Coffee and Commitments - 3/5 - All Ages - Adrian/Hermione
Title: Coffee and Commitments (3/5)
Author: silvernatasha
Rating: All Ages
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.
Summary: When people and relationships are changing around you, at least the coffee stays the same. Adrian/Hermione.
Word Count: 2115.
“Are we on a date?”
“Well. I asked you if you wanted to have dinner. You said ‘yes’. We’re at a restaurant. Food has been ordered. I’m very tempted to say that, yes, we are on a date.”
“How did that happen?”
Adrian sipped his glass of wine. “I’m not entirely sure.” That was the truth. The dinner invitation had come out of nowhere, just tumbling innocently from his lips. The only thing that was probably more surprising was Hermione’s acceptance.
“Me neither.” Hermione wrinkled her nose. The restaurant was nice, cosy even. She had been convinced that Adrian would choose somewhere more ostentatious, so it was lovely to be somewhere a little quieter.
After a moment of awkward silence, Adrian said, “Well, while we’re pondering how we ended up in this situation, we might as well enjoy ourselves.” He paused, trying to work out where to take the conversation next. “So. How was work today?”
Hermione narrowly stopped herself from rolling her eyes. She tucked an errant curl behind her ear. “Can we talk about something else? I have enough of work at work. I like to escape from it after hours.”
“Fair enough.” Adrian grinned at her. “You’re looking lovely tonight, by the way.”
“For some reason I thought I’d try and make an effort.” She smiled a little nervously and reached for her wineglass. Hair, make-up, jewellery, robes. Merlin, I didn’t forget to put mascara on one eye, did I? She had done that on one previous occasion and had been paranoid about repeating the mistake ever since. Hermione wasn’t one to wear much make-up, anyway, but when she did she liked to get it right.
Adrian laughed. “I appreciate it. You really do look lovely.” He frowned. “Listen to me, complimenting you like this. Has Pansy and Weasley’s relationship made the world start spinning backwards?”
“No, but I think it’s started to get a bit icy down in Hell.” Hermione blushed. “And I appreciate the compliment. I don’t get that many compliments about my appearance.”
His eyes widened. “Really? I’m not sure I believe that.” He paused, sipping his wine as the waiter brought their starters to the table.
“Careful,” Hermione warned, smoothing down her skirt before laying her napkin across her lap. “Keep complimenting me and I’ll have to start complimenting you. Before we know it, we’ll end up in some sycophantic cycle of praise.”
Adrian nodded, but couldn’t help the smile that formed on his lips. “You know, I never thought that you had much of a sense of humour.”
She shrugged. “I don’t like to let people know about it.” Hermione smiled. “I thought you were going to be more arrogant.”
“Arrogant? Me?” Adrian took a mouthful of food, chewing slowly. “Yeah, I suppose I am a bit. Normally, anyway.”
“Why aren’t you being arrogant now, then?” Hermione stirred her soup gently.
“Too much wine?”
“That’s your first glass.”
“Well, then, I don’t know.” Adrian scowled. “I don’t have the answer to everything.”
“I never said that you did!” Hermione gave a growl of frustration. “Can we please not start fighting? I feel as though I was yelling at everyone at work today.” She looked around the restaurant. “This place doesn’t really look like the sort of place where they have a lot of fights.”
Adrian nodded. “Fine.” He tried to think another topic so that they could change the subject. “So. When’s the wedding?”
Hermione blinked. “Wedding?”
“Weasley and Pansy.”
“I didn’t even know that they were getting married.” She sighed. Honestly, was it too much to ask of Ron that he told her about important things like that?
Adrian shrugged. “They’re not. Not yet, anyway. I reckon it’s only a matter of time, the rate they’re going. Rumour has it, they’re getting a cat.”
Hermione tried not to snort into her wine. “Yeah, I heard that, too. Apparently, there’s even a list of names for whether it’s a boy or a girl.”
Hermione stared at the plate that was sitting innocently in front of her. “This is another date, isn’t it?”
“Apparently so.”
“We’re starting to make a habit of this.”
“We really should stop this in its tracks.”
“Obviously.”
“Right.”
“Yeah.”
“More wine?”
“Thanks.”
Having Adrian turn up on her doorstep just after ten o’clock on Friday night was a little surprising. “Hi.”
“Evening. How are you?”
“Um, I’m fine thanks.” Hermione looked expectantly at him. “Is there any particular reason why you’re here?”
“Oh. Yes.” Adrian held up a black quill. “After lunch today I got back to my office and realised I took this from you by mistake. I thought I’d drop it round in case you needed it.”
A rather bemused Hermione took the quill, not entirely sure what to do with it. Twisting it between her fingers, she said, “Thanks, Adrian. But, um, aren’t we meeting for coffee tomorrow? You could have given it to me then.”
He nodded, hoping that she couldn’t see him blush in the relative darkness. “Yes. I suppose you’re right. But… but you might have needed it before then. Then what would you have done?”
“I would have used another quill.” Hermione smiled. “Thanks, though. I appreciate it.”
Adrian frowned. “What the hell is that noise?” A low rumble emanated from Hermione’s flat, making her grimace.
“That would be Ron. He’s sleeping on my sofa. And snoring. Loudly.”
Wincing, Adrian nodded in understanding. “Ah. Yes. I’ve heard about the fight. I had Pansy’s head in my grate for an hour. She was crying so much that I was convinced she’d put the fire out.”
Hermione laughed. “That sounds about right.”
“So. I guess I’ll see you tomorrow,” Adrian said, shifting uncomfortably after a moment’s pause. He inclined his head, brushing his lips against hers in a quick kiss. He skittered backwards, gripping the wall to stay upright. “Um. Didn’t mean to do that. Sorry.”
She gently touched her fingers to her lips. “That’s alright,” she assured him quietly.
Adrian turned to leave, but Hermione reached out, grabbing his sleeve. “Stay.” She glanced behind her. “Ron’s not exactly a great conversationalist and he’s sprawled out in my living room, but… stay. Please?” She looked at him hopefully. “I could use the company.”
He licked his lips, then nodded. “Okay.”
Quietly, he followed her into the flat, closing the door behind him. “We can’t sit in the living room,” Hermione apologised in a whisper. “And the kitchen’s not very comfortable.” She raised her eyebrows; Adrian could only just make out her facial features in the dim light. “Can I trust you in my bedroom?”
“What sort of man do you think I am, pet?” Adrian grinned at her. “I solemnly swear that I won’t go through your underwear drawer while you go and fetch us some drinks.”
She rolled her eyes, then pointed at a door. “Just through there. Take your shoes off, though. Don’t want to ruin the carpet.”
Her bedroom was cleaner than Adrian had expected. For some reason he had always assumed that her bedroom was rather messy. Not that he had spent a great deal of time thinking about her bedroom. That would be ridiculous.
He slipped his shoes off, leaving them neatly by the door next to Hermione’s slippers. She returned with a wine bottle and two glasses, shutting the door with her foot. “Sorry, but the only thing I could find was this cheap bottle of wine someone gave me,” she apologised as she poured. “It’s probably terrible.”
Adrian shrugged. “I’ve probably had worse.” He sipped the wine cautiously, then grimaced, holding the glass at arm’s length. “On second thoughts, maybe not.”
For a moment, Hermione looked horrified, then broke into giggles, sitting down next to him on the bed. “You don’t have to drink it.” She didn’t even bother pouring herself a glass.
“Don’t worry, I won’t.”
Hermione sighed, lying back on the bed as Adrian set his wineglass down on the bedside table. “What’s going on here?”
Adrian looked down at her. “What do you mean?”
“I mean,” Hermione said, propping herself up on her elbows, “we’ve had coffee or lunch or dinner almost every day for the past three months - ever since Ron and Pansy moved in together.” She frowned, pushing her hair from her face. “Are we… what are we?”
“Is that a philosophical question?”
She glared at him. “You kissed me. I invited you into my bedroom. What do you think I’m asking?” Hermione felt annoyed with herself more than anything. Had she completely misread the situation? She had never been particularly brilliant at that sort of thing and had been sure that Adrian’s kiss had pushed her in the right direction.
Stunned, Adrian watched Hermione wordlessly. She had closed her eyes, taking what he assumed were deep, calming breaths. So. Instinct seems to be leading me tonight. Let’s just see what happens. Lowering his head, he kissed her softly.
Hermione looked up at him with wide eyes. Adrian shrugged. “Were you expecting a more wordy answer?”
Her mouth opened and closed a few times. “Um. That… No. That’ll do.”
Yawning, Ron wandered into the kitchen, stretching his arms above his head. They dropped very quickly to his sides as he recognised the person cooking breakfast. “Pucey?”
Adrian grinned at him. “Morning, Weasley.”
Ron just stared for a moment as Adrian added a couple of slices of bacon to the frying pan. “Pucey, why are you cooking half-naked in Hermione’s kitchen?”
“Because I thought you’d be intimidated if I were cooking completely naked.” Adrian made a show of looking up and down Ron’s lanky frame; Ron squirmed uncomfortably. “Hermione, did you say there was another pack of bacon?”
Hermione’s voice sounded from the bathroom. “Yeah. Back of the fridge, behind the orange juice.”
Triumphantly, Adrian found the bacon, pulling it out from where it was lodged between a block of cheese and some tomatoes. “Found it. Thanks, pet.”
Ron looked around in confusion. “Are you…” He trailed off, not quite able to find the words. “Did you sleep with Hermione?”
Adrian smirked, cracking an egg. “There was sleeping involved, yeah.”
“It was all sleeping,” Hermione corrected from behind Ron. He moved aside so that she could enter the kitchen. Her hair was damp from the shower and hung around her shoulders in loose curls. She was quite clearly only wearing a dressing gown, which made Ron blush. “Adrian came round last night. We talked, it got late… we fell asleep.” She looked hopefully at Adrian. “Any coffee?”
“The kettle’s just boiled. Do you really only have instant coffee?”
She shrugged. “It’s the only thing I have time for in the morning.”
Ron cleared his throat. “Excuse me? What’s going on?”
Adrian checked on the bacon, giving the frying pan a little nudge. “I’m having breakfast with my girlfriend.” Hermione blushed. “And you’re avoiding yours.”
“I’m not avoiding her,” Ron huffed, “she kicked me out. And since when has Hermione been your girlfriend?”
“Since last night,” Hermione piped up, pouring herself a cup of coffee, even though she couldn’t look at either Ron or Adrian.
Putting a couple of slices of bread into the toaster, Adrian looked critically at Ron. “And why exactly did she kick you out?”
“We just had a fight. We were just… talking. Then it turned into a big fight. She screamed at me and I came here.” Ron rubbed his nose. “It wasn’t my fault.”
“Never said it was,” Adrian said. “Why don’t you go and make up with her?”
Ron paled at the thought. “Go and talk to her? Now? She’ll hex me!”
Adrian rolled his eyes.
“Look, Weasley. I know that when Pansy’s pissed off she’s about as nice as a bulldog with PMT. Sucking on a lemon. With a bee in its bonnet.” Adrian sighed; things were getting a little mixed up. “But you made a commitment to her and we both know that, underneath, she’s a complete softie. Go and buy her some flowers, a big bar of white chocolate and tell her that you want to make this relationship work but can’t do that if you’re sleeping on Granger’s sofa.” He looked expectantly at Ron. “Did you want to take notes?”
Ron scowled. “No, thanks.”
“Fine. Then tell her that you’re going to take her out for a very expensive lunch so that you can talk things over. Then go and have lots of make up sex. Maybe even in a public place. I don’t know what does it for you but, yeah. Sex is always good. It should be if you do it right, anyway.” Adrian frowned slightly. “But use protection - I don’t like babysitting.”
One - Two - Three - Four - Five
Author: silvernatasha
Rating: All Ages
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.
Summary: When people and relationships are changing around you, at least the coffee stays the same. Adrian/Hermione.
Word Count: 2115.
“Are we on a date?”
“Well. I asked you if you wanted to have dinner. You said ‘yes’. We’re at a restaurant. Food has been ordered. I’m very tempted to say that, yes, we are on a date.”
“How did that happen?”
Adrian sipped his glass of wine. “I’m not entirely sure.” That was the truth. The dinner invitation had come out of nowhere, just tumbling innocently from his lips. The only thing that was probably more surprising was Hermione’s acceptance.
“Me neither.” Hermione wrinkled her nose. The restaurant was nice, cosy even. She had been convinced that Adrian would choose somewhere more ostentatious, so it was lovely to be somewhere a little quieter.
After a moment of awkward silence, Adrian said, “Well, while we’re pondering how we ended up in this situation, we might as well enjoy ourselves.” He paused, trying to work out where to take the conversation next. “So. How was work today?”
Hermione narrowly stopped herself from rolling her eyes. She tucked an errant curl behind her ear. “Can we talk about something else? I have enough of work at work. I like to escape from it after hours.”
“Fair enough.” Adrian grinned at her. “You’re looking lovely tonight, by the way.”
“For some reason I thought I’d try and make an effort.” She smiled a little nervously and reached for her wineglass. Hair, make-up, jewellery, robes. Merlin, I didn’t forget to put mascara on one eye, did I? She had done that on one previous occasion and had been paranoid about repeating the mistake ever since. Hermione wasn’t one to wear much make-up, anyway, but when she did she liked to get it right.
Adrian laughed. “I appreciate it. You really do look lovely.” He frowned. “Listen to me, complimenting you like this. Has Pansy and Weasley’s relationship made the world start spinning backwards?”
“No, but I think it’s started to get a bit icy down in Hell.” Hermione blushed. “And I appreciate the compliment. I don’t get that many compliments about my appearance.”
His eyes widened. “Really? I’m not sure I believe that.” He paused, sipping his wine as the waiter brought their starters to the table.
“Careful,” Hermione warned, smoothing down her skirt before laying her napkin across her lap. “Keep complimenting me and I’ll have to start complimenting you. Before we know it, we’ll end up in some sycophantic cycle of praise.”
Adrian nodded, but couldn’t help the smile that formed on his lips. “You know, I never thought that you had much of a sense of humour.”
She shrugged. “I don’t like to let people know about it.” Hermione smiled. “I thought you were going to be more arrogant.”
“Arrogant? Me?” Adrian took a mouthful of food, chewing slowly. “Yeah, I suppose I am a bit. Normally, anyway.”
“Why aren’t you being arrogant now, then?” Hermione stirred her soup gently.
“Too much wine?”
“That’s your first glass.”
“Well, then, I don’t know.” Adrian scowled. “I don’t have the answer to everything.”
“I never said that you did!” Hermione gave a growl of frustration. “Can we please not start fighting? I feel as though I was yelling at everyone at work today.” She looked around the restaurant. “This place doesn’t really look like the sort of place where they have a lot of fights.”
Adrian nodded. “Fine.” He tried to think another topic so that they could change the subject. “So. When’s the wedding?”
Hermione blinked. “Wedding?”
“Weasley and Pansy.”
“I didn’t even know that they were getting married.” She sighed. Honestly, was it too much to ask of Ron that he told her about important things like that?
Adrian shrugged. “They’re not. Not yet, anyway. I reckon it’s only a matter of time, the rate they’re going. Rumour has it, they’re getting a cat.”
Hermione tried not to snort into her wine. “Yeah, I heard that, too. Apparently, there’s even a list of names for whether it’s a boy or a girl.”
Hermione stared at the plate that was sitting innocently in front of her. “This is another date, isn’t it?”
“Apparently so.”
“We’re starting to make a habit of this.”
“We really should stop this in its tracks.”
“Obviously.”
“Right.”
“Yeah.”
“More wine?”
“Thanks.”
Having Adrian turn up on her doorstep just after ten o’clock on Friday night was a little surprising. “Hi.”
“Evening. How are you?”
“Um, I’m fine thanks.” Hermione looked expectantly at him. “Is there any particular reason why you’re here?”
“Oh. Yes.” Adrian held up a black quill. “After lunch today I got back to my office and realised I took this from you by mistake. I thought I’d drop it round in case you needed it.”
A rather bemused Hermione took the quill, not entirely sure what to do with it. Twisting it between her fingers, she said, “Thanks, Adrian. But, um, aren’t we meeting for coffee tomorrow? You could have given it to me then.”
He nodded, hoping that she couldn’t see him blush in the relative darkness. “Yes. I suppose you’re right. But… but you might have needed it before then. Then what would you have done?”
“I would have used another quill.” Hermione smiled. “Thanks, though. I appreciate it.”
Adrian frowned. “What the hell is that noise?” A low rumble emanated from Hermione’s flat, making her grimace.
“That would be Ron. He’s sleeping on my sofa. And snoring. Loudly.”
Wincing, Adrian nodded in understanding. “Ah. Yes. I’ve heard about the fight. I had Pansy’s head in my grate for an hour. She was crying so much that I was convinced she’d put the fire out.”
Hermione laughed. “That sounds about right.”
“So. I guess I’ll see you tomorrow,” Adrian said, shifting uncomfortably after a moment’s pause. He inclined his head, brushing his lips against hers in a quick kiss. He skittered backwards, gripping the wall to stay upright. “Um. Didn’t mean to do that. Sorry.”
She gently touched her fingers to her lips. “That’s alright,” she assured him quietly.
Adrian turned to leave, but Hermione reached out, grabbing his sleeve. “Stay.” She glanced behind her. “Ron’s not exactly a great conversationalist and he’s sprawled out in my living room, but… stay. Please?” She looked at him hopefully. “I could use the company.”
He licked his lips, then nodded. “Okay.”
Quietly, he followed her into the flat, closing the door behind him. “We can’t sit in the living room,” Hermione apologised in a whisper. “And the kitchen’s not very comfortable.” She raised her eyebrows; Adrian could only just make out her facial features in the dim light. “Can I trust you in my bedroom?”
“What sort of man do you think I am, pet?” Adrian grinned at her. “I solemnly swear that I won’t go through your underwear drawer while you go and fetch us some drinks.”
She rolled her eyes, then pointed at a door. “Just through there. Take your shoes off, though. Don’t want to ruin the carpet.”
Her bedroom was cleaner than Adrian had expected. For some reason he had always assumed that her bedroom was rather messy. Not that he had spent a great deal of time thinking about her bedroom. That would be ridiculous.
He slipped his shoes off, leaving them neatly by the door next to Hermione’s slippers. She returned with a wine bottle and two glasses, shutting the door with her foot. “Sorry, but the only thing I could find was this cheap bottle of wine someone gave me,” she apologised as she poured. “It’s probably terrible.”
Adrian shrugged. “I’ve probably had worse.” He sipped the wine cautiously, then grimaced, holding the glass at arm’s length. “On second thoughts, maybe not.”
For a moment, Hermione looked horrified, then broke into giggles, sitting down next to him on the bed. “You don’t have to drink it.” She didn’t even bother pouring herself a glass.
“Don’t worry, I won’t.”
Hermione sighed, lying back on the bed as Adrian set his wineglass down on the bedside table. “What’s going on here?”
Adrian looked down at her. “What do you mean?”
“I mean,” Hermione said, propping herself up on her elbows, “we’ve had coffee or lunch or dinner almost every day for the past three months - ever since Ron and Pansy moved in together.” She frowned, pushing her hair from her face. “Are we… what are we?”
“Is that a philosophical question?”
She glared at him. “You kissed me. I invited you into my bedroom. What do you think I’m asking?” Hermione felt annoyed with herself more than anything. Had she completely misread the situation? She had never been particularly brilliant at that sort of thing and had been sure that Adrian’s kiss had pushed her in the right direction.
Stunned, Adrian watched Hermione wordlessly. She had closed her eyes, taking what he assumed were deep, calming breaths. So. Instinct seems to be leading me tonight. Let’s just see what happens. Lowering his head, he kissed her softly.
Hermione looked up at him with wide eyes. Adrian shrugged. “Were you expecting a more wordy answer?”
Her mouth opened and closed a few times. “Um. That… No. That’ll do.”
Yawning, Ron wandered into the kitchen, stretching his arms above his head. They dropped very quickly to his sides as he recognised the person cooking breakfast. “Pucey?”
Adrian grinned at him. “Morning, Weasley.”
Ron just stared for a moment as Adrian added a couple of slices of bacon to the frying pan. “Pucey, why are you cooking half-naked in Hermione’s kitchen?”
“Because I thought you’d be intimidated if I were cooking completely naked.” Adrian made a show of looking up and down Ron’s lanky frame; Ron squirmed uncomfortably. “Hermione, did you say there was another pack of bacon?”
Hermione’s voice sounded from the bathroom. “Yeah. Back of the fridge, behind the orange juice.”
Triumphantly, Adrian found the bacon, pulling it out from where it was lodged between a block of cheese and some tomatoes. “Found it. Thanks, pet.”
Ron looked around in confusion. “Are you…” He trailed off, not quite able to find the words. “Did you sleep with Hermione?”
Adrian smirked, cracking an egg. “There was sleeping involved, yeah.”
“It was all sleeping,” Hermione corrected from behind Ron. He moved aside so that she could enter the kitchen. Her hair was damp from the shower and hung around her shoulders in loose curls. She was quite clearly only wearing a dressing gown, which made Ron blush. “Adrian came round last night. We talked, it got late… we fell asleep.” She looked hopefully at Adrian. “Any coffee?”
“The kettle’s just boiled. Do you really only have instant coffee?”
She shrugged. “It’s the only thing I have time for in the morning.”
Ron cleared his throat. “Excuse me? What’s going on?”
Adrian checked on the bacon, giving the frying pan a little nudge. “I’m having breakfast with my girlfriend.” Hermione blushed. “And you’re avoiding yours.”
“I’m not avoiding her,” Ron huffed, “she kicked me out. And since when has Hermione been your girlfriend?”
“Since last night,” Hermione piped up, pouring herself a cup of coffee, even though she couldn’t look at either Ron or Adrian.
Putting a couple of slices of bread into the toaster, Adrian looked critically at Ron. “And why exactly did she kick you out?”
“We just had a fight. We were just… talking. Then it turned into a big fight. She screamed at me and I came here.” Ron rubbed his nose. “It wasn’t my fault.”
“Never said it was,” Adrian said. “Why don’t you go and make up with her?”
Ron paled at the thought. “Go and talk to her? Now? She’ll hex me!”
Adrian rolled his eyes.
“Look, Weasley. I know that when Pansy’s pissed off she’s about as nice as a bulldog with PMT. Sucking on a lemon. With a bee in its bonnet.” Adrian sighed; things were getting a little mixed up. “But you made a commitment to her and we both know that, underneath, she’s a complete softie. Go and buy her some flowers, a big bar of white chocolate and tell her that you want to make this relationship work but can’t do that if you’re sleeping on Granger’s sofa.” He looked expectantly at Ron. “Did you want to take notes?”
Ron scowled. “No, thanks.”
“Fine. Then tell her that you’re going to take her out for a very expensive lunch so that you can talk things over. Then go and have lots of make up sex. Maybe even in a public place. I don’t know what does it for you but, yeah. Sex is always good. It should be if you do it right, anyway.” Adrian frowned slightly. “But use protection - I don’t like babysitting.”
One - Two - Three - Four - Five