"By the way, 'Mione, there's been something I've been wanting to ask you. Are you a-? I mean, it's OK with me if you are, and we're still friends, and everything. It's just, it's just... I know how you broke up with Viktor recently, and everything, and how you wouldn't tell anybody why, and Ron said he bet he knew why, but he wouldn't say anything else, and we was all broody and scowling about the place, so I didn't want to ask him, and I know how you'd probably tell Harry before him, anyway. So, if you are... if you are... I mean, I won't tell anyone."
Hermione looked up from her books, and sighed. She had just been in the middle of correcting a very important essay that had to be in on Tuesday, when what had happened? Virginia Weasley, that's what. Blushing like a beacon and fidgeting like a bored child, she had come to- to what, exactly?
"Ginny," Hermione managed to stifle another sigh, "if you've got something to say, please say it. I've got a lot of very important work to do." She had been working too hard, Ginny thought, and it showed. Her hair had gone from dragged through a hedge backwards to pulled backwards through a dragon's nest, complete with brooding mother. In all, she looked exhausted.
"Hermioneareyougay?" The words that came out of Ginny's mouth were so run together, Hermione had to stop, shut her book, put her head in her hands and wait for her fuddled brain to untangle them. When it did, the results were almost immediate. Her head snapped up with a shocked look on her face.
"Am I... what?!" Hermione looked so exasperated, Ginny involuntarily took a step back, still blushing.
"I just thought... well, there's nothing wrong with it, if you are. In fact, I thought...I think..."
A look of pain flittered across her face, and Hermione was tempted to run forward and give her a big hug. Why not, after all? They were friends, and that was what friends were for. Hermione scraped her chair back and slipped round the side of the desk before embracing Ginny tightly. She was small and skinny, but wiry too. Must be the result of having so many brothers, thought Hermione with a silent giggle. Any girl surrounded by so many boys must be able to fight back. With some surprise, Hermione noticed she was no longer that much taller than the other girl, if at all. In fact, when they had both stopped growing, Ginny was probably going to be taller than her.
The gentle shakes of Ginny's shoulders were enough to bring her back to reality.
"I just thought... it would be so much easier if you were, because... because..." Ginny looked up to Hermione, green eyes gleaming with tears. "Oh Merlin, 'Mione!"
With that exclamation, the younger girl buried her face once again in Hermione's shoulder and started sobbing, leaving Hermione to comfort her awkwardly. It was just as well the Common Room was empty- having to explain to Ron why his sister was crying into her shoulder, or to curious First Years what was going on, wasn't a task that Hermione could say she would have been completely comfortable with. She patted Ginny lightly on shoulder.
"There, there. Um. Is there anything you want to talk about?" Hermione tried her best to sound understanding and concerned. She was a Prefect, after all, and meant to be able to look after younger students, especially when the younger student also happened to be one of her best friends.
Looking up, Ginny parted her lips slightly, as if to say something and then thinking against it. Delicate lips, thought Hermione almost involuntarily. She raised her fingers to them, but stopped herself and instead used her fingertips to gently brush the tears off Ginny's cheeks. Ginny gave a little gulp. She wasn't used to being touched that lightly, either from her brothers or from her friends. It was nice. They were already very close, and it was only a few more inches before her lips were brushing against Hermione's, first lightly but then harder, more desperately, with the kiss being returned in kind, and neither of them wanting it to stop any time soon. Eventually, Hermione broke away.
"Ginny... was there something you wanted to ask me?"
"Yes," Ginny replied, hiccuping with tears and laughter as she traced her fingers over Hermione's lips, "but I think I already know the answer, now."
Hermione looked up from her books, and sighed. She had just been in the middle of correcting a very important essay that had to be in on Tuesday, when what had happened? Virginia Weasley, that's what. Blushing like a beacon and fidgeting like a bored child, she had come to- to what, exactly?
"Ginny," Hermione managed to stifle another sigh, "if you've got something to say, please say it. I've got a lot of very important work to do." She had been working too hard, Ginny thought, and it showed. Her hair had gone from dragged through a hedge backwards to pulled backwards through a dragon's nest, complete with brooding mother. In all, she looked exhausted.
"Hermioneareyougay?" The words that came out of Ginny's mouth were so run together, Hermione had to stop, shut her book, put her head in her hands and wait for her fuddled brain to untangle them. When it did, the results were almost immediate. Her head snapped up with a shocked look on her face.
"Am I... what?!" Hermione looked so exasperated, Ginny involuntarily took a step back, still blushing.
"I just thought... well, there's nothing wrong with it, if you are. In fact, I thought...I think..."
A look of pain flittered across her face, and Hermione was tempted to run forward and give her a big hug. Why not, after all? They were friends, and that was what friends were for. Hermione scraped her chair back and slipped round the side of the desk before embracing Ginny tightly. She was small and skinny, but wiry too. Must be the result of having so many brothers, thought Hermione with a silent giggle. Any girl surrounded by so many boys must be able to fight back. With some surprise, Hermione noticed she was no longer that much taller than the other girl, if at all. In fact, when they had both stopped growing, Ginny was probably going to be taller than her.
The gentle shakes of Ginny's shoulders were enough to bring her back to reality.
"I just thought... it would be so much easier if you were, because... because..." Ginny looked up to Hermione, green eyes gleaming with tears. "Oh Merlin, 'Mione!"
With that exclamation, the younger girl buried her face once again in Hermione's shoulder and started sobbing, leaving Hermione to comfort her awkwardly. It was just as well the Common Room was empty- having to explain to Ron why his sister was crying into her shoulder, or to curious First Years what was going on, wasn't a task that Hermione could say she would have been completely comfortable with. She patted Ginny lightly on shoulder.
"There, there. Um. Is there anything you want to talk about?" Hermione tried her best to sound understanding and concerned. She was a Prefect, after all, and meant to be able to look after younger students, especially when the younger student also happened to be one of her best friends.
Looking up, Ginny parted her lips slightly, as if to say something and then thinking against it. Delicate lips, thought Hermione almost involuntarily. She raised her fingers to them, but stopped herself and instead used her fingertips to gently brush the tears off Ginny's cheeks. Ginny gave a little gulp. She wasn't used to being touched that lightly, either from her brothers or from her friends. It was nice. They were already very close, and it was only a few more inches before her lips were brushing against Hermione's, first lightly but then harder, more desperately, with the kiss being returned in kind, and neither of them wanting it to stop any time soon. Eventually, Hermione broke away.
"Ginny... was there something you wanted to ask me?"
"Yes," Ginny replied, hiccuping with tears and laughter as she traced her fingers over Hermione's lips, "but I think I already know the answer, now."