Jae: Hello everyone! I'm still in Canada, taking a vacation, but since my dad's birthday is tomorrow, I decided to take some time off my busy schedule (which is skipping out on my mum and her new goal of visiting every library and bookstore there is) to write a short ficlet just for him! Oh, and just for the record, I'm not putting my current fic Two Can Play That Game on hold. I just need time to write it but I'm having trouble finding that time right now…
[T.J. comes in]
T.J.: So this is where you're hiding. You know, mum's looking everywhere for you.
Jae: I know, but I can't help it! I love books and everything, but I don't want to spend my vacation covered in books. How's dad holding up?
T.J.: I can assure you, he's having the best of times trying to snog the life out of mum in ever bookshelf. [shudders]
Jae: Oh come off it T.J.! You know you secretly want the kind of love mum and dad have [smirks]
T.J.: [blushes] I'll see you later jae [quickly leaves]
Jae: [laughs] I hope you guys enjoy this!
Finally, I get to go home and rest, 19-year old Harry Potter thought as he dragged his feet on the front steps of the house that he shared with his friends. Before he graduated, him, along with his friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, decided to share a flat after they left Hogwarts, but that turned into a house when Lavender Brown, Ginny Weasley and Draco Malfoy ended up into their plans. As a result, all six of them had bought a nice Victorian house not far from Hogsmeade, where Harry is currently opening the front door.
Once he was in, he was surprised to see the whole house empty. No matter how busy all six of them are, there would be at least one or two people occupying the house. Having the whole house all to himself was something Harry was not all too familiar with.
"Anyone home?" he called out to the empty hallway.
"Harry? Is that you?" The voice of his best friend Hermione made Harry smile. Soon, a pair of feet was running down the spiral staircase that led to the tower and revealed Hermione, wearing white shorts and Harry's gray sweater and her hair up in a ponytail. Harry's smile widened upon seeing his sweater on Hermione. It was too big for her, so her shoulder was exposed and the sleeves went past her hands. Harry couldn't help but stare at Hermione's legs, which were tanned and it seemed to go on forever.
Beautiful, Harry thought, his eyes going back up to meet Hermione's chocolate ones. His thoughts were shattered, however, when Hermione ran up to him and flung herself at him, wrapping her legs around his waist. Harry, taken aback at Hermione's actions, lost his balance, and the two fell on the floor, Hermione on top of Harry. Hermione laughed.
"Sorry about that," she said, getting off of him and reaching out a hand for Harry, who gladly took it. Once they were standing once more, Hermione wrapped her arms around Harry, who immediately did the same.
"Happy birthday," she said. Harry's eyes widened. He forgot that it was his birthday today!
"Er… Thanks Hermione," he replied, absent-mindedly breathing the scent of her hair. Who would've thought that the smell of vanilla could smell that good? All too soon, Harry was brought back to reality when Hermione pulled away from him, grinning.
"I've got a surprise for you. Go get changed and meet me back here, okay?" she said, and after kissing him on the cheek, she dashed back to the other stairs that led to the rooms. Harry waited until he heard a door shut before chuckling to himself and making his way to his own room, wondering partly what Hermione has in storm for him and also wondering how she could make a gray sweater look so gorgeous on her.
Where IS everyone? He thought, glancing around the room. His thoughts were interrupted when he heard Hermione come down the stairs.
Finally, she comes, he said, standing up.
"Took you-" Harry, upon laying his eyes on Hermione, felt like the wind was knocked out of him. Dressed in a simple jean skirt, a low-cut black shirt and her hair still up in a ponytail with a pink rose on her brown locks, Harry didn't think the word beautiful could begin to describe how Hermione look.
"Harry? You were saying?" Hermione asked, tilting her head to the side and exposing a great deal of neck. Harry swallowed hard.
"Er…y-you look nice," Harry stammered and immediately blushed. Nice? Nice?! What in the bloody hell was that?! Hermione giggled.
"You look quite dashing yourself," she replied, winking. If possible, Harry blushed harder. He looked down at his jeans and green shirt and wondered where Hermione sees the dashing in them. Once again, his thoughts were interrupted when Hermione came up to him and linked arms with him, holding out her locket. Harry gave Hermione a questioning gaze.
"I made it as a portkey," she explained. Harry smiled.
So we're going somewhere, he thought. He touched the locket and immediately felt the familiar tug at his navel. Harry closed his eyes; this, he found out earlier, made the ride a little less bumpy. All too soon, he felt his feet touch the ground and Hermione letting go of his arm. Harry slowly opened his eyes and found his jaw hanging open at the sight before him. He turned to Hermione, who was grinning.
"Bienvenue au Paris!" she exclaimed in French, still grinning. Harry was speechless. They were standing ten feet away from the Eiffel tower, and the sight was breathtaking. Though, Harry couldn't help thinking, that Hermione standing right there made it even more beautiful.
"Hermione…" he managed to say. Hermione laughed and took his hand.
"Thank me later. Right now, we have some sight-seeing to do!" she exclaimed, dragging him. Harry chuckled, seeing his best friend so excited. As Hermione talked on and on about what they were going to do, he couldn't help but admire the way her eyes would twinkle and how her cheeks would flush from excitement and felt his hear swell.
You've got it bad mate, his conscience said. A smile crept up Harry's face.
I guess I do, he thought.
"This was the most memorable time I've had," he replied. Then he leaned forward and kissed Hermione on the cheek.
"Thank you," he whispered, his face inches away from hers. Harry's eyes met Hermione's, and Harry found himself leaning towards her. Suddenly, Hermione giggled. Harry looked at her, confused.
"What?" he asked, somewhat dazed. Hermione continued to giggle.
"Your ice cream is dripping down your shirt," she said, then burst out laughing. Harry blushed and looked down at himself. Sure enough, his ice cream had melted and ended up on his shirt, which was now oozing its way down his pants. He blushed harder and took out his wand, muttering a cleaning spell and pointed it at himself. Once he got rid of the stain his ice cream had made, Harry looked back at Hermione, who was holding her locket once more.
"It's time for us to go," she said, giving him a soft smile. Harry swore that Hermione was fighting off tears, but thought he was imagining things. Taking her hand, he touched the locket and silently vowed that he'll get to kiss Hermione, no matter how hard it takes.
"Come on, let's go in," she said, and Harry allowed her to drag him inside the house, reluctantly wanting the day to end. As soon as he was inside, however, he was greeted by another sight.
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY HARRY!" his friends, not to mention his old schoolmates from Hogwarts, were inside the house. Harry turned to Hermione, a grin forming its way on his face.
"So that's why you made me leave the house!" he exclaimed, wrapping Hermione in a hug. Once they pulled away, Hermione smiled, and Harry frowned, seeing as her smile didn't reach her eyes this time.
"You'd think that, wouldn't you?" she said, and before he could ask what she meant by that, he was suddenly wrapped in many hugs that Harry could only stare at Hermione's back as she disappeared through the crowd.
"All right, what's the matter with you? You should be having the time of your life! Why do you look like you just found out that the world isn't a bloody square," he said. Harry scanned the crowd, looking for the familiar brown head that he just spent the best time in his life with.
"Hermione," he replied, taking another sip of his drink. Ron nodded knowingly upon realizing why his best friend was so distracted.
"You won't find her anywhere Harry," a new voice said, and both of them turned to see Ginny with a Draco, a smirk on her face.
"Do you know where she is?" Harry asked, standing up and giving Ginny an intense stare. Ginny grinned and nodded.
"She's up at her tower," Draco said. Ginny scowled at her boyfriend and smacked him on the chest.
"What?! Can't you see that Potter's nearly wetting himself from wanting to find Hermione? Give him a break!" he exclaimed, causing Ron and Ginny to laugh and Harry to blush.
"I'll come back for you Malfoy," Harry said before making his way up to the spiral staircase. Once he was up there, he opened the door and quietly stepped in, instantly spotting Hermione. Once again, Harry felt the wind knocked out of him as he stared at Hermione. She was sitting on the window of the tower, and Harry doubt he'd seen anything as beautiful as her, bathed in moonlight and making her hair glisten while the breeze played with it. Harry closed the door behind him, causing Hermione to turn. She quickly stood up, straightening her clothes.
"Harry, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be down at your party?" she asked. Harry walked towards her, his heart in his throat. He's never felt so nervous his entire life, and even if this was just Hermione, his best friend, she was also the woman he was deeply and madly in love with.
"It's not the same without you there," he replied once he was standing right in front of her. Hermione shook her head.
"Harry-" she never got to finish her sentence because Harry took that moment to capture her lips with his. At first, Hermione was too shocked to respond. But her heart immediately took over and she found herself kissing Harry back, which surprised him because he didn't think she would.
Their kiss was tender and sweet, and Harry suddenly couldn't get enough of her. Before he got to deepen the kiss, however, oxygen was starting to become an issue, and he found himself slowly pulling away, relishing the kiss as much as he could. He stopped just inches away from her face, breathing heavily.
"I've always wanted to do that," he whispered, cupping Hermione's cheek. Hermione smiled at him.
"Then what took you so long you prat?" she whispered back. Harry smiled back at her, then turned serious. He gazed into the chocolate orbs that he's grown to fall into everytime he looks at them, this time allowing himself to be mesmerized by them.
"I've also wanted to say how much I love you," he said, still staring at Hermione's eyes. His heart lept when Hermione gave him that special smile that she reserves only for him.
"And I love you," she replied, and all conversations were cut off when Harry brought his lips back to hers, this time it was anything but tender and sweet. Lips merged, tongues clashed and their hearts and souls poured into one another as they kissed deeply, not wanting to let go. They slowly pulled away from each other, grinning.
"Happy birthday Harry," Hermione said after a moment. Harry responded by taking her hand and placing a kiss on it.
"Thank you for the lovely trip to Paris," he said, still grinning. Hermione kissed him softly, but still having the same effect as the previous kisses that they just shared.
"Only for you Harry. Only for you," she replied.
Jae: Okay! That's the end of this fic! I hope you guys enjoyed it and please RR! Hopefully I'll be back for the next chapter of Two Can Play That Game and I'll see you all there next time! Until then, see you!
[In the background] Hermione: Jessica? Are you there? If you are you better get your arse down here! Who told you that you could skip out on us?! JESSICA LILY ANN POTTER I'M TALKING TO YOU!
T.J.: They're home [smirks at Jae]
Jae: [glares] Go away T.J. It's bad enough I'm in trouble, but do you really have to rub it in my bloody face?
T.J.: [grins] Yup!
[Jae mumbles something inappropriate before leaving to face Hermione's wrath]
