A/N:
A Christmas Drabble, that decided for itself (I attempted to argue, but I'm a pushover) to spin into five short parts. This was written for Facebook group, Harmony & Co., and their Advent Collection (2018).
My forever gratitude to Rosella Burgundy for her endless time, support, and love to not just this story, but to me as well. Any mistakes left are my own.
Roses by RooOJoy
Chapter One
Knock, Knock, Knock
Hermione heard the sound on her door, but she was currently in the loo and in no way shape or form able to get to the door. "Hold on a second," she shouted across the flat.
Knock, Knock, Knock
The reverberations against the wood sounded again. Rolling her eyes and cursing under her breath, she wrapped a towel around her body and made her way towards the noise. Flinging the door open a bit harder than she would have otherwise, she immediately recognized the dishevelled man on the other side as her best friend.
"Harry," she answered happily. "What are you doing here?"
He stared at her, eyes a bit wide in surprise, but all she noticed was the hollow and darkened marks beneath his lashes.
"Harry?" she questioned again. "What's wrong?"
He didn't say anything at first, just looked around sheepishly as if he was making sure they were indeed alone. "Uh, sorry to catch you at a bad time . . . I uh, can come back in a bit once you've dressed."
"Oh, I'm so sorry. Come in." She moved from the doorway and held it open for him to come in. "I just got out of the shower. Make yourself some tea, I'll be back in a minute."
She quickly changed into a pair of cotton trousers and comfy oversized sweatshirt. Her heart ached for the man waiting for her in her living room. She noticed the haunted look in his eyes had grown and it worried her. Running a wide tooth comb through her wet curls, she wondered why he was here. They hadn't spoken much since he was working all the time.
Ten minutes later, she walked back to the living room. He was sitting on her sofa, a mug between his palms. "I made you a cup too," he said, gesturing to a steeping tea on the table in front of him.
Hermione took in his appearance again. This time she noticed more than his eyes - the way he slumped against the cushions and avoided her eye contact was a sure sign that something was amiss.
"Okay, spill it, Potter. What's going on with you," she demanded, in her very Prefect voice.
Smiling at her tone he set his tea down before turning in his seat and pulling a leg up onto the sofa with him. She sat next to him and mirrored his position so they faced each other. She waited for him patiently, knowing he would talk eventually.
"Well . . . Gin and I broke up," he told her after a few moments of silence.
She could feel her eyes widen and her mouth drop open in surprise. She wasn't sure she could trust her voice, so instead, she leaned over and wrapped her arms around him. He hesitated for a moment before returning the embrace and resting his head lightly on top of hers.
Pulling away after a few seconds, she asked, "Do you want to talk about it?"
He ran his hand through his fringe, making his already messy locks stand on end. Shrugging his shoulders, he began, "There really isn't much to say, I suppose. You know things have been hard for me lately." She nodded in agreement, but kept quiet so he continued. "I guess I work too much, and she is away a lot too for Quidditch. We sort of stopped trying as hard to impress the other."
Hermione nodded in complete understanding. The same thing happened to her and Ron a few years previously. Their relationship wasn't necessarily the same as Harry's and Ginny's was - they really weren't ever on the same page from the beginning. They had tried though, and in the end, their friendship prevailed, and luckily they were able to keep it that way. She had noticed things beginning to change for Ginny and Harry for a while now. Yes, Ginny travelled frequently, but Harry had begun picking up extra assignments - something Hermione had noticed, but knew that Harry didn't divulge to his girlfriend that he was volunteering for them. Harry had confided in her that he and Ginny just didn't have the same connection. It seemed that, to him at least, Ginny had always been infatuated with Harry from a young age - in a fangirl way, and once they were together without threat to pull them apart, the spark just wasn't there.
They continued to sit together, sipping their tea. Hermione listened patiently while Harry unleashed what he needed. When he seemed to be done, she asked, "Are you okay?" It seemed a like a stupid question, but she felt it was the one needing to be asked.
He smiled at her, not the bright happy kind he gave her when he was about to take off on his broom, but a genuine smile nonetheless that warmed her heart. "You know, Hermione, I really am. I feel almost relieved now," he hesitated, looking as though he wanted to ask her something.
"What is it, Harry?" she asked him, concerned.
Hesitantly he met her eyes. "Well, I was hoping you wouldn't mind if I stayed with you for just a bit?" he asked, his tone between pleading and hopeful.
The bubble of laughter at his innocence came without her approval, and between teary eyes, she answered, "Of course you can, Harry. I don't mind at all. The second bedroom is just sitting empty."
The look of relief on his face was evident. "Thanks," he said warmly. "Ginny didn't want to go back to the Burrow, and I really didn't want to stay with Ron and his new girlfriend. I told her I'd find somewhere to crash until I can find my own flat."
"No worries at all, Harry. Stay as long as you like. It'll be nice to have some company."
Harry was unpacking his belongings in his new bedroom when Hermione decided take-away would be a perfect dinner for their first night as flatmates; plus, it was Saturday and she didn't feel like cooking. Rifling through her stack of menus, she decided Harry's favourite was in order - Thai green curry for him and mango red curry for her. Twenty minutes later, the knock on the door announced the arrival of their food, and she inhaled the heavenly aroma.
"Harry, I ordered dinner. Come eat with me."
Emerging from his room, he looked at her gratefully. "Is that Thai I smell?"
Smirking at him, she swung the bag carefully back and forth enticingly. "Of course it is. Come on, let's start a movie while we eat."
She had to admit, sharing her space with Harry felt almost natural. She had always been comfortable around him, and after spending a year on the run and living in a tent together, she was definitely used to his habits. However, she noticed that without the constant stress of fighting for their lives, he was more laid back and easy to be around. He seemed relaxed, and honestly, she hadn't seen him this way in months, maybe longer.
"So, what's on the work agenda for the rest of the year?" she asked, as their movie finished up.
He began stacking their plates, and packing away the food containers. "Well, actually, I'm pondering over maybe taking a step back for a bit. I've been over-working, and now I understand why. I'd like to just take a bit of a break."
Shocked by his answer, she balanced a bit. While she did feel he was working too hard, she had never been one to tell someone they shouldn't be. She, herself, worked fifty to sixty hours a week; even if ten to twenty of those were at home. She strived to do her very best, and would never tell someone not to.
"Well, what will you do?" she asked him.
Harry stood, dirty dishes balanced in his hands as he made his way to the kitchen. She followed him, waiting for his answer.
"I don't really know right now. I'll have to talk to my boss on Monday, but I don't think it will be a big deal really. I'll just not sign up for the extra patrols. I'd love to maybe play some pick-up Quidditch games, sleep in sometimes, stay up late," he paused and winked at her, and she rolled her eyes in response. "No, really, I just want to decide in the moment. It's not like I'm quitting my job, I just don't want to be so busy . . . I want to just be for a little while."
It wasn't something that she understood herself, but she loved Harry and knew he needed some time to see where he was headed in life. Pretty much since the end of the war four years ago, everything had been decided for him. They had attended their final year at Hogwarts, he went into Auror training right afterwards, and had been working for the Ministry ever since. He hadn't taken one break at all. Even Hermione took a year and a half off after their N.E.W.T.s to travel to Australia for her parents. The longer she pondered over his decision, the more she found she was really proud of him. He was finally putting himself first, instead of doing what was expected of him by the wizarding world.
"Harry James Potter," she said fondly, "I am so very proud of you."
First things first, he wanted to go see Hermione. He was excited about his new plan of action. He had thought a lot about it the following day that he and Ginny broke up. Staying with Hermione just felt natural and right, so he wasn't surprised at all when he woke up the next day with her making breakfast and humming a sweet Christmas tune in her snowflake pyjamas. She was making crepes in the skillet and smiled happily at him.
"Hungry," she asked him. Nodding his head, he sat at her kitchen table as she set two down in front him, one filled with marmalade the other with hazelnut creme.
When she sat down with him, he had the sudden feeling that he just didn't want to go back to work the following day. He knew he needed to, obviously, but there was a part of him that was calling to just do something reckless, to just get out of London and be a bit crazy. It was the Christmas season after all, and he did have quite a few weeks holiday pay awaiting him. He internally decided that he was going to request to have the next two weeks off, heading back to work right before the New Year.
Now, he stood in front of her open office door. She hadn't noticed him standing there, and he hesitated a bit nervously for what he was about to ask her. He wasn't sure why he was apprehensive, this was Hermione of course, his best friend, but he couldn't shake the jitters in his gut. He really, really, wanted her support in this.
Finally, he rapped his knuckles on the frame of her door. When she looked up at him, he was momentarily relieved by her genuine smile.
"Harry, hi. What brings you by? Come on in," she greeted, gesturing for him to take a seat across from her.
"Well," he started, pulling the chair out and sitting down. "I have some exciting news to share with you."
She put her quill down and steepled her fingers under her chin. "Go on, do tell."
The flutters were back, and he ran his hand through his hair in nervousness. "Okay, here goes. You know how I told you I was going to take a step back from work?" he asked her. When she nodded, he continued, "Well, I decided to take off the rest of the days leading up to Christmas, and I really want you to take them off with me," he rushed through the words.
Her eyes widened in surprise and she bit her lower lip. He had realized years ago that her tormented lip was a tell that she was thrown off her guard, and her brain was moving faster than most. "Harry, this is a shock . . . uh, what prompted this?"
"I haven't taken time off since the war. I need a break, and honestly, I really don't want to be alone right now. I know for a fact you have holiday days piled up as I did. Let's take them," he explained, leaning forward awaiting her reaction.
She worried her lip more, but her eyes never left his own. He held her contact, willing his eyes to tell her how important this was to him. She scrutinized him, and he waited patiently for her response. "What do you have in mind of doing?"
He looked down at his clasped hands, his lips pulling up at the corners in pure relief - she was considering it. "Maybe just get out of the city for a day or so, do some Christmas shopping, just do whatever we want," he told her, meeting her face again and shrugging with nonchalance.
Her eyes were alight with excitement. He wasn't sure if he had won her over or not, but by the look on her face, he believed he did. He assumed it wouldn't be so easy, but once again, she had stunned him. How, after all of these years, did she still have the ability to do that?
"Okay, Harry, I'll spend the next," she paused looking at the calendar on her desk, "twelve days until Christmas with you. I'll have to submit my request to my boss, but I'm sure it will be just fine. We are never busy around the holidays."
Harry clapped his hands together loudly. "Perfect, and formally you will need to submit the paperwork, but I may have," he slowed his words, afraid she might not like the next thing he said, "already secured the days off for you."
He was right, she was definitely pissed off. Shite, he should have kept that part to himself. It's just that it was too easy to drop by her boss' office after he put in his request, knowing that the man would easily grant Hermione the days off, whether she asked for them or The Boy Who Lived did.
"Harry Potter, what makes you think that is, in any way, okay?" she asked, the pink on her cheeks becoming darker as she talked more. "That is absolutely . . . Oh, I will make you pay for this, you know." She stood and walked to him, pulling him from his seat and marching him to the door. "You better have some good idea to make it up to me over the next coming days. Now, go, before I change my mind. And you're in charge of dinner tonight," she finished loudly before closing her door a little more firmly than necessary.