Unofficial Portkey Archive

Summer Writing Series Challenge
Challenge: Single Story Week: Harry/Hermione receives an anonymous gift/card/letter that they think is from the other...but it's not...
Challenge Conditions: Each day we'll post a challenge topic as usual, but each consecutive day you will continue your story from the day before...and on Friday you'll have a 6000+ word story that flows from beginning to end and includes each of the daily challenges as given.
Title: The Bare Essentials.

Harry Potter jumped from his bed with a start; there had been a thunderous clang throughout the flat. He reached for his glasses and stood up opening the door to his room, popping his head around the kitchen door he found a disgruntled Ron Weasley cleaning up marinade sauce from the kitchen floor, his hair sticking up in different angles across his head.

"What the hell are you doing?" Harry asked groggily.

"I thought it would be fun to get up at 6:30 in the morning and throw sauce on the floor!" he snapped irritably.

"I rephrase; why are you up at 6:30, I wasn't aware you actually knew 6:30 had an `Am'`" Harry asked, retrieving his wand from his room so he could clear the sauce away.

"Didn't you hear the bloody knocking?" Ron asked when he re-entered the kitchen. "Hermione decided that it would be a great time to come around for breakfast, I'm not even awake yet and I dropped the bloody saucepan," Ron answered in mutters.

"Hermione's here?" Harry asked, cleaning the sauce up with a spell.

"Yes she is!" Harry jumped as Hermione grabbed his hips quickly from behind hitting his tickle spots.

"Don't do that to me!" he wheezed against the wall. "Why are you here so bloody early?"

"Got a lecture at nine and I wanted to see you guys," she answered with a bigger smile.

"How can you be so cheery this early in the morning?" Ron asked as they entered the kitchen.

"I just am," she replied with a shrug, sitting down at the kitchen table. Harry was about to join her when he realised he was still only wearing his bare essentials. He looked down and quickly lifted his head locking sheepish

"I'm gonna go put clothes on," he left the room in a swift movement.

"No! Don't be doing a thing like that! I was enjoying the view!" Hermione whined loud enough that only Ron could here her.

"Put a cap on it, Hermione, it's too early for ogling!" Ron chuckled as he splashed eggs into a frying pan.

"Now can you blame when he struts around in those wonderfully revealing boxer shorts?" she laughed as she took sausages and bacon out of the boy's fridge.

"You're ill, well and truly ill!"

The trio consumed their meal, talking more animatedly as the boys regained more and more consciousness. Harry had entered back in to the room in a black muggle suit, with a white shirt and a blue tie. Hermione's jaw had literally dropped at the site, causing Ron to drop a glass of milk on the counter with amusement. Harry had told them that he needed to go in to muggle London that morning on business and wanted to look professional.

***

"Any news on the manager deal for the Cannons, Ron?" Harry asked pushing his empty plate back across the table, it had been the second helping and he was thoroughly stuffed.

"And on that note, I'm leaving!" Hermione spoke before Ron had a chance to answer. She picked herself up from the table and headed to the kitchen door, she didn't want to sit while the guys droned on about Quidditch.

"Wait Hermione!" Harry said jumping to his feet and putting his sink in the plate. Hermione stopped at the doorway with a grin. "Have you got your car?" he asked, putting his suit jacket back on.

"Yes, I've got to go back to campus."

"Good, you can give me a lift into town, I quite fancy the drive," he said with a smile that he knew Hermione wouldn't be able to resist.

"Come on then, if I'm late to my lecture it'll be on your head Harry Potter!"

"Ready to go when you are sweetie!" However just as he had said this, two owls flew in through the flat window. One was undoubtedly Hedwig and the other was a large brown owl with the morning paper and Ron's mail. Hedwig flew directly to Harry landing on his shoulder gently where he proceeded to untie the letters that were attached to her leg. Harry scanned over them quickly, recognising two of the letters to be from `Firebolt,' the company he worked for, but the third was indistinctive. He opened the envelope and unfolded the parchment.

Harry,

I have no idea what's come over me, but I seemed to have mustered some stray courage and decided to write you this letter.

I've been thinking about you a lot recently you see and I can't seem to stop. Before you get worried I assure you I am no groupie or fan girl, I am aware how much you detest them, on the contrary in fact I know you very well.

I figured the only way to get you of my mind would be to let you know what it is your doing to me. I am going to leave it at that, for it is very early in the morning and I must get some sleep.

Yours truly xx

Harry looked up from the letter his brow furrowed. Hermione was looking at him anxiously from across the room.

"What is it?" she asked, smiling, noticing the way he was starring directly at her.

"A letter from a secret admirer or something," he smiled at her reassuringly, realisation began to form in his mind as he face dropped dramatically. Well well well Hermione

"We…erm, better go; I don't want to be late," she managed to speak. Harry smiled picking up a small rucksack from the corner of the room and made his way past her dragging her arm gently.

Hermione managed to give Ron a `what the hell was that' look, as she was dragged from the doorway, to which Ron shrugged his shoulders. It wasn't until he heard the door small did he reached across for the letter in question and began to read hurriedly.

***

"End of the road," Hermione said, turning off the ignition of the car with a smile.

Document created with wvWare/wvWare version 1.0.0

-->