Celandine's Chronicle (celandineb) wrote in cels_fic_haven, @ 2011-07-28 10:38:00 |
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Entry tags: | hp ficlets harry/hermione, hp quill-it 100.3 |
HP ficlet: Old Friends, New Beginnings [Harry/Hermione, general]
Title: Old Friends, New Beginnings
Author: celandineb
Fandom: HP
Pairing: Harry/Hermione
Rating: general
Length: 541 words
Summary: Harry and Hermione have a standing date, as friends, for Sunday dinner.
Note: For quill_it, 100.3, prompt 88, "lonely".
"Seven months," said Harry thoughtfully as he watched Hermione turn over a chop in the pan.
It was her week to cook. They had a standing date for Sunday dinner, and alternated whose flat they used. Whoever hosted cooked; the other brought a bottle of wine.
"Eight months," Hermione shot back. A spatter of fat caught her wrist and she winced.
"Turn the heat down and put the lid on," Harry suggested.
That was the nice thing about Hermione. Harry didn't have to explain that he was thinking about how long it had been since he and Ginny had split up; she understood, and reminded him that Ron had left her before that.
"Good idea."
With the chops in their skillet and saucepans of potatoes and sprouts bubbling away, Hermione came and sat with Harry at the kitchen table. He passed her a glass of wine, watching as she sipped from it and caught a stray drop with her tongue.
"Ron must've been mental," Harry said.
"For leaving?" Hermione gave a one-shouldered shrug. "I don't know if I'd say that. It just wasn't working between us. At least I was able to keep the flat."
She checked on the food and served them each a plate. They exchanged Ministry gossip during dinner. Harry was in the final stages of Auror training, which took him away from the Ministry proper most of the time, but Hermione usually knew what was going on. She was in a good mood that week since there seemed to have been real progress made on the issue of house-elf rights. Harry didn't care quite as deeply as she did, but he was pleased both for her sake and in memory of Dobby.
When they had finished he helped to clear up. They refilled their wineglasses and took them into Hermione's living room. She kicked off her shoes and curled up at one end of the sofa; Harry sat in the middle and drank a large gulp of his wine, for courage.
He had thought a lot about what wanted to say tonight. In fact, he had planned out an entire short speech, but when he'd read it over, it sounded horrible and stilted. Now that it came down to it, a speech didn't seem like the right approach at all.
"Hermione..." Harry held out his hand.
She sat down her glass to take it. "What is it, Harry?"
He pulled her gently toward him and leaned forward into a kiss.
When they broke apart, Hermione looked at him, her eyes wide and uncertain. "Harry..."
Harry touched his fingertips to her lips. He had considered this for a long time. It wasn't because he was lonely for Ginny, but because he had realised that Hermione meant more to him than anyone else. She had been his staunch friend since their first year together at school. He had always been comfortable with her, and at last he finally recognised that it was more than friendship he felt. He only hoped that her feelings were similar.
He didn't need to rush matters; knowing Hermione, she would want to talk through every possible angle before things went any further. For now Harry was content just to feel her arms around him.