FICLET: Think About It (Hermione/Katie)
Title: Think About It
Pairing: Hermione/Katie
Prompt: when the clock strikes one
Rating: PG
Word Count: 1,133
Summary: "I said I hadn't thought about it," Hermione interrupted, her eyes on Katie's lips. "That doesn't mean I won't."
Author's Notes: I'm a little shaky on how I feel about this one. Then again, that could be because I've had so much coffee.
Link to Prompt Table: Prompt Table
“You are hereby invited to a bonfire,” the invitation read. “Tonight, beside the Great Lake. Come when the clock strikes one.”
The twins had made a habit of having bonfires this autumn. According to Harry, group bonfires were an effort to help Katie stop feeling like a fifth wheel when she accompanied Fred, George, Angelina, and Alicia on dates. Hermione knew the natural order of things would dictate that she, Harry, and Ron would be involved in one conversation, while Fred, George, Angelina, and Alicia would be involved in another, leaving Katie left out again. Because of this, Hermione made a valiant effort to make small talk with Katie whenever possible. It had been easier than she’d expected, and the two formed a friendship of opposites.
Judging by the twins sets of invitational codes, as they referred to them, “when the clock strikes one” meant midnight. Hermione pulled her robes tightly around her as she excited the castle and looked across the grounds. If they had been trying to be incognito that evening, they failed miserably. She saw the blaze from three Quidditch pitches away, the glow making the Weasley hair brighter and more orange than ever before. Blankets were strewn out around the fire. Fred and George were in the middle of an animated story when she arrived.
“So then the old codger--oh, Hermione!” George paused the story and threw her a grin. “You’re quite late.”
Hermione checked her watch. “It’s midnight. The invitation said when the clock strikes one, didn’t it?”
“When the clock strikes one is code for half past eleven,” Fred informed her. “You ought to know that by now.”
“With all the invitations you two send, it’s hard to keep up with your codes,” Hermione shot back. Fred sneered playfully at her.
Hermione met Katie’s eyes over the fire, and they smiled at one another. In her periphery, she saw Ron turn and mumble something to Harry, who shushed him fiercely. Hermione paid them no mind and sat beside Katie on her blanket.
“Hi,” Katie said, and flashed her a brilliant smile. “How’s it been?”
“So, Hermione,” Ron began before she could respond. “Err...heard from Krum at all?”
“Viktor?” Hermione said, and she thought she saw Harry pinch the underside of Ron’s arm.
“D’you know any other Krums?” Ron said, gritting his teeth and rubbing his arm.
Hermione grew irritated. “Ron, do you ever let anything go?”
“I was just curious, is all,” Ron said, his voice beginning to rise. Harry was glaring daggers at him. “You two were quite comfortable together. Did you love him?”
“That’s enough, Ron,” Harry hissed.
“What’s this?” Hermione asked, defensively. “It was a year ago, Ron. I don’t know why you’re bringing it up now.”
“Curious, is all,” Ron said, with an obnoxious air that made it clear he was not just curious.
“Don’t be such a prat,” Fred said, and his voice was remarkably stern.
“Drop it,” George said, and Fred fell silent.
Hermione saw Alicia and Angelina glance at Katie, who had shifted away from Hermione during the conversation. Hermione realized suddenly that there was something more to the conversation than Ron’s simple jealousy. Her face grew hot, hotter than the fire would make it, and she looked at Ron. He seemed very interested in fiddling with his shoelaces.
“What’s going on?” she asked him, and when no response came she looked to the rest of the group. “Well?”
“Maybe you ought to ask Katie,” Ron mumbled, and all at once Harry cracked him upside the back of the head with his open palm. “Oi, bugger! What was that for?”
Katie stood suddenly, turned, and walked quickly away from the fire. Hermione turned in time to see her form disappearing into darkness, her hood being pulled up to cover waves of blonde hair. Angelina leaned over from where she sat and tugged on Hermione’s arm.
“You ought to go after her,” Angelina said, whispering so that Hermione had to strain to hear her over Harry and Ron’s ensuing argument.
“But why--”
“Just trust me.”
Angelina pulled away from Hermione and grabbed George’s arm as he was about to jump between Ron and Harry to break up the row. Hermione took the opportunity to slip away, and managed to catch up with Katie only after breaking into a full run.
“What was that about?” Hermione asked her, grabbing her arm. “I feel like there’s some secret I wasn’t let in on.”
Katie looked her over in the darkness, her lips pressed together tightly, before replying, “Your friend Ron is a real twit, you know?”
Despite her confusion, Hermione felt herself smiling. “If anyone knows, it’s me.”
Katie looked away for a moment. “Hermione,” she began. “I...we were...do you fancy blokes?”
“Do I...what?”
Katie sighed and closed her eyes, rubbing the bridge of her nose. Hermione realized she probably should have been offended by the question, but found herself considering it instead.
“I’m...not quite sure, actually,” she said, surprised at her own answer. She and Katie looked at each other. “I don’t have glowing options, really. Harry and Ron are like brothers.”
“What about Viktor?” Katie asked, and sighed again immediately after. “I’m sorry, it’s really none of my--”
“Why the sudden interest in Viktor and me?” Hermione demanded. “It wasn’t even fun. I didn’t even like him. He was boring. He was harsh. He couldn’t even pronounce my name.”
“So...you don’t know then?” Katie asked. Hermione thought she saw what resembled hope in those blue eyes.
“I suppose not,” she replied. “I hadn’t really thought about it.”
There was a beat, and then Katie’s lips were against hers, and they were soft, softer than Viktor’s had been. Hermione’s instinct had always told her to pull away the second his mouth touched hers, and she had to force herself to muscle through the probing tongue, the clumsy hands, the rough stubble. But with Katie, that instinct lay dormant. It was as though it hadn’t been there at all.
Katie pulled away. Hermione’s eyes fluttered open.
“S-sorry,” Katie stammered, and she was rubbing the bridge of her nose again. “I...I fancy you an awful lot, Hermione, and everyone knows it, and we were talking about whether or not you were bent before you showed up, and Ron was insisting that you weren’t, and then he had to make a scene, and I felt awful for you, really, so I got up to leave and I’m sorry, I’m sure this isn’t really something I should have done if you haven’t even thought about--”
“I said I hadn’t thought about it,” Hermione interrupted, her eyes on Katie’s lips. “That doesn’t mean I won’t.”
Before Katie could respond, Hermione kissed her again. Somewhere, the clock struck one.
Pairing: Hermione/Katie
Prompt: when the clock strikes one
Rating: PG
Word Count: 1,133
Summary: "I said I hadn't thought about it," Hermione interrupted, her eyes on Katie's lips. "That doesn't mean I won't."
Author's Notes: I'm a little shaky on how I feel about this one. Then again, that could be because I've had so much coffee.
Link to Prompt Table: Prompt Table
“You are hereby invited to a bonfire,” the invitation read. “Tonight, beside the Great Lake. Come when the clock strikes one.”
The twins had made a habit of having bonfires this autumn. According to Harry, group bonfires were an effort to help Katie stop feeling like a fifth wheel when she accompanied Fred, George, Angelina, and Alicia on dates. Hermione knew the natural order of things would dictate that she, Harry, and Ron would be involved in one conversation, while Fred, George, Angelina, and Alicia would be involved in another, leaving Katie left out again. Because of this, Hermione made a valiant effort to make small talk with Katie whenever possible. It had been easier than she’d expected, and the two formed a friendship of opposites.
Judging by the twins sets of invitational codes, as they referred to them, “when the clock strikes one” meant midnight. Hermione pulled her robes tightly around her as she excited the castle and looked across the grounds. If they had been trying to be incognito that evening, they failed miserably. She saw the blaze from three Quidditch pitches away, the glow making the Weasley hair brighter and more orange than ever before. Blankets were strewn out around the fire. Fred and George were in the middle of an animated story when she arrived.
“So then the old codger--oh, Hermione!” George paused the story and threw her a grin. “You’re quite late.”
Hermione checked her watch. “It’s midnight. The invitation said when the clock strikes one, didn’t it?”
“When the clock strikes one is code for half past eleven,” Fred informed her. “You ought to know that by now.”
“With all the invitations you two send, it’s hard to keep up with your codes,” Hermione shot back. Fred sneered playfully at her.
Hermione met Katie’s eyes over the fire, and they smiled at one another. In her periphery, she saw Ron turn and mumble something to Harry, who shushed him fiercely. Hermione paid them no mind and sat beside Katie on her blanket.
“Hi,” Katie said, and flashed her a brilliant smile. “How’s it been?”
“So, Hermione,” Ron began before she could respond. “Err...heard from Krum at all?”
“Viktor?” Hermione said, and she thought she saw Harry pinch the underside of Ron’s arm.
“D’you know any other Krums?” Ron said, gritting his teeth and rubbing his arm.
Hermione grew irritated. “Ron, do you ever let anything go?”
“I was just curious, is all,” Ron said, his voice beginning to rise. Harry was glaring daggers at him. “You two were quite comfortable together. Did you love him?”
“That’s enough, Ron,” Harry hissed.
“What’s this?” Hermione asked, defensively. “It was a year ago, Ron. I don’t know why you’re bringing it up now.”
“Curious, is all,” Ron said, with an obnoxious air that made it clear he was not just curious.
“Don’t be such a prat,” Fred said, and his voice was remarkably stern.
“Drop it,” George said, and Fred fell silent.
Hermione saw Alicia and Angelina glance at Katie, who had shifted away from Hermione during the conversation. Hermione realized suddenly that there was something more to the conversation than Ron’s simple jealousy. Her face grew hot, hotter than the fire would make it, and she looked at Ron. He seemed very interested in fiddling with his shoelaces.
“What’s going on?” she asked him, and when no response came she looked to the rest of the group. “Well?”
“Maybe you ought to ask Katie,” Ron mumbled, and all at once Harry cracked him upside the back of the head with his open palm. “Oi, bugger! What was that for?”
Katie stood suddenly, turned, and walked quickly away from the fire. Hermione turned in time to see her form disappearing into darkness, her hood being pulled up to cover waves of blonde hair. Angelina leaned over from where she sat and tugged on Hermione’s arm.
“You ought to go after her,” Angelina said, whispering so that Hermione had to strain to hear her over Harry and Ron’s ensuing argument.
“But why--”
“Just trust me.”
Angelina pulled away from Hermione and grabbed George’s arm as he was about to jump between Ron and Harry to break up the row. Hermione took the opportunity to slip away, and managed to catch up with Katie only after breaking into a full run.
“What was that about?” Hermione asked her, grabbing her arm. “I feel like there’s some secret I wasn’t let in on.”
Katie looked her over in the darkness, her lips pressed together tightly, before replying, “Your friend Ron is a real twit, you know?”
Despite her confusion, Hermione felt herself smiling. “If anyone knows, it’s me.”
Katie looked away for a moment. “Hermione,” she began. “I...we were...do you fancy blokes?”
“Do I...what?”
Katie sighed and closed her eyes, rubbing the bridge of her nose. Hermione realized she probably should have been offended by the question, but found herself considering it instead.
“I’m...not quite sure, actually,” she said, surprised at her own answer. She and Katie looked at each other. “I don’t have glowing options, really. Harry and Ron are like brothers.”
“What about Viktor?” Katie asked, and sighed again immediately after. “I’m sorry, it’s really none of my--”
“Why the sudden interest in Viktor and me?” Hermione demanded. “It wasn’t even fun. I didn’t even like him. He was boring. He was harsh. He couldn’t even pronounce my name.”
“So...you don’t know then?” Katie asked. Hermione thought she saw what resembled hope in those blue eyes.
“I suppose not,” she replied. “I hadn’t really thought about it.”
There was a beat, and then Katie’s lips were against hers, and they were soft, softer than Viktor’s had been. Hermione’s instinct had always told her to pull away the second his mouth touched hers, and she had to force herself to muscle through the probing tongue, the clumsy hands, the rough stubble. But with Katie, that instinct lay dormant. It was as though it hadn’t been there at all.
Katie pulled away. Hermione’s eyes fluttered open.
“S-sorry,” Katie stammered, and she was rubbing the bridge of her nose again. “I...I fancy you an awful lot, Hermione, and everyone knows it, and we were talking about whether or not you were bent before you showed up, and Ron was insisting that you weren’t, and then he had to make a scene, and I felt awful for you, really, so I got up to leave and I’m sorry, I’m sure this isn’t really something I should have done if you haven’t even thought about--”
“I said I hadn’t thought about it,” Hermione interrupted, her eyes on Katie’s lips. “That doesn’t mean I won’t.”
Before Katie could respond, Hermione kissed her again. Somewhere, the clock struck one.