Written for The Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition round 1 of finals. I'm Chaser 3 on the Falmouth Falcons.

OTP: Harry/Hermione

Prompts:

Muggle Cafe (setting)

Hazelnut (word)

Dawn (word)

Player 7:

Foreshadowing

Juxtaposition

She walked across the road, her shoes getting soaked through by the sludge the snow had turned into over the course of December. Her wet feet made her shudder, and she pulled the winter cloak closer around her, the warm faux fur protecting her from the icy wind.

It was still dark out, but then again, December felt like the dreariest and darkest month of them all; the only thing making it better was the promise of Christmas with her family.

Of course, she had Obliviated her parents, so all she was left with was her chosen family: Harry. The other part of that family had left them and she didn't dare to think his name.

After a disaster at Godric's Hollow they had gotten separated again, but Hermione had made a backup plan to meet at a muggle cafe in Edinburgh.

Just as she made it to the other side of the street, she heard a shot and instantly ducked to the ground, into a giant pile of black sludge. As her knees and hands were getting wet and cold, her heartbeat slowly got steadier. Looking around she found the source of the noise: a car backfiring.

Annoyed, and now soaked through all her clothes, not just her shoes, she got up and removed some of the sludge that had made it past the mess of her hair. A tiny piece of it melted and made its way down her neck and along her spine.

Chilled, angry, and sick of the dreadful thing December had become, she stepped into the cafe and then into their bathroom.

She didn't dare use magic. Instead, she opted for the cheap hand dryers to help her get dry, and some paper towels to take care of the worst of the dirt. The juxtaposition of the clean tiles of the bathroom and her muddy clothes made her crinkle her nose, but she couldn't do anything more without magic. She sighed and walked out of the bathroom again.

There was no one in the cafe yet, except for the very bored barista standing behind the counter. She ordered a cappuccino and looked around for a good place to sit.

The table by the window was perfect for a nervous and worried Hermione as she peeled some hazelnuts and waited for Harry to arrive.

Slowly, the sky turned brighter as dawn arrived and went. The pile of peeled hazelnuts had grown, but she hadn't eaten a single one of them and the coffee had gotten cold without her taking a single sip. The morning rush had finished, and another barista had taken over after the last one had finished her job for the day. Still not a trace of Harry.

They had promised to meet at dawn, not midday! What could be keeping him?

Her mind conjured up every place he could be, and every scenario she would have to rescue him from. It strayed to the most banal—Harry sitting at a cafe across the street—to the most insane—he was dead and Hermione would have to travel through time to rescue him.

The plan she formed to achieve something as impossible as that was broken by the sound of the door opening again. When it still wasn't Harry, she felt like she might cry.

"A cappuccino for the lady," a male voice said.

"I didn't order that." She frowned and looked up to find Harry holding two cups of coffee and a paper bag. "Harry!"

Hermione jumped from her seat to hug him, sending a few of the hazelnuts flying to the floor.

She felt every worry melt away as she was held in his arms. There was nothing to worry about when she had Harry.

"You look horrible." Harry laughed as they separated from the hug.

"You look worse. What happened to you? And why are you so late?" She hit him on the shoulder at the last bit and he jumped a little and faked hurt.

"Ow," he said and smiled. "I broke my wand in the fight against Nagini. I didn't realize until you had already Apparated us once and we got separated. I had to get from Manchester to here on Muggle transportation."

"How did you get the money?"

"I didn't, I just used my Invisibility Cloak"

"You didn't pay? Harry!"

"What can I say?" He put the purchases next to Hermione's pile of hazelnuts, sat down, and leaned back on his chair. "I'm a bad boy."

The image was ruined when he leaned back a little too much and the chair tipped over.

Hermione snickered and sat down to take a sip of her cappuccino. Of course, she drank from the old one that was a couple of hours old and, therefore, cold.

Harry got up and seated himself properly while Hermione pretended she didn't take the wrong cup. When he handed her a bagel, she couldn't help but wonder. "Is this a date?"

Harry had just been taking a sip of his coffee and choked. When he regained breath, he answered, "Maybe it could be?"

She smiled and felt butterflies tingle inside her. "Yeah, maybe it could."

For a while, they were content to sit in silence eating something proper for the first time in months. When Hermione started fiddling with the hazelnuts again, Harry covered her hand with his.

"How about we forget the rest of the world and the guys chasing us for one day, and we just explore the city?" he said.

"We can't just—"

"Hermione."

She looked from the nuts to their entwined hands and then up into his dazzling green eyes.

"One day of being normal. They shouldn't be able to find us here."

"You don't know that," Hermione said.

"No, but we are Gryffindors. Let's act like it for once and throw caution to the wind."

Looking at Harry and thinking about how easily he always corrupted her, she took his suggestion and kissed him. The kiss was sweet and full of promise for more passionate kisses in the future.

Harry smiled against her lips and whispered, "Just like that."

Hermione pulled back and they went back to finishing their meal, smiling through bites and over coffee cups.

The door opened again, revealing a man holding a gun. "Stay where you are. If anyone moves, I shoot!"

Their smiles turned into frowns as they looked away to the man threatening everyone. There weren't many people around, but Hermione felt an obligation to them to keep them safe.

"We should do something," she whispered to Harry.

"Did I say you could speak?"

The gun fired, aimed at Hermione. Harry jumped in front of her, knocking her to the ground.

"Harry!"

Hermione was trapped beneath him, unable to draw anything but gasping breaths. His life drained away as his blood soaked her coat. She felt herself grow cold while Harry did. The rest of the world had melted away and become sludge.

Outside the sky had started to darken. The blood on her hands made a stark contrast against the shades of yellow and orange covering the sky.

Harry Potter, the hope of the wizarding world, had just been killed by a muggle.