Knowing you said the wrong thing to someone who matters
Characters: Grant Page and Hestia Carrow
Rating: PG
Summary: After a disastrous coffee date and too much time apart, Grant gets brave enough to ask Hestia for a real date.
It had been weeks since Hestia had been anywhere in the Ministry other than the courtrooms. Hell, she'd even sent her secretary over with any paperwork that needed filing. It wasn't that she wasn't used to being treated the way Grant had, it was that she'd allowed her attraction to him circumvent her usual barriers.
Convincing herself she was over it, she turned down the corridor where Legal as located with a confident stride and smile on her face.
It was nice to see her looking so well. Grant was sure that catching sight of him was bound to change her mood dramatically so he didn't immediately make himself known and kept his head down as he talked to the prosecutor in charge of one of his last few Auror cases going to trial.
Hestia spotted him right off, it was almost like she had a sixth sense where Grant Page was concerned. Reminding herself that she was strong and could act as well as anyone, she tried a smile and a bit of cheek when he walked by where she was speaking to Mary about one of her new cases. "Aww, Page, admit you've missed me and make my day."
"Hestia," he said with a nod and a slight smile, doing his best to hide whatever rubbish he was feeling inside. "If I said I'd noticed you'd been gone, would that make your hour at least?"
Her smile wasn't as bright or unaffected as it should have been and she knew it. "At least two hours. You know us Carrows, we like to think too highly of ourselves."
"I'm sure you've no improper pride," he asserted, knowing immediately that whatever he'd done had hurt her badly. He was backing up toward the door when he looked around to make sure that they weren't being overheard. "Look, I'm really no good at this, but I'm sorry all right? Have a good day, Hestia Carrow," he said before pushing out the glass door and into the corridor to the lifts.
Hestia sighed and followed him out. She knew she'd been more touchy than she should have about his comments. She'd spent far too long curled up at home thinking about it after all. "Page. Grant, hold up a moment."
He was halfway to the lifts when he stopped and waited for her. Mentally, he braced for whatever she had in store for him. He didn't usually make a habit of apologizing - something Lucy had lectured him on more than one occasion - but he hadn't thought he'd broken any social conventions by regretting that he'd hurt her feelings and saying so.
"Look, apology accepted even if it was unintentional on your part and something I shouldn't let affect me anymore. I'm sorry for taking it out on you." She didn't apologize much and hoped that her apology was taken in the spirit she was intending.
His eyes widened but he nodded slowly. "Apology accepted. It was a misunderstanding and I didn't mean to cross a line. It won't happen again."
"Okay," she said dully, ducking her head a bit, feeling even worse than before. "I should just go soak my head or become a hermit or something clearly."
Grant couldn't keep the laugh out of his voice. "Soak your head? Really?"
One side of her mouth lifted. "I know when I'm being a pain in the arse."
"Do you?" he asked in amusement, surprised at how seeing a real smile on her face was enough to lift the unexplainable weight in his stomach. "You've never mentioned head soaking in the past and you've been a pain in my arse for years."
"Special circumstances," she retorted playfully.
Grant chuckled, just glad that she seemed to feel a bit better at least. "Well, I should probably get back to the office then."
"It was good to see you," she offered, sounding more like her sister than her usual self.
"I was beginning to think you were gone forever," he admitted, running his hand through his hair awkwardly. "I would have hated to've been the cause."
She tipped her head and studied him for a few long moments. Convinced he wasn't playing her, she genuinely smiled. "And if I said that you definitely have made my week?"
"I'd have to say that you've made mine," he said simply, meaning every word.
She took a tentative step closer. "Have I now?"
Grant's hand moved out and rested on her arm. "Yeah, you have. I didn't know what I'd done... but I didn't like you hiding from me."
"I needed to think," she admitted. "I wasn't sure I had my head on straight. You didn't need to deal with me in that frame of mind."
"I'd like to be the one to decide when I get to deal with you. That is, if that's all right with you," he said in a low voice, looking at her with steady eyes.
"You may just decide that you don't want to," she said, shaking her head and mentally berating herself for being an idiot. Running a hand through her hair, she sighed. "It seems I am still being a moron, maybe I should've taken more time off."
"If you had I would have just enlisted Matt to find you to make sure you were okay, or abused my Auror powers and just come find you myself."
"You would've had better luck with Matthew." Her brow furrowed. "Why would you bother though? Abusing those auror powers seems so unlike you."
"Yeah well, sometimes we do things that are out of character when we're trying to make up for hurting someone," he said softly.
She laid her hand over his where it rested on her arm. "Thank you for caring about my feelings."
Grant nodded and gave the witch a crooked smile. "Well, I'm a nice guy, what can I say?"
"Yes, I think you are," she said softly.
"Well, it's nice someone does," he replied with a self depreciating laugh. "I would wager your the only Barrister in the building who would admit that about an Auror."
"I'm not one of the crowd that's for sure. I don't like being slotted in with others."
"You're unlike any witch I know... though I suppose I've never met your sister," Grant said in an attempt to make her smile.
"Flora and I are night and day. Well, mostly." She pursed her lips and considered the similarities and differences between herself and Flora.
"I meant what you look like," he said teasingly, slipping his hands awkwardly into his trouser pockets. "Any witch who would want to snog Matt is definitely not someone who'd even look twice at me, I guarantee you that."
Her brows shot up and she smirked. "We've very different taste in men though I think Matthew is lovely and perfect for Flora."
"I'm sure he is," Grant said with a nod. "She's certainly made him less... well, focused I could say. Half the time when he reads the news I'm almost certain he doesn't remember a word of it since he's been seeing her."
"She's been a lot happier," Hestia said wistfully. "After all that we've had to deal with, it's good seeing her happy again."
Grant looked at her curiously, not completely sure he knew what she was talking about but almost worried to ask for fear of upsetting her again. Instead he nodded, "I'm glad Matt's found her then. I suppose it's the one time that an attempted crime can be thanked for bringing two people together."
"Indeed. I'm glad he was able to see past our tainted family name and see her for who she is." She took a reluctant step back and smiled. "In fact, I think I'll go and warn her that I'm sending her boy a thank you gift sure to embarrass him."
Ooooh, that's what she meant. "Yeah, well surnames never much mattered to my mates and I. Matt wouldn't judge her for what your family did any more than he'd judge her for what you'd do. We aren't our families. If that were the case I'd prefer cats and insist on pink fuzzy things for Christmas."
She laughed. "Noted. I do believe you and Matthew are the two most honourable men I've been around in quite some time."
Grant's face broke out in a wicked grin. "I think this would be the time when I point out what you do for a living a give you my not surprised face."
"And I'd have to smirk and say pot and kettle."
"Touché," Grant conceded, still grinning, "Though I wasn't claiming to be honourable in any way. No Auror is completely."
"That just means you aren't a stick in the mud," she teased lightly.
"Would you come back to the office and tell Fawcett that because she assured me daily that I have something pointy shoved up my arse." Grant let out a depreciating laugh.
Her grin was just this side of wicked. "If you really want me to, I sure can."
Grant ducked his head knowing his cheeks were turning light pink. How was it possible that only this witch did this to him. "Naw, she'd think I bribed you or something. It would ruin my schoolboy image. Maybe-" He couldn't believe he was going out on a limb like this after the way he'd been feeling the last few weeks but he didn't stop his train of thought, "Maybe I could finally take you out. To dinner, like we'd said before. Is Saturday a good night for you?"
"I'm free on Saturday and I'd really like to go to dinner with you." Hestia braced for his reaction, if he hadn't been serious.
"You would? I was sure I'd bolluxed things up. I'm glad I didn't though," he said, unable to keep the relieved smile off his face.
She was puzzled. "Why would you think that? I'm the idiot."
"An idiot is something I would never call you, Hestia. Even when you're defending the prats I arrest," he said seriously.
She smiled softly, not mentioning that she'd been seriously considering not defending prats much longer. "I'm a bit amazed that you mean that."
"Well, I come across as a hardliner only because I've always seen things in black and white. I'm only just learning that there are shades of grey in everything. It's a hard lesson to learn for someone like me," he offered, still amazed that she just stood there like that with him in the corridor of the Ministry unaffected by people passing them. He could relate - he hardly noticed there was anyone else in the building let alone anyone on their way to the lifts.
"I live in the shades of grey," she said with a shrug. "You okay with that?"
Grant slid his hand down her arm until it reached her hand. "Perhaps you can teach me how."
"I'd like that," she whispered, wondering if she was dreaming or if this really was happening.
"Great, then I'll pick you up at six, all right?" he asked her, unconsciously entangling his fingers with hers when it would have made more sense to let her go.
Instead of stepping back to go, she stepped forward, her fingers twining even more than before with his. "Six is perfect."
"Six it is then," Grant repeated softly, his breath catching when he felt her cool breath attest to how close they were. Without letting go of her hand, he lowered his head just enough to press a soft kiss to her lips and it felt like all time stopped.
Her free hand lifted, resting on his hip as her world narrowed to the two of them. "Oh," she murmured softly, nearly a groan as she nipped at his bottom lip lightly.
Grant touched her face, carefully cradling it in the hand he didn't hold hers in and he closed his eyes, putting everything into the kiss that if he was being honest he'd wanted to do for years. Teasing and hair pulling may have been the way you told a girl you liked her at primary school but it seemed fairly effective even as an adult.
Her eyes slid closed and her hand fisted in his shirt, pulling his body flush with hers. She'd wanted to taste him for so long and now that she was, Hestia really didn't want to stop.
They likely wouldn't have stopped had the tea-time break not let out right then, pouring staff into the corridor and on to the lifts to the atrium. It wasn't that people were banging into them, but rather it felt like sharing something and Grant wanted nothing but for them to have that special moment to themselves without an audience.
Reluctantly, he pulled back. She looked flushed and thoroughly kissed and knowing that he'd been the one to take her breath away caused the corner of his mouth to lift in a crooked grin. "So Saturday then," he said softly, backing up further and making his own way down the hallway to the lift. "I'll see you then, Hestia Carrow."
She stood there for a few minutes, blinking and raising a hand to her mouth, completely and utterly gobsmacked and in the best possible way.
Rating: PG
Summary: After a disastrous coffee date and too much time apart, Grant gets brave enough to ask Hestia for a real date.
It had been weeks since Hestia had been anywhere in the Ministry other than the courtrooms. Hell, she'd even sent her secretary over with any paperwork that needed filing. It wasn't that she wasn't used to being treated the way Grant had, it was that she'd allowed her attraction to him circumvent her usual barriers.
Convincing herself she was over it, she turned down the corridor where Legal as located with a confident stride and smile on her face.
It was nice to see her looking so well. Grant was sure that catching sight of him was bound to change her mood dramatically so he didn't immediately make himself known and kept his head down as he talked to the prosecutor in charge of one of his last few Auror cases going to trial.
Hestia spotted him right off, it was almost like she had a sixth sense where Grant Page was concerned. Reminding herself that she was strong and could act as well as anyone, she tried a smile and a bit of cheek when he walked by where she was speaking to Mary about one of her new cases. "Aww, Page, admit you've missed me and make my day."
"Hestia," he said with a nod and a slight smile, doing his best to hide whatever rubbish he was feeling inside. "If I said I'd noticed you'd been gone, would that make your hour at least?"
Her smile wasn't as bright or unaffected as it should have been and she knew it. "At least two hours. You know us Carrows, we like to think too highly of ourselves."
"I'm sure you've no improper pride," he asserted, knowing immediately that whatever he'd done had hurt her badly. He was backing up toward the door when he looked around to make sure that they weren't being overheard. "Look, I'm really no good at this, but I'm sorry all right? Have a good day, Hestia Carrow," he said before pushing out the glass door and into the corridor to the lifts.
Hestia sighed and followed him out. She knew she'd been more touchy than she should have about his comments. She'd spent far too long curled up at home thinking about it after all. "Page. Grant, hold up a moment."
He was halfway to the lifts when he stopped and waited for her. Mentally, he braced for whatever she had in store for him. He didn't usually make a habit of apologizing - something Lucy had lectured him on more than one occasion - but he hadn't thought he'd broken any social conventions by regretting that he'd hurt her feelings and saying so.
"Look, apology accepted even if it was unintentional on your part and something I shouldn't let affect me anymore. I'm sorry for taking it out on you." She didn't apologize much and hoped that her apology was taken in the spirit she was intending.
His eyes widened but he nodded slowly. "Apology accepted. It was a misunderstanding and I didn't mean to cross a line. It won't happen again."
"Okay," she said dully, ducking her head a bit, feeling even worse than before. "I should just go soak my head or become a hermit or something clearly."
Grant couldn't keep the laugh out of his voice. "Soak your head? Really?"
One side of her mouth lifted. "I know when I'm being a pain in the arse."
"Do you?" he asked in amusement, surprised at how seeing a real smile on her face was enough to lift the unexplainable weight in his stomach. "You've never mentioned head soaking in the past and you've been a pain in my arse for years."
"Special circumstances," she retorted playfully.
Grant chuckled, just glad that she seemed to feel a bit better at least. "Well, I should probably get back to the office then."
"It was good to see you," she offered, sounding more like her sister than her usual self.
"I was beginning to think you were gone forever," he admitted, running his hand through his hair awkwardly. "I would have hated to've been the cause."
She tipped her head and studied him for a few long moments. Convinced he wasn't playing her, she genuinely smiled. "And if I said that you definitely have made my week?"
"I'd have to say that you've made mine," he said simply, meaning every word.
She took a tentative step closer. "Have I now?"
Grant's hand moved out and rested on her arm. "Yeah, you have. I didn't know what I'd done... but I didn't like you hiding from me."
"I needed to think," she admitted. "I wasn't sure I had my head on straight. You didn't need to deal with me in that frame of mind."
"I'd like to be the one to decide when I get to deal with you. That is, if that's all right with you," he said in a low voice, looking at her with steady eyes.
"You may just decide that you don't want to," she said, shaking her head and mentally berating herself for being an idiot. Running a hand through her hair, she sighed. "It seems I am still being a moron, maybe I should've taken more time off."
"If you had I would have just enlisted Matt to find you to make sure you were okay, or abused my Auror powers and just come find you myself."
"You would've had better luck with Matthew." Her brow furrowed. "Why would you bother though? Abusing those auror powers seems so unlike you."
"Yeah well, sometimes we do things that are out of character when we're trying to make up for hurting someone," he said softly.
She laid her hand over his where it rested on her arm. "Thank you for caring about my feelings."
Grant nodded and gave the witch a crooked smile. "Well, I'm a nice guy, what can I say?"
"Yes, I think you are," she said softly.
"Well, it's nice someone does," he replied with a self depreciating laugh. "I would wager your the only Barrister in the building who would admit that about an Auror."
"I'm not one of the crowd that's for sure. I don't like being slotted in with others."
"You're unlike any witch I know... though I suppose I've never met your sister," Grant said in an attempt to make her smile.
"Flora and I are night and day. Well, mostly." She pursed her lips and considered the similarities and differences between herself and Flora.
"I meant what you look like," he said teasingly, slipping his hands awkwardly into his trouser pockets. "Any witch who would want to snog Matt is definitely not someone who'd even look twice at me, I guarantee you that."
Her brows shot up and she smirked. "We've very different taste in men though I think Matthew is lovely and perfect for Flora."
"I'm sure he is," Grant said with a nod. "She's certainly made him less... well, focused I could say. Half the time when he reads the news I'm almost certain he doesn't remember a word of it since he's been seeing her."
"She's been a lot happier," Hestia said wistfully. "After all that we've had to deal with, it's good seeing her happy again."
Grant looked at her curiously, not completely sure he knew what she was talking about but almost worried to ask for fear of upsetting her again. Instead he nodded, "I'm glad Matt's found her then. I suppose it's the one time that an attempted crime can be thanked for bringing two people together."
"Indeed. I'm glad he was able to see past our tainted family name and see her for who she is." She took a reluctant step back and smiled. "In fact, I think I'll go and warn her that I'm sending her boy a thank you gift sure to embarrass him."
Ooooh, that's what she meant. "Yeah, well surnames never much mattered to my mates and I. Matt wouldn't judge her for what your family did any more than he'd judge her for what you'd do. We aren't our families. If that were the case I'd prefer cats and insist on pink fuzzy things for Christmas."
She laughed. "Noted. I do believe you and Matthew are the two most honourable men I've been around in quite some time."
Grant's face broke out in a wicked grin. "I think this would be the time when I point out what you do for a living a give you my not surprised face."
"And I'd have to smirk and say pot and kettle."
"Touché," Grant conceded, still grinning, "Though I wasn't claiming to be honourable in any way. No Auror is completely."
"That just means you aren't a stick in the mud," she teased lightly.
"Would you come back to the office and tell Fawcett that because she assured me daily that I have something pointy shoved up my arse." Grant let out a depreciating laugh.
Her grin was just this side of wicked. "If you really want me to, I sure can."
Grant ducked his head knowing his cheeks were turning light pink. How was it possible that only this witch did this to him. "Naw, she'd think I bribed you or something. It would ruin my schoolboy image. Maybe-" He couldn't believe he was going out on a limb like this after the way he'd been feeling the last few weeks but he didn't stop his train of thought, "Maybe I could finally take you out. To dinner, like we'd said before. Is Saturday a good night for you?"
"I'm free on Saturday and I'd really like to go to dinner with you." Hestia braced for his reaction, if he hadn't been serious.
"You would? I was sure I'd bolluxed things up. I'm glad I didn't though," he said, unable to keep the relieved smile off his face.
She was puzzled. "Why would you think that? I'm the idiot."
"An idiot is something I would never call you, Hestia. Even when you're defending the prats I arrest," he said seriously.
She smiled softly, not mentioning that she'd been seriously considering not defending prats much longer. "I'm a bit amazed that you mean that."
"Well, I come across as a hardliner only because I've always seen things in black and white. I'm only just learning that there are shades of grey in everything. It's a hard lesson to learn for someone like me," he offered, still amazed that she just stood there like that with him in the corridor of the Ministry unaffected by people passing them. He could relate - he hardly noticed there was anyone else in the building let alone anyone on their way to the lifts.
"I live in the shades of grey," she said with a shrug. "You okay with that?"
Grant slid his hand down her arm until it reached her hand. "Perhaps you can teach me how."
"I'd like that," she whispered, wondering if she was dreaming or if this really was happening.
"Great, then I'll pick you up at six, all right?" he asked her, unconsciously entangling his fingers with hers when it would have made more sense to let her go.
Instead of stepping back to go, she stepped forward, her fingers twining even more than before with his. "Six is perfect."
"Six it is then," Grant repeated softly, his breath catching when he felt her cool breath attest to how close they were. Without letting go of her hand, he lowered his head just enough to press a soft kiss to her lips and it felt like all time stopped.
Her free hand lifted, resting on his hip as her world narrowed to the two of them. "Oh," she murmured softly, nearly a groan as she nipped at his bottom lip lightly.
Grant touched her face, carefully cradling it in the hand he didn't hold hers in and he closed his eyes, putting everything into the kiss that if he was being honest he'd wanted to do for years. Teasing and hair pulling may have been the way you told a girl you liked her at primary school but it seemed fairly effective even as an adult.
Her eyes slid closed and her hand fisted in his shirt, pulling his body flush with hers. She'd wanted to taste him for so long and now that she was, Hestia really didn't want to stop.
They likely wouldn't have stopped had the tea-time break not let out right then, pouring staff into the corridor and on to the lifts to the atrium. It wasn't that people were banging into them, but rather it felt like sharing something and Grant wanted nothing but for them to have that special moment to themselves without an audience.
Reluctantly, he pulled back. She looked flushed and thoroughly kissed and knowing that he'd been the one to take her breath away caused the corner of his mouth to lift in a crooked grin. "So Saturday then," he said softly, backing up further and making his own way down the hallway to the lift. "I'll see you then, Hestia Carrow."
She stood there for a few minutes, blinking and raising a hand to her mouth, completely and utterly gobsmacked and in the best possible way.