Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of HP but I do own this plot.
Author's note: This has to be a first for me, churning out two chapters in a day. I'll try to update during the week but no promises, so, so sorry. This is for Yuner, who never fails to help me in my fics even when I call her to ask the stupidest questions.
Alright let's move on to the second chapter. Broken the ice with the witch of your dreams? Now we will proceed to the next step which is of no less importance in charming her to make her yours:
2. Know her like you know yourself.
This is very important. Get to know everything about her, what are her likes, what are her secret fears, where she wants to get married next time, everything and anything she says must be of the utmost importance to you and you must remember whatever she tells you.
Most wizards often forget what the witches of their dreams tell them, and witches like to know that other wizards can remember what they have said previously, as this means that what they have said is of some importance to that wizard.
In order to know her as well as you know yourself, you have to spend more time with her. Take note of what she says and always listen to her (more on this in chapter 5).
If the witch of your dreams is a close friend, get to know her even better. There's no limit to how well you know a person, spend more time with her such that you can even understand her moods and read her thoughts.
So what are you waiting for? Get out there and start getting to know her as well as you know yourself!
-12 Fail-Safe Ways to Charm Witches, Chapter 2, Knowing Her
Harry awoke that morning, knowing full well that she was already awake, probably getting breakfast even though it was her special day. Getting dressed silently, he grabbed the wrapped package from his bedside and padded out into the hallway. The smell of fried eggs and bacon greeted him, as he entered the small kitchen and leaned against the small bartop table, watching her as she flipped an egg, before neatly catching it once more with the pan.
She stood by the stove, the early morning sun filtering through the clear glass windows and making her dark chestnut hair gleam. Her face glowed in the pale morning light, her eyes focusing on the liquid egg white that was slowly turning an opaque white, its golden yolk remaining perfect and whole.
He couldn't help but smile at her, even though her back was turned to him. She didn't seem to notice his presence, flipping the egg with perfect preciseness, with a flick of her wrist, an easy motion that came with practice.
"Morning." He greeted her.
She whirled around, her eyes widening slightly in momentary shock before it melted into a radiant smile. "You scared me. How long have you been standing there?"
Merlin, he loved to see her smile. "Long enough." He walked around the table, dropping his package on the marble tabletop, extending his arms to her for a hug. "Happy birthday, Mione."
She twisted the knob on the stove, extinguishing the fire immediately before turning around to wrap her own arms around his neck, giving him a small smile of pleasure. "Thanks."
They remained in the hug for some time before Harry finally pulled out of her embrace, taking a self-conscious step backwards, his hand automatically running through his hair as his smile widened. He retreated back behind the bartop, watching her turn her attention back to the stove as she slid the eggs and bacon onto two plates.
"Why do you do this very year?" He asked, his eyes never leaving her figure. "It's your special day. I would be cooking breakfast if I wasn't sure I would burn down the entire damn kitchen."
She laughed, a light sound that was as welcome as the gentle breeze that had just floated in through the open window. "I know. That's why I always do the cooking."
She set the plates down before him and sharply rapped his hand when he attempted to take a bacon rasher from the plate using only his fingers. "Don't do that. Why do you think forks were invented?" She gave him a half-exasperated, half-teasing look as she passed him a fork.
"For more trouble and inconvenience." He deadpanned, before jabbing at the bacon with the fork. He took a bite before casting a glance at Ron's bedroom door. "Ron's not joining us?" He hoped the anticipation in his voice didn't show.
"No, he's not." Hermione suddenly seemed very busy with her egg. "He received an owl this morning; there's been an impromptu practice for the match next week."
Harry could hear the slight hint of sadness in her breezy, almost matter-of-fact words, and he responded to it by reaching over to take her hand over the table and squeeze it ever so slightly. "I'm sorry." He couldn't help but feel a stab of jealousy that she was affected by Ron's not being here to celebrate her birthday. "I know you wanted him to be here." The words were more obligatory than anything.
She looked up from her plate, forcing a smile onto her face, mainly for his benefit. "It's okay." She played with her egg for a while before her light, teasing tone came back. "Besides, I still have you."
"You still have me." He echoed, smiling slightly at her words, ignoring the platonic meaning behind them. Releasing her hand, he turned his attention back to the plate of eggs before changing the subject. "So did you open your presents yet?"
"No." Hermione shook her head, as she continued. "I decided to wait until you got your lazy butt out of bed." She wrinkled her nose at him playfully and shook her fork in his face as sign of mock-anger.
"Hey," He protested. "I came home at three in the morning last night. I deserved a sleep in." He reached over to bite the last bit of bacon from her still-extended fork, munching on it with a grin, ignoring her look of incredulity.
They bantered on like this for awhile before Hermione started to clear the table, dumping the plates in the sink while Harry picked up a small, hard package that was lying on the table by the sofa in the living room which had Ron's careless scrawl of "For Hermione, with love, Ron" on it and placed it next to his own package that lay on the bartop table.
He waited almost impatiently while she came back from the sink and looked at her expectantly, bouncing involuntarily on his heels in anticipation. "Go on. Open them."
Just like he had known she would, she picked up Ron's package first, undoing its careless wrapping to reveal something gold. He saw her frown as she picked up the present by its chain, watching it slowly revolve in mid-air as she studied it.
The 'it' was a locket, something like the one Lavender had given Ron during their 6th year, but instead of having the words, 'My Sweetheart' carved on the front of the locket, it appeared to have a catch which opened to a picture of Ron and Hermione together. Harry looked at the picture, trying to force his features into one of calmness, forcing himself not to look away from the picture.
He wasn't the only one who was trying to control his feelings. Hermione was now frowning at the locket and just watching her expression he could almost hear her thoughts in his head. Is he mental? He knows Hermione doesn't even wear earrings out unless she really has to, did he think she would actually ever wear this out?
He watched her silently, the sound of the clock ticking being the only noise in the kitchen, as she continued to survey the piece of jewelry.
Seeming to remember that Harry was watching her, she looked up at him, a strained smile forming at her lips. "Well," She tried her voice slightly hesitant. "It's...very nice." It was the sort of way she would say that Grawp was gentle, disbelief and self-denial clouding her very words.
He shrugged in response, watching her as she went back to studying the locket, eventually dropping it back onto the table, making a slight clatter onto the table, disappointment flickering across her face before she replaced it with a bright smile that did nothing to fool him.
She reached for his present, which was a heavy, bulky item wrapped meticulously in brightly colored paper. She fingered its edges, the hint of a pure smile returning to her face. "It's a book."
He laughed at her stating the obvious, "Yeah." He shrugged once more before urging," Go on, open it. Tell me if I made the right decision."
She carefully removed the paper from the item, her smile growing wider as she lifted the book from its paper, her eyes lighting up at she read its title. "Oh Harry! How did you know that I wanted this?"
He shrugged yet another time, the gesture becoming common every time he did it. "I don't know. You told me, I guess." He ran his hand through his hair once again, almost self-consciously at her pleasure at his gift. "It was on that day we were at Diagon Alley, remember? I think it was three weeks ago, and we were at Flourish and Blotts, looking for it and the shopkeeper said it had gone out of print. So yeah, I went to other places to look and... well yeah, I found it." He finished rather lamely, knowing that he had been rambling on and on.
She bestowed a glowing smile on him. "I can't believe you went all the way out just to find it." Her voice had dropped to a whisper and from the way her hands were smoothing the cover of the book gently made him realize that it had been worth all the hassle just to find the book, just to see her this happy.
"I can't believe you even remembered that I said I wanted the Medical Journals of Arctulus Barnaby." She looked up from the book, a sort of incredulous, pure joy filling her face the way Ron's gift had not made her look. "I said it so long ago but yet you still remembered." She shifted her gaze once more to the book, prying it open carefully and scanning its first chapter.
He did not say anything, but simply watched her, happiness blossoming in his chest as he watched her turning the pages of the book as if it were some sort of treasure. He had been in a complete dilemma as to what to get her for her birthday, knowing full well that it had to be a book that she had really wanted and hence his search for the elusive medical journals had ensued.
She tore her attention away from the book and reached out to wrap her arms around him. "Thank you so, so much Harry. You have no idea who much this means to me." She released him and picked up the book, hugging it to her.
"No problem." He smiled too, watching as she began to study the diagrams that had been inked long ago by one of the pioneer Healers in the wizarding world, his heart soaring with gladness at being able to make her happy on her special day.
And that had been worth all his troubles.
Was it good? Let me know, thanks!