Merry Christmas, COFFEE-N-COCOA!
Title: Fairy Lights
Author: katmarajade
Written for: coffee-n-cocoa
Pairing: Neville/Ginny
Rating: PG
Word Count: 469
Prompt: Muggle Christmas lights
Summary: Neville and Ginny help Hermione decorate the Grangers' house for Christmas.
Notes: I always love these two and liked the blend of sweetness, silliness, and sadness in this one.
"Why did we agree to this again?" Ginny called as she stretched on tip toes to secure the strand of fairy lights. (Not real fairy lights, mind, but tiny lamps on a weird green cord that Hermione promised would light up similarly to fairy lights but with no fairies whatsoever. Ginny privately had her doubts.)
"Watch yourself, Gin!" Neville hollered, shifting uncomfortably where he stood holding the ladder in place.
"Almost got it!" Ginny looped the string across the eaves, winding it over the little hook as Hermione had shown her. "There! Done!" She leaned back to examine her handiwork but the movement threw her off balance. With an undignified squawk, she windmilled her arms, unsuccessfully seeking purchase along the roof or on the ladder, and fell toward the ground.
Neville let out a shout, muttered a cushioning charm under his breath, and leapt towards where she was falling. He caught her, which knocked the breath right out of both of them, and they tumbled to the frozen ground, thankfully cushioned by Neville's charm.
Hermione chose that moment to come out of her parents' house where she had been setting up the Christmas tree inside. She raised an eyebrow at the pair of them, limbs tangled, faces close together, and breathing heavily.
"Honestly, you two! We have neighbors, you know." She gave a disapproving huff and glanced up to the lights lining the edge of the roof. "Nice work on those! Shall we turn them on and see if everything's working properly?"
Ginny gave Neville a shove and they both scrambled to their feet. It was a testimony to how much falling twenty feet, even onto a cushioning charm, could silence a person, because Ginny couldn't get out a single word, though her mutely gaping mouth made Neville chuckle under his breath.
With a dramatic shout of voila!, Hermione plugged the cord into the outlet. The not-really-fairy lights lit up the house in an entire rainbow of colors. Though impressed at their brightness (which was obvious in the dimming afternoon light), Ginny couldn't help but think that they had nothing on real fairy lights, which were much prettier. However, Hermione looked so pleased, gushing about how they looked just like she remembered and how her father used to do them, that Ginny kept her mouth shut.
She gave Neville a private smile and could tell that he knew just what she was thinking. Sometimes, for the sake of a friend, it was better to leave some observations and opinions unspoken. Childhood memories, especially for someone whose parents couldn't remember them, were precious. Neville had taught her that. The glow on Hermione's face made it all worthwhile. Neville gave Ginny's shoulders a squeeze and they followed Hermione inside, where she had a warm fire and hot cocoa waiting for them.
Author: katmarajade
Written for: coffee-n-cocoa
Pairing: Neville/Ginny
Rating: PG
Word Count: 469
Prompt: Muggle Christmas lights
Summary: Neville and Ginny help Hermione decorate the Grangers' house for Christmas.
Notes: I always love these two and liked the blend of sweetness, silliness, and sadness in this one.
"Why did we agree to this again?" Ginny called as she stretched on tip toes to secure the strand of fairy lights. (Not real fairy lights, mind, but tiny lamps on a weird green cord that Hermione promised would light up similarly to fairy lights but with no fairies whatsoever. Ginny privately had her doubts.)
"Watch yourself, Gin!" Neville hollered, shifting uncomfortably where he stood holding the ladder in place.
"Almost got it!" Ginny looped the string across the eaves, winding it over the little hook as Hermione had shown her. "There! Done!" She leaned back to examine her handiwork but the movement threw her off balance. With an undignified squawk, she windmilled her arms, unsuccessfully seeking purchase along the roof or on the ladder, and fell toward the ground.
Neville let out a shout, muttered a cushioning charm under his breath, and leapt towards where she was falling. He caught her, which knocked the breath right out of both of them, and they tumbled to the frozen ground, thankfully cushioned by Neville's charm.
Hermione chose that moment to come out of her parents' house where she had been setting up the Christmas tree inside. She raised an eyebrow at the pair of them, limbs tangled, faces close together, and breathing heavily.
"Honestly, you two! We have neighbors, you know." She gave a disapproving huff and glanced up to the lights lining the edge of the roof. "Nice work on those! Shall we turn them on and see if everything's working properly?"
Ginny gave Neville a shove and they both scrambled to their feet. It was a testimony to how much falling twenty feet, even onto a cushioning charm, could silence a person, because Ginny couldn't get out a single word, though her mutely gaping mouth made Neville chuckle under his breath.
With a dramatic shout of voila!, Hermione plugged the cord into the outlet. The not-really-fairy lights lit up the house in an entire rainbow of colors. Though impressed at their brightness (which was obvious in the dimming afternoon light), Ginny couldn't help but think that they had nothing on real fairy lights, which were much prettier. However, Hermione looked so pleased, gushing about how they looked just like she remembered and how her father used to do them, that Ginny kept her mouth shut.
She gave Neville a private smile and could tell that he knew just what she was thinking. Sometimes, for the sake of a friend, it was better to leave some observations and opinions unspoken. Childhood memories, especially for someone whose parents couldn't remember them, were precious. Neville had taught her that. The glow on Hermione's face made it all worthwhile. Neville gave Ginny's shoulders a squeeze and they followed Hermione inside, where she had a warm fire and hot cocoa waiting for them.