself around him and thoroughly snog
the sense out of him. It was irresistible but she had to hold herself back. She had to.

“Think you can show me where the loo in the school is, Miss Hermione?”

How could she even refuse him? When he looked at her with those bright green eyes and that
stupid lopsided smile that made her knees weak, she couldn’t do anything but whatever he
wanted. But following him to the loo so he could get changed and dry himself off was a sure
fire way of destroying her already weak self control. The thought of being that close to him
while he took his clothes off…no. No. She could not think like that.

“Yes, Harry, I’ll…err…show you.” Fuck. So much for trying to refuse him.

He walked behind her when she chose to lead the way instead of walking beside him. The
less she saw of him in his current state, the better. He had dried off a bit just from the wind
but that only made him look more hot. Especially with his messy hair now damp instead of
soaked. There was just no way she would be able to curb herself from acting on her desires if
she saw more of him.

They made it to a bathroom on the first floor quickly enough before she made it a point to
hurriedly usher him into the room without looking. It definitely caught his attention because
she made no attempt at subtlety but she didn’t care. He was not good for her health. And she
needed to see him back in normal clothes and dry soon.

A debate began in her mind as she had the thought of just bolting back into the carnival to
leave Harry alone just to save herself from potentially doing something stupid. Before she
could come to a decision on that, though, the man’s voice sounded from behind the door.

“You know? I thought I wouldn’t even need to dry myself off and get changed from the way
things were going. Guess I shouldn’t have riled you up,” he joked from behind the door.

Deciding to engage him in banter just to take her mind off the dirty fantasies she was having
of him, she replied, “You shouldn’t have. You’ll quickly learn, Mister Potter, that I don’t do
mockery of any kind.”

“Do you at least do coffee?”

There simply was no way to describe how much those words shocked her. All she knew was
that her brain had lost its ability to do anything except keep her alive.

“P-Pardon…me?” Hermione squeaked out.

Harry stepped out of the bathroom in nothing but his jeans a second later while toweling off
his hair. If her mind hadn’t already been vaporised by his offer just now, it definitely would
have been at the sight in front of her. Was that a bloody eight pack? And a tattoo on his pec?
What the actual fuck? She had to run away. Run as far away as she could. Why wasn’t she
running?
 “Do you want to get a coffee with me sometime or perhaps dinner, Miss Hermione?”

So she had heard him right. He was asking her out. Mister Potter wanted to take her out on a
date. Oh dear God. She was completely spellbound at the image in front of her and couldn’t
even think of something to say. It was like her ability to speak departed her. Her mind was so
infatuated in devouring every inch of the body in front of her that it stopped caring about any
of her other abilities.

“Right, probably should have put my shirt on before I came out. Sorry about that.” His
apology followed by him finally covering up was enough to allow some of her faculties to
return. Some. “I hope I didn’t make you uncomfortable just now and I promise it wasn’t my
intention to come out shirtless like that to seduce you or anything.”

“It’s…fine,” said Hermione, not knowing what exactly she was saving. Whatever came to her
mind seemed like the best thing to say.

“Good, sorry about that again but I want to be clear that I’m being serious about taking you
out for a date, ma’am.” He was blushing at her now while trying not to meet her eyes and
raking his hand through his still damp hair. The faculties that just came back to her
disappeared yet again. Though, she could still speak.

“You…” she had to use every last bit of the two brain cells left in her mind to find the next
words, “…want to take me out?” Good. That at least sounded like something a sensible
human would say.

“Well, yeah. I’ve been actually wanting to do so for a while but I didn’t say anything for
some really stupid reasons now in hindsight,” he quickly answered her. Even though he was
blushing and clearly anxious, he was confident in at least asking her out.

“Are you sure?” That was a dumb question to ask, she immediately realised.

“Absolutely, Hermione. I could tell you why I’m sure but I’d rather do that over coffee or
dinner.”

The opportunity that she said she would take was now right in front of her. Her good sense
finally came back to her to remember that fact. Harry was asking her out just like she wanted.
She hadn’t chased the opportunity to be something more with him than just friends, it just
came to her. It was what she wanted. And she had told herself she wasn’t going to deny it if it
came to her. That wasn’t a lie.

“So what do you say, Miss Hermione? Would you like to go on a date with me?” Harry asked
her again as nervously as ever despite it not showing in his voice or his words.

This time, though, she had an answer for him.

“I would love to, Mister Potter.”

Chapter End Notes

There was so much I wanted to pack into this chapter but the word count came to 7500
words. That means I have to go into the next chapter which will come a lot sooner than
this one.
 Whatever Will Happen
Chapter Summary

Harry and Hermione give into the notion that whatever may come will come anyway no
matter what they do.

Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes

“I would love to, Mister Potter.”

Alright, just be cool. Be cool, Potter, Harry silently told himself when he heard those words
that were now automatically the best words ever created, written, heard, and spoken. He
wanted to jump high into the air and pump his fist like he’d just scored a double century in a
test match but managed to refrain from doing so. Fucking up now would be worse than
getting shot through the heart.

“But…” Hermione began right before he stopped paying attention to her because the word
‘but’ usually meant nothing good was following it up.

Why was there a but? What was she thinking? She’d just said that she would love to go out
with him but now was telling him that she couldn’t. So she wanted to go out with him but
couldn’t? What the fuck? He hadn’t even messed things up and yet nothing worked out for
him. All of his successful plans meant nothing even if she conceded that she would have
liked to go out with him.

“Oh Harry, please relax.” Her harmonic voice brought him out of his misery to let him focus
back on her smiling face. Then, she did something totally unexpected and wrapped her arms
around his neck to bring them closer together. “I knew you would take that the wrong way,”
she giggled, “no bloke ever wants to hear that word after a woman agrees to be with them.”

Wait. 'Be with them'? That didn't just sound like a coffee date.

“I'm sorry, um, what?" God, it was like being a teenager again. Harry was properly flustered.
Okay, okay, okay. He just had to hear her out. Actually listening would be a good place to
start.

“Well, if you had bothered to listen instead of assuming all the wrong things, you would have
heard me say that I think we should wait a bit until the end of term to really make a go of it,”
Hermione informed him in that same loving voice that sounded better than any music he’d
ever heard before.
Wait a bloody minute. He was still comprehending what she just said a minute ago. She’d
agreed to be with him? Oh God, she did. Hermione had just basically admitted that she had
agreed to be with him. And now, 'really make a go of it?' She was already thinking about the
long term. It wasn’t just a ‘yes’ from her. It was a ‘hell yes’. Bloody fucking hell. He couldn’t
panic or fuck up now.

“Oh,” he dumbly replied. Heh, he’d worked himself up for nothing.

“Yes, Harry. I just don’t particularly like the attention it would bring to us if people were to
find out that you and I were dating while your son is in my class. It’s better if he moves onto
the next class then we start something.”

He’d had that thought before as well. It probably wouldn’t go over well to the faculty or the
parents of other students if they found out Miss Hermione had started up a relationship with
Teddy’s dad. It was one thing if they’d already been established as a couple before the boy
was in her class but it was a whole different situation if they became a couple having never
met each other before until his son joined her class. Questions of bias and whatever else
would arise.

But Harry didn’t think he could wait to be with Hermione. The end of term was just over two
and a half months away but that just seemed like too much time. What if she lost interest?
What if something happened to both of them? He didn’t want to take any of those risks. She
was so close to being his that he felt like he would die if he was forced to wait just a few
months more to finally make that happen.

“I was thinking of that too, which was why I didn’t do this sooner, but…have you considered
that maybe no one has to know?” Harry attempted to reason with her as a weak placating
smile crossed his features.

Hermione didn’t seem to be annoyed at him questioning her—thank goodness—but it looked

like she wasn’t about to move from her position. “Yes, but it’s risky. With Edward in the mix,
there’s no telling if he would end up inadvertently revealing that his dad is dating me to
anyone.”

“He’s a very understanding boy. If I tell him to keep it a secret for the both of us, he would do
it without question. Especially, too, if he knows that him saying something could ruin it for
all of us.” He was getting desperate now but he’d been desperate the entire time he’d known
this damn woman. She had a hold over him that made him senseless even though he quite
enjoyed it.

Still, Hermione didn’t look like she was budging. She told him, “I don’t know, Harry. I just
don’t want to take the risk of anyone finding out about us and then having things to say about
me playing favourites with Teddy because of you or that I seduced you or just whatever
unkind things they would say.”

Harry didn’t miss the way she’d just unconsciously called his son by his nickname. He knew
right away that it meant she was growing more attached and familiar with the boy.
Everything was falling into place. Everything except her not backing down from wanting to
wait. He didn’t want to be too pushy but, arghh, he needed this bloody woman now. A mess
of desperation and utter need, he was.

“They won’t say anything if they don’t find out,” she went to say something in response
again but he shot her a serious look to keep her quiet, “I don’t want to force you or be too
pushy, Hermione, but I just don’t think I can wait to really be with you. We’re friends but
I’ve been wanting to be more since I laid eyes on you and I can’t wait anymore now that I
know you feel the same.”

“But Harry, people will talk if they find out.” This time, her protest was weaker. He was
getting somewhere.

“Then I’ll make sure they never find out. I won’t even tell Teddy what I’m doing when I’m
going out with you if that’s what it takes,” Harry jokingly said, though he meant every word.
Whatever it took to be with her was what he was going to do. “And you talked about the risks
of us being together now but what about the risks of us waiting? What if something happened
to both of us, God forbid? What if something gets in between us?”

“If those things are going to happen, they’ll happen. Nothing we do can change that.” More
progress was being made. Everything Hermione said was getting weaker now and less
adamant.

“Then I’d rather those things happen with you and I together than not.” Oh, that was a good
response. How’d he pull that one out? The reaction from her told him that he’d just landed a
critical blow to her argument. He had to press on. “I don’t care if those things are supposed to
happen, I hope they don’t but if they do, I’d want to be with you when they do come. I’d like
to spend as much time as possible being with you before anything happens.”

“Oh Harry.” She beamed at him. That was good. That was brilliant, actually. He was on the
verge of winning this. On the verge of winning her over.

“I’m serious, Miss Hermione,” he passionately declared as he slipped his hands around her
waist. “I don’t care if I spend a week, a month, or a year before whatever needs to happen,
happens. As long as I get the chance to be with you before it, for however long we have, I’ll
be happy.”

Shit. Tears were in her eyes now. Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck. Damn it. He’d fucked up by
pushing her too hard and now she was crying because he wouldn’t take no for an answer.
God, he was always fucking things up. Couldn’t do anything right. The best opportunity he
had of being with Hermione was now squandered because he was an impatient bastard.
Fucking hell. Wait, why was she pulling his head down?

Whatever thought Harry had left in his mind was promptly turned to dust when her lips met
his. He froze in place at the pillowy softness of her lips pressing against his before the one
remaining brain cell in his head alerted him to the fact that she was kissing him. SHE WAS
KISSING HIM. Oh hell, this was the best thing ever.

Miss Hermione was kissing him. Like actually pressing her mouth against his. Harry smiled
into the kiss, his lips curling up against hers as he let himself melt into it completely. She
tasted so sweet, like cherries, and her lips just fit with his. They didn’t go too far and made
sure to keep the lip lock as chaste as possible but that was more than enough.

Both of them pulled back at the same time as they breathed heavily from the need for oxygen.
That was their first kiss ever but he was going to make sure it wasn’t going to be the last. Not
by a long shot. If every time their lips met would feel like that, there was just no possible way
he’d be satisfied by feeling it just once. Nope.

“I would…really like to do that more often,” Harry quipped with a goofy smile on his face.

“So would I, Mister Potter.” Hermione gave him a look that was the epitome of saucy. He’d
never seen that from her before it was ridiculously hot. Who knew she could transform into
such a sexy minx?

“You…err…kissed me.” He was trying to say something. What was it? There was some
meaning he thought was behind the kiss. If only his brain could work.

Musical laughter from Hermione drew his attention back to her and away from what he was
trying to get at. “I did, Harry. And it was everything I thought it would be.”

The question he wanted to ask her came to him immediately after her words. “So does that
mean you don’t want to wait anymore?” He couldn’t keep the desperate hope out of his
voice.

“I don’t but we’ll have to be careful around everyone from the school.” Whatever else she
had to say afterwards was lost to Harry from the pure joy that came over him. Her mouth was
moving but he didn’t care as he began to burst with excitement.

Overjoyed as he was from her decision, he picked her up and began to spin her around while
cheering like a madman. She burst into giggles at his antics and he swore he’d never enjoyed
a sweeter moment before save for the first time Teddy walked to him along with the first time
the boy called him dad. Those moments were amazing back then and this moment now was
just as amazing. Life was feeling perfect now.

———

By the time the next weekend rolled around, Hermione found herself standing in the same
position she was last Saturday. She was in front of the mirror inspecting herself and
wondering if her outfit looked good enough for her plans for the night. Everything needed to
be perfect for her date with Harry.

He’d done such a brilliant job of convincing her not to wait to really make a go of it and now
she felt like she owed him a reward with both her outfit as well as her actions that were going
to show she was all in with him. The man had such a way of breaking her walls down to
make her so weak for him that it was almost uncanny.

It was like he’d known her for her whole life. Like he knew what he needed to do and say to
get through to her. And it was scary but also…nice. It was nice to be seen and understood by
anyone really but more so by him. It was nice for him to address all her concerns about their
relationship and offer her solutions at every turn.

Truthfully, though, she knew her defence was weak when it came to the idea of being with
him as soon as possible. Hermione had known that it wouldn’t have taken much for him to
convince her to make a go of it with him right away. All she needed were a few good reasons
from him as to why they should do it and that was all it was going to take.

She was desperate like him too. Her own concession to keep him in her life as a friend had
played out perfectly through all of the PTA meetings and then the carnival last weekend but
she was foolish to believe that her feelings for him would stay dormant during that time. A
part of her perhaps believed that the more she learned about Harry, the less her interest in him
would be.

The opposite effect happened instead. Everything she learnt about Harry had only made her
fall more in love with him. Her feelings had grown. They hadn't evolved because they’d
always been like that but they had definitely grown to where she eventually accepted that she
would take the opportunity to date him if it ever came around.

Then that opportunity came around immediately. It was Harry who brought it with him when
he asked her out. She had been quick to accept it but the feeling of being so out of control
when it came to her feelings led her to try to regain some of it by compromising with him on
when they would actually start dating. It was her way of having the security that she knew
what she was doing.

But it wasn’t like she was willing to wait just for the sake of being in control of herself. Her
reasons for doing so were very real. Those concerns she had, she felt, were very real. People
would talk if they found out. The two of them would be the centre of gossip within the
school. Parents would wonder if she was fit to be a teacher because of her involvement with
one of her students’ fathers.

Those worries had played no small part in guiding her to try to hold off on her desires even
though they were pretty easily solvable now in retrospect. Harry had laid those worries to rest
with ridiculous ease but it wasn’t like she wasn’t already looking for any reason to do away
with them. Indeed she just needed a little push to finally tell herself to hell with all of her
concerns.

And when Harry so easily declared to her that he couldn’t wait anymore because he didn’t
know what life held for him and wanted to spend as much time as possible with her, she took
the leap. It was the most impulsive thing Hermione had ever done in all her years but it felt
right. She was taking the plunge into dating her student’s dad and she wasn’t regretting it.

Whatever was going to happen would happen. That was the mantra she lived by for her
whole life. It obviously didn’t mean that she would put herself in bad situations or just not
care enough to prevent something from happening if it could be prevented but it meant that
she wouldn’t overwhelm herself with concerns about everything.

Harry had mentioned as well that he had the same thoughts she did about people finding out
about them but decided that he wasn’t going to care about them anymore. Hermione thought
she could stand to learn something from him because of that. And it did wonders for her
confidence to know that he had his own concerns but decided that she was worth it over
them.

To him, she was worth it. He wanted to be with her right away regardless of anyone else.
How could she refuse him after that? He had been persistent in trying to get her to move off
her compromise, yes, but it came from a wonderful place. It came from him believing that
even a second longer without her was not worth it. Especially now that he knew his feelings
were reciprocated by her.

Now she was going on a date with him. All was right in the world. They both were getting
what they wanted and they were going to make a go of being with each other. Things were
perfect. Nothing could ruin this night. Hermione hoped nothing would try to ruin this night.

Inspecting her outfit once more, the teacher thought she hit the perfect blend of seductive but
elegant. Harry hadn’t told her the exact plans for their date but he did say they would be
grabbing dinner and said that he was going to do his best to dress up for her in his typical
self-deprecating manner. She couldn’t wait to see what he’d chosen to wear.

Her own outfit was a beige sundress that went down to just above her knees with spaghetti
straps, some sandals, and a denim jacket just to keep her warm if the weather turned chilly
during the night. She hadn’t wanted to wear anything too casual like jeans and a sweater but
hadn’t wanted to wear something too fancy. Hopefully, she’d struck the middle ground
between those two. She thought she did.

And the neckline of her dress also hinted at some cleavage which was sure to get Harry’s
eyes. He had looked at her in mild attraction, he’d looked at her with fondness, and with
affection but now she wanted to see him look at her like he wanted to devour her. What
Hermione desperately needed was to see him look at her the same way she’d shamelessly
looked at him during the carnival as well the PTA meetings before it when he wasn’t looking
at her.

Knocking on her door startled her for a quick moment as she slipped her sandals on but the
surprise gave way to excitement in an instant. Glancing at her clock, Hermione saw that it
was five o’clock on the dot. Harry had shown up right on time. He’d been late for so many
things over the course of her knowing him but wasn’t late today. That little bit of knowledge
meant something to her.

Only bare seconds passed before she was in front of the door and opening it to see her date.
She swung it open eagerly to reveal him to her eyes and was greeted by his nervous but
nonetheless beaming face. He looked like a kid hopped up on sugar with the way his body
seemed to vibrate with excitement but still had the appearance of a ruggedly handsome man.
The perfect combination of cute and sexy.

And don’t get her started on his outfit. He’d elected to wear a dark green button up shirt, a
brown corduroy racer jacket, some dark navy jeans, and a pair of what looked like brand new
boots. His eternally messy hair showed some attempts of him trying to tame it before he gave
up on it and just let it be. Sex on a stick was no longer as accurate a description of him. He
was sex incarnate.
“Wow…” Harry snapped her out of her blatant eye fucking of him, “…you look…err…I
really want to say something other than just beautiful but I don’t know that many words.”

His typical humour drew a fond giggle from her before she surprised herself momentarily
with her own forwardness when she threw her arms around his neck to hug him. “You don’t
look too bad yourself, Harry.”

He blushed at her and tried to look away so she couldn’t see it to no avail. They were too
close to each other for her not to see the way his cheeks coloured on his clean shaven face.
He’d shaved for her too. That wasn’t lost on her. She had liked his beard but the look he now
sported allowed her to see his cute little blushes in so much more detail. And Hermione loved
that she could so clearly see the effect she had on him.

“Oh me? I…err…” he cleared his throat, “…I’m nothing compared to you. This is just the
nicest outfit I had in my closet. I mean, I wanted to wear a suit and take you out somewhere
nicer but I haven’t worn one since my last school dance and couldn’t buy one in time when I
realised I actually managed to get a date with you and…I’m going to stop rambling now
because that sounds bad.”

God, this man was too cute. His flustered rambling only made her heart melt so much more
for him. She couldn’t believe that this man who was a single dad—and doing an admirable
job of it—could be so nervous at the thought of just going out with someone. It was
heartwarming and a testament to how much he wanted to be with her. His anxiousness was
just a product of him not wanting to mess up.

“You are too cute, Harry Potter.” Hermione leaned in and pressed a kiss to his smooth cheek
with her words, smiling against the skin afterwards. “And we could always go somewhere
more extravagant next time.”

She knew exactly what she was doing with that subtle hint drop. Her only hope was that the
bloke wasn’t too nervous or daft to actually pick up on it. Thankfully, he wasn’t. “Yeah…wait
what now? There’s going to be a-a next t-time?”

“I don’t see why not,” was all the teacher said before disentangling herself from him and
turning to get her purse.

As she gathered her keys as well as made sure everything she needed was in her purse,
Harry’s barely audible celebratory cry of ‘yes’ rang out to her. Her lips quirked up at his
antics and she turned back to him so they could leave. He was still beaming at her but less
nervously than before. Now that he knew he had nothing to worry about from her end, he was
calmer.

They left her flat then entered his car—he’d clearly washed it for the date because she saw no
dust or dirt on it—a minute later before he pulled off into the street on his way to the
restaurant. Along the way there, she made idle conversation with him about the vehicle along
with what Teddy was doing for the night. Part of her did feel a bit bad for making the little
boy be without his dad for the night but she told herself it was only for a little while.
Besides, if things went well, the three of them wouldn’t have to worry about him joining
them whenever they wanted to take him out with them. These first few dates between her and
his dad were just for them to get to know each other. Teddy would have to stay with his uncle
Ron and aunt Susan until she and Harry were sure things were going to progress.

Things were definitely going to progress between the two of them. Hermione was sure of it.
Harry was sure of it too, she knew, but didn’t want to seem like he was getting ahead of
himself. They just had to get some things out of the way before they could really commit to
each other. As sure as they were about their relationship, it didn’t hurt for them to progress
through it normally.

The restaurant he’d decided to take her to was beautiful. She honestly had no clue how he
could think such a place wasn’t nice or that he could have done better on such short notice.
He was too sweet and modest to a fault. This night wasn’t going to pass without her letting
him know that he’d done wonderfully.

“This place is nice, Harry,” she whispered to him after he held the car door open for her to
exit.

A smile enough to outshine the moon graced the man’s features and Hermione was certain
she’d never seen a more gratifying sight. She stood in front of him after he closed the door
then leaned up to brush her lips on his cheek again while letting them linger there for a bit
longer.

“Don’t be too hard on yourself, Mister Potter, this date is already amazing for me,” a genuine
Hermione told him with her lips tantalizingly close to his ear.

Harry hummed at her, frantically nodding his head as he did so, and let her break away from
him so he could take her hand in his much larger one to guide her to the restaurant doors. She
found herself noticing all the minute details of him again like she was doing so for the first
time. But technically, this was the first time she was noticing them up close like this without
having to hide it from him.

When she’d first met him, she’d equated him to an actor or model. That seemed like an
insult. Actors and models were not naturally attractive like Harry in the sense that they used a
lot of products or accouterments to accentuate their looks. The man next to her looked like he
only applied a bit of cream to his skin and maybe a dash of something to his hair along with
some cologne for scent. That was it.

She let her brain be fully immersed in just admiring him while he guided her along. It felt
nice to know that she could do nothing but stare at him and trust that he wouldn’t lead her
astray as her body went into autopilot. She didn’t have to think or make decisions with him
because she trusted him that much to let her overactive mind basically only do one task.

And that task was simple. Hermione let her eyes trace the sharp contours of his jawline that
looked like Michelangelo carved it from marble, she felt her tongue lick her lips when she
saw his adam’s apple bob within his throat, her hand reflexively squeezed around his to
capture every little callus and roughened edges around it. Her sole purpose at the moment
was to mark down every bit of Harry she could get her eyes and hands on.
Whatever exchange happened between him and the attendant handling seating ended with
them being led to a table by the window where she could see outside into the bustling streets.
She hadn’t paid much attention to anything afterwards until he pulled out her chair for her, sat
her down, then moved his chair around the table so they could be closer. That small gesture
did enough to make her want to jump his bones.

“I just wanted to be closer,” he sheepishly told her as if she bloody minded him moving his
chair closer to hers. She very much did not.

“I’m glad you did,” Hermione shot him a coquettish smile, “because now I can do this.” She
leaned over to place another sweet peck on his cheek to thank him.

“If that’s the reward I get for doing something good, I don’t think I’ll ever do anything bad
again.” Harry took one of her hands in his own again before bringing her knuckles up to his
lips.

It had been a bit since anyone had done something so romantic for her and was making her
feel the way he did. Actually, she was pretty sure no one had ever made her feel like she was
now. His attentiveness coupled with the very obvious fact that he felt like he was the luckiest
man in the world for getting even a sliver of her time was making her teeth ache from all the
sweetness.

Both of them ordered their dinner after she complimented his choice of cuisine then slipped
into easy conversation about the things they did during the week. He told her about the new
project his company started as well as the fact that he and Teddy were now finding time to
play cricket together in the afternoon. She informed him about everything she did over the
school week with everything happening in the class afterwards.

Then their discussion turned to more personal things in the middle of them eating their food
and sipping on their glasses of wine. Little things that they hadn’t gotten a chance to talk
about during their multiple meetings such as their childhoods, their teenage years, and what
led them to becoming the people they were today.

Some topics felt like they could have been covered on the fourth or fifth date but the way she
and Harry had interacted with each other since the beginning of the spring term meant they
were already familiar with each other. This first date was only the first official date. They’d
been slowly but surely dating each other since they met.

“Can I ask you something?” Hermione questioned after the conversation died down a bit
from them not really having much else to talk about unless they wanted to get really personal.

“Of course, Hermione,” Harry responded softly, noticing the tentativeness in her expression.

Red coloured her cheeks from her embarrassment as her mind flashed back to last weekend
when he’d stepped out of the bathroom in nothing but his jeans to ask her out. She’d caught
sight of the tattoo on his pec before her mind was promptly fried by how utterly hot he was.
The guy was built like one of those superheroes without powers. Not quite Superman or
Captain America but a bit more human while still looking like a god.
“Erm…you don’t have to answer if it’s too personal…” she began to say to which he cut her
off.

“…Hermione, it’s okay.” He nodded at her to keep going.

Deciding to just ask the question burning in her mind, she said, “Can you tell me more about
that tattoo on your chest? It looked like a name but I didn’t quite make it out when I saw it
last weekend.” The words were hurried but not so much that he couldn’t make sense of them.

“It’s Teddy’s name.” He hadn’t hesitated to answer. It was something deeply personal to him,
she knew now, but he didn’t bat an eye at sharing it with her. “I actually don’t remember how
I got it,” he added with a slight chuckle.

“What?” Hermione was just about to swoon over the fact that Harry had his son’s name
tattooed on his chest before that last bit about him not remembering how he got it made it
into her mind.

“Oh yeah,” he gave her a little chuckle, “my friend, Ron, and I went out to celebrate one
night and I ended up getting so sloshed that I couldn’t remember anything the next day. He
ended up telling me I went to a tattoo artist and asked them to put Teddy’s name on my
chest.”

All men went out with their friends and got sloshed but she couldn’t picture Harry doing that
for some reason. Maybe it was because of how caring and responsible he was when it came
to Teddy. He just didn’t seem like the type to willingly drink himself into a stupor knowing
he had a son to go home to. It was wrong of her to judge him for that but her perception of
him changed just a bit and she couldn’t help it.

She was being stupid. Harry must have needed that night to take the edge off because raising
a child was no joke. She couldn’t possibly judge him that harshly for wanting a night to
himself. What was wrong with her? He was a fairly young guy as well so it made sense he
was still at that age where going out to drink was something fun to do. And maybe the thing
he was celebrating was absolutely worth it.

“What were you celebrating?” Hermione decided to question him.

The look on Harry’s face changed to reflect something else other than his typical jubilance.
She could make out a bit of fondness, a lot of happiness, and some sadness as well. There
was no reluctance, however. He didn’t seem reticent about telling her what he was
celebrating that night. But she knew it was very personal to him and that made her swoon
again. Personal as that night was, he didn’t care about sharing it with her.

“Well, it was the night I was granted sole custody of Teddy.” The look in Harry’s eye as he
said that made tears leak out of her own. He had been transported back to that night and the
happiness, the excitement, the relief that his boy was going to be with him was showing
clearly.

“Oh Harry,” Hermione cried out lowly, choking on her sobs as she reached for his hand.
Even though she didn’t ask him to and had made her own assumptions about why he had to
fight for Teddy’s custody, he continued to reveal everything. It wasn’t missed by her that he
was so damn comfortable in opening himself up to her like this. That made her love grow
infinitely stronger for him. And she knew now that the relationship that was developing
between them would last. Maybe it was too soon to call but she could feel it.

Details about his past with his son soon became clearer to her after he began to explain
everything. “Teddy is my uncle’s son,” Harry revealed. Her eyes widened to the size of
saucers in immediate reaction to that as a host of questions flew through her mind. “My
uncle…he…passed about a month after Ted was born.”

Oh dear God. There was no shortage of pain within his eyes when he told her that and
Hermione was quick to move her seat closer to his so she could pull him into a little hug. He
melted into her embrace while taking a few breaths to steady himself so he could continue
on.

“And Teddy’s mum died during childbirth.” Reliving those days seemed to be a struggle for
Harry, making her want to tell him that it was okay if he didn’t want to continue, but he kept
going. “They had no other family except me at the time and I was just about nineteen. My
birthday was a couple of weeks after uncle Remus died and Teddy had been staying with me
because I was next of kin.”

“So why did you have to fight for custody? I thought you could choose to adopt him as next
of kin and you wouldn’t have to fight.” Anger filled Hermione at the thought of the
government making her Harry have to work to keep his son when it was clear that he didn’t
have to. She reeled it back in, though, not wanting to do anything but comfort him.

“Yeah, well, social workers had some concerns about an eighteen year old who worked as a
fry cook taking care of a little baby.” It was obvious he was seething at the memory of what
was no doubt a hard meeting.

“Idiots, the lot of them,” she couldn’t help but say.

A little chuckle came from Harry as he patted her comfortingly on the back. “They granted
me temporary custody and I was so fucking happy, Hermione. I had no parents and uncle
Remus practically raised me as his own. When he and Aunty Nymph died, it felt like I lost
the only remaining family I had left. Then I realised Teddy was still with me.”

Everything in her body was relocated to helping her not pull Harry into a deep kiss to let him
know that everything was okay now. He had his boy with him, the boy who was his son in all
but blood, and he still had family with him. He still had her. He still had his friends. She
could visibly see the emotions storming through him as he remembered those days. The grief
over his aunt and uncle, the terrifying prospect of not having custody of Teddy, and
everything else.

“God, it was so scary for me during those few months. The workers,” Harry had to compose
himself again so he wouldn’t tear up any more, “they…erm…told me that they would let
Teddy stay with me for six months during which time I had to do everything to show them I
was ready to take care of him. Gave me a list, actually.”
On some level, Hermione understood the points made by the social workers but she didn’t
think they were any less daft for not seeing that the man who wanted to take care of Teddy
loved the boy so damn much that he was willing to do anything for him. They were stupid for
putting Harry through that when they could easily have trusted him to take care of the little
one.

“They wanted me to get a better job so I could be more financially stable, they wanted me to
find a better place to raise him, and assure them I would have childcare solutions when I
started to work again,” he continued informing her.

Six months was all the time allotted to him to get everything on that list accomplished.
Hermione hated to say it but that was a generous amount of time. Maybe the social workers
had recognised how willing Harry was to be Teddy’s guardian after all. And it paid off in the
end. He cleared everything on the list.

“So how did you get all of that done?” She inquired softly, tucking her head into the crook of
his neck to nuzzle itnl him.

“Ron’s dad called in a favour at his construction firm to get me in. I had to start from the
bottom but I had support in him and the rest took care of itself.” It was like Harry was in a
dark tunnel as he remembered those moments in his life but now had finally seen the light. “I
made enough money to get a better place and I had Ron’s family watch Teddy while I was
working.”

“It must have been hard for you to accept those favours,” Hermione figured to him. She knew
from their meetings just how prideful and modest he was.

Harry laughed at her while nodding his head in confirmation. “Yeah, it very much was. I just
felt like I didn’t deserve the job, that I was taking it away from someone more deserving, and
that I was using the Weasleys. Eventually, though, I told myself I was doing everything for
Teddy.”

“You were,” Hermione confirmed.

“I was. And I would do anything to keep him with me, I don’t care what it is. When he was
given to me after uncle Remus’ death, I knew right there that I was going to do everything in
my power to make sure he grew up loved, cared for, and cherished with me. There was no
one else he needed to be with but me.”

After those fiery words, the only suitable response the teacher could think of was to pull him
into a steamy kiss. She was so overwhelmed with emotion for him that there was nothing else
she could do. This man, this wonderful man, in front of her did everything he could to make
sure his aunt and uncle’s son stayed with him after they passed away.

He’d been only eighteen years of age when he so willingly accepted a responsibility most
boys his age would run away from. He was barely a man when he was forced to fight for the
boy he loved as his own son. And he did fight. He fought with everything he had to keep the
little one with him. She was sure she was falling in love with him now.
 “What was that for?” Harry asked after they broke the kiss from the need for oxygen.

“Because you’re a wonderful person,” she whispered with their lips just centimetres apart.
“And because you’re an even better daddy.”

Her first compliment made him feel nice but it was the second one that really hit him hard.
The affirmation that, yes, he was doing such a good job being a father was enough to bring
him to happy tears once more. His smile was watery as he stared at her like he couldn’t
believe she’d just said that. It was like he’d gotten everything he ever needed just in those
few words.

“You’re doing wonders for my ego, Miss Hermione.” He was trying to keep from tearing up
some more by deflecting with humour.

“I meant every word,” she planted her lips on his cheek again, “Teddy is a very lucky boy to
have you and you’re a very lucky man to have him.”

“Oh I know. He keeps me grounded, you know? I don’t know what I’d do without him.”

Nothing more was said about the topic between them afterwards as they shared one more
quick chaste kiss then decided that they would get a bit of dessert to indulge themselves for
the night. One thing was for certain, though, Harry didn’t just have Teddy anymore. He also
had her. For as long as he wanted her, he had her with him.

Chapter End Notes

Okay. The smut comes next chapter. Hope you enjoy this chapter ☺️.
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