[Fic] "Touch" -- Harry Potter, G/H/D, Theme 7
Author: Elizabeth Culmer edenfalling
Fandom/Pairing: Harry Potter, Ginny/Harry/Draco
Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Theme: #7 - Hugs
Warnings: one mild sexual innuendo
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Touch
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"What you have to realize about Harry," Hermione told Ginny once after a DA meeting, "is that nobody's ever hugged him, not since he was a baby. Well, I've hugged him once or twice, but once or twice doesn't count, not for this."
"So he doesn't like hugs?" Ginny asked.
Hermione bit her lip. "Not exactly -- it's more that he doesn't understand them. He doesn't understand physical contact in general -- haven't you noticed that he doesn't touch people?"
Thinking back, Ginny realized that Hermione was right. "That could be a bit awkward," she said. At Hermione's blank look, she touched her left thumb to her fingers, and pushed her right forefinger through the circle.
Hermione turned scarlet. "Ginny! Don't do that. But yes, I see your point. Whoever ends up with him will simply have to move slowly and get him accustomed to little things first... unless she can get his hormones to do the work for her."
The issue didn't come up again for nearly a year, since Ginny was busy with other boys -- after a few months, she settled on Dean Thomas, who was sweet and the most incredible kisser, though that affair eventually ended badly. But in her fifth year, when Harry kissed her in front of the entire common room, she thought that Hermione had been right about the hormones. Later, when Harry dumped her 'for her own good,' she thought that Hermione had been right about him not understanding physical contact, too -- though Hermione should have taken it a step further and said that Harry didn't understand the emotions behind touch either.
She said the right things to make him relax, even while she cursed steadily inside her head. He wanted to keep her from being a target, did he? What the bloody hell did he think Tom's diary had made her! He wanted to keep Voldemort from realizing that he cared about her? Well, it was a few months too late for that, wasn't it!
When Harry took Ron and Hermione to search for Horcruxes, Ginny copied his list of possible hiding places, grabbed Neville and Luna, and started searching from the other end of Harry's list. They met in the middle, naturally, and had a screaming row. It ended when she kissed him, and hugged him, and swore that she was going to hold on until she shook all the stupid ideas out of his head.
In retrospect, that might not have been the best way to convince him that hugs were a good thing.
Nevertheless, it worked, and by the end of the war -- when she and Harry overruled Ron and Hermione and decided to trust Draco Malfoy's information on the location of the final Horcrux -- Harry reached for her after the final battle, instead of the other way around.
"I don't believe it," Malfoy said from behind them, picking his way over the Hogwarts Quidditch pitch. "Someone actually taught Potter that people aren't covered in contact poisons."
Ginny was too tired and happy to do more than stick her tongue out at him. Then it occurred to her that nobody had hugged Malfoy in quite a long time either -- his parents didn't seem the hugging type, and Snape certainly wasn't. She untangled one arm from Harry.
"Come here," she said. Harry and Malfoy both looked at her as if she'd gone mad. "We won," she said irritably. "Nobody lied, nobody's dead -- except Voldemort -- and if I feel like hugging people, I'm bloody well going to hug them. Now come here."
Malfoy eased an arm around her side and kicked at Harry's feet until he backed off a step. "We can shake hands if you'd rather," he said to Harry, an odd smile on his face.
Harry looked down at the proffered hand, looked back up, and grinned. "Trying again?" Malfoy shrugged. "Oh, why not," said Harry, and they shook hands. Ginny squeezed them both more tightly, and started laughing.
It was a perfect day.
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Fandom/Pairing: Harry Potter, Ginny/Harry/Draco
Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Theme: #7 - Hugs
Warnings: one mild sexual innuendo
---------------------------------------------
Touch
---------------------------------------------
"What you have to realize about Harry," Hermione told Ginny once after a DA meeting, "is that nobody's ever hugged him, not since he was a baby. Well, I've hugged him once or twice, but once or twice doesn't count, not for this."
"So he doesn't like hugs?" Ginny asked.
Hermione bit her lip. "Not exactly -- it's more that he doesn't understand them. He doesn't understand physical contact in general -- haven't you noticed that he doesn't touch people?"
Thinking back, Ginny realized that Hermione was right. "That could be a bit awkward," she said. At Hermione's blank look, she touched her left thumb to her fingers, and pushed her right forefinger through the circle.
Hermione turned scarlet. "Ginny! Don't do that. But yes, I see your point. Whoever ends up with him will simply have to move slowly and get him accustomed to little things first... unless she can get his hormones to do the work for her."
The issue didn't come up again for nearly a year, since Ginny was busy with other boys -- after a few months, she settled on Dean Thomas, who was sweet and the most incredible kisser, though that affair eventually ended badly. But in her fifth year, when Harry kissed her in front of the entire common room, she thought that Hermione had been right about the hormones. Later, when Harry dumped her 'for her own good,' she thought that Hermione had been right about him not understanding physical contact, too -- though Hermione should have taken it a step further and said that Harry didn't understand the emotions behind touch either.
She said the right things to make him relax, even while she cursed steadily inside her head. He wanted to keep her from being a target, did he? What the bloody hell did he think Tom's diary had made her! He wanted to keep Voldemort from realizing that he cared about her? Well, it was a few months too late for that, wasn't it!
When Harry took Ron and Hermione to search for Horcruxes, Ginny copied his list of possible hiding places, grabbed Neville and Luna, and started searching from the other end of Harry's list. They met in the middle, naturally, and had a screaming row. It ended when she kissed him, and hugged him, and swore that she was going to hold on until she shook all the stupid ideas out of his head.
In retrospect, that might not have been the best way to convince him that hugs were a good thing.
Nevertheless, it worked, and by the end of the war -- when she and Harry overruled Ron and Hermione and decided to trust Draco Malfoy's information on the location of the final Horcrux -- Harry reached for her after the final battle, instead of the other way around.
"I don't believe it," Malfoy said from behind them, picking his way over the Hogwarts Quidditch pitch. "Someone actually taught Potter that people aren't covered in contact poisons."
Ginny was too tired and happy to do more than stick her tongue out at him. Then it occurred to her that nobody had hugged Malfoy in quite a long time either -- his parents didn't seem the hugging type, and Snape certainly wasn't. She untangled one arm from Harry.
"Come here," she said. Harry and Malfoy both looked at her as if she'd gone mad. "We won," she said irritably. "Nobody lied, nobody's dead -- except Voldemort -- and if I feel like hugging people, I'm bloody well going to hug them. Now come here."
Malfoy eased an arm around her side and kicked at Harry's feet until he backed off a step. "We can shake hands if you'd rather," he said to Harry, an odd smile on his face.
Harry looked down at the proffered hand, looked back up, and grinned. "Trying again?" Malfoy shrugged. "Oh, why not," said Harry, and they shook hands. Ginny squeezed them both more tightly, and started laughing.
It was a perfect day.
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