alisanne

Title: Of Friendship
Author:

alisanne
Rating: PG
Word count: 100 x 5
Fandom: Harry Potter
Characters/pairings: Hermione Granger/Millicent Bustrode.
Challenge: Written for

femslash100/

femslash100's prompts 591: bridge, 592: purpose, 593: joke, 594: freeze, and 595: fever.
Disclaimer: The characters contained herein are not mine. No money is being made from this fiction, which is presented for entertainment purposes only.
Beta(s):

sevfan and emynn.

~

Of Friendship

~

“We need a bridge between Houses,” said Professor McGonagall. “To that end, I’m assigning everyone partners. When I call your name, come forward and pick a name from the Sorting Hat.”

“Bloody hell,” muttered Ron. “Wasn’t Voldemort enough? Now this?”

Hermione huffed. “It’s not a punishment, Ron. The war divided everyone, so it makes sense to foster interhouse cooperation.”

Ron snorted. “You’ll probably get some Ravenclaw who’ll talk to you about Arithmancy, while I get a sodding Slytherin.”

“Hermione Granger!”

Smirking at Ron, Hermione went up, reached into the Hat, and drew a name. She froze. “Millicent Bulstrode,” she said.

~

“I don’t get the purpose of this,” muttered Bulstrode.

Hermione, seated across the table from her, sighed. “We’re supposed to be fostering understanding—”

Bulstrode yawned. “What a load of rot. If Voldemort had won, there would be none of this cooperation nonsense, you lot would be in dungeons or dead.”

Hermione stared at her. “And where would you be in that scenario?”

Bulstrode looked away. “I didn’t like Voldemort, but that doesn’t mean I’ll worship Potter.”

“No one wants that.”

“No?” Bulstrode eyed her. “What do you want?”

“How about friendship for a start?”

Bulstrode nodded. “I can handle that.”

~

“Friends?” Ron huffed. “What a joke.”

Hermione frowned. “Why? She’s quite smart, actually.”

“You want to know why?” Ron cried. “Because she and her lot are evil, that’s why! Because of her family and friends, Fred’s dead, not to mention Remus and Tonks and—”

“She didn’t do any of that!” Hermione shouted back. “And what was she supposed to do, come out as against Voldemort while the Carrows ran the school? That could have meant death for her and her family.”

“I can’t talk to you right now,” snapped Ron, stalking away.

Hermione turned away and ran directly into Millicent.

~

“Why’d you defend me?”

Freezing, Hermione looked up at Millicent. “I’m sorry you heard that. Ron can be…”

“You don’t need to apologise for him.” Millicent’s smile was faint, but there. “I kind of expected that from all you lot. What I want to know is why you didn’t agree with him.”

“Because you’re not evil and he needed to know.”

“How do you know I’m not evil?”

Hermione raised an eyebrow. “Are you saying you are?”

“I’m saying—” Millicent paused. “I’ve no idea what I’m saying.”

Hermione smiled. “You’re saying we’re friends.”

Millicent’s smile bloomed. “I suppose I am.”

~

“…seen how Bulstrode looks at her?”

Hermione, scanning stacks at the library, paused. Millicent was…looking at someone?

“Yes. Only I don’t think she sees it.”

“Yes, well, she’s clever about books, not people.”

Clever about…Hermione felt warm all over, as if she had a fever. Could it be? Spinning, she hurried out of the stacks, toward their usual table.

Spotting Millicent, Hermione approached, and leaning down, kissed her.

Millicent stiffened. Hermione, wondering if she’d miscalculated, relaxed when Millicent kissed her back. When they separated, Millicent hummed. “Friends, hm?”

Hermione smiled. “Or more?”

Millicent grinned. “I can handle that.”

~