Work Text:
Hannah was excited, it had been too long since she had seen Susan, they both had busy lives that never seemed to want to get into sync with each other - that was until now. She had planned where they were going. A small sushi place not far from The Leaky Cauldron. London was her home now and she spent as much time in the muggle parts as she did in the magical ones.
The muggles had some amazing things that hadn’t been brought over to the wizarding world yet. Oh, how she wished that she could change that one day. Though being a lowly barmaid, even in one of the most popular wizarding pubs in Britain, it didn’t seem like that was going to be any time soon.
Her eyes roamed around the pub, keeping an eye out for her friend. She smiled kindly at the regulars that acknowledged her but couldn’t stop her eyes from moving.
“Hey stranger,” she heard a familiar voice say from behind her. She whipped her head around and a broad smile lit up her face as her eyes met Susan’s. “How have you been?” The other young woman asked as she came to sit beside Hannah, enveloping the blonde in a tight hug.
“Not too bad, you?” Hannah said, hugging Susan back tightly, “it has been far too long,” she said as she released her friend. “Do you want a drink?”
“Just a coke please?” she said, a hand resting on her stomach.
“Are you... “ Hannah couldn’t say the word, she was shocked. Had it been that long since they had even talked? “... pregnant?”
“Yes,” Susan nodded, a small smile on her face. “Just shy of twelve weeks, so we aren’t broadcasting it yet.”
“That’s fair enough,” Hannah smiled, she pushed herself up to get their drinks, opting for coke herself to be fair to her best friend.
She returned to the table drinks in hand and sat down, she was happy, she hadn’t realised how much she had missed Susan over the months since they had last seen each other. She was happy for her friend, that her life had taken this turn. She knew that Susan had always wanted to be a mum, to have a family more than a career. She was getting her wish, and Hannah was happy for her so happy she couldn’t put it into words.
“My plan was to go to a sushi place I found not far away from here... is that still doable with you being pregnant?” She asked, she had read somewhere about raw fish not being good for pregnant women.
“As long as they have vegetable rolls and some with cooked fish it’s fine,” Susan said with a smile, she was grateful to the fact her friend was being thoughtful, though that was typical of Hannah. She would drop everything and change plans on a whim to make sure she was caring for her friends. It was why Susan loved her so much.
“I’m sure they do, I think it is standard to have some on any sushi place menu,” Hannah said. She wasn’t fully aware of the different types. Though she knew what she liked, that was about it. Hopefully the staff there would be helpful and able to point out what was safe for Susan, “if not we can find somewhere else to go,” Hannah smiled at her friend. It wouldn’t be a proper friend date if they weren’t both happy and enjoying themselves.
It took them half an hour to finish their cokes and head to the sushi place. The pair had been babbling away the whole time, catching each other up on their lives and what was going on.
“I cannot believe you are becoming a mum, I know you’d always wanted to, but it seems to have happened all at once,” Hannah said, hugging Susan’s arms tighter to her as they entered the restaurant and were led to a table near the window.
“Yeah, it was a pleasant surprise that’s for sure,” she smiled. “You know I must’ve walked past this place plenty of times, but I hadn’t realised it was as big as this.” Her eyes roamed around the space, they were as big as saucers as she took in the space around them, in awe of it all. “How did you say you’d found this place again?”
“I - uh - hadn’t,” Hannah said, suddenly bashful which was unlike her. “I came here on a date a few months back.” She said, suddenly very interested in the menu in front of her.
Susan’s jaw dropped, “you never said you were dating again! I know everything between you and Neville wasn’t easy, but I hadn’t known that you were ready to hit the dating scene again.” Susan rearranged her face into a smile, “I am so happy for you,” she said, enthusiasm oozing out of her.
“I didn’t think it was much to be proud of, it has only been a few first dates, I haven’t found anyone to write home about. It’s not as noteworthy as your love life apparently. I take it things with you and Ernie are wonderful still, then?”
“Dipping your toe back in those waters should always be something to be proud of Hanni, it’s not an easy thing and I am happy for you.” She looked down at her own menu, happy to see notes of Vegetarian and Vegan rolls, and even notes on if they were cooked. It meant ordering would be a simple process. “As for me and Ernie, things are great. We wanted to be married before this,” she motioned to her belly, “happened, but clearly, someone out there had other plans for us.”
They soon ordered their food, and a whole array of sushi came to them. By the time it arrived Hannah was famished and glad to see the food. She was also glad to see that Susan had ordered a fair amount for herself.
As they began eating, Susan’s face lit up with a smile that Hannah hadn’t seen since long before the war. “This stuff is yummy,” she said, before taking another hearty bite. “If only we could have somewhere in Diagon Alley that sold this!” She couldn't hide the wide smile that spread across her face.
“I had been thinking about doing just that, though maybe starting small and adding it to the food offered at The Leaky,” Hannah smiled. She knew that out of everyone, Susan would be as enthralled with this as she was and she would be the person who would support her with this idea.
“Ooh I love that, I will be your chief taste-tester… well as long as it’s safe for me for a while at least,” she said, smiling at her friend. “How does Tom feel about this?”
“He’s letting me have more free rein nowadays. He’s getting on a bit and I think he is getting more tired than he cares to let on.”
“That’s awesome,” Susan smiled, “and until then we can make this a monthly friend date. It will give you more ideas and it’ll mean we make time to see each other, and not get to how we were.” Susan said. She held her hand across the table towards Hannah, “I love you like a sister - I always have - and I don’t want to get into a rut of not having time for you, especially once the little one comes. They are going to need Auntie Hannah around, and so am I.”
“Auntie Hannah, I like the sound of that,” she said with a grin, clasping hold of Susan’s hand. “I love the idea of monthly friend dates. You will never be rid of me, and I love you too,” Hannah said as she laid the correct money, and a little extra for a tip, down on their table before getting to her feet and pulling her denim jacket back on. “Come on, how about we go for a walk? Whilst it is still just the two of us?”