And To All A Good Night [h.s. one shots]

Somewhere, Somehow by pawriter19

Christmas Eve - 5 years ago

"How are you out of Kit Kat bars?"

There's no reason for one voice out of twenty to strike Harry in this gas station convenience store, but it does. He stands on his toes, cold and wet in his boots from the four inches of snow on the sidewalk outside, and he sees her flustered face in front of the cashier.

"There might be some hiding with the other candy," the cashier says, trying his best to keep clear of the girl's frustration, "but everything is stocked. If there are none left, then there are none left."

Harry can practically feel the heat radiating from the girl at the register, so he looks down at the candy in front of him, and he begins his search. He forgets all about the six pack in his hands – Christmas Ale to sneak for two of his sisters. The third will always follow Mum and Dad's rules. Always.

There's practically no hope left when Harry spots the red wrapper hiding among the box of 100 Grand bars. He gasps, not sure why he's excited for something like this, and he snatches the Kit Kat from the shelf.

"Hey!" He yells to the front of the store. Immediately, he's embarrassed by the attention he has created, so he feels himself shrink back inside his body. He makes eye contact with the girl, "I found one."

Her face lights up, and he can't wait to find out why. Why is it so important that this girl has a Kit Kat bar on Christmas Eve?

She runs towards the aisle where he stands, and she smiles when she sees it in his hands. "Thank you," she breathes. Harry gives her the candy bar, and the girl turns around to leave.

"Wait–" He stops himself from saying more, but it's too late. She turns back around, looks at him with wide eyes, and he swallows the nerves that suddenly creeped up on him. "What's it for?"

She laughs, just a little bit, and he notices how red the tip of her nose is. She's cold, just like him. "To eat," she smiles. It was a stupid question, he thinks to himself. Stupid, stupid, stupid. When he's about to give up hope and leave her with a polite smile, she continues, "they're my favorite."

"Must like them a lot if you've stopped for them on Christmas Eve," he comments. Harry notices the way they begin walking to the cash register together. He doesn't know that she's embarrassed by the way he just made her giggle.

"I've been on the road all day," she explains, "and I still have an hour left. I was craving one."

"Then I'm glad you found one," he tells her.

She corrects him, "You found it."

Harry won't let her pay for the Kit Kat, so he sets it on top of the six-pack and swipes his card. Immediately, she opens the Kit Kat and begins to eat it, and Harry has never seen anyone enjoy chocolate the way she does. He watches her, and watches her, and then he's being asked to move ahead by the cashier so the next person can pay.

They walk in silence outside, to the nighttime snowfall, and Harry hates how he doesn't want to drive away. He wants to talk to her, to find out more about the Kit Kat girl, but she starts to walk towards her car.

"Merry Christmas," he blurts from three parking spaces away.

She turns around shivering, but even she isn't sure if it's the snow or if it's him. "Merry Christmas," she breathes, "and thank you–"

"Harry," he introduces himself. He waits for her to say her name, but he follows her eyes to his jacket.

"Check your pockets," she grins, and then she's running towards the warmth of her car.