Ahhhh, what you do best, Naru: Mutual Pining + Stranded Due to Inclement Weather for the trope mashup ❤️
You know me so well, @whathefawkes! ♥️
Mutual Pining + Stranded Due to Inclement Weather
Annnnd I'm going to write a little scene from the librarian!Harry and witch!Ginny universe just for you.
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It was typical with Harry's luck that it would be pouring out the moment he got off his shift. While it had been wet out in the morning, it was nothing compared to the outright downpour of the moment. The only upside was the late email from his professor that the exam would be delayed because of car troubles.
Harry rifled through his book bag and, yep, he had forgotten to grab an umbrella this morning. He paused, attention caught by the colorful and odd magazine the redhead had left behind earlier. He looked back up at the sky, which rumbled ominously back at him.
Normally, he would use his bag to shield him, but he felt a reluctant affinity to the bizarre rag. Maybe she was unhinged and he should want nothing to do with her, but...while the content was utter nonsense, it didn’t necessarily mean she actually believed in these mythical what's-it creatures. Maybe it could even be a harmless hobby, like believing in the Loch Ness Monster.
It was whimsical and funny, and, he was a bit embarrassed to even think, a little magical. It filled him with a strange nostalgia, like those times he would sneak the Narnia books to his cupboard under the stairs.
Harry snorted. Maybe he liked the magazine because it would give the Dursleys a heart attack.
The magazine safe and secure between his textbooks, Harry tucked his bag tightly under his coat and made a run for it.
The downpour was even worse than it had looked. Rain pelted him relentlessly, immediately soaking him to the bone. His wet glasses made it impossible to see, and he had only made it three blocks before a car seemed to burst out of nowhere right in front of him. It veered just in time, the violent honking nearly drowned out by the storm and the adrenaline that pumped through his body.
It was too dangerous to keep going when Harry and possibly traffic couldn’t see. Teeth clattering, he needed somewhere to wait out the worst of the storm. He squinted through the curtains of water at the red splotches to his right. He rushed toward them, slippery fingers sliding and searching until they wrapped over the latch. With a sigh of relief, he hurried in and shut the door to keep out the rain.
"Oh!" a female voice said.
Shit, there was someone else squeezed in this telephone booth.
"Sorry, I didn't realize someone was in here!” He brushed his dripping locks out of his face to apologize properly.
His mouth dropped at the wide brown eyes looking up at him.
"Ow!" he yelped. In his shock, he had let go of his bag, which fell right on his foot.
He thought he couldn’t be any more stunned, but then the redhead from the library started laughing, a bright sound that seemed to chase away the gloom that had been hanging over him. "You’re really having a stellar day, aren’t you?" she teased, leaning down to pick up his bag.
"Yeah," Harry said, feeling a bit breathless as he accepted the bag.
She scrunched up her nose, which made her freckles bunch together. “You’re not one of those stalker-types, are you?”
“No!” He jumped at the accusation. “I couldn't see, and these booths are usually abandoned, what with cellphones, and I..."
He slowed to a stop when he registered her body was not trembling in fear but from her snickers.
“I’m sorry, you made it so easy.”
He sighed, removing his useless glasses. “You mock me, but I’d be blind in that weather even if I didn’t need these things.”
“Let me,” she said, taking his glasses from him. Without them, he couldn’t quite make out what she was doing as she muttered something under her breath. “There, that’s better.”
His heart sped up as she leaned toward him and placed his glasses on his face. He blinked, surprised. They were clearer than he could remember, like when they were brand new. Not just dry, but squeaky clean.
“Thank you,” he said, amazed and a bit flustered now that he could see her clearly. He hadn’t realized how close she was.
“No problem,” she said with a smile. A light hue brushed over her cheeks as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. Suddenly Harry extremely self-conscious of the close proximity, the heat consolidating in the small space, making the glass fog in contrast to the cold, rain sliding down its exterior.
Harry swallowed hard.
Maybe his luck was turning around.