Written for Hogwarts' Granger Danger Event - Anniversary, the Writing Club - Showtime - Right Hand Man: (word) Assistance and the Swimming Assignment - Write about a scenario where the saying 'sometimes, less is more' holds true.
Still a Muggle!AU, established relationship.
Word count: 1637
Anniversary
"I need your help."
Ginny looks up from her desk computer, startled, and clicks off her pen, setting it down on her notepad.
"Hello to you, too, Hermione," Ginny drawls, smirking as she crosses her arms and leans back in her chair. "How are you? I haven't see you in a while. Oh, hi, Ginny. I'm fine, too, it's so lovely to see you," she says, mimicking Hermione's voice.
Badly.
Hermione rolls her eyes, hand resting flat on Ginny's desk. "Oh, hi, Ginny. I'm fine, too, it's so lovely to see you," she parrots, deeply unimpressed. "Like I said," she repeats, "I need your help. Please?"
Ginny frowns. "Do you need me to call Harry for you? Or Ron? You know, if they didn't pick up when you called it's probably because they forgot to charge their phones again. God knows Ron's always been useless at it, and you know how much I love him, but Harry's not much better," she says fondly.
"That's not—I didn't want to talk to the boys, I wanted to talk to you," Hermione admits, and the words are difficult to voice. They stick inside her throat like tar, and for a long few moments, Hermione hadn't been sure she'd be able to get them out.
Ginny blinks in surprise, mouth falling open. "Oh," she says, unable to stop herself from grinning. "What did you want to talk to me about, then? What do you need my help with?"
"I… I know you and Harry celebrated your, what was it, sixth year anniversary last month?"
"Seventh, actually," Ginny corrects, smiling fondly. It makes Hermione smile back, too, and she wonders if she also looks like that when thinks about Pansy.
She probably does.
"Seventh, sorry," Hermione replies sheepishly. "I know you had dinner at a nice restaurant, and that like, it went fine, but I just… I don't know how to make it different from a normal date."
Ginny's brow furrows for a moment before her eyes light up. "Oh, right," she smiles, "your first wedding anniversary is coming up pretty soon, isn't it?"
"Yes," Hermione moans, leaning against the table. "And I don't know what to do. Ginny, you have to help me out here."
Ginny looks gleeful at the thought, and it eases some of the anxiety in Hermione's chest—but not all of it, because while Ginny often has good ideas, they're not always sane ideas. Like that time she convinced Hermione that breaking into the pool by their university was the 'best idea ever', or the time she had decided they needed to go bar hopping after she and Pansy had had their first real fight.
Ginny hums a low note for a moment, uncrossing her arms and leaning forward a bit. "Well, what do you usually do to celebrate an anniversary? Maybe you could build on that?"
"We don't really do anything to celebrate?" she grimaces, sighing deeply. "At least, we don't do anything differently from our usual dating routine? But this is different—this is our wedding anniversary, not just a normal one. I want it to be different, to mean more.
"So," she repeats, trying to put all the desperate need she feels in her voice, "can you help me?"
Ginny huffs a laugh. "Come on, Hermione, you're practically my sister by now. Of course, I can help you! And with my wonderful, magical assistance, we'll make sure you have an anniversary neither you nor Pansy can forget."
"Thanks," Hermione smiles. She considers Ginny family, too, but it's always nice to hear it said out loud. "So, where do we start?"
Ginny looks at her desk for a moment, then shakes her head. She gets up smoothly, grabbing the jacket on the back of her chair in a smooth, flowing motion Hermione can't help but be jealous of.
"We start with me going on break," she says. "That way, we can properly brainstorm over hot drinks—you know that that is the only way to properly brainstorm."
Those words bring back memories of college—of cramming days of revisions into a single, sleepless night fueled by copious amounts of caffeine, and Hermione smiles. "That I do."
They could have taken their break in Ginny's office, but the redhead insists on them walking down to an actual coffee shop.
"They make these pastries, Hermione… They're to die for." Ginny shakes her head a little, eyes riveted to the small presentoir as she licks her lips slowly. "I know you're not a fan of sugar and desserts, but seriously, you haven't lived until you've tried one of their peach and raspberry cupcakes."
"I'll trust you on that," Hermione huffs, still smiling, as they wait in line.
Minutes later, orders in hand, they're sitting at a small table by the window overlooking the street outside, their drinks in front of them.
"So," Ginny starts, wrapping her hands around her fuming cup, "do you have any ideas already?"
Hermione shakes her head regretfully. "Not really, no. That's kind of the problem—everything I come up with seems like just another one of our dates, and I really want this to be different."
Ginny smiles gently. "Well, if it works for you… Maybe just add some kind of gift you know she'll like, make it a bit more romantic than you usually would?" She shrugs. "You know, sometimes, less really is more—you don't have to make a grand gesture to show Pansy that you love her; she already knows that. Like I said earlier, just build on what you have, and you'll be fine."
"Is that what you and Harry do?" Hermione asks curiously, arching an eyebrow at her friend.
Ginny chuckles as she shakes her head. "God, no. You know Harry, he's actually a hopeless romantic—he likes to makes every single celebration into some kind of unforgettable moment, even if he is still private about it. But that's us—you can't tell me the same appeals to you."
She's right, too. Ginny's right. Hermione can't imagine Pansy being happy with Hermione making some big thing out of their first anniversary. Or maybe those aren't the right words—she'd be happy, but she wouldn't be as satisfied as she could be, if Hermione simply took her to a nice romantic dinner under the stars, the way they used to when they were still in college and hadn't had the time nor the money (at least, on Hermione's part) to do more.
Pansy likes the finer things in life, yes, but as she's continually reminding Hermione, she likes her wife more.
"You're right," Hermione finally says. "We're not really into the grand gesture type of thing."
"I'm always right," Ginny winks. "And there's nothing wrong with that," she adds, sipping at her drink. "Anything else you need my help with?" Her smile turns diabolical as she wiggles her eyebrows. "Anything you might want tips on?"
It takes Hermione a moment to understand what Ginny is getting at, but when she does, her cheeks flush red. "No, thank you," she hastens to answer, mortified. "No tips needed. Not for that, anyway. But…"
"Yeah?" Ginny replies instantly, leaning forward in her chair, brown eyes twinkling.
"What kind of gift should I buy?" Hermione asks, and she hates that she doesn't know, hates that she can't think of an idea on her own that do, even if, thankfully, Ginny doesn't judge her.
"Well, if she likes flowers, you can always start with that. Maybe jewelry? I don't really know—what does she like, or is there anything she's noticed recently but didn't buy?"
Jewelry isn't a bad idea. Pansy wears some often enough, and she always casts longing glance to the jewelry shops they pass in front of. If she had her way, they'd spend hours looking at every showcased piece, and they'd never get anywhere.
She does need to think on it a bit more, but it's a start. And as far as these goes? It's even a pretty decent one.
"Thanks," she says, gracing Ginny with a grateful smile.
"Anytime," Ginny replies with a wink, before draining the last of her drink. She checks her watch and sighs regretfully. "Well, looks like I have to go back now—and you have some shopping to do."
Hermione laughs ruefully, though it tainted with amusement. "I guess I do."
Ginny stands up. "Have fun, then. And tell me how it goes! I want to know everything."
"I will," Hermione laughs. "I swear."
It's lucky they married late in the spring, Hermione realizes, or her plan wouldn't work nearly as well. But it's nearly June, and the nights have already most most of their chill, so finding a restaurant with a romantic atmosphere that will let them seat outside is no great chore.
The hardest part, as Hermione had guessed it would be, is finding the perfect piece of jewelry to hang around Pansy's neck—but in the end, even that isn't as hard as she had feared.
The jeweller is very helpful, and in the end Hermione decides on a piece that drew her eyes instantly. It is the same stone as the one on Pansy's wedding ring—not a diamond, because Pansy thinks they are overrated, but a deep blue sapphire shaped like a drop of water that hangs on a silver chain.
Hermione would have opted for emeralds, since Pansy does prefer green to blue, but she knows her wife—and Pansy's favorite color may be green, but her favorite jewel is the sapphire.
Their anniversary is simple, in the end—indeed, if not for that gift, and the one she receives in exchange (a beautiful, handcrafted pen engraved with her initials, because Pansy knows her, too), if could very well be one of the thousands of dates they've already had—but it is perfect.
It is everything Hermione wanted it to be, and more.
