My Cheating Heart

Big Wins and Acts of Contrition

This is it. The time has finally come.

After staying in Britain for more than a month, they are finally solving this mysterious epidemic. All the hard work they have put in together as a team has reached its pinnacle. This is the now or never moment. Twenty-fours left and the potion will be ready. And then, she will be leading a surgical operation on fifteen children. As the minutes pass, she feels more and more confident that this will be another success for the ICW Medical Research Department.

Last night, after giving Harry some pepper up potion and two doses of blood-replenishing potion, she apparated to St. Mungo's and sprinted to the laboratory with her heart pounding in her chest because of adrenalin. Upon handing the small cauldron filled with phoenix tears and one bag of Harry's blood, Abim grinned. Of course, to be sure, he conducted some tests on the last two ingredients. When it got his approval, he careful added the two ingredients into the brewing antidote.

Only the last ingredient for the cure still remains to be extracted – fresh basilisk venom.

As an act of gratitude – and a hint of her affections – Hermione Granger woke up very early in the morning to prepare a delicious breakfast for Harry. After all the trouble the poor man had been through, with the blood samples and the phoenix tears, not to mention all his little efforts in winning her back, he deserves a little something special. Well, as special as her nearly nonexistent cooking skills could deliver.

While a very good potion maker, Hermione cannot cook. At all. Hence, she decided to wake up early to make up for her highly inadequate culinary talent. And just in case it all goes bad, which is highly probable, she would still have some time to buy takeout.

"Ouch!", she hissed. She then stuck her slightly burnt finger in her mouth, a reflex reaction. She was cooking some bacon but well, the olive oil seemed to hate her. And the eggs. And the potatoes. Merlin! I am hopeless. I'll just apparate to a diner and buy takeout.

She carefully washed her hands and ran to her bedroom to apply some salve on her finger. After that, she changed her clothes and apparated in a muggle London area she remembers visiting with Harry. Thirty minutes passed and she's back in his luxurious penthouse, her breakfast purchases in one bag. She ran to the kitchen and set the food on a large plate. She hurriedly prepared coffee – at least she could do that well. Once everything is all set, she transfigured an old piece of parchment into a single white tulip. It is a flower that means rebirth. A desire to resume your relationship with someone with a clean slate. Just a little hint for Harry if he actually did his flowers and their meanings research...

She placed the white tulip beside the utensils on the tray. With everything ready, she walked towards the master bedroom with the tray levitating in front of her. She knocked three times before the door automatically opened.

She bit her bottom lip to stop herself from squealing or whatever silly girlish thing excitable women do when faced with a gorgeous half-naked man. Harry James Potter was walking around his bedroom dressed in nothing but tight-fitted black trousers as part of his auror uniform. He had a towel in one hand that he was using to dry his messy raven hair. His biceps and triceps flexing as he moves the towel over his head. And here I am thinking that it is my plan to test his resolve by seducing him... But no! The bloke apparently has his own plans...

"You know Harry, you could always cast a drying charm on your hair. That will save you more time", she said as her eyes were discreetly eyeing his perfectly sculpted chest down to his washboard abs that has a light dusting of raven hair which forms his happy trail. As a healer, she's seen her fair share of male and female bodies before. But, Merlin! Harry Potter may just be the most perfect masculine specimen she had ever seen. He reminded her of her favorite piece of sculpture, Donatello's David.