Chapter 4Summary:An extra chapter just for the holidays. Merry Christmas.
Chapter TextFour
Knowing that she had to do this and quite nervous about what the Weasleys might think, Hermione had taken some extra time getting ready. This ensured that she really looked just like she felt like on the inside. Like when she went to see Harry, she looked rather girly but not as amazingly girly as Parvati could or Lavender had. She was even wearing just a little bit of makeup to highlight some of her features. It was more of a natural look and did not seem like she was wearing much at all. She liked how she looked and it made her happy, like she was moving forward with her life. Now if only the Weasleys could deal with the way she looked now and not tease her too much then things would be fine. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly to steady herself, then she disapparated to the Burrow.
She appeared near the boundary of the property and started walking towards the house, doing so to give herself time to try to calm her nerves. Off in the field she could spot three people flying about and it looked like they were tossing a quaffle around. It was easy to spot Ginny as she was out flying the other two by a wide margin. That made her smile. It was nice to know that her best female friend excelled over her brothers at something most of them prided themselves on. She wondered if the three of them had already spotted her as she neared and recognized her. In all honesty Hermione doubted that they would as she did look different enough that even Harry was shocked at her appearance and she had been right in front of him when he had seen her.
That train of thought made her frown. Poor Harry, it was terrible that he was so deeply hurt from the war all because that psychopath Voldemort was so obsessed with staying alive. Given what he had to do in the forest, it was no wonder that he was so messed up. No, Hermione understood, she understood far too well in all honesty. The scars on her arm were a daily reminder of what hate and insanity could do and it was clear that she would carry that reminder forever. No, right now she did not want to think that sort of thing. Right now she was going to reconnect with her second family and hopefully they would be fine with how she was changing. Thinking bad thoughts would help no one.
The flyers were doing crazier and crazier flying maneuvers and she shook her head somewhat amused at the antics. It was so nice to see that despite all the horrors that had happened over the last year some things never changed. She could always count on there being some sort of game of Quidditch being played here at the Burrow. Turning from the field, Hermione knocked on the doorframe as she looked in for Molly, not seeing her. She could smell something cooking that smelled tasty but Mrs. Weasley was nowhere to be seen. "Hello? Mrs. Weasley?"
A voice called back from the living room, clearly having recognized her, "Hermione? Come in, come in."
Hermione came in, with a smile on her face and was nervously looking forward to the reaction she was going to get. This was going to be the first of the Weasleys to see her first changes and she hoped they went over well. Molly came into the dining room and stopped in her tracks upon seeing her, eyes widening. "Oh!"
Hermione reached up and self-consciously touched her shorter hair. "Do you like it? I felt like I needed a change and after all everything was over there really was no reason to not dress any way I liked."
Molly smiled brightly and headed over towards the stove. "How right you are. You look lovely dear. Would you like some tea?"
Hermione could see how subdued the woman was compared to what she had been before the last year. Clearly the loss of Fred had hit her hard as was to be expected. She had been devastated when George had just gotten hurt. "Certainly Mrs. Weasley."
Once the tea was ready, she joined Hermione at the table, handing over a teacup. "I do like your hair and it really is quite a change. I had never imagined you with shorter hair."
She shrugged, not quite sure how to respond to that. "Well, I guess we are all dealing with things differently."
Molly reached out and patted her hand comfortingly. Hermione smiled at her. Molly was definitely alright with how she looked. That did make her feel a bit better. If things kept changing hopefully the woman would still support her. She continued, "So I am looking forward to September, going back to Hogwarts. It will be a bit strange going back to classes after everything that happened last year but I do so want to do well on my Newts."
"Have you informed Headmistress McGonagall?" asked Molly, clearly wanting to make sure that everything was in order.
"I did. I sent her an owl with my intentions right after I got back from Australia with my parents."
"And how are they?" asked Molly, actually sounding interested.
"They are doing well. They were not happy with me for using magic on them, which is not a surprise, but they are glad I protected them. It would have devastated me if I had lost them. So things are getting back in order here and I am spending a lot of time with them. We are doing a lot of things we haven't done in a long while, so that is good. It has actually been lov…"
Hermione was cut off as three loud Weasleys tromped into the Burrow still talking about their game. Their conversation cut off mid word as soon as they spotted Hermione. Eyes wide they all took her in, making her blush a little. Ginny started smiling broadly as soon as she saw her. Ron blurted out, "Bloody hell."
Both Ginny and Molly snapped, "Ron!"
"Sorry." He bowed his head a little, chastised.
George came over and gave her a big hug. "I must say, you look fantastic Hermione. What's the occasion?"
"No occasion. I just decided to change a few things about myself. You like?" She stood and twirled, so they could get an even better look, seeing the skirt she was wearing that fanned out slightly with her movement.
George winked at her, whistling appreciatively, "Excellent legs for a bookworm."
Hermione blushed again and shook her head. Ginny came up and hugged her tightly, lifting her a little in the air. This resulted in Hermione letting out a less than dignified squeak, "Ginny, put me down."
George and Molly were laughing at that and Ron was just looking wistfully at the girl. Ginny put her down and then pointed her finger, demanding, "Why didn't you let us know you were coming?"
"I wasn't sure when I was going to be able to make it. But then I realized I missed you all and so here I am." replied Hermione with a grin.
Ginny hugged her again. Ron shuffled a bit uncomfortably in response, clearly unsure how to respond to her. Hermione took pity on him and walked over, giving him a friendly hug. "Hello Ron."
"Hi."
"Come now everyone, have a seat. Lunch will be ready in a tick."
Ginny sat next to Hermione, like she usually did at most meals in the Burrow. Ron sat across from her, again as usual. Hermione was pleased to see such familiar things. It gave her a sense of comfort and stability. "So George, how are things going?"
"I've been busy. I had to take today off from work for sanity reasons. I… I can't let Fred down by letting our business falter. He would be downright pissed at me. We are doing more business now than ever before and Ron here has been a big help." said George with a faint smile.
"Really Ron?" Hermione was pleasantly surprised, as she knew Ron was not known for his work ethic.
"Uhm… yeah. I have been helping out a couple of days a week until George here can hire some more help."
Hermione smiled. It still made her sad that her dreams of her and Ron had been so completely denied by her thoughts. There was just too much against them to make a relationship between them work. To attempt anything would just be asking for it to crash and burn spectacularly after a terrible row. No, she just couldn't do that to herself nor to Ron. She sighed at the thought of might have beens. Ginny touched her arm and asked, "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I was just thinking of something. It's not important. Oh, that reminds me, Ginny, after we are done with lunch can we go for a walk. I need to talk to you about something." This was about as good an opening as she was going to get. Hermione was at a loss for any other way to start this conversation.
"Sure thing." Ginny might have said more but plates of food appeared and everyone started to tuck in. The food was excellent as always. Hermione loved the family atmosphere here. It was always so boisterous. She had always wanted siblings but that had clearly never happened, but now she had two really close brothers thanks to her experiences over the last seven years. It did look like Ron was not clear on the fact that they really did not have a romantic future, so she might need to re-explain that to him, but not today. Things were going to be tense enough with having to tell Ginny about Harry that she did not really want to add to that atmosphere.
As she ate and caught up with what they had been doing for the last month, she thought about what she could possibly do to get Ron to realize that she was not interested in pursuing a relationship with him. Everything that came to mind was so blunt and direct that it made her wince internally just thinking about it. He was one of her best friends and to say things that bluntly and forthright might not go over as well with Ron. She was willing to bet that his emotions were on an ever greater hair trigger now than before, what with Fred's death and the aftermath of the war. So how could she make him see this situation between them clearly and not have to endure him constantly following her around like a lost puppy begging for a handout? She glanced at her arm, and despite the fabric covering the scar it was clear in her mind's eye and nodded slightly. Regardless of the fallout she would do what she had to do to take care of herself. She just wanted to find the best way so it would cause the least damage.
"Uh… Hermione? Can we talk later?" nervously asked Ron.
"Sure Ron. I can do that." Hermione smiled at him, slightly worried about what he wanted to say. She could sort of guess what was going to be coming but she was firm in her decision. There really was nothing he could say to change her mind.
Once Ginny finished her lunch she stood and said happily, "Ready to go?"
Hermione snickered at the girl's actions, shaking her head slightly. "Sure."
Getting up and pushing in her chair, she followed the red head out and into the yard. Ginny turned and was walking backwards, clearly comfortable doing so. "So where do you want to go?"
"I don't know Ginny. How about somewhere nice and quiet, where we won't be overheard?" she smiled at Ginny as she said that. After thinking about it, letting anyone else know would not be good for Harry, so privacy would be best.
The girl gave her an odd look, as if she were slightly worried about what this could mean but lead the way. "Come on. There was a place that Luna and I used to play at that was really nice and private. I haven't been there for a while as it just felt strange going there without her, but I figure I'll show you. I know Luna wouldn't mind."
"Lead the way." The two girls walked down the path towards the Rook like house that the Lovegoods lived in. Hermione was happy to hear that it had been rebuilt as she understood why Mr. Lovegood had acted the way he had. You did anything for family. She did hope that the painting in Luna's room had been repaired, as she knew how special that was to the blond. If she had any skill at painting she would offer to help if it weren't done, but again, now was not the time. She had things to take care of.
The path wound through the grass and into the thin trees that blocked view of the Burrow. It split the sunlight into multiple shafts, breaking the shade into separate chunks. It was cooler under them and the trees grew thicker the deeper they walked. After a bit, when a bit more of the underbrush cleared, Ginny took her hand and walked between two trees and off the trail. Hermione followed, watching Ginny carefully in case there was anything special she would have to do. There was nothing that seemed obvious.
While there was little underbrush here there still was a press from the trees as smaller saplings were crowding against some of the larger and more established trees. It felt a little claustrophobic in here and she watched Ginny who strode confidently ahead, quite comfortable here. The trail was not very rough and even though her shoes were not that well suited for this sort of walking she was fine. "How much further?"
"We're almost there 'mione. Just a bit further on." replied Ginny, looking over her shoulder with a grin.
After a few more minutes of walking things opened up as they were by the stream, in an area that looked good for swimming and had some rocks that seemed like they would be good to sit on. It was peaceful, with the burbling of water the only sound. There were even a few water flowers growing along the shore and in small eddies. Hermione was entranced and she gushed, "Oh Ginny! This is lovely."
Ginny blushed at the compliment, unable to meet the older girl's eyes. "Thank you. Luna and I did some work clearing this space to make things better. I'm glad you like it. So, what was it you wanted to talk to me about?"
Hermione sighed and looked out over the stream, dreading this particular task. "It's about Harry."
"Is he okay? Have you seen him? You have haven't you? He's not hurt is he?" blurted out Ginny, looking shocked.
"Breathe Ginny." said Hermione, trying to calm the near frantic redhead. "Harry is mostly fine. The war has really affected him though, and not in a good way. I think he has what the muggles call Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Given everything he underwent during the Battle of Hogwarts, it would be no wonder that he would have it. I am going to help him see if there is someone who can help him at St. Mungo's but if not I have insisted that he see a muggle therapist to get past this. But the downside is that he feels that he is too dangerous to be around anyone he cares about at the moment, especially you."
Ginny closed her eyes and sighed, after a few moments a few tears trickled down her face. When she opened her eyes she was settling her face into something firm and resolute. She pursed her lips so tight until they were slightly pale. With a sigh she, said, "You know… Harry for all I feel bad for him and hope he gets better because of all of this, he can just go bugger himself."
"Ginny!" Hermione was shocked at the vehemence in the girl's tone.
"No Hermione, do you have any idea what it feels like to be strung along with the hope, the dream of a relationship keeping you going?"
Thinking of her own indeterminate redheaded dream lover, she nodded her head as she replied, "Yes, I do."
"It sucks and I am bloody tired of it. Harry has done this to me one too many times and I am just tired. You know, I just want to be happy with someone who will be there for me. Is that really too much to ask?" grumbled Ginny, throwing a rock into the river.
"I'm with you on that one. Ron and I aren't going to work but I know that the person for me is out there. I firmly believe that. You know, if we stick together we can help each other through this rough time and maybe even help each other find that love we're looking for." commented Hermione, looking thoughtful.
"Does that mean that you will be going back to Hogwarts?" Ginny asked nervously, biting her bottom lip.
"Yes." Hermione answered with a big smile.
"Yes!" Ginny launched herself and tackled Hermione onto the soft grass, hugging her tight. "Oh this is going to be wonderful. And with no Ron to pester us… so much fun."
"Ron's not returning?" Hermione was surprised that she really was not surprised to learn that.
"No. He got an offer to become an Auror from Shacklebolt and decided to do it. Said he's already done enough of this work so now he should get paid for it." Ginny rolled her eyes. "I think he's a git for doing that but that's nothing new."
"Well that will certainly keep him busy." said Hermione to herself. "So I guess that means it will be you and me versus Hogwarts."
Ginny grinned excitedly, bouncing a little. "I can't wait."
Hermione sat up again once Ginny released her hug. "I think it will be wonderful."
"And just think, they won't be copying your homework the whole time." That set them both off laughing, as they knew how true that was. "Oh, how are your parents? Did the retrieval go well?"
Thinking back to that moment in Australia when the confused stares of strangers snapped back into the warm eyes of her parents, Hermione had to smile. Though in all honesty they hadn't stayed warm for long once they had realized what she had done to them. "It went well. Once I left the Burrow I headed to Australia and tracked them down. I countered my spell and they remembered me, and did not seem to have any problems. But once they realized that they were living in Australia under a false identity we had a bit of a row."
"But things worked out, right?"
"Oh yes. My mother took me to get my hair done, go shopping for clothes, and we talked. We really have been trying to make up for lost time. My father and I have also talked a lot as well. Sure I was yelled at for putting myself in such danger, but right now things are great. I really am looking forward to spending most of the summer with them. So fair warning, I might not be around the Burrow as much as I have been some summers." said Hermione.
"Is it fun?" asked Ginny softly, looking at the light in the branches.
Hermione looked over at the girl as if trying to figure things out. "Living with my family? Of course it is. I also don't get fawned all over, like some of the people here in the wizarding world do all the time, so that also helps. I really understand what Harry has been talking about, when people look at you and see something else. So being anonymous is lovely."
Ginny kept looked off, commenting, "That sounds good."
Hermione could hear something in her friend's voice. The girl wanted something, but it was unclear what exactly that was. Maybe being here, at the Burrow was a bit too much for her, like she was drowning in everyone's emotions. Maybe the wizarding world was choking her a bit? Perhaps what she needed was a break to clear her head. "Would you like to come to stay with me for a while?"
"Really?" Ginny snapped her head over to look at the older girl, her brown eyes wide in surprise.
"Sure, if your mother is okay with it than it should be fine. I would love to spend time alone with you without having the boys underfoot."
Bounding to her feet, Ginny said, "This is great. Let's ask!"
Hermione laughed as Ginny pulled her quickly back towards the Burrow at a near run. Ginny kept trying to make her go faster and Hermione kept slowing down or stopping, ending up being dragged a short bit, laughing the whole time. Finally they made it inside giggling the whole time like girls much younger. Ginny ran up to her mother, practically bouncing on her toes as she asked, "Can I go stay with Hermione for a while?"
"Well, if it is all right with Hermione's parents."
"They said I could extend the offer if I wanted to." Hermione said with a grin.
"Then that will be fine dear. Go have a fun time."
Ginny squealed happily and ran upstairs to her room off the first landing. Molly watched her daughter's retreat fondly. Turning back to Hermione she said, "Thank you for helping Ginny that first week after the battle. How you held her while she cried, and were just there for her… it was greatly appreciated, since I was in no shape to do it."
"Think nothing of it. We all needed someone to cry on. She did her share of holding me as well." replied Hermione, blushing slightly, feeling a bit self-conscious as she was being thanked for something she did not see as special.
"Yes, well… Ginny was very close to Fred, so you being there for her meant a lot, to both of us. I just wanted you to know that." Molly reached over and patted Hermione's hand. "You really have become like a second daughter to me."
Tears were welling up in her eyes and before Hermione could reply, Ron came in and said, "Uhm, Hermione, can we talk?"
"Sure." She hugged Molly tightly and then the two of them went outside. Once they were a short distance into the garden and away from easy overhearing, Ron turned to face her. "So what is it Ron."
"I wanted to talk about us. I… I really like you and uh… I… uhm… do you want to go out sometime?" Ron looked really embarrassed by the time he finished, his cheeks nearly as red as his hair.
Hermione felt for Ron, she really did but what could she do? Regardless of everything else he was still her friend, even when he was overstepping boundaries she had established. It seemed that he had not followed what she had said to him about their relationship potential after all. "Ron, I am sorry but like I told you, I only see you as a friend, basically as a brother. I am not interested in anything else with you."
"Why? I don't get it? Things seemed to really be moving that way and then after we got to Shell Cottage it was like everything changed." Ron raised his voice a little as he was growing upset.
"Yes Ron, things changed and I'm sorry for that, but that is the way things are. I don't want to mislead you." said Hermione, knowing that more detail would not really help things.
"I just don't understand."
"I know Ron. I'm sorry." She turned and headed back inside, not wanting to have to deal with any more of that than she had to. If she stayed there arguing then it would not stay friendly long.
There was a pounding on the stairs and Ginny came racing down with a bag in hand. She jumped the last few steps and came to a stop right in front of Hermione, with a broad grin plastered on her face. "Ready!"
Hermione laughed at her friend's antics and shook her head. They were certainly more endearing than Ron's. Molly hugged her daughter and said, "Now you mind the Grangers and don't cause any trouble. Have fun dear."
Taking a hold of Ginny's hand, Hermione smiled and said, "I'll side along apparate us over there. It won't take a moment. Hold on."
Chapter 5Summary:I am posting this a little early as I have to crash early and will be busy tomorrow. Have a good read. And fyi… I am working on Chap. 13, so there is plenty of fic heading your way.
Chapter TextFive
They appeared in a moderately small room, maybe a bit larger than Ginny's own bedroom at the Burrow. The nice looking bedspread appeared to have quotes all over it. There were a few books sitting on the nightstand, more books on the desk and even more books on the two bookshelves. The walls had a few framed posters of artwork that did not move which seemed to surprise Ginny some. There were even a few paintings that also did not move. Also on the wall there was a noticeboard with several things pinned to it. Hermione's school trunk was against one wall, with a few more books piled on top of it as well. The dresser was tidy with only a few neatly organized stacks on notebooks and books on it. Ginny smirked at Hermione after taking it all in, "I like it. It looks like you."
"Oh hush." Hermione nudged Ginny playfully. "Drop your stuff on the bed and let's go see my parents. They want to meet you again."
"It has been a few years since we met, hasn't it?" asked Ginny.
"Yes and that was only briefly at Platform 9 ¾. Come on." Hermione led Ginny out of her bedroom and down the hall to where her parents were sitting in the living room, reading, as her room was on the first floor. Her father was going through the daily paper and her mother was reading a journal.
Her mother looked up at the sound of them nearing and smiled when she saw the girls. "Oh hello. You didn't tell us we were having guests Hermione."
"Ginny needed some time away from her family. Her brother Fred died fighting at the Battle at Hogwarts. Her whole family is taking it pretty hard. This can give her a bit of a break from all of that and let her deal with things on her own." replied Hermione, gaining a grateful look from the red head.
"How long were you thinking?" asked her mother curiously.
"What do you think Gin, will three or four weeks be sufficient?" Hermione smiled happily.
Ginny's eyes widened. Her voice sounded kind of small when she replied, "Really? Are you sure that will be okay?"
"Yes, I would be happy to have my best girlfriend spend the time with me. Think of it as a vacation."
Ginny hugged her tightly. "Thank you so much. This is really wonderful of you. I guess I should owl my mother and let her know?"
Hermione's mother waved a hand, dismissively, "Don't worry about that right now. You just got here. Relax and have some fun first. You both have had a rough several years and should just be kids again for a while. It will do you a world of good. You can let your mother know tonight or tomorrow without it being a big deal. She does know you are here, right?"
Nodding her head, Ginny replied, "Yes, but I wanted to let her know that I got here safe and all that. She can really worry, despite the fact that we have a clock that can let her know if we are in danger."
Ginny went to write the note to her mother and Hermione stayed there in the living room with her parents. Her dad snickered some from behind his paper but didn't lower it to look at her. Hermione, sensing he was holding back, looked his way and asked, "What?"
"Nothing. She's just a nice, considerate daughter, that's all." replied her father, his tone carrying his meaning quite clearly.
"Daddy!" Hermione was clearly affronted by what he was implying. Her parents were clearly amused.
She wanted to huff, but she knew that the good natured teasing was a good sign that things were getting better between her parents and her. It was almost as if things were back to normal. She could only hope that this trend would continue. Spending her summer here instead of the Burrow was a good call.
"So what are you two going to do?" asked her mom.
Hermione shrugged. "I'm not exactly sure. Ginny has never been in muggle surroundings for very long and so I kind of wanted to take her all over to show her, well everything. And given that this will ensure I will not be mobbed by various witches and wizards who think I am some sort of hero, I kind of like the idea."
"Then we will have to think of something fun for all of us to do. Your father and I have to work during the week, but I am sure you can keep yourself occupied on those days."
Hermione rolled her eyes. "Yes, I'm sure we can. We can go to the library or the cinema or the mall or even to Diagon Alley if we absolutely have to. I am sure we can find some way stay busy."
Ginny came back with a note all rolled up and ready to go. She then seemed to realize something and looked a bit sheepish, "Uhm… Hermione, do you actually have an owl?"
"Yes. I picked one up when I was in Australia. I remembered how useful they were and I have been missing Crookshanks. Since we couldn't find him when we were at the Burrow, and he hasn't shown up since I have to assume the worst. The one I purchased is named Perdita. She is really wonderful." Hermione beamed when she said that. Her owl was absolutely amazing in her opinion, but she had to admit that she could be a tad bit biased. "Uhm… but I should warn you… she is a bit different from the other owls you have seen."
Ginny looked at her funny. "What do you mean, she's still an owl right? Just how different can she be?"
Stepping outside, aware that simply explaining it would never do, Hermione patted the roost near the door and called out, "Perdita!"
The large hawk-owl flew over and landed on the perch, its wings beating in near silence. The coloration of the bird was very similar to a hawks, with the muted brown grey, with white stripes on the body, wing and tail. The bright yellow eyes stared right at Ginny and the only thing the girl could say in response upon seeing her was, "Woah."
"I know. She is so beautiful and is so distinct over here. They are actually fairly common in Australia, well the genus not necessarily the specific species. Come on, let's send the note so your mother can stop worrying." Hermione pet Perdita a few times before tying the note to her leg. "Take this to Molly Weasley at the Burrow. And feel free to catch yourself something on your way back. She might want to send a note back so wait a little bit to check, okay?"
Perdita looked at her and then gave her a long slow blink. With a woo-hoo, she launched herself off the perch and flew away. Hermione watched her owl fly off with a smile on her face. It really was a nice thing to have a post owl of her very own. She turned back to her friend and asked, "So what do you want to do? You have never really been in a muggle house before so what do you want to see? Any ideas?"
"Do you have one of those movie things? Those sounded interesting when I heard about them. Listening to you and Harry talk about movies, as well as Colin and a few other muggleborn has made me really want to know what they are like. So would you happen to have one of them?" asked Ginny, looking really excited with her eyes wide.
Hermione had to admit that tough Quidditch player Ginny Weasley looked like an adorable little kid like that. She couldn't help but grin at that the sight and said with a grin, "Yes we do. I guess I should pick something for us to watch."
"Hermione."
"Yes mom?"
"We have some of the films that came out last year that are really good. I mean, I don't expect you managed to see Titanic or Good Will Hunting or Moulin Rouge or Fierce Creatures while you were on the run from Death Eaters. So, there are a number of options available." offered her mother.
Biting her bottom lip, she pondered this. There were a lot of really good options in their collection. Should she go with something new that was sure to be dazzling or should she go with something old that she knew was magical? Maybe with something that got her hooked onto movies in the first place? "Maybe later Mom, I think I have the perfect first film in mind for Ginny to see."
"Alright. I will make you girls some popcorn to snack on. Would you like a fizzy drink as well?"
"Yes please." answered Hermione, as she was fairly certain that Ginny had no idea how to respond to this.
"What are we going to watch?" asked Ginny, growing more excited as things drew closer to her first movie.
"You'll see."
Ginny sat stunned as they watched The Wizard of Oz, drinking her cola and having plenty of popcorn at the same time. She had gasped when it had switched from black and white to color and was deeply enthralled with the story. Hermione was spending almost more time watching the redhead's reactions to the movie than the movie itself. The girl's almost childlike exuberance over the movie was wonderful and made Hermione so happy for Ginny. It must be so wonderful to be exposed to such new things on a regular basis. Hermione couldn't imagine a world without movies and technology but Ginny was from a world where Magic did a lot of things and some things that Hermione took for granted just could not be accomplished by magic. She always forgot that for all of its wonder that the magical world had failings as well.
Once the movie was over, Ginny just sort of sat back, stunned, her eyes wide and it appeared that there were tears forming in them. "That was…"
"Yeah. I love that movie. And that one was made fifty-nine years ago. They have gotten better and better since, with some incredible special effects that you would swear are magic nothing short of magic." said Hermione with a grin.
"And you got to see these all the time before you came to Hogwarts?" asked Ginny, kind of dazed.
"Pretty much. And there was also television, which is somewhat similar to movies but the programming is shorter. We can watch that too if you want. But we will get to see that and CD players, and cars that don't fly, busses, all sorts of things while you are here. You'll have fun." promised Hermione.
"Well, if this is an example of what I have in store for me, I am really looking forward to it."
Hermione's mother came in and said, "I talked to your father and we decided to go out to eat tonight. Does that sound fine?"
"Yes mom."
"We should let Ginny choose a place since it is her first night eating out at a purely Muggle restaurant."
"Oh yes! That will be great." Hermione was excited by that option. "Should I get online and show her the options?"
Ginny looked at her without understanding. "Online?"
Hermione laughed, clearly amused by her friend. "Yes, come on and I'll show you. Give us a few minutes Mom. We will find a local place."
They went upstairs and Hermione turned on her computer. Ginny just watched, trying to figure out what she was doing as the screen blinked on. When she got online, Ginny was stunned by what she was seeing, as her mind was having some difficulty processing the images before her. "Wha…"
"Okay, so here are the local options. I'll explain the internet later. So there are a number of different restaurants and types of restaurants in London. There are French, Indian, Italian, Japanese, Chinese, other European, Middle Eastern, Ethopian, Vietnamese, Greek, all sorts of things. So any of that sound interesting?"
"Well, I have had Middle Eastern when we were in Egypt, Indian as well thanks to Padma and Parvati. Can we have Chinese? That sounds interesting. That or Greek." said Ginny thoughtfully. "I don't think I have ever had anything like that."
"Okay. Let's go." She shut down her computer and they headed back to the living room to where her parents waited. "Mom, Ginny was thinking that either Chinese or Greek sounded good to her."
"Great. Let's grab our purses and head out. Shall we?"
They went out to a nice sit down restaurant and Ginny laughed at her awkward attempts to use chopsticks and their fortunes, especially once the 'in bed' portion of the game was explained. That addition made the red head's fortune about 'You like new and exciting things,' really make her blush. Returning to the Granger's she was clearly happy and seemed more relaxed than she had been when Hermione had seen her earlier. As the two of them walked towards her room, Hermione asked, "So good day so far?"
"Well, the part where you told me about Harry was not very nice, but the rest has been brilliant."
Once behind the safety of the door and with a Muffliato cast, Hermione sat down on her bed and said, "I'm glad. I've been worried about you Ginny."
"I'm doing okay." said the girl, rather unconvincingly.
"Really?" Hermione raised an eyebrow and brown eyes met brown eyes, until the younger pair looked down and away.
"Okay, truth is not so well. I was doing okay while you were there but when you were gone… it's been tough, and Mom… she's been doing her best but this has been tearing her up. Dad and Percy are working hard trying to fix things at the Ministry. Bill is busy with Fleur and his work at Gringotts. Charlie is back in Bulgaria working and so it has basically been George who has tried to work but not doing great and Ron trying to help him and pining over you. So I have been basically keeping to myself so no one noticed how I've been doing. It's been very hard. And now this crap with Harry… yeah… I'm doing fine."
"Ginny." Hermione's voice was filled with compassion.
The red head shrugged. "Well, Harry has worked really hard constantly pushing me away for my own safety. And I can't say I'm really all that hurt about it this time. Besides, I've had over a year to get used to the idea of being without him, so I guess I can just give him up and try to find someone who won't treat me like I'm a fragile thing that will break under the slightest amount of pressure. I mean, bloody hell Hermione, it's like he constantly forgot that I grew up with six crazy brothers, played Quidditch harder than he did, fought alongside him at the Ministry and was almost killed by Voldemort in my first year. So yeah, I was more than capable of fighting at his side but no, we can't let Ginny go, she's the baby of the family. She might get hurt."
Hermione could hear the bitterness and barely masked pain in the girl's voice. It kind of broke her heart to know that Ginny had been feeling this kind of anguish and no one had noticed. "I am sorry Gin. You know the only reason they let me go with them was that they wanted to live, right?"
Ginny snorted and nodded. "Yeah, Ron mentioned that a few times. Said they wouldn't have lasted two days without you. I think he was over estimating their chances."
"Even with that Harry and Ron wanted me to stay behind because I was a girl. Guys are like that, trying to be noble and stuff even when it doesn't make any sort of sense. Despite the fact that I know more spells than they do, can cast non-verbally and even cast some things without a wand they think I need protection because Harry is better at Defense than I am. Honestly!" She huffed and crossed her arms, getting a bit riled up herself the more she thought about this. "I can't even begin to tell you the number of times I saved the two of them by being prepared for most any contingency. So I know you got left out for no good reason and you are right it wasn't fair to you, but it was more Ron and Harry being boys and trying to be noble more than anything else."
Ginny smiled slightly in understanding. "I get that, I really do, but it doesn't make it hurt any less."
Hermione looked down at her left forearm and replied softly, "Yeah, I know. I'm going to change for bed. Want to join me?"
"Sure."
The girls changed and when Ginny saw Hermione's forearm she stared, goggling at the still reddish scar that stood out plainly on the pale flesh. Hermione was confused at first with what Ginny was doing and then she followed the girl's gaze. She shook her head slightly and sighed, resigned to the fact that she needed to take care of this. "Yeah, pretty gruesome, isn't it."
"Merlin 'mione, what the hell happened to you?" Ginny was clearly upset by this, far more than she had been by the revelations about Harry, probably because this was right in her face.
"Bellatrix wanted to make sure I always knew who I was." replied Hermione with a bit of a sardonic laugh. "It worked out so well for her."
"Is that why you kicked her?" asked Ginny, clearly thinking back to the Battle and the aftermath.
"Well, yeah. That and the torture." calmly replied Hermione.
"Torture?"
"Yes. Cruciatus and the knife. It took me weeks to heal up completely. We stayed at Shell Cottage with Bill and Fleur. Thankfully we were able to do so before the end of things so we could regain our strength and come up with a plan. It was not an experience I wish to go through again." said Hermione, with a faraway look, not really seeing inside of her room any more.
"She cut that into you?" replied Ginny, clearly horrified at the idea.
Hermione nodded grimly. She reached out a hand and rested it on Ginny's arm comfortingly. "It's okay Ginny. I'm fine right now. She's dead and I am all healed, for the most part."
"Wait what? For the most part?"
Hermione rolled her eyes, chiding herself for that slip of the tongue. It figured that Ginny would catch on to that particular phrase and follow up on it. However she realized that if Ginny was going to be sleeping here it wasn't like it was going to be a secret for long. No, telling her about all of this might make her sleep a little less terrifying. "I… I still have nightmares about it, the torture. They mess me up pretty badly, as I can recall the pain in pretty sharp detail. Not every night, but often enough that it is a bit of a problem."
Ginny leaned forward and pulled Hermione into a hug, holding her tightly and safely. Hermione was not sure how to respond for a moment before she relaxed into things and hugged Ginny back. They both shared each other's discomfort for a while before letting go slowly, their hands reluctant to lose contact with each other. They stared into each other's eyes, brown to brown, seeing the warmth and caring reflected therein and they both smiled.
Ginny smirked and said, "So given your nightmares and the fact that we should try to do something to stop them, how about we just expand your bed a little bit. It's not like we haven't done that before, shared a bed. And that way I might be able to chase off the bad dreams. It couldn't hurt, right?"
Hermione thought about that for a moment and shrugged. There was nothing wrong with that suggestion as far as she could see and as far as she knew it might just even work. "That sounds good to me. Who knows? It might do the trick."
They both got a good laugh at that as Hermione wandlessly expanded the bed with a quick gesture. Ginny just widened her eyes some and shook her head, saying, "I know you said you could do some spells without a wand, but seeing it still gives me chills. That is really pretty amazing. You are so powerful Hermione."
Hermione looked down at the carpeted floor and sighed, not sure of anything in terms of her own suffering. "Yeah, well power isn't everything."
Ginny hugged her again. "Look 'mione, there was nothing you could do about any of this. You were a prisoner. They were in control at that moment and not you. You did what you could and you actually survived. That is still pretty powerful in my book. You are an amazing witch. I'm not sure if I could have gone through that and done half as well as you have."
"Don't sell yourself short Ginny, you are pretty tough yourself." countered Hermione, wanting to make sure how she felt about the girl.
"For all the good it's done me." mumbled Ginny, but Hermione still heard her and responded to the self-denigration.
"But it has done you a lot of good. You have done a lot of things and survived a great deal that some witches and wizards twice you age or more haven't been able to, so accept that. If I have to accept that I am powerful then you have to accept that you are tough. So deal with it." Hermione fixed the redhead with a mock glare, trying to get her to concede the point.
Ginny started laughing and raised her hands in surrender, already able to tell she had lost this particular battle. "Alright, alright I give for now. I know better than to argue with you. It never ends well for anyone. I'm tough."
"And I'm powerful. Now let's go to bed." said Hermione flatly.
The absurdity of that statement hit the girls right after she had said it, with only a slight pause, and they both started laughing as they changed for the night.
Chapter 6Summary:A/N: There will be a number of mature things discussed including torture, same sex relationships, violence and others… you have been warned.
A/N2: I almost had a huge continuity problem (well to me) that I thankfully caught and corrected (it was a movie btw). That has since been fixed. Whew! I would have been so embarrassed, especially because of the insane work I am doing to keep the rest of the continuity. Not like you wanted to know but there you go.
BTW, Wizarding World of Harry Potter rocks. Carry on.
Chapter TextSix
Several days later found the two girls walking through downtown London towards a very specific destination, with Hermione taking Ginny towards one of the more well-known muggle tourist attractions of the city. It also helped that it was one of Hermione's favorite places as well, some place she came every summer. Ginny was amazed at much of London. She had not really seen a great deal of it, as she was only really familiar with her little town of Ottery St. Catchpole and the route in to King's Cross station. Otherwise the rest of her life had been spent primarily in and around wizarding areas almost exclusively. The Underground freaked her out a little until she traveled on it a few times, insisting on holding Hermione's hand the whole time in case they had to apparate out of there in an emergency. The whole thing was so cute it made Hermione giggle some, earning her a rather serious glare from the youngest Weasley. The taxis and buses were pretty much as expected, since the Night Bus was a comfortable known.
The size of the city, how busy it was and how different everything looked when compared to the wizarding world really did throw Ginny some. It was so much more amazing than anything she had ever seen before, with huge buildings everywhere, not just a few here and there, some even dwarfing Hogwarts. Hermione could tell that Ginny was not sure how to take all of this or even how to make sense of it but she did not say anything as this was an experience that Ginny would have to cope with on her own.
Hermione had been unable to resist the urge to take her best friend to one of her favorite places that day. Soon the two of them were walking inside and around the British Museum. Hermione was excitedly showing Ginny all of her favorite things on the first floor, such as the Assyrian section, the Greek artifacts, the Egyptian artifacts and most especially the item that she was most enamored of, the Rosetta Stone. They were standing in front of it and Hermione was looking at it with such awe, seeing nothing else around her. "Just think about it Ginny. This stone tablet right here allowed Jean Francois Champollion to translate ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics and demotic all because of the Greek text there at the bottom. This one object was a gateway into understanding a civilization that was mostly unknown to both worlds even though so much of their writing had survived. There were all those temples and tombs but no one could read anything in them until this stone right here allowed someone to figure their writing system all out. Sometimes all it takes is just one little thing to open up an entire new world."
When she looked away from the black granite stone and over at the red head, she noted that Ginny was looking at her fondly, with a slight smile on her face. Hermione blushed and looked away, back at the stone. "What?"
"You really are amazing you know that?" said Ginny, sort of chuckling and shaking her head is clear admiration.
Hermione cocked her head and asked, "What do you mean?"
"I mean look at you. You gave me all of that information right out of your memory and it isn't like that is common information either. Is there anything you don't know?" teased the redhead.
"Of course. There are lots of things I don't know. There are so many things to know in the whole world after all Ginny and there is simply no way for any one person to know everything there is." stated Hermione, endeavoring to make her point clear to her best friend.
"But that's not going to stop you from trying to be the first one in history from doing so, is it?" said the red head playfully, reaching out to nudge Hermione in the shoulder gently.
Hermione could think of no truly dignified response to that and so stuck out her tongue. The two of them walked away from the Rosetta Stone laughing and headed back to the entry room, as a group of tourists headed towards the stone. Hermione looked over at Ginny and said, "Well, we can either continue looking around in here, as there is still quite a bit more to see and eat at the cafeteria or we can leave, go somewhere for some lunch and do something else, maybe even catch a movie. Which do you prefer?"
Ginny was unsure which of those options to choose and it showed on her face as she pondered. Hermione watched her and her reactions as the girl thought, smiling softly. This really was a lot of fun and she was so glad that she got to share her favorite parts of the muggle world with one of her friends. Harry already knew it and Ron would never have understood. He probably would have scoffed at the Rosetta Stone or made some dumb comment about muggles over all of this but Ginny had gotten it, had gotten why Hermione really enjoyed all of this and why the stone was important to her. She really did seem to be enjoying her time immersed in a muggle life, learning all the things that the muggle studies class tried to teach but never really seemed to carry across due to the outdated curriculum. The red head bit her lip and deliberated some more, looking around the room. She then turned back to Hermione, "How about some lunch, but not here, and then we can make an actual decision, do you think we can do that?"
"I think we should be able to do that." Hermione grinned at Ginny and the two of them headed out. It was such a stereotypical Weasley response that she just had to smile. Starvation would be more effective than a Crucio against a Weasley.
They headed out of the museum and started heading towards Piccadilly Circus and along the way found a nearby place that served fish and chips. As they ate the two girls talked about school and the classes they were looking forward to as well as how nervous they were about their NEWTS, given how insane the last year had been. Hermione was thinking about how nice it was to talk to someone who actually seemed to have interests somewhat akin to her own for a change. Ginny actually cared about school and her grades, despite the fact that she was an athlete and about as into Quidditch as Harry and Ron. If only the boys had cared as much about their own academic pursuits, maybe then she would have been able to study even more on her own work and have been able to learn even more spells and things before everything went down.
Once they finished their meal, Ginny sat back and considered their options again. "You know, I think if it's good with you, I would rather see one of those movies in a movies theater."
"It's movie theater and yes we can go. There are two things playing right now that look quite good to me, one is a romantic movie, City of Angels and the other is an action adventure film based on a novel called The Man in the Iron Mask by Alexandre Dumas, which was a really good book. Which of those do you think you would prefer?" asked Hermione, wanting to leave these sorts of choices to Ginny, so that she had the greatest control of her muggle experience.
They started walking towards the tube station as Ginny thought about it. Once they started heading down the escalator, Ginny finally had an answer. "How about we go with City of Angels? Honestly, I have had enough of action for a while. I could do with a little romance in my life."
"Sounds good to me. If I remember the paper with the advert correctly then I know which theatre it's in. Let's head over to Leicester Square and see if we can get some tickets."
Both girls were wiping their eyes and sniffling as they were leaving the theatre. They were doing a bit better now than they had been right towards the end of the film but the story and the ending was still clearly affecting them greatly. "That was so good."
"I know and that picture was so big and the music was so loud. That was amazing Hermione. Thank you. Oh Merlin, that was so good. Why don't we have anything like this in the wizarding world? Ahhhh!!" Ginny cried out in frustration. "That was just so… and the story… oh… my mother would love this. We have got to find a way to take her to this."
Hermione giggled a little at this notion, picturing Molly Weasley staring wide eyed at the screen in a manner similar to how Ginny had. It was a humorous image and one she would cherish. Ginny was so excited, clearly pleased by the experience and completely energized because of it. The red head turned around and hugged Hermione tight, lifting her in the air, saying happily, "Thank you!"
"Aahh… put me down! You're welcome Gin. I am glad you enjoyed it. We will have to see if we can make it to more movies over the school year. Maybe we can arrange something with Headmistress McGonnagal to let us out so we can see more." said Hermione with a smile.
"Oh could we? She likes you, as you're her favorite, so I am sure she would be happy to let you do something like that. That was incredible." gushed Ginny.
"Come on, let's head home. I am sure by the time we get there it will be time for dinner and we really shouldn't apparate. This way you can get a better feel for what muggle life is really like." Hermione smiled at Ginny, glad to be providing another learning experience.
"I don't understand why my dad can't seem to get this. The longer I am here with you the more all of this stuff actually makes a kind of sense. Sure it is strange and frankly pretty magical in its own right, like how you can get all that information out of your computer, or what a television is or how that ekeltricity works but you know I guess each world is equally amazing in their own ways." Ginny was looking around as she said that, just taking in everything she saw, including people talking on cellphones. The idea that people could talk like they were using the floo while they were walking around really impressed her. Muggles had some truly amazing ideas, some of which seemed superior to the wizarding ideas.
Hermione was thoughtful. She hadn't framed any of this that way and frankly it shocked her that she hadn't. To her, all of this was just her regular ordinary boring pre-Hogwarts life; hardly any of it was amazing. Sure there were some things that were pretty neat but Ginny was acting like over all of this very much like she had when she had first started discovering the magical world. Maybe Ginny was right and that each world was amazing and full of mystery to the other. It was certainly not a position that Ron ever held or espoused. Perhaps it would be a good thing to pay greater attention to the interesting aspects of both worlds and never lose that sense of the magical? After all wasn't that what drove her to want to learn everything in the first place, the fact that the world was such an incredible and limitless place?
She turned to Ginny and took her friends hand. She could feel the calluses the girl had from gripping the broom while she played Quidditch but the hand was not rough like Ron's had been. This action got the other girls attention, making her look at Hermione in confusion. She looked right into Ginny's eyes and said with all honesty she could muster, "Thank you Ginny."
"For what?"
"For helping me to remember why I love learning everything there is to know about everything." Hermione kept looking right into Ginny's warm brown eyes as she said this, trying to make sure that her sincerity was clear to the other girl.
Ginny blushed and looked down and away, tightening her grip on Hermione's hand. "You're welcome but it's not like I did anything special."
"Not any more special than being yourself, which is pretty special on its own." admitted Hermione, blushing slightly herself, though for the life of her she was not sure why.
The blush on the other girl deepened and Hermione laughed happily in response. With a slight tug, Hermione got Ginny onto the Underground in one piece, both of them heading out of the city and closer towards where the Grangers lived. Once they reached the correct station the two of them transferred onto a bus and got closer still. They walked the last little distance still just basking happily in the glow of the movie and their conversation.
Dinner was indeed ready when they got home and the four of them sat around the table and ate. The girls told Hermione's mother about the movie and they heard about the elder Grangers' day, about a rough bicuspid removal and some routine cavity fillings and examinations. Ginny hung on every word as she was somewhat fascinated with the whole business of dentistry. It sounded clearly fascinating, given the look on her face.
"Well Ginny, seeing as I kind of need to run an errand over to St. Mungo's, why don't you go with my parents tomorrow. They can give you a checkup and show you around the office. And when I'm done I can come by and pick you up. Does that sound like it will work for you?" suggested Hermione.
"Really? Would that be okay with you, Mr. and Mrs. Granger?" Ginny seemed excited about the prospect.
Hermione's parents grinned and her mother said, "If only our other patients were this excited about coming in for a checkup. Sure, we can do that. It will be fun and educational. After we explain what we do, you can tell us what is done in the magical world to take care of teeth. It will be interesting. We would love to hear about that."
"Deal!" Ginny grinned happily, bouncing a little in her seat.
"Why do you have to go to St. Mungo's dear?" asked her father, sounding a touch concerned.
"There is something I need to check on for Harry and possibly myself. It shouldn't take me too long, as I only have a few questions to ask someone, if they even have someone there who can even address these particular issues. Once they answer them I will be able to meet you all at the clinic so don't dillydally too much. I'll be right over after I talk to Harry to pass on what I have learned, if anything." replied Hermione, not wanting to give too much away. Her own health issues were her own matter.
"Good. I want to do something fun tomorrow afterwards. What is there around here that we can do like swimming or something?" asked Ginny.
"I am sure I can find us something to do." Hermione grinned at the other girl. "You do have a suit with you, right?"
"I do. I hope it works. It's not as nice as Fleur's was for the Triwizard Tournament but it isn't too bad." admitted Ginny as she got some more dinner on her fork.
Hermione groaned. "Oh Merlin… let me at least see it before we make that decision. It could actually be horrible and need a lot of work or we might just need to buy you a new one. Most wizards have terrible fashion sense when it comes to muggle clothing."
Ginny rolled her eyes. "That's horrible, we just might have to shop, what ever shall we do."
Hermione started snickering about that and soon Ginny started joining along. They kept laughing more and more each time they looked at each other. Hermione's parents just gave them looks of great patience and tolerance.
Once the meal was over, the girls headed back to the bedroom to play some exploding snap for a little bit before bed. After a two games they changed into their pajamas, brushed their teeth, and talked some more. "So do you think you'll get Head Girl?"
"Honestly I think it will be a bit unfair if they decide to give it to me." answered Hermione, with a shrug.
"But why? You are brilliant and there is nobody in the whole school who can touch you academically. The only subject that Harry can best you at is Defense and that's it. Even then it's because of the practical and especially his insane Patronus. That and you are also a hero to the entire wizarding world. They would have to be utterly mental to not give it to you. There really is no other option that would make any sort of sense." countered Ginny.
"It isn't my year Ginny. I am coming back after missing a year due to the Horcrux hunt. This is your class year so the Head Girl should come from someone in your year." said Hermione patiently. "I just think it isn't fair for me to come in and take it is all."
"So if they give it to you, you will just say no?" Ginny was incredulous at this notion.
"I am thinking about it." admitted Hermione.
"Okay, how about you think about it this way Hermione, instead of thinking about the fact that it should go to someone from my year blah blah blah. If you get this very well deserved honor, you would have your very own bedroom and bathroom, all by yourself, without having to share it with anyone. From what I heard from Percy, the door to your room even has its own password that you get to set that not even teachers know. Plus you would have access to the Prefects Bathroom as well, if that is what you wanted. Percy also said that as Head Boy, he could have snacks and tea brought up to him after hours by the house elves in case you needed a snack while studying, seeing as you have lots of extra responsibilities. How is this even remotely a bad thing? Sure you would have all sorts of extra responsibilities, but you would also have all those lovely perks to make up for it." stated Ginny, trying to make her case as clearly as possible.
Hermione looked at Ginny and narrowed her eyes as something occurred to her at that moment. "Why do I think that there is more to your support of this particular idea than meets the eye? You seem awfully invested in this notion."
"Well, I must admit there could be something to that. I mean there is the fact that you could occasionally let your dear best friend in the whole world who would love you forever if you would let her share in some of these perks." Ginny batted her eyes several times and looked at Hermione rather soulfully, holding her lightly clenched fists under her head.
"Oh! I knew it! You! Ginevra Molly Weasley, of all the reasons… oh!" huffed Hermione, shaking a finger at the red head.
"So is that a yes then?" grinned Ginny, waggling her eyebrows at Hermione suggestively.
Hermione dove onto the surprised redhead and started tickling. Ginny squealed and writhed, trying to escape the assault. When she started turning the attack back on the older girl that's when things started getting interesting. Each girl was getting plenty of tickles in, rolling back and forth over the bed, neither truly gaining dominance over the other as they attacked. Then with a shriek of surprise they both rolled off the bed and hit the floor with a thud.
They just lay there on the floor, tangled together, laughing until tears were rolling down their faces. There was a knock on the door and Mrs. Granger asked, in a voice clearly filled with amusement, "Are you both still alive in there? Do we need to call an ambulance?"
Hermione struggled to stop laughing, which was difficult. Answering was important. "Yes mom. No need to call Emergency Services."
"Good. Keep it down some, will you."
Their giggles abated and they lay there next to each other, panting, and their clothes in all manner of disarray. When Ginny finally caught her breath she said, "That was fun."
"Yeah it was."
"I'm serious though 'mione. You would be a really good Head Girl. You wouldn't be a stuffy git like Percy. You would be approachable, helpful, and nice, the kind of Head Girl that Hogwarts would need to get back to normal after what we have been through. People would be happy to come to you to get problems fixed without bothering a teacher. And yes you may get extras for doing that but that just makes up for the job you will be doing." said Ginny, turning her head to look at the bushy haired girl lying there beside her.
"I'll think about it Gin. Though I have to admit, you have given me things to think about that I hadn't thought about already. So thank you for that. And that's even if they are going to even offer it to me."
Ginny snorted.
"What?" Hermione turned to face Ginny, her brows furrowed in question.
"Please. I would be willing to bet you all sorts of good money that you get Head Girl and I get Quidditch Captain. There really is no other way that it would make any sense." explained Ginny.
Hermione thought about it and realized that there really was no better choice for the Quidditch position and she was unsure about the post of Head Girl so it really was not a safe bet to make. She really hated losing. "I would rather not take your money."
"Hah, you mean you don't want to lose your money. Admit it 'mione you think it might happen and that's why you don't want to bet."
Hermione bit her bottom lip and then sighed. There really was no way of escaping the fact that Ginny really did know her well enough to guess that much. She had to capitulate. "Fine, I think it might happen. Are you happy?"
"Getting there." Ginny yawned, covering her mouth. "It's getting late. Maybe we should get some sleep."
"I agree." They climbed up, off the floor and under the covers. Hermione again used wandless magic to turn off the lights with a simple, soft spoken word. It did not take them long to fall asleep.
Hermione woke up screaming, her body convulsing as pain flared through her, nerves pulsing with fire and glass shards ripping through her insides, maniacal laughter ringing in her ears. She thrashed a little, lifting off the bed some as her back bowed. Strong slender arms grabbed her, pulled her in close, and held her safe, and a familiar voice that was warm and comforting kept saying over and over, "It's okay Hermione, I have you."
With a shudder and a long sigh, it finally registered to her that she was being held protectively in Ginny's arms. Once she came to that realization, Hermione let loose what was left of her tension and just lay there, muscles unclenching slowly, flayed nerves calming down. She felt drained and did not even remotely feel like moving out of the grasp. Besides, Ginny was holding her comfortably and she was finding it easy to relax in the girl's arms.
Meanwhile, Ginny was softly running a hand down her hair, her fingers moving through Hermione's bushy hair and massaging the her scalp as the red head's warm breath slightly tickled her neck and ear as she said, "It's okay Hermione. It's okay. You're safe now. I have you. Shhh… I have you. You're safe."
Hermione finally found her voice, which felt a bit dry and sore, breaking the silence that had fallen between them when the soothing had slowed her racing heart to more normal levels. The hand continued to run through her hair, lulling her towards sleep while the other arm was wrapped around her, holding her close. "Thank you."
"It's okay. You held me when I needed it and I'm returning the favor. Besides, it's not like you didn't warn me about these, though it is a bit worse than you implied." replied Ginny, seemingly perfectly calm.
"I'm sorry I woke you." Hermione was growing embarrassed, but snuggled further into Ginny's arms. There was a safety there she had never felt in Ron's arms.
Ginny tightened her grip, pulling the girl even closer, letting the girl know she was welcomed against her body. "That's okay. I am happy to do it. Was this about Bellatrix?"
"Always is." grumbled Hermione. "I can never seem to get away from her for very long. But thank you, this is making my recovery so much faster. Usually I am up for several hours before I can go back to sleep, so this is really helping. I can already feel myself getting relaxed enough to sleep again."
"Then I am very happy to help. You try to go back to sleep 'mione. I'll keep holding you while you do and we can see if that will chase that dead psycho bitch away from you. I'll keep you safe."
"Thank you Gin." said Hermione, with a great deal of thankfulness, emotion filling her voice. "Good night."
"Good night, 'Mione. Pleasant dreams." She tightened her arms into a hug and then loosened them just slightly, keeping the older girl against her body, stroking Hermione's hair until the girl fell back asleep.