Spoilers: Vague Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows spoilers, I suppose.

Note: None of these characters or franchises are mine.

Nerd

It was a grisly case. Three dead, stabbed in the thigh with a dinner fork, bled dry through the femoral artery. Not a pretty sight.

It was the kind of case that usually had Beckett holding them hostage at the precinct for 23 hours a day, allowing them only enough time to order take-out.

But tonight was different. Beckett started glancing at her watch at 6pm. By 10pm, she was glancing at her wrist every fifteen minutes.

"Hot date tonight, Beckett?" Esposito joked, when he caught her glancing at her watch for the 400th time.

"Forgot to turn the iron off this morning?" Ryan joined in.

"Is it past curfew? I'll write your parents a note," Castle chimed, grabbing a pad of paper off Beckett's desk and licking the tip of his pencil dramatically.

Beckett rolled her eyes at them and turned back towards the murder board. The three men grinned at each other, and fell into a fit of laughter when they caught her reflexively checking her watch ten seconds later.

At 10:30pm, Beckett put down her case notes, grabbed her purse from under her desk, and slipped on her jacket.

"Good night," she said, ignoring the boys' quizzical looks. "Go home and get some rest. I'll see you at 7 tomorrow morning."

When Castle's mouth opened, she shot him a glare, just daring him to question her. His mouth quickly snapped back shut. Beckett turned and strode towards the elevators, not looking back. Castle, Ryan, and Esposito spared a moment to stare confusedly at the closing elevator doors, before rushing off to make the most of their eight hours of freedom.

Beckett pulled into the parking lot and checked at her watch again. It was just after eleven. She sighed in relief. An hour should be enough to get a good seat, and thankfully, she already had her ticket. With brief glance around the parking lot, she quickly unbuttoned and discarded her blouse, revealing the t-shirt underneath. Snatching up her purse, she hopped out of the car and started walking hurriedly across the crowded parking lot.

Ten minutes later she was settled in her seat, munching on the snacks she had smuggled in. Previews wouldn't start for another half hour, so she dug out a book from her purse and began to read.

So absorbed in the story was she that she didn't take notice when someone filled the seat to her right.

"I've been wondering all week why your purse sounds like a ton of bricks when it hits the floor."

Beckett jumped and let out a little startled scream. Castle smiled, tapping the 759 page book in her lap, "I guess this explains it."

Beckett blushed bright red in an instant. "How did you find me? Did you follow me, Castle?" She glared at him accusingly.

Castle ignored her, looking around the movie theater which was crowded with red and gold clad patrons.

"I hadn't pegged you for a Harry Potter fan, Beckett. And I certainly hadn't guessed you'd be a complete midnight-premiere-going Potter nerd. Foolish of me, I suppose." He glanced at her t-shirt and his eyes opened wide in surprise, "Oh my goodness, is that a Potter Puppet Pals t-shirt? Neeeerrrrdddd."

"Go away, Castle. I'll see you in the morning." Beckett slouched down in her chair and opened her book again, trying to ignore the whispers from her fellow Potter nerds, who had just begun to recognize who was sitting next to her.

"Not a chance, Detective. Next time I talk to JK, I want to be able to give her my honest opinion of the film."

Despite herself, Beckett turned back to him. "There's no way you know JK Rowling."

"I most certainly do. Had you admitted to your Potter nerdom sooner, I would have accepted JK's invitation to the London premiere." He winked at her and smiled cheekily, "You could have been my date on the red carpet."

She quirked an eyebrow at him, struggling to figure out if he was serious or not.

"Come to think of it Beckett," Castle leaned back in his chair considering her thoughtfully, "You are sort of a Hermione type, which is very lucky for me, because I'm a bit of a Ron." He wiggled his eyebrows at her.

Beckett rolled her eyes and turned back to her book, a small smile twisting up the corner of her mouth. "Not that lucky, Castle. Ron had to wait long seven years just for a kiss."

Castle chuckled, settled back into his seat. He pulled a well-loved copy of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone out of his pocket and began to read. After a moment he glanced over at Beckett and said quietly, "I'm sure she was well worth the wait, Detective."

When the lights dimmed, the audience began to applaud and cheer. Under the noise, Beckett heard a quiet chorus from the chair to her right.

"Snape, Snape, Severus Snape. Dumbledore!"

"Shut up, Castle."

Thanks for reading!

Anyone else excited for HP7 part 2? I'm 300 pages into a reread of the book. Must finish by Friday!

If you're a Harry Potter fan and you haven't watched Potter Puppet Pals: The Mysterious Ticking Noise, do so immediately!