Pinch-hitting: Fics for Ricarda
(Thanks to Weebatix Lady for pinch-hitting prompts 2 and 4!)
TITLE: One Page
SHIP: Tom/Hermione
WORD COUNT: 322
PROMPT: It Only Comes Once a Year
She took a page off Ginny's diary.
She took a page before she knew, and Harry and Ginny and Ron would kill her if they found out, but she kept the page long after the diary was destroyed.
A bit of Tom remained, in the page she'd kept hidden within the pages of her History of Magic textbook, where no one would look. Just a bit of Tom enough to write back to her, whenever she scratched at the page with her quill.
She didn't talk to him very often, in the beginning, and when Harry destroyed the diary she couldn't write anything on his page. Whether she was afraid of talking to the future Lord Voldemort or realising that Tom did not live anymore, even on that one sheet of paper, she wasn't sure.
But she'd taken the page out by accident when she'd been looking for parchment to write Runes notes in, and she'd gaped in horror as the symbols she'd copied down disappeared on the page, replaced by the neat, careful handwriting of the boy she knew.
Hello, Hermione.
Tom. I'm sorry, I must have pulled out the wrong paper.
Not to worry, here are your notes back. You can resume ignoring me again, if you like.
It isn't like that, she'd written down, and he'd forgiven her.
And he knew so much, told her so much--this was the brilliant Tom Riddle who'd excelled in all his classes and studied in advance, who knew what it was like to have to prove his worth among his pureblooded classmates. This was the Tom who was lonely too, and out of place, in a magical world that did not always take kindly to him.
She wasn't stupid. She knew she was safe. Tom wasn't strong enough, he wouldn't dare. She never told him about Harry, he never asked anymore, and besides--besides, it was only a page.
Hermione.
Yes, Tom?
Do you want to see what Christmas is like in here?
I don't know if--could I?
TITLE: Where's Your Christmas Spirit?
SHIP: Percy/Hermione
WORD COUNT: 188
PROMPT: Red and Green
The door of his office slammed open and she stalked in. “Where the hell are you? The entire office is waiting for you.”
Percy didn’t even bother looking up from his paperwork. “Hermione. I’m not going to the Christmas lunch because it’s a waste of my time and it creates a backlog of work because everyone’s too pissed to do anything.”
He looked up at that point. “Now, if you don’t mind?” Hermione shut the door and bit her lip. She walked over to his desk and perched on the edge.
“I’ll make it worth your while if you come.” She started to undo the buttons on her blouse and Percy blushed bright red at the sight of the red and green of her bra.
He stood up and pulled on his coat. “Where is the lunch again?” Hermione buttoned up her blouse again and smirked. “I know you’d end up finding your Christmas spirit.”
She linked arms with him and pressed a kiss to the side of his mouth. “Let’s go.”
TITLE: The First Christmas
SHIP: Percy/Hermione
WORD COUNT: 212
PROMPT: White Christmas
They barely celebrated Christmas in the last few years, not when green meant the Dark Mark hanging high over recently attacked houses and villages or the third Unforgiveable hitting an innocent, not when red meant spilled blood of men and women who stood to fight the Dark Lord's army and lost.
Last night had been the last battle, where Harry had faced Lord Voldemort, and the Aurors and the Order had finally banded together against the Death Eaters, and the night was nearly a deadly parody of Christmas-lit towns, the sky illuminated in the green and red of curses.
Morning came, and all was quiet.
"Percy?" Hermione called out tentatively, stumbling over bodies and shaking as she drew her coat tighter around her body.
"Right here," a voice replied from behind her, hoarse and weak from casting one curse too many. She turned at once, running toward Percy, who clung tight to her.
"I thought--I didn't see--I was worried--" she stammered helplessly, fingers curled against his rumpled clothes and voice nearly breaking.
"It's alright, I'm here," he murmured, stroking her back soothingly just as the first snowflakes fell from the sky. "We're safe."
Snow covered the remnants of the night's battle, and it was the first Christmas in a long time that stayed as purely white as the season.
TITLE: Let It Snow
SHIP: Tom/Hermione
WORD COUNT: 189
PROMPT: Anything Goes
She knew she shouldn’t have got involved. Should, would, could. The world is full of ifs. Ginny had never said how charming he could be. Once she had been thrown through the Veil on their search for the Hocruxes, she was clinging onto her memories.
She sat on the cold windowsill of the Astronomy Tower and looked across the Hogwarts grounds. It was all so different but still the same. Hermione heard footsteps behind her and someone came behind her. He brushed a stray lock of hair off her face.
She tilted her face up and looked into the face of Tom Riddle. He kissed her forehead and sat next to her. "Different world out there.”
She nodded quietly as the snowflakes started to fall and leaned into him. “Tell me it’s going to be all right. Tell me that’s all going to be as perfect as this.”
Tom closed his eyes and didn’t speak for a moment. “We can only try. Hold onto every perfect moment and cling on tight.”
TITLE: One Page
SHIP: Tom/Hermione
WORD COUNT: 322
PROMPT: It Only Comes Once a Year
She took a page off Ginny's diary.
She took a page before she knew, and Harry and Ginny and Ron would kill her if they found out, but she kept the page long after the diary was destroyed.
A bit of Tom remained, in the page she'd kept hidden within the pages of her History of Magic textbook, where no one would look. Just a bit of Tom enough to write back to her, whenever she scratched at the page with her quill.
She didn't talk to him very often, in the beginning, and when Harry destroyed the diary she couldn't write anything on his page. Whether she was afraid of talking to the future Lord Voldemort or realising that Tom did not live anymore, even on that one sheet of paper, she wasn't sure.
But she'd taken the page out by accident when she'd been looking for parchment to write Runes notes in, and she'd gaped in horror as the symbols she'd copied down disappeared on the page, replaced by the neat, careful handwriting of the boy she knew.
Hello, Hermione.
Tom. I'm sorry, I must have pulled out the wrong paper.
Not to worry, here are your notes back. You can resume ignoring me again, if you like.
It isn't like that, she'd written down, and he'd forgiven her.
And he knew so much, told her so much--this was the brilliant Tom Riddle who'd excelled in all his classes and studied in advance, who knew what it was like to have to prove his worth among his pureblooded classmates. This was the Tom who was lonely too, and out of place, in a magical world that did not always take kindly to him.
She wasn't stupid. She knew she was safe. Tom wasn't strong enough, he wouldn't dare. She never told him about Harry, he never asked anymore, and besides--besides, it was only a page.
Hermione.
Yes, Tom?
Do you want to see what Christmas is like in here?
I don't know if--could I?
TITLE: Where's Your Christmas Spirit?
SHIP: Percy/Hermione
WORD COUNT: 188
PROMPT: Red and Green
The door of his office slammed open and she stalked in. “Where the hell are you? The entire office is waiting for you.”
Percy didn’t even bother looking up from his paperwork. “Hermione. I’m not going to the Christmas lunch because it’s a waste of my time and it creates a backlog of work because everyone’s too pissed to do anything.”
He looked up at that point. “Now, if you don’t mind?” Hermione shut the door and bit her lip. She walked over to his desk and perched on the edge.
“I’ll make it worth your while if you come.” She started to undo the buttons on her blouse and Percy blushed bright red at the sight of the red and green of her bra.
He stood up and pulled on his coat. “Where is the lunch again?” Hermione buttoned up her blouse again and smirked. “I know you’d end up finding your Christmas spirit.”
She linked arms with him and pressed a kiss to the side of his mouth. “Let’s go.”
TITLE: The First Christmas
SHIP: Percy/Hermione
WORD COUNT: 212
PROMPT: White Christmas
They barely celebrated Christmas in the last few years, not when green meant the Dark Mark hanging high over recently attacked houses and villages or the third Unforgiveable hitting an innocent, not when red meant spilled blood of men and women who stood to fight the Dark Lord's army and lost.
Last night had been the last battle, where Harry had faced Lord Voldemort, and the Aurors and the Order had finally banded together against the Death Eaters, and the night was nearly a deadly parody of Christmas-lit towns, the sky illuminated in the green and red of curses.
Morning came, and all was quiet.
"Percy?" Hermione called out tentatively, stumbling over bodies and shaking as she drew her coat tighter around her body.
"Right here," a voice replied from behind her, hoarse and weak from casting one curse too many. She turned at once, running toward Percy, who clung tight to her.
"I thought--I didn't see--I was worried--" she stammered helplessly, fingers curled against his rumpled clothes and voice nearly breaking.
"It's alright, I'm here," he murmured, stroking her back soothingly just as the first snowflakes fell from the sky. "We're safe."
Snow covered the remnants of the night's battle, and it was the first Christmas in a long time that stayed as purely white as the season.
TITLE: Let It Snow
SHIP: Tom/Hermione
WORD COUNT: 189
PROMPT: Anything Goes
She knew she shouldn’t have got involved. Should, would, could. The world is full of ifs. Ginny had never said how charming he could be. Once she had been thrown through the Veil on their search for the Hocruxes, she was clinging onto her memories.
She sat on the cold windowsill of the Astronomy Tower and looked across the Hogwarts grounds. It was all so different but still the same. Hermione heard footsteps behind her and someone came behind her. He brushed a stray lock of hair off her face.
She tilted her face up and looked into the face of Tom Riddle. He kissed her forehead and sat next to her. "Different world out there.”
She nodded quietly as the snowflakes started to fall and leaned into him. “Tell me it’s going to be all right. Tell me that’s all going to be as perfect as this.”
Tom closed his eyes and didn’t speak for a moment. “We can only try. Hold onto every perfect moment and cling on tight.”