A/N: This one-shot is written for the Harmony & Co Facebook Groups' Prompt Bank Garage Sale.
Chosen Prompt:
"Hermione: * passes by in Harry's hoodie*
Harry: you're stealing from me again!
Hermione: What?
Harry: First my heart, now my clothes…
Harry: what's next? My last name?"
- Anonymous Prompter
STEALING HIS HEART
By: tweety-src-clt9
"Daddy?" a bushy-haired emerald-eyed little girl pouted at her father.
"Alright, alright!" Her father chuckled as he summoned his daughter's beloved stuffed hippogriff that wore one of his shrunken sweaters. It was a weird trait that his daughter shared with her mother, their love for his clothes.
"Princess, didn't mummy tell you that you should learn to keep your toys and not leave them all over the house?" he chided gently. Viola Lily loved her stuffed hippogriff very much that she usually carried it wherever she went. However, she also had a habit of forgetting it once she found something better to do.
"I know, Daddy. But I left Griffy somewhere because mummy made cookies and – "
"I know, Princess. I love your mummy's cookies too," her father chuckled. Ironic that it's the only recipe that your mother can do perfectly, he thought as he easily caught the stuffed animal and handed it to his daughter's waiting hands.
"I love you, Daddy. Night night," the little girl grinned as she hugged her beloved toy to her chest. When she closed her eyes, her father gently leaned in and kissed her forehead.
"Sweet dreams, my princess. Daddy and mummy love you very much," he whispered before turning out the lights.
When he closed the door of his little girl's bedroom, he smiled contently. He finally had the life he wanted. He was free from Voldemort, he had friends, and most of all, he had the love of family – his wife and his daughter – the women who stole his lonely heart.
His precious Viola Lily was so like her mother and it's one of the reasons why his little girl had him wrapped around her little fingers. He chuckled as he remembered Viola's love for Griffy, her stuffed animal. Viola couldn't sleep without smelling the stuffed hippogriff because her father's scent comforted her.
It reminded him of another girl who stole his heart many years ago…
oOOOOOo
January 3, 1996
"Bloody hell, Hermione!" Harry Potter exclaimed in shock when he almost punched his best friend. He was suddenly woken up from his not so peaceful slumber when he heard something, or in this case, someone, rustling around his bedroom at 12 Grimmauld Place. Since he was already in paranoia after all the darkness he had seen in his life, it was a stupid idea to sneak up on him.
"Merlin! Will you keep quiet?" Hermione shushed him, and he rolled his eyes.
"Care to tell me what you're doing here in my room at this time of the night, 'Mione?" he smirked. Despite the darkness of the room, he could easily imagine Hermione's cheeks tinged pink. She did look adorable that way.
"I can't sleep," she muttered.
"And?" he prodded.
"Well, I, er, I was worried about you getting nightmares so I – well, I was thinking that maybe I can sleep better if you know, I could smell you or something," she explained awkwardly and he frowned.
"Huh?" he was confused.
"My dad, he keeps me calm at night when I was a little girl. So, I like wearing his shirts. I was er, well, I was thinking that it may calm me down if I can smell you – "
"Geez, 'Mione! You should have just asked me, you know," he chuckled as he got out of bed. Since it was dark, he didn't mind walking around the room in just his boxers. He rummaged around his trunk and he found something that no longer fit him. Just by touching the cloth, he knew that it was his old Quidditch jersey.
"I know this is really weird and freaky, but I can't sleep and I – I, well, if it works with my dad's shirt maybe, you know, it can work for you too… This is so embarrassing, I'm just going to – " Hermione was rambling now so he bit his bottom lip to stop himself from laughing out loud. He didn't want to embarrass his best friend when she hurriedly left her parents just so she could be with him after he had visions of Mr. Weasley being attacked.
"No worries, Hermione. Here you go," he handed the old jersey to her.
"Oh… Er, thanks," she muttered.
"Good night, Hermione," he awkwardly stood in front of her.
"Night, Harry," Hermione quickly hugged him before she left his bedroom.
He chuckled as he went back to bed. Hermione could really be odd sometimes, but she always had his back. So, he also accepted her for all that she was, quirks and all.
oOOOOOo
September 9, 1996
Harry was confused. He knew he had kept an extra quill in his bag this morning. But now, it was no longer there. He poured all the contents of his bag on the table, but he just couldn't see another quill. What in the world, he was annoyed.
"Something the matter, Harry?" Hermione asked as she continued to scribble notes on her parchment. They were in the library to do their homework, well at least he was. He was sure that Hermione was already doing advance reading.
"I swear! I had an extra quill right here! But it's gone," he sighed in frustration. I have no time for this shit, he thought grumpily.
"Oh… Er, here you go," Hermione handed the quill she was using. When he accepted it, he gasped in surprise. It was his missing quill.
"Where did you – "
"I asked you if I could borrow it, but you were too busy goofing off with Ron and – "
"It's alright, no worries," he shrugged. He briefly recalled Hermione asking him if she could borrow something and he easily nodded without knowing what it was.
"I'm sorry, Harry but – "
"Is this like my jersey story?" his eyes sparkled with mischief.
"What jersey – oh! No! Of course, not! It's just, your quill is sturdy. It's like whoever sells it to you makes it even more special because you're, well, you are who you are," she blushed.
"You keep this one and I'll send Hedwig to get me more quills. Since I am who I am as you say, I can get more quills for us. That sound good?" he grinned.
"Thanks, Harry," Hermione smiled.
"Sure, 'Mione. No problem. At least being the Chosen One is good for getting discounts," he joked, and she rolled her eyes.
oOOOOOo
November 13, 1997
Harry sighed. It was a very close encounter. He thought that Hermione's enchantments would fail them all because of her perfume. When the snatchers walked away, he turned to his best friend.
"Mione, in as much as I like your perfume, please don't wear it anymore," he told her in all seriousness.
"I'm sorry, Harry – "
"It's alright, 'Mione. You can wear perfume again when all of this is over," he joked. I hope one day it will all be over, he thought as it dawned on him how much she was sacrificing for him.
"Yeah, when it's all over," she sighed.
"I'll steal your perfume and hide it if you keep wearing it on the run," he teased.
"You'll never let me forget about the jersey, right?" she rolled her eyes.
"Well, it will be our little secret," he playfully elbowed her, and they shared a laugh. In times like these, just joking around with Hermione, he could forget that they were all caught up in the middle of a war.
Since they were briefly goofing off, they didn't notice Ron frowning at them from afar as he watched from the tent with an injured arm.
oOOOOOo
July 30, 1998
"Harry! Look! We should get one of these," Ron pulled him towards a section of Quality Quidditch Supplies. They were in Diagon Alley just enjoying the freedom that they worked so hard for since the war was over.
"What is it, mate?" Harry asked.
"It's a magical display of jerseys, mate. Every Quidditch player should have one. That way, all your jerseys will be immortalized in wherever you want to display it," Ron said with excitement.
"Oh… But well, I don't have all my jerseys," he scratched his neck nervously.
"Huh? Why?" Ron was confused.
"I gave the old ones away," he muttered.
"Oh! You mean, Ginny?"
"What? No! Of course, not! We only dated for two weeks in our sixth year, Ron. Besides, she's with Luna now, and Gin and I are just friends," he insisted.
"Geez! Nervous much?" Ron smirked.
"I just – "
"So… who is this girl, Harry Potter?" Ron waggled his eyebrows playfully.
"Hermione," he could feel his cheeks heating up.
"Hermione? As in Hermione Granger? Our best friend Hermione?" Ron was shocked and he nodded.
"Just like a sister, eh?" Ron smirked.
"What? No! It's not like that! It's er – it was in our fifth year and 'Mione was – "
"Just teasing you, mate! If you don't want to get one, it's cool," Ron playfully punched his arm as he took one of the magical frames. There was something in Ron's eyes though that made him wary. It seemed that Ron didn't believe his story about Hermione and the jersey.
oOOOOOo
December 3, 1998
"What in the world are we doing here, mate?" Ron felt awkward since they were inside a perfume shop in the center of London. Aside from it being a muggle area, he found it weird that they were the only blokes in the store.
"I want to buy Hermione a present here, Ron," he explained as he sniffed one of the sample bottles to find the right scent.
"Can't you just get her a book or something?" Ron rolled his eyes.
"I wanted to get her more than just books this year. She saved our lives, Ron," he countered.
"You're right but what are we doing here in – Jo Malone?" Ron looked around the store.
"Hermione gets her perfume here," he muttered. He was starting to get annoyed with Ron's incessant questions.
"How did you bloody know that?"
"I saw the brand name on the bottle, Ron," he sighed. He should have just visited this shop alone.
"Excuse me, lads, can I help you?" a kind lady asked.
"That's you, mate," Ron pushed up and he glared at his best mate.
"Actually, I'm here to buy something for – "
"A girlfriend?" the lady piped in.
"Er, no. She's my best friend, we're not – " he stammered and he could see Ron chuckling behind him.
"I see. So, do you know if she has a signature scent?" the lady had a knowing glint in her eyes.
"I don't remember but she always smells good," he muttered, his cheeks tinged pink.
"Like a sister, my arse," Ron chuckled, and he glared at the redhead once again.
"I know the scent. I just don't know the name," he answered the lady.
"I see… Maybe you can tell me about her, that way I can narrow it down. Ladies always match their scent with their personality, you know?" the lady smiled.
"Really? Well, er, her name is Hermione… She is – she's the smartest person I know. She's really pretty but she's not loud about it. Like, subtle. Yeah, subtle… She likes to read, er, she's passionate about crea- I mean animals. She's very brave and kind, and loyal, and…"
"Is it this one?" the lady handed him a bottle that was labeled as Jo Malone Basil & Neroli Cologne.
He sniffed the bottle and once again, his mind drifted to his memories of Hermione.
"Yes! That's the one!" he said excitedly, and the lady chuckled.
"Great! You'll be getting one bottle then?"
"Er, make it two, please," he muttered. He would never admit it to anyone, but he would keep the other bottle for himself. He associated Hermione's scent with a feeling of safety and comfort. It was the smell of home. Since Hermione was at Hogwarts for her final year and he was in the Auror Academy, he needed to keep a semblance of home close to him.
"Right away, sir," the lady smiled as she grabbed two bottles of perfume and placed it in a gift bag.
"So, Harry… When will you tell Herms that you fancy her?" Ron smirked.
"I don't know what you're talking about, Ron," he denied. He didn't fancy, Hermione. Right?
oOOOOOo
August 7, 1999
Harry was tired from a grueling mission and all he wanted to do was go to bed and sleep. The sight that greeted him in his bed made him smile. Hermione was sleeping on his bed. Her wild curly hair spread on his pillow; her face was mostly covered by his sheets as if she was sniffing it.
He sighed. It was annoying that Hermione loved to steal his bed when he was away, but it was oddly comforting to see her there. It was as if she belonged there.
Careful not to wake her up, he slowly took the empty side of the bed so he could sleep. Before he could drift off to the land of dreams, he felt a hard kick on his abdomen.
"Ouch," he stifled a laugh. This was the annoying side of sleeping next to Hermione. She tossed and turned and kicked him when she was asleep. You're lucky I love you, Granger, he thought before he closed his eyes, breathing in the comforting scent of her long wild hair.
oOOOOOo
December 27, 1999
"Hermione!" Harry yelled in frustration as he checked his closet. They were to attend the Ministry's Christmas Ball and the white long-sleeved dress shirt he wanted to wear was missing. He could think of no other culprit, his housemate, Hermione Granger.
"What?" he could hear Hermione yelling from her room.
"Come to my room! You're stealing my clothes again!" He yelled back. He was wearing his dark blue jeans and he was annoyed that Hermione got to the shirt first – again. She sometimes wore his clothes and paired it with fitted jeans and large belts. He didn't mind, but this time, he did. He was going to wear that shirt tonight, damn it!
When he heard footsteps on the wooden floors, he waved his hand to open the door to his bedroom.
"What?" Hermione huffed.
He was gobsmacked. Hermione was a vision.
She was wearing a fitted black skirt that hugged her hips and waist perfectly. Her top was a see-through lace blouse that was both sexy and elegant. He had never seen Hermione like this. He always knew she was beautiful, but tonight, she seemed different.
It was like he saw her for the very first time.
Suddenly, she was no longer just his best friend and housemate.
She was Hermione – a gorgeous and beguiling woman that he was very much attracted to.
With his heart thumping wildly in his chest, he gulped. Merlin! I don't even remember why I called her here, he thought distractedly.
"What do you want, Harry?" Hermione huffed. His eyes looked her over and he noticed that she was barefoot. Her hair was still half-done.
"Er, well – I – "
"What?" she was clearly annoyed now.
"Did you borrow one of my shirts again?" he finally remembered what to say.
"Yeah. I used the white one yesterday. You saw me wearing it, remember?" she rolled her eyes.
"Er, right… Well, er, carry on then," he said awkwardly.
"You're acting weird," Hermione turned around and he gasped.
He could clearly see Hermione's smooth skin because her top had a large cut in the back. He could feel his fingers itching to touch her silky skin and to nuzzle – Get a bloody grip, Potter!
"I'll see you downstairs in ten minutes," Hermione called out and he sighed.
Hermione may have stolen my heart tonight, he thought as he looked for another shirt he could wear.
oOOOOOo
May 9, 2000
Ever since the night of the Ministry's Christmas Ball, Harry's feelings for Hermione changed. While he always knew that he loved her, he never realized that he was actually in love with her. Hermione had always been home to him, his family. But when he saw her in that stunningly sexy black number, he finally realized that he was attracted to her as a woman. Upon realizing his physical attraction, it easily clicked into the myriad of feelings that he had for this wonderfully exasperating woman, his best friend.
He was cooking breakfast in the kitchen, preparing Hermione a hearty breakfast since she couldn't cook anything decent except for chocolate chip cookies. He chuckled as he thought about her many attempts to cook other dishes. How can someone who excelled at potions be so bad at cooking?
He was whistling a happy tune just enjoying the domesticity of it all when he heard Hermione's heavy footsteps. She was not a morning person, a stark contrast to the girl he went to Hogwarts with.
"Good morning, Hermione," he greeted cheerfully.
"Morning, Harry," she said with a yawn. When he turned around to briefly face her, he smirked when she saw that she nicked one of his clothes again. This time it was his blue hoodie.
Since Hermione was still sleepy, he decided to flirt with her a little bit. She wouldn't remember it anyway because she needed a cup of coffee to be fully alert in the morning.
"You're stealing from me again," he feigned seriousness.
"What?" she mumbled.
"First my heart, now my clothes… What's next, my last name?" this time around, he faced her with his arms crossed.
Hermione looked at him with an adorably confused face. She mumbled the words heart, clothes, last name and he smirked. She would definitely not remember this, he thought.
"I'm sorry, what?"
"At this rate, you should just marry me, you know. You've been stealing from me ever since our fifth year," he chuckled.
Hermione continued to stare at him that he started to feel nervous. He was about to turn around and brush it off, but she stood from her seat on the barstool.
"Did you just – accuse me of stealing your heart?" she asked as she stood in front of him. This time, she seemed to be coherent. It's like her haze of sleepiness was all gone, and he gulped. You're a bloody idiot, Potter, he mentally chastised himself.
"I – I, er, well – " he stammered. He got even more nervous when she smirked. He was bloody tempted to apparate away from 12 Grimmauld Place and to wallow in embarrassment.
"You won't send me to Azkaban for a being a thief, will you, Auror Potter?" she said slyly, her fingers playing with the straps of the apron he wore.
"Hermione, I – " before he finished his lame excuses, she only rolled her eyes, pulled him closer, and kissed him. When they pulled apart for air, the bacon he was frying was already burnt.
He panicked.
Hermione chuckled and said, "Don't worry, Harry. I don't plan on stealing your last name. You'd have to convince me first to give up mine. I'm quite fond of the name Granger, you know."
"So, does that kiss meant you're just – "
"Geez, Harry! Just ask me out first," she giggled, and he blushed.
"Right… Er, will you go out with me this weekend?" he fidgeted.
"I'd love to," she winked, and he breathed a sigh of relief.
"Maybe we should just have our first date this morning. Let's eat out for breakfast," he suggested.
"Great idea! It seems that kissing makes you nervous so I shouldn't do it when you're cooking," she teased, and he pulled her closer for a hug.
oOOOOOo
"What took you so long?" A pregnant Hermione frowned as he entered the master bedroom.
"Our little princess lost Griffy again, and I was busy reminiscing," he chuckled.
As always, Hermione wore one of his shirts to bed. Other men preferred their significant others in sexy lingerie, but he honestly preferred his woman in his clothes, especially now that she was pregnant with his baby. It made him feel possessive. The sight of her wearing his clothes was such a huge turn-on because the process of taking his clothes off her body was just so intimate – like she belonged to him. She was his! This smart, brave, and beautiful woman was his.
"Don't look at me like that!" she huffed.
"Like what?" he smirked.
"Like you're planning on taking my clothes off," she rolled her eyes.
"Correction, I'm taking my clothes off your body," he emphasized.
"Since you love doing that a lot, we're in this situation," she pointed to her rounded belly and he laughed.
"You don't seem to complain when I do that," he winked, and she rolled her eyes.
"Just get in here, and cuddle me! Your baby's been kicking me non-stop," she huffed.
He walked towards their bed and joined his wife. He laid beside her and lovingly touched her belly. He loved talking to their baby and feeling the movements with his hands.
"Hey, little Potter! You better behave yourself for tonight. Mummy wants to sleep. And you really don't want mummy to be angry because she'll kick daddy – ouch!" he chuckled when Hermione lightly slapped his arm.
"See? You really don't want mummy to be angry, do you?" he cooed to her belly. When the baby lightly kicked, he smiled. "Good night, little one. Mummy and daddy love you very much," he kissed Hermione's belly.
"I hope the baby has your eyes," Hermione smiled.
"I love you," he mouthed to his wife and she leaned closer to peck him on the lips.
They settled on the bed, with Harry's arm protectively wrapped around Hermione. As he listened to her steady breathing, he smiled. He would always thank his lucky stars that this woman stole his heart.
THE END
A/N: Just a short fluffy fic. Review, fave, and follow if you enjoyed this story.
For readers of my on-going stories, please be more patient.
I reposted this since I made an error the first time around.