Glimmer Gold, Girl

A HariPo oneshot

by mew-tsubaki

Note: The Harry Potter characters belong to J.K. Rowling, not to me. Done for a quote prompt. This pairing is a Mew and Mor's Weird Pairing, which you may find in the M&MWP forum (see my profile for details). Check out and join the forum FUN! Read, review, and enjoy!

- ^-^3

"Love is when reality is better than your dreams." —Becky Graham

She was a little two-faced—but he could deal with that. She was a student—okay, that made him think twice, but… She was a witch—that didn't bother him one bit. She was a pureblood from a strict family—yeah, that was a little hard to handle. She played at being taken—though it tore out his heart, he knew it was important for her to keep up the pretense.

She was Narcissa Black—and that was what made Rubeus Hagrid queasy.

The Hogwarts gamekeeper grimaced to himself as he shuffled around his hut. His ruddy coward of a dog, Fang, was stationed by the steak he was cooking. Well, the steak had only just dragged Fang's attention away from the smoked salmon Hagrid had just finished cooking.

As Hagrid poked the steak, his heart clenched. Narcissa… Merlin, it was so wrong. He was a bumbling half-giant and she was just a beautiful, beautiful witch. He recalled their encounter last year…

It had been a day like any other, really. Hagrid had just dragged in the tree for Christmas, and he was dusting off the snow when some of the younger kids threw some more snowballs at his back. One even managed to hit him in the face. It was days like this when Hagrid wished that the Ministry had not broken his wand. …Hagrid also wished he hadn't left his pink umbrella in his hut.

The sound of footsteps behind him made him turn around. It was a lone witch with pale gold hair and blue eyes and a hint of a sneer on her lips. "Are you okay?"

He gaped at her. She looked so…unpleasant. And yet she was asking him such a kind thing. She was seeing that he was all right. He shut his mouth. "Ah, I, um—"

Her gaze flitted about his disheveled figure. "You're covered," she stated. She reached up and patted some of the white dust off him. The witch forced down a laugh. "You know, not much would stick to your face if you shaved, Mr. Hagrid."

He honestly couldn't believe that such a pretty creature knew his name. "I— Uh… Thank you…"

The witch smiled, something which melted his heart. "Happy Christmas, Mr. Hagrid," she said with a polite nod.

"H-Happy Christmas, Miss…" Hagrid frowned. What was her—?

"Narcissa Black," she answered softly. She looked over her shoulder and continued on with her half-hidden sneer as others repopulated the hallway.

"Happy Christmas, Miss Black."

Hagrid now poked and prodded the steak with a small smile. She really was special, even though she hid it from everyone else; she'd even touched him so that day that…yes, he had started keeping clean-shaven since then. He recalled their first tea.

"I'm… I'm so surprised," she'd blurted. She covered her mouth as he shut the door behind her.

"Why?" Hagrid asked, genuinely curious.

"Well…" The flush in Narcissa's cheeks gave her away. "Everyone says you are scary because of your large stature."

"Oh. Heh. I guess that's life fer ya," Hagrid commented. His own cheeks were dusted pink.

"Oh, no, I don't mean that I'm scared," she explained. She removed her jacket and sat in the chair on the right side of the fire, drawing her legs up to rest her chin on her knees. "You're… You're so different. Never before could I picture you with tea." Narcissa tittered as she voiced her thought.

"Uh… Well… Tea?" Hagrid offered.

Narcissa burst out laughing.

Fang whimpered, and Hagrid had to shoo him away. "Git outta here, ya mangy mutt. I'd cook fer ya if you would catch yer own food," he scolded the big hound.

The dog snorted in response.

Hagrid rolled his eyes and hefted up a large jug of cider. Fang was nothing. Narcissa… Well, Narcissa could be a handful. After their initial tea, she'd decided to befriend him, keeping him a secret from her pureblood-crazed sister, Bellatrix, and her non-pureblood-sympathizer sister, Andromeda.

"Thank you for the gift," Narcissa told him in April. "I love the leather-bound journal. It's quite beautiful."

"Ah, it's nothing. Stretching leather innit all that hard fer me. 'Sides, it's fer yer birthday." Hagrid was stunned as Narcissa hugged him. "Aww… Thank you, Narcissa."

"No, thank you, H-Hagrid."

Hagrid poured himself a cup of cider and sipped it. Their friendship had deepened despite its secretiveness. She'd even explained why once.

Narcissa had been helping him find some prey in the forest. "You know what my family's like, Rubeus," she said.

He nodded, though still unaccustomed to her use of his first name. "But… You don't talk about them much."

She shrugged, and they walked in silence for several moments. "It's really my sisters I have to worry about," she confessed.

Hagrid glanced at her. "You're the baby."

She shot him a funny, cute smile. "Yes, I am." Her cheerfulness disappeared. "But Bella thinks the world should only be purebloods. And Andy thinks that the pureblood craze is ridiculous, but she's already been shunned by our family. I don't want to be shunned, too…"

He stopped and wrapped an arm around her. "Ah, Nar… You won't be shunned. It's fine with me—ter keep things as they are now." Hagrid looked down and smiled at her.

Narcissa stared up at him. "Would you lift me up, Rubeus? I think I saw a buck run across in the distance."

The half-giant did as she asked. She was as light as a feather, truly. He peered where she pointed. "I don't see anyth—"

She gently turned his face. "You know, I'm glad you shaved. You look classy, Rube." And then she'd kissed him.

"Ah, who am I kiddin'?" he asked Fang. He'd forever be her friend and ally. At once, he thought something more, but then…

"Why're you crying?" he asked, his face etched with concern.

She entered his hut before him. "It's this!" she yelled, removing a silver chain from her neck. The pendant wasn't a pendant, though. It was a gold ring with a diamond.

"Wha's tha'?" Hagrid asked, confused.

Narcissa scoffed, her face twisting into the sneer that usually only everyone else saw. "It's Malfoy's! Merlin, I should've known when he came on to me last year."

Hagrid felt his face drain of all color. "…when…?" he rasped, sitting down.

She frowned. "I dunno… Sometime after I graduate, I guess." The witch shook her head. "Rube, what's the point? Why should I pretend to hate non-pures if it only makes me unhappy?"

"You're loyal…," he mumbled. His brow creased. "You're kind inside, Nar… And I can see tha'." Hagrid turned away, but she turned his face back to her.

"I'd prefer to be loyal to you," she whispered, kissing his cheek, and he wondered if they could really work and if they already did.

Of course, now Hagrid knew better, but he still cared deeply for her. Just then, there was a knock at his door to pull him from his reveries.

Narcissa entered his hut before he had even stood up from his chair. "Rubeus!" she said, elated. She leapt on him and squeezed him tightly. "Oh, it's so good to see you."

"Happy Birthday, Nar," he said with a kiss on her cheek. He gave her a parcel and watched her eyes light up as she opened it.

"Ru-Rube… You didn't have to…"

"Dunnit mean I dinnit want to," he corrected with a laugh. He passed her the medium-well steak. "Yer favorite, too."

She laughed. "A beautiful, handcrafted hairclip and steak—you thought of everything, didn't you?"

"I even got th' cider, Nar."

Narcissa smiled. "And do you expect me to share my delicious steak?"

"No, I've got me fish," he said as he took a bite.

"Well…fish is my new favorite." She stared into his big black eyes. "Share with me?"

"Now, Nar, I—" She stopped him as she took his bite right out of his mouth. "Narcissa! D-Don't do tha' again!"

"Why not?" Narcissa asked impishly, no trace of worry about her family or Malfoy or graduation in her eyes. "It's my birthday, 'innit'?"

- ^-^3

Btw, Narcissa's making fun of Hagrid's speech in her last line. Cute, no?

Thanks for reading, and please review!

-mew-tsubaki :D

Thanks as always to Morghen for beta'ing! :D

2016 note: Hmm. I still consider this ship a guilty pleasure. In 6 yrs, tho, I've explored a reluctant-to-become-Malfoy Narcissa many times… That's something else of a guilty pleasure, *lol*.