A/N : well, the All “normal” modern human AU you never wanted about these two… Yup! I’m crazy that way =) BTW, I am useless at attempting to write a Scottish accent, so you’ll just have to imagine it in your head, sorry ^^’ Hagrid’s accent is already difficult as all hell ^^’
Rubeus first saw her that Saturday afternoon, when he came to “The Lighthouse” for his customary tea and iced buns.
The life of a bachelor gamekeeper had not allowed him to gain many culinary skills, and he was happy enough to know how to boil an egg, bake a potato, grill some meat, or make himself an easy sandwich. He had never, however, been able to bake anything properly. Anyone who had tried his ill-fated attempts at rock cakes or Victoria sponges could testify: they were deadly. His rock cakes could literally break your teeth, and his cakes ended up invariably charred on the outside, and raw on the inside. Rubeus had thus ended up finding alternatives to satisfy his sweet tooth. “The Lighthouse” was a tea shop a stone’s throw away from his cottage, on a somewhat quieter street in the village. To a stranger, its name might have been a direct clue that there was a coast, or cliffs nearby, but in this particular part of Northumberland, the sea was quite absent. “The Lighthouse” had been so christened because the owner, Mrs Jones – Ilse, in the village – was the daughter of a misanthropic Dutch who had spent the better part of his life hidden away in a lighthouse, doing a necessary but solitary work.
Rubeus himself, while not misanthropic, could certainly understand the need of the old Dutch to stay away from civilization. He shied away from most human interactions, the result of a childhood and youth spent mostly in the woods, in the company of animals, than at school, or with his peers. His size had set him away very early, and he had always been very self-conscious of it. The teasing that ensued, had not helped. Still, he was well liked. Always polite, always ready to lend a hand – even if that hand could be rather clumsy – always kind… the few people he did interact with had learned to like him, in spite, or maybe because, of the peculiarities of his character.
But he had not been prepared, as he entered the tea shop that Saturday afternoon, for what would happen next. There had been no free seat near the window that could possibly accommodate his size. He’d had to put himself in the middle of room and had almost bumped into a lone woman.
‘S-Sorry, Miss’ was out of his mouth before he could temper his stammer, and his cheeks were turning the proverbial red. The woman gave an annoyed glare at his bumbling schoolboy act, and huffed out a ‘It’s alright’ with a cutting Scottish accent. He bumbled to the chair he was aiming to, nearly taking the embroidered white tablecloth with him. She let out another exasperated sigh, and he sat down almost immediately, retreating in himself.
‘Hiya, Hagrid. The usual?’ asked Rosie Sheppard, the nice young girl who took the orders.
‘Aye.’ He replied, feeling slightly more at ease. He was used to talking to the girl, had known her since she was having trips round the village in her stroller. ‘How’s yer ma, then? She feelin’ betteh’?” Mrs Sheppard had recently come down with a strong cold, as Rosie had told him the week before, and the usually kind woman became very irascible when ill. They chatted away for a while, as Rosie prepared his usual, telling him about her ma’s improved health, her little brothers’ new adventures, Mrs Jones’ bout of inspiration… the woman apparently wanted to create and try a few new recipes of self-saucing puddings.
They grew quiet as Rubeus enjoyed his iced buns, and his tea, much to the relief of his Scottish neighbour, who had been trying to focus on the intricately interwoven plot of a historical novel, before all the commotion. Finally, some peace! She would be able to enjoy her ginger biscuits, and her blend of black tea.
As soon as the quiet returned, he risked an eye in her direction; with all of this, he had not dared looking at her. He tried to remain discreet, for fear of disturbing her even more: she didn’t seem the type to suffer fools gladly and had the distinct look and authority of one used to be in charge. Her features were lovely. Shiny black hair ensconced in a French twist, emerald green eyes guarded by severe glasses. A pouty mouth that frowned or relaxed in synch with her reading. A simple blue V-neck jumper, and black slacks revealed just enough of her silhouette – which he could see was lovely. Rubeus had to force himself to return to his buns and cup, while a million questions kept flashing through his mind: “What was her name? What did she do for a living? Was she married? – probably not, no ring – But did she have a man? What was she doing here? When had she arrived? …” It all made an awful jumble, and he found himself blushing again. Wishing he were less of a half savage bumbling fool of a giant with a shaggy beard, and more of a sophisticated man.
He was startled out of his musings by the unmistakable ringtone of a cell phone.
“Hey, Lily, how are you? Are we still on for that dinner with the lad tonight? Oh… that’s a shame, well, I hope he feels better soon, then. Yes, and don’t overwork yourself, dear. Yes, we’ll just take a rain check on that one. Yes, see you soon, dear. Bye”
‘Yehr daughteh?’he asked. It was quite impolite of him, asking a perfect stranger something like that, but he could not help it. The woman looked quite down. Oh, Christ, he hoped she was not going to think that he was trying anything…
‘My niece, actually. We were supposed to eat dinner together tonight, with her family.’
‘Oh, sorry.’ He did not add that she looked disappointed, that would have probably annoyed her. He did not want that at all. He was racking his brain, trying to find something to talk about. ‘Hum- Have yeh, hum, been in the village for long?’
‘Oh?’ He’d startled her out of her thoughts ‘No, actually, I’m just here for a few days. My boss insisted that I take a few days off… and a friend lent me her cottage near the outskirts of the village. And since I hadn’t seen the children in a long time…’ she sighed again.
‘Oh, right’ Not very eloquent, was he. Not that he’d ever been, to be honest, but he was still disappointed in himself. He wanted to be able to lift her mood. An awkward silence ensued. Neither of them knew exactly how to prolong or cut the conversation short.
‘Is there anything to do, around here, besides having tea or shop in the village?’
‘Oh, well, yeh can walk in the woods, there’s a lov’ly lake, up there. An’ there’s always the countryside, or yeh can go to the city. ‘M told they’ve nice ehm museums, churches, book shops, that kinda stuff. Never really took the time to visit it, though.’
‘Not a big fan of cities?’ she asked with a twinkle in the eye.
'Nah, 'sides, there's too much ta do here.'
'I prefer the countryside myself.' she said softly, her head turning to admire the view on the woods from the rear window.
‘Well, then, you have to go trek in the woods, Miss! Mr Hagrid, here, is the gamekeeper, if anyone knows the best spots up there, it’s him!’ interjected Rosie, with her usual peppiness.
Rubeus blushed red, and the woman seemed startled at being interrupted by her. Her cheeks flushed, she stammered that she wanted her bill, and struggled to pay.
Rubeus himself, still blushing, but heavily disappointed, finished his bun, and his cuppa, then got up and paid, saying he needed to get back to it. ‘Lots ta do, yeh kno’’.
Rosie watched them go, unsure of what had suddenly happened.
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Some feedback would be appreciated
It has been a long while since I posted anything in the HP fandom, but I recently took to this pairing again and decided to post a series of drabbles . As usual, this is not Pottermore compliant, so if you don’t like it, don’t read it… It is also not entirely DH and HBP compliant, you’ve been warned.
