FIC: Taking the First Step [Hooch/Pince - G]
Title: Taking the First Step
Author/Artist: josephinestone
Pairing(s): Hooch/Pince
Prompt: Hooch/female-Rolanda gets a Christmas gift that for once has nothing to do with brooms or Quidditch, requested by kellychambliss
Word Count/Art Medium: 685
Rating: G
Contains (Highlight to view): *None.*
Disclaimer: Harry Potter characters are the property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No profit is being made, and no copyright infringement is intended.
Notes:Thanks, digthewriter, for reading through this for me and fixing Rolanda’s name over and over again; because apparently my ‘a’ key hates me.. :)
Summary: The prompt describes it perfectly.
With magic, the size of the box a gift came in never meant anything, though Rolanda expected to see a new pair of Quidditch gloves-or perhaps a book on Quidditch as this year her gifter was Madam Pince-because only a few Professors bothered with changing their package sizes to confuse the recipient. What she found instead was a simple strand of pearls.
She’d been unaware of Madam Pince watching her until she heard her voice just to her left.
‘You hate it,’ Pince said, in almost a whisper-for she was a quiet girl even outside the library-trying to grab the box in Roland’s hands.
Rolanda pulled it back and said, ‘No, I love them; I was surprised is all. I didn’t expect anything so-’
‘Boring?’
‘Expensive.’ And, Rolanda thought to herself, feminine. Buying gifts for colleagues was difficult, which was why Minerva began the gift exchange years before, but few remembered that though Rolanda was a Quidditch coach, she was also a woman.
Pince-Irma, Rolanda remembered-blushed and it sent a thrill through Rolanda.
Never having a problem with bold moves herself, she smiled at Irma, and said, ‘How about we go out tonight?’ She held up the box. ‘Give me a place to wear these to.’
Irma’s eye lit up as she nodded quickly. There weren’t many places to go in Hogsmeade and anything farther out required permission from the Headmaster when the teachers were on duty. It was late, so only the Pubs would be opened; but Rolanda still fretted about what to wear.
‘Quit smirking at me.’
Minerva smiled. ‘I’m not.’
‘I know you find this hilarious.’
‘I’m merely happy to see you go anywhere.’
Rolanda messed with her hair as Minerva added lace trim to her corset top. It was the same grey as her trousers.
‘Do you think she’ll like this?’
‘Would I have added it, if I thought she wouldn’t?’
‘No, of course you wouldn’t have.’
‘Do you not like it?’
‘I love lace, it is just-’
‘Not what you think she expects of you?’ Minerva gave her a knowing look. ‘I’m sure she is more nervous than you are.’
‘I doubt that is possible.’
‘Oh, Rolanda, I know it has been a long time for you, but she had to give you pearls before you noticed her.’ Minerva slipped the pearls around Roland’s neck and began to fasten them. ‘She had already noticed you.’
Rolanda smiled at the thought.
‘What if we have nothing to talk about?’
‘Then you kiss her.’
Rolanda met Irma by the front door. She was wearing a blue, winter cloak-just like the black one Rolanda wore-so she couldn’t see if she had decided to change as well. They both gave awkward smiles and Rolanda opened the door to let Irma pass through first. It had started to snow sometime earlier that evening and though it was light it cover all evidence of movement from the day.
‘It’s my favourite,’ Irma said.
‘What?’
‘It’s my favourite part of snow, when you open the door and it feels like you’re the first person to see the world.’
Rolanda smiled. ‘It is beautiful.’
Irma took the first step smashing the snow and leaving evidence of her presence there. Rolanda followed, keeping in step next to her, close but not touching her. They were silent and it made her think of what Minerva had said. It was too soon for a kiss-this wasn’t even a proper date-but it had been far too long, and they were both far too old to dance around a kiss as though they’d never had one before.
They were a few metres away from the pub they’d agreed on when Rolanda pulled on Irma’s arm stopping her. Rolanda-never afraid of making the bold move-pulled on Irma’s cloak forcing her to take the step closer that Rolanda needed to reach her lips. Irma introduced her tongue first and then Rolanda was sure she’d made the right decision.
---
Author/Artist: josephinestone
Pairing(s): Hooch/Pince
Prompt: Hooch/female-Rolanda gets a Christmas gift that for once has nothing to do with brooms or Quidditch, requested by kellychambliss
Word Count/Art Medium: 685
Rating: G
Contains (Highlight to view): *None.*
Disclaimer: Harry Potter characters are the property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No profit is being made, and no copyright infringement is intended.
Notes:Thanks, digthewriter, for reading through this for me and fixing Rolanda’s name over and over again; because apparently my ‘a’ key hates me.. :)
Summary: The prompt describes it perfectly.
With magic, the size of the box a gift came in never meant anything, though Rolanda expected to see a new pair of Quidditch gloves-or perhaps a book on Quidditch as this year her gifter was Madam Pince-because only a few Professors bothered with changing their package sizes to confuse the recipient. What she found instead was a simple strand of pearls.
She’d been unaware of Madam Pince watching her until she heard her voice just to her left.
‘You hate it,’ Pince said, in almost a whisper-for she was a quiet girl even outside the library-trying to grab the box in Roland’s hands.
Rolanda pulled it back and said, ‘No, I love them; I was surprised is all. I didn’t expect anything so-’
‘Boring?’
‘Expensive.’ And, Rolanda thought to herself, feminine. Buying gifts for colleagues was difficult, which was why Minerva began the gift exchange years before, but few remembered that though Rolanda was a Quidditch coach, she was also a woman.
Pince-Irma, Rolanda remembered-blushed and it sent a thrill through Rolanda.
Never having a problem with bold moves herself, she smiled at Irma, and said, ‘How about we go out tonight?’ She held up the box. ‘Give me a place to wear these to.’
Irma’s eye lit up as she nodded quickly. There weren’t many places to go in Hogsmeade and anything farther out required permission from the Headmaster when the teachers were on duty. It was late, so only the Pubs would be opened; but Rolanda still fretted about what to wear.
‘Quit smirking at me.’
Minerva smiled. ‘I’m not.’
‘I know you find this hilarious.’
‘I’m merely happy to see you go anywhere.’
Rolanda messed with her hair as Minerva added lace trim to her corset top. It was the same grey as her trousers.
‘Do you think she’ll like this?’
‘Would I have added it, if I thought she wouldn’t?’
‘No, of course you wouldn’t have.’
‘Do you not like it?’
‘I love lace, it is just-’
‘Not what you think she expects of you?’ Minerva gave her a knowing look. ‘I’m sure she is more nervous than you are.’
‘I doubt that is possible.’
‘Oh, Rolanda, I know it has been a long time for you, but she had to give you pearls before you noticed her.’ Minerva slipped the pearls around Roland’s neck and began to fasten them. ‘She had already noticed you.’
Rolanda smiled at the thought.
‘What if we have nothing to talk about?’
‘Then you kiss her.’
Rolanda met Irma by the front door. She was wearing a blue, winter cloak-just like the black one Rolanda wore-so she couldn’t see if she had decided to change as well. They both gave awkward smiles and Rolanda opened the door to let Irma pass through first. It had started to snow sometime earlier that evening and though it was light it cover all evidence of movement from the day.
‘It’s my favourite,’ Irma said.
‘What?’
‘It’s my favourite part of snow, when you open the door and it feels like you’re the first person to see the world.’
Rolanda smiled. ‘It is beautiful.’
Irma took the first step smashing the snow and leaving evidence of her presence there. Rolanda followed, keeping in step next to her, close but not touching her. They were silent and it made her think of what Minerva had said. It was too soon for a kiss-this wasn’t even a proper date-but it had been far too long, and they were both far too old to dance around a kiss as though they’d never had one before.
They were a few metres away from the pub they’d agreed on when Rolanda pulled on Irma’s arm stopping her. Rolanda-never afraid of making the bold move-pulled on Irma’s cloak forcing her to take the step closer that Rolanda needed to reach her lips. Irma introduced her tongue first and then Rolanda was sure she’d made the right decision.
---