Title: A Pair of Brown Eyes (2/2)
Author: Granger
Author Email: ali_granger@yahoo.com
Category: Romance, Humour
Keywords: Harry, Hermione, Ron, The Three Broomsticks
Spoilers: All four books
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Join Harry and Hermione for a pint of romance in the Three Broomsticks, with special appearances by the
Dursleys, assorted Weasleys, and the Invisible Drunken Gryffipede...
Pairings: H/H
Author's Note: This is just a bit of rambling fluff I wrote while stuck on the latest chapter of my ongoing fic,
Blush. All music here is by The Pogues... "Living in a World Without Her" is the song performed in the pub.
Schnoogles to everyone on the good ship HMS Pumpkin Pie, hope you enjoy! :)
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.
* * * * *
A Pair of Brown Eyes: Part II
"and a rovin', a rovin', a rovin' I'll go
for a pair of brown eyes"
-- The Pogues
"Wingaaardium Leviosha!"
Harry stumbled as his left foot flew violently off the ground and he nearly tumbled headfirst onto the packed dirt of the now-deserted High Street. He forced his foot back to earth and attempted to grab Ron's arm as they swayed in a huddled mass under the invisibility cloak. Ron had his wand out and was attempting to levitate any small object in their path, despite Hermione's giggling protests; Harry's foot had apparently been the most recent victim.
"Stoppit, Ron, you git," Harry whispered as Hermione, on his other side, nearly pitched forward as well. Harry tightened his arm around her; she murmured gratefully and leaned heavily on his shoulder. It felt wonderful. Harry's heart flopped over twice.
"Shorry Harry." Ron gave him a sheepish smile.
"What's the holdup?" hissed Fred, peering into the darkness. He was holding the back door of Honeyduke's open for them; he and George had finally decided to call it a night when Uncle Vernon's hair began to turn red and Petunia's face broke out in freckles.
"Coming," whispered Harry. The street was swaying slightly; wait, that was Ron. He was crushed between Ron and Hermione under the cloak, an arm around each of them as they steered their way towards Honeydukes and the secret trap door back to Hogwarts. The three of them lurched forward like a monstrous six-legged reject from the pages of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. An Invisible Drunken Gryffipede. Harry bit his lip to keep from laughing.
The Invisible Drunken Gryffipede crept quietly into the basement of Honeyduke's with no further incidents, however, and soon Fred, George, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were safely back in the dark underground passage. Once inside, Harry struggled to free them from the invisibility cloak while Hermione fumbled for her wand and whispered "Lumos" to light their path. Harry glanced at Hermione, whose face was lit by the golden glow from her wand; her bushy hair was tousled from the cloak, eyes sparkling as she looked back at him in the dim light.
"Oof!"
Harry swayed as Ron threw an arm around him once more.
"No more cloak, Ron." Harry waved an arm vaguely at the passage as Fred and George vanished into the darkness ahead. "Don't need it in here, anyway."
"I know," said Ron with a blissful sigh. He fixed Harry with an earnest, unfocused gaze. "I just... you're the best, Harry. Did I ever tell y'that?"
Harry looked sideways at Ron and grinned back.
"Thanks, mate. You too."
Harry heard a loud sniff beside them. In a moment Hermione's arms were around them and they were all crushed together into a tight hug.
"I love you both, you know that?" she mumbled, her voice quivering.
"Pshhhh," said Ron, hugging Hermione with one arm. "Don't get all mushy on us, Hermione."
"Oh, that's typical, Ron Weasley. You started it." Hermione tried to cuff Ron on the arm, but they were too awkwardly tangled together.
Harry gave Hermione a tight squeeze. He felt like his heart would explode with dizzy warmth and contentment.
"Love you too," he murmured.
Ron swayed and struggled feebly to free himself from the embrace.
"See, I love you guys too," he slurred. "That's why I don't want to be sick on you."
There was a clumsy scuffle as the group hug quickly untangled itself.
"Umm... Receptacus," stuttered Hermione, stepping back and waving her wand. What looked like a small classroom trash can appeared in the passage behind Ron, who bent down and grabbed it quickly.
"What's going on back here -- ohhh," came George's voice from the passage ahead. "Ron! You bloody lightweight." He strode over to Ron and patted his back as Ron made swift use of Hermione's trash can.
"And you call yourself a Weasley," said Fred, on George's heels. He shook his head. "Scratch that. Actually, this is what George did the first time we went to a post-Quidditch party. Guess you're related after all. C'mon now Ron, up with you."
George attempted to heave Ron to his feet, but Ron groaned in protest.
"It's real nice right here," Ron insisted, attempting to curl up on the floor as George tried to force him upright. "I like it just fine. Except the hall spins a bit much, y'know?"
Ron reached for the trash can again and hugged it happily.
"I don't think he's going anywhere," grinned Fred.
"You two go on ahead, it's late," said George good-naturedly, waving Harry and Hermione down the hall. "We'll take care of Mr.Wastebin here."
"Uh... okay," said Harry. He draped an arm around Hermione again. There was no reason to do this, but somehow, it felt appropriate. "You all right then, Ron?"
Hermione seemed to think it was appropriate as well, because she wrapped an arm around his waist in return. Harry became vaguely aware that his heart was performing an excellent interpretation of a leprechaun jig. He'd have to sign it up as a mascot for the Irish National Quidditch Team when he had a chance.
"You'll be okay, Ron?" Hermione echoed.
"Oh I'm fine," came Ron's voice, echoing oddly in the trashcan. "I'll catch up. Thanks for thish, Hermi'nee."
"He'll be good as new, we've got some potions that'll fix him up back in our dormitory," winked Fred, leaning lazily against the wall.
"See you in the common room," grinned George, patting Ron's back again.
"Was a smashing night," said Harry, his head buzzing happily. Hermione waved over her shoulder to the Weasleys as they set off down the hall.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
They walked in silence for a few minutes, Harry's heart beating just a little too fast, the dark passage swimming before him, lit dimly with gold from the light of Hermione's wand.
"So who's won then? Whoops," said Harry, steadying Hermione as she stumbled on the uneven floor of the passage.
"Who's won what?"
"Well, I've lost count of the number of pints I had. But I'd wager I had more than you did."
"I'm not so sure," said Hermione defiantly, stumbling again. "I had about... well... I had a few."
Harry laughed.
"Harry, do you know," said Hermione suddenly, "I'm not sure what I would have done if I hadn't met you."
"Oh, I dunno," said Harry. "You probably wouldn't be breaking seven school rules in a secret hallway with some drunken git who has an invisibility cloak."
Hermione laughed. They had reached the end of the passage; it sloped steeply upward to the opening in the hump of the one-eyed witch.
"Exactly," she said softly.
Harry looked down at her. She was wearing her whip-smart Hermione grin, her eyes glinting with mirth, and that unreadable expression again.
Harry had a feeling he knew what that expression was now. He thought it might have something to do with the way his heart was beating. Hermione looked as if her own heart was doing something similar.
"Well we'd best put this on," he said, unfolding the invisibility cloak from under his arm and draping it around them; only their heads were visible now. "Wouldn't want anyone to find out about how badly Ron and I have corrupted you."
Hermione flushed, drawing the cloak around her shoulders. "I'm sorry I was nervous about coming out tonight."
"That's all right," Harry said. Not quite believing he was doing it, he wrapped an arm around Hermione's waist again. A tiny voice in his brain was yelling things about how this could be a disaster and they were best friends and even though he'd been wanting to do it forever he just couldn't do something like this, and and and...
But Harry's heart was soaring. He'd never felt so good in his entire life, and he knew it wasn't just the ale. The ale was definitely aiding his boldness, but he couldn't attribute his happiness to a few pints of Broomstick's Best. This felt right. Something that felt this right couldn't be wrong.
"I just thought you deserved a little fun is all," he said softly.
"It was wonderful," Hermione murmured.
Harry was dimly aware that something life-changing was about to happen, but he had silenced that tiny nervous voice in his head. He had surrendered to some great and inevitable force, more powerful than any spell he'd felt. His senses were engulfed with Hermione, her face lit with gold from her wand, her arm twining around his waist under the invisibility cloak. She rested her head on his chest.
Harry put a hand gently on Hermione's wild curls and tipped her head to his. Hermione looked up at him.
"Nox," Harry whispered.
They were plunged into soft, gentle darkness just as their lips met.
Definitely not just the ale, Harry thought. No ale could feel like... this.
This was magic.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
= the chapter has now ended =