The train platform where Hermione stood swarmed with people much like any other, but for one important difference.
Platform Nine and Three-Quarters shone in shiny brass high above their heads. In-between and unseen, this was a gathering place for Britain’s magical population. They were here for the same reason as she–to embark on a journey to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
“Don’t forget to send word as soon as you’re settled in, honey.” Hermione’s mum hugged her tight. Her minty perfume was a comfort that Hermione breathed in deeply.
“I will.”
Her dad followed up with the same advice he’d given shortly after they’d decided to send her off, then again as she packed, and even when they drove over earlier that morning. “Make sure you floss and brush your teeth every day as soon as you wake up and before you go to bed. The same goes for after you eat something particularly sweet, since we won’t be there to remind you.”
“Yes, Dad. I promise I won’t forget.”
He wrapped both her and her mother in his arms from behind so she was sandwiched between them. Hermione felt a lump in her throat and struggled to hold back the tears that threatened to fall. It wasn’t like this was the first time she’d left on her own–there’d been summer camps and school trips. They weren’t nearly as long as a full term away, however, but she could be brave.
When they finally parted, she could no longer hold back a sniffle. She started when something soft pressed against her cheek. She grabbed onto it on instinct.
It was a handkerchief, light grey in colour with “M.F.F.” stitched in navy blue initials at the corner.
“Keep it,” the boy standing in front of her said. He sounded as surly as he looked, with dark, heavy brows, a stubborn jaw, and teeth even more prominent than hers. He looked older than her by at least a few years, and she might have been scared if she wasn’t so surprised by him speaking to her at all. “You don’t want to be seen as a crybaby on your first day.”
He turned and boarded the train before she could reply.
“Thank you!” she called out. If he heard her, he didn’t show it.
Hermione wiped away her tears, then carefully folded the cloth before tucking it into her pocket. She’d wash and return it at the first opportunity. While there was no chance they’d share any classes, surely she’d run into him elsewhere in the castle.
Written for the first week of this year’s HP Soulmates Fest: The Red String Edition, Chapter 1 of my Flintmione fic, The Thousand Acres Between Us, is now live on AO3!
Chapters:
¼
Fandom:
Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Rating:
Mature
Warnings:
No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships:
Marcus Flint/Hermione Granger
Characters:
Hermione Granger, Marcus Flint, Luna Lovegood, Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Pansy Parkinson, Ginny Weasley
Additional Tags:
Harry Potter Epilogue What Epilogue | EWE, Hogwarts, Hogwarts Era, Soulmates, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Hermione Granger Needs a Hug, Quidditch Player Marcus Flint, Good Marcus Flint, Fluff and Angst, Romantic Fluff
Summary:
Reunited after years apart following the war, Hermione can immediately see there’s something different about Marcus Flint. The boy she thought she knew came back a man, one she’s more than willing to reconsider. He’s older, obviously, broader, mysterious as always, and, most baffling of all, interested in her?
Check out the start of this new Flintmione by @sailtomarina /MarinaJune! ❤️❤️❤️
