I Always Liked That Best
--by Egon Starcollector
Disclaimer: Harry Potter, Hermione Granger (Potter), Severus Snape, etc. are the property of JK Rowling. Lyrics to "I Always Liked That Best" are the property of Cyndi Thompson. I only own the plot and the mental layout of Harry and Hermione's house and land. ;)
Rating: PG-13 just to be on the safe side.
Hermione Potter woke up with a migraine--one of the downsides to having Muggle blood. She was grateful that she knew the layout of the house well enough to get around without having to see. She felt her way to the kitchen and stirred up a potion that looked and tasted like lemonade. *Professor Snape's never-fail headache cure,* she smiled to herself.
After she drank the potion, she stumbled into the living room and stretched out on the couch. Within half an hour the throbbing in her head ceased so she could bear to open her eyes. She went back to the kitchen and made breakfast. She had her coffee and oatmeal while she sat at the kitchen table looking out the window. It looked like it was going to be a lovely Saturday. Perhaps she'd take a walk. After she showered and dressed, that was exactly what she did. She'd intended to walk on the moor, but instead her feet took her to the pond that sat at the edge of her property and at the base of the moor. She always seemed to come back to the pond. She sat on the grass and gazed at the ripples on the soft surface...she almost expected to see Harry come up behind her.
Where do I start
Lying on a blanket underneath the stars
With your head on my chest
I always liked that best
They'd bought the house because it was situated so dramatically below the moor. The pond had been a surprise, but it had quickly become one of their favorite places. They'd picnicked on the bank on crisp autumn days, skated on the ice during winter break, and made love on the grass under the stars on cool summer nights. The pond always made her think of Harry.
Some nights they'd lay in each other's arms afterwards and talk about the future. "Look at that...no way will our kids be big-headed growing up in the shadow of the moor," Harry had said with a laugh.
"Or under all these stars...wizards or not, they'll see how small they are," she'd said.
"Look, there's a shooting star!"
I hate how times flies
I still think back sometimes
'Bout your lips on my neck
I always liked that best
Back inside the house, she took down a picture from the fireplace mantel. It was their wedding picture...they were laughing and waving and kissing each other. It had truly seemed like a new beginning: they'd graduated from Hogwarts, Harry had defeated Voldemort once and for all...what could go wrong now?
"Oh, if I'd only known..." she sighed. It had been what, two years now? No, a little more. Over two years since he'd come up behind her, pulled her hair aside, and kissed that sensitive spot on her neck....since he'd held her while they slept.... Over two years since that stupid fight, when Harry walked out.... Over two years since she'd seen or heard from him.
That time we took a ride
Ended up down by the river side
Soft touch wet kiss
I always liked that best
She studied the background of the picture. They'd held their wedding on the green at Hogwarts. She could see the school's Great Hall in the background. She liked to think about their school days...but it hurt, too, since Hogwarts made her think of Harry. They'd met on the Hogwarts Express, fallen in love between classes and fighting monsters.... There was that time near the end of fifth year when she'd heard a tapping on her window in the middle of the night. It was Harry with his broom. "Care for a flight?" Against her better judgement, she'd gotten dressed and gone with him. They'd ended up touching down on a riverbank, gazing at the stars. That was the night Harry first told her he loved her.
I like the way you used to hold me
I like the way you came to know me
You came to know me well well well
What had gone wrong? She and Harry had been best friends since they were eleven. She'd always felt they were soulmates...they told each other *everything.* He knew how much she liked teaching at Hogwarts, and since her position as Associate Professor of Herbology had been tenuous at best when she'd started--well, of course she worked hard! She didn't want to lose her job! Yes, she was ambitious; he said that was one of the things he loved about her.
But why hadn't he even called when he went out with the team to celebrate Hogwarts' victory in the Quidditch Nationals? She was upset that he spent so much time with the team...but it upset her more not knowing where he was.
Falling to sleep
Wearing your shirt 'cause it smelled so sweet
Who could forget
I always liked that best
*Come on, stop moping. You've got work to do,* she told herself. She threw in a load of laundry--including one of Harry's old shirts which she wore as a nightshirt because she swore it still smelled like him. She remembered how upset he'd been when he fell off his broom and tore it. "Now Harry, there's no reason to send it to the ragman. Look, I can mend the front and then I'll use it to sleep in. I need a new nightshirt, you know." He'd been quite skeptical--until he actually saw her wearing it. The gleam in his eyes said everything....
Or losing my heart every time you sang to me on your guitar
"Lady in Red"
I always liked that best
When the clothes were dry, she folded everything but the shirt. She picked it up and pressed it to her cheek. Harry...it *still* smelled like him, no matter how often she washed it. A tear slid down her cheek as she hugged the shirt. She hung it in the closet...right next to his guitar. His guitar. He'd taken lessons from a fellow student at Hogwarts. He had a pleasant tenor voice, so he liked to serenade Hermione when they were dating and when they first got married. His favorite song to sing was a Muggle song about a woman in a red dress. He said it made him think of her because of the red in her Gryffindor robes. It was a pretty song...but she loved to hear it just because she loved Harry.
I like the way you used to hold me
I like the way you came to know me
You came to know me well well well
She supposed that was why she loved that shirt. When she slept in it, she could dream he was holding her again.
I could go on
So many things I miss now that you're gone
Your love oh yes
I always liked that best
Hermione missed having Harry's arms around her. She missed his groggy face at the breakfast table. She missed...everything.
Harry.... She no longer cared how often he was with the Quidditch team or even whether she worked quite as hard. She didn't care whose fault the fight was. She just wanted Harry to come home.
--by Egon Starcollector
Disclaimer: Harry Potter, Hermione Granger (Potter), Severus Snape, etc. are the property of JK Rowling. Lyrics to "I Always Liked That Best" are the property of Cyndi Thompson. I only own the plot and the mental layout of Harry and Hermione's house and land. ;)
Rating: PG-13 just to be on the safe side.
Hermione Potter woke up with a migraine--one of the downsides to having Muggle blood. She was grateful that she knew the layout of the house well enough to get around without having to see. She felt her way to the kitchen and stirred up a potion that looked and tasted like lemonade. *Professor Snape's never-fail headache cure,* she smiled to herself.
After she drank the potion, she stumbled into the living room and stretched out on the couch. Within half an hour the throbbing in her head ceased so she could bear to open her eyes. She went back to the kitchen and made breakfast. She had her coffee and oatmeal while she sat at the kitchen table looking out the window. It looked like it was going to be a lovely Saturday. Perhaps she'd take a walk. After she showered and dressed, that was exactly what she did. She'd intended to walk on the moor, but instead her feet took her to the pond that sat at the edge of her property and at the base of the moor. She always seemed to come back to the pond. She sat on the grass and gazed at the ripples on the soft surface...she almost expected to see Harry come up behind her.
Where do I start
Lying on a blanket underneath the stars
With your head on my chest
I always liked that best
They'd bought the house because it was situated so dramatically below the moor. The pond had been a surprise, but it had quickly become one of their favorite places. They'd picnicked on the bank on crisp autumn days, skated on the ice during winter break, and made love on the grass under the stars on cool summer nights. The pond always made her think of Harry.
Some nights they'd lay in each other's arms afterwards and talk about the future. "Look at that...no way will our kids be big-headed growing up in the shadow of the moor," Harry had said with a laugh.
"Or under all these stars...wizards or not, they'll see how small they are," she'd said.
"Look, there's a shooting star!"
I hate how times flies
I still think back sometimes
'Bout your lips on my neck
I always liked that best
Back inside the house, she took down a picture from the fireplace mantel. It was their wedding picture...they were laughing and waving and kissing each other. It had truly seemed like a new beginning: they'd graduated from Hogwarts, Harry had defeated Voldemort once and for all...what could go wrong now?
"Oh, if I'd only known..." she sighed. It had been what, two years now? No, a little more. Over two years since he'd come up behind her, pulled her hair aside, and kissed that sensitive spot on her neck....since he'd held her while they slept.... Over two years since that stupid fight, when Harry walked out.... Over two years since she'd seen or heard from him.
That time we took a ride
Ended up down by the river side
Soft touch wet kiss
I always liked that best
She studied the background of the picture. They'd held their wedding on the green at Hogwarts. She could see the school's Great Hall in the background. She liked to think about their school days...but it hurt, too, since Hogwarts made her think of Harry. They'd met on the Hogwarts Express, fallen in love between classes and fighting monsters.... There was that time near the end of fifth year when she'd heard a tapping on her window in the middle of the night. It was Harry with his broom. "Care for a flight?" Against her better judgement, she'd gotten dressed and gone with him. They'd ended up touching down on a riverbank, gazing at the stars. That was the night Harry first told her he loved her.
I like the way you used to hold me
I like the way you came to know me
You came to know me well well well
What had gone wrong? She and Harry had been best friends since they were eleven. She'd always felt they were soulmates...they told each other *everything.* He knew how much she liked teaching at Hogwarts, and since her position as Associate Professor of Herbology had been tenuous at best when she'd started--well, of course she worked hard! She didn't want to lose her job! Yes, she was ambitious; he said that was one of the things he loved about her.
But why hadn't he even called when he went out with the team to celebrate Hogwarts' victory in the Quidditch Nationals? She was upset that he spent so much time with the team...but it upset her more not knowing where he was.
Falling to sleep
Wearing your shirt 'cause it smelled so sweet
Who could forget
I always liked that best
*Come on, stop moping. You've got work to do,* she told herself. She threw in a load of laundry--including one of Harry's old shirts which she wore as a nightshirt because she swore it still smelled like him. She remembered how upset he'd been when he fell off his broom and tore it. "Now Harry, there's no reason to send it to the ragman. Look, I can mend the front and then I'll use it to sleep in. I need a new nightshirt, you know." He'd been quite skeptical--until he actually saw her wearing it. The gleam in his eyes said everything....
Or losing my heart every time you sang to me on your guitar
"Lady in Red"
I always liked that best
When the clothes were dry, she folded everything but the shirt. She picked it up and pressed it to her cheek. Harry...it *still* smelled like him, no matter how often she washed it. A tear slid down her cheek as she hugged the shirt. She hung it in the closet...right next to his guitar. His guitar. He'd taken lessons from a fellow student at Hogwarts. He had a pleasant tenor voice, so he liked to serenade Hermione when they were dating and when they first got married. His favorite song to sing was a Muggle song about a woman in a red dress. He said it made him think of her because of the red in her Gryffindor robes. It was a pretty song...but she loved to hear it just because she loved Harry.
I like the way you used to hold me
I like the way you came to know me
You came to know me well well well
She supposed that was why she loved that shirt. When she slept in it, she could dream he was holding her again.
I could go on
So many things I miss now that you're gone
Your love oh yes
I always liked that best
Hermione missed having Harry's arms around her. She missed his groggy face at the breakfast table. She missed...everything.
Harry.... She no longer cared how often he was with the Quidditch team or even whether she worked quite as hard. She didn't care whose fault the fight was. She just wanted Harry to come home.
