*****
"And just what do you think you're doing?" Hermione asked as she saw Harry staring at a wall in her flat, waving his wand to change the colors every few seconds.
"I'm testing."
"Testing what?" she asked when he stopped on a bright purple for a moment before moving on.
"I'm tired of the colours. They're drab," he announced.
"Okay," she said as she headed to the kitchen. Things had been better for them after that night they spent curled up in Ron's bed. They had discussed much, and she was pleased with the small step they had taken toward being as good as new again.
Harry had never gone back to living at Grimaulde place after that night at the Burrow and they both preferred it that way, they had been alone for far too long. Slowly but surely, they had gotten over old wounds together and were all the closer for it.
"How about this?" he asked. She grabbed a couple of chocolate frogs and handed one to him.
"It's very. . . . . Green," was all she could think of.
"I like it."
"Get out of my flat," she told him, taking he wand and making the wall a soft blue colour. He laughed and looked at the blue.
"I like that. That is good too," he told her with a smile.
"So, when do we start?" she asked. He looked at her, assuming she would have been happy just to charm the walls.
"As soon as we buy what we need?" "I want to do more than just this room," Hermione told him as she headed to the bedroom. "I was thinking Gryffindor." Harry watched the red and gold stripes appear on the wall and he quickly changed it to red walls with a gold border. "On second thought." Hermione changed the walls to plain yellow.
***
It took weeks for them to get the paining finished, since the brushes seemed to slip quite often, especially when they were near each other.
"I like it," Hermione said as they sat on the drop cloth covered floor with their Chinese take-away. He looked over at her.
"Are you sure this time?"
"Yes," she said with a laugh. He laughed too. "What made you want to paint anyway?" she asked. He paused for a moment.
"I was tired of the dark. Hey, what do you say to heading to Hogwarts and borrowing the quidditch pitch for a while?"
"Really?"
"Yeah," Harry said as they traded boxes. "Fly away with me?"
"Never," she told him with a laugh. "Who knows what kind of indecent things you may try." Harry shook his head.
"You're covered in paint."
"Wouldn't be surprised," she commented, looking at her hands. "Most of this is because of you."
"You look so good in that shade though." She shook her head and put her box down before standing up. She got up and dipped a finger in some of the left over paint and smeared it on him before he could protest.
"It looks good on you, too." The two grew silent for a long moment.
"I know this is the corniest, most soap opera-ish line you'll ever hear, but I can't think of any other way to say it. You colour my world, Hermione," he told her quietly. "Without you, it's all shades of black and gray."
"That was pretty bad," she told him with a smile. "I understand, though."
"Good," he nodded as she leaned against him and them stared at their handy work for a little longer. Hermione smiled to herself, Molly had been right. Sooner or later, everything was as good as new.
*****