"What do you mean you kissed him?" Ginny Weasley asked her best friend, her eyes wide. Her wild red hair was scraped up in a bun and it was bouncing on her head in anticipation as she waited for answer. Her focus was dedicated to Hermione, and she completely blanked the fat ginger cat rubbing it's self against her bare legs and tickling them. Hermione had just dropped a bombshell on her, and she had to know more. Her big brother had finally got his kiss, and Hermione hadn't even thought to mention it until weeks after the final battle. Hermione raised her hands and shrugged.
"We just, grabbed each other" she said, letting her hands fall back into her lap. Ginny's eyes grew wider and she grabbed Hermione's wrists and shook them. That wasn't enough at all.
"I NEED DETAILS!" She shouted and Hermione giggled at her best friend's frustration. She wished she hadn't said anything now. The kiss was a distant memory, but still she wished that Ron would at least talk to hr about it. It was driving her crazy.
"Why?" Hermione asked, pulling her hair to one side and letting it drop on her left shoulder in a frizzy heap.
"He's my brother and you're my best friend! You need to tell me!" Ginny insisted, moving her legs in to the sunshine coming through the window. It was summer and they had both put on shorts that morning, and the mid afternoon heat was starting to become intolerable. Ginny's patience wavered and she wanted Hermione to trust her enough to tell her what had happened. She wouldn't tell anyone.
"No I don't" Hermione said, sticking her tongue out. Ginny could be so impatient and it was so easy to annoy her. The sun shone in through the windows on the diagonal of the roof and Hermione loved the way the light scattered. It was an advantage of having their bedroom on the top floor. Ginny's face twisted in her eagerness for more details.
"Hermione Jean Granger, give me details NOW!"
"Alright, alright!" Hermione said, defeated. "Merlin, I feel so sorry for Harry right now, he has to put up with this for the rest of his life"
Ginny hit her arm playfully and begged her to continue.
"So, anyway, it was in the middle of the battle. Our whole world was falling apart; people were dying, you'd all just lost Fred... We'd gone down to the chamber of secrets"-
Ginny shuddered loudly at her former place of torment but allowed Hermione to continue with the final chapter of the Ron/Hermione love story, when the best friend had finally got his girl.
"And we got a few basilisk fangs to destroy the horcruxes. It was his idea, totally brilliant of course. Then he said that we should go and warn the house elves in the kitchens because we don't need any more of them dying for us. You know I created the S.P.E.W and I don't need to remind you of my views on house elf rights… I was just taken aback so I just flung myself at him and he picked me up and it was just… amazing. Harry wasn't too pleased because he needed us focused but oh well" Hermione said, her eyes drifting to look at the wall and back in to the past.
Ginny raised her eyebrows and snapped her fingers in Hermione's face.
"What?" she barked, annoyed that she had woken her out of her daydream where she was with Ron and everything was ok, there was no awkwardness or stolen glances, and where she was finally happy.
"Is that all?" Ginny asked impatiently.
"Yes! We have been a bit busy and pre-occupied with other things you know, like your brother's funeral and the clean up of Hogwarts!"
"Funeral? You would never have known." Ginny scoffed. She was right; it wasn't much like a funeral. George had gotten drunk halfway through the sermon and had been dancing crudely with some of the girls from his shop at the wake. Ron had played several drinking games with Harry, Dean and Seamus and Mr Weasley had led a conga. Percy drowned his sorrows by kissing an old family friend and Charlie had worn jeans and a t-shirt, much to the disapproval of Mrs Weasley.
"I guess it was a sort of a memorial more than a funeral. Fred wouldn't have wanted anything serious anyway; he just wasn't that sort of guy"
"True. Mum is still mad at George for heckling the vicar though"
Hermione laughed in remembrance until she saw Ginny's stern face that mirrored her mother's in so many ways. It was clear the conversation had moved back on to her and she sighed heavily.
"So what do you plan to do about it?" she asked in a patronising tone. Hermione wished she had kept her mouth shut. That way the moment would have been hers, and she wouldn't have the feeling of dread that Ginny would be pushing them in to cupboards and forcing them together at every turn.
"Nothing! I made the first move. He can make the second!"
"Fine. But if you're waiting for Ron you best be prepared to wait a long time" Ginny said, backing out of the room leaving Hermione alone with her just her thoughts for company. Maybe Ginny was right, not that Hermione would ever tell her. She didn't want to confront Ron, she wanted him to do it. Why couldn't he man up and tell her how he felt? It was obvious rom the kiss how he did feel, and Hermione just wanted to hear it in his voice, the one that could make her melt. She got up and followed Ginny, she guessed in to the kitchen as that was the part of the house that was the coolest, and outside was far too hot.