RP: Finding the Right Gift

[rar_hermione]

Date: Sunday, December 18, 1998
Characters: Hermione Granger, Harry Potter
Location: Grimmauld, Diagon Alley
Status: Private
Summary: Harry and Hermione go shopping
Completion: Complete

Comments

[rar_harry]

Harry gone upstairs and taken his coat and gloves off once they'd finished walking, and headed down to the kitchen to pour some coffee and wait for Hermione. It had been so cold that how coffee had been a requirement once he'd got back inside.

They were going to Diagon to help Hermione look for a gift to get Ron for Christmas. She was still making better time on it than Harry was, himself. He'd still not found the right thing for Hermione, and he was starting to panic.

He'd barely sipped his coffee when Hermione came downstairs. He smiled when he noticed her. "Hey. It's not been long, but I made coffee. Want some?"

[rar_hermione]

"Fresh coffee? That sounds perfect," she said, walking over to the counter. "I didn't notice the cold so much while we were walking, but I realized just how frozen my face was when we got home. I couldn't feel my nose." She poked her nose and made a face before she laughed.

"I can't believe that Christmas is a week away. It feels like it was just last week that I said we had over a month." She took a cup of coffee from him and sipped it. "It's going to be 1999 before we even realize it."

[rar_harry]

"Yeah, it's still red, sort of," he said, lifting a finger to her nose. "Not cold, though." He laughed a bit, enjoying her. He sort of liked when she got a bit silly.

"I know. Time's flown, but I think that's just because I'm not looking forward to NEWTs." He laughed and took a sip of his coffee. "Another year gone, I guess. Hopefully next year will be better than this one."

[rar_hermione]

Harry reached up and touched her nose. His finger was warm, and he was laughing. She liked when he was relaxed and happy, and there was always a slight rush at being the cause for those moments. They didn't happen often enough, so she didn't mind if she had to look foolish sometimes to earn a laugh.

"Are you laughing at me, Potter?" She raised her hand and pushed his spectacles up the bridge of his nose before brushing her fingers through his hair. "I'll have you know that red is a very nice color," she informed him loftily. "Especially for noses and cheeks during winter."

After she got her cup, she went to sit down and enjoy her coffee before they went back outside to hunt for the elusive Perfect Gift for Ron. "I think next year will be one of our best yet. The war is over, things are starting to change in our community, for the better, and we'll be getting NEWTs taken early in the year." She looked at him and smiled. "We'll make sure that it's a great year."

[rar_hermione]

"She does," she agreed, studying the vase. She thought it was pretty and functional, the latter of which was usually a standard for most of her gift ideas. She tended to prefer useful gifts because people's taste varied so much that it was difficult to buy something that was artistic or vague for someone unless they were a very close friend

[rar_harry]

"Who doesn't like scarves and gloves?" Harry smiled. "I like the one you bought me. But yeah, I think Mrs. Weasley would like a vase. Maybe just give her both, since you've already bought the scarf and gloves and such?"

Hermione opened one of the books and smelled it; he didn't understand what she got out of sniffing the pages of really old books, but he liked watching her do it because she got this look on her face that he couldn't describe. "Hmm?" He took a moment to realise what she'd asked him. "Oh, I doubt it." He smiled slightly. "But we're not wasting time. We've got all day, and I know you get about books."

[rar_hermione]

"I hope the people I bought them for do," she said, relaxing when he smiled. She wasn't really used to buying gifts for people outside of him and Ron and her parents, so it was making her nervous in a silly way. They were gifts, so it wasn't like there were set rules or expectations. "I might do that."

She looked at him curiously. "How do I get about books?" She knew that she liked browsing through books and reading, but she hadn't realized that she got a certain way about that. "We do have all day, don't we? I keep forgetting that we don't have class tomorrow."

"I think I might get this one. Now, let me focus on Ron. I thought about getting him a new chess set, but I wasn't sure if he even needs a new one or anything. Do you think he might like a nice bag for when he starts Auror training? Something solid and leather, maybe with his initials on it?" she asked as she looked at a plate with a chip on the side.

[rar_harry]

"I dunno," he said awkwardly, not expecting her to actually ask him what he'd meant. She knew how she got, didn't she? He reddened a bit. "You just ... I can tell you really like them, that's all. And you smell them, and things."

He wasn't surprised when she decided to get that book. He would have gotten it for her if she hadn't, as much as she liked it. "Ron loves chess, of course," he said, "so I can't imagine him not liking that. But a bag would be good, too. I really like the one Bill and Fleur gave me for my birthday. I use it every day."