A/N:
These drabbles were written for dimitrisgirl18's Ultimate Pairing Drabble Competition.
topic/44309/83921741/1/
given prompts: CRAZY, DEFEND, MORNING, SNEAKING OUT, OCEAN, MUSIC, FRAGILE, PETALS, HEAVEN, STAGE
given pairings: Percy/Audrey, Neville/Luna, Dean/Seamus, Hermione/Ron, Pansy/Lavender
my pairings: Fred/Padma, George/Parvati, Ron/Marietta, Hermione/Draco and Harry/Ginny
Takes places roughly after the Battle of Hogwarts, in my version none of these students died
The Table in the Back
Harry sat in the corner under his invisibility cloak. He had draped the cloak so it covered the chair as well so that no one would sit on him. They'd agreed to meet at The Three Broomsticks at 2:00pm. Harry was early but he enjoyed people watching, especially when he wasn't the one being watched!
ooooo
Harry almost pulled off the cloak when Dean and Seamus sat down at the table. He hadn't had a chance to talk to his two old roommates in ages. He hesitated when he saw the two boys clasp hands under the table.
"This is CRAZY," whispered Dean.
"Aren't you tired of SNEAKING OUT of my room every MORNING? Seamus responded.
"I just don't want to have to DEFEND our relationship to everyone."
"Is what we have still so FRAGILE at this STAGE?" asked Seamus in a hurt voice. Dean didn't answer right away. For a moment, the only sound was the background MUSIC that had been charmed to sound like the tide of the OCEAN.
Then Dean conjured a daisy and began to pluck its PETALS. "He loves me. He loves me not…." As he plucked the last petal, he raised his eyes to Seamus, "He loves me." Seamus hugged Dean, "You are my own bit of HEAVEN on earth. I do love you."
As the two young men walked out holding hands, Madam Rosmerta came over and cleared away their empty butter beer bottles.
ooooo
Hermione stormed into the Three Broomsticks with Ron on her heels. When they plopped down at the table, Harry had no desire to remove his cloak. In fact he was considering SNEAKING OUT under the cover of the OCEAN MUSIC but he hesitated when Hermione started talking. "Ron, I am sorry that this is hurting you but I can't go out with you anymore."
"That's CRAZY Hermione! We are good together" said Ron in a desperate attempt to DEFEND their relationship.
"No, we aren't," said Hermione in a sad, FRAGILE voice. "Like I told you this MORNING, you are one of my best friends but I don't love you like a woman should love a man."
Ron stared at the empty STAGE in frustration. He briefly wondered what band was playing later tonight. He looked at Hermione who had picked up a daisy PETAL from the table and was rubbing it between her fingers. "Kissing you felt so right, like I'd been given a piece of HEAVEN. What went wrong?"
"I think we confused friendship and the desperate emotions of the Battle with actual attraction. You know as well as I do that all of our attempts at kissing since then have felt weird, like kissing your brother or sister. I want to go back to being friends Ron. I miss being your friend."
Ron let out a deep sigh. "Agreed. Let's go find Harry, he might be at Honeydukes."
As his two best friends walked away, Harry had to admit to himself that he was glad that they had figured out that they weren't a good match. He knew that they didn't have what it took for a long term romance and he'd been worried that he would have been forced to choose between them.
ooooo
George, Padma and Parvati sat down as soon as Madam Rosmerta had wiped off the table. As Fred arrived with four butter beers, he set them on the table and grabbed Padma's hand and pulled her onto the empty dance floor near the STAGE. Fred must have put a knut in the juke box as the OCEAN MUSIC stopped and the Weird Sister's latest hit "SNEAKING OUT of HEAVEN" began to play.
George scooted closer to Parvati and kissed her. Parvati smiled at him, "I've been waiting all MORNING for you to do that."
"I know it is CRAZY," said George, "but ever since Fred and Padma started dating, we have all spent so much time together. Last night, Fred said something about your sister being prettier than you and I got mad and started to DEFEND you. Fred just laughed at me and pointed out that maybe I should ask you out. "
George conjured a beautiful bouquet of flowers and handed them to Parvati. "So, will you go out with me?"
"Oh, yes George, I'd love to go out with you." She hugged him tightly, not caring that she had crushed the flowers' FRAGILE PETALS between them.
Fred and Padma had finished their dance and were smiling at their twins. "About time!" whispered Fred. "Let's go to Madam Puddifoot's for tea" suggested Padma.
As the four of them walked away, Harry grabbed one of their untouched butter beers and slipped it under the invisibility cloak. He was beginning to enjoy himself.
ooooo
As Harry sipped the butter beer, he saw Fred and George talking to their brother Percy. Soon, Fred and George continued out of the bar but Percy and his girlfriend Audrey continued toward Harry. Harry remembered Percy's first girlfriend, Penelope Clearwater. He smiled as he recalled how many times he had caught them snogging. As Harry had been under his invisibility cloak most of those times, he found it ironic that he was again privy to Percy's love life.
Percy looked really nervous. He took a long drink of his butter beer and seemed to gather his courage. To Harry's shock and Audrey's delight, Percy dropped to one knee. "Audrey, I have been CRAZY about you from the moment you DEFENDED my ideas about caldron bottom thickness at our first departmental MORNING meeting. I think that both of our careers our past that FRAGILE STAGE that required us to go about SNEAKING OUT to be together. You would make me the happiest man this side of HEAVEN if you would agree to be my wife"
"Yes, Percy, yes!" screamed Audrey as she looked in delighted awe at the ring he slipped on her finger, the center diamond was surrounded by six rubies in the shape of PETALS. Madame Rosmerta had noticed the proposal and flicked her wand to change the OCEAN MUSIC to "One True Pairing" an old Celestina Warbeck classic.
Harry sat back and smiled. Mrs. Weasley will be thrilled, she loves weddings and she has liked Audrey from the start. Of course, she likes Bill's Fleur now but it took quite a while for them to warm up to each other.
ooooo
The Three Broomsticks was getting crowded now. Harry was debating if he should pull off his invisibility cloak so that it would be clear that the table was taken. Before he decided, Pansy and Lavender sat down. Their heads were tilted toward each other and they were having an intense whispered conversation.
Wondering what the Slytherin girl could possibly have to say to Lavender, he leaned closer to hear.
"I'm not gay!" argued Lavender.
"Then why did you sleep with me you CRAZY prat?" demanded an infuriated Pansy.
"I..I..I don't know," wailed Lavender. "That MORNING, you kissed me and it felt amazing. Your lips were like FRAGILE PETALS, and it felt like the OCEAN was rushing over me."
Pansy looked at her gently, "This isn't just a STAGE. That kiss felt like HEAVEN to me too."
"I didn't like SNEAKING OUT of your bed afterwards, I mean before you woke up." muttered Lavender.
Pansy cupped her hands on the sides of Lavender's face. "Ssh, you don't have to DEFEND yourself. Let's just try this and see where the MUSIC takes us." Pansy slid her hands back into Lavender's hair and pulled her close for a gentle kiss.
"Let's go back to your dorm," Lavender breathed. "I…I…want you."
Pansy smiled as the girls walked away from the table.
ooooo
Harry knew that the wizarding community as a whole believed that sexual orientation was a spectrum and that a much higher percentage of witches and wizards were gay than muggles. It had just never occurred to him that while he was struggling with his own FRAGILE feelings towards his romantic interest that his classmates were struggling with their own romantic entanglements.
He was startled by his own thoughts as Neville and Luna sat down. At least he'd get a break from the constant stream of romantic liaisons! Luna was explaining the negative impact that blibbering humdingers can have on magical plants and how to DEFEND against infestations. "At the larva STAGE, you can catch them SNEAKING OUT of their shells in the MORNINGS. They like to attack HEAVEN's Breath plants most of all. If you play really loud MUSIC, it will scare them back into their shells." Neville seemed fascinated. Harry just rolled his eyes.
As Luna and Neville continued to discuss the impact of imaginary creatures on herbology, Harry's let his eyes drift around the room. It looked like Ron was back. He was talking to a girl with long dark hair but as she had her back to Harry, he couldn't tell who it was. He wondered where Hermione was and where his date was, she was ten minutes late.
Harry's attention was drawn back to his table as Luna jumped up and sat on Neville's lap. "My father always said to never let pod seed PETALS grow on an OCEAN lily." she said in her CRAZY way. Neville looked at her in shock but his arms instinctively closed around her back. "Dance with me," she demanded and Neville followed her onto the dance floor looking like he'd just seen a swarm of blibbering humdingers!
ooooo
Hermione came rushing toward the table from the back corridor. "Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, I did NOT just do that!" moaned Hermione into her hands. Harry looked toward the corridor near the STAGE that led to the bathrooms and some storage areas. His eyes widened as he saw Draco Malfoy emerge. Draco's normally perfect hair was mussed and his robes were undone. Harry saw Draco's eyes land on Hermione and he almost warned her but he wanted to see what Malfoy had to say.
Draco pulled Hermione up from the table so that she was standing just inches from him. Harry's hand tightened on his wand. "Hermione, please," said Draco in a tone that shocked Harry. It sounded like Draco was actually concerned. "Hermione, is it really that big of a shock to you? I mean we've been sparking off each other since fourth year."
Hermione raised her eyes to meet Draco's and both boys saw the tears welling in her eyes. "Please don't cry," pleaded Draco as his gentle fingers brushed the FRAGILE tears off her face. "I know it's CRAZY, but all those times I was mean, I think I was just DEFENDING myself from this. Not that it makes it right, it was immature and stupid. So many MORNINGS I got caught SNEAKING OUT, trying to get a glimpse of you."
Hermione leaned into Draco's embrace. "I've never felt like that before," she whispered, "Just one kiss and I felt like I was in HEAVEN.
Your lips touch mine,
as soft as the PETALS on a rose.
the thorns hidden for a moment.
The gentle ebb and flow of the OCEAN'S tides
pushes me away from you, then
pulls me gently toward you.
The MUSIC changes
from the familiar battle march
to a balled of tender love"
Draco buried his hands in Hermione's hair and began kissing her deeply. Hermione's hands slid inside Draco's robes and she pulled him closer to her. Barely pausing for breath, they retreated down the corridor. Harry sat there in shock wondering if he'd just been Confunded.
ooooo
The band had started playing and Ron and the dark haired girl that Harry now realized was Marietta Edgecombe were dancing. Harry noticed that Hermione had removed the jinx and Marietta's skin was back to its original flawlessness. Ron looked silly as he still had no rhythm but Marietta did not seem to mind. After the song was over, Ron grabbed a couple of butter beers from the bar and led Marietta to the table.
"So what do you do for fun?" Ron asked the Ravenclaw girl.
"When I'm at home, I like SNEAKING OUT every MORNING to go down by the OCEAN. There are these small flowers that bloom in the rocks near the seashore. Right at dawn, their FRAGILE PETALS open up towards HEAVEN. It sounds CRAZY but if you listen very carefully, you can hear them make MUSIC. It is like a quiet humming."
"Wow, that's beautiful." said Ron, "I spend my time at home playing Quidditch. I like to DEFEND the hoops from my brothers and sister. Sometimes at night, we pretend the coffee table is a STAGE and take turns singing or telling jokes."
"I wish I had a big family," Marietta said.
"Come and meet mine," Ron said gesturing to bar where Bill and Charlie sat.
ooooo
As they walked off, Harry pulled off the invisibility cloak. He had seen his date and wanted to be sure that she saw him too.
"I'm so sorry that I'm late!" gushed Ginny, "Hagrid needed help catching a baby unicorn this MORNING. It took forever! You know how CRAZY he can get. And then Professor Sprout needed help transplanting a HEAVEN's Breath and you know how FRAGILE their PETALS are. I thought about just SNEAKING OUT of the castle but I figured I've outgrow my rebellious STAGE." Ginny winked.
"That's alright. I've enjoyed people watching. It's amazing what you learn when you just sit back and watch." said Harry.
"I'm glad the band has started playing already. I hate that awful OCEAN MUSIC they play here. It always makes me feel like I have to pee!"
Harry laughed. "It looks like the dance floor is starting to fill up. Do you want to DEFEND your dance queen title?" he asked as he stood up and reached for her hand.
ooooo
Harry looked around the couples on the dance floor and thought about those that had left earlier. He was glad that so many of those that lost so much in the Second Wizarding War were still able to find happiness.