Unique (Hermione x M! OC)

13. Birthday Girl

After being excused by Dumbledore, thanks to a lot of convincing, I have Hermione to myself for the day. I wake up early and grab my box of gifts, I grab a small one to start her off, a little crystal ball-shaped lava lamp. It's dumb, but she'll like it. Her favorite color is purple after all. I wrap it and the rest of the gifts up before hiding the rest and setting the ball on the common room table, with a note that reads: For: Hermione, meet me in the kitchen. Moving into the kitchen, note in my pocket, I start to make breakfast. Eggs, hash browns, sausage and pancakes are what Dad sent, so I prepare it. I remember that she likes her eggs over easy and set six eggs aside, soon she's down.

"You got us both the entire day off school? How?"

"I convinced Snape to vouch for me."

She smiles, "And this?"

"McGonagall let me use the kitchen, Dad sent the food." I explain.

"Ah."

"Yep."

"That smells really good."

"Thank you. Mom taught me how to cook, said that when I get married I should help my wife, not hinder her." I crack her eggs into the pan while flipping a pancake and then I quickly check the hashbrowns in the oven and turn over the sausages. Before returning to the eggs, flipping them.

"Doing a bit too much at once?" She teases. "I could help."

"You're the birthday girl, I couldn't ask you to do that."

She takes off her robe and vest before tying up her hair and joining me.

"I'll get the sausages and pancakes, you get the eggs and hash browns."

"Yes chef." I concede, seasoning the eggs and cooking them at low heat. "I like your hair like that. It's a different look on you." She smiles.

"Really?"

"Yeah, really. You look... really nice. I like your hair down too. Those natural curls fit you well." I plate the eggs and start on two more.

"I like the way you look too. Especially with the wild hair, you look like a mad scientist."

"Thanks, Golden." I flip my eggs.

"Why does Snape like you?" She asks after a second.

You're a lot like me.

"The attitude." I jiggle the pan, lower the heat and season the eggs. "I mean, it certainly isn't because I'm charming."

"You have your moments." She plates the sausages and pancakes three each while I take out the hash browns and eggs, splitting them the same way and dumping my eggs onto my plate before serving everything, grabbing the syrup from a nearby cupboard. "Like just now. This. I mean, this is what Mum and Dad made me every year for breakfast. You really do pay attention to everything, don't you?"

"I learn fast, Golden. I am the smartest man alive after all. In everything except common sense." I smile at her, this is the girl of my dreams.

Shame you'll never have her.

I sigh and start to eat. "This is pretty good."

She smiles. "Good, you made it."

"Did you like the gift?"

"I loved it." A comfortable silence ensues until we're finished, at which point we wash up, she undoes her hair, gets her robe and vest back on and we go to McGonagall's classroom. She's teaching First Years. I rap the door thrice and a kid opens it. We're here to get Hermione a rare book, but it's a surprise for her.