Author's Note: I do not and never will own HP.
Written for the One Prompt Many Fandoms Competition, because I'm almost done with Nano, and it's fun to write other things sometimes.
Prompt: cuddling for warmth. (A bit AU.)
"It's cold, isn't it?" Hermione asked, blowing on her gloved hands and looking up wistfully at the still cloudy sky. Stars managed to twinkle through the gathering gloom, but they were few and far between. Lazy snowflakes had already started to spiral down.
"A bit," Harry acknowledged, his hands tucked in the pockets of his robes. As a first year familiar with the Dursleys' casual neglect, he was more than accustomed to the chill creeping through his bones, the goosebumps pimpling his skin, and the shivers just starting to rack through his frame. Hermione shot him a sympathetic look and he turned away. Not like he was going to admit that he didn't have proper winter wear, was he? He had on as many layers as he dared under his school robes, and it worked well enough. The only things cold now were his hands (especially his wrists, poking out of his sleeves) and his face.
"Let's go in," Hermione encouraged. Harry shrugged and nodded, trudging after her as her boots broke up the accumulated snowdrifts. It was the day before the rest of the students were scheduled to leave for holiday break and while Harry was relieved that Ron and his brothers were staying over the holidays, he was still sad that Hermione wasn't, too. Not that he wanted her to miss out on Christmas spent with her family, of course, he reminded himself. He'd just become accustomed to her. Ron and Hermione, on either side, filling the holes that had been left empty for far too long. It wasn't like Dudley had ever let him have friends in primary. Anybody who dared try was swiftly scared or bullied away. Freaks didn't have friends, his cousin had hissed at him more than once, and until Hogwarts, Harry had come to half believe him.
The way up to Gryffindor Tower was nearly deserted. Even the ghosts didn't seem to want to be out and about, and Harry only glimpsed Mrs. Norris for an instant, before she dashed down a corridor, probably in search of a fireplace herself. There was a chill hanging in the air that the torches didn't seem to be able to dissipate.
"Oh no," Hermione blurted out when they finally clambered through the portrait hole together, only to see the fire in the fireplace nearly out. Lazy sparks floated in the air.
"It's fine, Hermione," Harry tried to reassure her, but his chattering teeth and full-body shivers didn't do much to comfort her. "I can just go up to bed-"
Before he could finish his sentence, she'd flung both arms around him and squeezed as tight as she could. He froze, blinking up at her.
"Sorry," Hermione said, blushing. "I just- I thought hugging you might help warm you up."
"Oh," Harry said blankly. He'd been startled at first (it wasn't like Aunt Petunia or Uncle Vernon ever touched him any more than they could help it). But it felt...nice. And there was nobody else in the common room to see them. Everyone was already sleeping in preparation for their early start tomorrow (or seeing their friends off). Even Ron had already traipsed up to bed. Harry had been the only one around when Hermione had bounced down the stairs, saying that she wanted to look at the stars, and it had been easy enough to go along with her.
"I can stop if you want-" Hermione babbled on, but Harry shook his head.
"It's nice, thanks," he admitted. His own cheeks felt uncomfortably warm as Hermione awkwardly sidled toward the nearest sofa, falling back on it and taking him with her.
"When I come back, I'm bringing you a coat," she said in an imperious tone. "And gloves. It's shameful that your relatives don't dress you properly, Harry, they should be reported or something, my mum could do it-"
"No, please don't, Hermione," Harry interrupted her, feeling very tired. "It's all right. I have to stay there. And they're not as bad as all that, they just forgot."
"Right," Hermione said, fixing him with a very skeptical look. "Okay, then I will address what they've forgotten and get you a proper coat."
"Thanks," Harry finally said with a sigh. She nodded in a rather self-satisfied way and pulled him closer. He had to admit, he did feel a lot warmer now. Hermione had a lot of body heat, and she'd managed to open her jacket and bring him in closer, so that the edges of her coat overlapped him, too.
Hermione yawned and he realised they'd been sitting there, snuggled up together, for a bit longer than he'd thought.
"You should go to bed," he said, stifling his own yawn. "I'll be fine. The bed's really warm, I've got loads of blankets."
"Are you sure?" Hermione asked. He nodded. "Okay," she said, yawning again.
"Thank you," Harry told her, carefully disentangling himself. The fire had died down almost completely, and there was a palpable chill in the air, but he didn't mind it.
"Good night, Harry," Hermione said, stumbling up the stairs to the girls' dormitory. He went up the steps to his own with a mumbled good night, stepping through the door as quietly as he could. The others were all sound asleep and snoring as he tiptoed over to his bed and wormed his way under the covers, stopping only to take his shoes off.
"Good night," Ron mumbled through the bed curtains, and Harry grinned.