So this is my attempt at the Summer Loving Competition over on HPFC. It's not that great, but I needed to write something, regardless of how good it was. School has been hectic lately, but meh.

Anyways, I had the pairing Susan/Ernie, and the prompts 'Monday morning', '9000 days' and 'cheeries'. So voila!

Enjoy.


"In every girls life; there's a boy she'll never forget and a summer where it all began." — Unknown


1. In which Ernie Macmillian and Wayne Hopkins are best friends

"Mate, you love her."

"What?"

"You. LOOOVE. Her."

"Shut up Hopkins."

"I can't believe you love her. She's a bloody tart!"

"Hopkins..."

"Oooh. 'Hopkins...' you're a pompous prat Ernie, but you wouldn't hex your own best mate would you? Loyalty means too much to ya."

"Wayne, shut your mouth. Don't talk about her like that. Oh bugger. She heard us. She's coming over."

"Oooh, she's coming over. You going to have some kissy-poo-poo time?"

"Shut up Hopkins! We're meant to be studying for our Transfiguration OWL and if you so much as tell her how I feel, I'll hex you so bad that you won't be able to feel anything until Monday morning you twat."

"I'm so scared Ernie, honestly."

1. a) Ernie Macmillian, a pureblood, met Wayne Hopkins, half-blood, on September 1st 1991 at the Hufflepuff table. Ernie was scared (he wouldn't admit it) and Wayne was scared too. Ernie smiled at him and Wayne grinned back. Then Justin Finch-Fletchley spilled some pumpkin juice on Ernie's pants and Wayne laughed. They were the best of friends after that.

1. b) Susan Bones sat next to Hannah Abbott and they became best friends too. Ernie saw Susan's hair, and complained it was in the way of his view of Professor Dumbledore. Susan turned around, glared at Ernie and then proceeded to eat her dinner, fluffing out her hair when she could. Hannah giggled and Wayne watched amused until Ernie, bright red, apologized and exclaimed how absolutely beautiful Susan's hair actually was.


2. In which Ernie Macmillian get Outstanding's in many of his OWLS.

Dear Susan,

How are you? Summer's pretty boring isn't it?

I mean, the whole thing with Harry in the papers. Crazy isn't it? Yeah.

How'd you go with your OWLS? I'm sure you did fine. I got a couple of Outstandings. Mum took me to buy some top of the line school stuff.

When the book lists come out, do you want to go to Diagon Alley with me? The others are keen for a get together.

Ernie.

"Shut up Wayne." Ernie puts his head in his hands as Wayne laughs loudly from his position on the couch.

"I never thought the mighty Ernie would have written sure an awkward letter."

"Well, I can't be good at everything, be bit unfair for you and Zach, wouldn't it?"

"Prick."

"Muppet."

2. a) Ernie is one of those students who obsess about their grades to everyone and nervously await an owl in the middle of summer, so that they can then talk to their friends about who got the better grades, and what it would mean about their future. Ernie is also one of those students who comes off rather abrasive and pompous. However, Wayne knows better. So does Susan Amelia Bones.


3. In which cherries become Ernie's favourite fruit.

Ernie Macmillian walks down the street. It is summer, he is happy and fifty metres in front of him is the love of his life, Susan Amelia Bones. She is sitting outside a pretty Muggle cafe, eating a cherry.

Ernie Macmillian wishes he was that cherry.

3. a) Actually, Ernie Macmillian wishes he was that cherry so much that had Susan not then spotted him, he may have had a brain aneurism, which would have been very unfortunate for both Ernie and Susan.

She spots him then, nearly drooling on the sidewalk, a goofy look on his face and she smiles.

"Ernie!"

Ernie knows that she will be the death of him. Her dark red hair is shining in the sunlight and she is wearing a beautiful yellow sun dress and Ernie is in love.

"Hello, Susie." Ernie says, reaching her table and sitting down opposite her.

She blushes a little and plays with a silver bracelet dangling from her wrist.

"How are you? I was so glad you agreed to meet me here today." She blurts out quickly, clamping a hand over her mouth as soon as she has finished her sentence.

Ernie is blushing now. Her lips are stained red from the cherry juice and he just wants to lean over and kiss them.

He looks down at his hands though.

"I'm uh, good thanks. Mum's just got a better position in the ministry you know, and dad went hunting with one of the uh,..." He trails off. Susan is giggling at him.

"Ernie, I know that you tend to babble about how important you are when you're nervous. What is it?"

She calls for the waiter, and she orders two strawberry milkshakes for them as Ernie tries to steel himself and ask her out on a proper date.

"Ernie?" Her glorious brown eyes bore into his own woefully inadequate light blue eyes.

"Susan, go out with me on a date?" He blurts it out suddenly and just stares at her, as she tries to recover from her shock.

She is blushing, a gorgeous red and Ernie is sure he is blushing too.

Finally, she swallows and, still looking into his eyes, says "I thought we were on a date?"

Ernie grins widely and she grins back and he resists the urge to kiss her and pick her up and never let her go.


4. In which Ernie kisses Susan Amelia Bones for the first time.

Ernie Macmillian walks along the road, it is summer and the sun is shining. He is happy and playing ball with his dog and up ahead of him he can see Susan Amelia Bones sitting on a park bench.

He walks up behind her and covers her eyes.

"Ernie, is that you?"

He grins and lets go and sits down beside her. She smiles widely, but she's a little pale.

"Susie, what's wrong?" He is concerned, he knows her aunt, Amelia has always spoken out against You-Know-Who and Susan had mentioned how her uncle Edgar had been killed in the first war by some Death Eaters during a DA session.

"Auntie Amelia is missing." She wipes a tear away and Ernie grabs her hand.

"It'll be alright. Your aunt is an amazing witch and I'm here if anything goes wrong."

Susan smiles weakly and looks at the intertwined hands.

"When did Pompous Prefect Ernie go away?" She muses quietly, laughing as Hugo, Ernie's dog licks her on the knee.

Ernie is quiet for a little while. Yes, he uses perfect, proper English (most of the time) and yes, he worries about doing what is right and being loyal and yes, he does tend to ramble about all sorts when he is around people he doesn't know, but was he pompous around Susan? He didn't think so.

"I think it was when I started falling in love with you." It is out of his mouth before he can think about the repercussions and then Susan is looking at him and he is looking at her. It is delightfully awkward and Ernie swears the Wayne will be able to hear his heart beating all the way in Yorkshire.

Susan doesn't say anything.

"I'm sorry. I don't know where that came from." Ernie stammers and he just wants to get his wand out and perform Obliviate on them both. He is sixteen years old, and he just told Susan Amelia Bones that he is falling in love with her and good god, he is going to vomit soon because teenage boys don't say those things to teenage girls and just get away with it.

And then she squeezes his hand.

"Ernie." She whispers, and he looks away from Hugo, who is wagging his tail and doesn't realise anything is wrong, and he looks at Susan. She is smiling, an incandescent, lighting up the stars smile and suddenly, Ernie is glad he said it.

"Kiss me."

Ernie smiles widely, and leans into her and she leans into him and their lips touch. It is sweet and tastes of cherries and the summer air and Ernie can smell honeysuckle and it is perfect.

4. a) Don't tell Ernie, but Susan thinks it's perfect too.