FIC: Tricks and Treats
Okay, so I caved. :-)
Here is my little entry for the hpgw_otp Halloween Challenge. The challenge was to write a H/G piece that began with: It was a dark and stormy night, and was anywhere between 500-2000 words. Oh yes, it also needed to take place after the war but before they were married.
So here we go. This is a little different for me, but I enjoyed it, too.
Title: Tricks and Treats
Author: ladywhizbee
Pairing: H/G, R/Hr
Word count: 1,927
Summary: Harry Potter is miserable, but who would think a trip to the grocery would change all that?
A/N: BIG THANKS go to sherylyn andquidditchmum for dropping everything to look this over for me, and for offering some wonderful suggestions to boot. *HUGS BOTH*
It was a dark and stormy night as Harry Potter sprinted down the slick cobblestone streets of Diagon Alley. The unexpected rain fell in torrents, drenching everything-including him-and he cursed at his luck at losing the bet with Ron that had sent him out tonight at all.
He dodged a puddle the size of a lake and scampered under the cover of a shop awning. Water poured off of it in sheets and splattered on the ground speckling his trousers with mud. He muttered under his breath as he shook the water from his clothes. The next time Ron invited friends over to their flat for an impromptu Halloween party and forgot to buy food for it, Harry wouldn’t budge from his chair. Ron would go.
He glanced at his watch. He had just enough time to purchase the food that they needed and return home to change for the party tonight. Barely enough time, but it would do. Not that he wanted to wear a costume, but that-according to Hermione-was the deal. She had even bought a pirate costume for him in Muggle London. He knew Ron and Hermione meant well, but if they thought dressing up as a pirate and making small talk at a Halloween party was going to put an end to his misery, they were going to be sorely disappointed.
A fleeting image of Ginny rushed through his mind, but he forced it out immediately. Running a quick hand over his face, he knew thinking of her would just make things worse. Get a grip, Potter.
Squinting ahead, he could just make out the bright lights of Poppywell’s Provisions through the downpour. Harry sighed at the pelting rain. He could kill Ron for his mental requests.
“No, mate. You have to go to Poppywell’s; they carry Bambridge Butterbeer.”
“But Gallenkamp’s is just across the street.” Harry pointed at the shop through the window of their flat. “And since when did you care what brand of butterbeer we drink?”
“Yeah, well. We have to have Bambridge tonight-they have a seasonal Pumpkin Spice.”
“Pumpkin spice butterbeer?”
“Yeah, I know, but Hermione asked for it.” His ears turned red. “Please, mate?”.
So here Harry stood soaked through, the pathetic sap that he was. Crowds of people dressed in costume were heading in and out of Poppywell’s. Apparently Ron wasn’t the only one who forgot to purchase the crisps, or sweets, or whatever it was that was needed for their Halloween parties. Everyone in the Wizarding world seemed to have forgotten, too.
Harry sighed. So much for being on time. He hastily cast an Impervious Charm on his glasses and made a dash for it. Unable to avoid soaking his shoes and socks in the street that was now a rushing canal, he dove under the awning of Poppywell’s and burst through the door only to run into something solid.
“Ooof-” said his victim who had fallen on her backside, a tangle of cloak and fishnet tights. Her blonde wig had fallen over her face while her bag of groceries burst, scattering and rolling across the floor. “What the-Bloody hell!”
“I’m so sorry, I didn’t-” Harry gasped, lurching forward to rescue her jar of olives before it rolled under a display. He rushed back to kneel beside the woman, who was still trying to untangle her long limbs from her cloak and right her wig. Her natural hair splayed across her shoulders and it was red-a vivid, beautiful red. He stopped short. “Ginny?”
“Harry?” She yanked the wig out of her face, shock playing across her features. Harry drew in a deep breath. Her eyes were as big and bright as he remembered.
“What are you-?”
“What are you-?”
They both stopped mid-sentence and smiled. Harry helped her untangle herself and stand, and Ginny straightened her pirate costume and dusted off her cloak. The corners of her mouth twitched while she did so, and Harry chuckled despite himself feeling more alive than he had in months. It had been a long time since they had seen each other, but in this moment it felt just like yesterday, comfortable, warm-and oddly electrifying.
“So let me guess,” she said, retrieving her paper grocery bag and mending it while Harry began collecting her scattered groceries off the floor. “Ron didn’t plan ahead and you lost the coin toss.”
Harry smiled, glancing over at her. “How did you know?”
“When will you learn, Harry,” she sighed, shaking her head and plucking the jar of olives out of his hand. “Never agree to a coin toss with a Weasley. You will always lose.”
Harry grinned at her, handing her a bag of crushed crisps and a bruised apple in turn. She took them from each hand with a cheeky grin and Harry’s stomach did a flip as their eyes met. She held his gaze for longer than necessary-much longer than required-and Harry found himself fighting the insane urge to just lean in and kiss her.
Instead he said something inane. “So, you’re a pirate?’
“What?”
“Your costume.”
“Oh,” Ginny glanced down at her red and black striped outfit. It accentuated her curves quite nicely, so much so that Harry had to fight the urge to stare. “Yes, um…Hermione picked it out for me.”
“She made a good choice.”
“Thanks.”
Ginny smiled, but as she began placing her things back into her bag, Harry kicked himself for flirting. What had gotten into him? Turning, he rushed off to retrieve the remainder of her things while also trying to squash this crazy burst of insanity exploding inside him.
They had ended their relationship nearly six months ago. His Auror assignments and her Quidditch schedule kept them apart more than they were together, and they had both agreed to it-even said that it was right. But he had regretted it ever since. Ron needled Harry constantly, saying that Harry still sulked, but in truth he just felt lost without her. Daring a glance at her now, he wondered if she felt the same.
Eyebrows furrowed, she was biting her lip and tucking her hair behind her ear as she fussed with the groceries in her bag. Harry groaned. Why did she have to be so bloody beautiful?
Retrieving a package of biscuits with more force than necessary, he frowned. He didn’t have a right to feel this way-shouldn’t feel this way-but the truth was that he did. Now he had to decide what he was going to do about it.
He scooped up the last of her groceries and returned to her, arms full.
She glanced up and smiled. “Thanks.”
Taking them from his arms one by one, she stood quite close, so close that Harry could study the individual strands of her hair. Why she had chosen to wear a blonde wig with her costume he could never guess. He loved her hair. Dark red, light red, bright copper and soft brown all mixed and mottled together to make a blend-a vivid, unmistakable blend, a blend that was all Ginny. Its floral scent filled him up like a shot of Felix Felicis and in that one shining moment anything and everything seemed possible again.
“Ginny, I-”
But before he could finish there was a flurry of motion and in one glorious movement her lips were pressed against his, her hands gripping his waist.
Ginny.
He responded without thinking, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her to him. He wove his fingers into her long, glorious hair. Nothing else mattered-nothing but the bloody fantastic witch in his arms. She sighed, melting into him and he was lost-her hair-her curves-her hips. The way her lips moved against his. How could he have denied himself this for so long? It was painful now that he thought of it and as he deepened their kiss, he vowed never, ever, do it again.
“Harry-” Ginny broke away, skin flushed and eyes bright. “I’m sorry-I’m so sorry. I’ve missed you so much. Do you think that-?”
“Yes.” Harry answered before hearing the rest. “Yes. Please, Ginny. I was a fool. I’ve been miserable, and I really want to fix this. Us. I need you too much.”
She smiled at this, fingering the lapel on his jacket, before kissing him again, kissing him so thoroughly that he thought he might not ever return to earth.
“Excuse me-excuse me, Miss?”
Harry groaned, as Ginny broke away, cursing the clerk for her horrible timing.
“I’m sorry, but is this your jar of Nutella?”
Ginny pounced on it. “Oh, yes! Thank you. Hermione would kill me if I forgot this.”
“Hermione?”
“Yes.” She nodded, turning back to face him. “I’m staying at her flat this weekend. She wanted to make a dessert for Ron’s party and sent me to the shop for the ingredients.”
“She sent you for the ingredients?” He raised an eyebrow. “How very gallant of her.”
“Yes it is, isn’t it?” Ginny laughed her soft tinkling laugh. The one he loved so much. “I thought it was odd, too, because we had all afternoon together-and we even came through here earlier, but she didn’t think of it then. It wasn’t until Ron Flooed-” Ginny gasped, suddenly stiffening. Her eyes narrowed into tiny slits. “Those little interfering tricksters!”
“What?” Harry blinked.
“They set us up!”
“Set us up?”
“Yes-don’t you see?” Ginny nodded, cheeks flushed. “They sent us both here so that we would run into each other-obviously hoping that we would-I mean, I think they must have!”
Harry considered this new revelation. “Hermione did bring home a pirate costume for me, too.”
“See!” Ginny huffed, jabbing him with her index finger. “They had a master plan. I mean, Hermione must have come up with it, there’s no way that Ron-”
Harry captured her finger with his hand. Startled out of her tirade, she glanced up at him.
“So they set us up.” Harry shrugged with a grin. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close to him again. “I don’t really mind. Do you?”
Eyes narrowed, Ginny considered this for a moment before relaxing, a small smile playing on her lips. “No, I suppose not.”
“Good.”
Her nose wrinkled as she smoothed the front of his shirt. “You do realize that you’re thoroughly soaked, don’t you?”
He laughed, noticing his clothes for the first time since he came indoors. “Yeah, well. It is pouring outside.”
“Yes, it is.” She glanced out the window before slinking her arms around his neck. She snuggled into him, and when her eyes danced up to lock with his, his stomach dropped ten feet. He remembered that look. “I think we should get you out of these wet clothes.”
He licked his lips. “You do?”
“Yes.” She nodded, smiling sweetly. “And then afterwards, we’ll figure out a way to get Ron and Hermione back for their devious matchmaking.”
“Their devious matchmaking?” Harry laughed. He was completely and utterly smitten. “Something tells me that their scheme won’t seem so devious once you’re done with them.”
“Perhaps.” She grinned, tapping her lips in thought. “It is the night of tricks, after all.”
Harry leaned in and kissed her again. “And treats-what about those?”
“Oh, yes.” She nodded, twining her fingers through his hair and pulled him back to her. Her eyes sparkled. “Definitely treats.”
Here is my little entry for the hpgw_otp Halloween Challenge. The challenge was to write a H/G piece that began with: It was a dark and stormy night, and was anywhere between 500-2000 words. Oh yes, it also needed to take place after the war but before they were married.
So here we go. This is a little different for me, but I enjoyed it, too.
Title: Tricks and Treats
Author: ladywhizbee
Pairing: H/G, R/Hr
Word count: 1,927
Summary: Harry Potter is miserable, but who would think a trip to the grocery would change all that?
A/N: BIG THANKS go to sherylyn andquidditchmum for dropping everything to look this over for me, and for offering some wonderful suggestions to boot. *HUGS BOTH*
It was a dark and stormy night as Harry Potter sprinted down the slick cobblestone streets of Diagon Alley. The unexpected rain fell in torrents, drenching everything-including him-and he cursed at his luck at losing the bet with Ron that had sent him out tonight at all.
He dodged a puddle the size of a lake and scampered under the cover of a shop awning. Water poured off of it in sheets and splattered on the ground speckling his trousers with mud. He muttered under his breath as he shook the water from his clothes. The next time Ron invited friends over to their flat for an impromptu Halloween party and forgot to buy food for it, Harry wouldn’t budge from his chair. Ron would go.
He glanced at his watch. He had just enough time to purchase the food that they needed and return home to change for the party tonight. Barely enough time, but it would do. Not that he wanted to wear a costume, but that-according to Hermione-was the deal. She had even bought a pirate costume for him in Muggle London. He knew Ron and Hermione meant well, but if they thought dressing up as a pirate and making small talk at a Halloween party was going to put an end to his misery, they were going to be sorely disappointed.
A fleeting image of Ginny rushed through his mind, but he forced it out immediately. Running a quick hand over his face, he knew thinking of her would just make things worse. Get a grip, Potter.
Squinting ahead, he could just make out the bright lights of Poppywell’s Provisions through the downpour. Harry sighed at the pelting rain. He could kill Ron for his mental requests.
“No, mate. You have to go to Poppywell’s; they carry Bambridge Butterbeer.”
“But Gallenkamp’s is just across the street.” Harry pointed at the shop through the window of their flat. “And since when did you care what brand of butterbeer we drink?”
“Yeah, well. We have to have Bambridge tonight-they have a seasonal Pumpkin Spice.”
“Pumpkin spice butterbeer?”
“Yeah, I know, but Hermione asked for it.” His ears turned red. “Please, mate?”.
So here Harry stood soaked through, the pathetic sap that he was. Crowds of people dressed in costume were heading in and out of Poppywell’s. Apparently Ron wasn’t the only one who forgot to purchase the crisps, or sweets, or whatever it was that was needed for their Halloween parties. Everyone in the Wizarding world seemed to have forgotten, too.
Harry sighed. So much for being on time. He hastily cast an Impervious Charm on his glasses and made a dash for it. Unable to avoid soaking his shoes and socks in the street that was now a rushing canal, he dove under the awning of Poppywell’s and burst through the door only to run into something solid.
“Ooof-” said his victim who had fallen on her backside, a tangle of cloak and fishnet tights. Her blonde wig had fallen over her face while her bag of groceries burst, scattering and rolling across the floor. “What the-Bloody hell!”
“I’m so sorry, I didn’t-” Harry gasped, lurching forward to rescue her jar of olives before it rolled under a display. He rushed back to kneel beside the woman, who was still trying to untangle her long limbs from her cloak and right her wig. Her natural hair splayed across her shoulders and it was red-a vivid, beautiful red. He stopped short. “Ginny?”
“Harry?” She yanked the wig out of her face, shock playing across her features. Harry drew in a deep breath. Her eyes were as big and bright as he remembered.
“What are you-?”
“What are you-?”
They both stopped mid-sentence and smiled. Harry helped her untangle herself and stand, and Ginny straightened her pirate costume and dusted off her cloak. The corners of her mouth twitched while she did so, and Harry chuckled despite himself feeling more alive than he had in months. It had been a long time since they had seen each other, but in this moment it felt just like yesterday, comfortable, warm-and oddly electrifying.
“So let me guess,” she said, retrieving her paper grocery bag and mending it while Harry began collecting her scattered groceries off the floor. “Ron didn’t plan ahead and you lost the coin toss.”
Harry smiled, glancing over at her. “How did you know?”
“When will you learn, Harry,” she sighed, shaking her head and plucking the jar of olives out of his hand. “Never agree to a coin toss with a Weasley. You will always lose.”
Harry grinned at her, handing her a bag of crushed crisps and a bruised apple in turn. She took them from each hand with a cheeky grin and Harry’s stomach did a flip as their eyes met. She held his gaze for longer than necessary-much longer than required-and Harry found himself fighting the insane urge to just lean in and kiss her.
Instead he said something inane. “So, you’re a pirate?’
“What?”
“Your costume.”
“Oh,” Ginny glanced down at her red and black striped outfit. It accentuated her curves quite nicely, so much so that Harry had to fight the urge to stare. “Yes, um…Hermione picked it out for me.”
“She made a good choice.”
“Thanks.”
Ginny smiled, but as she began placing her things back into her bag, Harry kicked himself for flirting. What had gotten into him? Turning, he rushed off to retrieve the remainder of her things while also trying to squash this crazy burst of insanity exploding inside him.
They had ended their relationship nearly six months ago. His Auror assignments and her Quidditch schedule kept them apart more than they were together, and they had both agreed to it-even said that it was right. But he had regretted it ever since. Ron needled Harry constantly, saying that Harry still sulked, but in truth he just felt lost without her. Daring a glance at her now, he wondered if she felt the same.
Eyebrows furrowed, she was biting her lip and tucking her hair behind her ear as she fussed with the groceries in her bag. Harry groaned. Why did she have to be so bloody beautiful?
Retrieving a package of biscuits with more force than necessary, he frowned. He didn’t have a right to feel this way-shouldn’t feel this way-but the truth was that he did. Now he had to decide what he was going to do about it.
He scooped up the last of her groceries and returned to her, arms full.
She glanced up and smiled. “Thanks.”
Taking them from his arms one by one, she stood quite close, so close that Harry could study the individual strands of her hair. Why she had chosen to wear a blonde wig with her costume he could never guess. He loved her hair. Dark red, light red, bright copper and soft brown all mixed and mottled together to make a blend-a vivid, unmistakable blend, a blend that was all Ginny. Its floral scent filled him up like a shot of Felix Felicis and in that one shining moment anything and everything seemed possible again.
“Ginny, I-”
But before he could finish there was a flurry of motion and in one glorious movement her lips were pressed against his, her hands gripping his waist.
Ginny.
He responded without thinking, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her to him. He wove his fingers into her long, glorious hair. Nothing else mattered-nothing but the bloody fantastic witch in his arms. She sighed, melting into him and he was lost-her hair-her curves-her hips. The way her lips moved against his. How could he have denied himself this for so long? It was painful now that he thought of it and as he deepened their kiss, he vowed never, ever, do it again.
“Harry-” Ginny broke away, skin flushed and eyes bright. “I’m sorry-I’m so sorry. I’ve missed you so much. Do you think that-?”
“Yes.” Harry answered before hearing the rest. “Yes. Please, Ginny. I was a fool. I’ve been miserable, and I really want to fix this. Us. I need you too much.”
She smiled at this, fingering the lapel on his jacket, before kissing him again, kissing him so thoroughly that he thought he might not ever return to earth.
“Excuse me-excuse me, Miss?”
Harry groaned, as Ginny broke away, cursing the clerk for her horrible timing.
“I’m sorry, but is this your jar of Nutella?”
Ginny pounced on it. “Oh, yes! Thank you. Hermione would kill me if I forgot this.”
“Hermione?”
“Yes.” She nodded, turning back to face him. “I’m staying at her flat this weekend. She wanted to make a dessert for Ron’s party and sent me to the shop for the ingredients.”
“She sent you for the ingredients?” He raised an eyebrow. “How very gallant of her.”
“Yes it is, isn’t it?” Ginny laughed her soft tinkling laugh. The one he loved so much. “I thought it was odd, too, because we had all afternoon together-and we even came through here earlier, but she didn’t think of it then. It wasn’t until Ron Flooed-” Ginny gasped, suddenly stiffening. Her eyes narrowed into tiny slits. “Those little interfering tricksters!”
“What?” Harry blinked.
“They set us up!”
“Set us up?”
“Yes-don’t you see?” Ginny nodded, cheeks flushed. “They sent us both here so that we would run into each other-obviously hoping that we would-I mean, I think they must have!”
Harry considered this new revelation. “Hermione did bring home a pirate costume for me, too.”
“See!” Ginny huffed, jabbing him with her index finger. “They had a master plan. I mean, Hermione must have come up with it, there’s no way that Ron-”
Harry captured her finger with his hand. Startled out of her tirade, she glanced up at him.
“So they set us up.” Harry shrugged with a grin. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close to him again. “I don’t really mind. Do you?”
Eyes narrowed, Ginny considered this for a moment before relaxing, a small smile playing on her lips. “No, I suppose not.”
“Good.”
Her nose wrinkled as she smoothed the front of his shirt. “You do realize that you’re thoroughly soaked, don’t you?”
He laughed, noticing his clothes for the first time since he came indoors. “Yeah, well. It is pouring outside.”
“Yes, it is.” She glanced out the window before slinking her arms around his neck. She snuggled into him, and when her eyes danced up to lock with his, his stomach dropped ten feet. He remembered that look. “I think we should get you out of these wet clothes.”
He licked his lips. “You do?”
“Yes.” She nodded, smiling sweetly. “And then afterwards, we’ll figure out a way to get Ron and Hermione back for their devious matchmaking.”
“Their devious matchmaking?” Harry laughed. He was completely and utterly smitten. “Something tells me that their scheme won’t seem so devious once you’re done with them.”
“Perhaps.” She grinned, tapping her lips in thought. “It is the night of tricks, after all.”
Harry leaned in and kissed her again. “And treats-what about those?”
“Oh, yes.” She nodded, twining her fingers through his hair and pulled him back to her. Her eyes sparkled. “Definitely treats.”