Disclaimer - J. K. Rowling owns Harry Potter
A/N - This was written for Round 2 of hp_spring_fling over on LJ. I picture this taking place a few years after Deathly Hallows, and ignoring the epilogue. Thanks to phil_urich for the beta read.
After emerging from the Floo fire, Hermione paused a moment on the threshold as she brushed a bit of soot from her skirt. She tried not to think about what Ginny had said to her earlier over lunch. I dress professionally because of work. I can't exactly go strolling in to the Ministry looking like a slob, she thought as she stepped off the threshold. And if Harry just happens to notice, would that be so bad?
Stepping in to the room, she casually looked about for Harry. She always enjoyed visiting Harry, especially now at his new home. The small but spacious house seemed better suited to Harry than some old, sprawling manor that many of his contemporaries had. It was just close enough to a village where Harry could go to get things, but far enough away that he could be left alone and go almost unnoticed when using magic.
Causally making her way through the living room, she headed for the kitchen in the back of the house. Smiling as she entered, she was remembering how Harry had tried so hard to teach her how to cook basic things. But every time something seemed to go wrong. Though I think he gets a bit of satisfaction out of the fact there's occasionally something that he's better at then me.
Nearing the large windows that overlooked the backyard, she finally spotted him outside. Standing over a small firepit, he was breaking up sticks and twigs that he was going to burn later. He only got that thing so he could burn things. He's such a little kid sometimes, she thought playfully. But in truth, if anyone deserved to have a second childhood it was him.
I keep thinking about everything we went though, and I still don't know how we made it out of it. Three young kids against a Dark Lord and his army. Do they even calculate odds that high? Harry barely escaped death more times than I count. By all rights he shouldn't be alive. He is though, but at what cost?
Rapping gently against the window, she saw Harry look over and with a smile he waved her to join him outside. She stayed for a moment at the window, noticing how the last few rays of sunlight seemed to give him an almost visible aura. Trying to ignore the fluttering inside her his smile caused, she tugged her light cloak tighter around her and moved away from the window towards the exit. There's so much he's missed out on. There's a whole world full of stuff out there and he's barely ever gotten a taste of it. If he's willing, maybe I could show him some of what he's missed out on.
"Aren't you cold?" she asked as she stepped through the back door and outside. Even though the temperature was getting warmer after a bitter winter, it was still brisk, especially at night.
"Nah," Harry replied, tugging at the sleeve of his heavy sweater. "Besides, I've been cooped up all winter. It's nice to get outside again. Plus, it's tradition to welcome spring with a little bonfire."
Hermione looked at him skeptically. "What tradition? This will be your first spring here, and you got that for Christmas," pointing at the firepit.
"All the better to start one." Tossing the last few twigs into the pit, Harry walked over to her. "I figure if I want to have any then I should start them now. Glad you came though. Hungry? I think there's a bit of leftover something or other."
"I'm fine, had a late lunch with a friend," she replied.
"I love this time of day out here." Harry then looked up at the sky, "Looks like it's going to be a clear night. Should be able to see a lot tonight."
As Harry was gazing about, Hermione was trying not to be too obvious as she looked at him. The words Ginny had said to her this afternoon kept repeating in her head. I admit it, I'm attracted to Harry. Any witch with a pulse is, but we're just only going to be friends. We've been through hell and back together. If there was going to be something, wouldn't something have happened by now?
'So are you two going to finally admit your burning desire for each other now or wait until after your children have graduated from Hogwarts?' Ginny had teased her this afternoon. 'I don't know why everyone considers me the measuring stick when it comes to Harry. If anything it's you. You're the one who he compares us all to.'
"What?" Harry asked self consciously, rubbing his cheek thinking there was something on it.
Snapping out of her memory, she quickly looked away a little embarrassed. "Nothing, just wandered off for a moment. Been reminiscing a little lately," she told him, lying just a little. "Thinking about how lucky we were back then. Everything that had to go right for us did, even if it didn't happen the way we wanted it to. I mean what are the odds?"
"I try not to think about it," he answered. "It makes me think just how close to the edge we all were, especially you… and Ron of course, because of me."
Staying quiet for a moment, she fell back into her thoughts. Stepping around Harry and taking her wand from beneath her cloak she gave it a casual flip to light the fire. With the sun now set, she watched as the flames flickered to life. The light of the fire illuminated the small area around them, as the moonlight gave the surrounding area a pale glow.
"Hermione?" Harry asked, a bit of concern in his voice now. I hate it when she does this. If something is troubling her, she should just tell me.
Turning towards him, she gave him a small smile. "It's alright. Lately in all the reminiscing I've started to kind of realize something I guess. Like you don't really know just how much you care about something until you almost lose it. Or like you never know how much being near death can change your perspective on things," she then stopped when she realized she was beginning to ramble. Oh bollocks! Just out with it girl.
"When did we start dating?" she finally asked slightly sarcastically, hoping a bit of humor would lighten up the tense mood they had seemingly fallen in to. "I mean if you're not at my flat, I'm usually here; if there's some kind of event, we always go together. You could have any girl you were interested in, but even when they throw themselves at you, you seem… not interested. I can kind of see why, but every one of them?"
"Maybe because I'm more comfortable around you," he answered, moving closer to her. "I like not having to put on the act with you, that I can be myself around you." Sounds stupid, but how else can I explain it?
"And don't sell yourself short, when you clean yourself up, you're not too bad looking." Harry laughed when Hermione took a playful swing at him. Taking his own wand, he pointed it at the fire and cast. "Nox," he incanted and the fire went out.
For a moment, Harry looked at her bathed in just the moonlight as she curiously looked back at him. She's cute when she's rattled. She'll play with her hair when she's anxious and chew her lip a little when she's embarrassed. Right on cue, Hermione began to play with her hair which caused him to grin a little.
"What?" Now it was her turn to feel self conscious. When he just gave her a lopsided grin, she felt even more nervous than she had been.
"I want to show you something," he told her and took her hand. Tugging gently until she moved, he brought them both back inside and headed for the living room. "I was cleaning out some more of the Potter vault the other day and I came across something." Entering the room he let go of her hand and magically lit a few lamps as he headed towards a small bookcase in the corner of the room.
Intently, Hermione watched Harry walk away. Finding herself anxious as she waited for Harry to find whatever it was, she began to fidget. Did I just seriously ask him when we started dating? Damn Ginny, getting in my head. Everything was fine until she had to start pressing. But he is cute, and funny, and smart, and charming, and… oh shut up already!
As Harry came back to her, she saw him carrying a small, aged looking book. "I think it might have been my grandmother's. I'm not sure. I found it in a trunk next to my mom's things."
"Shakespearean sonnets," Hermione said softly as she read the gold lettering on the weathered blue cover. Opening the book, "This was printed in 1867, over a hundred years ago. What are you going to do with it?"
He chuckled, practically seeing her salivating over the book. "Well, I could just leave it on a shelf to collect dust," he told her. "Or I could give it to you before you drool all over it."
"No. This is a family heirloom. I can't," she exclaimed, though gave him a bit of a look at the drooling comment. "You should keep it."
"And do what with it? It'll just end up back on that shelf or in the trunk. Honestly, to me it's just an old book. I have plenty of other stuff to remember my family with. Besides, I know you'd enjoy it a lot more than I would."
"Thank you. I'm not sure what else to say." Hermione said as accepted the book from Harry.
"How about next time I go to Gringotts, you come with me. I'm sure my mom has a bunch of stuff you'd probably be interested in. There's all kinds of books in there."
Hermione shook her head. "No. That's… It's not my place. It's something you should do with…," she paused, finding it oddly difficult to say the word. "Someone special."
"Someone special, eh?" he mocked, a small smirk forming as he watched her squirm a little. "Sometimes Hermione, you think too much," and with that Harry gently, but firmly, cupped her cheek and lightly kissed her. After the kiss, pulling back slightly, he bit his tongue so not to laugh aloud when he saw Hermione's cheeks flush.
For a brief moment, she shyly wouldn't meet his gaze. There were too many random thoughts flying through her brain, so she latched on the first coherent thing she could. "Why?"
"Why? Because I wanted to," he answered simply as he took the book out of her hands, and laid it on a nearby chair. "I don't know when things changed between us. I've always liked spending time with you, it's just now… I notice other things about you. I know the world would end tomorrow," he said sarcastically. "But would us together be so bad?"
"I guess not," she answered softly, feeling Harry wrap his arms around her and pull her closer to him. Sliding her hands up his chest, she wrapped her arms about his neck. Gently tugging, she made him tilt his head forward a little so she could kiss him. "How come we do everything backwards? Why can't we take the normal approach for once?"
Harry shrugged and gave her a playful laugh. "Where's the fun in that?"