holdupjack

[holdupjack]

party 4 u

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Pairing: Hermione Granger x Fem!Reader

WARNING: Angst & Comfort/unaliving tendencies

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Third Person P.O.V:

May 2nd, 1999

Pairs, France

Y/n sat on the floor of her apartment, spine pressed against the back of the couch as she sipped on an almost empty bottle of fire whiskey. Her eyes were clouded with her inebriation, focusing on the tower in the far distance outside the open doors of her balcony. The spring night air felt nice as it blew in the warm home, ruffling Y/n’s hair a bit as it pushed against her skin.

It has officially been a year since her lover and friends died at the Battle of Hogwarts, and in all honesty, she wasn’t taking it well. Her thumb traced the bottle's rim, her gaze was far from reality as she daydreamed.

She missed Hermione the most.

Y/n finished the last of what was inside the bottle before dropping it onto the ground. She pulled her legs against her chest and listened as the bottle rolled away, dripping on the floor slightly.

Her chin rested onto the top of her knee, a frown on her face wasn’t a surprise, but the drinking was. She usually didn’t like to consume alcohol when she wasn’t in the best mood, but today was different. Today marked that she had officially lived 365 mornings and sleepless nights without the girl she loved.

The sound of a few vehicles honking snapped her back into reality, her head lifting slightly as she looked towards the balcony. Y/n slowly pulled herself onto her feet and walked towards the railing. She grasped the old steel and looked down towards the narrow street she lived on.

Two men were bickering about being cut off by the other. Without thinking, Y/n stepped onto one of the metal poles between the bars of the railing, trying to get a better look at the argument. Her gaze then fell onto the ground below her, she just stared for a moment. Her hands gripped the rail tightly, her mind a mix of drunk logic and negative feelings.

She knew better than to be thinking the way she was, but everyone seemed to be moving on from the tragedy without her. She even had an older wizard come up to her and say something about it.

“It’s been more than enough time. Don’t you think you should be moving on by now?”

Y/n didn’t know how to answer him, and if it wasn’t for his wife smacking his arm and quickly apologizing as she dragged him away, they probably would have stared at each other for an uncomfortable amount of time. Either way, it left her wondering.

Was she taking too long?

She took off her shoes and raised her leg to stand on the edge of the railing, but a noise stopped her in her tracks before she could do something stupid. The bottle was rolling again, somewhere behind her in the apartment.

Y/n paused, listening as it rolled, and she slowly put her feet back onto the balcony. When Y/n turned around, the bottle stopped rolling, now lying in the spot where she had been sitting on just a bit ago.

With careful steps, she walked towards it and looked around her apartment. It was still empty, but it didn’t feel like that. Y/n crouched down and grabbed the bottle, then stood back up as she inspected it. It didn’t look any different, but she knew it didn’t just roll on its own. The only draft there was from the balcony, and it would have moved farther away, not back to where she once sat.

Gently placing it on the couch, she summoned her wand into her free hand before slowly looking around again. Then, a door down the hall clicked open.

Y/n’s eyes widened as she took a breath; she didn’t know how someone got into her apartment. The fire whiskey made it hard for her to focus as she quietly walked in the dark hallway, wand was pointed in front of her.

Her bedroom door was open, she could see the faint moonlight that illuminated the wall that was peeping out behind the crack of the door. Great, she had some creep in her home as she was just about wasted.

Then she smelled something that caused her to come to a complete halt. It was a very specific scent. It was a mix of Vanilla scented shampoo and conditioner for curly hair, and a baby powder sort of perfume that was only made in Irondale.

That was Hermione’s scent. It was uniquely hers.

Y/n dropped her wand as she ran towards the bedroom door and swung it open. Her other hand turned on the light, but she was blinded slightly as her eyes tried to adjust while still being in a fog. There was no one there. She looked under her bed and in her closet as well, just in case there was someone there, but everything was empty.

She sat on the floor, staring at the wall. The ceiling fan spun above her, making the lights flicker because of its blades. This has never happened before. Yes, she’s cried over Hermione’s favorite songs and food that she’s come across in the last year, but to actually smell her again…

It felt like a gift and a curse.

How…strange.

Y/n pulled herself up onto her knees, now noticing how cool and soft her bed felt against her forearms. She felt so sleepy now. With a quick shake of her head to pull her back to earth, she stood up and dragged her feet back towards the living room.

Her mind was just playing tricks on her, maybe some physiologist could chalk it up to her inebriated brain trying to persevere with memories. It was useless.

The girl shut off the light and let the door click closed behind her. Her footsteps felt heavier now than ever, her fingers ran across the hallway wall, and it felt like she was leaving goosebumps behind in its wake.

Y/n didn’t even notice that the balcony doors were now closed, instead, she pushed them open again to continue where she left off, but was brought to a stop again. A sudden gust of air whooshed passed her from behind, as if someone had just walked behind her in a hurry.

Her head snapped back, catching a shadow darting down the hall, back towards the bedroom. Again, a strong scent of her passed lover started to burn into her nostrils, and she quickly followed after. Y/n  heard the door to her bedroom open and then shut just as fast.

Her foot accidentally snapped her wand in half on the floor, but she didn’t care. Instead, she stumbled towards the doorway and turned on the lights one more. No one. Again.

She did the same dance and song, and checked every nook and cranny of the room, but it was still empty. This didn’t make sense.

Was she losing her mind?

With a grunt of anger, she shut the light off and slammed the door, stomping back towards the balcony entryway that was now shut again, but when she tried to open it, it was locked. Y/n looked down at the knob and furrowed her brows, slowly turning the lock on the door until she was able to let them to creak open on their own.

She had sworn that she had left the balcony open the second time, that she was sure of. No one ran past her, so that either meant that the alcohol had rotted through her mind, or there was more than one person in her home.

Then again, she may be drunk, but not drunk enough not to notice two people running around her home on some wild goose chase. So, what was happening then?

Y/n stepped out onto the balcony, she could hear ambulance sirens in the distance. She felt a warm wave of heat hit the back of her head. Someone was watching her, but she didn’t bother to look. Her foot pushed her back up like she had been before, swallowing the lump in her throat.

A door slams again somewhere in the home, but she ignores it, hooking her leg around the rail as the wind blows past her. That’s as far as she goes, however, because the sound of shattering glass made her jump back off the ledge and turn back around into the dark home.

On the floor, the fire whiskey bottle was now lying in pieces, strewn across the floor. Y/n slowly walked towards it, before catching a silhouette in the shadows, standing there. Staring at her.

She couldn't see any defining features, just inky blackness within the thinly veiled shadows of her apartment. Y/n took shuddering breaths as she stared at what she assumed was an intruder. Yet, she didn't feel scared like she thought she would be.

Y/n stood there, taking ragged breaths as she focused on this…being. She watched as it moved towards the hallway and around the corner, she tiptoed around the glass, following with a bit of intrigue.

Her buzz was wearing off, that was for sure. This was just so…confusing, and a little unsettling in a way. This can’t be some divine intervention, not that she was even religious in this moment in her life.

Her bedroom door clicked open for the third and final time tonight, but before she could make her way down there, a pattern of knocks erupted from her door. Who would be here this late at night?

Now thinking about it, this is probably the least weird thing to happen tonight. As she stepped back and walked towards the door, she crossed the path the shadow had made while going towards her room.

Again, Hermione’s scent surrounded her. This was the worst game of tag that Y/n could be playing right now. Chasing after a physical manifestation of her grief, or a literal stranger in her home, both were not a great options.

She turned on the blinding lights of her living room and squinted her eyes shut slightly from the sudden brightness on this cold spring night. Taking a small breath, she pressed herself against the front door and looked out the peephole. To her surprise, it was a familiar face.

Y/n quietly unlocked the door and opened it, looking back at her old teacher, who looked as if she had seen a ghost as well.

“Professor McGonagall?” Y/n murmured as she furrowed her brows and stepped out of the way to let the older woman into the home. The more experienced witch did just that, stepping into the private space.

“Ms.Y/l/n. I apologize for the intrusion so late into the night, but I couldn’t sleep without checking on you today,” she says matter-of-factly like, as she silently takes in her surroundings. Y/n was surprised she knew where she lived now, but then again, Professor McGonagall is more than just a normal witch.

“It’s alright, I was just…hanging around?” the younger girl lied as she shut and locked the door behind them. What could she say?

“Hey, so, I’m not okay, and a shadow creature is tormenting me around my apartment while I’m at my lowest.”

Yeah, that would definitely get her a weekend stay at St. Mungo's.

“That’s all?” McGonagall replied as she noticed the broken Fire Whiskey Bottle on the floor behind the couch, and her shoes that lay perfectly in front of the balcony. Even to the broken wand in the semi-lit hallway to her right. Something didn’t feel right.

“Yeah, it’s just a hard night,” Y/n mumbled as she sat down on her couch, staring at the wooden coffee table. The older woman silently used her magic to clean up around the room, beginning to speak.

“I know. I know exactly how hard it is.” She started as she cleared her throat and watched the empty whiskey bottle fix itself, before bending down to grab it. As she stood back up, her head instinctively turned back down the dark hallway. She felt as though they were being watched, but she chalked it up to just her nerves being fried from all the letters she’s received tonight.

“Seven. Seven letters Hogwarts received tonight, all Howlers from parents, who were too grief-stricken to write to us. Seven….seven new names to add to the memorial at the school.” She says as she takes a moment to collect herself before throwing the bottle away. Y/n looked up with both sadness and surprise. New?

“You mean-“

“Yes. Even 365 days later, the war is still taking my students away from me,” she says with a deep breath, before walking over to the balcony and grabbing Y/n’s shoes.

“Who have we lost?” The younger girl asks as she rubs her temples, starting to feel a headache from it, but McGonagall shook her head as she now stood just in front of the hallway, looking back at her.

“We’ll talk more tomorrow morning. Right now, I need to know where your head is at.” She asks, and Y/n shrugged lazily as she leaned her forearms against her thighs.

“Does it matter?” She asks.

“It does, because from what I can tell, you were about to do something very idiotic as well before I arrived. Something stopped you, long before I got here,” the Professor says as she subconsciously wipes away the wrinkles on her cloak.

Y/n fell silent as she thought back on the shadow within the darkness, but just as fast, she shook her head. It was as if she was trying to get rid of the thoughts on her own.

“You know better than anyone that Hermione wouldn’t want you to do this,” McGonagall says, watching as Y/n’s head lowered a bit more, almost in embarrassment or shame.

“What do you think Hermione would want me to do?” She asks quietly, her shoulders holding a bit of tension in them. It had been a very long time since she had spoken her lover's name out loud. It sent a warm shiver down her spine still.

“Knowing how she was before, I would think she would want you to go to bed and to stop being so foolish,” she says softly as Y/n bit her bottom lip as it began to tremble. Her eyes started to fill and blur her vision.

“You’re right,” she says as she clears her throat and stands up, whipping her palms on the sides of her hands before slowly walking towards the hallway. McGonagall stepped out of the way and gently rubbed her back as she walked by.

“Get some sleep, I’ll take you to breakfast tomorrow,” the older woman says as she watches Y/n step over the remnants of her want and into the darkness. She heard a hum of acknowledgement before the door opened and clicked closed somewhere further down the hallway.

Minerva sighed softly as she took the time to grab the broken wand and place it on the coffee table. She sat down with a soft sigh as she raised her own wand and shut off the lights in the living room.

She may not have been able to save most of her students, but she won’t fail Y/n.

The older woman sighed softly before lying down on the couch, her eyes staring at the ceiling, before drooping closed from the emotional night she’d had.

Her last conscience thought was of when she first realized Y/n and Hermione had come across an item. It was adorable. Two girls sitting next to one another on the edge of the dock house, and a shared kiss that they thought had been secret.

…

She hoped that Hermione wasn’t mad at her for taking so long to get here.

——————

When Y/n had found herself alone in her bedroom, she hadn’t even bothered to turn on the light. Her eyes had darted towards the corner, where that same shadow as before now stood. She still didn’t feel afraid of it.

“You win. You always do.” Y/n stated quietly as she walked towards her bed, and crawled under the covers, her back towards this ‘trick of the light’. She wasn’t even sure why she was talking to it. As much as her delirious mind wished it were Hermione, she didn’t want to enable herself to believe it.

Even when she felt someone take the space beside her on the bed and just lie there, she refused to move. It wasn’t McGonagall, she doubted that the older woman suddenly had the hots for her.

The smell, however, same as the last few times. Vanilla and baby powder.

It didn’t take long for her to fall asleep; the comfort was something she hadn’t felt in a while. Y/n didn’t know is this was her minds way of coping with her grief, if this was a random stranger, or even if this was Hermione’s actual fucking ghost at this point.

All she knew was that someone or something had saved her, and it healed her heart a bit to think that Hermione could still love her enough to intervene with her drunken stupor.

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When morning came, she found herself alone in bed. Y/n ever so slowly pushed herself up into an upright position, eyes running up and down the other side. The spot seemed untouched, yet when she ran her head across the area, she found that it was still warm. Maybe it wasn’t all in the head.

Her thought process was cut short as her stomach began to gurgle and her mouth began to water uncontrollably. She knew that feeling all too well, and the pressure crawling up her stomach was the potent identifier.

It took a lot of effort, but she was able to make it to the toilet before the bottle of fire whiskey from the night before was unloaded onto her bedsheets. Her hands clenched around the seat as she almost felt the blood vessels in her eyes pop with each unfortunate loss of her stomach contents.

“O-Okay, I surrender. Please stop,” she panted quietly to her stomach after a few minutes of projectile vomiting, she leaned back against the edge of the tub, hand over her gut.

Was it wrong to think that life felt…different now?

A simple night of unexplainable events left her feeling less lonely. Now don’t get her wrong, it’s not like it fixed everything and she could start life again as if nothing happened, but it improved her way of living just a bit.

Y/n sighed softly as she reached back and turned on her shower, the water pounded against the floor of the tub, splattering against the back of her neck as she pulled the curtain to protect the floor from the warming liquid. With shaky legs, she pulled herself up and slowly undressed, not caring where she left the clothes as she pulled herself into the shower.

She sat down in the middle of the tub, water running through her hair and sticking to her skin. Y/n stared at the knob on the wall that was just above the faucet, watching water drip onto it and then streak down its sides.

It was strange, wasn’t it?

One day, you can’t even get out of the bed, and the next, you want to climb Mount Everest. Depression was weird. The mind itself was so strong yet so fragile at the same time.

A never-ending contradiction in human life. How can something be so strong with emotions by understanding them for other people, but can’t recognize its own needs when going through such intense points in its life?

Y/n lazily cleaned her body with what she found in her shower, but it was only a reminder that she had to go to the store and freshen her supply of needs. She could feel the soap in her hair as she rubbed it in and combed the suds through her locks.

When Y/n finally got herself cleaned and ready for the day, she had to wipe the condensation off the mirror to do her final tasks, which were brush her teeth and haphazardly push her hair back into a presentable fashion.

She could hear voices in her living room; it was too muffled to hear who exactly was in her home right now, but she didn't care. If they were going to kill her, then they would have done it by now, and if they were stealing from her, no sane person would do it in pure daylight.

Her mind was still swarming with thoughts of Hermione, but that was normal. She pushed a bit of toothpaste onto the bristles before cleaning her teeth and mouth from a bit of the vomit smell that still permeated from it.

“Gross,” she mutters around the toothbrush, her head now listening to the noise of her teeth being scrubbed inside her head. After a few minutes of brushing and a couple of rounds of mouthwash, Y/n was ready to meet these new voices in her home.

With a deep breath, Y/n opened the entrance to her bathroom and then walked to the door of her bedroom. She quietly made her way into the hall, where she could see a group of recognizable faces, but no McGonagall.

“Y/n,” a voice called out once he had seen her, and everyone else turned with a bit of a solemn smiles on their faces. Harry, Ron, Ginny, and even Luna.

“W-What are you guys doing here?” Y/n asks as she stepped into the now brightly lit room. She hadn’t seen them in months, but that was just cause life got in the way.

“Minerva contacted us. She said that we all needed to spend some time together, especially now.” Luna started, and Ron nodded his head as he sat on the loveseat with her. They weren’t going into detail, because they were more than likely told what the Professor had seen that night.

“I agree. Yesterday was…harder than most.” Ron starts as Ginny wrapped an arm around Y/n and guided her to sit between her and Harry. They were all slightly surprised to see that she was dressed in a shower. They thought she would be stuck in bed all day.

“We were thinking, maybe we could all spend the day together. I know Ginny has been talking about going up the tower since we arrived,” Harry says as the ginger girl rolled her eyes and gently shoved Harry from behind Y/n.

For once, that sounded like something she needed. Maybe she just needed people who understood exactly what she was going through. It was time to give a bit of a break to the dam she used to keep her emotions inside herself.

“You know, that sounds great.”

From that day on, they all started to meet in Hogsmeade on the anniversary of the war. Paying respect to those who were buried in the village, which included Hermione’s tomb.

Y/n never had another experience like she did that night. She never saw the shadow again, but there were times throughout her life when she caught that familiar scent in a crowd. Which caused her to stop and look, but she never found who she was looking for.

Was it her?

Or, was it just grief?

Either way, it helped her learn to accept that Hermione was gone, but she wasn’t alone.

Not how she thought she was, at least.

[holdupjack]

It Wasn’t The End For Me

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Pairing: Hermione Granger X Fem!Reader

Request: Yes (a really long time ago, sorry boo)

WARNING: ANGST NO COMFORT

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Third Person P.O.V:

Hermione loves Y/n.

Well, she did.

As of the last few months, her heart had been pulling her towards one of her close friends. She felt safer around him, more comfortable.

She didn't know how it happened, but she just couldn't stop comparing the two in her mind. Some part of her screamed at herself for thinking Ron was better than Y/n, but then the other side whispered comparisons.

The stares from people around the school when she would hold Y/n's hand haunted her mind like a fog. She thought they would go away once she started dating Ron, but they didn't.

Her parent's remarks on homosexuality weren't helping when she would come home for the summer. Having to keep her girlfriend a secret was suffocating. Almost like she had a boot on her neck every time they brought up if she was seeing someone.

Then they would ask about Ron if he was available. They swore they were 'perfect' for each other. Hermione began to believe them.

When Y/n had caught her and Ron kissing in her dorm in the seventh year, it had happened so suddenly. Hermione had been explaining her confusion about her sexuality, and Ron had taken it upon himself to 'help' her. She didn't like how rough his lips were, they didn't have the same feel as Y/n's.

Yet, she didn't pull away or make any advances. She was frozen. When Ron pulled away, his eyes widened when he saw Y/n standing at the door with a soul-shattered expression. Hermione took a shaky breath as her eyes flickered over to her girlfriends.

"Hermione?" She asks quietly, but it met with an eerie silence.

"I'm sorry-" Hermione started before Ron pulled her against his side. A mocking smirk on his lips as he looked Y/n in the eyes.

That's all it took for Y/n to turn on her heels and go back the way she came. Her hurried footsteps down the stairs caught Harry's attention, he stood up from the couch and a smile on his face. He expected the two love birds to come tumbling down as they went out on some date they had planned for weeks, but his smile faltered when he saw Y/n alone.

"Y/n? Where's Hermione? Hey! Y/n!" He called out as he was ignored, watching as his friend quickly made her way out of the Gryffindor common room. Harry quickly ran up the stairs and rudely barged his way into Hermione's dorm.

His eyes widened at the sight of Ron kissing her neck, but her face didn't show any enjoyment, yet she didn't push him away. He walked over and grabbed his friend by the back of his collar and yanked him away. Ron tumbled to the floor, which finally broke Hermione out of her trance.

The room erupted in a screaming match between the two boys as she just watched. Her mind was whirling. Relief was in her soul, yet her heart felt as though it was getting tugged in every inconceivable direction. She wanted to sleep from the relaxation her mind felt, but she also wanted to start smashing every fragile object in her room and scream at the top of her lungs.

Then that feeling went through her chest. The one where you know that the moment you just experienced will replay in your mind when you try to sleep a night. Where regret and embarrassment settle in her heart like puzzle pieces that were glued and cut down to fit uncomfortably inside.

——————

Hermione was right. Even many years later, when she lay next to her husband as their kids slept down the hall, she still thought back on that day. Her mind lingered even further back, to the memories of Y/n laying next to her as she whispered a future for themselves, which still made her smile.

She did get what Y/n had wanted, but...not with the right person.

Her eyes slowly moved to her left. Where Ron lay sleeping peacefully, not a care in the world. Unknowingly, or knowingly he and her parents had tricked her into believing a lie.

Or maybe it was just her fault. She didn't run after Y/n. She didn't push Ron away. She didn't save her future. Harry had told her multiple times to break it off and do everything in her power to get Y/n back, but instead, she married Ron.

Like the fucking idiot she is, still.

Hermione turned her gaze back to the ceiling, a heavy weight pressed against her chest as she tried to sleep. Yet, her dreams were still filled with melancholy memories and words she had wished she said.

When she awoke to the alarm the next morning, she gave a begrudging kiss to her husband's cheek as she got ready to take their kids to Kings Crossing Station. It was going to be Hugo's first year at Hogwarts, and the house had been a madhouse since they got the acceptance letter from McGonagall.

Ron couldn't come, much to his dismay, he had to travel to his brother's Dragon sanctuary in Romania to help the ministry acquire one for one of their various projects. Within two hours, the Weasleys were out the door to their respective destinations. Ron gave his family kisses goodbye before he apparated away.

Hermione decided to take the car, just to have a nice drive with her kids before they were gone from her grasp for a long while. It was quiet for the most part, besides Hugo asking questions about the school, and the two women of the house trying to answer them.

Her mind was back on Y/n again. The thought of her kids walking through the same halls they had taken refuge in...it was a bittersweet irony. Then again, maybe just everything in her life was now ironic, thanks to her inability to face a world that wasn't made for her and Y/n.

She instead put on a mask and tried to blend in with the crowd. The straight woman. The mother. The wife.

That's all she's made herself to be. Now, that's all she can see when she looks in the mirror. Not the girl who was at the top of her class, who had dreams and ideas that were praised by the girl she had crushed with her silence.

Instead, Ron had coaxed her to be a simple housewife. That's all she was. The woman who cleaned his clothes and made his meals.

Hermione pulled into the parking lot and found a spot in the far back. With a soft sigh, she got out of the car and carried her son's trunk as he ran up ahead to grab a cart for them. The older brunette sighed again as she watched him, yelling out to him to be careful and to look out for cars.

She scolded herself sometimes for having such a 'woe is me' personality when she was alone. Hermione knew this was all her fault, she wasn't delusional, but that doesn't mean she can't mourn what could have been.

Or maybe she can't? Merlin, the guilt and logic about her actions have mixed inside her head like a poisoned Gin & Tonic. She didn't know what she was allowed to feel without somehow making herself feel like a victim.

Her attention was caught when she first stepped into Kings Crossing, the amount of people seemed to grow more by the year. She followed Rose as she walked with Hugo, explaining to him how they got to the train platform. He had seen her do it twice now, but she was just like Hermione, an explainer.

By the time they had crossed the boundary onto 9 3/4, the train was already signaling its last minute until its departure. Hermione gave her children each a kiss and a hug goodbye, before watching them shuffle onto the train with the stragglers.

She waved goodbye with a soft smile as the train began to pull off, watching as her kids waved back at her from their train compartment. Hermione took a deep ragged breath as her view of them disappeared as the locomotive got farther away.

As she was about to step away from the edge, the smoke cleared, and there stood a figure she never thought she'd see again. Both of their eyes widened as they stared at one another.

"Y/n?" Hermione breathed quietly, not trusting her eyes and what they were showing her. This could just be a desperate hallucination due to years of regret, but she started to doubt that idea when she watched Y/n cross the bridge that was arched over the tracks, onto the same side as her.

They sort of stood there awkwardly for a minute or so, staring at each other. One saw a ghost, someone that she thought might never even recognize her and the other had seen a stranger with eyes that she once looked into and saw a future with.

"Hi," they both said simultaneously. Hermione took a breath, while Y/n let hers out. Their emotions swirled like thick molasses, going through the veins of their hearts. Both found themselves a little out of breath because of it.

"Do you...do you have time for lunch? Just to catch up?" Hermione asked before she could lose the nerve. Her voice was soft, but it trembled under the weight of everything unsaid. This felt like a dream, but also a very painful nightmare. Y/n's expression flickered, surprise, then hesitation. Hermione could see the battle behind her eyes. But finally, Y/n nodded.

"Alright." She simply said, as they silently walked towards the nearest restaurant in Kings Crossing.

They ended up at a quiet café tucked just outside the station, away from the noise and bustle. The place was quaint, almost too bright for the heaviness in Hermione's chest. They sat across from each other at a small table, their tea cups steaming between them.

Y/n's cup held a nice clear pinkish type of tea, while Hermione's had a dark purple, almost black, cup of tea in her hand.  There was silence at first. Just the clink of ceramic and the hum of strangers around them, who had not a clue in the world of the type of history these two have.

Hermione wanted to reach across the table and hold Y/n's hand, but the weight of her wedding ring felt like a shackle. A constant reminder of her mistake.

"You look good," she said instead, offering a weak smile. Y/n gave a polite nod, her fingers tracing the edge of the table, only meeting her gaze for split seconds.

"You too." She replied.

More silence.

Hermione swallowed, fingers gripping her teacup too tightly. She could see her reflection on it, she seemed even more pitiful than she did this morning. The liquid rippled like rocks falling into the water as she hand shook slightly from her grip.

"I've... I've thought about this moment for a long time. What I'd say if I ever saw you again." Hermione starts, trying to find the words that didn't sound like she was putting a bandage on an axe wound. Y/n's eyes softened but remained guarded.

"And?" She asks, giving another short answer. Hermione always hated when she'd do that when they would fight, yet right now, it made her incredibly happy.

"I'm sorry." Her voice cracked. Y/n's face twitched in surprise for a split moment before falling back into a guarded expression. She never thought she'd ever hear those words from her, maybe on her deathbed, but barely ten years after the fact?

Maybe she'll hear her out.

"For everything. For hurting you. For choosing fear over you. For staying quiet when I should've fought." Hermione says as she places her tea down, pushing it to the side. Y/n sat up slightly, her arms still crossed in a defensive position. Was it silly to think that the brunette could hurt her all over again?

Y/n's jaw tensed, and Hermione saw the flicker of old pain cross her face. She's always hated that look. Still does, since her final memory of them was seeing that expression on her face.

"I told myself I was being practical," Hermione continued, her eyes darting to her side as flashes of her parent's disproving looks and blatant homophobia on her face. That summer before everything had happened was a particularly difficult one. Her parents still don't speak of those three months, when she had come out.

"That I was doing what was best. My parents, the pressure, the stares... Ron was safe. Easy. He made sense to everyone but me." She laughed, bitter and broken. As she angrily wiped away a tear that had fallen.

"And I thought maybe if I forced myself to live that life long enough, I'd believe it was the one I wanted." She breathed shakily as her anger grew again, her old self was a coward. She still is. Y/n nodded slowly, her voice quiet.

"And did you?"

"No. Not even for a moment."

Their table went silent as Hermione started at the table, her mind was now quiet for the first time in years, and a small weight had been lifted from her shoulders. Her confidence grew, a sudden fire in her chest. She hasn't felt that since she was a teenager. She met Y/n's gaze again, and there was desperation in her eyes now.

"I should've chosen you. You were brave enough to love me when I wasn't brave enough to love myself. I let you go when you were the only real thing I ever had." Hermione paused, a breath catching. Y/n felt like she watching everything from outside her body. It felt unreal.

"I look at my children, and I love them more than life itself. But sometimes... I imagine them having your eyes. Your laugh. I imagined you, beside me, as we raised them." She admits as her mind races. Hermione knew this was wrong, to admit to Y/n that she would restart her whole life if given the chance to be with her.

She knew she was wrong to even utter those words, but she couldn't stop herself as her wishes spilled like water from her lips. Y/n just watched in silence, still just in shock at what she had always wished she would have years ago.

"I just needed you to know that. That I never forgot. That I never stopped loving you." Hermione says with a wobbly voice, having to clear her throat multiple times as she fought back the tears.  A silence stretched between them, heavy and final. Y/n's expression was unreadable, mostly because she couldn't see through her tears. For a moment, Hermione dared to hope.

But the universe knew better.

"I'm married," Y/n said softly.

Poof. That was it. The last string of hope had snapped, and Hermione felt her heart plummet to its grave.

"She's kind. Patient. She waited for me to be ready. And she never made me feel like I had to hide." Y/n states as she reaches into her coat and pulls out a small photograph. It was of her and another woman with a small child, arms wrapped around each other, smiling on a beach somewhere sunny. Happy. Real.

"I've forgiven you a long time ago," Y/n said, setting the photo on the table, her finger tapping it a few times as they both stared at a photograph that meant a thousand words to both of them.

One of them was 'goodbye'.

"But I had to let go of the girl who never chose me back." Y/n whispered softly as she stood up, slipping the phot back into her wallet, and soon into her pocket. Hermione could only nod, staring blankly at where the photo had once been on the table.

Y/n turned to go, but paused, her back towards the woman she once breathed solely for. A small, very small, part of her wanted to sit back down.

"Goodbye, Hermione," Y/n murmured.

It took all of her strength to walk away. Her feet felt as though she was dragging hell itself, but she kept going. Y/n was adult enough to admit that if she stayed any longer with Hermione, she would more than likely cheat.

As horrible as it is to acknowledge, Y/n knew it was the truth. Who wouldn't crumble for the person that they thought was going to be the one they got buried with?

Their love...it was something that destroyed them both when it ended. It made them physically sick when it first happened. Their friends had been terrified that they were just going to collapse from broken hearts.

Hermione sat there, numb. For the first time in years, she didn't know who she was without Y/n's memory to chase.

And that, perhaps, was the truest heartbreak of all.

It took everything in her to stand up from her chair and go on with her day, and act as if her world hadn't just imploded. She was on autopilot mode, her body instinctively escorting her back to the car.

——————

Hermione only snapped back to reality when she found herself sticking her key into the front door of her home. She stood there, staring at the wooden entrance with a lost gaze.

She didn't know what to do. She felt as though she was perpetually stuck in the precise moment you take a step and miss it. Her heart stuttered and the breath left her body some time between when Y/n said ‘I’m’ and ‘married’.

"Maybe I'll call Harry" she whispers to herself after a few minutes of standing outside. The warm air swept past her as she entered the home,  shutting it with a softly 'click'.

The brunette shrugged off her coat and placed it on the back of the couch with her purse. She could hear a distant clock ticking as she stepped fully into the living room and grabbed the phone.

Hermione took a deep breath as she dialed his number and put the receiver up to her ear. It rang only twice before it was answered, she could hear Harry fumbling with something, most likely his tie. Even after so long, he still is horrible a tying his own neckwear.

“Hello?” He replies.

“Hey, it’s me…I talked with Y/n” she says with a deep breath, and the other line went silent for a long while. The only way Hermione knew he was still there, was the sound of his breath hitting the phone.

“What happened?” Harry finally asks, now having fully stopped everything he was doing. His question was followed with silence now. Hermione thought deeply about how to answer, wanting to say everything without going through every detail.

Then it hit her.

“She got everything she wanted”

[holdupjack]

Jump The Line Pt.1

——————

Pairing: Hermione Granger x Fem!Reader

AU: 1950s/WWIII/pretend enemies

WARNINGS: None

——————

Third Person P.O.V:

December 12th, 1965

Y/n stood at her post on the march of a small town in her country. It was just a small wall of barbwire and sandbags, but right on the other side, were hundreds of witches and wizards.

(A/N: A 'March' is just another way to say 'border')

It was kind of surreal to think that something so insignificant, was their only line of defense. Hell, Y/n could jump it with ease if she wanted to.

But, now thinking about it, it really wasn't their only line of defense. There was her. The recruit that was a few months fresh out of boot camp, and was now the sole gun that stood guard on this strip of border.

It was very much terrifying, and a lot to put on one's shoulders. The only other soldier on this street was two blocks away, and he wasn't even awake half the time. So...she just bit her tongue and held her gun by its strap over her shoulder. She would stare at the wall on the other side of the street for almost twelve hours at a time before anyone bothered to relieve her from her post.

Everyone in this small town knew that they needed more soldiers stationed here, but there just wasn't enough to go around. Their enemy outnumbered them here, and they knew that was well, yet they just hovered around the borderline.

Watching, talking amongst one another in hushed voices, or sometimes one of them would walk up and ask her if she had a smoke. It was honestly quite strange, and a little unnerving.

But, there was only one small upside to this whole thing, and it was also an upside that would get her into more trouble than she could ever imagine. There was this certain...witch.

Ugh, it was ridiculous, honestly. She was one of the communication liaisons for their leaders, and they happened to work around the same time every day. From 6 pm to 6 am, Y/n would watch as the brunette went from tent to tent with papers and files tucked under her arms, sometimes even arguing with the higher ranks in the area while doing so.

Y/n never knew what they were arguing about, it was all a bunch of gibberish to her, but the only real thing she had learned was the woman's name.

Hermione.

A wizard had yelled at her for doing his job, to which she immediately stood toe to toe with him, barking back in his face that he should be 'better at it since he was watching her do it for so long'. It took everything in Y/n to not laugh because the man was a good foot higher than her, and yet she held her ground.

Their eyes had met a few times throughout Y/n's new post, but it only lasted a few seconds each time. The soldier thought it meant nothing, and wouldn't be surprised if the liaison cursed her whole lineage in her head.

But then, something mysterious happened.

Y/n had been where she always was, staring at the wall across the way, only really looking across when there was a sudden movement, or something caught her eye. So she was quite spooked when a soft voice called out to her from the left, where the border sat.

"Hello there"

Y/n blinked and looked over to find the intriguing liaison standing right at the edge of the waist-high wall. It was around 3am, and both sides were quiet as church mice, which is what usually happened when the moon came out to greet them.

"Uh, hello" Y/n replied in surprise. She wasn't a hundred percent sure if she was even supposed to be talking to her, but then again, it wasn't her first time talking to the enemy. They were kind enough to feed her during her patrols since she was told repeatedly that she would be reprimanded if she even thought about lifting her eyes away from the border.

You don't even want to know about the bathroom situation.

"May we speak for a moment?" The brunette asked, and Y/n subconsciously leaned on one foot to the other. She hesitated before taking a few tiny steps forward and tightening her grip on the strap of her rifle.

"I don't bite, you know" Hermione laughed softly, and Y/n opened her mouth to say something but ended up just closing it a few seconds later. She was nervous for multiple reasons, which incidentally caused her tongue to shrivel up, but thankfully the other woman was more talkative at the moment.

"My name is Hermione Granger, I am the communications liaison for this battalion, and you are...Y/l/n? Do you perhaps have a first name?" She joked as she read the tag on her uniform, to which the soldier stood up straighter and finally found her voice.

"Y/n, I'm a soldier" she replied and the witch nodded, her eyes flicked up and down the fighter's body a few times, before meeting her gaze again.

"I'm like you, except with powers" Hermione states, and Y/n furrowed her brows in confusion. From what she knew, the enemy was a hidden society that lived under our noses for centuries!

Then again, they are just people as well.

"How so?" Y/n asks as she takes another tiny step forward, her eyes watching carefully as Hermione chuckles and pushes down the wrinkles on her own uniform.

"I was just like you, a regular little girl in London" she explains and the surprises Y/n. Regular? So, she wasn't magical a birth? Fascinating.

"Really?" Y/n asks as she takes another step, a shiver then runs up her spine as snow clouds rippled over the landscape just outside of town. It wouldn't be long before she was stuck in a powdery downpour. God, that's the worst thing about this area of the country around wintertime, it snowed more often at night than it did during the day.

"Truly" Hermione replies as she takes a step forward as well. It wasn't long before they stood directly in front of one another, and there was a strange mix of awkwardness, fear, and curiosity. It felt wrong to even look at the other person, but at the same time, the rush felt very nice.

"How did you know? When you got your abilities, I mean" Y/n stammered as she anxiously held her gun by its strap over her shoulder. Even though there was barely anyone else on the streets, it was still nerve-wracking to think that they both could accidentally start a battle or be severely reprimanded.

"Little things. When I got very emotional, strange moments started to happen. Objects would disappear, change color or size, or even levitate if I was angry enough" Hermione explained as she watched Y/n tilt her head in thought, even tracing the bricks under her feet with the tip of her boot. The witch found it endearing since this was the first soldier she had tried to speak to, that didn't immediately put a gun in her face. So, that was refreshing.

"That's very interesting, but I doubt you've called me over to chitchat about our lives" Y/n replied with a slight smile, the brim of her cap blocked the light from the street lamp from hitting her eyes. Hermione was surprised by the insight but was glad to know that she didn't have to beat around the bush.

"You are right. The real reason I am here is because we would like to send a message to the civilians within the town and any military personnel." Hermione says as she clears her throat and straightens her posture. Perhaps to make herself more official, or maybe just to remind herself that she had a job to do.

"Message?" Y/n mumbled to herself as she furrowed her brows, and noticed as Hermione pulled out a large yellow envelope from somewhere. Maybe she was holding it? Y/n wasn't entirely sure.

"We are giving anyone who would like to leave the area, a chance to do so without problems. We have our forms of transportation that can send them wherever they would like to go." Hermione says in almost one breath, and Y/n is stunned to hear this. Was this...a warning? That something big was about to happen?

"I understand the civilians wanting to leave, but soldiers? You're asking us if we want to abandon our homes? Betray our country?" She asked calmly, but it was obvious she was offended. The brunette quickly shook her head and held the envelope over the waist-high barbed wire.

"No, no. It's just...a suggestion" she says with a slight breath as Y/n has to hold back the urge to snatch the documents from the other girl's hand. Hermione watched as the soldier pulled out the papers and read them over carefully, even stepping back to be directly under the streetlights.

This was big. It was multiple copies of the same thing the witch had said. Anyone who wanted to evacuate was more than willing to come to the border with a bag and would be taken anywhere they'd like. Free of charge.

Y/n stuffed the papers back into the envelope, and turned her back towards Hermione, before giving a loud whistle down the street. The brunette raised an eyebrow in slight confusion before a boy, no older than 18, came jogging down to Y/n. He could barely hold up his weapon, and he seemed very on edge, almost like a deer in headlights.

"Ryland, stay here and guard the border. I have to take these papers to command, immediately" Y/n explains in a hushed tone, watching as the young man nodded, his helmet blocking his eyes for a moment before he quickly pushed it back up. Everything on him was way too big, but it wasn't like the world had time to tailor his uniform right now.

"Yes, of course" he stammers before Y/n quickly runs off into the darkness with the flyers in hand. The young man, Ryland, Hermione thought she heard, quickly pointed his gun at her.

"Back! Or I shoot!" He shouted in between a stutter, and Hermione quickly raised her hands and backed away with an annoyed expression, but then again, he was probably scared out of his mind.

Hermione made her way back into the nearest tent as a cold wind blew just behind her, and then soon the soft shine of snow began to fall onto the thick dark fabric of the shelter. She sighed softly and pulled up a chair to the table in the middle as everyone slept soundly in their cots.

She should get some sleep, but she wanted to speak to that soldier again. She was obviously much kinder, and less likely to jump the gun. Literally.

Hermione jumped as another loud clash of a distant mortar erupted from outside the village, and she couldn't help up laugh at herself softly and lay her face in her hands. She really didn't find it all that funny, but she'd rather laugh than cry.

After spending a few months on the front lines in England, she's found herself very scared of loud noises. It reminded her of grenades, artillery, and the distance fire of tanks.

So, she just laughed it off. The last thing she needed was to be sent back home when she knew she could help end this war sooner than later.

It also didn't help that she had been fighting against other muggle-borns who had chosen the other side. Seeing classmates on the opposite side of the front lines, with nothing but muggle weapons. She had seen a few break their wands before returning home, knowing that it was the only way they could leave the Wizarding World without much resistance.

Speaking of home, her childhood house was destroyed during the invasion of London. Thankfully, she had her parents move into a rented home hidden in the mountains in Europe. They're protected from the battles and hidden by magic, and that's all she could really do.

"Oh Merlin" she whispers softly as she rubs her temples, fighting off sleep as it tries to creep in, feeling her eyes droop closed and then shoot open repeatedly. Finally, she stood up and shook her head in an attempt to awaken herself, but it only made her yawn as she quietly walked over to the flap of the tent, opening it enough to peak out into the snowstorm.

She was surprised to already see Y/n right back at her post, the snow drenching the thin uniform she wore as flakes blew off the brim of her cap. Had Hermione been thinking for that long? No, it must have only been a few minutes, but their base of operations must not be that far from the border.

"She doesn't even have a winter coat on" Hermione grumbled quietly as she took in Y/n's appearance from what she could see due to the low glow of the street light.

"Who doesn't?" The whisper came from behind her, and she instinctively jumped and whipped her head around, but only found Harry with a smile on his lips.

"Harry! Don't do that! When did you even get here?" She states, almost with a hiss in her words from the annoyance that filled her body within a fraction of a second. She hated being scared.

"I just took the portkey from the base in lower France, but you still haven't answered my question" he replied with a chuckle before turning the chair she was sitting in earlier, towards her and taking a seat. Hermione rolled her eyes and turned back to peak through the flap again.

"If you must know, I was speaking about the soldier I had just spoken to" she replied and Harry furrowed his brows in confusion. He sat up slightly and rested his arms on his thighs.

"A soldier spoke to you? Really? They said they must be more open-minded around here" he joked as he watched Hermione continue to stare out into the storm. He sighed softly and stood up as well, walking over to take a peak with her.

"Trust me, I've gotten more barrels in my face today than I'd like to experience in my whole life" she mumbled as she shivered slightly due to the temperature drop. Harry squinted slightly to see better in the darkness, and then he noticed something immediately.

"A woman? Ooo, does Hermione have a piqued interest in the enemy?" He teased and the liaison rolled her eyes at his childlike banter. Sometimes she just wanted to knock him to the ground just so his sarcastic jokes would take a backseat for a while.

"We talked for maybe two minutes, and don't even insinuate that I have any feelings towards the other side! Do you want me to be thrown in Azkaban for treason?" She asked quietly as her eyes darted around the tent at all their sleeping allies and Harry just rolled his eyes at her anxiousness.

"Whatever" he sings softly before plopping down on an empty cot. Hermione sighed in frustration at his nonchalant attitude, acting as if this whole war and situation were nothing to worry over.

Hermione took a deep breath and looked out at Y/n one more time, silently debating a question in her head. Should she, or should she not?

To be or not to be, that is the question.

With a few seconds of pacing, Hermione grumbled to herself as she snatched one of the umbrellas that was leaving against one of the support poles. It popped open almost immediately as she stepped back into the storm, and her eyes zipped back to Y/n.

"You'll catch a cold!" she called out once she was close enough to the border again, which just caused Y/n to jump again. Their eyes met through the onslaught of snow and dim streetlights.

"A cold? I think that's the least of my worries" Y/n replied, having to raise her voice because of how loud the wind was. Hermione chuckled and held the umbrella's handle just a little tighter.

"That is true, but to not even have the proper attire on is a little much" the brunette replied as she rocked from foot to foot, now starting to realize that she should really have thought of some conversation starters before she walked back over here. But maybe she was just nervous, and her causal responses had gone on vacation because of it.

"Sounds like you're trying to get me to leave my post" Y/n murmured, and Hermione stammered so bad, that she stuttered for a solid five seconds. The only thing that snapped her out of it, was the single thought that passed her consciousness.

TODAY WOULD BE NICE!

"Th-That-. Dammit! That's not what I was getting at!" She coughed out, and Y/n didn't even react to the humiliating ten seconds that would haunt Hermione's nights at random points in her life. Instead, the witch only noticed the smirk on the soldier's lips.

She stared at Y/n's side profile for a few seconds, deciding whether to yell at the enemy for the sake of her pride, or take the hit and turn in for the night out of shame. She opted for the latter, but yet, her legs stayed firmly planted where they were.

"That is not funny," she says and Y/n turns enough to catch the other girl's gaze, her smirk barely being held down, the evidence was by the twitching in the corners of her lips.

"I don't know, I enjoyed the way you reacted. It was like watching a baby dear trying to walk on ice" Y/n snickered and the witch coughed out what was almost a laugh, but it sounded more offended than anything.

"Are you trying to start the battle?" Hermione sighed as she pinched the bridge of her nose, closing her eyes for only a moment, just to clear her racing mind. But when she opened them again, she was greeted by the fact the Y/n now stood directly across from her.

She stepped back slightly out of habit but just as quickly returned her foot to where it was before. Hermione didn't know how Y/n was able to move that quickly, but now it was harder to see her face because the streetlights were behind both of them.

"I am a little bored," Y/n said, but the look in her eyes told the brunette that she was just teasing, and in all honesty, it felt good to hear someone joke about things again. It's not like either of them had a choice in the matter, it was WWIII after all.

When Hermione got her letter from the Ministry, telling her that she had been drafted, it took her through a loop. She was going to just hide out from the drafting, but when Ron made it his whole personality to become a soldier, that's when she and Harry had no choice in the matter.

They couldn't let him die, especially since he has a remarkable ability to run into danger without even realizing so. This is why they both are now begrudgingly on the front lines and why Hermione was even a part of this useless war.

The muggles were going to win, and that was obvious. Their weapons and sheer numbers were enough to destroy the Wizarding World if they kept losing people at this rate. Thankfully, she had heard rumblings of a plan to retreat and go back into hiding, and that's really the only thing they can do, and hopefully think of a way to make the world forget about them again.

"A little bored? You look as if you're about to jump out of your skin" Hermione laughed as Y/n rolled her eyes, but it was true nonetheless. Anyone would be spooked if they were a stone's throw away from the ones who were perceived to be their enemy.

"So do you" she replied and the brunette nodded in agreement since she knew that she was one loud noise away from booking it.

"You got me there," she said as her eyes shifted to the small pile of snow that lay on the brim of the soldier's hat, she was almost tempted to reach out and brush it away.

"So what brings you back over here anyways?" Y/n finally asks, her head tilting to the side for a moment, it seemed like a force of habit whenever she wanted to know the answer to something that intrigued her. Hermione didn't know the answer, sadly.

"Can't blame me for being bored as well, can you?" She asked in return and Y/n just smiled before scanning her eyes across the multiple tents that littered the street on the enemy front.

"I suppose not, it is a ghost town around here" Y/n mumbled before their eyes met again, and she noticed a faint scent of flowers that invaded her senses, as a howl of wind fluttered Hermione's hair in front of her and the cold air nips passed Y/n's bare face.

"You're a native of this country, correct?" The brunette asked and Y/n nodded, her shoulders relaxing as time went on, and Hermione's grip on her umbrella loosened as well.

It wasn't till the sun began to peak in the sky and the snow stopped, did their conversation finally ended, but they both knew that this wasn't the end of their interactions. It was far, far, from over.

——————

December 20th

It was the start of Y/n's shift, and when she stepped around the corner to walk towards her post, she was surprised to find a long line of people from around the town. They were talking quietly amongst each other, all facing towards the border with a suitcase or two in their hands.

"Oh, wow" she whispered under her breath as she slowly walked towards the front of the line.

"Y/l/n! Help me with these civilians!" A voice called out, and her eyes darted to find Ryland and a wizard setting up two planks of wood on both sides to help people walk over the border. Y/n quickly jogged over as Ryland nailed the last of the supports into place, before standing up.

"What's going on?" She asked quietly as she was handed a camera and a clipboard filled with the same form to be filled out multiple times. She was about to ask another question, but the younger boy quickly spoke before her.

"I need you to fill in the information on these people before they cross. We need to find them again once this battle is over" he whispered in her ear as the Wizard across the border gave a thumbs up to them when he finished building his side of the ramp.

"Right. Right. Got it" Y/n said as she took a deep breath, taking a pen out from her chest pocket, and stepping towards the little elderly couple just before her. They gave soft smiles, to which she gave one in return.

Hermione was asleep in the tent nearby, she had worked a double shift that night and had only gotten a few words in with Y/n during that whole time. She hated being a liaison sometimes, due to all the communication screenings she had to do when it came to communication between the village's needs and peace negotiations.

Also, the constant snowfall wasn't helping either during her jogs between the radio communications tent and the tent that was filled with higher-ups and their idiotic plans on how they could possibly take control of the town with minimal loss.

Newsflash, that wasn't possible.

"Hey, get up" Hermione somewhat heard as someone gently shook her shoulder, and she immediately snapped her eyes open in fright. She grasped the person's wrist, but then realized it was just Harry.

"Woah, it's just me," he says quickly. She takes a deep breath and pushes his hand off her shoulder, resting back on the cot and staring at the ceiling of the tent. It was dark out, and the only light was the few lamps and small furnaces around the shelter.

"The civilians are being brought over the border, they want you out there to make sure that everything stays calm between the exchanges," Harry says as he leans over to look down at her, she sighs and covers her face in a silent form of frustration.

"Of course, they need my help" she groans quietly before sitting up with a bit of strain. Her back was aching from being on her feet for so long last night, and she honestly just wanted to sleep for a few more hours. She was so drained.

"What time is it?" She grumbles as Harry decides to pour her a hot cup of coffee and hand it to her, then sits on the empty cot across from hers.

"Twenty past six" he replies as he looks at his watch, his eyes following the second hand as it traveled its sixty ticks around the watch face. Hermione's eyes flicker with intrigue before she hides her interest behind the sip of her coffee.

"Alright, I'll be out in a moment" she hums as she stands to freshen up in the women's facilities tent, but Harry's eyes zipped up to her with a small smirk on his face. She knew that look, and she was already rolling her eyes and groaning as he followed after her.

"You want to see your girl, huh?" He whispered in her ear as they walked out the back of the tent, and she scoffed, pulling her winter coat close to her as they shuffled through the snow.

"You are such a child, she just happens to be the only person with any interesting conversation in this place" she replied defensively as Ron ran up behind them, ringing his arms around their neck as he began to walk with them.

"I see your 'lover girl' is helping with the exchange" he chuckles as Harry snickers and pats his stomach as a silent 'hello'. Hermione glared at them both, before shaking off Ron's arm.

"How did you even know about her? You haven't even been here for a day!" She huffs as she steps into the women's facilities, and quickly stops them both from entering with her. She poked her head out from the flaps of the tent and smirked at their grinning faces.

"I swear, you two gossip more than the old bitties at the tea house. Anyway, I've only known her for eight days. Isn't that a little fast to call it love?" She asks as Ron scoffs and leans against Harry's side with his own. Hermione raised an eyebrow at his immediate dismissal.

"I've fallen in love for less. I once dated a girl because I liked the way she said 'Rutabaga'." He says with a nod and Harry thinks for a moment before turning to him with furrowed brows.

"Wait, was that Mandy? I liked her, she made amazing banana bread" he says and Ron looks back at him with eager agreement,

"I know right? I was thinking about calling her once this whole thing is over" he replies, before they both start reminiscing about Ron's ex, and in all honesty, Hermione doesn't even remember who they're talking about. So she just rolled her eyes and slinked away into the tent while they were distracted.

——————

Y/n yawned softly as she used her torch flashlight to continue to write down all the information about the citizens who were either leaving the country or just going outside of town. She was freezing still, but at least her commander was kind enough to find a coat that had been found in the collection bin. It was just thick enough to protect her from hypothermia, but she was still cold as all hell.

"Name?" She asks a young mother, who had her toddler bundled up on her hip. They both looked exhausted from just waiting in line for so long,

"Ruth Magryn, and Joan Magryn. Joan, wave to the nice soldier" she says with a tired smile as the little girl waves with a small giggle. Y/n grinned and gave the girl a quick tickle to her stomach, which made the kid laugh in excitement and hide her face in her mother's shoulder.

"Hello, Joan. May I know where you two are heading?" Y/n asked as she readied her pen by the 'location' box on the form, but before the mother could respond, a voice called over.

"Y/n!"

Her head snapped behind her, recognizing the voice almost immediately, and she broke out into a small grin when she saw Hermione standing there in a winter coat that looked a little bigger than her. She kinda looks like a kid wearing her parent's coat.

"Ryland, trade spots with me," Y/n said as she watched the young boy help a child over the border, and then immediately run over to take over her post. He took the cupboard and stuttered over his words as he greeted the mom and child.

"Ah, good afternoon Ms.Granger" Y/n said once she was close enough, and Hermione gave a soft laugh as she stepped to the border as well. Formalities? That's new.

"Ms.Granger? Have I done something wrong to be reduced to formalities?" She asks jokingly, even though a part of her brain is slightly panicked about it.

"No, I'm just teasing. How are you? I saw you running around all night yesterday" Y/n asks before she and Hermione help the mother over the border first, with Y/n holding the toddler who looks a little entranced with the soldier.

"Just running useless errands" Hermione sighs before smiling at the mother as she helps her down onto the other side.

"And who is this?" She says with a bit of a laugh as she and Y/n step onto both sides of the ramps, meeting each other in the middle.

Their eyes meet and they fall into a beat of silence as they are now less than an arm's length away. Hermione noticed the snow that was still caught in the crevices of Y/n's jacket, and Y/n noticed how Hermione's hair was slightly damp. She must have just taken a shower.

"Uh...oh! This is Joan" Y/n chuckles as she looks down at the toddler on her hip, before slowly passing the child over to Hermione, who Joan immediately greets her with a little laugh.

Their skin touched, and for only a moment, Y/n's cold fingertips ran against the side of Hermione's hand, and the brunette didn't know if she shivered from the cold or...

No. No! It was cold. This was her enemy, now wasn't the time to play the dating game. She took and deep breath and forced a smile as they both walked back onto their appropriate sides.

"Hello, Joan" Hermione greeted as she playfully shook her little hand before passing the child to her mother's arms. Hermione then pointed to Ron, who stood casually against the wall of a building nearby.

"That is my friend, Ron, he will take you where you need to go," she says before the mother gives a quiet 'thank you' and walks off with her suitcases.

"So, they had you running around all night for useless things? Sounds a bit like a waste of your resources" Y/n says as Hermione steps back towards the edge of the border, her arms crossed over her chest.

"My thoughts exactly" she grumbled before Y/n chuckled to herself, looking over to check on Ryland, who seemed to be as anxious as usual. He really needed to relax, she feared he'd start shaking like a chihuahua soon.

"Hey, can I ask you a completely hypothetical question?" Y/n asks quietly, which causes Hermione to lean in to hear a bit better.

"Let's say, we win the war. What will happen to you....guys? Yeah, you guys" She asks quietly, clearing her throat at the end, before meeting her gaze again. Hermione opened her mouth but shut it just as fast.

What should she say? What CAN she say?

"Well, uh...hypothetically, we'd probably go back into hiding" she whispered, hoping that putting her trust in Y/n won't bite her in the ass in the future.

"Alright, that makes sense...what about you? I'm guessing you'll go home back to London, right?" She asks and Hermione stiffens at the thought of her home, that now laid in ruins. Technically, she had no home to return to.

"No, it's best if I didn't," Hermione says quietly. Y/n furrowed her eyes in confusion, but before she could ask a single question, a large family emerged to be helped across.

That was the end of their conversation for the night, but this particular subject wasn't going to be forgotten.

——————

December 24th

Y/n stood at her post like usual, it was snowing again, but Y/n didn't mind it this time. It was Christmas snow, and it did make up for the lack of people and holiday cheer that was lacking in the town now.

It was only an hour until it was officially Christmas Day, and all this patrolling gave Y/n more than enough time to wallow about missing the holiday season with her family and traditions.  Then again, it wasn't all bad.

"Hungry?"

Y/n turned to find Hermione with two plates of food in her hands, both steaming with a feast of actual food. The MRE packets weren't bad, but they weren't the best either since she's been deployed here.

"Hell yes" Y/n sighed in relief as she walked over to the boarder and graciously took the paper plate and plastic fork. Hermione chuckled softly as she leaned against the wall of the building beside them, and began to eat quietly.

"Thank you, you didn't have to get me a plate" Y/n soon says in a quiet tone, but you could still see the smile that she tried to hide by taking a bite off of her plate.

"I wanted to" Hermione replied simply as they ate together in a comfortable silence, maybe only a minute went by before she decided to speak again.

"Have you spoken to your family? With the holidays and all?" Hermione finally asks, watching as the snowflakes melt from the steam before they hit the plate.

"I've gotten a few letters, but I don't really have time to call as much as I wish I could," Y/n says with a small hum as their eyes finally lock together, and Hermione gives a small smile.

"Well, at least you know they're thinking about you," she says and Y/n nodded in agreement, before leaning against the building as well.

"What about you? Has your family called?" The soldier asked.

"Yes, they called me just a bit ago to wish me a Merry Christmas" Hermione said as she poked at her glaze-covered steamed carrots. Y/n noticed the lack of energy in her response and hesitated for a moment.

"And?" She asked, and Hermione sighed softly.

"And...they wished I was home with them, that they didn't agree with what the Wizarding World was doing to their-...our world," she says as she takes another deep breath, since if she didn't control her breathing, she might cry.

"War has no good or bad side. There are only good and bad leaders" Y/n says and Hermione just chuckled to herself. If that wasn't the truth, then she didn't know what it was.

It was quiet again, both of them now almost halfway through their meals, and Hermione felt a bit of courage run across her soul. Which made her stand up slightly, but before she could ask Y/n something, the soldier spoke first.

"A few days ago, you said that you wouldn't return to London, hypothetically. How come?" Y/n asks and Hermione gives a soft laugh at her attempt to 'hide' their questions still. Nobody was even around to eavesdrop on them. But she'll play alone, just for the soldier.

"Well, hypothetically, if you had been a part of the whole battalion that invaded your hometown, would you want to go back?" She asks in return and Y/n's eyes widen before nodding in understanding. Hell, she probably would have been shot before she even crossed the border if she had done that.

"I see your point" she mumbled as there was another string of silence. They both stared back at their food and quietly finished what was left, and soon their empty plates began to catch the snow that fell from the heavens.

Hermione slipped her gloved hand into her pocket, and pulled out a copper pocket watch, popping it open to see that it was now 5 past 12. It was Christmas Day.

"Happy Holidays, Y/n," she says quietly as she shuts the watch and stuffed it back into her pocket. The soldier smiled to herself as she folded up the plate and threw away the grave in a nearby trash can...or a postal box? She couldn't really see that well in the darkness, and snow.

"Happy Holidays, Hermione" Y/n whispers back as she looks up at the cloud-covered sky for a moment, seeing deep purple ripples between the clouds, almost faint enough to miss if you weren't looking.

"Look, would you possibly...want to share a nightcap? With me? It is Christmas, after all," She added, just in case it wasn't obvious that this was a small invitation. To break the rules, just this once. It was a holiday, and she thought that it wouldn't hurt to have a 'Christmas Truce' between them. Hell, if it worked in 1914, then it could work now.

Y/n blinked in surprise before turning back to Hermione, almost missing her completely. If it wasn't for her silhouette, Y/n might have just ended up talking to a wall.

"A nightcap? Here?" She asks in return and Hermione's back tightens as she stands up straight, slowly walking over to the ramps that were still standing as a walkway over the border.

"Well, I was thinking of a tent nearby? If you just stripped your uniform, nobody would notice" she says quietly as her foot hits the side of the ramp, ever so gently. It was honestly a stupid idea, now that she thought about it. It was crazy to think that Y/n would ever willingly put herself in potential danger-

"Well, maybe just one drink" the soldier replied.

Hermione's eyes widened, and just for a split second, her heart was thrown off its rhythm. This is crazy, she thought. Then she cursed at herself silently for repeating what she already knew to be a fact.

"Are you sure?" Hermione asks, just in case the holiday spirit was messing with Y/n's mind as it was hers, but Y/n didn't even pay it any thought. Instead, she hid her jacket and helmet behind the lamppost, leaving in just a tank top and her military pants and boots.

"Hurry, before you freeze" Hermione laughed in a bit of disbelief as she dropped the plastic plate and fork in the snow. In the back of her mind, she felt bad about littering, but she didn't care that much at the moment. She'll pick it up tomorrow.

She held her hand out as Y/n balanced on the snow-covered bridge, their hands clasping together like magnets in the darkness. There was a sense of excitement as Y/n stumbled slightly onto the other side, making Hermione shush her with a small laugh.

Y/n laughed as well as she began to smile, their hands never disconnecting as Hermione pulled her into a small jog, sticking them close to shadows as they weaved through the spaces between the tents. Hermione would peer around corners and pull the soldier quickly once the coast was clear.

As they sneaked past the biggest tent, there was a bunch of people inside singing carols and drinking together. Hermione pressed her free hand to Y/n's chest, before slipping away from her grasp to slip into the tent herself.

Y/n kept herself in the shadows, shivering slightly, since she was still without her thermal coat. Too bad it made her a walking 'I'm your enemy' type since the colors of her country were on it.

Hermione returned a minute or so later, with an open bottle of wine under her arm and two dixie cups. She grasped Y/n's hand again, noting it was colder than before, and subconsciously picked up their pace.

They found a vacant tent, and Hermione sighed in relief since the furnace was still burning inside. Once Y/n stepped inside, it was more obvious how cold she was, the biggest indicator was the bright red nose.

"You look like Rudolph" Hermione chuckled to herself as she watched Y/n from the corner of her eye, who looked at her with a smirk. There was something about it that had Hermione fighting back a grin.

They both sat down on the two chairs near the furnace, Hermione poured some wine into the two cups and passed one to Y/n. Fingers brushed against skin again, but neither said anything about the flutter between them.

"I have to ask, what's it like to use magic?" Y/n asks quietly, since anyone who overheard them, would know she wasn't on their side in an instant.

"Honestly? It makes regular life a whole hell of a lot easier" she admits as she took a sip from her cup, it wasn't her favorite type of wine, but she didn't have many options.

"Must be nice...you mind casting a spell to do my laundry for me?" Y/n asks playfully, which makes Hermione do her quiet laugh, she leans forward slightly before her quick breaths make a few noises come out.

"Sure, after this is all done" she finally replied as she looked back at Y/n who was leaning back against the chair, her sole attention on Hermione. They both got quiet before the brunette found her bearings and took a quick intake of breath before finishing the last of her wine in the dixie cup.

It wasn't long until one nightcap, turned into two...then three. Before eventually the wine was gone, and their cheeks were rosy pink. They weren't drunk, but they were definitely a little more than tipsy. It was the sweet spot for the subconscious to take over while your conscious took the passenger seat, only piping in when they thought about saying something or doing something stupid.

"I can't wait for this whole thing to be over. I want to go back to simplicity" Y/n sighs as she rests her head against the top of the backrest, her hands interlaced flat against her stomach. Hermione sat beside her watching Y/n with a bit more intensity than either noticed, her arm on the top of her backrest and leaning her head against her knuckles.

"It'll be a while until both worlds return to normal" Hermione added and Y/n nodded in agreement, before sitting up fully to look back at her.

"When that happens, do you think you and I could...meet up? Maybe get dinner or something like that?" Y/n asks, and Hermione blinks in surprise, sitting up as well. They stared at one another as the witch fought the urge to pound on her chest as her heart fluttered like she would do to her old TV that would static at her old home all the time.

"Yes! I mean, uh, sure. I would like that." Hermione breathed out as they both leaned their elbows on their knees, faces too close for anyone to see it other than what it was. Pinning. Yearning. Hesitation.

Slowly, they moved closer. Both have a million thoughts running through their heads, but none of their concerns even fostered their movements. Y/n could smell that flowery perfume even better than that one time before, it was subtle. It was made to only be smelt by the wearer or someone close enough to touch her skin. It was addicting.

Hermione eyes fluttered closed as the distance between them was about to disappear, wondering if this was too soon. If the 'maybe' outweighed the risks. If Y/n could be more than a fun thrill.

But it didn't matter.

Because the air raid sirens began to blare.

[holdupjack]

Friends

——————

Pairing: Hermione Granger x Fem!Reader

AU: Friends AU

WARNING: None

——————

Third Person P.O.V:

New York City

Hermione hummed softly as she washed the dishes in the sink, she could hear Pansy talking on the phone to her father. Yelling was actually the better term since it would be a blessing if one of their neighbors didn't come to complain.

"For the last time Father, I don't want nor need, your money! Goodnight!" Pansy huffed angrily as she hung up the phone and put it back on the receiver. Hermione looked over her shoulder and watched as the raven-haired girl sat on the couch and folded her arms across her chest.

"That was either the lottery calling to tell you that you lost, or your fathers called again," Hermione says as Pansy groans and lies onto the fabric, burying her face into the cushion. Hermione just chuckled to herself as she shut off the sink and wiped her hands clean with the towel.

"I don't know why you keep answering, there's no harm in letting it go to the answering machine," she says as Pansy just groans again and turns her face towards the TV. She could see Hermione walk over to the couch and lean against the backrest from the reflection on the screen.

"I know, but what if it's an emergency? Like...his bank is on fire" Pansy grumbled as Hermione smiled and patted her head before walking towards the refrigerator.

One thing was for certain, Pansy missed having money.

"Trust me, if his bank was on fire, you'd sense it. It would be like how a mother knows her child is in danger" Hermione replied as she grabbed a can of Pepsi and shut the fridge.

She heard their front door open, and popped in was Y/n, one of their across-the-hall neighbors and good friend. She smiled and shut the door behind her as she stepped inside.

"Either Pansy is really against her tax return, or she was fighting off her accountant," Y/n says as Pansy pushes herself back up to a sitting position and looks over at Y/n with a glare.

"Or both" she continues as she takes a step back in fear of her. Hermione just smiled as she stepped into the conversation.

"Her father called again" she explains as Y/n nodded and walked over to the couch, taking a seat next to Pansy.

"What did he want this time?" She asked as Pansy leaned her elbows against her knees and huffed again in disbelief.

"He wants me to come home and take over the family firm. He even tried to bribe me with a luxury apartment in London!" Pansy sighed as she rubbed her temples, seemingly utterly annoyed. Y/n and Hermione's eyes catch.

"That guy just grinds my gears," Y/n says sarcastically, earning a soft smack to the back of her head from Hermione once she was close enough. Pansy stood up and took a deep breath, placing her hands at her sides as she walked into the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of wine from the rack above the fridge.

"I don't want to talk about it anymore. Anyways, where's the other three?" She asks as she digs around in one of the drawers for the corkscrew. Hermione looked down at Y/n and raised an eyebrow.

"Harry is downtown for an astronomy conference and Luna is protesting the fishing boats by the docks. As for Draco...where is Cheech, Chong?" She asks as Y/n rolls her eyes and shrugs her shoulders, looking at at her with offense.

"Just because we live together, doesn't mean I know where he is 24/7" Y/n replied as Hermione sat on the top of the backrest, and cracked open her pop.

"Didn't you two hold hands during that haunted house last Halloween, and proceeded to do 'marco pollo' when you got separated?" Pansy asked with a small smirk as she turned the screw into the cork and watched as Y/n gave a glare back toward her.

"You saw those paper spiders! Terrifying," she replied as Pansy popped open the wine bottle and poured some out for herself. Hermione sipped on her Pepsi as Y/n looked up at her with an unimpressed expression.

"Very scary, I'm surprised you survived the encounter" Hermione chuckled as she handed her the soda and ran a hand through Y/n's hair as she stood up from the couch.

Pansy hid a smirk behind her wine glass as she watched Y/n hide her face from any prying eyes, but it was obvious that the simple gesture made her flush. It was cute that she still got nervous around Hermione after all this time of knowing one another, but then again, Hermione didn't help with her unknowing flirtation.

Or maybe she did know?

Pansy still hadn't gotten a clear-cut answer from her when they would stay up and talk about their relationship problems or lack thereof a relationship. Yet, she seemed to hold back when talking about her interests in one person.

She always said a 'certain someone'.

It had to be Y/n, it was way too obvious with the stolen glances and touches they gave each other on a daily basis. So, Pansy has been very ingrained in their relationship.

But she would be lying if she, Draco, Luna, and Harry, weren't all rooting for them to get together. Like the friends they are, they try their best to put them in romantic situations.

Hermione had even begun to notice their involvement in her love life. Maybe her secret wasn't as hush-hush as she thought.

"So...what are you two up to tonight? Any plans? Maybe dates?" Pansy asks with a raised eyebrow as she watches Hermione pour her own glass of wine. Y/n looked back at them with intrigue as she sipped on the last of the Pepsi, not noticing that a bit of Hermione's lipstick was smudging onto her lips.

"I was supposed to go out with this guy tonight, but he canceled. It had to do with something with a fish and his mother...I sort of clocked out of the phone call" Hermione explained with a shrug as Pansy chuckled, and then both women looked at Y/n with their own intrigued expression.

"What about you? Any lady friends that are swooning at the sound of your call?" Hermione hums with a smirk as Y/n rolls her eyes and waves her off. She crunched the empty can and stood up, walking over to the garbage bin.

"Oh, sure. Sharon Stone has been leaving me messages about our next date, and I don't think she's getting the hint" Y/n replied with a slight mumble as she tossed it into the bin. Pansy gently nudged Hermione, their eyes met, and a silent conversation began. Y/n was too busy trying to pick off lint from her shirt to notice.

Finally Pansy just shoved Hermione toward the other girl, earning herself a glare from the brunette. Hermione straightened her back and took a quiet breath before placing her hand on the middle of Y/n's back, capturing her attention.

"Do you want to do something with me tonight? I think we could find something to do on such short notice" Hermione asked with a small smile and Y/n nodded in agreement as she tried to keep her face from bursting into flames.

"Uh, sure! What do you have in mind?" Y/n asks as she absentmindedly pushes the wrinkles off her shirt and straightens her posture. Hermione sort of shrugged as she looked at the time on her watch, it read '7:37 P.M'.

"How about we grab a late dinner first? Somewhere around here, and we'll figure out the rest later" Hermione asks, and Y/n quickly to nodded. She stepped towards the door, before running into it. The girls chuckled as they watched their friend quickly open and shut the door behind her, before running over to the apartment across the way.

"So...what are you going to wear?" Pansy asked, which caused them both to look at each other. There was a beat of silence before Hermione darted towards the bathroom and Pansy placed down her wine and ran into the brunette's room to find something for her.

"Why did I say dinner?! I don't have time to get ready!" Hermione yelled as she stripped and jumped into the shower, as soon as the cold water hit her skin, she fought back the urge to run out.

"Why do you dress like a school teacher?!" Pansy yelled back as she desperately looked for something that didn't say 'what's 12 multiplied by 9?'. Hermione rolled her eyes as the water began to heat up, letting her quickly relax as she rang her shampoo through her locks.

Pansy finally found a shirt that was good enough and the pair of jeans that she knew fit her friend like a glove. As she emerged from the room, Hermione also left the bathroom with a towel around her head and body.

"God, what if she thinks this is just a friendly outing? I mean it's Y/n, I love her, but...it's her." Hermione sighed as she took the clothes and ran into her room, shutting the door behind her as Pansy walked over and leaned against the wall. Y/n was quick-witted, but her obliviousness to anything romantic, it made it hard for anyone who liked to play cat and mouse.

Y/n was a blind cat that walked past the mice.

"Well, you better be direct then. Maybe state that you want to be more than just friends?" Pansy asks as she listens to the clattering of makeup and the whirling of a hair dryer. Hermione sighed as she felt the hot air from the machine heat her scalp as she tried to quickly dry it before Y/n returned.

"What if she doesn't feel that same? This could ruin our friendship and the group" Hermione yelled over the loud humming, to which Pansy just snickered.

"Seriously? You two have been pining over each other for years, why wouldn't she feel that same?" Pansy yelled back as she heard the sound of the hair dryer turning off. Hermione shrugged, even though Pansy couldn't see it.

"I don't know, maybe I'm just anxious? What if all this fascination was all for nothing? What if she secretly collects dolls that look like her mother?" Hermione says as she shudders at the thought, Pansy walks into the room and rolls her eyes.

"I tell you about one of my nightmares exes, and now that's your biggest fear" she sighs as she crosses her arms, watching as Hermione changed into her clothes.

"I'm sorry Pans, but you know what I mean" Hermione explained as she sat back down in front of her vanity mirror. She didn't want to be disappointed, but a part of her didn't believe Y/n would.

"Everyone has their quirks...some worse than others, much, much worse." Pansy hummed as she walked over and sat on her friend's bed, crossing one leg over the other as she stared up at the ceiling.

The girls hoped this would go well.

——————

Y/n ran into her apartment and slammed the door behind her as she tried to figure out what she was going to wear. She goes to run to her room but then stops. Then she goes to run to the bathroom then stops again.

"Oh god, what do I do first?! This is a harder decision than when Draco tries to pick one ice cream flavor" she sighs as she runs her fingers through her hair. Thankfully, her roommate, Draco, walked through the door with a whistle.

"Draco! Thank god, I need your help" Y/n quickly says as she runs up to him, he raises an eyebrow and places a bag of Chinese food on the kitchen counter.

"Can it wait till after we eat? Because I'm starved" he says, but she quickly shakes her head and starts to explain. Her frazzled state actually spooked Draco, but he didn't want to say that out loud.

"I can't, I'm going out to dinner with Hermione...maybe it's even a date" she says with a bit of excitement as Draco walks past her to sit on the couch. He didn't really register what was said, instead just humming as he sat down.

"Cool, cool. Where are you guys going?" He asks nonchalantly as he places both servings of food on the coffee table. Draco was a secret food lover. He could eat until his stomach popped but always refrained due to his diet.

Yet, when Y/n couldn't eat her portion of dinner? Draco always gave the 'well I can't let it go to waste' excuse, as he stuffed his face in the process.

Y/n stared at him with furrowed brows, she understood that her roommate was a bit of a 'selective hearing' kind of person, but seriously? She turned and looked at herself in the reflection on the stove door.

It took a moment of silence before Draco finally registered what was said. His head snaps up as his eyes widen in surprise, he fumbles with the container in his hands, making sure not to drop it.

"Wait. You're going on a date? With Hermione? The girl you've been in love with since you met her? And she does know about this date, correct? It's not a delusional idea that will get you on the eleven o'clock news?" He asked with a raised eyebrow, which got him an eye roll in return as he watched Y/n walk over to the couch. She thought for a moment.

"No...no. She asked me out" Y/n states as she makes sure that her memory actually was correct. Draco wrapped an arm around Y/n's neck and grinned happily while patting her shoulder.

"Alright! That's what I'm talking about! So, when do you have to get ready?" He asks and that caused a pause in their conversation. They stared at one another before Y/n quickly ran to her room, tripping over the coffee table in the process. She immediately got up and began looking for clothes as Draco just shrugged and went back to eating his two meals.

——————

8:03 P.M.

Simultaneously, both of the women stepped into the hallway and were taken by surprise to see the other. Their eyes roamed each other's bodies for a moment before Y/n finally said something.

"You look...wow," she says as their gazes lock and Hermione turns bashful. Her head lowers to look at herself. Did she look nice? Was the 'wow' a good 'wow' or a bad 'wow'? Now she was anxious.

"In a good way?" she asks and Y/n nods in confusion. Acting as if Hermione had uttered something blasphemous. It was almost comical.

"Good, very good! You just...wow. You take my breath away" Y/n mutters, which had Hermione taking a small breath to steady her heart rate. These moments were few and far between. Where they were the only ones, where Y/n didn't joke every five seconds, and Hermione gave a jab in return.

"You're going to make the sprinkles go off if you keep making my cheeks burn like this" Hermione chuckled as she looked back at Y/n, giving her a view of her flushed face. It wasn't hard to make Hermione blush, but Y/n had never seen it when she was the reason it surfaced.

"Good idea, I never did learn how to use a fire extinguisher" she replied with a small laugh as they both began to walk towards the stairs, their shoes echoing in different pitches.

"So, where are we going?" Y/n asks as they slowly walk down the steps. Hermione blinked, realizing she had forgotten to think of a place to actually eat.

"Uh, I honestly had forgotten about dinner," she says with an embarrassed chuckle, but Y/n just waved it off and slid slowly down the railing. Hermione couldn't help but chuckle softly as she felt her gaze soften.

"That's alright. How about we grab a few beers and hotdogs, and sit at Central Park?" Y/n asks as she lands on the first floor. Hermione loved that idea. It was a perfect place where it wouldn't make it an obvious date, but it wasn't just a place spent with a friend either. It was also kinda cheesy, but it fit Y/n's personality.

"That sounds perfect," she says breathlessly as Y/n opens the door out into the humid summer air. It felt like stepping into a different world, one that Hermione didn't feel familiar with. She felt a gentle hand land on the space of her back. Her eyes zipped to her left to find Y/n smiling softly at her.

The neons of the Central Perk's sign shined down on them like a heavenly glow. For once Y/n heard the city go silent, just for them. This was new for both of them. They were crossing a line, and both knew it.

"Have I ever told you how beautiful your eyes are?" Hermione whispers as they stare at one another, and Y/n sort of just tilts her head as she feels the brunette take her arm in hers and navigate her slowly down the street.

"Mine? Well, uh...I'm not sure" Y/n stammered as she felt Hermione's hand glide down her forearm and intertwine with hers. As they walked further Y/n became more aware of the city again, hearing the honking from cars and the rumble of the subway beneath their feet.

"Well, they are. They hold a lot of...gutsy" Hermione hummed softly as she followed the barrier between Y/n's iris and and pupil. There was always something that caught her eye when she looked at them.

"Gutsy? Did you learn that from your Word Of The Day Calendar?" Y/n asked with a chuckle as they waited for the walk signal so they could cross. Hermione rolled her eyes but the smile never faltered from her lips.

"Maybe, but that's not the point. You know what I mean, don't you?” Hermione asks as they quickly make their way to the other side of the street. Y/n thought about it but decided to be honest.

“No, but hopefully you'll tell me?” she replied as they walked past a closed antique shop. Hermione took a second to go through exactly how she wanted to word her description. Her eyes took in the window display of computers from the 80’s and dolls that looked too haunted for her taste.

“Your eyes are…brave. Determined. Honest.” Hermione replied before looking back at her, Y/n couldn't help but laugh quietly.

“Brave? I called you over to kill a spider in my shower last week,” she states as she watches Hermione roll her eyes and gently squeeze her hand.

“That may be so, but bravery doesn't just mean facing your fears” the brunette argued as they crossed another street. The streetlights illuminated the road like an airstrip runway, it was quite beautiful.

“It doesn't? That's news to me” Y/n teases as they walk into a 24-hour bodega. They heard a soft meow from a calico cat that was lounging behind a shelf of barbeque chips. Hermione leaned down and smiled at the kitty, reaching out and running her fingers across the underside of its chin.

“It also means being brave enough to embrace who you are, and I do not know anyone more themselves, than you” she added back as she watched Y/n grab a six-pack of beer from the cooler nearby. Hermione stood back up straight, giving a soft ‘bye’ to the cat as she followed her date to the checkout area.

“I think you're confusing my comedian-like…je ne sais quoi, for bravery, when in reality it's just a defense mechanism,” Y/n says as she pulls out her wallet, Hermiome rolls her eyes as she pays with her card before the other woman got the chance.

“You little…anyways, as long as you laugh, I'll take your compliment,” Y/n sighs with a small smile as Hermione playfully rolls her eyes, and loops their arms again, leaving Y/n to carry the beer. The cat meows one last time before stepping back out into the night air.

——————

Their conversation was light and a bit intimate as they walked towards Central Park. The subject of the conversations wasn't all that important, it was as simple as Hermione’s pitiful excuse for a boss, or Y/n’s annoying coworker. Their heads were lowered towards each other, hushed whispers and small chuckles escaping them.

“Hey, there is a cart still out” Y/n points out to a hotdog stand sitting at one of the corners just before the park, Hermione felt her stomach rumble. God, she didn't realize how hungry she actually was.

“Four please,” Y/n says once they were close enough, this time quickly enough to pull out some cash before Hermione could, and she heard a soft ‘huff’ from the brunette because of it.

“It's hotdogs, it's not like I'm paying your car insurance” Y/n chuckled as they split the meal between them, adding their desired condiments to the hotdogs as a nearby bar blasted ‘Jessies Girl’.

“That is not the point” Hermione chuckled as they walked across the street to the park, it was almost 9:30 now, but there were still a lot of people in the area.

“Then what is the point?” Y/n asked with a small smirk as they sat down on a bench in a well-lit area. Hermione opened her mouth, then closed it again before sighing.

“Shut up” she mumbled as she took a bite of her very late dinner. Y/n snickered softly and popped off the tops of their beer, handing her one in the process. Hermione took hold of the drink and gulped down a bit before she bravely brought up her next topic.

She was definitely nervous about it. She couldn't stop thinking about how this could destroy their friend group if it didn't go as she planned. A part of her wanted to grab Y/n’s shoulders and yell that she didn't understand how oblivious she could be.

“So… I need to talk to you about something,” Hermione says after she is sure she has no food or beer left in her mouth. Y/n nodded as she turned to her with her full attention. Even as the dim glow of the path lights along the park, she thought that Hermione had never looked more beautiful.

“Alright, but it better not be over that time I changed the channel while you were in the bathroom. I told you that I didn't know you were watching Grey's Anatomy!” Y/n says with a nervous laugh, but Hermione waves her off as she takes another breath to calm her nerves.

“No, no. Nothing like that,” she replied as her eyes darted around the area surrounding them. Why was this so hard for her to admit? She never had trouble before when she would flirt with other people. Maybe it was because those people weren’t Y/n.

“Listen, do you see this putting as more than…friends?” Hermione asks sheepishly, her gaze flickering from the asphalt under her feet and up to Y/n’s face.

“Well, I…yeah, yeah I do,” Y/n says with a shaky breath. She felt like a kid, stuttering like a skipping record as the girl you like gives you a small smile in the hallway. Hermione body relaxes as she smiles and takes another bite of her hotdog.

“Good, because you’re taking me somewhere nice next weekend” Hermione states with a sly smirk as Y/n stuttered even more. Even though she was only teasing, it was a way to get a proper date out of her longest love interest.

“N-Next weekend? Sure, how’s Saturday night or Friday? I could do Friday, but I can also do Saturday or Sunday!…I just realized how sad my weekends are” Y/n coughed out as she shut her rambling down, and felt her face get hot. It probably wasn’t red, but it just felt like someone belted her face with a hairdryer.

Hermione couldn’t help but laugh as she grasped Y/n’s forearm with a comforting hand, but it soon interlocked back with the other woman’s. There was a beat of silence before Hermione just chuckled again.

“How about we just focus on now? We can talk more tomorrow” she stated as Y/n took another deep breath and smiled.

They spent most of the night like that. Awkward, but gentle. They didn’t know how to move forward, but they now had each other. This was saying a lot considering how long they’d been alone in this aspect of this relationship.

It was nice, to be wanted.

[holdupjack]

The Asylum Pt.1

——————

Pairing: Hermione Ganger x Fem!Reader

AU: Earlier 1900’s & Horror

WARNING: 18+ MINORS DNI/SUGGESTED RÄPE/GORE

——————

Third Person P.O.V:

July 1899

Y/n let out an anxious breath as she looked upon the Brightwood Asylum in the remote location in the north of Ireland.

Woods surrounded the structure, they were all dead and rotted, Y/n couldn't even see a living tree anywhere around her.

A bad omen.

Two horse-drawn buses stood dormant in the vacant lot as Y/n strolled near it, the animals were nowhere to be found. Her eyes shifted across the straps that lay on the ground, they had been cut free intentionally, but why?

It was a long walk to and from, and she should know, no one would take her here in the town a few kilometers/miles away. The feeling of eyes on her as she trudged her way through the woods was very prevalent.

Y/n looked back at the building and noticed it was eerily quiet, which was confusing since this place had bared windows that were always open. People in town had said that they could hear the patients screaming at night after most of the citizens had gone home.

One man she had talked to had said that the shrieks were the most common, but the calling for help from anyone, god, and the devil was the hardest to bear when he was outside past dusk.

Y/n had asked about a new patient that was brought here a few months ago, a woman around her age, that was accused of witchcraft in England.

The man had asked for a picture, to which the young woman quickly dug one out of her coin purse and showed him.

Hermione Granger, her girlfriend.

It had been a dubious trail, a constable had grown quite fond of Hermione since they crossed paths on her way to work in the local factory.

She had turned down his advancements kindly, but that wasn't enough. He had tried to force himself upon her one night, but Hermione was able to get away and run back home to her 'roommate'.

Like clockwork a few days later, she was placed in handcuffs under the suspicion of witchcraft. It turns out that the constable was a very well-liked and influential man, his reach stretched far into the justice system.

When Hermione arrived at the courtroom later that week, she had asked for a barrister to represent her in the trial, to which she soon found out that the officer had blacklisted her from any willing help.

She was completely ostracized.

Before Y/n knew it, her girlfriend was sentenced to life at Brightwood Asylum as a 'willing participant' for their observations.

Y/n was horrified by the letters Hermione would send her before they randomly stopped a month ago.

Her hand snuck into her coat pocket and pulled out the last letter she had received from her girlfriend.

'June 11th, 1899

Dear Y/n,

As you remember in my last letter, I have been hearing rumors from other women in the female ward that an uprising was on the horizon. It wasn't till this morning that my fears were confirmed, a woman named Susan, who suffers from random outbursts of chaotic episodes, came into my room and told me to stay inside tonight. She told me to not come out no matter what I heard or saw and to keep my door locked until another woman came to get me.

Susan kept insisting that I should not open my door to any man or doctor. I'm terrified of what tonight will entail.

If you do not hear from me again, please don't come here looking for answers.

Please Y/n, I need you to stay safe.

I forgot to ask you in my last letter, but didn't the moon look lovely last night?

Patiently waiting for your letters.

- Hermione Granger'

Y/n eyes shifted back onto the seemingly empty asylum as she folded the letter back into her pocket, and sighed,

"I can't just sit in our home and wonder what has happened to you" she whispers as she looks around the lot one last time.

Then she noticed a horse chewing on some grass at the edge of the treeline, at first she thought it was one of the bus horses, but then spotted a constable logo on the blanket under the saddle.

The man's story in town popped into her mind.

"A few weeks ago the screaming just stopped. At first, everyone was relieved! We watched as the day shift was taken up the trail the next morning, but the night shift never came down. That's when we knew something horrible had happened, the chief of police sent a group of men up there that night, and guess what? They haven't returned either."

Y/n shook her head and slowly made her way up to the entrance of the building, the doors rattled as she tried to open them, but it was locked tight.

She raised her knuckles to knock, but hushed whispers seeped through the cracks.

"Someone's at the doors, do you think it's the chief?" a man asks as another scoff in detest.

"No, he's too much of a git to come up here. Too afraid to see the monsters he created" he replied as the voice got closer to the door.

"Who is it." a gruff man asks through the door and Y/n clears her throat to respond clearly.

"My name is Y/n Y/l/n. I've come to check in on my friend, Hermione Granger. I haven't received a letter from her in quite some time, and I am worried" she replies, and it's quiet on the other end for a moment.

"The Asylum is closed until further notice, have the Chief of Police contact us for further orders" he replies, and Y/n furrows her brows in confusion.

"The Chief of Police? What does he have to do with this?" she asks and a sad chuckle comes from behind the door.

"Everything kid...everything."

Y/n paused and began hearing footsteps walk away, which made her panic.

"Wait! Is she okay?" she calls out, and the footsteps stop.

"Who were you looking for again?" a frail man's voice asks, someone different.

"Hermione Granger, she's on the third floor of the woman's ward, room 11B" Y/n replies as she hears the shuffling of paper.

"She is still alive, but please, leave before you get hurt," he says and Y/n shook her head out of pure confusion.

Still alive? Before you get hurt?

What the hell is going on?

"Wait-"

"We must go, I'm sorry"

"Hey! Wait! Tell me what's going on here!" Y/n yells as she pounds on the door, but it is no use, her questions aren't going to get answered with a door between her and the voices.

Y/n backed up into the lot and looked around the front of the building, Hermione had written in one of her letters that her window had a beautiful view of the town, so that must mean her room in the front.

She had said the female ward was on the right, but did she mean facing the building or away?

"Dammit" Y/n sighs as she began walking around the huge facility, looking for a ladder or basement that they might have left open.

"Please be a ladder-please be a ladder-"

Of course, there was no ladder, just a small walk down towards a door marked 'basement' in the back.

"For love" Y/n reminded herself as she slowly stepped down to the door, which she now realized had a bloody handprint smeared on it.

"If that doesn't scream 'walk in here and we'll kill you', then I don't know what does" she whispers with a nervous chuckle as the door opened with ease.

The smell of sulfur was pungent, almost making Y/n double back in disgust as she pressed her wrist to her nose.

"Oh god" she mumbled in horror as she closed the door behind her quietly, the hall had a track on one side, and the words 'MORGUE' with an arrow painted on the wall towards the door she came through.

There was a small building in the back that had a smoke stack coming from its small metal pipe in the roof like a blazing fire was stuck inside.

Y/n wouldn't be surprised if there was a cremator in it, it was the easiest way to hide any evidence of foul play for an Asylum.

Hermione had said that they seemed to be experimenting on any patients which caused a ruckus in the building.

This happened a lot, because there were many people stuck in this building with mental illnesses and disorders we don't understand yet.

Y/n found it horrible what they did to people who just don't understand what they have done wrong. Sometimes she thought the doctors didn't know either

The light flickered above her as she slowly walked down the passageway, a small whisper could be heard as she made her way toward the stairs next to the closed elevator.

It was locked purposely, a chain was wrapped around the door that would usually be pulled back to let someone off. To Y/n's surprise, she found a young man curled up and rocking in the fetal position, in his late teens, he was the whispering she had heard.

"Dr.Matthews doesn't like it when I'm not in my cell-but where is he?-is he sleeping in the supply closet with Nurse Rose again? No. I think he was the next to be-"

Suddenly the man looks up and stares at Y/n, her eyes widening in horror at the missing skin and tissue that is supposed to cover his right cheek. She could see his teeth without him having to open his mouth.

"You're not supposed to be here" he sang as he stood up and got closer to the steel door, Y/n opened her mouth a few times as she stared into his eyes.

"Who locked you in here?" she asked as he fiddled with the name bracelet on his wrist.

It said, Regi Willis.

"Dr.Matthews said he would be back for me, but he never returned yesterday" he mumbled as Y/n looked around the hall, she gazed near the stairs and noticed a dragging trail of blood that led through the broken-down door.

"I saw Willie take him in there, he screamed for so long until he either got away or gave in" Regi states as she looks back at him.

"I'll be right back, let me see if he dropped the key nearby" she whispers as he just nods and stares at his feet.

Y/n slowly followed the trail that no one should ever purposely investigate, but she just can't leave him to die in an elevator.

Slowly she poked her head into the dimly lit stairway and shut her eyes immediately at the sight she saw.

Presumably, Dr.Matthews lay on his stomach against the stairs. His pants and undergarments had been forcibly ripped away, and it wouldn't take a genius to put together what had happened to him. Dried blood trails had left paths down the back of his legs.

"Oh god..." Y/n whispered as she opened her eyes again and slowly walked over to what was left of his pants, which lay next to his body.

Her hands shook uncontrollably as she searched for the key, hoping to save at least more than one person from this god-forsaken place.

"Help me" a horse voice whispers next to her, causing Y/n to stumble away, looking at what she thought was a dead body. His eyes were barely open, and his lips were cracked from lack of hydration.

"Dr.Matthews?" Y/n whispers as a tear falls from the corner of his eye onto the wooden stairs.

"Please help me," he said again, and Y/n nodded quickly.

"I am, I've come for my friend, but I'll have this place swarming with help soon" she replies as he begins to sob, either in relief that this nightmare was almost over or the fact that it would still be a while before any help came.

Y/n wasn't sure.

"He broke my spine, I can't move" Dr.Matthews whispers as Y/n quickly searches through his pants pocket, and finds the key.

"Regi might be able to help, let me go unlock him," Y/n says and the doctor sighs in relief.

"He's okay? Thank god" he states as Y/n quickly runs towards the elevator.

"Regi? Dr.Matthews needs your help. Do you think you can carry him to the town hospital?" Y/n asks as she finds him still standing where she left him.

"Yes. Dr.Matthews is my friend! He saved me from the room with the lightning" he replies as the Y/n shoved the key in the lock and watched as the chain fell to the ground.

As she opened the door, Regi quickly stepped out and walked toward the stairway, Y/n followed after and stuffed the key in her pants pocket.

"Hi, Dr.Matthews" Regi whispered as he stood at the doorway, biting his nails, the doctor let out a soft chuckle and sighed happily.

"Hi Regi, are you alright?" he asks as Y/n takes off her coat and places it around the man's lower region.

"I'm okay, are you okay?" he asked as he stepped closer and watched the young woman slowly flip the doctor onto his back.

"No, I'm not" he replies calmly, almost like he wasn't just desperately asking for help earlier.

"Regi, I need you to carry Dr.Matthews to town. He'll be able to get help and save some more of your friends in here." Y/n says as the young boy nods and begins to take the older man into his arms.

"You're my friend now, right?" he asked and Y/n smiled at the boy.

"Of course Regi, my name is Y/n" she replies as the boy smiles back, looking happy that she had agreed to be his friend.

"I have four friends now Dr.Matthews," he says happily, to which the older man smiled.

"That's wonderful Regi, maybe we could all get together and eat dinner after all of this?" he asks and the boy grinned, his loose skin stretching around his exposed teeth.

Even in tremendous pain, the doctor still cared about his patients more than anything.

"Oh Y/n, take this key in my front pocket before we depart" the doctor states as she quickly pulls out a silver skeleton key from his shirt pocket.

"This will unlock most doors in the facility," he says as his eyes meet hers.

"Will it open the cells?" she asks and his eyebrows flew up in surprise.

"No, why would you want to do that?" he asks and Y/n lets out a breath.

"My...friend is here, and she's not supposed to be" Y/n whispers as she averted her gaze.

"Who is it?" Regi asks as he taps his fingers on Dr.Mathews's side in an unknown rhythm, she quickly looks back at him with a smile.

"Hermione Granger, she's on the third floor" she replies as his smile resurfaces like an empty water bottle that had been held underwater.

"She's my friend too, she gives me her pudding at lunch" he stated as Y/n chuckled, and slowly escorted them back into the hall.

"That sounds like her, I bet she'd love it if all of us got together" Y/n states as points to the door at the end of the corridor. Maybe it was just to calm the boy's mind, or maybe it was to calm her own, but these promises did sound nice. Especially in the place she has not even been in for half an hour.

"Go out that door and follow the road back to town, Dr.Matthews will get help and hopefully get this mess handled," Y/n says as Regi nods as the doctor begins to speak to him in a quiet voice, something about getting him some honey-covered fruit. She watched the boy shuffle off to the door at the end of the long hallway, noticing the way his body shifted from side to side with each step.

Once she heard the door creak open and slam shut again, a sudden feeling of isolation took over Y/n's body. Feeling the way the air on her body stood at attention in the dim lighting, the distant songs of yelling and footsteps made it even more uncomfortable for her.

Her eyes slowly turned toward the stairs case, a beat of sweat across her forehead as she took a deep breath. One foot in front of the other. That's it. Just take it slow.

Each step up the stairs was quiet and calculated. All she had to do was sneak up to the third floor, get through the male ward, across the lobby, and into the female ward.

Easier said than done.

Once she made it to the main floor, she could hear the men from the front door were bickering to each other. Y/n slowly peeked her head around the corner, seeing their silhouettes dancing against the wall.

"Are you sure Willie has been secured back in his cell? God, did you see what he did to Dr.Matthews? It wasn't supposed to be like this man, we were only trying to get better care, but the-" the frail voice was cut off by the more dominant one, who silenced him with a simple wave us his hand.

"Yes, that monster is back in his secured cell, and speaking of Doctor Matthews, why don't you put him in the incinerator out back?" he responded and Y/n's eyes widened in fear. What the hell is going to happen when they realize he's gone?

"Incinerator? Do you hear yourself? That man may have been a whore, but at least he was kind-" he was cut off again.

"Don't you get it, Bernie? If the Chief finds out that we let one of our hostages get assaulted to death, don't you think he'll have us lined up against the wall?! This is life or death for us, so do as you're told! And kill Regi! His yapping mouth will give us away for sure!" The gruff man yelled as Y/n saw one of the shadows move quickly, which caused her to throw caution to the window and run up the next flight of stairs.

Y/n found the second floor to be completely pitch black, even the emergency lights were busted out. She squinted her eyes in the darkness before shaking her head and taking her chances to sneak up to the third floor. This time she was much quieter again, her head peaking over the railing to see a figure walking down to the basement.

She didn't have time, and a hiding place was the best option at the moment. Y/n took a small breath before finally making it to the fully lit third floor.

"Mark! Mark! Dr.Matthews is gone!" A voice rang out before Y/n felt the hairs stand up even taller, her body subconsciously moved into the empty hallway before quietly fitting under the nurse's station desk. Her heart pounded like someone was squeezing clay between their fingers and letting go.

She pulled in a chair to cover herself better on the exposed side of the desk. Y/n could hear the sound of footsteps running up and down the stairwell. Panicked voices repeating questions or not even getting them answered.

"Someone's here! Someone has to be here! Who would have let Regi out of the elevator? Dr.Matthews was dead! Or at least at its doorstep!" The man, apparently named Mark, says. The other one, Bernie, was mumbling incoherent prayers, almost like he was on the verge of tears.

Y/n swallowed the lump in her throat as she heard the footsteps get closer, slowly coming up the stairwell and into the hallway. Then it was quiet, a few sniffles from Bernie passed by until a deep breath was let out.

"That kid from the door...what was her name?" Mark asks almost directly in front of the nurse's station. Y/n covered her mouth to stifle the loud breathing that tried to escape her as her heart pounded like a drum circle.

"Y/n, Y/n Y/l/n" Bernie responded as he took a deep breath as well, but much shakier than Marks. Then there was silence again.

"She had said that Hermione was the reason she was here" Mark hummed as his footsteps slowly walked toward the other end of the hallway, back toward the stairs. Y/n wanted to move, but the chair was in her way, and she's screwed if it scrapped on the ground or slammed into something else.

All she had to do was wait.

"Look for her, now"

This might take a while.

[holdupjack]

Death Row

——————

Pairing: Hermione Granger x Fem!Reader

AU: No Magic/Prison AU

WARNING: MENTION OF SA/ABUSE/MURDER/DEATH

——————

Third Person P.O.V:

July 11th, 2008

Y/n sat on her bed in the Death Row Cell Block A, watching the open food tray slot on her door as guards walked by every twenty minutes or so. It was quiet for the most part, she could hear one of the other inmates' radio playing some oldies from somewhere nearby.

If she had counted correctly, then today marked her eighth year in prison. She supposed that celebrations were in order. Maybe she could convince one of the guards to give her a muffin for the occasion.

Y/n stood up and walked over to the door, grasping the bars on the small window that gave her some access to the hall. She could hear a set of footsteps coming towards her, so she stuck out her arm and waved it.

"Good morning, Y/l/n" a gentle voice calls back as she puts her arm back in the cell and watches as a recognizable face comes into her view.

"Good morning, Remus" she replied as he looked at her with a kind smile. He was one of the few guards who were nice to her during her stay in this 6 by 9 by 12 space.

"Guess what today is?" She asks with a smile and he ponders for a moment, before finally speaking.

"Meatloaf Monday?" He asks and she rolls her eyes at his remark. He smiled back at her as he watched the young girl try not to chuckle at him.

"Well, yes, but that's not all! If I've counted correctly, then today should be my eighth anniversary in this place" she hums and Remus nods as he crosses his arms and thinks for a moment again.

"Has it really been that long already? Time sure does fly" he hummed back as he got closer to the door and whispered to her.

"I'll get you one of those muffins that you like as a gift," he says and her smile grows.

"You read my mind" she whispered back as he chuckled and stepped back from the door. His back suddenly straightened, and that was enough for Y/n to know that he wasn't just doing his regular rounds.

"Please step back from the door," he says and Y/n does what is told, walking back to stand next to her bed as he unlocked the cell and pulled out his handcuffs.

"A field trip? Well, aren't you full of surprises today" Y/n says as she turns around and puts her hand behind her back, already knowing the drill by now.

"Since your last checkup with the doctor, it seems you've begun to lack the necessary vitamins to help your body," Remus says as he cuffs her and places a firm hand on her shoulder as he guides her out of the cell.

"So, I need more sunlight?" Y/n asks as they begin to walk down the hall. Another guard, a rookie named Quirrell, stood posted by a locked gate ahead of them.

"Not exactly, the government had decided to issue you shots for you to take, so make nice with the nurses" Remus chuckled as Quirrell opened the sliding steel door, he had an annoyed look on his face as he kept his eyes on Y/n. Nobody really liked Quirrell, he was a prick and a pushover at the same time, and it was hard to get a grip on him when you needed to.

"Don't mind him Y/n, he rolled out on the wrong side of the bed this morning" Remus chuckled as they walked through the doorway and followed the signs leading to the hospital wing. It took them a few minutes, but when they did arrive, Y/n took immediate notice of a new person on staff.

"Why, hello there" she greets as Remus rolls his eyes and uncuffs one of Y/n's hands, but soon connects it to the steel bar next to the examination bed. A young woman, a brunette, and around the same age as Y/n, turned to them with a small hesitation.

"You must be Nurse Granger, I'm Officer Lupin but please, call me Remus," he says as he sticks out his hand and greets her kindly. She shakes his hand and bows her head slightly, but her eyes continuously flicker over to Y/n in a nervous nature.

"I don't bite...unless you like that?" Y/n teases and Remus sighs and waves a hand in her direction.

"This is Y/n Y/l/n, Death Row inmate 7991. She is one of our nonhostile prisoners, and won't give you any trouble. I honestly think the worst thing you'll get out of her is her corny pickup lines" he mumbles as Y/n looks at him in disbelief at his hurtful comments. The nurse let out a small laugh as she seemed to calm down slightly.

"Corny? You taught them to me!" She defended as he rolled his eyes and walked over to the door, opening it slightly before looking back at Nurse Granger.

"I'll be right outside, just give a holler if you need help," he says before closing the door behind them. Leaving the both of them alone together. Y/n looked over at the brunette and raised an eyebrow at her.

"So, Nurse Granger. What's your first name?" Y/n asks as she watches the medical professional pick up the clipboard on the table and read it over. Their eyes met for a moment but then disconnected again when she looked back at the paper.

"Does it matter?" She asked as she walked over to the cabinet across the room and gathered some equipment. Y/n hummed in thought and then shrugged.

"I suppose not, since I'll be dead eventually," Y/n says with a smirk as the other girl turns with a face of horror. She obviously had not meant it in that manner, but Y/n couldn't resist the easy teasing.

"That's not what I meant! I was just saying that since I have to remain professional-" she began to ramble, but soon just took a deep breath to cut herself off.

"Hermione. My name is Hermione." she sighed as Y/n began to grin and sat up on the examination stable. There was a playfulness to Y/n that made Hermione slightly uneasy, considering what cell block she was in.

"Hermione? Pretty name." Y/n says as the nurse grabs the stethoscope from around her neck and cautiously walks up to her.

"I don't bite" Y/n chuckled as Hermione closed her eyes and rolled them, just in case this prisoner was violent.

When she opened them again, she was greeted by Y/n biting the air in front of her, which made the brunette jump back. The prisoner began to howl with laughter as Hermione's face turned a bit crimson at the way she had been exposed to still being nervous.

"Not funny. Don't make me call in Officer Lupin" Hermione states to which Y/n continues to fight back her chuckles. The nurse finally worked up the courage to place a hand on Y/n's shoulder as she steadied herself.

"You're no fun, you're going to be like Nurse Umbridge, aren't you?" Y/n asks and Hermione has to stop herself from gagging at the mention of her superior's name. That woman was a piece of work, and it seemed that the inmates knew that as well.

"That is for me to know, and for you to find out," Hermione says as she places the cold metal against Y/n's back and listens to her heartbeat. It was steady and strong, but nothing sounded out of the ordinary. Which was good, obviously.

"Ooo" Y/n snickered as Hermione switched to the front of her chest and listened intently.

"Take a deep breath," she asks and Y/n does as she says, watching as Hermione focuses and moves the metal part of the instrument along the top of her chest. A slight chill ran up Y/n's spine as the woman's nails scraped along her skin as well.

"Exhale" she states, to which Y/n listens again.

When Hermione stepped away and placed the stethoscope around her neck, their eyes met again. She didn't seem as nervous as before, but the guarded aura was still prevalent.

"Everything sounds fine. So, now that leads me up to the questions" Hermione says as she pulls the rolling chair over to her and sits down, looking over the clipboard again.

"Questions? You're very thorough" Y/n says as she plays with the handcuff around her wrist. Hermione chuckled softly as her eyes flickered up for a moment before looking back down at the questionnaire.

"It's my job" she replies and Y/n just hums softly at her response. She had only been here less than a decade now, but none of the other nurses or doctors had even asked her if she had symptoms of anything when she had a cold. They usually just gave out pills willy-nilly.

No wonder the druggies love getting 'sick'.

"Alright, how are you feeling today? Any illnesses I need to be aware of?" she asks, Y/n just shakes her head as the clock on the wall ticks by slowly. It had only been around five minutes, but it seemed longer to both of them. Maybe it was because Hermione wanted to get Y/n out of here or maybe it was because Y/n was having such a fun time teasing the newbie.

"Do you suffer from any disorders or diseases that could affect the performance of the shot you will be taking from now on?" Hermione asks and again, Y/n shakes her head. She didn't really know what else to say, but she did want to ask more personal questions. Yet, it didn't seem like Hermione wasn't in a sharing mood at the moment.

"I suppose not" Y/n hums as Hermione nods and rolls herself over to the small box that lay on the counter near them. She grabbed it and pulled out a skinny syringe with a neon red liquid inside, there was condensation on the plastic, so it must be fresh out of the fridge.

Hermione rolled back and held out her hand, to which Y/n instinctively placed hers in it, they looked back at one another. Hermione raised a brow at the other girl.

"You know, holding hands is more of a date three kinda thing" Y/n teases as Hermione fights back the urge to roll her eyes and trailed her hand up to the inmate's arm, pulling up the jumpsuit sleeve.

"I wanted your arm" she mumbled and Y/n just laughed softly as the nurse tied the rubber band tightly around her bicep. Hermione cleaned off a spot just under the band with a disinfectant wipe.

"So, does this go into a vein or?" Y/n asks and Hermione shakes her head as she puts the shot on a small metal table near the examination bed. She rolled over to the door and pulled out a pair of latex gloves that hung in a box near it.

"Just in the skin" Hermione hummed as she rolled back and picked up the shot again, she pulled off the cap that protected the needle, and looked back at Y/n.

"Ready?" She asks and Y/n just nods as she turns her arm towards Hermione for a better angle. The brunette placed her hand on Y/n's shoulder and hovered the needle over the disinfected skin.

"One, two, three" Hermione says calmly as she injects the shot, and then pulls out the syringe. She threw it away in the nearby garbage can and then wiped the small amount of blood that came from the puncture wound. The rubber band came untied with a quick pull and fell to the ground.

"How many times do I have to get this?" Y/n asks as Hermione tells her to hold the wipe while she gets a bandage. She stood up this time, walking over to one of the cabinets and looking inside.

"Every one to two days for the next two weeks, then we'll do a check-up to decide if we continue for a few more days or we begin with only once a month" Hermione explained as she pulled out two different bandages, there were the basic one, and a SpongeBob one. The nurse turned to her with a raised eyebrow, and Y/n just grinned.

"You know which one I want" she replies, Hermione couldn't help but chuckle as she put the basic one away and walked over with the others. As she sat back in the rolling chair, Y/n had a debating look on her face, before finally saying something.

"Can I give you some advice?" Y/n asks and Hermione looks up at her as she unwrapped the bandage. If it was medical advice, then this was going to be a waste of breath, but she decided against saying anything.

"Don't place anything sharp near prisoners, then turn your back on them. You did that with the needle, and I could have easily just..." Y/n trails off as she gives a demonstration, showing she could have just reached over to the metal table and grabbed it. Hermione felt her throat close, as she realized how stupid that really was.

"Why didn't you?" Hermione whispered as she placed the bandage on the injury, and looked away from Y/n. The inmate sighed as she watched the nurse throw away the scraps of paper and plastic.

"You're nice, and I'm already on Death Row. What help would that do me?" Y/n chuckles as Lupin walks back into the room. Hermione stood up and gave a nod to him as she threw away the latex gloves as well.

"All done?" He asks.

"Yes, and make sure she eats and drinks something when she gets back to her cell," Hermione says as she takes a deep breath, and leans back on the counter behind her.

"I got the food part covered" he chuckled as he pulled out a wrapped muffin from his pocket, which made Y/n grin.

"I knew you liked me!" She chuckled as she tried to grab it, but her held it from her grasp and put it back in his pocket. She frowned as he un-cuffed her from the bed, but then put her hands behind her back.

"It's all yours once we're back to your humble abode" he replied. Y/n looked back at Hermione and gave a smile.

"Catch you in a few days, Hermione"

——————

July 25th

Hermione yawned softly as she looked over her schedule for the day. Her eyes fell to a familiar name, and she cocked her head to the side as she read it.

'BLOOD WORK ON Y/N Y/L/N (INMATE 7991)'

Ah, that's right, the two weeks were up. That means she gets to do something other than shots and pill distribution. She missed being an intern at a real hospital, but at least she didn't have to change bedpans as much as she used to.

Over the last few weeks, she had gotten more comfortable with Y/n, but only to be calm enough to smile at her attempts at jokes. They were very flirty, but what else was to be expected? Y/n was on death row after all, it wasn't like she got to regularly interact with other women besides the few guards.

So Hermione dealt with it, but she'd be lying if she said they didn't make her face hot from time to time.

She sighed and stood up from the small table in the staff lounge. Her hands crumpled up the trash from her lunch and dumped it in the garbage as she walked out of the room.

"Ms.Granger?" An irritating voice calls out.

Hermione rolled her eyes but soon turned towards the person with a smile. Dolores Umbridge had a devilish smile on her face, which meant that she had bad news to give. The younger girl was almost blinded by how bright her pink scrubs were.

"Yes?" She replies as the older woman walks up to her and hands her a file, Hermione raises a brow and opens it, only to realize it was Y/n's. Why would she give her this?

"This is Y/l/n's. If this is about her B12 shots, I'm doing the blood work today-" she was cut off as Umbridge shook her head and tapped on where the name of her primary physician in the prison would go.

'Primary Physician: HERMIONE GRANGER'

Her eyes widened.

"W-Wait, I can't be her Physician! I'm just a Nurse Practitioner!" Hermione exclaims and Umbridge just shrugs with that evil smile of hers as she looks her up and down.

"The inmate requested that you be the first person to aid her from now on, and I saw no problem since you have more than enough training than the regular Nurses" the older woman chuckles as she walks away, giving an over-the-shoulder glance as she does.

"Good luck!

Hermione fought back the urge to chuck the file at her head and instead took a deep breath. This had to be against the law to some degree, but she didn't seem to have a choice in the matter. So, she just walked away and stepped into a private room.

She laid the file on the counter and sat down on the rolling chair. Her eyes scanned the area, making sure the equipment and room were clean still since the night shift left.

Clean enough.

Hermione stood up and grabbed a few disinfectant wipes from the supply under the sink. She began to wipe down the medical equipment out of habit, and her minor clean freak ways. It wasn't until the door opened again, did she stop.

"Oh honey, I'm home to play doctor"

Hermione gave a soft breath of a chuckle as she turned towards the door to find Y/n being brought in by Officer Lupin. The older man rolled his eyes as he cuffed her to the metal bar, and sighed softly.

"Do you want me to stay in the room? She's been very playful today. I think she gets excited when she realizes it's time to go see her favorite nurse" he hummed as Hermione looked at Y/n with a smirk. For once, Y/n hid her face. Schoolyard crush, it was a sweet gesture, but it wouldn't go anywhere. Not on Hermione's watch.

"I think I can handle it" she replies as he just nods and looks back at Y/n. He pointed a finger at her as he smiled.

"Be nice" he states, to which Y/n crosses her heart and holds up a Boy Scouts salute.

When Officer Lupin backed away and left the room, Hermione crossed her arms and looked at the girl with an annoyed glare. Y/n noticed immediately and chuckled nervously.

"Would you care to explain to me how you got Nurse Umbridge to agree to me being your on-call Physician?" Hermione asks and Y/n plays with the handcuff around her wrist with an anxious demeanor. The nurse sighed and pulled her hair into a ponytail, tying it with one of her hair ties.

"I told her that I'd say 'hi' to her mom in hell" Y/n joked as Hermione huffed and rolled her chair over to the latex gloves box. As much as she did want to laugh, this was important.

"Y/n, this is serious! I am not a Doctor. I am a Nurse Practitioner" Hermione says as she pulls the gloves onto her hands and stands up, pushing the chair over to Y/n with her foot.

"So? Isn't that basically the same thing?" Y/n asks and Hermione scoffs as she walks over to the small rollable metal table, where she had sterilized and set up everything she needed to draw blood.

"No. That isn't even close to being the same thing." Hermione sighed as she rolled it over to Y/n and sat back down in her chair. The prisoner just shrugged as she didn't really know what else to say on the matter, other than that her boss might hate her.

"I trust you more than Umbridge. So I don't see why it's such a big deal." Y/n mumbled as Hermione wrapped the rubber band around her bicep, but much tighter than the other times.

"I legally can't even call myself a doctor, so how do you think it'll work out for me to be your Physician?" Hermione huffed as she took ahold of Y/n's forearm and turned it upwards. Then something caught her eye. There were burn scars, but nothing like she had seen before.

Y/n saw her reaction.

"Pretty cool right? I used to tell the other foster kids that I got them when I would beat up the lava monster in the basement. They were so gullible." Y/n chuckled as she watched Hermione touch them delicately, almost like she thought they still hurt.

"How did you really get them?" Hermione asks as she looks back at Y/n, who seems torn now. She then shook her head lightly and laughed at the fact that she was nervous again.

"I think it's a little early in our relationship-"

"Friendship" Hermione corrects.

"Tomayto/tomahto. Anyways, I think it's a little early to tell you the reason I'm on death row" Y/n says as Hermione looks back at her forearm, deciding to leave well enough alone. She took her thumb and searched for a good vein to draw from.

"I already know why" she replies and Y/n nods slowly. Hermione pressed her thumb on the vein so she wouldn't lose it, and grabbed the disinfectant wipe, cleaning the area.

"You know the media version" Y/n countered and Hermione hummed in response as she picked up the needle from the table. She supposed that was true, but did she really want to hear her out?

"I know you killed three people, and I think that's all I need to know" Hermione states as she punctures Y/n's skin and vein, beginning to draw blood into a vial.

"That's fair. I wouldn't trust the word of a killer either if I were in your shoes" Y/n says as the conversation falls into silence.

Hermione ended up giving the duty of providing Y/n her B12 shots to another nurse on the night shift after this encounter, and they didn't speak until the next time they met, but it was in much less desirable circumstances.

——————

September 19th

Hermione raced to her car at three A.M, stumbling slightly as she fought off the sleep from her eyes. Umbridge had called, telling her that Y/n, technically her patient, had been shanked on her way to the night shift Nurse for her shot.

She had been told that Warden Snape would tell her more details when she arrived back on the premises. The brunette felt guilt form in her stomach, knowing that this probably wouldn't have happened if she had pushed away her judgment and just did her job.

"God dammit" she whispers as she got into her car and drove off.

When she did get to and into the prison, it was on lockdown, and guards patrolled the halls nervously. Hermione walked down to the emergency area of the building and found Warden Snape standing outside one of the rooms with his regular, emotionless face.

"Warden" Hermione greeted as she stopped in front of him. He nodded and gave a tight-lipped sigh, crossing his arms across his chest.

"Officer Ronan was taking Y/n Y/l/n to the nurses station for her monthly B12 dose, when Officer Gale was taking Inmate Bellatrix Lestrange down to solitary confinement due to indecent behavior the last few days. From what both Officers have told us, is that they had both prisoners hugging either wall as they passed one another when Bellatrix lunged at Y/n and procured a shank from somewhere on her body. They were able to subdue her, but it wasn't until Y/n had been stabbed at least four or five times." Warden Snape says in his monotone voice, and Hermione takes a breath. She expected the worst, but then he spoke again.

"Luckily, the razor wasn't secured properly into the makeshift handle. So it broke off in her body in the first stab, but Bellatrix's pure strength was able to make small stab wounds with the handle alone." He explains and Hermione puts up her curls with one of the hair bands on her wrist.

"How bad is the wound with the razor?" Hermione asks and Warden watches her for a moment before answering.

"It wasn't as deep as we thought, so there was no need to send Y/n to an outside hospital. Nurse Carrie is stitching her up right now, and will monitor her throughout the night." Snape says and Hermione quickly speaks up.

"No. I'll do it. She's my responsibility in the first place" she says and he nods, following her with his eyes as she walks past him and into the emergency area. The curtain around the bed at the end of the room hid most of Y/n.

When she got close enough, she snuck around the cloth and saw the Nurse taking care of Y/n, sloppily stitching her up. Hermione almost smacked her hands away to stop her but refrained. Y/n's eyes were shut, but flinched at every pull and tug the doofus of a medical 'professional' did.

"Hey Carrie, I'll take over. Go take a break." Hermione says with a fake smile as the girl grins and stands up. Y/n still didn't open her eyes at the sound of her voice, Hermione guessed it was a way to show she was displeased with her.

"Thanks, Hermione!" Nurse Carrie says as she walks around the curtain, faster than the brunette could say 'no problem'. Hermione quietly sat down and put on a pair of gloves before she began to untie the stitches, being careful as she did so. The door opened and shut as Carrie left, announcing they were alone.

Hermione threw away the old stitches and her gloves as she stood up to wash her hands. Y/n still didn't say anything, her heart rate was slightly high, but not audibly noticeable on the monitor. The brunette had a million thoughts going through her mind as she washed her hands thoroughly.

When she came back to the chair and sat down, she put on a new pair of gloves and looked over the injuries. Y/n laid in only her pants and bra, both had blood on them, but nothing super concerning. Hermione instinctively traced her fingers around the five puncture wounds on her stomach.

"These aren't even washed out properly! That idiot!" Hermione whispered as she stood up again to grab a washout bottle. Y/n couldn't help but let out a chuckle due to her nurse's frustration with her coworker.

Her eyes opened to find Hermione mumbling to herself as she filled a bottle with water at the sink nearby. Y/n laid her head back down as she watched her walk back over and sit down. She does a double-take when she realizes that Y/n has opened her eyes.

"Hi," she breaths out.

"Hi," Y/n whispers back as Hermione pulls her chair closer to the side of the bed. Her mouth opened and closed a few times before she spoke again.

"How are you feeling?" Hermione asks but soon realizes how stupid that sounds.

"Like I've been stabbed" Y/n replied with a chuckle as Hermione took the squeeze bottle and gently cleaned out each wound. Y/n hissed, and Hermione gave a soft 'sorry' under her breath.

"Y/n, why did this happen?" She asks as her other hand dabbed a cloth around the wounds to catch the water.

"I don't know. All I know is that this is why they shouldn't allow guards to cuff violent inmates with their hands forward." She sighed, to which Hermione agreed with wholeheartedly. This had actually been brought this up in a staff meeting just a month ago.

"I agree" she sighed as she put the bottle and cloth onto the metal table, and moved over the suturing needle. Y/n turned tense as she watched Hermione, who caught her body stiffening up from nervousness.

"It's alright" Hermione whispered as she gave a comforting smile. She grabbed the unopened numbing cream, which that ditzy nurse either forgot to use or did on purpose.

"L-Lupin said that tomorrow was your birthday, which makes it today," Y/n said through gritted teeth, her eyes looking around the ceiling in a pained way that almost looked like panic.

"I'm twenty-nine as of today," Hermione says as she unconsciously lays her forearm atop Y/n's hand, she grabs it gently. Not too tight, but not too loose.

"I always liked older women," Y/n says as she seems to calm down, her fingers caressing the underside of her forearm in a slow and steady motion. Hermione knew better than to let her do this, but it was the only way to keep Y/n calm.

"We're only a year apart" she chuckled as she looked over the wounds one more time before falling back to the metal table as she unscrewed the cap on the numbing cream.

"I'm going to numb the small gashes with this, but the big one has to be done now. I can't wait for the cream to start working to stitch it up, I don't want to run the risk of infection" Hermione explained as Y/n just nodded and closed her eyes again. She listened as Hermione moved around for a few moments, calculated but soft.

A cold cream is spread around the smaller wounds, which makes Y/n shiver slightly. Hermione chuckled at that as she put the tube down and changed into a clean pair of gloves again.

"I'll be as gentle as possible," Hermione says as her eyes sorta wander for a moment, taking in Y/n's body. Hey, even nurses can appreciate a good-looking body when they see one. Granted, this probably isn't the best time.

"At least buy me dinner first" Y/n replied as she opened her eyelid slightly and caught Hermione staring for a moment before she cleared her throat and grabbed the needle and thread from the table.

"How about a muffin from the staff room?" Hermione asks as she pinches the skin together before she starts the process. Y/n grunted and nodded at her offer, always happy to get her favorite treat.

Hermione soothed her with quiet shushes and a caress of her wrist against her side from time to time. It was innocent. Obviously.

——————

It was late in the morning now, and Y/n had crashed from her adrenaline high. She was fast asleep as Hermione carefully covered her handy work with gauze. She took a deep breath and cleaned up the area around the bed before finally washing her hands and taking a seat in the recliner chair in the corner. Her eyes were on Y/n as the sun began to shine through the window.

She should be tired, but Hermione had too much to think about. Like how she had let her judgment go too far, to the point that Y/n could have died from a random attack of violence. She wasn't taking her job seriously, and she was ashamed of herself for it.

"I'm sorry" Hermione whispers to Y/n, who just snored softly on the hospital bed. Even though she knew that this could have happened whether she had been her nurse or not, it still irked her that she had been so uptight.

The door at the end of the room opened, and in walked Officer Lupin. He had a stressed and confused look on his face as he quickly walked over to Hermione. She stood up and put her finger to her mouth before she spoke, nodding her head over to show the sleeping inmate.

"How is she?" He whispers as Hermione guides him back towards the door so they won't disturb Y/n as she sleeps. She wasn't all the surprised to find Lupin so worried about Y/n, he had taken a liking to her after all. Almost in a fatherly sense.

"She'll live" Hermione replies as she leans against one of the counters near the door. Officer Lupin sat down in one of the chairs, and let out a deep sigh.

"You know, in the eight years she has been in my cell block, she has never caused any problems." He started as he crossed one leg over another and took off his cap, it now lay in his lap as he took a deep breath.

"Now don't get me wrong, most death row inmates don't cause much trouble, but she's different. Never asks for outlandish things like a radio or TV in her cell, hell, she didn't even ask for a new blanket after it was forgotten by the laundry crew" Officer Lupin chuckled as Hermione smiled softly back at him. Y/n seemed to be a favorite for a lot of different staff members. She was kind and respectful but was prone to give a few inappropriate jokes around the females, but Hermione was already aware of that.

Most of them didn't seem to mind it.

"I read the report on her. I actually read it five separate times" he says as his eyes stare at Y/n's feet. He wore a sad look in his eyes, which caught Hermione off guard. She expected a disgusted look.

"Every gruesome little detail."

Hermione took the seat next to him and looked at him from the corner of her eye. She never decided to look into the record on Y/n, she knew enough from when the whole case went down back in 97'. It was the talk of the country.

Her mother even took a day off work to watch the trial on TV in 2000. She had told Hermione multiple times her feelings about the whole thing.

"That town had it out for that poor girl, god forgive me, but good riddance to that foster family"

Maybe it was time to look into everything.

——————

October 31st

Hermione followed Officer Lupin as he guided her down the hall of Death Row Cell Block A. No one paid them any mind, most were watching TV, listening to the radio, or reading a book. In the middle of the hall, they stopped in front of the door.

She couldn't help but look over the Officer's shoulder as he unlocked the door, Y/n sat on her bed with her nose buried in a book.

"Y/n, you have a visitor," Lupin says as he opens the door and moves out of the way for Hermione. She gave a soft smile as she hid the bag behind her back and stepped inside. Y/n's eyes widened as she marked her page and placed it on the table beside her bed.

"I'll check on you in five minutes," Lupin says as he shuts the door behind her and locks it. Y/n kept her distance as she stood up, there wasn't really enough space to be far apart, but she didn't want to scare Hermione.

"To what do I owe the pleasure? My next dose isn't till a week or so from now" Y/n says with a smile as Hermione sits down at the table and shows the bag she had been hiding. It was fast food.

"I decided to take my lunch break with some company," she says as Y/n sat back on her bed and scooted until her back pressed against the wall.

"I think that this is slightly illegal and probably unprofessional," Y/n said with a teasing smirk, but Hermione just shrugged as she handed her a burger and fries.

"I'm already your unlicensed Physician, so I don't see a problem with adding more to my plate" she replies as Y/n just chuckled as she looked at the already cut-through burger, it was obvious that Lupin had made sure that Hermione wasn't hiding something within it.

"No drink? You're a terrible date" Y/n chuckled as she unwrapped the burger and took a bite of it. Hermione rolled her eyes as she popped a fry into her mouth, dusting off her hands with a napkin.

"I thought I was pushing my luck with drinks, so I brought the next best thing," she says with a small smile as Y/n takes the cups she gets for free, and fills them both up with water.

"And what would that be?" Y/n asks as she places the cup next to Hermione's hand and sits back down on her bed. The brunette dug back in the bag and pulled out a muffin, Y/n grinned happily.

"You're starting to like me, admit it," Y/n says as Hermione waves her off as she eats another fry and takes a sip of water. Their eyes met again, but Hermione didn't seem nervous or apprehensive like she usually did.

"I'm dealing with you," she says as Y/n chuckled to herself and took another bite of her burger. It had been so long since she had fast food. It felt like a warm hug.

"Well, I know you didn't just bring me food to have a chat. What do you really want?" The inmate asks, and Hermione just sighs as she leans her arm against the table and thinks through her words carefully. She was alone with a killer, so who knows what could set her off,

"Can you tell me...what happened that night?" She asks softly, and Y/n stops chewing for a moment. She placed the burger on her thigh and looked at Hermione with an almost...scared look in her eyes.

"Are you sure you want to know?" She asked as she took a sip of water to calm herself. Hermione took a breath and then nodded.

"I want to know everything" she sighs, to which Y/n raises a brow at her.

"Everything?"

"Every gruesome little detail," Hermione says, repeating what Lupin had said months ago.

(A/N: LAST WARNING: DNI IF TRIGGERED BY ABUSE OF ANY KIND OR VIOLENCE)

Y/n sighed again, looking down at her food. She seemed to lose her appetite as she placed it away from her on the bed and took another sip of water. It was silent for a few minutes as Hermione took small bites of her food. She didn't want to rush in case it ended up coming back up.

"The Dursleys were picture-perfect to everyone outside the home, but that wasn't the case. There were thirteen of us kids living in that foster home, not including the three of them." Y/n starts as her eyes dart around the room, almost like she is reliving a memory. Hermione put her food down and focused all of her attention on the inmate.

"The youngest was nine, and I was the oldest at seventeen" Y/n continued as she pressed her back against the concrete wall, she could feel the divots in it. Hermione nodded as she waited patiently for her to speak again.

"Those Dursley's were mean sons of bitches. Even their son. He was a year older than me, I think"

Their eyes meet again, but Hermione can only see a scared 17-year-old now. She wanted to tell her to stop, that maybe she shouldn't know more than what the media has said, but she kept her mouth shut.

She needed to hear Y/n's side of events.

"I had been living there for about five years up until that night, and I kept my mouth shut about what was happening to us all...like a fucking coward," Y/n said with gritted teeth as she crossed her arms over her chest. Hermione didn't say anything, only her eyes flickering around her body to take in her body language.

"You know, Mr.Dursley never touched anyone, but he had a thing for putting out his cigars on our skin. It didn't matter to him if I screamed and cried for him to stop, he'd hold my arm till he got his fucking rocks off." She scoffed as she instinctively rubbed her hands over her forearms. Hermione felt her hand twitch, but she stopped herself from reaching over and looking at the scars again.

"I broke my arm one time while trying to get away from him. I think I was twelve, so my first year there?"

Hermione's stomach began to churn and twist itself into knots. She knew the details were about to get a lot worse.

"Mrs.Dursley loved having kids around the house because she didn't have to do the housework. She was like a drill sergeant. If she had to do the chore because you didn't do it correctly, then you couldn't be surprised when Mr.Dursley would come to your room with a belt later that night" Y/n said with a chuckle, almost like she was trying to lighten the mood.

"And the boy?" Hermione asks. Y/n went silent again, her fingers picking and pulling at the scars on her arms. The brunette slowly reached over and grabbed her hand, making her stop. Y/n slowly pulled herself to the edge of the bed, placing her feet on the ground and they sat closer together.

"Take your time" Hermione whispers as their knees touch and her hand begins to touch over the scars again. Y/n's body shook slightly like she was lost in the memories. So the nurse dipped her fingertips into her cold water and touched her skin again.

Y/n stopped shaking, her eyes focusing back on Hermione.

"Dudley...Dudley was the worst. Only because his parents turned a blind eye to the behavior, and even encouraged it sometimes" she whispers as Hermione traced her skin with water again, her eyes falling to the droplets that floated on top of it.

"He was the reason I snapped that night"

The room turned cold. As cold as someone placing a cranked-up fan in front of them in winter. Hermione waited for her to continue, but first Y/n moved closer and rested her forehead on her shoulder. The brunette tensed up for a second but relaxed as she noticed that Y/n wasn't trying to hug her, but instead seeking a small bit of comfort without scaring her.

"What happened Y/n?" Hermione whispers as her free hand reaches up and touches the back of her head. This was very unprofessional, but she didn't want to ignore the small ask. It wasn't like she was asking anything, really.

But Hermione wasn't blind to context clues.

"It was late at night, I think it was almost morning. I could hear the Dursleys talking in their room since mine was right next to theirs. Dudley had gone in there to ask them something, but I couldn't hear what it was about." She mumbles as her fingers trace the hum of Hermione's scrubs.

"Then their door opened. It creaked like it usually did, and Dudley walked out" Y/n says as Hermione looks down at her and scratches the back of Y/n's neck.

"How did you know it was him? Did you see him?" She asks.

"Not immediately. His footsteps aren't as soft as his mother's or heavy as his father's." Y/n explains as she thinks for a moment. She could still smell the iron in the air.

"I realized he walking down the hall. There were only bedrooms where he was going, and I knew there was nothing for him there. He had the whole attic for himself. So I got up and walked over to the door, opening it enough to peek my head through." She says as presses her forehead more into Hermione's shoulder, slipping up to the crook of her neck.

"When I saw what door he had opened. I mentally just...broke" Y/n whispers as she sits back up and looks Hermione right in the eyes. The brunette took a breath and saw how Y/n seemed to hold a lot of anger behind her eyes, but it wasn't directed at her.

"The nine-year-old. It was her room. I told him he could do whatever he wanted to me as long as he didn't touch any of the other kids and...I saw the sinister smile on his face as he walked inside. I knew that look all too well" she says as he head twitched to this side. A nervous tick.

"I quickly went into the room across the hall, the twin boys, fifteen at the time. They had a fireplace in their room, so I grabbed the fire poker and ran down the hall."

"Y/n, what's the matter? Where are you going with that?"

She shook her head and looked away, down at her uneaten fast food as it began to get cold. That night haunted her dreams, not because of what she did, but what she realized had been happening under her nose.

"I opened the door and..." her voice caught in her throat as she took a ragged breath, tears falling from her eyes as she could still see her foster sister's face.

"That bastard was already on top of her. He laughed in my face and said to wait my turn" she seethed as she pulled her hands away from Hermione's scrubs and white-knuckled her sheets.

"The two boys followed after me as I grabbed him by the hair and threw him onto the ground. He didn't say anything. I didn't give him a chance."

Hermione felt the back of her neck stand up on its ends, but it wasn't from fear, but from being horrified at what was being told to her.

"I don't know how many times I hit him with it, but I stopped when a piece of his skull came out with the curve of the poker," Y/n says as she backs up, hitting the wall again. Tears ran down her cheek as she looked somewhere other than Hermione.

"No one said anything as I walked out of the room and into the hall, where the other kids now had their heads peeking out of the doors. Yet I just ignored them, instead, I walked into the Dursley's room and..." Y/n trails off as she looks back at Hermione, who still waiting patiently. She didn't look scared or disgusted, she didn't even seem to hate Y/n more than she probably does.

"I killed them. I caught Mr.Dursley off guard and bashed his head in a few times. Enough to incapacitate him. Mrs.Dursley screamed and tried to run out of the room, but I was able to trip her with my foot."

Hermione took a sip of her water, she could almost taste the blood, and it made her slightly nauseous.

"After I was done, I shut the door to their room and found all the kids looking at me. They didn't look scared, but I couldn't really comprehend what was going on." Y/n says as she looks at the light in the ceiling. It flickered and buzzed softly.

"Take...take everyone downstairs and call emergency services"

"Then the cops came" she finishes as Hermione straightened her back and stayed silent for a moment. She wondered what to say, but there was a question she wanted an answer to.

"I read the reports, and it said that they found thirteen different sets of fingerprints on that fire poker. Yet, only you were ever sentenced for the crime. How did that happen?" Hermione asks and Y/n nods slowly as their eyes meet.

"Did you ever hear the story of the 19th-century Chinese goldsmith? He lost a lot of money for his goldsmith buddies due to his shady business practices. So they decided to kill him. By biting him to death. One hundred and twenty-three goldsmiths took a bite out of the victim, ensuring no one individual could be blamed for the murder. For who would know which one administered the lethal bite?" Y/n says as she looks down at her hands, Hermione raises her brows in surprise. It seemed loyalty went far within those kids.

"If you went down, so did the others?" She asks and Y/n nods again, the room doesn't feel as cold as it did before. It was almost back to a comfortable atmosphere.

"I didn't know that they had done that. I had left the poker on the floor near Mrs.Dursley when I had gone downstairs to wait on the porch for the police. Thankfully, they all are still free." Y/n sighed as she found her appetite again and took a fry from its bag. Hermione just stared.

"Do you regret it?"

Y/n looked up and gave a shake of her head.

"The only thing I regret from that night is letting my foster sister watch me kill Dudley. I wish I had made her run out of the room."

Hermione felt broken.

——————

December 27th

Y/n was woken up by the sound of her door being opened. She sat up and found Hermione being let in by Officer Lupin. She had a small smile on her face as Y/n sat up and yawned.

"What time is it?" She asked as Hermione sat down on the table and checked her watch. Y/n noticed she was wearing a new perfume, it was much fancier than usual.

"5:53 in the morning" she chuckles and Y/n just nods as she yawns again, cocooning herself in the blanket. Hermione just stared, finding her sleepy face very endearing.

"I needed to talk to you about something" Hermione states as Y/n laid back down, but nodded, showing that she was listening. The nurse rolled her eyes and moved to sit on the edge of the bed, hovering over her as she looked down at Y/n with a serious gaze.

"This is serious" she muttered and Y/n raised a brow, blinking away the blurriness in her eyes. Hermione had become much more comfortable around Y/n since that talk in October, even going as far as to playfully flirt back.

"Are you going to ask me to marry you? Because I need to be your girlfriend first before that happens." Y/n says as she stretches, her arms biting the wall above her head as she does so. Hermione just smiled and shook her head as she took in Y/n's features, they were so carefree. It's like she didn't realize where she was.

"As much fun as that would be, I'm talking about your case being looked over again by a new judge." Hermione states and Y/n sighs as she rolls her eyes, turning on her side and looking away from her friend.

"I'm tired of talking about it. Everyone knows that I'm getting that needle, and I've accepted that." Y/n says and Hermione huffs as she pushes the inmate back onto her back, catching her off guard. She looked at her with a surprised expression.

"Now you listen to me Y/l/n. Do you know how lucky you are to find a judge who wants to review this case and its evidence? This could literally be life or death for you. So I recommend you take it seriously." Hermione says as she pokes Y/n's chest with her finger. The inmate smirked and nodded slowly, her hand grasping the nurse and pulling it up to her lips.

Y/n had become very comfortable as well.

A little too comfortable.

She just stared into Hermione's eyes as she kissed her knuckles. The brunette tried to act as if it didn't bother her in the slightest when in reality, she had an angel and a devil on her shoulder whispering different things.

"You're pushing your luck" Hermione hummed as she watched Y/n just kiss her knuckles again. They were soft, and kind.

"Then pull away" Y/n whispered back and Hermione just stared back at her, her eyes dilating rapidly with every little kiss that was pressed to her skin. This was dangerous. She would lose her job if they were caught.

How did this happen? Was it because she was a vigilante in a sense? Did she have an attraction to a killer, or was it a 'bad girl' appeal? Either way, it spoke volumes about her mental health.

Y/n kissed down to her wrist, a shuttered breath left Hermione's lips as watched her. Her mind told her to back away, but the rest of her body said otherwise. Her other hand grasped the sheets of the bed beside Y/n's head as she loomed even more over her.

Her hair fell around them, and a golden glow from the oak tree curls cascaded across Y/n's face. Hermione was in such an awkward and twisted position, that she thought Y/n was doing this so she would lay on top of her to relieve the knot in her spine.

"You're dangerous" Hermione whispers as Y/n smirks and nibbles on the space between her hand and forearm. That expression basically said 'not dangerous enough for you to run away'.

"Remus will be back soon," she says again, trying to find an excuse to go before she did something she couldn't take back. Y/n just hummed, continuing to kiss her skin. She had no care in the world.

She has lived so carefully all her life, but now Y/n doesn't mind the consequences anymore. She looked safe while silently worshiping Hermione's skin. She had the same look on her face as a druggy looking into stain glassed windows.

Hermione's back pleaded for her to untwist, it stung like steel nails being pressed into her spine. So she slowly turned her hips to the side, but then Y/n struck. She pulled Hermione onto her, the nurse gasped softly as her other hand broke free and landed on the bed beside the inmate's face.

Their noses bumped against each other, Y/n still wore that smirk that screamed 'got you'. It made the nurse's face began to feel as though it was right next to a space heater. Her chest pressed against Y/n's, pounding out to the other heart that seemed steady compared to hers.

"You...you are pushing your luck" Hermione repeated with a shaken voice and Y/n just hummed softly as her eyes scanned her face slowly, methodically. A gentle laugh left her lips as she looked up at Hermione innocently, almost too innocently.

"You have already said that" Y/n hums as one of her hands found their way up to the brunette's mouth, dragging her thumb across her bottom lip ever so slowly. Hermione felt like smacking her head into the concrete walls, just so she could get a grip on herself!

Back away.

Back away!

Then she heard footsteps and a jingle of keys.

Hermione suddenly stood away with a sharp exhale. Her back almost slammed into the wall as her heart pounded like a jackhammer, and Y/n slowly sat up on her forearm.

As the door opened, and Remus looked at them both with a raised eyebrow. Hermione cleared her throat as she took a breath, pointing her finger at a smirking Y/n, who feigned innocence still.

"Talk to a lawyer. Please" she says before quickly walking out of the cell. Remus watched as she kept her head down and sped walked down the hallway. He looked back at Y/n and let out a soft huff as the inmate looked back at him with a smile.

"What did you do?" He asked and Y/n just shrugged, Remus sighed softly.

"We were just messing around" she hummed as she laid back down, and rested her head on her arms. The officer leaned against the doorframe and hummed back in disbelief, the man on the moon could see Hermione's flush from here.

"Sure, Y/n. Just don't run her off" he says and the girl waved him off with her hand and turned to go back to sleep for a bit. Remus rolled his eyes as he shut and locked the door again.

As he began to make his rounds again, he couldn't help but find the situation a little cute. Granted, maybe he was a hopeless romantic. Then again, maybe there was something there.

Time could only tell.

——————

February 19th

Hermione sat in the observation room, writing down little notes for herself about medications and treatments that she had lined up for other patients. Yet, her mind was on Y/n.

God. It always was.

She was beginning to think she was going stir-crazy. Can you blame her though? To fall for a killer was something she would hear from the news, not expecting to actually experience it!

So after that encounter in Y/n's cell, Hermione tried to date a few people she had met prior. It was no use, however, for the death row inmate had her fingers hooked around her neck like razor wire, and the nurse actually enjoyed it.

"Something is wrong with me" Hermione whispered as she stood up and checked that she did in fact have Y/n's shot ready for her. She was a little bit airheaded today.

She had left her lunch at home and lost one of her prescriptions that a patient of hers needed for their depression. Hermione wasn't having a good day, and another mess up would definitely have her on the bad end of Umbridges lecture.

The sound of the door opening had caught her attention, she slowly glanced over her shoulder to see Y/n being brought in by another Officer, the little dipshit, Quirrell. He shoved her into the room and quickly latched her to the table, he didn't even bother saying anything as he stepped out of the room, the door shutting rather loudly behind him.

"What's his problem?" Hermione asked as she rolled over the small table and sat down on her chair. Y/n sighed and leaned back slightly, one of her hands holding her up as Hermione prepared the other arm for the shot.

"He hates me. I think he might have known the Dursleys" Y/n says with a shrug as Hermione's eyes pop back up to her in surprise. If that is true, then who in their right mind would let him anywhere near Y/n?

"What? How? Are you sure?" Hermione asks as she slips on a pair of gloves, and grabs the shot from the table. Y/n just sighed again. She looked out of it today. Two of a feather.

"I'm not positive, but I swear I've seen him before, before this place" she explains as Hermione inserted the needle into her arm and released the vitamins into the muscle. Y/n flinched slightly, but relaxed soon after.

"Maybe he just looks like someone else you've seen? It's like how I think that one actor from CSI has been in more stuff I've seen, but he hasn't" Hermione says as she throws the needle and other garbage away. Y/n chuckled and watched her for a moment.

"Probably" she hummed as they fell into a comfortable silence.

Y/n watched Hermione like a hawk, it sent a shiver up the Nurse's spine, but not because she didn't like it. She kept her back towards her, trying her best to keep her cool as she cleaned the small spaces she had touched.

"Hermione?"

She froze, but soon took a breath and looked over her shoulder. When their eyes met again, a warmth spread through Hermione's stomach, almost like a heating pad had been placed over it.

"Yes?" She replied.

Y/n thought for a moment and gestured her over, closer to her. Hermione took a few steps towards her, her breath rising a little faster than normal.

Was she scared of Y/n? No, that wasn't it. She didn't feel like a scared kid, she felt like a schoolgirl. This was wrong, but then again, why did being close to Y/n feel so right?

Y/n craned her head up to keep eye contact once Hermione now stood directly in front of her. Their breaths were moving in harmony as they stood in silence for another minute.

It seemed as though neither of them knew how to continue the conversation, or Y/n was playing a small game with her. She didn't know entirely.

"When was the last kiss you've had?" Y/n asks and Hermione blinked in surprise as a flush began to rise from her neck. That was such an inappropriate thing to ask! And she was going to tell Y/n as such.

"That is not an appropriate question to ask in the workplace" Hermione responds as she clears her throat and tries to step away, but Y/n gently grabs the front of her scrubs to keep her still.

"I don't work here, so is it really being inappropriate if I'm just a...well I'm not a civilian, but let's say tenant of this establishment" Y/n chuckles as Hermione swallowed the lump in her throat. She was right in a way, but it was against the law anyway. Hermione won't risk her freedom for a quick flirty feeling.

"Still" she replied and Y/n just hummed as she let go of her scrubs. Y/n won't force her, she wouldn't do that to one of the few friendly faces in this place. Yet, Hermione didn't move away.

"Did you talk to your lawyer? To see if you could file an appeal on your sentencing?" She asked and Y/n leaned back again, both arms propping herself up on the examination table.

"This is my last appeal, and my lawyer is for warning me to wait on it. She doesn't think that using it after only being here for eight years would help me" Y/n says, to which Hermione furrowed her brows in both confusion and anger. That lawyer may have a point, but it didn't matter in the brunette's eyes.

"What happens if your execution date is set? Then what the fuck will she do?" Hermione asks in a huffed tone, to which Y/n raises an eyebrow at. She hasn't been expecting her to get so defensive. Wait, that's not it. Attached?

"There's probably an emergency appeal she could send out, they usually tell the inmates a few weeks beforehand so they can prepare themselves" Y/n replied as she shrugged again. That angered Hermione more. How could she act so nonchalant? Her life is literally on the line, and she's just fine with it.

"How are you so calm? I would be shaking twenty-four-seven if I was in your shoes" Hermione says as she pulls her chair over and sits down. Y/n thought for a moment and shrugged again.

"I've had eight years to be afraid, but after the first few, you learn that you can't be terrified of something that will come eventually. Granted, I don't have a say in the matter, but this is my consequence." Y/n says with a sigh as she rolls her neck to the side, it cracked slightly. Hermione nodded along, understanding that she had come to terms with death. It was a part of life after all.

Another question loomed in her mind.

"How did you feel when you were sentenced?" She asks and Y/n pauses a moment, a faraway look in her eye. There was so much emotion behind it, yet her face didn't express any of it.

"My mind kinda blanked when the jury sentenced me to the death sentence. All I really remember is one of the bailiffs coming over and cuffing me while the other foster kids began to cry and yell at the jury...it was chaos" Y/n said as she took a deep breath out. Hermione bit the inside of her cheek, trying to figure out how to backpedal on such a deep conversation.

She didn't want to stress Y/n out, and the convict took notice of her nervousness.

"Can I ask you a question?" She asks, to which Hermione nods, a soft 'of course' coming from her lips.

"What was college/university like?" Y/n asks as she sits up slightly, a small smile forming on her face. Hermione was surprised again, honestly thinking that it was going to be another super personal question.

"Well, uh. It was difficult, getting my degree took a few years longer than most." Hermione explained and Y/n nodded along. She actually seemed very interested in what Hermione had done in school.

"Did you want to get your degree?" she asks, but immediately regrets it. That was a stupid question. She forgets that Y/n is a convict most of the time, then bouts out questions you would ask people outside of a prison.

"Actually, yes. Except, I just wanted to party" Y/n snickered as Hermione smiled softly. Of course, she did. She seemed like one of those people who would love to drink till they blacked out behind a KFC.

(A/N: personal experience btw, went to a party in Chicago and woke up behind a KFC in Indianapolis the next morning. To this day, I still don't know how I got there 🤷🏻‍♀️)

"Ah, sounds like you were going to be a troublemaker" Hermione chuckles as they get deeper into the conversation. It wasn't till an hour or so later, after Officer Dingbat finally came back from his lunch break, that they parted ways.

Hermione found herself checking inventory later into the day, a clipboard in hand as she made sure all her patients had their needed medications. That was when she realized that only one shot was left for Y/n.

"I better request more...directly" she groaned as her head dropped a little. Hermione really didn't want to talk to Umbridge again, but if she didn't, then it was likely that Y/n's needs would go unchecked. Even if she were to highlight it on the order form.

So, she begrudgingly trudged her way to the main offices and found the menace sitting at her desk. Her hair was still styled like it had been this morning, compared to Hermione, whose locks were how in a messy ponytail.

"Ma'am, may I have a word?" She asked as she cleared her throat and tried to keep an attitude out of her tone. Their eyes met for a moment before the smaller woman looked back at the forms on her desk.

"Yea, what is it?" Umbridge sighs.

"Well, we need a new shipment by next month of Y/n Y/l/n's B-12 shots" Hermione replied, but her face turned to shock as her superior waved off her request.

"That won't be necessary" Dolores sighs again as she signs off on some vacation request forms. Hermione was puzzled. What did she mean that it wouldn't be 'necessary'?

Obviously, it wasn't a secret that Umbridge was very cruel to the inmates in non-law-violating ways, but refusing her vitamins was a bit...bitchy.

"May I ask why?" Hermione asks, and Dolores looks up, a small sinister smile growing on her face. The younger girl instantly swallowed the spit in her throat.

"She is set to be executed"

[holdupjack]

Touches Pt.3

——————

Pairing: Hermione Granger x Fem!Reader

WARNING: SMUT/18+/FOOD PLAY

Part 1 - Part 2

——————

Hermiones P.O.V:

I anxiously stood in front of HoneyDukes, waiting for Y/n to arrive, she's ten minutes late.

What if she decided to not come?

Did I push her into something she doesn't want?

Oh Merlin-

"Sorry I'm late! I had a run in with Hagrid and he was telling me about a new creature he found"

I turn to find Y/n walking up to me with a soft smile, her cheeks and nose are red from the cold air.

"Have you been waiting long?" She asks and I quickly shake my head.

"N-No...I can't believe you came" I whisper with a small smile and she gives me a confused look.

"Did you think I wouldn't?" She asks and I pause for a moment, unsure of my answer.

"Hermione..." she trails as she leans down next to my ear.

"I don't pleasure just any girl" she whispers and my face heats up at the comment.

"Shh!" I whisper back and she giggles into my ear, pulling me into a warm hug.

"Granger, I was literally whispering" she laughs out and I sigh, melting into her embrace.

It feels...right.

"Come on, it's cold out here. I'll buy you something hot and sweet...like you" Y/n winks as she pulls away and grabs my hand.

My finger link with hers as she pulls me into the shop, her eyes light up at all the choices.

I giggle as she pulls me to a secluded corner with a row of candies that had caught her eye.

"Hm...Pink Coconut Ice and Black Pepper Imps? That gives me an idea..." she whispers, a form of mischief in her eyes.

"What is going through your mind?" I ask and she gives me a sheepish smile. Y/n leans down to my ear and her breath hits my ear lobe, making me shiver.

"Something for us to try later" she chuckles and my face heats up once more.

"Come on, I'm buying" she says as she pulls me around the store again.

After an hour of perusing the shop, we left with two bags full of different candies and drinks for us to try.

"Ready for cavities?" Y/n asks and I giggle.

"I don't think my parents would be very proud of me" I laugh and she smiles, holding out her arm. I take it and she pulls me into her.

"I won't let you get cavities, but I'll gladly eat the rest if you won't" she giggles and I hum, watching the side of her face.

"Come on!" I laugh as we rush back to the castle.

——————

We sat on the bed of the room of requirement, the candies and drinks sprawled between us.

"Are you really going to eat that?" I ask as she pulls out a jelly slug.

"Does the movement gross you out?" She jokes as a she hold out the candy, is squirms slowly in her hand.

I shudder at the sight and push away her hand, a loud laugh echos through the room and I smile widely.

Y/n eats the gummy and looks back down at the pile, my eyes travels down the line of sugar to two boxes.

"Why did you buy these?" I ask as I hold up the two boxes.

"You want to skip the candies to find out?" She asks, her devilish smile returning.

My face burns as dirty thoughts that enter my mind.

"A-Alight" I whisper as she quickly swept the sweets back into the bags.

"May I?" Y/n asks as her hand is held out for the boxes.

She takes a candy from both boxes and holds them out.

"Which one?" She asks and I gently take the pink one, popping it into my mouth.

Instantly the taste of coconut invades my tastebuds, but the feeling of coldness spreads around my mouth.

It feels like eating a box of mints and then drinking ice cold water.

"Open your mouth Granger" she whispers and I do, my steamy breath exhaling from my lips.

"Pink Coconut Ice, turns your mouth into a icy glacier" she laughs, popping her own candy into her mouth.

Her face scrunched as black smoke escapes her mouth.

"God, it's feels like I ate a jar of jalapeños" she coughs out and I giggle.

Y/n sticks out her tongue and it's black with red cracks that had small flames coming from it.

Suddenly she pushes me down into the bed, into a steamy kiss, quite literally.

The ice and fire that replaced our tongues causes steam to erupt from our noses. The sound of popping is muffled in our mouths as my tongue fights Y/n's.

When we pull apart, our tongues have returned to normal and a single string of saliva still connected us.

I feel her fingertips ghost my thighs as she pulls a pink candy from the box beside my head.

Her fingers disappear from my thigh and rise up to slowly remove my shirt.

"No bra again? I'm starting to think you don't own one" she giggles as steam flows out from her mouth.

"The first time was an accident" I argue and her chuckle turns dark, her lips attack my neck.

I gasp at the cold lick. Goosebumps rise over my body as her tongue trails down to my breasts.

"So you don't wear one for me? Naughty girl"

Her lips sucks my nipple harshly as her icy mouth licks and nibbles on it, I moan loudly into the empty room.

My fingers slip through her hair as I shut my eyes in pleasure.  Her body pushes my legs apart as she removes her mouth from my breast.

As she descends, my pants and underwear are pulled off and my entrance is exposed and eager for the girl in front me.

"Are you ready for my experiment?" She asks and I look down to her, the Black Pepper candy is held between her fingers.

I could feel my entrance quiver at the sight of her hungry mouth, I nod and watch as she eats the candy.

Black smoke erupts from her mouth once again, as she leans towards my core.

She slowly pushes her tongue into me and I gasp loudly, arching my back.

The heat from her tongue turns my vision blurry, my moans escape me with no problem.

The feeling of Y/n humming as her tongue vibrates inside me, makes my eyes rolls into the back of my head.

My back arches from the bed again as my legs wrap around the girls head.

Her fingers reach up and starts to rub and flick my clit harshly.

"I going to-" I'm cut off as a loud moan escapes me again, the knot in my stomach tightening.

"Y-Y/n!" I scream, my legs shaking violently as white spots take over my vision.

I came into Y/n's mouth, her tongue makes a popping and sizzling sound as she cleans me up gently.

It's quiet as I catch my breath, I feel a hand intertwine with mine and I open my eyes to see Y/n looking over me.

"Open your mouth"

I slowly open it and a string of spit falls from her lips and into my mouth.

Coconut and myself swirl in my mouth.

"Good girl"

[holdupjack]

Hello Spider

—————

Pairing: Hermione Granger x Fem!Reader

AU: Spider-Man Earth-1048

Warning: None

—————

Third Person P.O.V:

August

Hermione Granger sighed softly as she typed away on her laptop on the seventh floor of The Daily Bugle. She could hear Jameson screaming at one of his interns about how much property damage Spider-Woman caused in her fight with Vulture a few months ago. His podcast seemed to always be one somewhere in the building...

At least he wasn't spiraling about the new Spider-Man that she has been seen swinging with around the city. Hermione thought Jameson was going to send himself into the ER when it was announced that she had a protégé.

Hermione slowly stood up and collected her wallet, eagerly ready to go on her lunch break to Joe's Pizza Cellar across the street. She only took one step when a muffled explosion came from somewhere within the city.

Everyone around her seemed to look up and turn their heads towards the windows, when her eyes flickered towards them as well, a loud yell rang outa car suddenly flew past the windows.

"I HATE CHASE OF GOOSE"

Hermione threw down her wallet and grabbed her notepad, running up to the window as a familiar set of feet ran across the building.

"Aw come on Aleksei! At least look both ways before crossing the street!"

She soon sprang off the wall, while Spider-Man swung behind her. Hermione watched in awe as they chased after Rhino, writing down her quip before tuning towards the elevators.

Her coworkers began to crowd around the windows as they watched the carnage that was being left behind by the Villains run through New York.

Hermione soon found herself outside, running down the street to where a full-blown fight was taking place. Spider-Woman dodged the bigger man's punches as Spider-Man kept any civilians out of harm's way.

"Really Aleksei, I don't know why you try to punch me anymore. You know I can just-"

Spider-Woman was cut off when Rhino grabbed a light pole that had been ripped from the ground previously and whacked her with it.

She went flying through a department store window, to which Spider-Man immediately kept the villain distracted while the other got her bearings.

Hermione quickly slipped into the store, bumping into scared customers and staff as they ran out of the building. Her eyes land on the iconic red, black, and blue costume. A soft groan escaped the superhero as she pulled herself back onto her feet, shaking her head slightly as a way to get rid of the dizziness.

"I really need to quit jinxing myself" she coughed out.

"Spider-Woman?" Hermione calls out as loud yells and quips from the two outside continue. The hero quickly looked up and the eyes on her mask widened, seeming surprised to see her.

"WHERE IS FEMALE SPIDER" Rinho's voice boomed as Spider-Man flew past the shattered window, the loud crunch of metal and a car alarm blaring made it obvious what he had landed against.

"Stay here," Spider-Woman says as she jumps out of the store through the broken window and runs toward the belligerent man.

Hermione couldn't help but stare in awe, even amid everything going on. So, once again, she followed out onto the street.

Spider-Woman jumped and swung around the barbarian like it was nothing. Spider-Man zipped back into the fight and ducked between Rhino's legs as the other hero punched him in the jaw.

The young journalist knew this was idiotic to do, basically sitting on the sidelines as full-blown armageddon was in front of her.

Rhino swatted Spider-Man away, sending him halfway down the street as Spider-Woman jumped into the air and webbed a manhole in between her and Aleksei.

Yanking it up into the air, she soon slammed it against his head, causing the giant to stumble backward.

Right towards Hermione.

Her eyes widened as she tried to move out of the way, but the guy was falling too quickly. Spider-Woman webbed the arm of Hermione and yanked her up towards her.

The journalist yelled out in surprise as she was pulled into the hero's arms and taken to safety on top of the building behind them.

When Hermione's feet touched a solid surface, she instantly looked up to find the mask of the hero every kid loves.

"You were a troublemaker in school, weren't you?" Spider-Women chuckles in a fake voice as she removes her arm from around the journalist's waist and steps back toward the edge, watching Spider-Man web down Rhino. The bigger man's suit was sparking and in obvious need of repairs, while the two heroes only needed new stitches in their suits.

"Spider-Man, are you good?" she yells down, and he gives two thumbs up in return, before jumping slightly as Rhino yells angrily at them.

Hermione watched in awe as Spider-Woman turned back to her and cocked her head slightly to the side. A gesture that finally made the Brit find her voice.

"Can I...Can I have an interview?" Hermione asks and the hero chuckles softly, sitting down on the edge of the rooftop.

"Alright, you have a minute before the police get here" she responds, causing Hermione to widen her eyes and quickly pull out her pen and notepad.

This was a chance of a lifetime, and she damn sure wasn't going to waste it.

"Uh, why did you decide to do this? More specifically, why did you become a hero?" she asks as she eagerly hovers her pen over the empty page of her notepad.

"Well, the world could always use more heroes" Spider-Women replies as she picks up a small crushed can from the roof, and looks back over the edge, throwing it easily into the trashcan down below.

"That's it? Not the fame, money, or adoring fans?" Hermione asked as she scribbled down the responses and questions. Spider-Woman chuckled and shrugs.

"I think IronMan makes enough money for all of us heroes, and fame or fans? You've seen how the news changes their opinion on me, as do the people of New York" she says simply as she hears the sirens starting to get closer. Hermione looks to her right, seeing a part of the street a bit farther away.

"Don't get me wrong, I love all the citizens, but sometimes it does feel like a punch to the arm" Spider-Woman chuckles softly as she stands up from the edge of the roof and stands in front of the journalist. Hermione stops writing and looks at the hero with a shy smile.

"Well, if it's worth anything, I'm one of your biggest fans," she says, making the woman chuckle again and probably smile underneath that mask. Hermione couldn't really tell.

"Time to go!" Spider-Man calls out as he swings past the building just as the boys in blue turn down the street. Spider-Woman took a step back onto the ledge and looked back at Hermione.

"It's an honor to have you as a fan, Ms.Granger," she says as they stare at one another for a moment. Then Hermione realized something.

"Hey, wait-" she starts, but Spider-Woman quickly jumps off and begins to swing away. Hermione ran up to the edge and watched as she followed after her protégé.

"I never told you my name!" Hermione yells out, but it is no use, she is already too far to hear her. The journalist huffed out a soft laugh as she stepped back from the edge and looked down at her notes.

Now she needed to get down from atop this building.

——————

When Hermione stepped back onto the seventh floor of The Daily Bugle, everyone still didn't pay her any mind as she made her way back to her desk. As soon as she sat down, someone leaned against it.

"Where have you been?"

Hermione looks up to find Y/n Y/l/n,  the only photographer who has been able to get clear photos of Spider-Woman & Man. She was also a very good friend.

"You won't believe who I got an exclusive interview with!" Hermione says excitedly as Y/n rolls over an office chair and sits on it backward. Her arms lay on top of the backrest, her chin resting on her forearms.

"Who?" She asks with a smile as Hermione hands her the notepad, watching as the photographer reads the questions and answers.

Y/n couldn't help but let out a chuckle as she handed back the notepad to Hermione. The two girls had been talking for a while about a front-page story she had been told would be hers if she got an interview with the superhuman. Y/n couldn't resist teasing her about the joy on her face.

"Finally got attention from your favorite hero?" Y/n asked playfully, referring to the piece that Hermione had been working on for the past few weeks about Spider-Women.

Hermione rolled her eyes but couldn't help but smile. She turned on her desktop, and with practiced ease, logged in to her account. Y/n watched as Hermione's fingers danced across the keyboard, her eyes focused on the screen, completely immersed in her work.

"She is one of the reasons I moved here! I want to be the only journalist on the amazing Spider-Woman" Hermione admits, even having a small flush on her face. It obviously wasn't one of the main reasons, but it was a very good perk.

"You know...I do have connections to her. Maybe I could-" Y/n was cut off when Hermione grabbed the office chair and pulled her closer. Their faces were inches away.

"Can you get me another interview?" She asks quietly as they stare deeply into each other's eyes, Y/n's face growing hot at the proximity.

"I...well...yes!" She stumbles over her words as the smile on Hermione's face grows. She suddenly pulled away and opened her document application on her desktop.

Y/n watched as the woman's face lit up with childlike excitement, her eyes widening and a smile spreading across her lips.

"Thank you!" she exclaimed, her voice filled with genuine appreciation.

"Oh, this will be remarkable," she added, her tone laced with anticipation. Y/n sat up straight, feeling a sense of responsibility to carefully choose her next words.

"I'll see what I can do, but honestly, she might seek you out first," she says with a small smirk as their eyes meet again, a glint was in Hermione's eyes, something Y/n couldn't place.

"Seek me out? What do you mean?" Hermione asks as her eyes follow Y/n, who slowly stands up from the chair and pushes it back to where she got it.

Y/n gave a small smile in response and turned around to walk back to her desk, leaving Hermione to watch her go. As she walked, a glint of mischief shone in her eye, hinting at a playful side to her personality.

Hermione had seen this look before, though, and knew that Y/n had a way of doing things that was uniquely her own. It was just one of the many things that made her such an intriguing person to be around.

She began to smile as well.

——————

Later That Night

Hermione dragged her feet wearily up the narrow staircase, her arms laden with a heavy bag of fragrant Chinese food takeout. The pungent aroma of soy sauce, ginger, and garlic wafted up to her nose, making her mouth water in anticipation.

As she climbed higher and higher, each step felt like a Herculean effort, and she had to pause several times to catch her breath. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, she reached the fifth-floor landing and emerged from the dimly lit stairwell, squinting in the bright light of the hallway. The door to her apartment was only a few steps away, but it felt like a mile.

As she reached the front door of her apartment, she let out a gentle sigh and rummaged through her bag to find the keys. Once she found them, she inserted the key into the lock and turned it, hearing the familiar click.

She pushed the door open and stepped inside, feeling the cool air conditioning hit her face. Something about the atmosphere felt different than usual. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but an inexplicable unease crept up on her. Despite this, she took off her shoes and walked further into the house, trying to shake off the feeling.

As she walked down the hallway towards the kitchen, she felt a shiver run down her spine. She couldn't shake off the feeling that something was wrong. That's when she finally noticed her living room light was on, casting a warm glow on the walls.

But as she peered into the room, her heart stopped. Someone was sitting on her couch, their figure illuminated by the light. Panic set in as she tried to make out the person's identity, but then she recognized the mask immediately. Relief washed over her as she realized that there was nothing to fear.

"So, you break into homes? That doesn't seem very friendly" Hermione says with a smirk, causing Spider-Woman to jump up to her feet and turn towards her. Apparently, she had snuck up on the hero.

As Hermione approached her, she could sense a slight hesitation in Spider-Woman's demeanor. However, she quickly composed herself and greeted her.

"Oh, hi!" she said, her fake voice betraying a hint of nervousness.

"Uh, I don't usually do this...well, yes, I do. But for good reason!" She paused for a moment, placing her hands on her hips as if to steady herself. Her head darted around nervously before settling back on Hermione.

"You know, you should really be locking your windows, just in case wall-climbing...robbers become a prevalent issue," Spider-Woman suggests, her tone faltering slightly as she realizes the irony in her statement.

Hermione chuckled softly and placed her food on the small table behind the couch, watching as the hero seemed tense. This must have been a spontaneous decision.

"Anyways, I wanted to give you a better interview, since you had been willing to risk being crushed by a two-ton man to just speak with me" she continues with an awkward chuckle as she put her hands behind her back and laced her fingers together.

Hermione, with a gentle smile on her face, slowly walks around the couch with her fingers trailing along the armrest. As she makes her way towards the masked superhero, she speaks up.

"You must be feeling quite important. After all, you are the one who essentially controls the content of the front page of The Daily Bugle," she says as her eyes meet the mask, and she stands before her, waiting for her response.

"Owner? That's a little...overstated" Spider-Women replies as she steps back slightly as Hermione gets closer.

"Exaggerated? I don't think so, you have been on the front page more than Mayor Osborn" Hermione hums, her eyelids were low as she held a soft gaze with the eyes of the mask. Spider-Woman felt her fake voice starting to falter again, so she cleared her throat in hopes of keeping it up.

"Well, I'll make sure to send him a fruit basket as an apology," she says as Hermione chuckled and sat on her couch, legs crossed over the other as her eyes slowly trailed up the hero's body.

This wasn't the same woman she had saved earlier in the day, there was thick obvious tension between them now, but Spider-Woman had no idea why.

Well...she had a slight idea.

Spider-Woman, her red and blue costume tightly hugging her form, rested her hands back on her hips and looked down at Hermione. The young woman's face was flushed and her hands were balled into the couch cushion.

Spider-Woman's sharp eyes scanned Hermione's face before she slowly sat down on the coffee table across from her. The vigilante's movements were graceful and calculated as if she was always in control of the situation.

Then suddenly, Hermione sat up straight and seemed to calm in an instant, her arms crossing over her chest as she appeared to return back to normal. This girl was hot & cold.

"Would you mind giving me a longer interview?" Hermione asked innocently. Spider-Woman nodded slowly and rested her elbows on her thighs.

"Of course, uh, whenever you're ready" she replies as Hermione pulls out her phone and begins to record with the voice memos.

"My first question is, is it true that you have been taking the time to clean up the shores?" Hermione asks, but it is obvious that she isn't all that interested in Spider-Woman's environmental protection ideals.

"I try my best since fish is one of our main food groups in New York. We don't need people to get sick from any of them" Spider-Woman replied as she rubbed her hands together. A nervous tick perhaps?

"Alright..." Hermione hums as she shut off the recording, which piqued the hero's interest immediately.

Hermione reached behind her and grabbed the plate of food from the small table that was pressed up against the back of the couch.

"Well, that was quick," Spider-Woman chuckled, referring to the speed at which the interview had ended. The aroma of the freshly cooked food still lingered in the air, making both of their stomachs growl.

"I have a few...off-the-record questions for myself than the paper" Hermione explained as she opened the bag and handed her one of the spring rolls she had ordered.

Spider-Woman gave a soft 'thank you' as she hesitated to lift her mask up to her nose. Hermione didn't even look up as she grabbed the two forks from the bottom of the bag and handed her one as well.

The hero then slowly rolled up her mask until her nose and chin were the only things visible. That's when Hermione finally looked up.

Her pupils dilated like wide saucers, but she didn't express anything outwardly that would suggest something was off. So, when she held the tin container full of orange chicken and lo mein between them, the crusader thought nothing of it.

(A/N: ngl, I'm running out of ways to say 'hero')

Spider-Woman sat at the table, her eyes fixed on the steaming plate of Lo Mein in front of her. She couldn't resist the temptation any longer and picked up her fork, twirling it around in the tangle of noodles until she had a perfect bite.

"I love Lo Mein," she confessed. Across from her, Hermione watched with amusement, a soft smile playing on her lips. She picked up a piece of orange chicken and popped it into her mouth, relishing the burst of flavor.

"I know you do, you get it every Friday after work," she says simply, which causes the hero to freeze, the spring roll almost falling out of her mouth.

Hermione continued nonchalantly as she ate, while Spider-Woman stared at her. Oh how much she wished Vulture or Mr.Negative would burst in here, just so she could get out of this conversation,

"H-How did you...I don't know what..." she trailed off in her real voice as Hermione looked back up with a sly smile, almost teasing in a way.

"At first I thought it was just a coincidence that you were the only person who got special treatment with the Spider Duo because I knew that a few people in the Bugle have been able to get connections with other Heroes and Villains alike" Hermione starts as she ate another piece of chicken, chewing it for a few moments before speaking again.

"But then I noticed your tardiness, your ability to basically disappear and reappear at incredible speed, the random bruises, but again, I just thought it was a coincidence" she continues as Spider-Woman just stared dumbfounded. Hermione put the tin container down beside her and gave her full attention to the woman across from her.

"Then today-"

"I have to go," Spider-Woman says abruptly getting up from her seat, her words echo in the room. With the spring roll still dangling from her teeth, she strides swiftly towards the open window, her hair fluttering in the wind.

Her agile movements and aura of determination suggest that she's on a mission, and nothing can stop her. The bright city lights outside seem to beckon to her.

"Y/n."

Y/n froze in her tracks, her eyes fixed on the window. As Hermione stood up and walked towards her, Y/n's heart pounded in her chest, and her palms became sweaty.

She tried to move, but her legs felt like they were made of lead. Finally, when Hermione was close enough, she placed her hand on Y/n's shoulder and gently turned her around to face her. Y/n's eyes met Hermione's intense gaze, and she couldn't help but feel vulnerable under her gaze.

Without another word, Hermione reached up and pulled off the rest of the mask, and smiled like a little schoolgirl.

"There's my favorite photographer" she whispers as she holds the mask in one hand and takes hold of the spring roll as well.

Y/n and Hermione are standing face to face, gazing into each other's eyes. The moon is shining bright, casting a warm glow on Hermione's face.

"How did you know?" Y/n whispers softly, her eyes are filled with wonder and curiosity as they exchange glances. The night is quiet and peaceful, and the only sound is the soft honking of the hussle of the city.

"It's silly really, but that fake voice you were using, is the same one you use to mock Jameson's podcast" Hermione chuckles as Y/n couldn't help but flush at her own stupidity.

"Oh...oh that makes sense," she says as she clears her throat and looks down at their feet for a moment. Hermione just smiled as she placed the spring roll back in her mouth and gently pushed her toward the window, both of them hearing the roaring of sirens nearby.

"You're secrets safe with me, now go kick some ass" Hermione continues as she placed the mask back around her eyes and above her nose. Y/n grinned and slowly stepped backward toward the window.

"It's really nice to have another ally," Y/n says as she takes a final bite of the roll and speaks with her mouth full. She then pulls down her mask all the way, hiding a relieved smile on her face. The weight of the world seems to have been lifted off her shoulders as she welcomes the newfound support.

"I still expect a full interview tomorrow," Hermione says with a smile as she leans against the wall and watches Y/n back up slightly.

"It's a date" Y/n replied as she took a running start and jumped out the window. Hermione walked over to the windowsill, leaning down, and resting her forearms on it. Her chin found itself atop them as well, watching as Y/n swung away toward the boys in blue.

She smiled softly.

"It's a date"

[holdupjack]

So This Is Love?

——————

Pairing: Hermione Granger x Fem!Reader

WARNING: none

——————

Third Person P.O.V:

Upper Hogsfield

It was around fall when Hermione spotted her.

She had decided to take a stroll through the Hogsmeade fields and found herself in the little village just north of the bigger province. Hermione was talking to an outside vendor about the best place to buy fresh Ashwinder Eggs when someone caught her eye.

A young woman she didn't recognize. She was carrying a crate of Wiggenweld potions to another shop nearby. The sun seemed to shine a spotlight that only Hermione could see like Merlin was slapping her face with destiny.

Or she was being delusional...to each their own.

"Who is that?" Hermione had asked the vendor as she watched the girl knock on the door, struggling slightly as she tried not to drop the crate onto the ground.

"That's Y/n Y/l/n. She's the new delivery girl for the Apothecary in Diagon Alley, always wearing that smile! Even when she has to deliver in horrible weather conditions." They say with a chuckle as they clean their glasses with the edge of their shirt.

Hermione felt her jaw hang open slightly as she watched Y/n greet the recipient of the potions when the door opened finally.

The way her shoulders relaxed when the weight of the crate was relieved from her hands. The way her smile somehow shined brighter when the woman thanked her and paid for the delivery with a generous tip.

Hermione jerked forward slightly when Y/n took a confident step back, almost stumbling off the small step up. She caught herself by stepping down with her other foot, but a small laugh was shared between the woman and her.

"Close your mouth darlin', or you'll catch flies" the man chuckled as he broke Hermione from her gaze. She quickly clamped her jaw shut, clearing her throat in an attempt to hide her embarrassment of being caught.

Her eyes flickered from the product, then back to Y/n as she walked over to the small dolly that held three other crates that needed to be delivered.

She had to have gone to Hogwarts, but a part of Hermione swore she would have at least seen her face once or twice around the grounds. Yet, she had no idea where this Y/n came from.

"I'd go introduce yourself before she leaves," the man says as he puts his glasses back on, but realizes that Hermione is already walking away.

She approached Y/n with light footsteps, trying not to draw any attention to herself. Her breath was bated as she watched Y/n secure the rest of the product meticulously, checking and tightening the straps to make sure everything was in place.

Hermione could sense the care and attention Y/n was putting into the task, and it made her feel secure. After finishing with the straps, Y/n slowly pulled the dolly onto its wheels, ensuring that everything was balanced and stable before proceeding.

As the brunette was about to speak, she noticed a sudden movement in the corner of her eye, capturing her attention. Within a fraction of a second, Y/n disappeared from the spot where she was standing, leaving Hermione annoyed when she turned back to find the area empty.

"Dammit," she cursed to herself as she ran an irritated hand through her curls.

Then she came up with a plan.

——————

For the next few months, Hermione began to order from the Apothecary. Each week she'd buy a few potions or ingredients that she had no use for, and happily wait by the door like an eager puppy.

This wasn't like her. She was usually the one the be pinned after, not the one that was making the absolute fool out of themselves to just talk to the person.

It took a few weeks after the initial sighting of Y/n, for Hermione to get the courage to order something. She was nervous after sending the list and money from her owl, almost expecting Y/n to just knock on her apartment door immediately.

She paced for an hour before her door finally echoed with a jovial knock. Hermione took a breath and opened her door.

Y/n stood there with a greeting grin, a bag of pearl powder, and two bottles of Thunderbrew potion.

"Your delivery, Ms.Granger," Y/n says as she holds out the products. Hermione was silent as she carefully took her items and gazed at the girl intently.

Say something! She yelled in her head.

"T-Thank you" Hermione coughed out as she dug in her pocket and gave a very generous tip. Y/n was surprised and looked at her with surprise.

"Are you sure? This is a lot of money" Y/n says as she looks down at the currency in her open palm. Hermione just nodded and placed her order on the small table beside the front door.

"Yes, yes! Of course" she replied, heat slowly crawling up her neck and to her cheeks with every passing moment.

Y/n left with a bigger grin than before, wishing Hermione a good day before ultimately leaving her line of sight.

After that, one more order became two, then three, and so on. Just like today, she waited for her order of Leech juice to arrive.

As soon as the familiar rhythm of Y/n's knock echoed through the door, a broad smile spread across her face. She couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement at the prospect of seeing her friend. Without wasting any time, she sprang up from her seat and fished out the fifteen galleons from her pocket.

When she opened the door, Y/n had a small smile on her face as she handed Hermione the items. Y/n caught Hermione off guard as she reached out to take the potions from her hands.

"Can I ask you a question?" Y/n asked, hesitantly. Hermione paused for a moment, curious as to what Y/n wanted to know. She looked into Y/n's eyes, sensing that whatever question she had to ask was important.

"If you don't mind, that is," Y/n added, giving Hermione an out if she didn't want to answer. She then nodded, giving Y/n permission to ask her questions.

"Uh, of course, what is it?" She replies as she places the tip into Y/n's hand, but the girl doesn't even look down at it. She kept her gaze right on Hermione.

"You order from us a lot, and your items are very strange. Usually, I can pinpoint what kind of work someone does from their purchases, but when it comes to you...I have no idea" Y/n says as her eyes search Hermione's face for answers.

This wasn't something Hermione had prepared for, surprisingly. She never thought Y/n would be bold enough to ask her what she was using all this stuff for.

She needs to come up with a lie, and quickly.

"Oh you know, I have a lot of side projects I'm working on. Research on beasts and new spell reactions to potions, stuff like that" she says simply, almost convincing herself.

"Oh really?" Y/n hums, a smile growing into a smirk. She knew Hermione was lying. The scrunch in her eyebrows gave her away immediately.

"Yes. Really." Hermione replied as she shifted her weight from foot to foot, trying her best not to admit that she was literally just buying her interaction once a week.

"Then do you mind telling me why all your past orders are currently stacked on your coffee table behind you, untouched?" she asks teasingly, Hermiones façade fell immediately.

Her cheeks flushed pink as Y/n's eyes met hers, the poking gaze sending a flurry of wings through her stomach. How was it this woman had such a spell over her without even trying? Clearing her throat, Hermione summoned her courage.

"Fine. You caught me. Truth be told, it's not really been about the potions and ingredients..." she admits as Y/n leaned against the doorframe with folded arms against her chest. Hermione glanced down shyly before meeting Y/n's eyes once more.

"I was hoping each delivery might give me a chance to see you. You intrigued me from the first moment I laid eyes on you in Hogsfeild, and I find myself thinking of you often. I was wondering...if you might like to have dinner with me this weekend?" Hermione asks as wipes her palms against her pants.

As she finished speaking, the room fell silent and her heart began to race with anxiety and self-doubt. She couldn't help but wonder if she had said the wrong thing and made a fool of herself. The awkward silence was almost unbearable, and she prayed that her actions hadn't come across as crazy or nonsensical. But then, to her immense relief, Y/n's face lit up with a radiant smile that put all her fears to rest.

"I would like that very much," Y/n says as she pushes off the doorframe and stands back up. Hermione smiled, relief and joy swelling in her heart to see Y/n's acceptance.

"Wonderful," she replied, resisting the urge to hug her bundle of deliveries in glee.

"How does Saturday night sound? I know a lovely little cafe in Diagon Alley." Hermione says as she feels her body run with excitement and nerves.

"Saturday works for me. And don't worry - your secret is safe with me." Y/n says as she winked playfully.

"Though perhaps you could find a less wasteful way to arrange future meetings?" she continued with a smirk, making Hermione laugh.

"You're right. No more unnecessary purchases, I promise." Hermione agrees. A comfortable silence fell as they lingered smiling at one another.

"Well, I should get back before they send a search party. But I'll see you Saturday?" Y/n says, reluctantly reminding them both that she has to get back to work.

"I'll be counting the moments," she replies, the words escaped before Hermione could curb her enthusiasm, but she didn't regret their truth.

With an infectious smile spread across her face, Y/n bid her farewell with a graceful wave and turned around to leave. Hermione watched as she walked down the corridor, her footsteps echoing against the walls. As she disappeared, Hermione couldn't help but feel a sense of elation washing over her.

The excitement of the moment was palpable, and it seemed like nothing could bring her down from this high. As she slowly closed the door behind her, a sense of contentment settled over her.

Saturday couldn't come soon enough.

[holdupjack]

I have a request where Hermione kind of realizes she’s gaining feelings for Ron while dating fem reader and reader catches her and Ron making out. Ron asks Hermione to choose and she chose him reader is heartbroken and Hermione quickly starts dating Ron. Harry isn’t so happy because reader is like a sister to him. Hermione ends up marrying Ron and later on they have kids and she isn’t happy the life she had with Ron she wanted with reader. She sees reader again later on at the Hogwarts station dropping of her kids and asks to have lunch. She admits to reader that she chose Ron because she was scared to love a woman and what her parents would think and that she regrets choosing Ron and wishes her kids were y/n instead. Y/n admits she’s married and happy and leave’s saying sorry to Hermione. Hermione is left sitting at the cafe regretting everything.

Sure 🫡

[holdupjack]

Just Put On The Fleece

——————

Pairing: Hermione Granger x Fem!Reader

Warning: sexual suggestions

——————

Third Person P.O.V:

7th Year

Y/n strolled towards Hogsmeade with a smile as snow fell all around her. The lake was completely iced, she could see a few students skating atop its surface.

Snowflakes fell onto her bare arms as some students gave her strange looks at her choice of clothing. She wore just her white button-up and pants, which wasn’t up to most people’s standards when it came to this type of weather.

She didn’t pay them any kind though, instead continuing her peaceful walk to Pippins Potions to stalk up on some ingredients for her next class.

As much as Y/n didn’t feel all the nervous about catching a cold, she did however look over her shoulder every once in a while.

Before she had left to start her walk towards the Village, she had run into Ginny. Now this wasn’t unusual, since they were good friends, but she was even better friends with Y/n’s girlfriend.

Hermione Granger.

The two have been dating for a little over two years now, and to say the least, Hermione was not a huge fan of Y/n’s disregard for winter wear.

They have gotten into fights about it, but they were never huge or harmful. They were just little spits the couple had from time to time around the holidays.

Now Ginny was a little instigator, she loved to get Y/n in trouble with Hermione, and Y/n knew it. Granted, she would never say something to harm their relationship, but Y/n with no coat? Going out into freezing temperatures?

Fair game.

So now Y/n had eyes in the back of her head, almost like she was waiting for her girlfriend to appear out of thin air like a horror movie.

Y/n couldn't help but smile fondly as Hermione's concerns echoed in her mind. Always the protective one, her bushy-haired bookworm. Not that Y/n minded - it was just one more way she knew she was loved.

Reaching Hogsmeade at last, she hurried inside Pippin's Potions to escape the icy kisses peppering her skin. The familiar jingle of bells greeted her, along with friendly shopkeeper Irma Pippin herself.

"Afternoon dear! Back for more fluxweed I see. Winter rolling in already?" The old witch chuckled, taking note of Y/n's sparse attire as she gathered the ingredients into a small pouch.

"You know me Irma, a little chill never bothered me much." Y/n chuckled, exchanging a few knuts for her purchases, placing the pouch into her pocket.

"Though my darling Hermione might avow otherwise..."

Just then, the bells jangled loudly once more. Speak of the devil and so she shall appear, it seemed! Y/n turned with a smile to greet her favorite furious witch.

"Hello, love! Fancy running into you here..." Y/n chuckled nervously as she backed up slightly, almost bumping into Irma as Hermione stepped closer with a stern glare.

“Don’t you ‘hello love’ me! What are you doing out in the snow with no protective clothing!” She says with gritted teeth as the older witch just chuckled as she walked to the back of her shop, muttering ‘if you break it, you buy it’.

“Uh…” Y/n said nervously as Hermione stepped even closer.

Y/n flashes her best disarming smile, hoping to soothe her darling's ruffled feathers. "Now now love, you know a little chill doesn't bother m- oof!"

She's cut off as Hermione shoves a giant fleece throw into her arms. It's garishly orange and covered in little purple cauldrons.

"Here, now you have no excuse. Put this on at once before you catch hypothermia," Hermione huffs, fussing over Y/n until the monstrosity is wrapped snugly around her frame. Only her scowling face remains uncovered.

"There! Don't you look cozy?" Hermione states with a smirk, obviously loving the form of punishment she had procured for their way back to the school.

“I’m not wearing this.” Y/n declared as she playfully glared back at Hermione, who was not happy to hear the defiance.

“We can do this the easy way, or the hard way,” Hermione says as she grasps Y/n’s face and squishes her cheeks together.

“You’re going to make me swallow my tongue” Y/n muttered as Hermione gave her lips a quick peck and let the girl's face go.

“Now, will you be a listener today, or will I have to ‘accio’ you all the way back to my dorm?” Hermione asks as Y/n crosses her arms and grumbles to herself.

“But I don’t wanna wear this atrocious thing” Y/n whined, which made her girlfriend roll her eyes and sigh, placing her hands on her hips.

“Seriously, Y/n-“

That was all she could get out before the garment was tossed back at her, and the jingling of bells was her only indicator that Y/n had just made a break for it,

“What the- Y/N!” Hermione yelled angrily as she pulled the clothing away from her face and dashed back out into the village. Her eyes darted from left to right, soon landing on Y/n, who was standing at the end of the block with a shit-eating grin.

Y/n's mischievous antics would be the death of her, Hermione swears it. With a steely gaze, she marches purposefully down the street, fleece trailing menacingly behind like a wrathful cape.

"You think you're so clever, don't you?" she calls as she closes the distance. But Y/n only grins wider, dancing nimbly out of reach.

"Now now love, can't we discuss this civilly over butterbeers? I'm parched from all this invigorating exercise!" Y/n teases as she continues to back away.

"The only thing you'll be drinking is that foul lake water if you don't surrender yourself this instant!" She stays with a scowl as she watches the snow fall onto her lover's hair and bare skin.

But when has a threat ever stalled this rogue?

With a cheeky blow of a kiss, Y/n pivots on her heel and bolts down a side alley.

“Y/n Y/l/n!”

Hermione gives pursuit, weaving deftly through the village streets. She tries her best not to bump into anyone as she chases Y/n down alleyways and stairways to different streets. At last, she corners her favorite miscreant in a dead end.

"Gotcha!" she crows, triumphantly diving forward to wrap Y/n in her fleecy fate. But the rogue is too swift, spinning nimbly aside with a peal of laughter.

"Is that the best you've got, bookworm?" Y/n taunts, dancing just out of reach again. Her playful grin mocks Hermione's frustration to new heights.

"Why you impertinent—" Lunging again, Hermione feints one way then tackles the other, taking her willful partner by surprise. They tumble headlong into a snowbank, wrestling fiercely as the flakes fall upon their flushed faces.

"Yield, you beautiful scoundrel!" Hermione growls between giggles, wrestling the fleece around Y/n's struggling form at long last.

"Now take your medicine like a good girl." She smirks, pinning her captive beneath triumphant hips, Hermione then leans down to deliver a punishing kiss.

Well, as punishing as a kiss between two love birds can be.

"Let that be a lesson to cross me again, my darling rogue." She whispers when she pulls away, affection softens her stern eyes, and melting away Y/n's resistance completely.

"Oh very well, you've bested me, Granger. Have your victory - this time." Y/n sighs dramatically as she grins up at her girlfriend, and finally accepts her fleecy prison.

"I believe you have an apology to make, you hoodlum." Hermione chuckles, securing Y/n firmly in place as they stand up from the snowbank.

“How about another kiss instead?” Y/n asks with a smirk as she wraps the fleece around their heads and gives another peck to her girlfriend's lips. Hermione just chuckled and happily accepted this form of apology.

So deciding to be a little daring as well, and since they were hidden in a small alleyway, Hermione jumped into her girlfriend's arms. Y/n fell back into the snow, holding onto Hermione tightly as she pressed kisses onto Y/n’s face and lips repeatedly.

Hermione wasn’t this affectionate usually, at least not in public, but that didn’t mean she didn’t love these moments. Where Y/n would do something idiotic, like refusing to wear proper winter clothing, and then make Hermione chase her around Hogsmeade like they’re thirteen again.

A tender smile curves Y/n's lips as her darling bookworm showers her with affection. Moments like this make all their spirited misadventures worthwhile, reminding her anew why she fell for this fiery soul.

"I love you, you know," she murmurs between caresses, gazing up at Hermione with open adoration. It still amazes her sometimes - that such a brilliant witch could love a roguelike her in return.

But love Hermione does, with a passion to match even Y/n's flame. And so their game of chase leads ever onward, whatever obstacles life sends their way.

For now, lost in each other's arms amidst the falling snow, the world beyond fades away. No cares nor duties intrude on this perfect moment, shared alone between two hearts entwined as one.

“Do you mean it?” Hermione whispered as she stared at Y/n with a curious expression, but the tugging smile at the corner of her lips told Y/n that she just wanted to hear her say it again.

“Awe my lovely Gryffindor, I love you more than the ocean loves the shore” Y/n chuckled as she kissed her once more, earning a happy hum from Hermione.

“Aren’t you poetic today?” Hermione whispers as she kisses down Y/n’s jaw, earning a soft purr as the snow melts against her back. Y/n blushes under Hermione's teasing, always rendered bashful by her beloved's quiet charms.

"Only for you, my love. You inspire the poet in me unlike any."

Her touch sends thrills cascading through Y/n's form, setting her aflame despite the chill. How fortunate she was to have found not only a partner to match wits with, but one so generous with passion as well.

"I fear if we linger longer entwined, my good intentions may go out the window," Y/n chuckles, making Hermione snicker and throw the fleece off of their faces. She sits up, straddling Y/n’s hips as she shakes out the snowflakes from her hair.

“You are always so eager to rip my clothes off” Hermione snickers as Y/n shamelessly nods her head in quick succession.

“What do you say we retire to the Three Broomsticks for warmth and nourishment, before reckless passions overtake your mind?" Hermione teases as she stands up and hoists Y/n up to her feet. Pressing one last ardent kiss to perfect lips, Hermione dusts the clinging snow from supple curves. Offering an arm with a rakish smile, she leads them from the alley and back to the bustling thoroughfare.

“So…how about later?” Y/n asked with a smirk as they walked towards the small pub.

“Promise to start wearing your coat?” Hermione asks, looking at her with a grin of her own.

“Fine…” Y/n mumbles in defeat as her girlfriend proudly pulls her quickly into the building.

“Then maybe…you can see what’s under mine tonight”

[holdupjack]

Forgetting You Pt.2

——————

Part One

Pairing: Hermione Granger x Fem!Reader

WARNING: None

——————

Third Person P.O.V:

Two Years Later

Hermione sat comfortably on her plush sofa, a warm blanket draped over her legs, as she gazed intently at the dancing flames in the fireplace. The fire crackled and popped, casting a soft orange glow across the room.

Every once in a while, a piece of wood shifted, sending a shower of sparks up the chimney. The sound and warmth of the fire were soothing, and Hermione found herself lost in thought as she watched the flickering flames.

It's hard to believe that almost a decade has passed since she last saw Y/n. It feels like just yesterday that they were laughing and joking together, planning their future adventures. But time has a way of slipping by, and before she knew it, Y/n was gone.

Two years ago, she made the difficult decision to leave Ron. It wasn't an easy choice, but she knew it was for the best. She needed to find herself again, to figure out who she was and what she wanted in life.

And so, one year ago, she bought this small home in Hogsmeade. It's not much, but it's hers, and it's a place where she can start anew. She's slowly been making it her own, adding her own personal touches and creating a space that feels warm and welcoming.

As time went on, she couldn't help but notice the open spaces and empty shelves that were waiting to be filled around her. Despite the lack of clutter, the home felt incomplete, as if something was missing.

She realized that what was missing was Y/n's belongings. Hermione had always held out hope that Y/n would come back and start to make this place a true home. It was a silly dream, but it made her smile every time she thought about it. As she reflected on the memories of Y/n, a small chuckle escaped her lips.

She remembered the time when Y/n had run to her dorm with the biggest grin on her face. It had to be in their fifth year because she had this certain haircut that Hermione still adored in her memory. The thought of Y/n's joy and excitement filled Hermione's heart with warmth, and she couldn't help but feel a sense of longing for her return.

"Guess what!" Y/n had said panting as she walked over and sat down on Hermione's bed.

"What is it, my love?" she asked with a small smile as she pushed back her books and gave her lover her full attention.

"Lee Jordan is going to let me announce with him at the next Quidditch game! McGonagall gave the 'go ahead' too!" Y/n said with such excitement that she was almost buzzing. Hermione chuckled and walked over to her, sitting beside her and giving a big kiss on her cheek.

"That's wonderful! But no dirty humor, I don't want to spend my Saturday night studying outside detention" Hermione warned with a soft smile as she kissed her girlfriend's cheek again, earning a chuckle in return.

"I promise"

During the game, Y/n had kept the promise that she made, but as the game progressed, she suddenly announced how much she loved her girlfriend. The girls around Hermione were all in awe, while she was blushing furiously, turning as red as a beet.

"Merlin, how I wish I could feel the love you gave me, once again," she says, looking away from the fire with a wistful expression.

She had taken every lead she could from people around the region, even McGonagall had been sending her any tips she could find, hoping to put an end to the mystery of what happened to one of her favorite students.

Hermione had spent countless hours following every lead she could find, scouring every nook and cranny in search of Y/n. But no matter where she went or who she talked to, every trail seemed to lead to a dead end or put her in a never-ending circle.

Frustrated and desperate, she even sought out the help of Professor Trelawney, who delivered a cryptic message that Y/n was somewhere dark, cold, and underground.

Which just sounded like a grave.

Hermione had almost backhanded her.

The sound of a soft sigh escaped her lips as she slowly rose from the comfortable couch, causing the warm blanket that was draped over her legs to slip and fall to the ground. With a sense of purpose, she made her way towards the small kitchen, taking measured steps with her bare feet gently padding against the cool wooden floor.

As she opened the fridge, a rush of cool air hit her face, providing a momentary respite from the warmth of the room. She reached for the bottle of water, feeling the coolness of the condensation on her fingertips, and unscrewed the cap with a satisfying twist before taking a long, refreshing sip.

As the sun began to set, its rays filtered through the nearby window, illuminating her face. She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, running her fingers through her curly hair.

In front of her on the counter was a half-empty bottle, which she had been drinking from earlier. The silence in the room was only broken by the sound of her breathing and the occasional creak of the floorboards beneath her feet.

She heard a sudden and loud pounding on her front door. Startled, Hermione jumped slightly and turned her head towards the entrance, her heart pounding in her chest. She hesitated for a moment, then took a deep breath and quickly stepped towards the door, her hand trembling as she reached for the doorknob.

As she opened the door, she was surprised to see Professor McGonagall standing there, looking rather excited and nervous. Hermione felt a mix of emotions - surprise, confusion, and curiosity - as she greeted her former professor.

"Professor? Hello. What's the matter?" Hermione asks with furrowed brows as the older woman just summoned the coat that was lying over the kitchen chair, and her shoes skidded over to the former Gryffindor.

"Follow me. We need to speak... privately" McGonagall said quietly as she looked over her shoulder, then back at the younger girl.

Hermione furrowed her brows, but nodded at the Headmistress, soon slipping on her coat and shoes. Her front door locked behind her as she followed McGonagall into the busy cobblestone streets of Hogsmeade, students of different ages ran past them with laughter echoing off the buildings.

"What is the matter?" Hermione asks as she follows her closely, but gets no response as they zigzag between alleyways. It seemed as though McGonagall was trying to lose someone that Hermione couldn't see.

After a few more lefts and rights, she was ushered down into The Hogs Head Inn Cellar, where one single light flickered and the floorboards above them creaked with muffled laughter.

"Professor, what is the matter?" Hermione whispered with so much confusion behind her voice, that she was surprised she hadn't asked more questions on the walk there.

"I have gotten a lead from one of my friends in the Law Department of the Ministry" The older woman replies in a hushed tone, making Hermione's eyes widen.

This had to be more than a word-of-mouth rumor if they were hiding away from any unwanted ears or eyes.

"A lead? What is it? Is she alive? Did they find her body..."

Hermione couldn't bring herself to say the rest, she took a deep breath as her heart began to pump rapidly, shuddering in her chest like a jackhammer.

"She told me about how Y/n's case had been brought out of its filing cabinet again. There had been a rumor going around for years about dark wizards who had gone rogue during the battle." McGonagall starts, clearing her throat slightly as some dust falls from the floor above them.

"Many did. Why does that matter now?" Hermione replies, confused again by this information. It wasn't a secret that many of Voldemort's fighters had left his side once their numbers began to dwindle.

"No. The ones that had taken a different course of... beneficial security, during the war," she says, a nervous look in her eyes as she scanned the cellar around them.

Beneficial security?

"What are you talking about?" Hermione demands, anger showing itself as she seems to be tiptoeing around the topic, instead of just telling her where her Y/n was.

"They believe Y/n was taken during the chaos"

That statement alone snatched the air out of Hermione's lungs, she took a step back from the headmistress and looked at her in disbelief.

"T...Taken? You mean-"

"Yes."

Hermione felt her knees go weak as she stumbled toward a dust-covered chair, her mind reeling as she realized something.

Everyone had thought she had just run away.

Hermione had looked for her, before trying to settle her pain away with Ron, and she had come to terms with the same thing. She was hiding out and didn't want Hermione with her.

That wasn't the case at all.

"Oh god," Hermione whispered as tears filled her eyes, before immediately locking back with McGonagalls, who had a look of pity on her face.

"How? How could that have happened?" she whispered harshly as she gritted her teeth. She wasn't mad at Minerva but at herself for ever letting Y/n slip from her grasp.

"Have you ever heard parents cautioning their children about the dangers of predators lurking in crowded places, waiting for an opportunity to snatch them away without anyone noticing?" she asked, her voice laced with gentleness.

Y/n might have been taken in the middle of a fucking battlefield, and no one ever noticed.

"Yes" Her response was barely audible, as she whispered back softly. She avoided making any eye contact and her gaze shifted downwards towards her feet.

As she spoke, she felt a sudden discomfort in her stomach, almost as if it was being squeezed tightly. The overwhelming emotion she was experiencing made it difficult for her to maintain composure.

McGonagall didn't know what to say or do but knew she had to give the last bit of information to the distraught lovebird.

"They found the location of an underground den for a trafficking operation" she finally reveals, making Hermione leap to her feet with pure adrenaline.

"Trafficking? There's human trafficking in our world?" Hermione asks angrily, now fueled with so many intense emotions, that she thought she was about to explode.

How could she not know this? Why wasn't this more known? How the hell-

"A Magic Trafficking Ring" McGonagall whispers sadly as she clears her throat again, fighting back her own anger from the mere thought of one of her old students being held there.

"What does that mean?" Hermione asks as more dust falls from the floors, landing between them on the cement.

"It's been rumored that many people that have gone missing over the years have been put to auction by this group...sold to wealthy Muggles as a sick form of entertainment" the older woman states with disgust as she tries to shake off the feeling from her body.

Hermione felt as though her world was crumbling. Where was Y/n? Who has her now?

Was she even alive still?

——————

Six Months Later

Hermione felt the familiar sensation of apparition wash over her as she closed her eyes and focused on her destination. When she opened her eyes again, she found herself standing on a narrow trail that snaked through the dense forest of South China.

She took a deep breath of the humid air and looked around, taking in the lush greenery and the sounds of birds and other creatures rustling in the trees. She could see colorful butterflies flitting around, and she could hear the distant roar of a waterfall. Hermione dusted off her clothes and adjusted her backpack, taking a moment to orient herself and get her bearings before setting off down the trail.

As the moment of truth arrived, she felt a mix of emotions that were hard to contain. She knew that the next few hours could make or break everything. It all came down to this one decision that could change everything.

She had to bring Y/n home, but the stakes were high. Either Y/n would come back home alive, or she would have to lay her to rest. It was a difficult and emotional choice that would impact Hermione’s life more than it already had.

She took a deep breath as she pulled out an enchanted compass. It spun a few times before finally landing in front of her. Within the metal was a chip of Y/n's wand, showing her where its owner lay waiting.

To construct the specific device, Hermione needed access to it, but it was being held in the evidence locker.

Fortunately, Professor McGonagall was able to help out - she managed to pull some strings and secure the necessary item for Hermione. With the assistance of Hagrid, Hermione was then able to successfully the compass.

…

She had told no one that she had left. Not even her parents. Afraid to put them in danger, or worse.

Who knows what she was walking into?

As she stood at the beginning of the forest, she felt a shiver run down her spine. The dense foliage seemed to be hiding something ominous, something that she couldn't quite put her finger on.

Was there a den full of criminals and killers, lurking within the shadows of the trees? Or perhaps it was a mass grave, hidden deep beneath the earth? Her heart raced as she contemplated the various possibilities

Hermione's voice was barely above a whisper as she stared intently at the compass in her hand.

"Oh, Y/n... where are you?" she murmured, her brow furrowed with concern. She took a deep breath and continued to follow the compass, her steps quickening as she grew more and more anxious. Despite her exhaustion, she refused to give up until she found the love of her life.

With each passing moment, her huffs grew more audible, a sign of the physical strain she was putting herself through.

As the day progressed, Hermione continued to walk through the dense forest. She soon reached the edge of a huge sinkhole that seemed to have no end. Peering down, she could see even more trees and vegetation below.

Casting her eyes around the horizon, she spotted a small tent in the distance. It seemed to be in a man-made clearing in the middle of the sinkhole. She could even see a campfire burning brightly in front of the tent.

She brought up the compass and knew deep down in her soul that Y/n had to be there. She could even feel her past lover's wand almost shuddering with excitement from within her backpack.

Hermione's heart was pounding as she looked down at the gaping sinkhole in front of her. She knew that she had to be careful, but she also knew that time was of the essence. She took a deep breath and pulled out her own wand, slowly making her way down the steep incline towards the base of the sinkhole. Her hands were shaking slightly, but she tried to remain calm and focused.

The journey down was treacherous and slow-going, with loose rocks and dirt threatening to give way at any moment. But Hermione was determined to reach the bottom, no matter what. It took another hour of cautious descent before she finally felt her feet hit level ground. She let out a sigh of relief and took a moment to catch her breath, surveying her surroundings.

Despite the danger and the difficulty of the journey, Hermione knew that she had to keep moving forward. She had a mission to accomplish, and she wasn't going to let anything stand in her way.

The sun was gone now, but she had a clear shot of the roaring campfire that was just a small orange dot in the distance at that moment.

This was it.

Her exhaustion had disappeared, and she began to jog toward the single-form light. Her mind started to fill with nothing but Y/n.

When she finally got the the edge of the clearing, she kneeled down and stared at the one person that sat near the fire. It was a small, lanky, middle-aged man.

Hermione looked down at the compass and it shook tightly as the tent. She was there. Y/n was a stone's throw away.

Passion and determination surged through her chest as she stuffed the compass back into her pocket and slowly began to sneak up behind the man. Every step was calculated, stepping over twigs and leaves as her eyes burned a hole into the back of the blissfully unaware man's head.

When she was fully behind him, she pressed the tip of the want to his neck and he tensed immediately.

“Where is she?” Hermione whispered harshly as her other hand gripped his shoulder with a warning. She wasn't in the mood for questions.

“W-Who?” he replied, which just made her even more angry, so he pressed her wand more against his skin.

“Y/n Y/l/n. The student who disappeared from Hogwarts,” she states as her grip became harder against his shoulder, making him sink down slightly to ease the pain.

“Basement! Please don't-”

“Stupefy”

Hermione cautiously approached the tent's flaps after the man collapsed on the ground. She nimbly stepped over his body and entered the tent, only to find that the interior was much more spacious than she had anticipated. However, to her surprise, the place appeared to be completely deserted.

She treaded lightly towards a set of stairs that descended further down, each creaking floorboard making her inwardly curse. Despite her efforts to stay quiet, the sound of her footsteps echoed through the empty tent, making her feel increasingly uneasy.

As she descended the stairs to the basement, she felt an eerie chill run down her spine. The musty smell of damp concrete mixed with something else, something that made her want to gag. And that's when she saw them - cages, lining the walls, one after another. She approached the first one, her heart pounding in her chest, but it was empty.

She moved on to the next and the next, but they were all the same - empty. Her stomach sank as she realized that whatever had been held in these cages was long gone. The silence was deafening, broken only by the sound of her own breathing. And then she smelled it - the unmistakable stench of death. It grew stronger the further she walked until it was almost suffocating.

“Y/n!” Hermione called out, not caring if she was caught. Yet, she heard nothing in return. Her head turned from left to right as she continued to hope that she would see Y/n.

Alive.

When she reached the end of the hall, the smell was overwhelming, and she soon noticed a makeshift sign that read ‘Morgue’. Hermione took a step back and shook her head.

“No…no, please” she begged out loud as tears filled her eyes. Was she too late?

Hermione then pulled out the compass again, but when she looked at it, it was pointing behind her. Y/n wasn't in there.

As Hermione walked down the dimly lit row of cells, her heart was racing with anticipation. She had to find the right one before it was too late. With each passing second, her sense of urgency grew stronger. She picked up her pace and started walking even faster than before. The sound of her footsteps echoed through the narrow corridor, making her feel even more anxious.

Suddenly, she noticed that the compass in her hand had started to turn to the left. Hermione's eyes flickered up and down, scanning the cages on either side of her. She was looking for something specific, something that would help her achieve her goal. The arrow on the compass was pointing straight ahead, but then, it made a sharp turn backward when she passed a certain cage.

Hermione stopped in her tracks and took a step back. She peered through the bars of the cage and saw what she had been looking for: her Y/n.

“Y/n!” she called out in a sigh of relief as the curled-up figure sat in the shadowed corner of the cell, Hermione had completely missed her the first time she had looked into it.

“I did what I was told, you promised to stop with the hallucinations” Y/n’s raspy voice replied as Hermione quickly unlocked the door and opened it. When she stepped in, she kept her distance. Hermione had no idea what kind of mental state Y/n was in, and she didn't want to scare her.

“Love, it's me. I've come to bring you home” she whispered back with tears in her eyes as she sank down to the floor on her knees, and fought back every urge to jump into Y/n’s arms.

Y/n slowly looked up, and her eyes began to widen like she had seen a dementor. In her entire time here, never once had she been shown an older Hermione in her forced hallucinations. She didn't know what that would look like, until now.

“Mione?” she called out softly as she slowly leaned forward and reached out to touch her. Hermione smiled as tears fell down her cheeks, feeling as Y/n’s fingertips traced her jaw.

Then she just flung herself into Hermione's arms, which the other girl quickly accepted with more happiness than she had felt in years.

“You're real! You found me!” Y/n cried out happily as she sobbed into Hermione’s shoulder, who was also fighting back an onslaught of tears.

“Of course” Hermione whispered back as she gave into her needs and kissed the side of Y/n’s head, but soon they parted as they looked into each other's eyes.

“We have to get out of here before they return”

——————

Two Weeks Later

Hermione lay in bed as Y/n slept beside her, her fingers running through the girl's hair as the clock struck midnight.

They both gave the exact location of the operation to the authorities as soon as Hermione got them to the nearest Wizarding Hospital.

They don't know if the authorities were able to stop the monsters from moving locations, but Hermione prayed hopefully.

Y/n had explained that she had been left behind by the sellers because she was getting too old. She was going to be killed that night once they got back. Which only made Hermione thank every higher power for her timing once she was told this information.

Hermione never pushed for any more information as time went on, only gaining the knowledge when Y/n would randomly spew it out.

All the little stories made her stomach turn.

…

Y/n was doing better, slowly starting to gain weight and relearning some basic things that had been lost to her over the years.

Hermione had taken her in immediately, watching Y/n like a hawk when old friends came by for a reunion, or if Rita Skeeter was trying to corner her for an interview when they sat outside.

She slowly pulled Y/n closer to her chest, running a comforting hand up and down her spine as she thought about everything.

“I'm sorry I didn't find you sooner” Hermione whispered as she kissed the top of Y/n’s head, and took in the smell of the new shampoo that Y/n had picked out when they went shopping the other day.

“But, I'll never let you go again” she promised softly as she let her eyes shut, and her lips kissed Y/n’s head a few more times.

“And I'll never forget you”

[holdupjack]

Ain't No Sunshine

——————

Pairing: Hermione Granger x Fem!Reader

AU: Based in the same universe as ‘The Both Die At The End

WARNING: ANSGT NO COMFORT

——————

Third Person P.O.V:

April 11th, 12:09 A.M

Y/n Y/l/n was not included in Death-Cast's call list as she was not predicted to die on that day. However, her significant other, Hermione Granger, who had been in a relationship with her for three years, received the call.

Y/n and Hermione were sitting together on the bed, but it was awkwardly silent between them. They were both lost in thought, not knowing what to say.

What can you say in this situation?

Hermione breathed deeply and glanced at her partner, who seemed lost in thought and staring at the ground. Hermione comforted her by gently rubbing her back between her shoulder blades, and this brought Y/n's focus back to the present moment.

Y/n and Hermione shared a quiet instant, gazing into each other's eyes. Hermione leaned in closer, resting her head on Y/n's shoulder and taking a deep breath.

The two of them held hands while they whispered to each other. The room was quiet, but she felt a soft kiss on her shoulder from time to time.

The small sound of the clock on the wall was the only sign that time was still passing. It was a reminder that, despite everything that had happened, life was still moving forward for Y/n. As much as she wished it wasn't.

"What do you want to do?" Y/n asked as she looked at Hermione, who was already staring back.

"I have to call my parents, and say my...goodbyes" Hermione sighed as she sat up straight and squeezed her lover's hand.

"Maybe they can fly here in time?" Y/n says, but Hermione just shook her head. They both knew the flight was over ten hours and who knew when the first flight out was?

It would more than likely, be too late.

Hermione stood up and kissed the top of Y/n's head, then grabbed her phone. The same phone that told her she was going to die a few minutes ago.

Y/n sat still on the bed, watching as Hermione walked into the bathroom and pulled out her phone to make a call. Y/n couldn't help but feel a sense of unease as if something was off. She got up from the bed and made her way to the living room, her eyes scanning the wall full of pictures that held memories of their time together.

As she looked at each picture, she couldn't help but feel a sense of nostalgia wash over her. Each photo represented a moment that they had shared, a memory that they had created. Y/n couldn't help but wonder if these pictures would be the only things she had left to remind her of those moments.

Y/n stood in the living room, feeling helpless as she listened to Hermione crying softly on the phone. She could hear Hermione apologizing to her mother for something that was beyond her control.

The sound of Hermione's tears tugged at Y/n's heartstrings, and she could feel her own emotions start to bubble over. She knew she needed to step away before she broke down completely, so she quietly slipped out into the backyard of their rented home.

The cool evening air was a welcomed relief, and Y/n took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. She leaned against the wall, feeling the rough bricks against her back, and closed her eyes, allowing herself a moment to collect her thoughts.

Y/n felt her heart racing and her breaths becoming shorter as she gazed up at the night sky. The stars that usually twinkled brightly seemed to have lost their shine, and were now dull and distant, almost as if they were struggling to cope with the weight of the situation. The emptiness of the sky only added to the overwhelming feeling of isolation and helplessness that Y/n was experiencing.

Y/n let out a gut-wrenching exclamation of despair, the weight of her emotions too much to accept. She could feel tears prickling at the corners of her eyes, threatening to spill over at any moment.

Her body trembled as she sank to the ground, her legs no longer able to support her. Her sobs echoed through the backyard, wracking her body with each convulsion. She pulled her knees up to her chest, curling in on herself as she tried to find some small measure of comfort in her pain.

Y/n's body was hunched over with her knees pulled up to her chest, while her forehead was resting on her kneecaps. She was sobbing uncontrollably, her entire body shaking with each breath as tears streamed down her face.

Her back was pressed firmly against the rough surface of the brick wall behind her, providing cool and firm support amidst the overwhelming emotions she was experiencing.

Y/n wept with the weight of anguish only love can know. In those gasping sobs she released all that clutched her heart - fear, sorrow, but above all a profound gratitude for the years shared with Hermione.

They had built a life together, however brief it now seemed. Filled their home with laughter and kindness, as the photos within proved. She clung to those memories like a lifeline in the storm.

Time passed unknowingly as she grieved, the pounding in her temples slowly giving way to an aching calm. When her tears ran dry at last, the stars had re-emerged - bright beacons in the dark, lit by futures now lost to view.

Taking a steadying breath, Y/n let her legs unfold and straightened with care. She knew Hermione would need her strength in the hours to come. Though every fiber wished to shatter, her partner's love demanded no less than her full heart in return.

And so she gathered the pieces, as best she could, and re-entered their home with footsteps soft. In the bathroom door's glow, she glimpsed Hermione's silhouetted form, shoulders shaking silent as the phone now rested on the countertop

Coming behind, Y/n wrapped her arms around Hermione's waist and held fast, leaning cheek to cheek. No words could mend such wounds.

Only presence; only promise of devotion unwavering. Until dawn light or destiny's end, whichever came, they would face what must be faced - together.

The hours were dark but love lit their way. In each other, they found solace, as the long morning slowly wore on.

——————

4:28 A.M

As night yielded slowly to morning, Y/n and Hermione's grief took on a quieter tone. Exhaustion pulled at their limbs like anchor chains, yet neither could bear to separate even to rest.

They lay curled together on the bed, fingers laced as if to share the burden of each breath. Pale daylight filtered through closed blinds, casting the room in somber grey. When Hermione at last broke the silence, her whisper cut like a new wound reopened.

"I'm not ready to leave you."

Y/n pressed a lingering kiss to her forehead. Though her eyes burned with unshed tears, she summoned a small smile.

"Remember our first date? How long it took me to work up the nerve? You sneaked that wildflower behind my ear and I was yours." she whispers against her skin, a shaky laugh escapes Hermione's lips, and she nuzzles closer.

"Tell me another. I want to fill each sense with you until the world fades away."

Y/n didn't want her world to fade away, not without her.

And so, as morning inched on, Y/n wove their story anew with threaded recollections - little glimpses to fill the void where hope could no longer reach.

The beach at sunset. Dancing in the kitchen. Quiet hands entwined beneath a blanket of stars...over and over she led them back to love's beginning, sheltering them both from what must come.

When next Hermione spoke, a measure of peace had settled on her brow. Acceptance.

"Thank you for the life we built. For making me feel whole. I love you, Y/n...now and always."

A single tear rolled down Y/n's cheek, and Hermione kissed it away, a silent apology for breaking a promise that she had never told her lover about.

The promise she had made to herself was to never hurt Y/n in such a way. To make her cry like this. To leave her...

"I love you too" Y/n whispered back.

"Come on, let's go on an adventure one last time," Hermione said with a smile as she kissed her quickly and went to stand up.

Hand in hand they rose to meet Hermione's end, unafraid, while taking solace in all they'd known.

——————

6:21 A.M

As the morning stretched on, Y/n knew Hermione needed happy distractions to lift her spirit.

"Come, let's lose ourselves in other worlds for a while. I believe I spotted the new Encyclopedia of Magical Flora on the library shelves the last time we went. It's said to have amazing illustrations." Y/n says as she helps her girlfriend into her coat. A ghost of a smile touched Hermione's lips.

"Some light reading, then. And perhaps those crustless tomato sandwiches from the cafe?" Hermione replied. Y/n's heart swelled at her agreement.

She never quite understood Hermione's fascination with Tomato Sandwiches, but it was one of the many pondering quirks that she loved about her.

They made their way downtown, fingers laced once more. Hermione could feel how on edge Y/n was, every car honk and jogger made her tense with anxieties as 'what ifs' clouded her mind on how her best friend would be taken from her.

Hermione squeezed her hand, capturing her attention as they sneakily made their way into Diagon Alley from one of its many entrances.

Y/n tried to calm herself with a deep breath, but her mind was reeling. Thankfully their destination wasn't too far.

——————

7:46 A.M

At the library, Hermione had shed tears again, but this time of pure delight over discoveries between faded pages, or she was mourning that fact she wouldn't be able to read the books she had on her shelves at home. Y/n watched her shine from afar, committing each detail to devoted memory.

She gazed from around the corner, slightly nervous to walk up to her and take away the peace Hermione was feeling.

That was a crazy thought, wasn't it?

She knew Hermione wanted her with her, but she also knew that the pain in Y/n's eyes was a constant reminder of what was to come.

Y/n sighed softly as she leaned against the tall bookcase, content to observe Hermione's enrapturement from afar. A bittersweet pang echoed through her chest - she wanted nothing more than to soothe her love's sorrow, yet feared interrupting moments of fleeting joy.

Hermione shone brightest when absorbing worlds between pages, Y/n knew, and who was she to cloud those dazzling eyes, even briefly, with reminders of harshness soon to come? For now, she was content observing from the shadows, fixing each rapt expression in devoted memory.

For hours more she watched Hermione flit from shelf to shelf, jotting notes and laughing softly at discoveries. Like sunlight through stained glass, her delight lit the hidden corners of Y/n's heart, and she knew this gift of escape, however temporary, was well worth the distance. Hermione would seek her when ready; until then, she granted these hours lost in fanciful escape.

At last, Hermione emerged, eyes shiny and cheeks flushed - from joy or tears Y/n could not say, but the glow of new passion shone bright either way. Taking Y/n's hand softly in hers, Hermione smiled.

"Thank you," she whispered, and a gentle squeeze conveyed all else that need not be said. For the gifts of presence, memory, and unbroken love, were balm enough, however briefly, to see them through.

——————

12:38 P.M

Too soon the afternoon waned, and they moved to the little corner cafe hand in hand. Laughter echoed from within as regulars called out greetings, sensing Hermione's need for normalcy. Their favorite spot by the window awaited, warmed by the sun.

Over sandwiches and steaming chai, Hermione told tales of travels they'd take one day, very much hitting the stage of denial. Y/n committed each dream to heart anyway, determined to weave them from memory when the time came to say farewell. Hermione would be with her on those travels...just not in the form that Y/n wants her to be in.

"Sounds great 'Mione, I'll look at flights for the summer" Y/n whispered with a soft smile as their eyes welled up with tears, but they didn't fall.

"Thank you, my love," she said with a shakey breath.

Y/n gazed at Hermione with eyes brimming yet bearing her gentlest smile. To indulge denial's comfort seemed the kindest fiction, a shelter from harsh truth just for a while.

"I can see us strolling cobbled lanes in Paris," she said softly. "Sipping wine as colors change along the Seine. And what of Rome - the ruins at sunset, your hand in mine." Her voice threatened to crack but held firm.

Hermione's shining tears spilled then, yet joy laced her features too. Both knew flights were but a fairy tale, a sweet distraction for a heavy soul. But oh, what magic lay in dreams! Y/n grasped each one to heart as future memories never to be lived but treasured all the same.

——————

5:12 P.M

As dusk fell, they walked home beneath a sky the same color as roses, their clasped fingers speaking all the love borne of shared years. The wind blew through their hair, making a shiver run down Hermione's back.

As they stepped back into their home, anxiousness hung in the air, like a cloud of black and grey circling them.

Hermione had lasted far longer than either had expected, but that just meant Y/n would lose her here. In their home.

A heaviness fell upon their hearts as Y/n closed the familiar door behind them. The house, filled with memories of shared life, now seemed haunted by those same ghosts. Hermione turned to her then, eyes glistening yet resolute.

"Let us make the most of whatever time remains," she said, taking Y/n's hands in hers and leaning their foreheads gently together.

"However you need me, my love, I am yours," Y/n says as she swallows back tears, determined to be the rock Hermione requires. A small, bittersweet smile touched Hermione's lips.

"Then hold me, one last time, before I go to bed alone"

She didn't want Y/n to see her go, and more than likely didn't want her to see her body either.

Y/n nodded, feeling fresh tears threatening to spill over. She led Hermione gently to the sofa, sitting and pulling her into her arms.

"I'm here, my love. For as long as fate will allow." She whispers as she presses a trembling kiss to Hermione's forehead, breathing in the scent of her hair as if to memorize it.

No more words were needed in that quiet moment. They held each other close, listening to the rhythm of breathing and heartbeats that had become as familiar as their own. Time seemed suspended, an ephemeral bubble sheltering them from darkness closing in.

——————

9:37 P.M

All too quickly, the night stole in through windows like an ushering specter. With a shuddering sigh, Hermione withdrew just enough to meet Y/n's damp gaze.

"Don't forget me," she whispered. Y/n kissed away a tear crumbling down her cheek.

"Never"

With one last lingering embrace and goodnight kiss, Hermione rose. A heaviness settled into Y/n's heart as she watched her love fade into the looming shadows of what might be their final night.

She heard their bedroom door open and close, and that's when her body began to shake like it did this morning. She tried to cry as quietly as she could, not wanting to guilt Hermione any more than she already had.

This was it. Tomorrow morning she would call emergency services and explain everything. They would collect her remains, and then she would have to call her lover's parents.

"I wish I didn't know" Y/n whispered to herself as she cried.

Y/n sat trembling on the sofa, wracked with silent sobs as the cruel hands of fate closed in around her heart. To have found such love only to lose it so soon, in circumstances beyond any power to change, was a cruelty beyond imagining.

She longed to break down the bedroom door and hold Hermione through the night, sheltering her from the darkness to come. But denying reality could rob them of whatever scarce moments were left to treasure each other.

Taking a shuddering breath, Y/n rose unsteadily and made her way to the back porch, collapsing onto the worn wooden steps and gazing up through blurry eyes at stars aglow with all the light years between them.

Somewhere up there, in that vast sea of souls, she hoped a gentle piece of Hermione's spirit watched over her, as she would cherish the memories of her love's beautiful life here below.

Hands clenched tight, she poured out all her tears to the heavens, for the future lost, the joy now shadowed by sorrow's veil.

——————

6:12 A.M

Y/n took a breath as she watched the sunrise from their porch, knowing what she needed to do now.

She called emergency services and asked them to receive her lover's body from their bedroom. When asked how she had passed, Y/n just responded with:

"I don't know. She didn't want me to see her like that"

The operator gave a soft apology for her loss and told her that the coroner was on their way, and to just stay as she was.

Y/n hung up and stared at the sunset.

...

Then her phone rang with a once dreaded ringtone.

She began to smile.

[holdupjack]

The Assistant

——————

Pairing: Hermione Granger x Fem!Reader

AU: Minister Hermione

WARNING: None

——————

Third Person P.O.V:

First Month As Minister

Hermione let her leg shake as piles of paper and documents were scattered around her desk, some had fallen off onto the ground at some point.

She had spent her whole life trying to make a name for herself and she had finally done it. Yet, that didn't mean things got easier.

It got more difficult. Much. Much. More difficult.

She had no one to lean on anymore. Ron had moved out last year after their divorce was finalized, and they never had children so...

She was alone now.

Harry had convinced her to at least splurge on hiring an assistant at work. Hermione could be less stressed and maybe make a new friend.

After a week of going through resumes, she found the perfect person for the job. A woman named Y/n Y/l/n, she's had outstanding recommendations from her former employers.

They had a phone call interview, and Hermione enjoyed talking to her and learning about Y/n's goals and strengths in the workplace. The older woman was quickly swayed into hiring her.

Knock! Knock!

Hermione's eyes flicked up to find a young woman at her office door, she had a nice shirt and dress pants on. Very much on the masculine side of fashion, but the Minister thought she pulled it off quite nicely.

"Yes? May I help you?" Hermione asks as she raises an eyebrow. She should have been panicked to find a random person in her office, but she knew her security wouldn't have let her in if she didn't have clearance.

"Good Morning Minister! My name is Y/n Y/l/n, your new assistant" she explains and Hermione quickly stood up to greet her as she walked in.

They shook hands as they beamed at one another, happy to finally meet.

"Oh, Y/n! I completely forgot that today was your first day, please forgive me" Hermione chuckled nervously as their hands dropped, but the new assistant still grinned.

"It's quite alright, I'm ready to work" she replies as Hermione seems scrambled to think of something for her to do. Y/n immediately took notice.

"May I help you organize?" Y/n asked as she stepped towards the side of the desk, watching as the brunette was frazzled slightly from her panic.

"If you can figure out a system, I will be forever grateful," Hermione says with a small sigh as Y/n looks over the piles of work that are scattered all around the room. She made sure not to step on anything.

"Let's see..."

——————

Y/n spent the day sitting on the ground next to her desk as she figured out the best system for the new Minister.

Hermione was mostly out of the office for the day, but when she returned from her meeting with the head of the Law Department. She was surprised to find her office clean and organized, with even a bag of food from the local Chinese restaurant.

Her eyes looked around to find her new employee and soon found her eating at her desk in the hall across from her office door.

How hadn't she seen her when she walked in from the elevator? She must really be in her mind today.

"Did you grab food for yourself as well?" Hermione asks. The last thing she'd want was for her assistant to not take advantage of free food on the Ministry's dime.

"Yes Minister, how was your meeting?" Y/n replied as she ate her food, her eyes shifting to meet her boss.

"Long." Hermione states as she chuckles softly and sits on the corner of Y/n's desk, a quiet sigh leaves her lips.

"I love my job, but arguing with a man with an inflated ego really puts a damper on it" she continues as Y/n looks up at her with a small smile.

"Weren't you married to a man with an inflated ego?" Y/n asks to which Hermione blinked a few times before she responds. Then her face flushed.

Y/n almost apologized immediately for such an intrusive question, but something held her back.

Sometimes Hermione forgot that her life was back in the spotlight again after being so long in the shadows.

"I was" Hermione chuckled in return she cleared her throat from her initial shock from the question. Granted, it was inappropriate to ask, but the Minister didn't see any harm from answering truthfully.

"Then you can handle the likes of these man-children with ease" Y/n grinned as she leaned back in her desk chair, it tilted slightly.

Hermione began to laugh, covering her mouth for a moment, acting like they weren't the only people on this floor.

"You're right, if I can survive seven years with Ron, then I can survive a few hours with them," she says with a smile of her own, Y/n noted in her mind that this was the first time she had smiled genuinely today.

Y/n nodded in agreement, appreciating Hermione's ability to find strength and resilience in the face of adversity.

"It takes a strong person to handle difficult situations with grace," Y/n remarked, her admiration evident in her voice.

Hermione smiled warmly at Y/n's words, feeling a sense of camaraderie with her newfound acquaintance.

"Thank you," she replied sincerely.

"It hasn't always been easy, I've learned to navigate through the challenges." She paused for a moment, reflecting on her journey.

"I suppose it's a testament to the power of friendship and the importance of standing up for what you believe in." she finishes, as her mind goes back to Hogwarts. Y/n nodded, their eyes meeting in understanding.

"Yes, I can see how your friendships have played a significant role in shaping who you are today," she said thoughtfully.

"And it's inspiring to see how you've used your platform to advocate for change and equality," Y/n says as she gazed into Hermione's eyes. Hermione's smile widened, her eyes shining with gratitude.

"Thank you, Y/n. It means a lot to hear that." She took a moment to gather her thoughts before continuing, her voice filled with determination.

A soft blush did make its way onto her cheeks though.

Hermione took a deep breath as she went back to her desk, feeling a surge of confidence wash over her. It was time to dive headfirst into her role as Minister, to embrace the new responsibilities that lay before her.

The challenges she faced were immense, but she was determined to make a difference and lead with integrity.

As she settled back into her office chair, she glanced around the room, now neat and organized thanks to Y/n's efforts.

The piles of papers that had once overwhelmed her were now neatly stacked, ready to be tackled one by one. It was a small victory, but it gave Hermione a sense of control amidst the chaos.

With renewed focus, Hermione turned her attention to the stack of documents on her desk. Each file represented a different issue, a different decision to be made. She knew that her decisions would shape the lives of countless individuals and impact the future of the wizarding world.

She picked up the first document and began to read, absorbing the details and considering the potential consequences of each choice.

It was a delicate balance, weighing the needs of the community against the limitations and resources available. She knew that she couldn't please everyone, but she was determined to make decisions that were fair and just.

As the hours passed, Hermione found herself engrossed in the work. The weight of her responsibilities was both exhilarating and humbling.

Y/n watched from her desk across the hall, observing Hermione's dedication and passion. She admired the way Hermione approached each task with a meticulous attention to detail, never wavering in her pursuit of justice.

Y/n had seen many leaders in her career, but there was something different about Hermione. She possessed a rare combination of intelligence, empathy, and unwavering determination.

After a long day of decision-making and policy review, Hermione finally leaned back in her chair, feeling a mix of exhaustion and satisfaction. She glanced at the clock on her desk and realized it was already late in the evening. The day had flown by in a blur of paperwork, meetings, and discussions.

Y/n, sensing Hermione's weariness, stood up from her desk and walked over to the small kitchen near their work space and began to make a kettle of tea. She whistled as she sat on  counter and waited for the water to boil on the stove.

Hermione's eyes flicked up for a moment when she heard soft whistling, and when she didn't spot Y/n at her desk, she furrowed her eyebrows.

"Y/n?" She called out, but when she didn't get a reply back, she almost stood up to investigate, but another document caught her eye.

"For fucks sake, another high insurance cost for the Jinx Removal floor?" Hermione mumbles to herself.

Y/n soon walked towards her office. She knocked gently on the door before entering, a tray of tea and biscuits in her hands.

"I thought you could use a break, Minister, you've been working tirelessly all day." Y/n said, setting the tray down on Hermione's desk.

Hermione smiled gratefully, appreciating Y/n's thoughtfulness. She poured herself a cup of tea and took a sip, the warm liquid soothing her tired mind.

"Thank you, Y/n," Hermione said, her voice filled with genuine gratitude.

"I couldn't have made it through today without your support...I honestly probably would have been a wreck" she chuckles fo herself as Y/n nodded, a soft smile on her face.

"It's my pleasure, Minister. I'm here to assist you in any way I can." Y/n replies as Hermione offered her a cup as well. She watched as her assistant sat on the loveseat in her office and gave a quiet sigh of relief.

As they sat there, sipping tea and enjoying a moment of respite, Hermione felt a sense of camaraderie and trust between them. Y/n had quickly become more than just an assistant; she had become a confidante and a source of support.

"I must admit," Hermione began, her voice tinged with vulnerability.

"Being a Minister is more challenging than I ever imagined. But I'm determined to make a difference." She sighs softly as Y/n's eyes sparkled with admiration as she looked at Hermione.

"And you will, Minister. Your dedication and passion are evident in everything you do."

Hermione's resolve strengthened, fueled by Y/n's words of encouragement. She knew that the road ahead would be filled with obstacles and difficult decisions, but she also knew that she had the support of her team and the unwavering belief in her own abilities.

As she finished her cup of tea, Hermione couldn't help but feel a sense of optimism. The first month as Minister had been a whirlwind, but she was ready to face whatever challenges lay ahead. With Y/n by her side, she knew that together they could make a real difference in the wizarding world.

And so, Hermione closed her eyes, taking a moment to savor the quiet before the storm.

——————

A couple months later...

In the months that followed, Hermione found herself drawn to Y/n in ways she couldn't quite explain. It was more than just admiration for her work ethic and intelligence. There was a connection—a spark—that seemed to grow with each passing day.

As they worked side by side, discussing policies and strategies, Hermione felt a sense of ease and comfort in Y/n's presence.

Their conversations went beyond work, delving into personal anecdotes and shared interests. Y/n's wit and charm were captivating, and Hermione found herself looking forward to their interactions.

One evening, after a particularly long day, Hermione sat in her office, reflecting on the events of the day. Her thoughts kept drifting to Y/n, and she couldn't help but wonder if there was something more between them.

The idea both excited and frightened her—excited because she hadn't felt this way in a long time, and frightened because she didn't want to jeopardize their professional relationship.

Taking a deep breath, Hermione decided to confide in her closest friend, Harry. She knew he would provide the guidance and support she needed.

The next day, during their lunch break, Hermione found herself sitting across from Harry at a small café near the Ministry. She hesitated for a moment before finally speaking up.

"Harry, I need to talk to you about something," Hermione began, her voice filled with a mix of anticipation and apprehension.

"Of course, Hermione. What's on your mind?"

Harry asks as he raised an eyebrow, his green eyes curious. Hermione took a sip of her tea, gathering her thoughts.

"It's about Y/n, my assistant," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

"I think... I think I might be falling in love with her."

Harry's eyes widened in surprise, but he quickly composed himself, clearing his throat and leaning forward slightly.

"Well, that's quite a revelation, Hermione. Have you spoken to her about your feelings?" He asks quietly as he stared at her. Hermione shook her head, her curls bouncing slightly.

"No, not yet. I wanted to talk to you first, get some perspective." She replies as Harry leaned back in his chair, a thoughtful expression on his face.

"Well, Hermione, love can be complicated, especially in a professional setting. But I've seen the way you two interact, and there's no denying the chemistry between you." He states with a small smile as he thought back on the times he gone up for a quick chat, and found them in such a deep discussion that they didn't even notice him there.

A blind man could hear their longing and teasing whispers back and forth were much more than casual banter.

Hermione's heart skipped a beat, a mixture of hope and fear flooding through her as she took in his words.

"Do you think it's wise to pursue this, Harry? What if it doesn't work out? I don't want to lose her as a colleague or a friend." She asks, thinking of all the HR department meetings she's been in recently.

Harry reached across the table and placed a comforting hand on Hermione's. He had his comforting smile shining brightly, like he use to when she was to much inside her head,

"Love is always a risk, Hermione. But sometimes, the greatest rewards come from taking those risks. If you truly believe there's something special between you and Y/n, then it might be worth exploring." He says as he leaned back and took a sip of his coffee, which was now a bit cold. Hermione nodded, her mind filled with swirling thoughts and emotions.

"Thank you, Harry. Your advice means a lot to me." She replies with a soft breath as she ran and nervously hand through her curls.

They sat in silence for a few moments, Hermione contemplating her next steps. She knew that she couldn't let fear hold her back from what could potentially be a beautiful connection.

But she also didn't want to lose her job and be known as the Minister with the shortest time in office.

As the days turned into weeks, Hermione found herself unable to shake off her growing feelings for Y/n. She longed for a deeper connection, a chance to explore what lay beneath the surface. She knew that it was time to have an honest conversation with Y/n, to lay her cards on the table.

Question was, would Y/n fold?

Hermione was currently in her office, going through this months expenses spreadsheet. Her eyes darted over the too many zeros that landed on the total sum, which only made her want to run her head through a wall.

"Are you alright, Minister?"

She jumped and looked up to find Y/n leaning against her doorframe, a small raise of her eyebrow.

"What? Yes! No! Wait, what was the the question?" She coughed out in surprise,

Smooth Hermione, smooth.

"I asked if you were alright" Y/n chuckled as she walked in and sat at one of the two chairs in front of Hermione's desk.

"Oh! I'm fine. Just looking over the expenses" Hermione sighs out as Y/n grinned slightly, a glint of understanding in her eye.

"You saw that number too? I don't think I'd ever make that much in two lifetimes" She chuckled as Hermione began to smile, her hair falling slightly in her face.

"You think you could have that much in three lifetimes?" She asks and Y/n sighed, a soft smile on her lips.

"Fine. Six lifetimes." She admitted, making Hermione snicker softly as she put the paper away in one of the piles. She'd deal with it later.

Her eyes flickered to the clock that hung on her wall and she was surprised to see it already 9 p.m. Their eyes reconnect as Hermione straightened her back and took a small deep breath.

"You should really get home Y/n. It's so late now." Hermione sighs as she grabbed another stack of folders from her 'IN' box. How she wished she still was able to go home at regular times.

"I don't go home till you do" Y/n hummed as she rested her leg over the other and watched her Minister stress about things that could very much wait till tomorrow.

Hermione looked back up at her with a soft chuckle, this wasn't the first time Y/n had said this, and it probably wouldn't be the last.

"You're loyalty to me is unmatched" Hermione whispers as Y/n grinned even more, making the Ministers face feel hot as she could hear Harry's words from the Cafe echo somewhere in the back of her mind. She had to confess her feelings, it was now or never.

"Of course" Y/n replied as she stood up and walked over to Hermione's desk, grabbing half the stack of folders, and walking back to the seat.

Hermione took a steadying breath as Y/n sat back down, their eyes meeting once more. In those piercing eyes she saw kindness, dedication, and something else she dared not name, at least not yet.

But the hours were growing late and she knew her courage would fade with the light if she did not speak her truth now.

"Y/n, there is something I must confess." Her voice came out soft yet resolute. Setting her quill down, she folded her hands as if in prayer to steady them.

"These past few months working together, I have come to rely on you not just as my assistant but as...as someone very dear to me. Your support and friendship have meant more than I can say." She paused, afraid to continue yet knowing she had come too far to turn back.

Would Y/n understand? Return her feelings? Or would this truth destroy the bond they had built? Only one way to find out.

"What I'm trying to say is...I care for you as more than a colleague or friend. My affections have grown beyond what is appropriate. I understand if this makes you uncomfortable and of course nothing needs to change. Your friendship is most important to me. I simply couldn't bear not speaking the truth, for fear of what might have been." She states, her words hung between them, freighted with vulnerability and hope.

A gentle smile spread across Y/n's face as Hermione spoke, her own cheeks flushing pink in response. One did not earn the position of Ministry assistant without possessing a cool head in delicate situations, yet even she found herself momentarily flustered by such raw honesty.

"Hermione," she began, settling into a relaxed yet attentive pose as if to set them both at ease.

"I must admit I had hoped my own feelings were not so transparent. You have been quite inspiring to work for, though 'inspiring' fails to capture all that I feel." Y/n whispers, her eyes held Hermione's gaze steadily, conveying warmth and care beneath the subtle tease.

"Say rather that serving you has allowed me to see your true heart - wise, compassionate, and now open to me in a way I dare not have dreamed. I would be remiss in my duties if I did not return such openness in kind." She states with as a playful glint entered her eye then, lightening the mood.

"So is that permission to call you something other than 'Minister' once we've left this office behind...? I believe the day calls for a walk, if you're agreeable." She asks with a grin, her smile lingered hopefully. Hermione jumped up with alacrity, her chair toppling backwards in her haste.

"Of course, I - oh shit!" She whispers as papers scattered far and wide as a thick dossier slipped off the edge of her desk, sending important documents fluttering every which way.

Y/n couldn't suppress a lively peal of laughter at the sheepish expression on Hermione's flushed face, and soon the two women found themselves giggling uncontrollably like schoolgirls caught in mischief.

"I do believe the Ministry can spare its esteemed leader for an evening," Y/n teased, rising to assist in the cleanup.

Her gentle fingers brushed Hermione's as she passed over a fallen piece of parchment, and their eyes met once more - full of mirth now, and something sweeter behind it. What a sight they must be, the usually steadfast Minister reduced to this giddy state!

Yet in that moment, surrounded by paperwork and possibilities, any shred of propriety seemed a small price to pay for the joy of Y/n's company outside these walls.

At last the disaster area was tamed, and with a flourish Y/n opened the office door.

"After you, Minister." She says, her tone held only warm affection now. As they embarked into the lamplit corridors arm in arm, a whisper of what delights the night might hold hung tantalizingly in the air.

But for the present, a stroll beneath the stars with good company would be magic enough. Our story's lovebirds had earned an evening of carefree happiness.

[holdupjack]

I Thought Of You As…

——————

Pairing: Hermione Granger x Fem!Reader

WARNING: None

——————

Third Person P.O.V:

Y/n had been wandering around the school grounds for what felt like hours, searching for Hermione after the disastrous confrontation with Ron at the Yule Ball. The air was chilly and the sky was dimly lit, creating an eerie atmosphere that only added to Y/n's growing sense of anxiety and frustration.

With each passing minute, it felt like the chances of finding Hermione were dwindling, and Y/n couldn't help but wonder if she was even still on school grounds. Despite the overwhelming feeling of defeat, Y/n refused to give up and continued her search, determined to find her friend no matter how long it took.

She had disappeared rather quickly. The argument that had taken place near that stairwell could be heard by almost everyone in the vicinity.

The tension was palpable, and it seemed like the discussion had been brewing for a while. Despite Y/n's best efforts to reach her, the other person seemed determined to avoid any further confrontation and left the area swiftly.

Y/n's ears perked up as she heard the sound of soft sniffling coming from a nearby stairway, causing her to pause in her tracks.

Curiosity getting the better of her, she carefully made her way towards the sound, peeking around the corner to see the brunette, still dressed in her delicate pink gown, sitting on the steps with her head in her hands.

The dim light cast a soft glow over the scene and Y/n couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy for the girl.

As their eyes met, she noticed the tell-tale signs of distress on Hermione's face.

"Hey...are you okay?" Y/n asked. Hermione tried to compose herself, but her emotions got the better of her as a fresh wave of tears threatened to spill over.

Quickly wiping her face, she put on a brave smile, attempting to hide her true feelings.

"Not really, no," she says with a chuckle as Y/n walks over and takes a seat beside her, sighing softly.

"I'm sorry, that was a stupid question," Y/n says as they both fall into a comfortable silence. Hermione continued to sniffle and wipe her eyes.

Y/n and Hermione had been friends for a while, and it was no secret that Y/n found the Gryffindor very attractive. It was a playful tease that most of their friends played on her.

Hermione has asked around the subject a few times when she initially found out about the teasing, but Y/n never spoke to her about it. Refused even!

It was obvious that Y/n had no plans of asking her out, so Hermione let it be. Annoyed, but understanding.

She didn't want to make the wrong move or find out that she had misunderstood the entire thing. So, ignorance became her new best friend. But as of recently, she had been having second thoughts about waiting around.

"Do you remember the first time we met?" Y/n blurts out, which she didn't plan on by the look on her face.

"Yes, it was the first year, a little way into the first semester," Hermione said with a small smile as she wiped her eyes, looking down at her lap. Her hands played with the fabric of her dress, she felt the tool tickle the pads of her fingers.

"Now, do you remember when Ginny grabbed me by the lake and dropped me into the water in my second year?" Y/n asks with a smile as Hermione starts to laugh. Her mind remembers vividly the look on Y/n's face when she trudged out of the lake.

"Oh god, why did she drop you into it?" she asks, and Y/n just snickers softly as Hermione leans over and chuckles.

"She wanted to see if she could pick me up while on her broom...then she lost her grip while hovering over the lake." Y/n sighed as Hermione continued to giggle at the memory.

"I think you've seen the better part of my most embarrassing moments in this school," Y/n says with a smile as Hermione nods, sniffling again.

"I have more memories with you than Ron and Harry, surprisingly," she says as she takes another deep breath, trying to shake off the hurt in her chest. Y/n scooted a bit closer and placed her hand on Hermione's shoulder.

"Men aren't worth crying over," she says with a soft smile, making the brunette chuckle as she leans herself closer to Y/n.

"Why are they jerks then?" Hermione asks with a sigh as Y/n wraps her arm around her shoulders.

"Same reason women cry, emotions," Y/n responds as she watches Hermione stay quiet for a moment, before looking back up at her.

“You’re right," she hums as the smell of cinnamon and vanilla hit Y/n’s nose, making her blink in surprise why the soothing scent,

"Want to go back? I think Viktor is waiting for you" Y/n whispers as her hand falls from her shoulder, but Hermione shakes her head as she stands up and brushes off her dress.

"I’m done for one night...would you like to stay in my room for a while? If you would like to that is" She asks as she looks down at Y/n and straightens her back slightly. Nervousness racked through her spine.

“I’d like that a lot actually” Y/n replies quietly as she stands up, watching Hermione start to grin as they begin their walk up to the Gryffindor tower.

——————

As they made their way up to Hermione’s dorm, Y/n couldn’t help but start to think back on all of the times when she questioned if the girl beside her was even interested in her in a romantic sense.

It was hard to tell.

Or Y/n was blinded by any hints she may have given up until this point?

When they had made it to her dorm, it was surprisingly ten times warmer. Y/n noticed the furnace was still running with no one inside.

“Sorry, Ginny hates coming back to the dorm and it’s freezing. That’s why it’s as hot as the sun in here” Hermione chuckled as she placed her tiara on the desk.

“That’s alright,” Y/n says as she sits down on Hermione’s bed and runs her fingers through her hair. Hermione shuffled around for a moment as she grabbed a dry-cleaning garment bag from her closet.

Y/n looked at her hands, her eyes tracing her finger pads as she heard her name called. She looked up to find the brunette grasping her hair to one side with her back turned towards her.

“Can you unzip me?” She asked and Y/n hummed as she stood up. Her shoes squeaked slightly on the wood slope as she walked over took ahold of the zipper and slowly pulled it down.

Y/n looked past her shoulder to find Hermione already looking back at her through the body mirror that hung between the two beds in front of them.

“Thank you,” Hermione says with a small smile, and Y/n just cleared her throat and nodded, looking away as the zipper reached the end. She backed away and sat back on the bed, in the corner of her eye she could see Hermione walking into the bathroom.

When the door shut, Y/n took a breath and rubbed her face with the palms of her hands in a way to calm herself.

After a few minutes of silence, the door reopened and Hermione stepped out in a loose t-shirt and some shorts. Her hair was brushed out of its former hairstyle and now was free to dangle past her shoulders.

She walked back to the closet and hung up her dress, which was now safely sealed away in the garment bag.

“You're quiet,” Hermione says with a smile as she looks over her shoulder and closes the closet door. Y/n shrugged as she leaned back against Hermione's headboard looking at her with a matching grin.

“I was waiting for you. Would you have liked to hear me talk to myself?” Y/n chuckled as Hermione sat next to her and I looked over. Their eyes met and Hermione hummed in thought for a moment.

“What do you talk about?” she asks as their shoulders touch from the small proximity, due to them trying to stay on the twin-sized bed.

“Cursing the people I hate, how to solve world problems, and sometimes pondering if I could survive a life or death situation,” Y/n said with a smile as Hermione looked at her with fondness.

“Would you survive?”

“God no”

Hermione began to laugh as she bumped her shoulder with Y/n’s, now getting a whiff of her Cologne. It caught her attention. It was a heavenly spiced scent.

Their eyes met again as Hermione slowly calmed down from her laughter, she began to think back on the reason Y/n was teased by their friends.

“Y/n, may I ask you a question?” she asks as their arms lean onto one another. Y/n nodded in response as they both looked away from each other.

“Of course, you never need to ask” Y/n chuckled as she leaned her head back on the headboard.

“Well then, why won't you talk about why our friends tease you?” she asks and Y/n lets out a soft chuckle, then a sigh following after.

“That mind of yours never lets go of impertinent questions” Y/n replied as she said down to lay onto the bed, leaving Hermione to look down at her with a raised eyebrow.

They stared at each other for a few minutes, their eyes darting at all the secrets that were cracking through the facade.

Y/n’s eyes kept their gaze on Hermione’s, even though they were still slightly red and puffy from crying, her eyes still held so many unspoken questions.

"Pretty brown eyes and a mind full of thoughts" Y/n whispers under her breath, making Hermione furrow her eyebrows and hum in confusion.

"What?" She asks with a slight chuckle.

"It's a quote I once heard...when I first heard it, I thought of you" Y/n states simply as she looks up at the ceiling.

"People warned me about becoming friends with one of the people in the ‘golden trio’, but I quite enjoy your company." She says, allowing her eyes to wander the ceiling, noticing the beautiful hand-crafted wood that held up the support beams.

"Many thought I was trying to get on your good side, like somehow I was in it for some prize for the long run" Y/n huffed in annoyance as she unbuttoned her suit jacket and laid her hands behind her head.

"I have no idea why people automatically assume that anyone trying to be your friend is trying to get something out of you. They think of you as an easy target for some reason. A means to a fruitful end...but I thought of you as the..." she stops herself.

"Sorry I don't mean to ramble" Y/n sighed as she took one of her hands and rubbed her forehead with the edge of her palm.

She hears sudden shuffling, Hermione’s eyes catch hers again as she hovers over Y/n, her forearms on either side of the girl's head.

"You thought of me as what...?" Hermione whispers, her eyes searching Y/n’s for the unspoken answers to her unspoken questions.

Y/n opened her mouth to say something but she was stalled. Her heart pounded rapidly against the white dress shirt that covered her upper body.

Hermione waited patiently, her fingers grasped the fabric of the bedding, showing no signs of moving anytime soon.

The silence between them was loud. Too loud.

"I thought of you as the girl I wanted to spend the rest of my life with..." Y/n finally whispers back, Hermione stares at her a moment before slowly leaning down, their lips brushing.

"Wanted?" She whispers as her heart pounded.

This was it. She admitted it.

"Want" Y/n mumbled back as Hermione quickly closed the gap between them. The kiss is everything they thought it would be, the feeling of something missing was replaced with excitement of what the future would hold for the two of them.

The girl above her was the past, present, and future.

The girl below her was the reason she breathed now. The reason the world had meaning.

That may sound dramatic if they were to utter those words to their friends, but it was the truth in their minds.

That’s all that mattered.

[holdupjack]

The Captains Princess Pt.2

——————

Part 1

Pairing: Hermione Granger x Fem!Reader

AU: Pirates and Royalty

WARNING: SMUT 18+/MINORS DNI

——————

Third Person P.O.V:

November 24th, 1655

Hermione sat at her desk as sea shanties were muffled by the closed doors behind her. Her eyes darted around the map she was given by her captain earlier today.

They had stopped at one of the fishing towns in the American Colonies to resupply and trade for various items the crew needed. Y/n said they had been here multiple times before, and decided to wake Hermione in the early morning when they arrived.

Hermione had to keep her head down for the most part during their journey around the world. It quickly spread about what had happened in her home country, and an enormous bounty had been set on Y/n's head.

Well, a bigger bounty at least.

It had been barely three in the morning when she was awoken, Y/n smiling as she whispered about taking her around the town before anyone competent was awake.

Hermione was out the door when she was given the 'go ahead' by the Captain to see the foreign land she dreamed of.

Y/n chuckled as she grabbed her bag of coins from the shelf near the door, and jogged after her.

"Are you sure? Do you think it's safe for me to go off ship?" Hermione asks as she slips on her coat, looking over the sleeping town. Y/n hummed as she greeted Draco and switched head apparel with him, much to his dismay.

The Captain's hat was smaller on him, but he knew Y/n couldn't go out looking like her description. So, he begrudgingly gave up his dark grey bandanna.

"As long as we don't bring any attention to ourselves, then we'll be fine." Y/n hummed as she watched Hermione put her hair into a tight bun.

"Are you warning yourself or me?" Hermione asks with a smirk of teasing as she watches the seasoned leader walk onto the board and hold out her hand.

"Depends, do you plan to join me in some hijinks?" Y/n asks as Hermione takes her hand and travels onto the dock with the Captain.

"What kind of hijinks, Cap?" Hermione asks as their hands drop, but Y/n is quick to hold out her arm for her to take.

"Might pickpocket the wealthy, charm a few women...who knows what this night will entail?" Y/n says as Hermione takes her arm as they walk down the dock. The young former Princess hummed softly as the lanterns guided their way onto the mainland.

"Can we explore a little before we are run out?" Hermione asks with a chuckle as she let her eyes roam the buildings that stood near the bay.

"For you, Princess? I'll be on my best behavior" Y/n says as they walk further into town, the road seems to be deserted, but the houses have soft lighting shining out the window.

"I know you said you wanted a life with adventure, but do you ever think about settling down in the future?" Y/n asks as their eyes peered into the home to their left, a man and woman were asleep on the couch as their child lay between them.

"Maybe, depends if I find someone worth settling with," Hermione says as they walk by, before looking back at the emptiness of the street in front of them.

It was silent for a block before Hermione retorted with the same question.

"What about you, do you ever see yourself giving up the helm?" She asks to which Y/n gives her a flirtatious smirk and pulls her closer.

"Only for you" she states to which Hermione rolled her eyes and looked back in front of her. Their 'relationship' had been changing slowly but surely, both of them getting more comfortable as time went on.

"You are saying that just to get a rise out of me" Hermione chuckles softly as they walk down an empty alleyway when a couple begins to approach them.

"Is it working?" Y/n asks as they walk out onto another sidewalk, Hermione just pats her stomach.

"If that helps you sleep at night" she responds as they watch a horse-drawn wagon go by with a young boy sleeping in the back, newspapers all around him.

(A/N: Newspapers were invented in 1605)

"What about kids?" Y/n asks as they start walking toward the town square. The sky was getting brighter, but the sun had yet to show itself. The black sky was turning to blue above them.

"Kids? I never gave it much thought until marriage was being put upon me" Hermione mutters as her fingertips brush the Captain's wrist.

"Not one Prince piqued your interest? Made you wonder how pretty your kids would be with them?" Y/n asks with a grin as the former Princess huffs in annoyance, pinching her forearm in silent protest.

"No! I was sixteen when they started spewing about marriage and 'carrying on the lineage'." she states as they walk past a big courthouse, they have announcements posted for weddings this weekend. Ironic.

"Ah, you were thinking about what to name your new pony and what kind of dessert you wanted for your birthday party" Y/n teased as Hermione reached up and smacked her forehead.

"I said sixteen, not six" Hermione says with a roll of her eyes as Y/n snickered as they stopped in front of a library across the street. The Captain would see the intrigue in her eyes, and couldn't help but bump her shoulder.

"Want to explore inside? It says it's open" Y/n says as she begins to pull Hermione with her, who was trying to put her feet on the ground at this point.

"Are you crazy?! What if someone recognizes us?" she whispers as the stronger girl pulls her towards the library. Their hands interlocked as Hermione was tugged across the street, Y/n had a grin on her face.

"You know how to run, don't you?" she replies with a grin as they slip through the front door, Hermione grasped the back of Y/n's shirt with her other hand in pure nervousness.

The librarian didn't even bother looking up as she wrote down something in a journal, the two quietly walked down the aisles, Hermione's eyes sparkled as she let go of Y/n's hand. Yet she kept a hand on her though, not letting the sneaky captain out of her orbit.

"Too bad I can't take them all with me" Hermione whispers as her free hand skims along the spines of the books.

"Steal one" Y/n whispers with a smirk and Hermione rolls her eyes, a smile of her own being revealed.

"You haven't rubbed off on me yet" she chuckled as she pulled Y/n with her down the row.

"You haven't let me yet do that yet..." Y/n grumbled as Hermione smacked her stomach again.

"Rubbed off, not on" Hermione flushed with a harsh whisper as Y/n snicked again, enjoying making the well-mannered girl blush.

Hermione mumbled small curses as she pulled Y/n down the row, feeling the sensation of the Captain staring at the back of her head.

"Stop staring" Hermione states as her face fights the redness away from her cheeks. Y/n quietly snickered as she ran into the back of the Princess when she wasn't looking.

They stumble slightly as Hermione places a hand on her chest as she peeks around the corner.

The sheriff stood near a bulletin board, nailing a wanted and missing persons poster on it.

WANTED:

Y/N Y/L/N

WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE

REWARD:

$50,000

"Dammit, the news made it here too" Hermione whispered as Y/n wrapped her arms around the girl's waist.

MISSING PERSONS:

HERMIONE GRANGER

PRINCESS OF ICELANDIA

BROWN HAIR

BROWN EYES

5'5

145 POUNDS

REWARD:

$5,000

"Why are you worth more than me? I'm the Princess!" Hermione grumbled as Y/n rested her chin on the brunette's shoulder and peeked around the corner.

"It was added on, it was forty-five thousand before" Y/n whispers as the Sheriff walks away, they can hear the opening and closing of the front doors.

"We need to get back to the ship, this is bad" Hermione mumbles back as she slips from Y/n's grasp and carefully steps down the small walkway on the other side of the shelves, out of the librarian's sight.

"You worry too much" Y/n whispers as she follows nonchalantly, while Hermione tries to be as inconspicuous as possible. Which just made her stand out more.

"You need to worry more!" Hermione whispers back as she hides around corners, while Y/n simply walks past her and toward the bulletin board.

"Y/n!" She called out softly as the Captain simply walked up and quietly ripped off the posters. The Librarian didn't even bother to look up again, she wasn't paid enough to care.

Y/n threw out the posters, but when she turned around, Hermione grabbed the front of her shirt and yanked her out of sight.

A little too hard actually, because Y/n ended up slamming into her, knocking them both to the ground. They land with a loud thud, Y/n landing on top of Hermione with a soft 'huff'.

"Is everything alright?" The librarian calls out, but from the sound of her voice, she still didn't give a rat's ass.

"Yes, just dropped a book!" The Captain replies as the librarian just hums in response. Hermione covered her mouth as she fought back some laughter, Y/n looked at her with a smile as she loomed over her.

"Are you alright Princess?" She whispers as Hermione buries her face in Y/n's shirt to muffle her embarrassed giggles.

"I hate you sometimes, you make me do the most idiotic things" Hermione whispered against her neck when she turned to unmute herself. A shiver ran across Y/n's spine as her breath wafted over her skin.

"That 'hate' of yours isn't strong enough to make you walk away" Y/n replied as she mumbled against her ear, she felt Hermione's grasp tighten on her shirt.

"Yet" she whispers back, but that only makes the Captain chuckle softly.

"Don't lie. Princesses don't lie" the Captain says as she hears the soft hitch of a gasp from Hermione's throat. Y/n pressed her nails into the wood of the floor next to the girl's head, fighting the urge to do something...'impolite' as the former royal would call it.

They stared at one another, the threat of getting caught growing more and more by the second.

"Hermione..." Y/n whispers as their lips brush, and a chill runs down the brunette's spine, her own nails digging into the captain's shoulders when she trailed her hands up to them.

"Sometimes I ask myself if you're a Siren in disguise... controlling my very self with your beauty and song" Y/n mumbled at her eyes hooded, teasing another kiss. Hermione bit back a gasp as her body began to burn.

To burn for her Captain.

They soon heard the front doors open again and more voices. It looks like their moment has to end. For now.

"Come on my lovely Siren, it's time to leave" Y/n whispers as she stands up and helps Hermione to her feet, who looked like she was ready to burst with flames from her cheeks.

Their hands intertwined as Y/n quickly zigzagged them through shelves upon shelves of literature. They eventually made it to an unlocked back door, they slipped through without anyone at the wiser.

There was a stairway that led back down to the town, their feet tumbled into a back alley. Hermione looked at Y/n as she looked up and down the small back street.

Hermione could feel her pulse point thumping against the skin of her neck. Her body felt like it was on fire. Her mind was screaming for something they couldn't do here.

Kisses. Touches. Love.

"Y/n" Hermione whispers desperately as the captain pulls her down to the crossroads, their hands squeeze for a moment.

"Yes?" Y/n replies as they look up and down the street, it is still pretty empty, but it won't be for long now that the sun is beginning to peak over the horizon.

"We have to get back to the ship" Hermione says as Y/n pulls her quickly down the street, they could see the crow's nest of the Morrigan, its black flag waved them home over the rooftops.

"Don't worry Princess, I'll get us to safety" Y/n chuckled as they sped through the alleyways and behind businesses.

Suddenly Hermione yanked her back, and Y/n stumbled backward, running into the brick wall behind a barber shop. The sun now peaked out enough to shine a sharp shadow just under Hermione's eyes.

Her irises shined like cinnamon under a lantern.

The Captain's breath got caught in her throat, their eyes caught in a gaze that was just pure yearning.

"My captain...you've done it" Hermione whispers as she kisses the corner of the sailor's mouth, sending a shiver down her spine.

"Done what?"

Hermione let her lips trail down Y/n's jaw, her teeth nipped and brushed against the sensitive skin, she seemed to be fighting back to urge to bite.

"You've finally broken my stance. My feet are no longer dug in the ground. I want you. I need you.

Y/n grasped the royals hips, nails digging slightly into her skin, but she didn't mind. She liked it.

"Siren..."

That nickname again. Why did it sound so good coming from her? Where is the 'my' in front of it?

"Yours. If you're going to call me that, at least stake your claim" Hermione whispers as her kisses trail down to the leader's neck. The sun was getting higher in the sky, and the alleyway wasn't going to hide their activities for much longer. They could hear horses, people, and wagons starting to fill the streets.

"Apologies, my siren" Y/n chuckled as she brushed her nose against the princess's cheek, capturing her attention.

A small kiss was shared. It had been their first kiss in months ever since the night they met. Life was going by too quickly already.

Hermione can't let herself live this new adventurous life without taking a chance on the flirty seawoman.

Their eyes met, staring intently at one another as if they could read what the other was thinking.

A loud pop echoed from the docks, causing the girls to widen their eyes. A gunshot. It could be nothing, or their ship is currently a sitting duck.

"We have to go" Y/n says as she grasped Hermione's hand and dashed down to the bay. Another gunshot was heard, their hands squeezed, and nervousness racked through their bodies.

They ran for a few more blocks until they reached the harbor, a large group of civilians stood at the seam between the wood and earth. They murmured to themselves as yelling was heard from one of the Weasley twins.

"You sir, are as attractive as the underside of my sack!"

"That's rude. Are you saying my sack is ugly too?"

"We're not that identical Freddie"

Y/n squeezes through the crowd, and Hermione follows suit as their hands drop from one another's.

The whole police force was standing guard around the ship. Their own vessels making their way towards the Morrigan.

They didn't have much time. Soon they would be surrounded. Y/n turned to Hermione and leaned down to whisper her in ear.

"Swim to the other side of the ship and climb up the ladder. Hide in our living quarters." she says in such hushed tones, that Hermione almost missed it.

"What? No-"

"Hermione. This isn't the time to argue. Please."

The Princess looked at her, forgetting for a moment that they were surrounded by more danger that she wouldn't truly realize until later.

"Alright"

Y/n pushed her back into the crowd and turned toward the swarm of officials, a drip of anxiousness fell into her stomach, but she just flexed and loosened her hand before walking towards them.

Hermione sped toward another strip of dock and climbed down the ladder that sunk into the cold water.

"Fuck!" she whisper as goosebumps raised over her skin, her clothes moved within the water as she swam to the other side of the ship. Pansy was already waiting for her, almost like she expected her to come this way.

Did Y/n already get back on the ship?

As her hands grabbed the ladder that was carved into the side of the ship, another gunshot went off, causing Pansy to look over her shoulder.

Yelling and clanks of swords started to grow, Pansy looked back at Hermione and widened her eyes.

"Come on!" she yells as she holds out her hand.

Hermione climbed quickly as she grasped the raven-haired girl's hand, getting yanked onto the deck of the ship.

Water dripped onto the wood as she watched as a few of the boys blocked the boardwalk from letting law enforcement get on the ship.

Pansy grasped Hermione's forearm and pulled her into the captain's quarters, she could hear a few Colony men calling her name. They asked if she was 'okay'.

Okay?

She'll be 'okay' once her Captain is in her view again.

Hermione was left in the room, the door locked behind her as the sound of fighting got even louder.

Water continued to fall from her clothes, her body shivered from the cool air. She listened intently as she grabbed the sword mounted above Y/n's cot.

Hermione pointed it at the door, her breath steady as she leaned against the captain's desk. Y/n had taught her how to fight, how to fire a gun, how to sword fight.

But, Y/n swore to her that she wouldn't let those skills ever be used by her while she was still breathing.

Now, Hermione had no idea if her protector was even alive. She looked over her shoulder a moment, they were moving.

She scrambled to the window in front of her desk, watching as bodies lay in the water and dock. None she recognized, but she couldn't see past the lawmen who still stood on the wooden pathway.

Fighting was still ongoing out on the deck, she turned back towards the door, almost like she thought someone would have snuck into the room without alerting her.

There was no one.

Her eyes flew back to the window, there were two Brigantine ships from the Continental Army following after them at full mast.

Hermione crumbled. She hides under her superior's desk. Tears clouded her eyes as she kept the sword at her side.

She felt herself go back to being a scared little girl. The one she hated. The one that almost made her stay back to live a miserable life.

Cannon fire started to fly past the ship, making her cry harder as she hugged her knees.

The princess felt like the little girl who cried when she thought her life would never be the same when the volcano had killed more than half her kingdom.

What a sorry excuse for a 'pirate'.

——————

Hours had passed. Y/n stood on the deck as they escaped through the dense patch of fog that headed out further into the ocean.

They were safe. No one was lost or injured. The Captain let out a sigh of relief as she stood next to Draco at the wheel.

"Once we're out of this fog, head east" she mumbles as she placed his grey bandanna back on his head and held her hat in her hand.

"Aye-Aye" he replied as Y/n walked back onto the main deck and watched as Ron and Harry tossed the dead bodies overboard, praying for forgiveness quietly.

Y/n sighed again as she walked towards her quarters, Pansy unlocked it for her and handed the key back.

The Captain thanked her softly as she walked in and closed the door. She looked around for her royal passenger but didn't find her. Panic.

"Hermione?" Y/n called out as she started to check every corner. Did someone take her?

Impossible! The door was locked-

"Here"

Her voice was soft, too soft for Y/n's liking. She walked around her desk and noticed the sword next to a curled-up Hermione.

Y/n slowly moved her chair and sat down on the floor, looking at her with a soft smile. She noticed the red dryness in her eyes, and a part of the Captain's heart chipped because of it, she pushed away the sword.

"Are you okay?" Y/n asks as Hermione looks over at her, resting her head against her knees.

"Yes"

Y/n sighed softly as she scooted under the desk, forcing Hermione to laugh softly as she was smooshed against the wood.

"We're nothing not both going to fit!" She says as Y/n is still halfway peeking out from the small space.

"You're right" the Captain hums as she thinks for a moment before pulling Hermione onto her lap and scooting completely under the desk.

"Y/n!" Hermione whispers with a laugh as she grasps the front of her superior's shirt, her face going back into the girl's shoulder like it did in the library.

"There! We can be gloomy together!" She chuckled as Hermione relaxed against her, feeling her hands travel up and down her back.

It's quiet for a while, only the creaking of the ship is heard as they sit under that desk. Hermione's hand landed on the space below Y/n's ear, her fingernails gently scratching the baby hairs on the back of her neck.

"I'm sorry" she whispers as her nose brushed against the other side of Y/n's neck.

"Sorry? For what?"

"Hiding"

Y/n pinched her brows in confusion. This was a common response when something like this happened. Also, this was Hermione's first real brush with death. They hadn't been in any danger while Hermione had been with them.

The crew called her a good luck charm. Y/n had to now agree after seeing how they escaped by the skin of their teeth.

"I told you to hide" Y/n whispers as the ship rocks back and forth. She placed her foot on the side of the desk to stop them from moving too much, but that only seemed to press Hermione against her even more as Y/n's knee took up more of the limited space.

"I'm part of this crew-" Hermione started as her legs straddled the sides of Y/n's waist.

"And I'm the captain. I gave you an order and you did exactly what I asked" she replied as they looked at one another.

"Y/n-"

"Siren"

Hermione sighed and laid her forehead against hers, she knew there was no use fighting the stubborn girl. That stupid nickname also quieted her down fairly easily as well.

"Why won't you just let me wallow in self-pity and hatred" Hermione sighed as Y/n just chuckled softly and kissed her cheek.

"Because you're not a pirate, you're an adventurer! There's a difference" Y/n explains as Hermione kisses her cheek back, and just hums in dissatisfaction.

"There really isn't," she says as Y/n presses her lips against the girl's jaw, causing a shiver to run down her spine again.

"Just listen to your dear old Cap, okay?" Y/n hums as Hermione sighs, but nods anyways. There was really no use in arguing.

"Fine...but I'm going to wallow for a bit more" Hermione says as she tries to get out from under the desk, but Y/n quickly pulls her back.

"No, no, no, no" she whines as she buries her face against the princess's neck. Hermione flushed as she was (happily) held captive by her leader.

This was the ruthless Captain that took a princess and stole more money than she would ever need...

That same Captain was now begging the said Princess to stay cuddled up under her desk...it was like night and day.

"I have to figure out where we are, and where we should go next," Hermione says as Y/n groans unhappily and hugs her once last time.

"Fine, fine...how about a kiss for the road since we were so rudely interrupted earlier" she says with a devilish grin, but Hermione just rolls her eyes as she pulls away from her leader's grasp and stands up.

"The moment is gone, but nice try Captain" Hermione chuckled as she grabbed the map from her desk and walked away.

"Siren!"

Y/n was left alone as she sat under her desk with an unhappy huff.

——————

It was now late into the night, the ship groaned softly as they sailed through a small rainstorm. Y/n lay on her cot as Hermione slept on her own in the corner on the other side of the room.

Y/n's eyes burned into the ceiling as she thought about what had happened this morning. So close. So close to showing her favorite Royal how much she'd crumble without her.

Hermione was also awake. Her own gaze locked on the wall in front of her as she kept her back towards Y/n, afraid to somehow show how much she had been replaying their encounter from this morning.

Her thighs squeezed together for a moment as a certain fantasy flashed through her mind. Dammit. Dammit. Dammit.

Damn, that sultry captain!

Hermione slowly sat up, turning her body towards Y/n, who was still staring at the ceiling.

"Y/n" Hermione whispers, to which the Captain immediately looks at her with a raised eyebrow. The Princess had to grasp the bedsheets to stop herself from entirely running over to her in a pathetic, desperate, needy nature.

She was better than that.

"You...you are the Devil in disguise, aren't you?" Hermione asks as Y/n smirks and sits up in her own cot, her arms placed behind her to hold up the top half of her body.

"The Devil? That's high praise coming from you" the Captain replied as her eyes dragged around Hermione's body, causing the brunette to puff her chest out of nervousness.

"Most consider that an insult"

"Are you saying it with disdain?"

"...no"

Y/n chuckled softly as Hermione stood up and hid her flushed face in the darkness of the room, but she knew Y/n could sense her anxiousness.

"Why with the sudden compliment, my Siren?" Y/n asks as her gaze follows the girl's silhouette as it moves around their desks and stops only a few feet away. Fucking nickname.

"You know why" Hermione replies as she sits down on Y/n's desk, her legs crossed over the other.

Y/n stood up from her cot and slowly walked toward Hermione, her footsteps were quiet, but it still made an impact between them.

Hermione felt her heart begin to pound against her ribcage, the twilight of the night hiding the passion both of them stared at one another with. The navigator made the first move, her hand reaching out as her legs uncrossed.

Y/n felt herself be guided by a gentle tug of the front of her shirt, her hands landing on the wood on either side of Hermione's thighs.

"If we do this, it won't be just a forgotten night to me" Y/n whispers as her hips spread Hermione's legs apart, a soft breath was taken by the brunette. Their faces were a few inches apart, and a moonlight-filled backdrop spilled through the window behind Hermione.

Enough light came through for the Princess to see Y/n's eyes. They were filled with something she used to think was just flirtation. What she thought was simple teasing from her leader.

No. It was devotion.

Y/n didn't just want her for a night of passion, she wanted her for every moment they could have together.

"I know" Hermione whispers back as her hands grasp the side of Y/n's face and pull her in for a kiss.

When their lips touched once again since earlier in the morning, a burning warmth filled their chests. Y/n's hands grasped Hermione's waist, her fingertips pressing down enough to hold her still.

Their bodies pressed closer as they chased after kisses, both not wanting to give up the heaven-like feeling that their emotions poured out silently.

Hermione nightgown was making her feel confined. It was an obstacle she hadn't thought was going to annoy her so much.

Off. It needed to be off. Now.

"Y/n" Hermione whispered as she felt the euphoric kisses start to trail down her jaw, then to her neck.

"Shhhh..." Y/n hushed against her skin as she moved careful hands down Hermione's nightgown, they landed on the space between her knees and the hem of her clothing.

The brunette gave a ragged breath again, her head bobbing back as she placed her elbows down on the desk below her. Y/n leaned down with her as she softly teased the skin of Hermione's neck with a playful bite.

Y/n's hands slowly grazed up her thighs, slipping under the nightgown as once again, another sharp breath was taken by Hermione.

It sounded as if she was having the wind knocked out of her by her sailor's simple touch. A moan escaped her lips as she felt Y/n massage her thighs tenderly.

Hermione took one of her hands and brought Y/n's face up to hers, sharing a kiss that had her heart squeezing and punching out of her chest.

Slowly her undergarments were pulled away from her hips, falling to her ankles. This was it. She was giving herself to the woman who took her away from her miserable life.

But Y/n suddenly stopped, looking at Hermione with a small bit of hesitance laced in her stare. The brunette grasped her face and furrowed her eyebrows in confusion.

"What is it?" she whispers, a pang of anxiety shot through her stomach. Did she read this wrong? Did she read everything wrong?

"Are you sure this is what you want?" Y/n asks quietly, to which Hermione's eyes widen as she immediately nods her head.

"Yes. Yes, please say you want the same" Hermione whispers as she kisses Y/n's nose, feeling the girl's head vibrate as she chuckles.

Hermione didn't like how desperate she sounded, but then again, she didn't think she could explain her want any better.

"I do" Y/n replied as their lips touched again.

The former royalty couldn't take it anymore. She needed to feel Y/n on her skin. The heat from her nightgown was suffocating. Maybe it was just in her head, but she didn't care.

"Darling, please" Hermione begged softly when their lips parted, she felt Y/n's fingertips trailing up and down the paths between her thighs and stomach.

Y/n smirked as she helped Hermione out of the thin fabric, watching as the girl's body seemed to relax as the cold air hit it. Her back arched as her ribs showed from under her skin, every deep breath protruded her breasts for Y/n.

Hermione felt Y/n kiss her collarbone as she shredded her own clothes, kicking them somewhere behind her.

Their skin touched like fire to ice, if Hermione could see better in the dark, she wouldn't be surprised to find steam clouding up the room.

"Hermione" Y/n whispered as her forehead rested on the brunette, capturing her attention immediately.

"You're more than a navigator to me" she says.

Hermione knew what this truly meant. Y/n has never been good at showing her feelings in a detailed way, but that just meant Hermione learned the secrets behind every sentence she uttered.

"You've always been more than a Captain" she replies quietly as her arms wrap around Y/n's neck, pulling her down for another kiss.

She could feel Y/n's hands run along the insides of her thighs, causing her to shiver as a result. This was heaven on earth. There can't be anything better than this, and if there is, then it has to be because Y/n is in that moment too.

Y/n's hand crept closer and teased Hermione's folds, tracing them with her fingertips as the poor brunette shivered with every touch.

Hermione's lips found solace on Y/n's chest, letting her touch slowly glide over her lover's sensitive bud. To hear a soft moan leave the Captain's throat was like listening to a holy choir, and Hermione couldn't get enough.

Her breath hitched as Y/n's two slender fingers sunk into her slowly, sending waves of pleasure coursing through her body. She arched her back, silently begging for more. Y/n's fingers moved skillfully, her every movement producing a dirty groan from Hermione's mouth.

"Yes" she breathed as she kissed Y/n's neck, feeling her pulse point bumping against her tongue.

As their bodies moved with a rhythm only they could create, Hermione couldn't help but marvel at the way Y/n's touch ignited her body. Every brush of their skin sent waves of pleasure coursing through her veins, leaving her breathless and craving for more.

She could feel Y/n's fingers slowly pumping within her, spreading her deliciously and methodically.

Y/n's lips explored every inch of Hermione's body, leaving a trail of wet kisses along her neck, collarbone, and down to her chest. The gentle graze of Y/n's teeth on her sensitive skin made Hermione gasp, her nails digging into Y/n's back as she arched with pleasure.

"My Captain, please-" Hermione begged, wanting the agonizingly slow pace to end. Her legs spread more silently submitting to anything she had to offer her body.

Y/n kissed farther down her body, leaving a few marks in her wake as she went down further. She felt Hermione's hands grasp her hair, pushing her closer to the neglected bud that was waiting to be touched.

Hermione stared at the ceiling as she felt her lover's slick tongue glide against her clit, making her back arch and her head hand off the other edge of the desk.

"Oh fuck" she moans as her hands held Y/n's head in place. Her eyes were blurry as she looked out the window, watching as the moonlit water was now upside down from her position.

Their passion intensified, creating an undeniable chemistry that seemed to consume the room. Y/n's fingers moved slightly faster, causing the dirty sounds of Hermione's entrance to get louder in their shared room.

The brunette felt her body tremble for a split second as Y/n began to suck on her sensitive nerve. Her moans got more frequent as she felt Y/n's other hand reach up and play with her chest. Light pulling and flicking.

"This...this can't be...possible" Hermione gasped out as her mind tried to wrap around the indescribable pleaser three parts of her body were experiencing simultaneously.

Every touch, every whisper, brought her closer to a blissful climax that only Y/n could make her reach. Her body started to shake as she tried to raise her head to look at her Captain, but it was no use.

"So close" Hermione moaned as her nails dug into Y/n's scalp, but the sailor paid it no mind as her mouth nibbled on the bundle in front of her. They melted into each other, becoming one entity in the darkness as their bodies quivered in unison.

Y/n's fingers quickened again, sending more pleasure through Hermione's body. She could feel her peak getting closer with every thrust.

Hermione's mind was consumed by a whirlwind sensation as Y/n's skilled fingers continued their rhythmic dance against her body. Every touch, every stroke, sent waves of pleasure cascading through her. Her skin burned with an electrifying heat that seemed to ignite every nerve ending.

As Y/n's mouth expertly explored the most sensitive part of her, Hermione's breath hitched in her throat. The sailor's lips were like velvet against her skin, teasing and tantalizing her with every flick of the tongue. It was as if Y/n possessed an innate understanding of Hermione's desires, knowing exactly how to push her to the edge of ecstasy and back again.

In the darkness surrounding them, time seemed to stand still. Their bodies moved in perfect harmony, synchronized in a dance of passion and desire. Their moans mingled together, creating a symphony of pleasure that echoed through the room.

Hermione's grip on Y/n's hair tightened, her nails leaving faint crescent marks on the sailor's scalp. The pain mixed with pleasure, heightening the intensity of their connection. They were lost in each other, their identities merging into one as they reveled in the raw, unfiltered pleasure they shared.

Y/n's fingers quickened their pace, driving Hermione closer to the edge. Every thrust brought her closer to that blissful climax she yearned for. Her body trembled under the weight of her mounting desire, aching for release.

The world outside their bubble of pleasure ceased to exist. There was only Hermione and Y/n, two souls entwined in a passionate embrace. The rest of the world faded away, leaving them to bask in the intense pleasure that consumed them.

And then, with one final surge of sensation, Hermione's body shattered like glass, her release crashing over her in a tidal wave of pure bliss. Wave after wave of pleasure coursed through her, leaving her gasping for breath as she rode the waves of ecstasy.

Her body trembled and jolted as he bit back a scream of pleasure, a part of her didn't need the relentless teasing from Pansy the following morning.

But, that was quickly thrown out the window when Y/n kept up her attack. Hermione felt her lover's hand leave her chest and pin her stomach down.

Hermione was squirming from the overstimulation, her body instinctively trying to release herself from Y/n's mouth and fingers.

Yet, the Captain wasn't letting her escape that easily.

Gasps and moans slipped from Hermione's mouth as her nails dug into the forearm that was pinning her down around her stomach.

"Ah!" she hissed out as her thighs continued to shake. This was Y/n's ruthless side coming out, her selfishness that only happened during intense moments.

She wanted more from Hermione and the brunette could do nothing but happily oblige.

Her fingers disappeared, causing the Princess to finally raise her head, their eyes met as Y/n placed her other hand onto the girl's hip to keep her in place.

"What are you-"

As soon as Y/n's tongue slipped past her entrance, she crumbled back into a moaning mess. Her arms shook as she held up the top half of her body, her chest rose and fell rapidly with every brush within her.

It wouldn't be long until she peaked again.

"My love, please" Hermione begged as she ran her fingers through Y/n's hair, their eyes never breaking contact.

The night went on like this, climax after climax was given to the princess with barely any breaks in between.

The morning began to break when Y/n was finally satisfied with her work and took Hermione to her cot. They lay together as Y/n held her tightly in her arms, kissing the back of her neck comfortingly as Hermione tried to calm down.

As they lay tangled in each other's arms, their bodies glistening with a fine sheen of sweat, Hermione turned in her embrace and looked up at Y/n, whispering softly.

"You've become my anchor, my safe haven."

Y/n smiled, tracing patterns on Hermione's bare skin.

"And you're the compass that guides me, Hermione. With you, I've found a love that transcends any better pleasure out there."

They shared a soft smile as another kiss was shared. Then another. And another.

In that moment, there was no doubt that their love would navigate any storm, no matter how fierce. Together, they were unstoppable, destined for a lifetime of passion, adventure, and unending love.

[holdupjack]

Will you be making a part 2 of Forgetting you? 🙏🏻🥺

Yes! Hopefully soon!