A/N: Oooh, this is getting more fun. All right. This took a while because
my computer was down for a few days, sorry! Anywho, I'll make this short
and sweet. The fire has now come under Colin, so he'll be getting a little
heat in the next chapter, but I hope you'll all see the sweetheart I see
him as. Right, so no review is too long and no thought to inane for this
little author. So read, review, enjoy!
Harry poked his head into the small pub. It was one of those places that had been owned and operated by the same family for about a hundred years and still had the same staff.
A waitress with jowls longer than a basset hounds' came up. "All alone sonny?" She smiled a toothless grin.
"NO! er, I mean, no, I'm looking for a friend of mine. She's already gotten a table."
The woman looked crestfallen. "Name?" She asked lamely.
"Hermione Granger."
She checked her clipboard. "Yes, she came in with some bloke. You're a lot more handsome, if I do say so me self. I'd wager you'll win her."
"Excuse me?"
"With a pretty girl like that? What am I supposed to expect? If it comes to fighting, he's a lot bigger than you are, but you know what they say," She shrugged, leading him to the table. "good things come in small packages." Before he could get a word of protest in she shushed him. "Hush now, if you'd like some sage like advice from a woman well beyond her years in romance, I'd say wait here, behind that wall and time will give you an opening to punch him and giver her that candy. Patience is a virtue, dear." She gave another toothless grin and left.
Harry was speechless. But speechless doesn't mean above using the advice of creepy old women who smell like goats. If he could avoid sitting down and making himself known, it would be fantastic.
Don't get Harry wrong, he was all for not letting Richard date Hermione, but if it was his choice he would like to avoid the Neanderthal way of getting women. That way only having the option of knocking your future wife with a very big brick and carting her off in a bag. For some reason, that way didn't appeal to him. Search me.
~~~
Hermione was surprised, to say the least, when she ran into Richard outside of her flat. When he asked if she wanted to go to breakfast she was floored, but delighted nonetheless. She called into work and told Harry. It was obvious he was nonplussed about the deal, but she wasn't going to cancel just because Harry didn't like it.
But the whole morning she couldn't shake the feeling she was somehow cheating on Harry.
"It's been so long." Richard said, scooting his chair next to hers.
"Yes, I have missed you." Hermione answered sweetly. "You should have written me something, my mother has my address."
"I just really wanted to see you in person. You've really grown-up." Richard said coyly, eyeing her up and down. He put a hand on her thigh. "I've really grown-up too."
Hermione, pushed his and off. "Are you really sure you've grown-up? I see a lot of you as a seventeen year old coming out."
"You'll never know until we get to know each other a little better." He put his hand back on her thigh and trailed it up a little higher. "A little more, in-depth."
Well, Hermione had some very choice words to say and a slap to give, but she never got a chance.
~~~
Harry was almost going to loose hope when something peculiar caught his eye. He saw something change in Richard's countenance, a flicker in his eyes really. The hairs on Harry's neck were prickling and the words "Constant vigilance" were echoing in his mind. Harry was pondering this when he saw a hand laid on Hermione. I don't know how accomplished you are in neurology, but I believe what this is called is down shifting. Every single one of Harry's educated thoughts disappeared and were replaced with the primal, barbaric urge to hit that man over the head and take Hermione off over his shoulder. He also thought the loin cloth would make him look sexy, but that's beside the point.
Harry came out from his hiding place, metal candy box in hand, and ripped Richard's chair back. Richard hit the floor with a clang and immediately stood up.
"Well if it isn't the famous Harry Potter-" Richard never got another word out because, with the ease and quickness of a born seeker, Harry hit Richard over the head with the candy.
"Oh, bless my soul, I knew he was a knight in shining armor the entire time! Good choice, he is a hell of a lot more handsome, girly, and a whole lot more guts than that thing." The old woman cheered beside a table. She addressed the table she was supposed to be serving. "Dinner and a show every morning and Petrie's Pub." She gave another toothless grin.
Once again Richard hit the ground. Harry looked up and grinned sheepishly, holding out the candy. "These are for you, from Ron. He says sorry."
Hermione walked up to him and slapped him right there. "Ron says sorry? I believe you should be saying sorry! You just knocked out my friend!"
"Your friend? You don't understand Hermione-"
She cut him off. "Just because someone wants me you knock him out? I'm not your property Harry!"
"But Hermione-"
She put up her hand. "Don't 'but Hermione' me. I've had enough Harry." She grabbed her handbag and began to walk away. Then she stopped right when she was even with Harry and held out her hand. He mechanically handed her the dented box of candy. And with that in hand, she left.
~~~
"Well, at least you got the candy." Lavender said, flipping open the tin, sitting on the scratch wooden table at the back of the pub. "A little dented, but tasty all the same." She picked up a dark chocolate square and popped it in her mouth. Her eyes opened wide and a huge dopey grin spread across her face. Her pupils became huge.
Hermione rubbed her eyes and sighed. "I just don't understand it,"
Lavender picked up her glass and held it to the light. "Neither to I." She said airily, moving the glass around and following it with her eyes, which were now dilated to an alarming size.
Hermione dug her head into arms. "He was so sweet a few days ago. At the party he was the sweetest guy and now he's a complete git."
Lavender slide from her chair to the floor. "I'm scared." She said with her mouth open.
"I'm scared too!" She moaned into her arms. "I'm scared he's not Harry anymore."
"No, I'm scared of the gnomes." Lavender tried to hide behind a leg of the table.
Hermione lifted her head and looked under the table. "Lavender? Why are you down there?"
Lavender shook her head and her eyes went back to normal. She dislodged herself from the table leg and stood up. "You wouldn't believe me." Lavender said, dusting herself off.
"Well, I just don't understand this."
Lavender was looking at the chocolate guide, trying to match them. "Here, this might help."
Hermione popped it into her mouth. Once she swallowed, recognition crossed her face. "Of course. He was doing that because he was jealous. Harry was just trying to help me. Richard isn't usually like that. It's obvious. He didn't know Harry was famous so someone must have possessed Richard! And the meaning of life is so obvious it's-" Hermione grabbed her head for a moment and gritted her teeth. "Ouch, cold ache!" She rubbed her forehead and blinked a couple times. She shook her head for a moment. "What was that?"
"I haven't a clue, but I'm sure these aren't normal. That one was called 'Kick-me, it's obvious'."
"Well, that cleared up a few things."
"Good, well it was just in time, here he comes." Lavender gestured to the door where Harry and Ron were coming in.
"Well, time to face the music." She said, standing to meet Harry at the bar. Ron, for once, took the hint and went to another table, studiously avoiding Lavender's gaze. Lavender sighed and popped another chocolate, absent-mindedly into her mouth. She felt the change instantly and wanted to kick herself.
"Well," She thought. "This is going to be painful."
~~
"Nobody can be exactly like me. Sometimes even I have trouble doing it."~ Tallulah Bankhead.
P.S. Just a bit of a poll, would any of you be interested in a Pansy/Draco fic? I've been working on one and I'm wondering, even though it will be less light-hearted, but it will still have little quips and humor, if anyone here would read it. If you've read any of my other stories, it might be one of those mixed with this. Well, yeah, that was random, but I'm wondering.
Harry poked his head into the small pub. It was one of those places that had been owned and operated by the same family for about a hundred years and still had the same staff.
A waitress with jowls longer than a basset hounds' came up. "All alone sonny?" She smiled a toothless grin.
"NO! er, I mean, no, I'm looking for a friend of mine. She's already gotten a table."
The woman looked crestfallen. "Name?" She asked lamely.
"Hermione Granger."
She checked her clipboard. "Yes, she came in with some bloke. You're a lot more handsome, if I do say so me self. I'd wager you'll win her."
"Excuse me?"
"With a pretty girl like that? What am I supposed to expect? If it comes to fighting, he's a lot bigger than you are, but you know what they say," She shrugged, leading him to the table. "good things come in small packages." Before he could get a word of protest in she shushed him. "Hush now, if you'd like some sage like advice from a woman well beyond her years in romance, I'd say wait here, behind that wall and time will give you an opening to punch him and giver her that candy. Patience is a virtue, dear." She gave another toothless grin and left.
Harry was speechless. But speechless doesn't mean above using the advice of creepy old women who smell like goats. If he could avoid sitting down and making himself known, it would be fantastic.
Don't get Harry wrong, he was all for not letting Richard date Hermione, but if it was his choice he would like to avoid the Neanderthal way of getting women. That way only having the option of knocking your future wife with a very big brick and carting her off in a bag. For some reason, that way didn't appeal to him. Search me.
~~~
Hermione was surprised, to say the least, when she ran into Richard outside of her flat. When he asked if she wanted to go to breakfast she was floored, but delighted nonetheless. She called into work and told Harry. It was obvious he was nonplussed about the deal, but she wasn't going to cancel just because Harry didn't like it.
But the whole morning she couldn't shake the feeling she was somehow cheating on Harry.
"It's been so long." Richard said, scooting his chair next to hers.
"Yes, I have missed you." Hermione answered sweetly. "You should have written me something, my mother has my address."
"I just really wanted to see you in person. You've really grown-up." Richard said coyly, eyeing her up and down. He put a hand on her thigh. "I've really grown-up too."
Hermione, pushed his and off. "Are you really sure you've grown-up? I see a lot of you as a seventeen year old coming out."
"You'll never know until we get to know each other a little better." He put his hand back on her thigh and trailed it up a little higher. "A little more, in-depth."
Well, Hermione had some very choice words to say and a slap to give, but she never got a chance.
~~~
Harry was almost going to loose hope when something peculiar caught his eye. He saw something change in Richard's countenance, a flicker in his eyes really. The hairs on Harry's neck were prickling and the words "Constant vigilance" were echoing in his mind. Harry was pondering this when he saw a hand laid on Hermione. I don't know how accomplished you are in neurology, but I believe what this is called is down shifting. Every single one of Harry's educated thoughts disappeared and were replaced with the primal, barbaric urge to hit that man over the head and take Hermione off over his shoulder. He also thought the loin cloth would make him look sexy, but that's beside the point.
Harry came out from his hiding place, metal candy box in hand, and ripped Richard's chair back. Richard hit the floor with a clang and immediately stood up.
"Well if it isn't the famous Harry Potter-" Richard never got another word out because, with the ease and quickness of a born seeker, Harry hit Richard over the head with the candy.
"Oh, bless my soul, I knew he was a knight in shining armor the entire time! Good choice, he is a hell of a lot more handsome, girly, and a whole lot more guts than that thing." The old woman cheered beside a table. She addressed the table she was supposed to be serving. "Dinner and a show every morning and Petrie's Pub." She gave another toothless grin.
Once again Richard hit the ground. Harry looked up and grinned sheepishly, holding out the candy. "These are for you, from Ron. He says sorry."
Hermione walked up to him and slapped him right there. "Ron says sorry? I believe you should be saying sorry! You just knocked out my friend!"
"Your friend? You don't understand Hermione-"
She cut him off. "Just because someone wants me you knock him out? I'm not your property Harry!"
"But Hermione-"
She put up her hand. "Don't 'but Hermione' me. I've had enough Harry." She grabbed her handbag and began to walk away. Then she stopped right when she was even with Harry and held out her hand. He mechanically handed her the dented box of candy. And with that in hand, she left.
~~~
"Well, at least you got the candy." Lavender said, flipping open the tin, sitting on the scratch wooden table at the back of the pub. "A little dented, but tasty all the same." She picked up a dark chocolate square and popped it in her mouth. Her eyes opened wide and a huge dopey grin spread across her face. Her pupils became huge.
Hermione rubbed her eyes and sighed. "I just don't understand it,"
Lavender picked up her glass and held it to the light. "Neither to I." She said airily, moving the glass around and following it with her eyes, which were now dilated to an alarming size.
Hermione dug her head into arms. "He was so sweet a few days ago. At the party he was the sweetest guy and now he's a complete git."
Lavender slide from her chair to the floor. "I'm scared." She said with her mouth open.
"I'm scared too!" She moaned into her arms. "I'm scared he's not Harry anymore."
"No, I'm scared of the gnomes." Lavender tried to hide behind a leg of the table.
Hermione lifted her head and looked under the table. "Lavender? Why are you down there?"
Lavender shook her head and her eyes went back to normal. She dislodged herself from the table leg and stood up. "You wouldn't believe me." Lavender said, dusting herself off.
"Well, I just don't understand this."
Lavender was looking at the chocolate guide, trying to match them. "Here, this might help."
Hermione popped it into her mouth. Once she swallowed, recognition crossed her face. "Of course. He was doing that because he was jealous. Harry was just trying to help me. Richard isn't usually like that. It's obvious. He didn't know Harry was famous so someone must have possessed Richard! And the meaning of life is so obvious it's-" Hermione grabbed her head for a moment and gritted her teeth. "Ouch, cold ache!" She rubbed her forehead and blinked a couple times. She shook her head for a moment. "What was that?"
"I haven't a clue, but I'm sure these aren't normal. That one was called 'Kick-me, it's obvious'."
"Well, that cleared up a few things."
"Good, well it was just in time, here he comes." Lavender gestured to the door where Harry and Ron were coming in.
"Well, time to face the music." She said, standing to meet Harry at the bar. Ron, for once, took the hint and went to another table, studiously avoiding Lavender's gaze. Lavender sighed and popped another chocolate, absent-mindedly into her mouth. She felt the change instantly and wanted to kick herself.
"Well," She thought. "This is going to be painful."
~~
"Nobody can be exactly like me. Sometimes even I have trouble doing it."~ Tallulah Bankhead.
P.S. Just a bit of a poll, would any of you be interested in a Pansy/Draco fic? I've been working on one and I'm wondering, even though it will be less light-hearted, but it will still have little quips and humor, if anyone here would read it. If you've read any of my other stories, it might be one of those mixed with this. Well, yeah, that was random, but I'm wondering.