Shipping Bingo: D1 - Last X Available

Trope Bingo: E3 - The Sage

Spring Bingo: B2 - Bottle/Vial

Team: Earth Tones
Scavenger Hunt: Sp WD (Judaism)

Chimera: Eating/Drinking; Love/Hate

Stacked With: FPC; BAON; ToS; Star; Fence; Shower; T3; Ship; Sp/Tr Bingo; Chim; Hunt

Individual Challenges: Neurodivergent; Rian-Russo Inversion; Ethnic & Present; Setting Sail; Hold the Mayo; Zed Era; Old Shoes (Y); In a Flash (Y); Bucket Listing (Y);

Representations: Hermione is autistic; Friends as Fam; Matchmaking; Shabbat

Primary & Secondary Bonus Challenges: Unwanted Advice; Fire Song; Tomorrow's Shade; Second Verse (Not a Lamp; Found Family; Nontraditional; Zucchini Bread); Chorus (Odd Feathers; Wabi Sabi; Fizzy Lemonade; Peddling Pots)

Tertiary & Generic Bonus Challenges: T3 (Terse; Thimble)

Warnings: n/a

Word Count: 921

~o0o~

"Seriously?" Hermione muttered as she stared at the small kosher selection. She had realized just that morning that she was out of wine for Shabbat.

Not that any of her guests ate kosher. They weren't even Jewish, but they were good friends, always making sure she had a full table for every holiday. Even Ron came by, and their relationship might not have worked out, but she felt they were better friends after it.

She finally found the last bottle of wine in the back and reached for it, touching it at the same time as someone else. She looked over at the man. He was really good looking. Sand-colored skin, dark wavy hair. Definitely the kind of person she would've had an insta-crush on when she was in school.

"Er, I kinda need that," she said, pointing to the wine bottle. "I'm hosting a Shabbat dinner tonight and I realized I was out."

"Oh, no worries then," said the man. "I was out too, but it's just me, I can just use pomegranate juice."

"I love pomegranate juice," said Hermione. "It's a really good substitute in cooking if you can't use wine."

"Oh, yeah? Well, Shabbat Shalom."

"Shabbat Shalom." Hermione looked down at the wine and back at him. "Hey, I'm actually the only one at my dinners who's Jewish. Do you want to tagalong?"

"Is your husband used to you bringing home stray men?" he teased.

"Hm? Oh!" She touched her tichel. "No, I'm not married. I just like keeping my hair covered." She cleared her throat and offered her hand. "I'm Hermione."

"Cedric," he replied, shaking her hand firmly. "Since you're inviting me to dinner, then allow me to bring the wine as thanks."

"Oh-ho! I see it was all a trick," said Hermione, wagging her finger at him. "I guess I can let you hang around to make sure you don't run off with my wine."

Was flirting really this easy? She should have tried this way sooner than just trying to make the guy she liked jealous. Besides, if this guy turned out to be a creep, she knew plenty of spells to drive him off, but after being Wizard Britain's leading lawyer for ten years, she got a pretty good sense over who was trustworthy and who wasn't.

After purchasing their items separately, Hermione walked with Cedric back to her apartment.

"I've never seen you at the synagogue," she said. "Or is there a second one I'm unaware of?"

"No, I just moved here," he said. "Didn't get a chance to check the place out."

"Yet another reason I wear the tichel," said Hermione. "If I show off this hair, I'll be beating the boys off with a stick."

Cedric laughed and she felt good about herself. He paused and looked around as she walked up to her apartment building.

"Huh."

"What?"

"Well… this is my building," he said. "I just moved in 2C."

"I'm 2B," said Hermione. "What a coincidence. I'll have to tell my friend Luna to send you over a houseplant. She and her partner, Neville, have way too many."

"Not Luna Lovegood."

"Oh, you met her already?"

"That's right. She's my cousin," he said. "Er, second cousin."

"She's never mentioned you."

"That's Luna. She'll carry on about any topic except her personal life."

Hermione smiled and unlocked the door to her apartment, touching her mezuzah just before she entered. The air was thick and warm with the smell of her brisket.

"You know, it's funny," said Cedric. "Luna was trying to get me to come to this dinner. I didn't realize it was a Shabbat dinner." He chuckled. "She's going to be so smug."

She dumped the dough for her challah onto her counter, glad it rose when she was gone. "Luna? Smug?"

"If you grew up with her, you would know," he said. "She's very subtle about it. Do you need help with that?"

Hermione looked down at her mess of plaits. "I never could plait the bread like my mum."

"Well, lucky for you I am a master plaiter," said Cedric, washing his hands and rolling up his sleeves.

"Tattoos," said Hermione, clucking her tongue. "What would your rabbi say?"

He looked straight at her. "Who do you think was my tattoo artist?"

Hermione threw her head back and laughed a real, true, deep belly laugh. She couldn't remember the last time she laughed that hard.

"You're funny," she said and looked down at the challah. "And you can plait bread."

"I'm the whole package."

She snorted again and put the bread into a bag before sliding it into the proving drawer.

"Can you make kugel?" she asked.

"Of course. When will everyone arrive?"

"Just after sunset. I feel a little funny lighting the candles and such with everyone staring at me. It's like a reverse birthday party and I'm not comfortable with everyone chanting about me while I stare at an object on fire."

Cedric raised an eyebrow. "Now that you mention it, I don't think I am anymore either. Birthdays are ruined."

Hermione chuckled and brought out the potatoes.

It was nice to bless the candles, bread, and wine with someone else. As soon as they were done and they drank the wine, a knock came at the door.

Sure enough, it was Luna and Neville toting along a dish.

"Ah, so Cedric is here," she said before Hermione was sure she even had him in her sights. "Interesting."

Hermione looked over at Cedric. "You were right."