AN: For more Flowerpot, come check out the FP discord!
discord .gg / f4a9Cg8rpB
.
.
.
Harry stirred, his mind still hazy from sleep as he heard the melodic ring of his phone, its rise and fall jerking him into consciousness. He fumbled around the bed until his hand landed on the cool glass, instinctively swiping to answer the call. He hadn't even looked at the caller.
"Hello?" he mumbled, the rays of sunshine beaming into his room causing him to squint, still not adjusted to the sudden shift from dark to light.
"Harry?"
He picked up the phone and saw Hermione's concerned face on the display.
"Ugh, sorry Hermione, I forgot you were gonna call me this morning," he said, turning over and swinging his legs over the side of the bed. Feet planted on the cold floor, he yawned and rubbed at his left eye, attempting to push away the remaining sleep from his brain.
"You alright there, Harry?" Hermione asked.
He nodded, eyes still half closed. "Yeah, I'm alright. I got stuck doing inventory last night at work, so I was there an extra two hours," he explained as he got up and flipped the lightswitch on the wall, his place instantly being illuminated in bright white light. He squinted again for a moment as he adjusted to the light before looking back down at the screen.
"Didn't get in until super late. I guess I was more exhausted than I thought I was."
"Harry, are you sure you're not overworking yourself?" Hermione asked, concern evident in her voice.
He smiled at the thought.
She was always concerned for him, probably more often than he was concerned for himself. It was touching, really. Ron's family had been great to him, but Hermione was one of the few that could look at him and instantly know if something was wrong. He hadn't had many people like that in his life.
"I'll be fine. Fall break is in a few days so people have been out and I've just been taking extra shifts. It's given me some financial padding going into the end of the year."
Hermione looked unconvinced, but he knew she wouldn't push him. She would always look out for him, but she knew when to let him have his way, and for that he was thankful. It was far too early to debate his working schedule with anyone.
"Your text said you had something to tell me?" he asked, changing the subject as he walked over to the fridge, pulling out a small container of orange juice and grabbing a glass.
Ron had come over the other day and brought only bacon and OJ, claiming "It's all I need for a meal." Harry didn't bother to comment that the amount of bacon he was eating was unhealthy, that would have been rude, because, well, bacon. Who turns down bacon?
He saw Hermoine's face brighten as he poured some juice into his cup.
"Yep! I'm going to be around your university in the first couple weeks of next month!"
"That's fantastic," Harry said, finishing his juice and placing the container back into the fridge. He'd finish the rest when he made the remaining bacon later. "What's the occasion?"
"I'm doing a guest lecture at a private school in the area. I'll have the evening free to stop by, if you'd like?"
"You don't even have to ask," he replied, a smile on his face. "I'll make something for dinner."
Hermione shook her head. "No, you don't have to Harry, that al-"
"Bah, nonsense," he said, waving his hand, "I haven't seen one of my best friends in months, so I'll cook something nice." She sighed, accepting that she wasn't going to change his mind.
"Fine," she said, "so, how are you and Fleur?"
Harry stopped washing the cup, an eyebrow raised.
"Huh?"
Hermione rolled her eyes.
"C'mon Harry, don't give me that. How are you two doing?"
He looked back down at his glass and blushed.
"Just because we hang out doesn't mean we're dating. Why does everyone assume we're dating?" he asked, more to himself than Hermione. He heard a laugh from his phone and turned.
"Harry, that's really sweet, but you spend so much time with her that you two might as well be dating. Shall I bring up our recent text messages and read them aloud?" she asked, placing reading glasses onto her face with a look of smug satisfaction.
He didn't need to hear the texts, he knew what they said. He'd written them, dammit.
Since the night of the party, he and Fleur had become closer, and they spent quite a bit of time together. Mostly in the library, having claimed their corner as "Nerd Central" and shooed away any trespassers, lest they intrude upon their sanctuary.
More so than that, the two had confided in each other, Fleur's emotional outpouring in the quad having been a catalyst for sharing all sorts of things they had previously kept guarded from the other. Mostly trivial things, such as why he had such an old laptop, or why she didn't like Percy, but the two had begun developing what Harry hoped was some sort of bond. Maybe? He sighed.
"We're good," he said coolly, looking back down at his phone. "We mostly hang out and nerd out, you know that."
Hermione gave him a look, the one she always gave him when she knew he wasn't being truthful. He sighed again.
"Look, I like her, alright? It's just, I don't want to say or do something stupid, though I'm fairly well versed in that department."
Hermione laughed.
"Harry, life is about saying and doing stupid stuff," she said, "maybe doing or saying something stupid wouldn't be so bad?"
"Easy for you to say."
"And what, exactly, does that mean?" she demanded, crossing her arms.
There he went again, putting his foot in his mouth.
"Look, it's just, she's way out of my league, alright?"
"Harry James Potter, what have I told you about that phrase?" Hermoine said, anger flashing through her features and he winced. Hermione's anger could be legendary if provoked, he knew that from experience. "Any woman would be lucky to have you for a friend or partner. You're a catch no matter what imaginary league they're supposedly in, do you hear me?"
He nodded.
"Yes…mom."
"I'm going to hit you for that when I see you," she threatened as an alarm went off on her side.
Harry smiled. "Hey, would you look at that, saved by the publicist."
She rolled her eyes.
"Actually, I'll have you know that I'm meeting my parents for brunch, so ha!" She stuck her tongue out at him. "I'll text you once I have a firm date for when I'll be around there. Looking forward to seeing you."
"Same here, Hermione. Tell your parent's I said hello."
.
.
"Hellooooo, Earth to Fleur, you there?" Angelina said, sitting across from her friend in the dining hall, students coming and going to and from classes, stopping to catch up over a bite to eat when they could. Fleur blinked and shook her head, focusing her attention back across the table.
"Sorry, you were saying?"
Angelina rolled her eyes. "Girl, you have been out of it since we sat down. What's wrong?"
Fleur shook her head, stirring her soup with her spoon.
"Nothing, nothing is wrong," she insisted, though she instantly knew she wouldn't be believed.
"Yeah, and I'm still dating that hot junior on the sportsball team."
Fleur raised an eyebrow.
"You and Michael broke up then?" she asked, receiving a shrug as Angelina bit into her burger.
"We were never really dating. It was mostly good fun," she said and Fleur frowned, turning her nose up as the other woman spoke with her mouth full.
"He was a bit of fun, nothing more. So, what's eating you?"
Fleur sighed, knowing that it wouldn't be dropped until she said something.
"I don't know where Harry works."
Angelina barked out a harsh laugh, earning a glare from Fleur, which simply made the other woman laugh even harder. Fleur realized she probably shouldn't have said anything.
"Yeah, that tracks," Angelina said after regaining her composure. "You have a need to know things, Blondie, and it eats away at you if you don't. You've always been like that. It's kinda adorable."
Angelina pinched Fleur's cheek before having her hand swatted away, Fleur's scowl deepening.
"I'm glad I can amuse you."
"I'm glad you amuse me too," quipped Angelina before she finally dropped her smile and got serious. "Alright, alright. Sorry, it's just you're really easy to fluster sometimes, ya know?"
Fleur sighed, but she dropped her scowl. She was easy to fluster, at least when it came to her roommate. Angelina knew all the right buttons to press to set her off and she would find it annoying if she didn't love the other woman like a sister.
"Ask," Angelina said, stuffing a few fries in her mouth.
"What?"
Angelina rolled her eyes.
"Ask him where he works. Or, if you don't want to do that, ask someone where he works and go see him. Problem solved."
Fleur bit her lip. She'd thought of that, but she didn't want to intrude. Harry didn't talk about work much, and Fleur hadn't pried into it despite her desire to know. She didn't know if he enjoyed his job or if he was just doing it for a paycheck, and as Angelina said, she had a need to know things.
"How are you and Green Eyes doing anyway?"
Fleur's mind came back to the conversation, looking across the table.
"What do you mean?"
Angelina rolled her eyes again.
"You know what I mean, Blondie. You two have spent more time together recently than we have all semester."
Fleur folded her arms across her chest defensively. "We like hanging out. Why does everyone think we're dating?"
Angelina grabbed a napkin from the holder on the table and wiped her mouth before sipping on her drink.
"Because you two act like you're dating," she said, tossing the used napkin down onto her empty plate. "Ever since your fight with Cedric, you and Harry have been thick as thieves. You never did tell me what you guys got up to after you left, by the way." She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.
It was Fleur's turn to roll her eyes.
"We just talked. I told him about me and Cedric. And about my father," she replied, absentmindedly stirring her spoon through the now cold soup as she looked down.
"So, what's the big deal? Why haven't you made a move?"
Fleur growled a bit, causing her to drop her spoon. Since when did she growl at Angelina?
"I don't want to "make a move" on Harry!" she hissed, though the look on Angelina's face told her the other woman didn't believe her.
"Uh huh. You two just spend all your time together doing nerdy shit but you don't want to date him. I mean, shit Fleur, he's been to our dorm room. I'd say that qualifies as something."
She knew Angelina was right, she had an annoying habit of doing that lately, much to Fleur's chagrin. She had spent an increasingly large amount of her free time with Harry since Halloween, either in the library, computer center, or back at her dorm, mostly binge watching various shows or catching the latest movie, and dammit if it wasn't the highlight of her day every time.
"Fine, alright," she admitted, "I like him. A lot."
"But…?"
Fleur tore at the napkin in her hand nervously, feeling childish and a little unsure. She'd grown attached to Harry and felt an odd sort of entitlement to his time that she didn't understand herself. That lack of understanding was exactly why she hadn't told anyone about it, especially not Angelina.
"But I don't want to screw things up," she said without thinking, causing her eyes to widen slightly at the confession, ripping the napkin with renewed force.
Angelina sighed. "I swear, you two are like lost puppies. What's there to screw up? Harry likes you, anyone who spends time with the two of you can see that."
"I don't know, alright," she said, looking up at Angelina. "Harry's a good guy, and I don't want to hurt him. My family isn't exactly normal, I don't want to scare him off because, well, because I get to be myself when I'm around him. You know the kind of influence my family has. When we hang out, it's like none of that matters. I'm just normal, boring Fleur."
"Oh my word," Angelina whispered, "I never thought I'd see the day. Fleur Delacour is scared."
Irritation flashed through her and she made to stand up, only for Angelina's hand to shoot over and land on her forearm, an apology in her eyes.
"I'm sorry," Angelina said. "Look, do what you want to do, alright? I'm here for you no matter what. Regardless, go see him at work, I'm sure he'd get a kick out of that."
Fleur nodded and smiled.
"That sounds like a perfect idea."
.
.
"Uh, dude," Dean said, staring out across the gym.
"Little busy here," grunted Ron, pushing the bar back up again, air escaping his lips.
"Uh, dude," repeated Dean, Transfixed on something instead of spotting Ron.
"Busy…" Ron grunted again, pushing the bar up for his final rep and placing it back on the rack.
"Uh, dude," Dean said for the third time. Sitting up, Ron whirled around.
"What, Dean? What? You're supposed to be spotting me," he growled, though Dean was still looking past him.
"Fleur Delacour just walked into the gym, again, and she's looking directly at you. She's coming this way. Fast."
Ron smiled as he looked over and saw just that. He chuckled at the sight, the text from Angelina he'd received coming to mind.
Heads up Red, hurricane Fleur is headed your way. Give her what she wants but take shelter
She stopped just in front of them, shifting her weight to her left hip and looked up at Dean.
"Hi," the taller man said. She smiled.
"Hi," she replied sweetly before her face fell, "leave."
Dean backed away quickly, and Ron laughed.
"You know, you didn't have to scare him like that. He probably thinks you hate him now."
"I got catcalled by no less than four of your teammates on my way through here, I'm not really in the mood to entertain," she returned and Ron nodded.
"I'll tell them to cut it out. Oi!" he called, looking past Fleur. "Seamus, take some weight off that, you're gonna hurt your calf and we can't afford to have anyone out."
He looked back up. "Apologies. What can I do for you?"
"Where does Harry work?"
Ron chuckled.
"Right to business then," he muttered before taking a long swig from his water bottle. "He works at a coffee shop off campus, a place called The Three Broomsticks. It's-"
"I'll find it," she interrupted, "thanks for the help."
She turned to go but he called out to her, causing her to turn back around.
"Look, Fleur," he said, suddenly incredibly nervous, "it's really none of my business, but, just, don't hurt Harry, alright?"
Fleur cocked her head to the side. "Why would I hurt Harry?"
Ron shrugged. "I'm not saying you would, it's just, he's my best friend, so be gentle."
Fleur stared at him for a long moment, playing the words out in her head before simply nodding and walking away. He pulled out his phone and tapped out a message.
Storm just rolled out. Am I gonna regret this?
The typing bubbles popped up on his screen for a moment before a message came through.
It'll be fine. These two are hopeless but they might just figure it out.
.
.
Fleur stepped into the coffee shop, one of the larger off campus coffee shops within a reasonable distance. Looking up reviews on her way over, it sounded as if the coffee was fairly popular amongst the student population, and the location good enough to make for a reasonable spot to get work done while enjoying a drink.
She didn't immediately see Harry upon walking in, but the inside was bustling with activity, customers going back and forth, baristas shuffling behind the counter. A large group of people had pushed several tables together along the far wall, apparently using it as a location to prepare for finals. Closer to the door, several people, clearly students, had headphones on and were typing on their computers, tall drinks sitting on their tables.
She ordered her drink and took a seat, a small two person table on the wall across from the counter, the perfect view to watch the workers. That's when she saw him, his black shirt and apron on, moving back and forth between coffee machines and the pastry station. He called out a couple orders before turning back towards the list of orders.
"Cappuccino, two pumps of vanilla for…Karen Starr?" he called, his words trailing off, ending in a question as he looked around. She smiled as she approached the counter, causing him to chuckle.
"Power Girl, huh? I like it," he said, handing her the cup. "Though I would have picked Jessica Cruz."
She sipped her drink and raised an eyebrow, nearly sighing as the coffee hit her lips. It was good. No, it was amazing.
"Oh?"
He nodded.
"Yeah. You've got great design ideas, so your imagination would mean you fit right in with the Lantern Corp." He said and Fleur felt her cheeks flush slightly. "Nice shirt, by the way."
She looked down and smiled, her Batgirl shirt on full display.
"I've had it for years. She really is my favorite superhero."
"Ms. Delacour, what would the student population say if they heard you talking like that? The scandal!" he said with mock surprise, causing her to laugh.
"Harry," one of his coworkers called, "Need more pastries!"
He looked back at Fleur, an apologetic look in his eyes.
"I'm off in about an hour," he said and she nodded.
"There's a place around here I want to try, we'll get dinner after," she said before making a motion for him to go, stopping his protest. "Shoo, go back to work. I'll be enjoying the coffee."
As she watched him work, her questions from earlier were all answered, and it made her smile. She could see the real, genuine warmth that played across his face as he handed people drinks and the eagerness he had to help his coworkers. Above all else, she saw the kindness in his eyes, a look that instantly put everyone at ease as if it were some sort of super power. He made his coworkers laugh after they had to deal with a particularly rude customer or resolved an issue with a drink with practiced ease.
And dammit did he look sexy in that apron.
At some point she got a text from Gabby and lost track of time, engrossed in catching up with her younger sister, brought back to her surroundings when a small pastry was placed on the table. Harry sat down across from her, a smile on his face, nodding down at the dessert. It was a small, puffy thing with a creamy center and a small amount of chocolate running down the top of it.
"Try it, let me know what you think."
She picked it up and took a bite, the taste of cream and chocolate exploded in her mouth, a wave of euphoric pleasure dancing through her taste buds. She didn't even try to stop the low moan that escaped her lips nor did she glare at Harry's low chuckle.
"Chou à la crème, my word, Harry, where did you get these?"
He nodded towards the pastry display. "We make the pastries in house. I'm good at following the instructions to make our normal stuff, but the boss wanted something new, so I tried my hand at making those. You're the first to test them. So, what do you think?"
She smiled and wiped her mouth.
"I think if you put a dozen in front of me I'd eat them all and cut you if you attempted to steal one."
He laughed again and she saw his smile go all the way to his eyes.
"Guess I can't ask for higher praise. You said you wanted to try a place around here?"
She nodded before standing up, tossing the napkin into the trashcan behind her and making her way towards the door. He held it open for her and she nodded, stepping out into the brisk evening air.
"Yeah, it's not far from here. It's a Thai place. Wanna try it?"
He shrugged and matched her step, his hands going into his pockets to keep them warm. "Sure, I'm game."
They walked for a bit in silence, enjoying the quiet company and the unusually gentle breeze that washed over them, the sun setting behind them. Harry's phone buzzed as they waited at the corner to cross the street and he checked it, reading the message.
"Hey," he said, typing back a reply, "Ron's got that big sportsball match next week. You wanna go?" Fleur's cheeks flushed and she was glad the cold would cover it. Slipping his phone back into his pocket, he looked back at her.
"I suppose that doesn't sound terrible," she answered teasingly.
"Ron'll be thrilled," he said as they crossed the street. "I generally don't go to his games, but having a couple people there specifically for him will make him happy. Or insufferable. It could go either way."
She laughed as they reached the restaurant and she pulled open the door, holding it for him.
"I look forward to it."
.
.
"I'm just saying that "Chuck Versus the Push Mix" would have made a more fitting series finale," Fleur said as she looked at Harry, daring him to disagree. "That ending is the best two minutes of the entire series."
Harry sighed.
"I'll give you that "Push Mix" had the best ending, but I still enjoy the ending in "Chuck Versus The Other Guy" and it would have made an overall more satisfying ending," he shot back. "Not to say that everything after it was bad, obviously, but if the series had an ending other than the one we got then I think "Other Guy" fits best."
Fleur shook her head, clearly disagreeing.
Harry looked over at their raven haired companion.
"Angelina, back me up here."
The woman turned away from the game, a deadpan look on her face.
"I am surrounded by fucking nerds," she said, pointing towards the game. "You know Red is about to secure us a spot in the playoffs? And you two are debating Chick-"
"Chuck," they both corrected.
"-Whatever!" Angelina said in exasperation just as the whistle blew, indicating the end of the game, the crowd around them jumping up and down in excitement as the university team celebrated their playoff berth.
Harry clapped, looking at Ron being hoisted up by his teammates. Despite what Angelina had said, Harry did pay attention. Ron had played his ass off and deserved every bit of praise being heaped on him.
"Huh, that's interesting," Angelina said beside them. Harry looked over.
"What is?"
She nodded towards the team, where Ron was being paraded around, shouts of "Weasley is our King!" coming from the entire squad.
"Red doesn't look as happy as he probably should be," she commented as Fleur and Harry looked over, studying his best friend's face. Harry saw a wide smile and laughter, the look of someone who was thrilled to be where he was. He turned back towards Angelina with a questioning look.
"Not sure I see it."
She shrugged.
"I'm just saying, his smile doesn't quite reach his eyes. You can see it if you look close enough."
She looked down at Harry and laughed, tapping her knuckle against his glasses. "Though you probably can't see shit, Green Eyes."
They made their way out of the crowd of people, students and regular fans alike, thinning out the further they got from the event.
"Welp, I'm off to find a party," Angelina said, looking at Fleur and Harry, a smirk on her face. "I want to say "don't do anything too crazy" but I know you two are probably just going to go do some nerdy shit, so have fun."
Harry and Fleur looked at each other.
"Comic store?" Fleur asked. Harry nodded.
"Comic store," he confirmed as they set off towards their destination.
The comic store they frequented was about halfway between campus and Harry's apartment, the perfect distance for them to pop over between classes and browse the latest releases or find a hidden gem in the massive back catalog that the place had to offer.
'Comics, Cartoons, and Collectibles' wasn't much to look at from the outside, but it had heart on the inside.
As they stepped through the door of the small building, they heard their names.
"Fleur, Harry! I was wondering when you two would be back," said Lee Jordan, the owner. "Been a while, how have you been?"
"Good," said Fleur, immediately heading over to the new releases to peruse their contents. Harry shook his head and turned back towards Lee.
"I've been good. You?"
Lee nodded excitedly. "Yeah, all good, all good. We just got a massive back catalog shipment in that I'm particularly excited about. I've got some older Fantastic Four stuff, if you're looking."
Fleur's head shot up, eyes wide.
"Which ones?"
"Mostly Mark Waid's run, but I think I've got some from Dwayne McDuffie's," he explained, jerking his head for Fleur to follow him towards the section of the store that housed the older books. As Harry made to follow his phone buzzed with a message, and he unlocked it quickly. It was from Hermione.
I know this is super last minute but I totally spazzed out and forgot to text you. I'm in town and should be done in a couple hours. Dinner? I totally understand if you're not free. Sorry! :(
Harry chuckled before typing out a quick reply.
You're good. Yes, dinner! I'll stop and grab some stuff to cook on my way back home. I'm at the comic shop with Fleur right now.
Text bubbles popped up on screen briefly before the reply appeared.
Invite her
His eyes widened.
What?
The reply came immediately, making him wonder if Hermione had started typing the reply as soon as she sent her last message.
Invite her to join us. I want to meet her!
He sighed.
You know she's a big fan of yours? Like, really big. It could be awkward.
Another quick reply.
Are you saying you do not like my work, Mr. Potter?
He smiled.
It's alright, if a bit unoriginal :P
The typing bubbles came and went immediately.
You will pay dearly for that! I'll see you in a couple hours. BOTH of you D:
Harry slipped the phone back in his pocket and looked back up to see Fleur grabbing a few books out of the bin, her haul for the trip. Squinting, he saw she had two Fantastic Four and two Spider-Man books. Which ones, he wasn't sure, though he knew she'd show him later.
"Hey Fleur," he called and she looked up at him, crossing the store towards the counter. "I need to pick up some groceries, so you can head on back if you want."
Something flashed across her face that he couldn't quite place. Apprehension? Excitement? It was gone before he could place it, leaving him wondering.
"Sure, let me just pay for these and we'll head out." Panic rose in Harry's stomach.
"...What?"
She handed Lee her credit card and looked back at him.
"Just give me a minute and we'll go get your groceries," she said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
No, he had to go get groceries alone, otherwise she'd want to help him bring them back to his place. Fleur seeing his place could be disastrous. He could deal with Hermione's anger at Fleur not being there when she arrived, and his friend would forgive him eventually. She finished her purchase and stopped in front of him.
"Well?" she said, a bright smile on her face, melting away his resistance, "Lead the way!"
.
.
Shame and embarrassment began to rise in Harry's mind as they walked up the stairs to his door. They'd fought coming out of the store, his last ditch effort to dissuade her from helping him resulting in her quite firmly telling him she would be dropping the food off on his counter, no questions asked.
"Fleur, uhm, I'm not... I mean," he stammered, not getting a word out while searching for his keys in his pocket. The raised eyebrow on her face silenced him.
He knew he'd lost at that point so he slowly unlocked the door and stepped inside.
While his flat was never dirty or untidy it was small. So small. A single room, barely enough space for a bed, a small desk, and loveseat. His bathroom was just as cramped and his shower had barely 5 minutes of lukewarm water before turning into liquid ice. His "kitchen" was an insult to every person that had ever cooked in their lives, but it was the only thing he could afford. Even after working odd shifts and hours at the coffee shop, and his schooling taken care of by a generous government program, he still barely scraped by.
Regardless, it was better than living with the Dursleys so he'd taken it, because it was his and his alone.
That didn't stop the embarrassment as he looked at Fleur staring wide eyed around the room.
.
.
Fleur was shocked. She always understood her family was well off, and that she grew up with more than most, but she'd never been in an apartment this small before. It was neat, she expected nothing else from Harry, but everything had a sense of age to it, as if it were languishing after years of work. She could see the open bathroom, a tiny little room with just enough space for a sink and a shower, and she frowned. He'd been to her dorm multiple times and each time there was this sense of unease when he stepped in. Was this why?
When she looked over to Harry she could see the shame and embarrassment he felt, and she understood his resistance to her being here. His previous attempts to get her to go back, meet her another day. Why had she insisted on joining him when he had tried so hard to get her to turn back?
"Are you embarrassed, Harry?" she asked softly, though she already knew the answer. She had made it awkward for him. He nodded.
"Yeah, sorry. It's just, the place isn't much, and I didn't-"
She walked over to him and took him in her arms. He stiffened a little but a moment later he hugged her back. She didn't know why, but an unexpected ball of happiness settled into her chest as she looked around the place, its cramped spaces and non-uniform paint colors sending a wave of joy into her heart. They stood there for a moment, hugging each other in silence, when she realized it wasn't the place that made her happy, it was that Harry had shown it to her.
"It's lovely," she said, stepping back from him, a wide smile on her face. She looked down at the bags and gestured towards them.
"What are you making?"
"Spaghetti and meatballs," he replied, placing the bags next to the sink. "Though I'll have to get creative to make it presentable. Veggies were on sale, and I had a coupon, so it won't all be carbs. Wanna help?"
"Sure, though I can't guarantee I'll be much help. Spaghetti and meatballs isn't exactly my forte."
Harry waved his hand dismissively.
"Nonsense. There's nothing to it, you'll be a pro in no time. You can cut the tomatoes for the salad."
They got to work, Harry preparing the noodles and Fleur chopping the tomatoes, bumping into each other as they worked side-by-side, the closeness, surprisingly, not bothering Harry at all. He peered over at the tomatoes.
"Huh, that's not bad for a rich girl."
"I am holding a knife."
"Shutting up now."
.
.
"Alright, now just put the lid back on the pan and it'll be ready in a few minutes," Harry said, looking around his cramped kitchen area at the mess.
Fleur had done her best to help him, but with limited utensils and cooking space, he'd had to make due. He was just about to say something when there was a knock at the door. Fleur looked up.
"Expecting someone?"
He made his way over to the door and opened it, immediately being attacked by a mess of bushy brown hair.
"Harrrrrry!" Hermione said as she hugged him tight and rocked back and forth before pulling back.
"It's good to see you too," Harry replied, chuckling as she handed him a bottle of wine. She gave him a look that cut off his protest and he just sighed.
"You know I don't have a bottle opener, right?"
She smirked, reaching into her pocket and producing a wine bottle opener. He wondered why he even doubted her, of course Hermione had that covered.
"Harry, I think the spaghetti is do-" Fleur said, stopping as she saw who was now standing in front of her. Hermione smiled, bumping Harry's arm with her elbow.
"Are you going to introduce us?"
He rolled his eyes.
"Hermione Granger, this is Fleur Delacour. Fleur Delacour, this is-"
"Hermione Granger," Fleur finished, eyes going wide as she began to shake. Harry didn't know it, but it looked like she was vibrating.
"Oh my god, you're the Hermione Granger. I'm meeting Hermione Granger and she now knows my name. Hermione Granger knows who I am holy shit. Hi, I'm Delacou-, I mean, I'm Fleur Delacour. Wait, Harry already said that."
Harry stood between the two, breaking her stare at Hermione, just as he heard a stifled laugh behind him. He raised his foot and lightly kicked Hermione's shin.
"Breathe," he told Fleur, "or you'll pass out."
Fleur took several deep breaths before nodding.
"Now, she'll let you fangirl out all you want, but we gotta eat and you probably need wine before you, I don't know, offer her your first child or something." He turned around.
"Your books aren't that good," he said quickly to Hermione, receiving a punch on the arm. Just as he reached the sink, his phone rang. Fishing it out of his pocket he answered.
"Hello?"
"Hey, Harry, it's Daphne, from work."
He grabbed the three glasses he had, embarrassed that he didn't have proper wine glasses, and set them next to the wine.
"Hey, Daphne, what's up?" he said.
"Sorry to call you when you're off, but do you think you could come in and cover my shift for tonight? It's just, my sister called and she's not doing well," said Daphne and Harry frowned. He knew Daphne's sister, Astoria, wasn't well, some sort of rare disease, and Daphne was always worried about her.
"Oh shit, is she alright?" he asked, forgetting the wine and turning his back to the sink.
"Yeah, she just passed out at school and they had to take her home. I wa-"
"I'll be there in 20 minutes," he said immediately.
"Really?" Daphne asked.
"Yeah. You need to take care of your sister, I can handle serving people coffee."
"Thank you so much, Harry," she said, and he thought she sounded like she was about to cry. "I promise, I'll make it up to you."
"Nonsense, that's what friends are for. Give me 20 minutes and I'll be there," he said before hanging up. Hermione and Fleur had settled on the loveseat, Fleur having apparently gotten over her initial excitement and calmed down. Both looked at him with questioning gazes.
"Everything alright?" asked Hermione.
Harry rubbed the back of his neck.
"Yeah, so one of my coworkers, Daphne, her sister is really sick. She passed out today, so Daphne was trying to find someone to cover for her. I told her I would."
"So go," said Hermione.
"I hate to run out-"
"I know you'd never be able to forgive yourself if you didn't help someone, Harry," Hermione said with a smirk. "Fleur and I can manage on our own, can't we Fleur?"
Fleur's eyes got wide.
"Ye-yeah, we can manage."
Harry nodded, sending another apologetic look to both of them.
"Extra key is under the notebook on my desk. Hermione, the book is in the top drawer of the desk. Food should be done. Sorry!" he said as he grabbed his keys from next to the door and headed out.
.
.
It was several hours later, the night rush finally over, when Harry got a text as he was cleaning the tables out on the floor.
Had a great time with your not-girlfriend. She's so lovely, Harry! And she's good for my ego :D I left the book with her. She promised not to show anyone, just like another nerd I know. I'll call you next week. Sorry we couldn't see each other!
Harry was shocked. Fleur must have really made an impression for Hermione to leave the book with her, and after meeting her only once too. As he continued cleaning the table, a small smile spread across his face. Hermione and Fleur seemed to get along, and that made him inordinately happy. Now if only he could get Ron and Hermione to get along better then-
He stopped that train of thought and laughed. Yeah, that'll never happen.