Remnants of a Morning Woken Too Soon
Poppy followed Hans into the Room of Requirement, looking around in excitement again as she looked upon the magical room. There was something about this place, bizarrely strange, yet amazing.
“I expect you’ll be wanting to visit the animals?” Hans asked Poppy, looking at her marvel this place for the second time.
Eventually her eyes met his, and she beamed, “Yes, if that’s alright with you.”
Hans smiled back, “Anything for you, darling.”
Poppy blushed at the new pet name, “Darling?
Hans’s gaze faltered, and he too blushed, looking away, “well- I uh- yeah, I don’t know, I’m sorr-“
Hans was quick to stop bumbling on, as Poppy threw her arms around his neck, closing the gap between them, pulling him down so the gap between their lips was a mere inch. “Don’t, I like it,” Poppy murmured, before closing the gap and pressing her lips against his.
Hans hesitated for a moment, before leaning into the kiss, putting his hands on her waist and pulling her closer. Their lips tugged on each other with a fervor that none of their kisses before had. Their bodies bumped into one another, this time as Poppy’s right hand moved down from Hans’s neck and onto his chest, pushing on him and roaming his features. Hans soon followed suit, his hands moving up and down her sides as they kissed.
As the kiss went on and on, the intensit that was brought with it strengthened. Poppy’s lips tugged fiercely on Hans’s bottom lip, drawing a smile against her lips. A bizarre warmth was settling in Poppy’s core, leading her to push herself against Hans, her left hand moving up his neck and into his hair, pulling on it, which drew the slightest of groans from Han.
Eventually, they pulled apart, panting and looking into each other’s eyes, fluttering open to meet a steamy gaze. “If I have to do this every time you start talking like a git-“ Poppy breathed huskily, her breath against Hans driving him mad.
“Then I’ll have to act like a git more often,” Hans grinned, his forehead leaning down against hers.
Poppy rolled her eyes, before leaning forward and kissing him one more time, smiling against his lips. They stood there for a moment longer, enjoying the kiss, before pulling away.
As Hans and Poppy turned around, facing the vivarium on their current floor, Hans noticed a pair of round and very large eyes staring at the two of them, ogling at them both.
“Deek!” Hans jumped, his face going a violent red.
“Deek is sorry, Deek did not mean to intrude,” the house elf began to back away, covering his eyes, “Deek was not here-“
“Deek, no, it’s okay, don’t worry about it,” Hans laughed, “come here, I want you to meet someone.”
Deek pulled his hands down, stepping forward so that Hans could lead the small house-elf over to Poppy. Poppy was leaning over Hans, looking curiously at the house elf as the blush on her own face began to fade away.
“Deek,” Hans said, turning to grab Poppy’s hand, before looking back at the house elf, “this is Poppy, Poppy Sweeting. She’s a Hufflepuff and a beast lover too. The white hippogriff we have at the beach was her friend way before we even knew one another.”
Poppy stooped low, leaning close to Hans as she waved to Deek, “Hello, Deek!”
“No witch or wizard besides Mr. Kaiser and Mrs. Weasley has made themselves at Deek’s level before,” Deek said, smiling and waving back as the slightest amount of tears formed in his eyes.
“Really, nobody?” Poppy exclaimed, to which Deek shook his head, causing to Poppy look up at Hans, who was smiling at the interaction, “Well, Hans does have a good heart, I chose well.”
“Are you two courting?” Deek asked, curiosity getting the better of him, though the things he had already seen practically confirmed it.
Both Hans and Poppy laughed, with Poppy turning her head to look up at Hans, “Well, I-“ she gave him a curious look, to which Hans only shrugged. Poppy rolled her eyes, turning back to Deek with a slight blush in her cheeks, “Yes, yes we are.”
“Oh, how splendid! Deek will go now, Miss Sweeting and Mister Kaiser!” And with a snap of his fingers, Deek was gone.
Poppy straightened back up, looking at Hans, and the moment they met one another’s gaze, between Hans’s raised eyebrows and the previous conversation, Poppy burst out laughing. Hans grinned sheepishly as she moved forward, putting an arm over his shoulder and resting her head against his chest, laughing into him.
“So it’s official? We’re courting?” Hans asked, putting his arms around her and holding her in a tight embrace.
Reluctantly, Poppy pulled away, looking up at Hans, “I mean, well, I thought so- unless, unless you don’t want to, then we can-“
Hans put a finger to her lips, “Poppy, if I didn’t want to I would have shaken my head when you looked at me. Of course I want to. Who wouldn’t want to be courting the most talented, beautiful, cute, and funny girl in the school?”
Poppy looked down, her self-consciousness getting the better of her, “Anybody who calls me “Peculiar Poppy,”” she mumbled.
Hans frowned, not getting the reaction he intended to get, “Hey,” he murmured, reaching down and gently putting his hands on her chin, lifting her head so that he could look her in the eyes, “I know what I know about you. Out of everybody else who knows you, who do you think knows you the best?”
“You,” Poppy said immediately, leaning into his touch on her chin and cheek.
“Exactly,” Hans leaned down and kissed Poppy’s nose, “so out of everybody here, I am likely to know best, aren’t I?”
Poppy giggled, “I suppose,” touching the spot he had just kissed her, gazing at him with fond eyes.
Hans brought his hand from her chin to her right cheek, brushing his thumb over her cheekbone, and once more, she leaned into his touch. Hans lowered his head, kissing her, this time on the lips. Poppy closed her eyes, enjoying the moment, before Hans pulled away, much too soon according to her.
“Come on,” he dropped his hand, putting it against her own as he lead her toward the first vivarium, “the beasts will be excited to see you again.
Poppy followed after Hans, letting him lead her into the glass chamber. The beasts greeted Poppy with far more excitement this time around, and she too was ecstatic to be with them.
The two of them spent several hours with the beasts enjoying both each other’s company and the beasts. After ensuring each beast was tended to and fed, they finally departed from the last vivarium, the Lord of the Shore’s and Highwing’s home.
“Honestly,” Poppy exclaimed, “I’ve no idea how you managed to tame that beast! He’s so powerful! So stunning too, let alone his magical abilities- not that- well, nevermind.”
“What was that?” Hans grinned, noticing her blush.
“Nothing,” Poppy mutters, averting her gaze, yawning as she did so.
Hans grinned, guessing what she might have meant, before answering her original question, “It was not easy, I tell you. Nearly toppled me over he did, not entirely sure how I did it myself. We had bloodied each other enough, and I decided, “to hell with it, might as well try a peaceful approach.” I knew he might trample me to death, but I was worn out anyway, if he was going to, he was going to. So I kneeled. And he stopped.”
“Wow,” Poppy gasped, yawning again, and Hans could see a certain tiredness in her eyes, “and then he let you ride him?”
“Yeah, pretty much,” Hans nodded, noticing how once more, Poppy yawned again.
As they left the vivarium, Hans noticed that one of his Chomping Cabbages had fully grown, close to the statue that led to the rest of the Room of Requirement. “Give me a second, I need to harvest this.”
Hans approached the cabbage, and as he did, the Room of Requirement automatically opened the statue entrance to the larger chamber of the room. As Hans stowed the cabbage away, he looked to see Poppy nowhere to be seen. “Poppy?”
Hans backed away from the potting table, looking about for his beloved. As he did, he looked down the stairs to the other chamber to see Poppy in the middle of the chamber, looking around in awe.
Hans hurried down the stairs after her, smiling as she looked at him. “This place is full of surprises. You’re full of surprises.”
Hans just smiled and shrugged, “I needed a place to study, and the room was… gracious to me.”
Poppy yawned again, turning around again and seeing a pair of couches side by side to a large circular table. She wandered over to one of the blue couches, sitting down on it, and looking back at Hans with a content smile on her face. “This couch is quite comfortable, I applaud this room.”
“Actually, it was me,” Hans responded, drawing up to the other end of the couch and sitting down a cushion away from Poppy.
“Really?” Poppy asked, slowly scooting down the couch toward Hans, “Good job,” she murmured tiredly, folding her legs beneath her and lifting Hans’s left arm up so she could move up next to him. Poppy put a hand on his chest, resting her head right over his heart as she snuggled against him.
“Poppy?”
“Mmm?” Poppy’s eyes were closed.
“We should probably get you back to your common room so you can sle-“ Hans began, but soon was silenced as Poppy gave a defiant grumble and put her right arm around his back, hugging him tight and locking her left hand with her right, trapping him in this embrace; she still hadn’t opened her eyes.
“You didn’t get a lot of sleep last night, did you?” Hans asked. There was no answer, only her quiet breathing as she began to drift into sleep, the rhythm of his heartbeat a kind of lullaby to her.
Hans sighed, letting his left arm snake around her shoulder, dropping his hand over Poppy’s stomach as he looked down upon her. After gazing at her peaceful form for a moment, he eventually looked up at the table, seeing a book he still hadn’t finished reading for transfiguration.
The boy flourished his wand out of his robe with his right hand(his non-dominant), looking down at its surface. The wood was pale in coloration, with many black lines emphasized by deep carvings, where the glowing core peaked through. At the based of the wand, it’s handle, did Hans have a sleek and opaque black arrow handle that covered the wand’s base.
Hans flicked his wands in the direction of the textbook, “Accio book!” The book wizzed into Hans’s hands as he skillfully flicked his wand down his sleeve before the book landed in his open palm. Still, with only one hand, as to not disturb Poppy, the boy opened the book and began reading.
It had only been half an hour that Poppy rested on Hans’s chest. Her arms were now relaxed and lying where they would without any effort, with one fallen to the surface of the bottom cushion of the couch behind Hans(not touching his own bottom, for he was leaning forward just slightly and so his legs were stretched out, which allowed Poppy to more comfortably keep her head and upper body over his torso), and her other arm draped over his stomach.
After so long of it being like this, Hans figured that Poppy would be asleep by now, and her now relaxed arms said that more than anything. Though, unknown to Hans, she still only had one foot out the door of unconsciousness, and was still partially awake to listen to him, and to feel his heart beat.
Hans lowered his book, just a little, looking down at Poppy’s (not)sleeping form, smiling softly at the sight. She looked so peaceful, and he was glad that he of all people was able to give that to her.
Hans slowly moved the hand he had over her stomach up to her head, brushing a few strands of hair out of her face. The gentle touch did not prepare Poppy, and it roused her further more from her sleeping state, bringing her more aware of the events around her, though she did not stir, but listens as Hans whispered, “You are the most precious little in this planet, my little darling.”
It was clear that Hans was not intending for her to be awake when he said that, and it was something he meant only for himself to be heard. But it was done, and Poppy heard it as it was, and her heart bloomed at his words. She kept her eyes closed, not stirring even in the slightest, though she did struggle to keep a smile from spreading across her face.
No. Hans would not know that she ever heard this, and she would cherish this in her heart as a testament to who she had chosen to court. With these thoughts in mind, Poppy slowly began to drift into a peaceful sleep, a true one this time, sleeping against the chest of her lover.
———
“Hans?” Poppy lifted her head, shaking it a little to get her short hair out of her eyes.
“Yes, darling?” His voice answered, almost like a rumbling from where Poppy sat, with her ear against his body. The pet name fondly reminded Poppy of what Hans had said whilst he thought she was sleeping.
“What time is it?” She asked, looking up at him and rubbing her eyes with her left hand.
Hans set down his book and shook his right hand, the sleeve of his cloak falling off his wrist so he could peer at his watch. His brow furrowed as he peered at its small surface, before dropping his hand by his side.
“Hans, what time?” Poppy asked again, for he still had not answered.
“30 minutes past curfew,” he mumbled.
“What!?” Poppy instantly sat up, looking wildly around the room, “Why didn’t you wake me?”
“Because, well, you were so darn adorable, and also because I didn’t know,” Hans said, a bit of a pleading tone in his voice.
“It’s okay, just-what am I going to do?” Poppy asked, turning to look at him with fearful eyes, ignoring his comment about her sleeping.
Hans thought for a moment, tapping his chin, before standing up and moving toward the far side of the large chamber. Poppy slid off his chest, watching him go and standing up after him. Hans flourished his wand, waving it at two pieces of odd furniture in this far side.
One of the pieces of furniture looked like a giant loom, and the other was some kind of strange desk, with a wide roll of parchment extending from it with a quill hovering over that parchment. With a flick of his wand, Hans lifted the two pieces of furniture and moved them away from the back wall, pushing them to the sides and out of the way. Then, with another flick, Hans attempted, it seemed, to conjure something.
Though as Hans flicked his wand, nothing happened, but a series of weak white sparks extended from the top of his hand. Hans sighed, turning around and scanning the room. Poppy was quite confused.
Hans’s eyes landed on the couch Poppy was previously sleeping on, the table next to it, and the other couch next to that. With three more casual flicks of his wand, the three pieces of furniture disappeared. Poppy watched this ordeal, now more interested in anything.
Hans turned back to the far wall, swishing his wand once more, and conjuring a twin bed. The bed had neat blue comforters and blue hangings, that swayed when the bed hit the floor.
Poppy’s eyes widened in surprise as he did this, turning to look at him. “That’s your solution?”
“I’ve slept on the couch dozens of times before when I was past curfew, don’t worry, nobody will realize you’re not in your common room,” Poppy nodded to Hans’s answer, turning to look back at the bed with a slight smile on her face, that soon quickly faded.
“Hang on,” Poppy asked, “where are you going to sleep?”
“I- uh-“ Hans blinked, before turning to the spot he had just made the couch and table disappear. He waved his wand, possibly to conjure another bed, but once more his wand only sparked and hissed. “Well, uh, I could-“
Before Hans could finish, there was a loud noise, like ripping fabric mixed with snapping wood. The two of them spun around to face the small twin bed across the room, watching as it was stretching and enlarging, floating up in the air as it expanded from a twin bed to a queen bed. The bed dropped back to the ground, its hangings swishing back and forth once more.
Poppy grinned, turning around to face Hans, who had raised his hands after dropping his wand to the ground, as if to prove he didn’t do that. Poppy’s smile only widened, “It looks like the room has a solution.”
Hans raised his eyebrows in surprise, “Wha- I- what? I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable, or that I’m trying to take advantage of-“
Hans’s nervous rambling died away as Poppy moved up next to him, putting one of her hands on his arm to silence him. “Remember what I told you about you talking like a git?”
The smallest of nervous smiles appeared on Hans’s face, “Barely, I might need you to remind me.”
Poppy smiled, putting her other hand on his chest and standing up on her tiptoes, putting a soft kiss to his lips. As Poppy fell back to her heels, she said, “Consider that an invitation.”
“Are you sure?”
Poppy gave him a stern look and crossed her arms, “Of course I’m sure. I wouldn’t suggest it if I didn’t mean it. It was on my mind even before the room did that.”
To Poppy’s surprise, Hans started to laugh. “It was you! The room did that because you wanted it!”
Poppy smiled, realization on the room’s nature coming to her, “Oh, I suppose. So that’s how this room works?”
“Pretty much,” Hans answered, before pausing as his smile faded, “I’ll let you get changed.”
Poppy nodded, watching as he turned on his heel and walked up the stairs. The small girl then turned around, quickly realizing she didn’t have anything to change into. As if an answer to her realization, a dresser appeared right at the foot of the bed. Poppy figured what the room had given her, and so she slowly approached.
The girl opened the dresser to find an assortment of nighttime clothing in her size. Poppy searched swiftly through the dresser, before deciding on a light blue nightgown that fell just above her ankles.
Just as Poppy turned to go find Hans, she heard his voice calling out to her, “Poppy? Are you dressed?”
“Yep!” She answered brightly, turning to see Hans tentatively enter the room. He was also wearing a nightgown, though his was a simple cream white.
Poppy grinned at him, before moving back toward the bed on the left side, lifting up the covers and falling on the bed, instantly relaxing on top of its soft mattress. She looked over at Hans, who was still awkwardly standing about ten feet away from the bed. Poppy had an idea, lifting her wand from her nightgown and flourishing it, “Accio!”
Hans’s wrist was hit by the spell, and he soon found himself being dragged by Poppy’s wand to the right side of the bed, where she released the spell as his knees bumped against the side of the bed. Hans looked at her one last time, “Are you really su-“
Poppy interrupted Hans by sitting up and cupping his cheeks with her hands, “Hans. I already told you I was okay with you joining me. I trust you. I know you won’t try anything because you’re too much of a gentlemen and you’re too scared it will change what we already have. I know that both of us are tired, and I have an opportunity to spend the rest of the night with you that I’m not going to waste. So please, stop asking and join me.”
Hans gulped, nodding his head, to which Poppy lowered his hands and fell back to her side of the bed, waiting for Hans’s to climb in after her. The Ravenclaw didn’t bother lifting the covers like Poppy, but instead began to lay on top of them, too which Poppy protested with a smack to his cheek. Hans jumped, looking at her with a confused expression.
Poppy began yanking at the covers beneath him, hoping to send a message to him that she wanted him all the way with her. Hans seemed to have gotten the message, and scooted back to the head board so he could lift the covers up, sliding his legs beneath them and moving back down the bed so he was parallel with Poppy.
He rolled over to face Poppy, surprised to see she was incredibly close to him with a bright smile on her face, “See? That wasn’t so hard.”
Hans shrugged, giving her a similar smile, though the same nervousness was present in his expression, “You have no idea.”
Poppy chuckled, scooting even closer to him and pressing her body against his, burying her head into his chest. She wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him right, entwining her legs with his own.
Hans smiled, resting his head against hers, his chin on her hair as his eyes closed. His left arm fell over her body, draping over her back and stroking her along her spine. Hans noticed her back begin to relax, and she nuzzled her nose against the center of his chest as she let out a sound of satisfaction to his touch.
The two began to drift into a peaceful sleep, forgetting about their worries of the world, focusing only on their presence with on another. And in this moment, both Hans and Poppy felt like nothing in the world could go wrong from this moment wrong, wishing for this to last forever.