Disclaimer: Nope, not mine. I'm not an Heron shipper, thank you very much.
A/N: My response to the "My sin, My virtue" challenge from cosmopolitan, here's the link to it: http://talk.portkey.org/index.php?showtopic=26784 Hope you will enjoy, and as usual if you read, please review, ok? Thanks! Oh, by the way, I think this could be considered a collection of one shots, everyone focusing on a different sin/virtue. Just so you know and aren't disappointed by the lack of continuity between the chapters, lol. Also, the chapters will feature a virtue, and then the opposing sin in the following chapter.
Thanks to my beta Gingercat!
The Seven Virtues And The Seven Sins
Chapter Seven: Kindness
Harry Potter hated being at odds with his girlfriend, Hermione Granger. He had never been able to bear it, even in school, even for the smallest things. That's why he was barely concentrating on his work today, after the fight they had last night, that had him tossing and turning without getting sleep. He had tried calling her this morning on her cell phone, but she stubbornly didn't answer him.
Berating himself for the umpteenth time for his stupidity, he finally devised a plan. Going to see his boss, the Head of the Auror Department, he asked to be let off for the rest of the day.
Now, Harry was one of the best Aurors at the Ministry, and he rarely took a day off, seeing how distraught the young man before him was, Nathan Fanth sighed and nodded.
"You're clearly not yourself, Harry, so go and resolve whatever is distracting you from doing your job. I expect you here tomorrow morning though, understood?"
"Yes sir" the raven haired man said, before leaving the room, and sprinting out of the Ministry, Apparating home.
He quickly showered, and changed into casual clothes, then he left to go do some shopping. It was one hour later, and with several bags, that he entered Hermione's flat. They had each other's keys, so it wasn't really a strange for him to be able to enter.
Knowing she wouldn't be home for at least a couple of hours, he hummed to himself as he started working in the kitchen. The only thing he could thank the Dursleys for was that he had become a very good cook, and that served his purpose just right at the moment.
--
When Hermione arrived home, she clicked the door open, and was surprised to see it wasn't locked. Frowning, she drew her wand and cautiously proceeded to check if someone had broken in. When she smelled the wonderful aromas coming from the kitchen, she relaxed and a smile spread across her lips.
She put her wand away and went to greet her boyfriend. Although she had been the one to leave his flat last night slamming the door in his face, she had to admit she had exaggerated a bit. The matter had been sensitive to her so she overreacted.
"Hi" she timidly said, poking her head inside.
Harry turned and grinned at her. "Hi" he said. "You go have a good shower, relax, and when you come back, dinner should be ready"
She nodded, and went to do just that. It had been a long day at the hospital, and she really needed a good, long bath to relax.
When she returned to the kitchen more than half an hour later, clad in a simple T-shirt and trousers, she found Harry placing the finishing touches on their meal.
"Here it is, my lady" he joked, with a small bow, "your roasted grouper with lime sauce on the side"
She laughed as he pulled back her chair, before going to sit himself.
"So" he started, nervously uncorking the wine. "I want to apologize for last night. I shouldn't have belittled your views…" but she interrupted him.
"I should apologize too, Harry. I overreacted, I should know that you don't really condone the Ministry politics about werewolves and giants" she explained. "It's just that I've heard about that new law they want to pass, only because a child had been killed by a stray werewolf a couple weeks ago, and it makes my blood boil"
"Believe me, I don't approve of it any more than you do" he said, nodding. "It's just that being inside the Ministry, I know how it works, and I know your views won't have a chance to pass at the moment. I may have expressed myself a bit harshly last night, and I'm sorry for it, but I only wanted to spare you more disappointment"
"I know, and I appreciate it. I guess I took your words the wrong way too, as I was merely seeking an outlet to unleash my frustration on" she admitted, blushing the lightest bit.
"So, are we ok now?" Harry tentatively asked. Hermione nodded, her brown eyes sparkling. "I can't just kick such a good cook out of my life, can I?" she joked, and he laughed merrily.
"Glad to know I'm useful for something" he said, giving her a mock salute that had her in a fit of giggles.
"I can think of at least one other thing you're definitely useful for" she mischievously suggested, wriggling her eyebrows, and Harry chuckled. When they finally calmed down, Harry looked tenderly at her, clasping her hand in his own.
"I love you" he said, and she nodded. "I love you too, Harry. And thanks for the wonderful dinner" she said.
"Consider it a peace offering" he winked, and she smiled. "You didn't need to, you know that, right?" she said.
"I know, but I wanted to"
--
As they cuddled together on the couch to watch a film after washing the dishes, Hermione couldn't help thinking that this was just how things were supposed to go. After a fight, which could always happen even with the best couples, one was supposed to talk about it calmly, rationally, and finally come to an agreement, with kindness and willingness to hear the other out, not thinking you're always right.
She looked up at Harry's face, and as a smile spread once more on her lips, she nestled her head under his chin, feeling lucky to have such a wonderful man in her life.
-->