Title: The Importance of Buying Books
Disclaimer: The usual. Not mine. Obviously. No profit, blah, blah, blah.
A/N: This is so fluffy it should be illegal. You've been warned.
For Victoria Tonks, who urged me to post this to PK. Honey, you don't get nearly enough fluff. Thanks for all your support, encouragement and feedback. *hugs*
Willow: You could ask him for coffee some night. It's the non-relationship drink of choice. It's not a date, it's a caffeinated beverage. Okay, sure, it's hot and bitter like a relationship that way, but...
-Buffy `Reptile Boy'
***
Harry wasn't sure what made him do it.
Stupidity-that was it. Plain stupidity.
That was the only explanation.
Because if he had been in his right mind, if he had been thinking properly, he would have known better-a million times better-than to ask Ron for advice.
And not just any kind of advice, but this kind of advice.
Stupid.
Normally, if he wanted advice he would go to Hermione. It was no secret that Ron wasn't exactly well renowned for his abilities to think and analyze a situation.
Unfortunately, this was one of the few things that he couldn't go to Hermione with.
But if Ron didn't wipe that stupid smirk off his face, Harry was going to hex him into next year.
"What?" he demanded. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
Ron's smirk merely grew. "You're in love with Hermione! You're in love with Hermione!"
Ron said all this in a loud high-pitched voice.
Harry wanted to kill him.
"I am n-"
Harry stopped his knee-jerk denial at the last-second, his mind vaguely realizing that it would be a ridiculous thing to deny, considering that was the reason he'd come to talk to Ron in the first place.
"Shut up," he said, instead.
"You're in love with-"
"I swear to Merlin, Ron, if you don't shut your hole, I will shut it for you!"
Ron shut up-much to Harry's relief.
"Okay, obviously, this was a bad idea-look, you just forget I said anything, and I'll just…"
"What?" Ron said, grinning. "Go back to staring at her when you don't think she's looking? Go back to looking all wounded when she talks to another bloke? I don't know-join the dating scene?"
"Err-yes, actually," Harry said, after thinking about it. "That sounds like a rather good idea."
Ron looked mildly disgusted. "You're pathetic."
"Thanks."
"No, you are," Ron said, without sympathy. "How long have you been in love with Hermione?"
Harry blinked. "Err…"
Ron leaned forward. "Yeah?"
"… I dunno…"
It was true. Harry couldn't say when he first realized he was in love with Hermione. Only that he had been, for a very long time, and an even longer time before that without realizing it. Being in love with Hermione was just part of who he was, something that he'd been carrying around for years. Like his wand-it was a part of him he couldn't imagine himself without.
"Pathetic," Ron said again. "And how long has it been since you finally defeated Voldemort?"
"Six months," Harry answered promptly. "And… err… two days."
Ron stared. "Right, then. So I can certainly understand why, now with all the obstacles out of the way, you're being a complete coward about this entire thing."
Stupid telling Ron.
Stupid.
"Look, Ron," he said crossly, irritated, as always, when someone insulted his bravery. "You don't know anything about it."
Ron rolled his eyes. "Oh, please, I've been watching you two dance around this thing for years. Frankly, I'm getting tired of it."
Harry considered him for a moment. "Hang on-you think it might be possible that Hermione might… err... I don't mean to say-"
"Want to take you home, have her way with you, and have babies which you'll raise together in your nice, little wizarding house on the edge of town?" Ron leaned back and considered. "Yeah, I'd say it's possible."
"Really?"
"You really are completely daft, you know that?"
Harry ignored him. "But-but it's so hard to tell with Hermione, you know? She could fancy anyone. Remember that bloke she was flirting with last week? Stu... Stuart… Stuey?"
Ron heaved a sigh. "Harry, can I ask you something?"
Harry stared at him suspiciously. "That depends."
"Alright-here's the thing. Who knows you better than anyone in the world, better than me, better than your bloody fan base?"
"Err… Hermione."
"Yeah. That's a fucking coincidence, isn't it? How about this one-who does Hermione go to when she needs help? When she's worried?"
"Err… me."
"Yeah. And who does Hermione grab onto when she's scared?"
"Me."
"Who throws a fit every time you do something like scrape your knee?"
"Alright," Harry cut in sharply. "I get it. Thank you."
Ron looked proud of himself. "Just suck it up and ask her if she wants to spend the rest of her life with you. I'm sure she won't take issue with it."
"Erm… right…" Harry said, beginning to feel uncomfortable. He studied Ron for a moment. "You don't mind, do you? I know back at school, you used to fancy-"
Ron waved a hand. "Don't worry about it. That was ages ago. Besides I-unlike you-managed to summon up the courage to ask Luna out on a date. So what I'm saying, Harry…" Ron made a face. " Is that you, an attention-seeking, self-sacrificing prat can have our anal-retentive, slightly neurotic best friend. And I'm sure you'll both be very happy together."
Harry glared.
Stupid. So very stupid.
"Thanks, Ron."
"No problem."
***
"Hermione?"
"Hmm?"
"Don't you think that maybe you have enough books here?"
Harry heard her make a noise of disgust and he tried to shift the large stack of books he was carrying in order to see her face. Arching his neck, he could just make out a few strands of bushy hair.
"Harry, how many times do I have to tell you? There is no such thing as too many books."
Following that announcement, she dropped another book on the pile he was carrying. Harry toppled a little under the weight, but grit his teeth.
"Oh!" she exclaimed. "Do you think I should get that one in hardcover? It's so much more durable that way."
"Hermione!"
"Oh, hush up," she said lightly. "You offered to come book shopping with me. You're brave and strong."
Harry snorted-nearly dropping all of Hermione's books in the process.
"Well, honestly, Harry. If you can't even hold onto any of them… books are very important, you know…"
"Yeah, Hermione. I know."
Ten minutes later, Harry stumbled over to the cashier and gratefully deposited all of the books to be rung up. Arms feeling rather numb, he eyed the pile unenthusiastically.
"Err, Hermione? How are you planning on paying for all of these, exactly?"
"I'm not," she said airily. "It's an early birthday present from you, Ron, and my parents."
"Oh," Harry said. "That's… interesting."
"Isn't it?" she said, smiling at the cashier. "I decided I'm tired of people buying me things that I don't like-so I thought it was time to do something about it."
"You don't like the things I buy you?" Harry said.
She cast him a look. "I didn't say that. I just want these books. Practically speaking, this was the most rational way to go about it."
"All for you, dear?" the cashier said, eyeing Hermione's pile of books wearily
"Yes-they are," she said, still smiling. "Let's see… can you split this up three ways? I need you to charge here, here, and he-"
"You know what?" Harry interrupted. "Forget it. I'll get it, alright?"
"Oh, don't be ridiculous," Hermione said huffily. "You can't pay for all of these books. You're rich, Harry, but you're not-"
"So I won't get you anything for Christmas," he said, shrugging. "Big deal."
Hermione stared at him suspiciously.
"What?" he said.
She let out a breath. "Oh, it's nothing. You've just been a little… different today."
"Huh," Harry said, ringing up the purchase-and nearly keeling over. "Merlin, Hermione, what are you trying to do here… bankrupt me?"
"You offered," she said.
"Well, I didn't know it was going to be that much! Can you imagine what Ron would do if he saw the price? Even if it was split up three ways?"
"Well…" Hermione went a little pink. "I was planning on charging most of it to you, anyway."
Harry felt himself brighten. "Really?"
"It's just… you do have more money than… and I thought you'd be less likely to mind than Ron… and, it's you so…"
Hermione quickly closed her mouth and shifted her eyes to the ground.
Harry grabbed the bags of book and chanced a sideways glance at her. "Hermione?"
"Mmhhmm?" she said vaguely, still finding the ground to be intensely interesting.
"Do you-since I just gave up most of my inheritance on your books… do you want to go for coffee with me?" Harry took a breath and added, in a strangled voice, "And could you pay for it?"
Hermione's eyes widened. "Coffee?"
"Coffee."
"Because-because…" she waved her arms, as if searching for a particularly elusive answer. "You're… thirsty?"
"Err…" Harry shifted. "Yeah. And, um… perhaps, it would be a good way to-to test the bounds of … our friendship."
Hermione's jaw dropped. "Did you… you did… you mean like-like a-"
"Date?" Harry offered. "Yeah, I was thinking. See, here's the thing… I'm in love with you and I really think you love me too-or, at least, you could learn to love me-so I just thought that it was time for me to ask you on… on a date. And possibly afterwards we could live happily together for the rest of our lives." Harry blinked. "No-no, that's getting ahead of ourselves…and err… so what do you… will you say something?"
"Yes."
"Yes?"
"Yes, I would love to."
"Date?" Harry asked, a little bit desperate. "Or all that other stuff I was babbling about?"
"All of it," she said waving her hand, and red in the face. "The-all of it."
"Really?"
"Really."
"So you'll pay?"
Hermione chuckled. "So I'll pay."
The End
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