fic for magentabear: A Clever Gift (Hermione, Harry, Ron, PG)
Title: A Clever Fit
Recipient: magentabear
Rating: PG
Characters: Hermione, Harry, featuring Ron at the very end.
Warnings: Spoilers for the sixth book.
Author's Notes: I think the characters a little bit OOC, but I was really just pleased with this plot bunny and thought it turned out really nicely. I hope you enjoy it and happy holidays! Beta-ed by my lovely Nay.
--
Hermione felt very strongly that she should finally come up with something very clever to get Ron for Christmas, rather than resort to the cliché gifts that Muggle girls got for their boyfriends. The only issue was, unfortunately, that Hermione had no idea what a clever gift would be for a boy she had only known about seven years of her life.
She debated for a while - thinking about talking to Lavender Brown (that was during the beginning of the plan, before she thoroughly thought about really trying to have a conversation with that girl) about what she had gotten Ron. But then again, Ron had resented Lavender when they dated, and probably wouldn't be too pleased to be reminded of his poor tastes in girls.
And that's when Hermione decided to go to Harry. She had no idea why it had taken her this long to figure out that who would know better about her boyfriend than his best friend - and hers for that matter as well. However, talking to Harry would be more difficult during this time of year.
As one may have thought the return to Hogwarts would have gotten in the way of Harry's hunt for Horcruxes, Harry had still managed to find away around schoolwork and classes to find time to hunt down artifacts. With special exceptions from Headmistress McGonagall, Harry would frequently disappear for days at a time with the company of Tonks, Kingsley, and occasionally Remus Lupin, only to return absolutely exhausted and occasionally slightly injured. Ron and Hermione had stayed beside him, not asking too many questions, and continued to help him on her search whenever they could. He was generally secretive, but Hermione hoped that during the holidays, he would be feeling a little bit more generous.
Hermione finally approached him when he was in the Common Room one evening right after supper towards the beginning of December. Ron had decided to get some extra help from Professor Flitwick on his Charms abilities, so she saw this as her opportune time to talk to Harry. Harry was working on his Charms essay that had been due a few weeks back (a week, she was reasonably sure, that he had spent in the south of France meeting with some aristocrats) and occasionally he hunched over his essay, rereading it madly. Hermione went over and sat next to him, nervously, put on a grin, and spoke eagerly.
"I'm sure your essay isn't half as bad as you think it is. Come on, then, you know that you want to know what I've come to see you about," Hermione told him.
Harry looked at his Charms, desperately and then back at Hermione, and slammed down his quill in mock frustration. "All right, I don't know how you do it, but now you've gotten me completely at your service. What is it?"
"I don't know what to get Ron for Christmas," she blurted out, as she leaned back against the sofa he sat on.
Harry raised his eyebrows and laughed. "Why are you asking me? I've only ever gotten him Quidditch things and vice versa. It's not as if we're the ones dating."
"Please, Harry, you've got to know more about relationships than I do. What did Ginny get you for your birthday this past summer?"
"We weren't dating over the summer."
"No, sorry, I forgot that snogging in any available secret nook doesn't qualify as dating any longer. Harry, you've got to know something about getting your respective other a present," Hermione insisted.
"We've found better places to snog, if it makes you feel any better," Harry mentioned, with a short laugh. "I dunno, I've never thought of Ron as the kind of person who it would be troubling to get a gift for. He loves sweets, and Quidditch, and girls. You could just get him something from nearly anywhere next time we go down to Hogsmeade."
"Harry, I don't want to get him something he likes."
Harry burst out laughing as Hermione realized what an awkward thing she had just said.
"I didn't mean it like that, Harry. You know that. I just don't want to get him something that every other girl in the school would think of getting for Ron. I want to get him something that he really wants and no one would even know that he wants it," she explained, awkwardly, and speaking very quickly.
"Well," Harry breathed, "you could not give him something material. I mean, for my birthday, Ginny thought it would be a better idea that we - "
"No!" Hermione insisted. "I'm not going to do something like that. Or… even if I am, I wouldn't be sharing it with you at this very moment, would I?"
He chuckled and nodded. "I suppose you're right. You would probably save something like that to 'share' with Ron. Something that he would tell me about and then I wouldn't be able to look either of you in the eye in after."
She gasped and slapped Harry on the arm, only to promptly curl up and succumb to giggles. Harry choked back laughter as well, as he glanced down at his Charms essay that would never be complete at this rate. At least he could hope to go out for a ride on his Firebolt a little later that evening.
"Hold on," Harry said. He patted Hermione on the back (who now held a pillow over her face as she still giggled and shook) to get her attention. "No, honestly, come on, I'm serious this time."
She looked up, tears streaming down her face from laughter as she emits laughter in fragmented chuckles. Hermione wrapped her arms around Harry's shoulders and says quietly, "I haven't heard you laugh in ages, you know that, don't you? It's really one of the most refreshing things I've ever heard."
"I haven't been part of an elaborate scheme such as you trying to find a Christmas present for Ron - ever," he admitted. "But now that I've given it a bit of thought, I've thought of a brilliant idea for you, providing you're willing to do some extra work with me while I'm in town."
"Really?" Hermione inquired, curiously. "Is this extra work anything like writing or something I would be remotely good at?"
Harry chuckled and shakes his head.
* * * * *
"It's bleeding freezing out, mate, why the hell are we outside at this time of night?" Ron cursed loudly, as Harry led him out to the Quidditch pitch near midnight on Christmas Eve. Snow flurried about their heads and Ron trailed behind Harry as they stumbled through the foot and a half of snow they had received throughout the last week.
"Hermione wanted to show you something," Harry explained vaguely, not meeting Ron's eyes.
"And she couldn't have found somewhere inside?" Ron shouted up to him. "She oculd have picked somewhere nice by the fire where I could sneak some Firewhiskey that the twins had sent me a few days ago?"
"No."
"All right then," the red-head, whose face had nearly turned the same color as his hair, breathed once they reached the Quidditch field, "what's all this that I've been dragged out here to see?"
Harry was now holding a Quaffle in his hands and threw it up and down in the air a few times. "Hermione, are you ready to get this over with? My hands are bleeding freezing!" he shouted to her.
Hermione walked from behind them holding a broomstick and took the Quaffle out of Harry's hands. She skillfully got onto the broomstick and without any of the awkwardness she usually possessed during their summer games, took over into the cloudy and snow-filled sky. Once she got about fifty feet into the air - without any of her normal signs of terror on her face - she threw the Quaffle. Flying at breakneck speed, she got a head of the Quaffle and threw it into one of the goalposts quickly. It zipped through the center of the ring before she flew downwards to catch, and proceeded to make another four goals after that. Harry was grinning, rubbing his hands together to keep warm, as Ron stood with his mouth wide open.
By the time Hermione got back down onto the ground, Ron was still completely flabbergasted at what he had just seen. As the two walked, Ron with his arm over her shoulder and Hermione clinging to his torso, he asked, "So I’m just supposed to expect that you’ve learned how to really play Quidditch all on your own then?"
"No," Hermione told him, "I’ve known the whole time actually. I’ve just been fooling out during our summer games."
"Honestly? Well, then who knows what I’m supposed to believe out of you," he replied, kissing her on the forehead. As they walked, with Harry trailing behind, Hermione turned around quickly and mouthed a 'thank you'.
Harry grinned, looking at his two best friends, and he jogged to catch up to them. With a jolly grin planted on his face, he asked, "So, what’s all this I hear about some Firewhiskey?"
Recipient: magentabear
Rating: PG
Characters: Hermione, Harry, featuring Ron at the very end.
Warnings: Spoilers for the sixth book.
Author's Notes: I think the characters a little bit OOC, but I was really just pleased with this plot bunny and thought it turned out really nicely. I hope you enjoy it and happy holidays! Beta-ed by my lovely Nay.
--
Hermione felt very strongly that she should finally come up with something very clever to get Ron for Christmas, rather than resort to the cliché gifts that Muggle girls got for their boyfriends. The only issue was, unfortunately, that Hermione had no idea what a clever gift would be for a boy she had only known about seven years of her life.
She debated for a while - thinking about talking to Lavender Brown (that was during the beginning of the plan, before she thoroughly thought about really trying to have a conversation with that girl) about what she had gotten Ron. But then again, Ron had resented Lavender when they dated, and probably wouldn't be too pleased to be reminded of his poor tastes in girls.
And that's when Hermione decided to go to Harry. She had no idea why it had taken her this long to figure out that who would know better about her boyfriend than his best friend - and hers for that matter as well. However, talking to Harry would be more difficult during this time of year.
As one may have thought the return to Hogwarts would have gotten in the way of Harry's hunt for Horcruxes, Harry had still managed to find away around schoolwork and classes to find time to hunt down artifacts. With special exceptions from Headmistress McGonagall, Harry would frequently disappear for days at a time with the company of Tonks, Kingsley, and occasionally Remus Lupin, only to return absolutely exhausted and occasionally slightly injured. Ron and Hermione had stayed beside him, not asking too many questions, and continued to help him on her search whenever they could. He was generally secretive, but Hermione hoped that during the holidays, he would be feeling a little bit more generous.
Hermione finally approached him when he was in the Common Room one evening right after supper towards the beginning of December. Ron had decided to get some extra help from Professor Flitwick on his Charms abilities, so she saw this as her opportune time to talk to Harry. Harry was working on his Charms essay that had been due a few weeks back (a week, she was reasonably sure, that he had spent in the south of France meeting with some aristocrats) and occasionally he hunched over his essay, rereading it madly. Hermione went over and sat next to him, nervously, put on a grin, and spoke eagerly.
"I'm sure your essay isn't half as bad as you think it is. Come on, then, you know that you want to know what I've come to see you about," Hermione told him.
Harry looked at his Charms, desperately and then back at Hermione, and slammed down his quill in mock frustration. "All right, I don't know how you do it, but now you've gotten me completely at your service. What is it?"
"I don't know what to get Ron for Christmas," she blurted out, as she leaned back against the sofa he sat on.
Harry raised his eyebrows and laughed. "Why are you asking me? I've only ever gotten him Quidditch things and vice versa. It's not as if we're the ones dating."
"Please, Harry, you've got to know more about relationships than I do. What did Ginny get you for your birthday this past summer?"
"We weren't dating over the summer."
"No, sorry, I forgot that snogging in any available secret nook doesn't qualify as dating any longer. Harry, you've got to know something about getting your respective other a present," Hermione insisted.
"We've found better places to snog, if it makes you feel any better," Harry mentioned, with a short laugh. "I dunno, I've never thought of Ron as the kind of person who it would be troubling to get a gift for. He loves sweets, and Quidditch, and girls. You could just get him something from nearly anywhere next time we go down to Hogsmeade."
"Harry, I don't want to get him something he likes."
Harry burst out laughing as Hermione realized what an awkward thing she had just said.
"I didn't mean it like that, Harry. You know that. I just don't want to get him something that every other girl in the school would think of getting for Ron. I want to get him something that he really wants and no one would even know that he wants it," she explained, awkwardly, and speaking very quickly.
"Well," Harry breathed, "you could not give him something material. I mean, for my birthday, Ginny thought it would be a better idea that we - "
"No!" Hermione insisted. "I'm not going to do something like that. Or… even if I am, I wouldn't be sharing it with you at this very moment, would I?"
He chuckled and nodded. "I suppose you're right. You would probably save something like that to 'share' with Ron. Something that he would tell me about and then I wouldn't be able to look either of you in the eye in after."
She gasped and slapped Harry on the arm, only to promptly curl up and succumb to giggles. Harry choked back laughter as well, as he glanced down at his Charms essay that would never be complete at this rate. At least he could hope to go out for a ride on his Firebolt a little later that evening.
"Hold on," Harry said. He patted Hermione on the back (who now held a pillow over her face as she still giggled and shook) to get her attention. "No, honestly, come on, I'm serious this time."
She looked up, tears streaming down her face from laughter as she emits laughter in fragmented chuckles. Hermione wrapped her arms around Harry's shoulders and says quietly, "I haven't heard you laugh in ages, you know that, don't you? It's really one of the most refreshing things I've ever heard."
"I haven't been part of an elaborate scheme such as you trying to find a Christmas present for Ron - ever," he admitted. "But now that I've given it a bit of thought, I've thought of a brilliant idea for you, providing you're willing to do some extra work with me while I'm in town."
"Really?" Hermione inquired, curiously. "Is this extra work anything like writing or something I would be remotely good at?"
Harry chuckled and shakes his head.
* * * * *
"It's bleeding freezing out, mate, why the hell are we outside at this time of night?" Ron cursed loudly, as Harry led him out to the Quidditch pitch near midnight on Christmas Eve. Snow flurried about their heads and Ron trailed behind Harry as they stumbled through the foot and a half of snow they had received throughout the last week.
"Hermione wanted to show you something," Harry explained vaguely, not meeting Ron's eyes.
"And she couldn't have found somewhere inside?" Ron shouted up to him. "She oculd have picked somewhere nice by the fire where I could sneak some Firewhiskey that the twins had sent me a few days ago?"
"No."
"All right then," the red-head, whose face had nearly turned the same color as his hair, breathed once they reached the Quidditch field, "what's all this that I've been dragged out here to see?"
Harry was now holding a Quaffle in his hands and threw it up and down in the air a few times. "Hermione, are you ready to get this over with? My hands are bleeding freezing!" he shouted to her.
Hermione walked from behind them holding a broomstick and took the Quaffle out of Harry's hands. She skillfully got onto the broomstick and without any of the awkwardness she usually possessed during their summer games, took over into the cloudy and snow-filled sky. Once she got about fifty feet into the air - without any of her normal signs of terror on her face - she threw the Quaffle. Flying at breakneck speed, she got a head of the Quaffle and threw it into one of the goalposts quickly. It zipped through the center of the ring before she flew downwards to catch, and proceeded to make another four goals after that. Harry was grinning, rubbing his hands together to keep warm, as Ron stood with his mouth wide open.
By the time Hermione got back down onto the ground, Ron was still completely flabbergasted at what he had just seen. As the two walked, Ron with his arm over her shoulder and Hermione clinging to his torso, he asked, "So I’m just supposed to expect that you’ve learned how to really play Quidditch all on your own then?"
"No," Hermione told him, "I’ve known the whole time actually. I’ve just been fooling out during our summer games."
"Honestly? Well, then who knows what I’m supposed to believe out of you," he replied, kissing her on the forehead. As they walked, with Harry trailing behind, Hermione turned around quickly and mouthed a 'thank you'.
Harry grinned, looking at his two best friends, and he jogged to catch up to them. With a jolly grin planted on his face, he asked, "So, what’s all this I hear about some Firewhiskey?"