Title: Alone
Rating: T
Pairing(s)/Character(s): Harry/Hermione
Warnings: None
Disclaimer: Don't own 'em - not making any money off 'em. Dern it.
Word Count: 293
Summary: Hermione feels alone.
Notes:

The 5 Drabbles Competition: Prompt Used - Object: Icicle

Stratified Agate Competition: Level V - Prompt Used - "Keep Holding On" by Avril Lavigne

Ultimate OTP Competition II: Prompt Used - Object: a bottle of wine

356 Days of Drabbles Challenge: Prompt Used – Date

You're not alone

Together we stand

I'll be by your side

You know I'll take your hand

When it gets cold

~ "Keep Holding On" by Avril Lavigne

Hermione's body shook as she fingered the icicle with gloved fingers. The cold helped take her mind of everything that bothered her, but the relief was only temporary. Her mum and dad were happy in Australia, and she missed them terribly.

She knew it was her choice to send them there without their memories; she didn't even ask them if they were okay with going. It was a unilateral decision, and she didn't take into consideration her parents' desires. And now that they had their memories back, they had decided to stay without thinking about Hermione's desires. She deserved it of course but it didn't lessen the feeling of missing them any.

The date flashed through her mind, mocking her. It was her birthday, and it was making her miss her parents even more. They couldn't get away from Australia to come for her birthday, and she was needed here for the reconstruction of the wizarding world.

With a sigh, her eyes drifted closed and she spun in her spot and with a crack, she disappeared. She opened her eyes when the feeling of being squeezed through a tube ended, and she saw Harry waiting with a bottle of wine.

"Happy birthday, Hermione," he whispered, opening the bottle and pouring two glasses.

Hermione's heart pounded. Suddenly, she felt inexplicitly warmer. Maybe she wasn't so alone, not when she had Harry.

"Thanks, Harry." She took the glass, and for the first time since she came back from Australia, she felt somewhat at peace. "Thank you," she emphasized and met Harry's eyes with her own.

"I love you," he whispered, as if it was a secret between just the two of them.

"I love you, too." Her birthday dinner wouldn't be so bad after all.