RP: A New Year
Date: January 1, 2005
Character(s): Hermione Granger
Status: Private
Summary: The first day of a new year
Completion: Complete
It seemed appropriate that the first day of the new year was sunny and rather warm. There was no frigid chill in the air, no gloomy fog, and no clouds casting a shadow on the day. Perhaps it was a sign of some sort, or perhaps it was just a nice day. Regardless, it was a beautiful day and it felt as if things were starting anew.
Last year, they’d been somewhere in England at the start of the new year. Hermione couldn’t even remember the name of the village as it had been one of many on what had seemed an endless journey. There had been hope, though, because they’d been on the trail of the last Horcrux. One year later, the war was finally over in all the ways that involved them directly, they were adjusting and moving on with their lives, they had projects in mind for the future and things keeping them busy, and they’d made new friends in just a few weeks that she knew would be good friends for some time. Not to mention that Ron was having relationships, of sorts, and Harry was slowly starting to come out of his room more often. All in all, it was a nice start to 2005.
Thinking of new friendships made her wonder if Cedric was enjoying his time with his family in Toronto. When he spoke of ‘home’, it was rather clear that he meant that city and not here. It must be difficult to be caught between two like that, with family and friends there and a life and friends here. Had he been able to catch up with old friends? Did he meet with his former fiancee and, if so, how had that gone? From what little he’d said and her observations of him during that time, it seemed that he still had strong feelings for the woman, so it would probably be difficult to run into her, unless the meeting went favorably. Hopefully, his mum would be able to save some of the paintings, too. She glanced at the clock and smiled. “Happy new year, Cedric,” she murmured, knowing it was about midnight over there now.
Her New Year’s Eve had been very enjoyable, far more so than expected before she‘d made impromptu plans. Roger was always fantastic company, she’d determined, and she’d had a lot of fun. True, a little too much wine had caused her thoughts to stray inappropriately a time or three, but, really, that was somewhat normal even without the added contribution of wine. When one was friendly with attractive men, it was par for the course, she expected. Fortunately, he’d not caught her ogling his bum, as that would have been very embarrassing, and they’d had a very pleasant evening with dinner, billiards, talking, and telly.
There had been great conversation, which she was noticing was common with Roger, and comfortable silences that balanced everything out. In a way, it felt as if their relationship had changed during the course of the night, developing from new friends into a deeper friendship. It pleased her, really, because she quite enjoyed their friendship and spending time with him. She wouldn’t mind him being their neighbor at all.
She needed to contact Percy, as they'd not have a chance to speak since the awkward Christmas dinner. She wondered if Neville was back from his work trip yet. If so, she needed to invite him to dinner. She also owed Viktor dinner and wanted to meet with Kingsley to hear more about his classes. Blaise had offered to help her organize the books in the shop, an offer she knew she’d accept when it was time, but perhaps she should arrange another meeting soon to discuss books and history without a focus on work. She should invite Ginny over for tea soon, too. It would be nice to catch up, and she really should have done so by now. In the new year, she needed to pull back from working most her waking hours and make time for friends.
There should be more brief escapes, like she and Roger made when they went riding. It was just so easy to get caught up in projects and work, as she always had done, and let friendships fall to the wayside unless they happened to occur to her during the course of her day. As it was, her entire relationships with Blaise and Cedric, so far, were based on mutual interests and work related projects. She considered them friends, Cedric moreso as they’d spent time together casually, too, but she should make an effort so the friendships weren’t just dependent upon on work.
Ron coughed and shifted in his sleep, which drew her attention away from the window. His fever had broken around dawn, so she had hoped that he’d start to improve now. Uncurling her feet from the chair, she stood up and walked over to his bed. Poor love wasn’t starting off the new year well at all. She washed his face gently and tucked the covers back around him before she sat on the bed. She brushed her fingers through his hair in a soothing manner that she knew from his previous illnesses provided some comfort.
While she sit with him, her thoughts turned back to the new year and plans. Resolutions weren’t something she made at this time of year. Instead, she made goals constantly and aimed to achieve them without needing a holiday to force her into such planning. There were no vows of dieting or promises to stop smoking or drinking in excess or any of the more common resolutions just because it was 2005. There was already a list full of goals for the next few months or years, depending on if one was looking at the short-term goals or long-term goals.
All were work or project related in some way, though she did have notes somewhere regarding trying to help Harry adjust better and being more social with friends, though not in a crowded party way. There wasn’t really anything selfish on the lists, though, unless one considered her work, projects, and friends to be such. Perhaps they were selfish interests? They certainly filled her life and left little for anything else. Learning to ride a motorbike had been entirely selfish, and it had also given her a chance to develop a good friendship with Roger. There were also late night swims in their pond, always when the boys were fast asleep and there wasn’t a chance of them glancing outside to see her swimming naked in the magically warmed water. Her walks were for her, too, even if she usually spent them thinking far too much.
But was that enough? They had fought and survived a war. She had scars on her body that would never fade and had been cursed with something she’d not been able to figure out yet, but tried not to think was more psychological than physical. There were no high NEWT scores to give her peace of mind, and she’d not done many things others her age, even those fighting in the war, had done. True, most of those things held little interest to her, but she still felt somewhat awkward knowing she’d never even been on a date much less been thoroughly snogged when some her age were divorced with children. Fortunately, she didn’t particularly care about dating or having that sort of relationship at the moment, as she was still trying to adjust to having friends and focusing on work. But there were other things, like riding a motorbike, that did happen to interest her along with work and friends.
She summoned her notebook and pen, flipping it open to a blank page. Maybe it was time to start trying to balance work, friends, and selfish interests. Ron kept nagging her about taking time for herself and trying to relax, after all, and her escapes with Roger while riding the motorbike had been the most fun, so maybe Ron was right. Not that she’d tell him that, as she’d never hear the end of it. Still, she bit her lip in thought and looked at the blank page. She’d use numbers for order, though she’d not worry about following them in any particular way.
1. Find a good curry shop in Exeter. 2. Watch the sunrise and the sunset over the ocean. 3. Spend one full day a month driving through the country and just exploring whatever interests me. 4. Try not to work on Sundays. Instead, focus on friends and selfish interests.
Hermione smiled as she made her list, adding random things alongside more serious ones. Lists helped her with successfully achieving work goals and with her projects, so surely one would help her learn how to relax and, as Ron suggested, take time for herself. Besides, quite a few things that were showing up on her list could also involve a friend or more, which made it even better. Ron stirred beside her, opening his eyes briefly before closing them once again and snuggling closer. He started to cough and then snored, settling back down into sleep. She continued to write her list but reached down to brush his hair away from his clammy skin. Glancing at him, she smiled and whispered, “This will be a good year for all of us.”
Character(s): Hermione Granger
Status: Private
Summary: The first day of a new year
Completion: Complete
It seemed appropriate that the first day of the new year was sunny and rather warm. There was no frigid chill in the air, no gloomy fog, and no clouds casting a shadow on the day. Perhaps it was a sign of some sort, or perhaps it was just a nice day. Regardless, it was a beautiful day and it felt as if things were starting anew.
Last year, they’d been somewhere in England at the start of the new year. Hermione couldn’t even remember the name of the village as it had been one of many on what had seemed an endless journey. There had been hope, though, because they’d been on the trail of the last Horcrux. One year later, the war was finally over in all the ways that involved them directly, they were adjusting and moving on with their lives, they had projects in mind for the future and things keeping them busy, and they’d made new friends in just a few weeks that she knew would be good friends for some time. Not to mention that Ron was having relationships, of sorts, and Harry was slowly starting to come out of his room more often. All in all, it was a nice start to 2005.
Thinking of new friendships made her wonder if Cedric was enjoying his time with his family in Toronto. When he spoke of ‘home’, it was rather clear that he meant that city and not here. It must be difficult to be caught between two like that, with family and friends there and a life and friends here. Had he been able to catch up with old friends? Did he meet with his former fiancee and, if so, how had that gone? From what little he’d said and her observations of him during that time, it seemed that he still had strong feelings for the woman, so it would probably be difficult to run into her, unless the meeting went favorably. Hopefully, his mum would be able to save some of the paintings, too. She glanced at the clock and smiled. “Happy new year, Cedric,” she murmured, knowing it was about midnight over there now.
Her New Year’s Eve had been very enjoyable, far more so than expected before she‘d made impromptu plans. Roger was always fantastic company, she’d determined, and she’d had a lot of fun. True, a little too much wine had caused her thoughts to stray inappropriately a time or three, but, really, that was somewhat normal even without the added contribution of wine. When one was friendly with attractive men, it was par for the course, she expected. Fortunately, he’d not caught her ogling his bum, as that would have been very embarrassing, and they’d had a very pleasant evening with dinner, billiards, talking, and telly.
There had been great conversation, which she was noticing was common with Roger, and comfortable silences that balanced everything out. In a way, it felt as if their relationship had changed during the course of the night, developing from new friends into a deeper friendship. It pleased her, really, because she quite enjoyed their friendship and spending time with him. She wouldn’t mind him being their neighbor at all.
She needed to contact Percy, as they'd not have a chance to speak since the awkward Christmas dinner. She wondered if Neville was back from his work trip yet. If so, she needed to invite him to dinner. She also owed Viktor dinner and wanted to meet with Kingsley to hear more about his classes. Blaise had offered to help her organize the books in the shop, an offer she knew she’d accept when it was time, but perhaps she should arrange another meeting soon to discuss books and history without a focus on work. She should invite Ginny over for tea soon, too. It would be nice to catch up, and she really should have done so by now. In the new year, she needed to pull back from working most her waking hours and make time for friends.
There should be more brief escapes, like she and Roger made when they went riding. It was just so easy to get caught up in projects and work, as she always had done, and let friendships fall to the wayside unless they happened to occur to her during the course of her day. As it was, her entire relationships with Blaise and Cedric, so far, were based on mutual interests and work related projects. She considered them friends, Cedric moreso as they’d spent time together casually, too, but she should make an effort so the friendships weren’t just dependent upon on work.
Ron coughed and shifted in his sleep, which drew her attention away from the window. His fever had broken around dawn, so she had hoped that he’d start to improve now. Uncurling her feet from the chair, she stood up and walked over to his bed. Poor love wasn’t starting off the new year well at all. She washed his face gently and tucked the covers back around him before she sat on the bed. She brushed her fingers through his hair in a soothing manner that she knew from his previous illnesses provided some comfort.
While she sit with him, her thoughts turned back to the new year and plans. Resolutions weren’t something she made at this time of year. Instead, she made goals constantly and aimed to achieve them without needing a holiday to force her into such planning. There were no vows of dieting or promises to stop smoking or drinking in excess or any of the more common resolutions just because it was 2005. There was already a list full of goals for the next few months or years, depending on if one was looking at the short-term goals or long-term goals.
All were work or project related in some way, though she did have notes somewhere regarding trying to help Harry adjust better and being more social with friends, though not in a crowded party way. There wasn’t really anything selfish on the lists, though, unless one considered her work, projects, and friends to be such. Perhaps they were selfish interests? They certainly filled her life and left little for anything else. Learning to ride a motorbike had been entirely selfish, and it had also given her a chance to develop a good friendship with Roger. There were also late night swims in their pond, always when the boys were fast asleep and there wasn’t a chance of them glancing outside to see her swimming naked in the magically warmed water. Her walks were for her, too, even if she usually spent them thinking far too much.
But was that enough? They had fought and survived a war. She had scars on her body that would never fade and had been cursed with something she’d not been able to figure out yet, but tried not to think was more psychological than physical. There were no high NEWT scores to give her peace of mind, and she’d not done many things others her age, even those fighting in the war, had done. True, most of those things held little interest to her, but she still felt somewhat awkward knowing she’d never even been on a date much less been thoroughly snogged when some her age were divorced with children. Fortunately, she didn’t particularly care about dating or having that sort of relationship at the moment, as she was still trying to adjust to having friends and focusing on work. But there were other things, like riding a motorbike, that did happen to interest her along with work and friends.
She summoned her notebook and pen, flipping it open to a blank page. Maybe it was time to start trying to balance work, friends, and selfish interests. Ron kept nagging her about taking time for herself and trying to relax, after all, and her escapes with Roger while riding the motorbike had been the most fun, so maybe Ron was right. Not that she’d tell him that, as she’d never hear the end of it. Still, she bit her lip in thought and looked at the blank page. She’d use numbers for order, though she’d not worry about following them in any particular way.
1. Find a good curry shop in Exeter. 2. Watch the sunrise and the sunset over the ocean. 3. Spend one full day a month driving through the country and just exploring whatever interests me. 4. Try not to work on Sundays. Instead, focus on friends and selfish interests.
Hermione smiled as she made her list, adding random things alongside more serious ones. Lists helped her with successfully achieving work goals and with her projects, so surely one would help her learn how to relax and, as Ron suggested, take time for herself. Besides, quite a few things that were showing up on her list could also involve a friend or more, which made it even better. Ron stirred beside her, opening his eyes briefly before closing them once again and snuggling closer. He started to cough and then snored, settling back down into sleep. She continued to write her list but reached down to brush his hair away from his clammy skin. Glancing at him, she smiled and whispered, “This will be a good year for all of us.”