Fic: Alone Time
Title: Alone Time
Fandom: HP
Spoilers: Deathly Hallows
Pairing: Hermione, implied Harry/Ron
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Adult themes
Length: 1200 words
Summary: Hermione would try and take matters into her own hands but she's never alone long enough.
She had that look on her face that said he and Ron were both idiots. He hadn't realised it was her time for that again. He wondered if he could warn Ron without her noticing.
"Hermione-|
Hermione thumped the knife down on the counter, making Harry jump. "We both chose to come with you."
“I know you both did. And it's great! Well, I mean it's not great... but it helps. Having you both here... I mean.”
"You don't behave as if you're grateful."
Harry reached out and touched her on the shoulder. "You know I am. You know I couldn't have survived this long without both of you."
She leaned into him, turned, put her head on his shoulder and began to cry. He had no idea what to do, how he could help. He waved his arms vaguely on either side of her, before realising what a pillock he was being, and hugged her properly, stroking her back gently till the sobbing subsided.
"What else can I do, Hermione? I can't think of anything else to do right now. You know I'd make it right if I could."
She tilted her head up and he stroked her hair.
"You could leave me alone."
His hand stilled on her head. "Pardon?"
She pulled back slightly from his embrace and sniffed. "Pardon is for when you've done something wrong. What is a perfectly acceptable word in this instance."
He blinked. "What?"
"You could leave me alone." She repeated.
He opened his arms expecting her to step away from him, but she stayed where she was. "Okaaaay?" He raised an eyebrow at her.
Hermione threw back her head and giggled. "You really are clueless, aren't you. No wonder Cho and Ginny both had so many problems with you."
"No, I just don't under..." Her comment caught up with his brain. "Hey! What problems?"
She sniffed, and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "I need some time, Harry."
He shook his head, bewildered by the twist and turns in this conversation. "Several months in a forest aren't enough time for you? And time for what, exactly?" Softly he muttered, "They never complained to me."
She sighed. "I need time, Harry. I need time for me, for myself."
She looked at him expectantly and Harry knew he should be understanding what she meant but he really didn't have a clue. They'd done nothing but bumble round this bloody forest for months now, and it was driving them all insane. The only reason he hadn't lost it completely were the moments he and Ron stole to "forage" in the forest. They always managed to come back with some berries or mushrooms or something, thank God, or 'mione probably would have cottoned on nearly the first time that even they couldn't be that bad at hunting and gathering, and... oh. Um. Oh. He felt his face heat up.
"Exactly!" She said.
"But, but, but..." He stuttered to a stop as he realised he had no idea what to say next. A thought occurred. "But we're always gone for at least 20 minutes! That should give you plenty of time to, uh... I'm really not comfortable having this conversation, you know."
"Whereas having been forced to bring the subject up in the first place is a matter of great joy to me." She screwed up her face. "Unlike the times the two of you stumbled back early-"
He stepped back abruptly. "Okay! Really not comfortable now."
She rolled her eyes. "Oh please. You can ask me to put with listening to you and Ron, and..."
"We didn't know you could hear!"
"I'm surprised you haven't managed to lead the entire Death Eater army to us by now with your screaming. The first few times I nearly rushed out to "save" you from a terrible enemy."
His blush became sunburn. "I!" He was sure he hadn't intended to squeak.
She breathed deeply and looked at one of the walls.
"You want..." He was trying to work it out. "You want us to stay out a bit longer next time, is that it?"
She looked directly into his eyes. "Yes. A lot longer."
"30 minutes?"
"45. No. An hour. Stay away for an hour."
His eyes widened, and his brow shot up toward his hairline. He could not have heard her correctly. "'Mione? An hour?"
She nodded emphatically. "Yes. That ought to just about do it."
"But... but.. An hour? You can't possibly need..."
"Yes. I can." She said, in a clipped voice as she folded her arms. "I think you'll find most women need more time to, uh," Her mouth opened and closed a few times, then she shrugged.
He grinned. "You were doing so well till right at the end there. If you want to do it, you should be able to talk about it."
She snorted and bumped her shoulder against his. "Because it's always been easy for the three of us to discuss our problems openly."
The tent door opened. Ron took a look at them and cocked his head to one side. "Pardon?" He said.
Harry and Hermione collapsed into gales of laughter. Eventually the hysteria subsided and Hermione prodded Harry. "You tell him."
"Me?"
"He's your, um, friend." She said, trying to look stern and failing entirely.
He sighed and walked over to Ron. "Come on, Ron. We need to have a chat."
Ron scowled. "But I've only just got back! How long is this going to take? I want to have a bath. I'm all covered in mud."
"About..." Harry glanced back at Hermione who lifted her chin defiantly. "About an hour."
"An hour! But it's bloody freezing out there!" Ron dug his heels in as Harry dragged him back to the door.
"Don't worry, Ron. I'm sure Harry will think of a way to warm you up!" Hermione sing-songed suggestively.
The door banged shut behind them. Harry started walking but was brought up short by Ron pulling on his arm. "I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what this is about."
Harry sighed. "Soon, Ron, soon. Just... let's give Hermione some space for a little while, yeah?"
Ron squinted. "An hour is all it'll take for her to calm down?"
"Apparently." Harry said flatly and trudged off. Ron hurried to catch up.
"So all we need to do is give her an hour to herself once a month and-"
"Just shut up, Ron. I'll explain later."
"When?"
"In about... 30 minutes. Just keep walking." Ron fell silent and Harry hoped the exercise would be enough to distract him from the disturbing conversation, but somehow he thought things were going to be awkward between them all for the next few days. Still, with any luck they'd work out the code and be able to go back to a normal life fighting Death Eaters. He sighed. His life had been so much simpler when all he had to do was fight everyone.
Behind them, the lock turned in the tent door.
Fandom: HP
Spoilers: Deathly Hallows
Pairing: Hermione, implied Harry/Ron
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Adult themes
Length: 1200 words
Summary: Hermione would try and take matters into her own hands but she's never alone long enough.
She had that look on her face that said he and Ron were both idiots. He hadn't realised it was her time for that again. He wondered if he could warn Ron without her noticing.
"Hermione-|
Hermione thumped the knife down on the counter, making Harry jump. "We both chose to come with you."
“I know you both did. And it's great! Well, I mean it's not great... but it helps. Having you both here... I mean.”
"You don't behave as if you're grateful."
Harry reached out and touched her on the shoulder. "You know I am. You know I couldn't have survived this long without both of you."
She leaned into him, turned, put her head on his shoulder and began to cry. He had no idea what to do, how he could help. He waved his arms vaguely on either side of her, before realising what a pillock he was being, and hugged her properly, stroking her back gently till the sobbing subsided.
"What else can I do, Hermione? I can't think of anything else to do right now. You know I'd make it right if I could."
She tilted her head up and he stroked her hair.
"You could leave me alone."
His hand stilled on her head. "Pardon?"
She pulled back slightly from his embrace and sniffed. "Pardon is for when you've done something wrong. What is a perfectly acceptable word in this instance."
He blinked. "What?"
"You could leave me alone." She repeated.
He opened his arms expecting her to step away from him, but she stayed where she was. "Okaaaay?" He raised an eyebrow at her.
Hermione threw back her head and giggled. "You really are clueless, aren't you. No wonder Cho and Ginny both had so many problems with you."
"No, I just don't under..." Her comment caught up with his brain. "Hey! What problems?"
She sniffed, and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "I need some time, Harry."
He shook his head, bewildered by the twist and turns in this conversation. "Several months in a forest aren't enough time for you? And time for what, exactly?" Softly he muttered, "They never complained to me."
She sighed. "I need time, Harry. I need time for me, for myself."
She looked at him expectantly and Harry knew he should be understanding what she meant but he really didn't have a clue. They'd done nothing but bumble round this bloody forest for months now, and it was driving them all insane. The only reason he hadn't lost it completely were the moments he and Ron stole to "forage" in the forest. They always managed to come back with some berries or mushrooms or something, thank God, or 'mione probably would have cottoned on nearly the first time that even they couldn't be that bad at hunting and gathering, and... oh. Um. Oh. He felt his face heat up.
"Exactly!" She said.
"But, but, but..." He stuttered to a stop as he realised he had no idea what to say next. A thought occurred. "But we're always gone for at least 20 minutes! That should give you plenty of time to, uh... I'm really not comfortable having this conversation, you know."
"Whereas having been forced to bring the subject up in the first place is a matter of great joy to me." She screwed up her face. "Unlike the times the two of you stumbled back early-"
He stepped back abruptly. "Okay! Really not comfortable now."
She rolled her eyes. "Oh please. You can ask me to put with listening to you and Ron, and..."
"We didn't know you could hear!"
"I'm surprised you haven't managed to lead the entire Death Eater army to us by now with your screaming. The first few times I nearly rushed out to "save" you from a terrible enemy."
His blush became sunburn. "I!" He was sure he hadn't intended to squeak.
She breathed deeply and looked at one of the walls.
"You want..." He was trying to work it out. "You want us to stay out a bit longer next time, is that it?"
She looked directly into his eyes. "Yes. A lot longer."
"30 minutes?"
"45. No. An hour. Stay away for an hour."
His eyes widened, and his brow shot up toward his hairline. He could not have heard her correctly. "'Mione? An hour?"
She nodded emphatically. "Yes. That ought to just about do it."
"But... but.. An hour? You can't possibly need..."
"Yes. I can." She said, in a clipped voice as she folded her arms. "I think you'll find most women need more time to, uh," Her mouth opened and closed a few times, then she shrugged.
He grinned. "You were doing so well till right at the end there. If you want to do it, you should be able to talk about it."
She snorted and bumped her shoulder against his. "Because it's always been easy for the three of us to discuss our problems openly."
The tent door opened. Ron took a look at them and cocked his head to one side. "Pardon?" He said.
Harry and Hermione collapsed into gales of laughter. Eventually the hysteria subsided and Hermione prodded Harry. "You tell him."
"Me?"
"He's your, um, friend." She said, trying to look stern and failing entirely.
He sighed and walked over to Ron. "Come on, Ron. We need to have a chat."
Ron scowled. "But I've only just got back! How long is this going to take? I want to have a bath. I'm all covered in mud."
"About..." Harry glanced back at Hermione who lifted her chin defiantly. "About an hour."
"An hour! But it's bloody freezing out there!" Ron dug his heels in as Harry dragged him back to the door.
"Don't worry, Ron. I'm sure Harry will think of a way to warm you up!" Hermione sing-songed suggestively.
The door banged shut behind them. Harry started walking but was brought up short by Ron pulling on his arm. "I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what this is about."
Harry sighed. "Soon, Ron, soon. Just... let's give Hermione some space for a little while, yeah?"
Ron squinted. "An hour is all it'll take for her to calm down?"
"Apparently." Harry said flatly and trudged off. Ron hurried to catch up.
"So all we need to do is give her an hour to herself once a month and-"
"Just shut up, Ron. I'll explain later."
"When?"
"In about... 30 minutes. Just keep walking." Ron fell silent and Harry hoped the exercise would be enough to distract him from the disturbing conversation, but somehow he thought things were going to be awkward between them all for the next few days. Still, with any luck they'd work out the code and be able to go back to a normal life fighting Death Eaters. He sighed. His life had been so much simpler when all he had to do was fight everyone.
Behind them, the lock turned in the tent door.