Late Night Conversations

Hello there everyone! Late Night Conversations is going to be a chapter fic, but each chapter is going to be a one-shot, each set in a different time and with different characters. This first one is with Ginny and Hermione. It's set in GOF, the first night of the Quidditch World Cup. Enjoy, and please review!

"Goodnight girls!" said Mr. Weasley, kissing Ginny's forehead and winking at Hermione. "And don't stay up too late. It'll be the time-out chair for me if you two get home and Molly thinks you're sleep deprived." Ginny rolled her eyes, but Hermione nodded earnestly.

"Don't worry, Mr. Weasley, we'll get to bed soon. Goodnight!" The two girls silently walked over to their tent. It was smaller than the boys' and smelled like cats, but they would have it all to themselves.

"Erm…I'm going to go put on my pajamas," said Hermione awkwardly. She had known Ginny for two years, but they weren't exactly best friends, and Hermione didn't know how to talk to her. The only friends she had ever had were boys.

"Okay," said Ginny cheerfully, plopping down onto a sagging armchair and pulling several chocolate frogs out of her sock. Hermione raised her eyebrows.

"Hey, when you have six brothers you've got to know how to properly hide food." Hermione laughed and walked over to the bedroom, pulling pajamas out of her trunk as she went. She brushed her teeth and washed her face, and then pulled out a new textbook and went back into the living room. Ginny was still lounging there, stuffing chocolate into her mouth. Just like Ron, Hermione thought with a smile. Ron… She was very confused when it came to Ron. She didn't quite know what to think about him. She knew her feelings for Ron were different than her feelings for Harry, but she didn't quite know why.

Internally shaking herself, Hermione opened her book and started the chapter on Summoning Charms. But after a few minutes, Hermione realized she wasn't really reading at all. Her eyes were flitting across the pages, but once the words entered her brain, they were lost in a myriad of other thoughts. She wasn't comprehending anything. What's wrong with me? This never happens! No matter how hard she tried to fight it, her thoughts kept traveling back to earlier that day.

She was screaming and falling out of the sky; her fingers were still on the portkey. And then suddenly the ground appeared. Hermione landed heavily, right on top of Ron. Immediately she hopped up and apologized, her neck feverishly hot. But then she stopped to think about it. She had never been that close to Ron before. It was rather nice. That was when she noticed the other things. Not only was Ron taller than the previous school year, but he had filled out; he wasn't as lanky. And he had rather nice arms. And his eyes were the loveliest shade of blue: deep like the ocean, but gentle, like the evening sky. And at that moment, they were wide with the realization that Hermione had just been lying on top of him. His ears turned red.

A cough brought Hermione back to the present.

"So, Hermione," said Ginny mischievously, "do you like anyone?" Hermione knew where this was going.

"Yeah, sure," she said quickly, "I like a lot of people. My parents, my classmates, my teachers, the-"

"Oh, come on Hermione! You know what I mean! Do you fancy anyone?"

"Fancy? No, of course I don't. I'm not that kind of girl." She didn't fancy anyone did she? There were only two boys she could fancy, anyway: Harry and Ron. Harry was like her brother, and Ron…No. Just no.

"What do you mean 'I'm not that kind of girl'? You don't have to be a slut just to fancy someone."

"No, that's not what I meant. And don't say that Ginny, that's a bad word!" Ginny rolled her eyes.

"Then what did you mean?" Hermione was silent for a few moments. She hadn't talked about this to anyone except for her mother.

"Well…Look at me Ginny. I'm not exactly what you would call pretty. So I just can't fancy anyone. He'll never fancy me back, and then I would be heartbroken. No, it's better to not fancy anyone, ever." Ginny frowned.

"I think you're pretty," she said quietly. "And any boy who only cares about what you look like wouldn't be a good boyfriend anyway." Hermione smiled.

"Thanks Ginny."

"Sure, anytime. But come on, you've got to fancy someone!"

"Here we go again," muttered Hermione, trying not to smile.

"It's not like you choose who you're going to fancy. You can't help it! It's like a disease!"

"A disease?" said Hermione. "You seem to know a lot about this fancying stiff." Ginny blushed.

"Don't you change the subject on me, Hermione. Tell me!"

"Shush, Ginny, do you want you dad to hear? And I'm telling the truth. I don't fancy anyone." Ginny pulled a skeptical face. "Seriously! There are only two boys I could like: Harry and Ron. Harry is like my brother, I could never like him! Even if I wanted to fancy him I couldn't; he doesn't make me feel anything."

"Harry doesn't make you feel anything? So are you saying that Ron makes you feel things?"

"What!? No! Well, not romantic things…But he does make me angry. And he makes me feel annoyed, and sometimes sad and hurt. But then other times he makes me happy, and he makes me laugh and can relax me when I'm stressed. And sometimes he even makes me feel, well, giddy."

"Giddy?"

"Yeah… And sometimes my stomach knots up when I'm around him, but I don't know why." Ginny stared at Hermione for a full thirty seconds before collapsing on the floor in a fit of giggles.

"What!?"

"Her-Hermione," gasped Ginny, "You're so naïve! You so fancy Ron!"

"Excuse me? No I do not!"

"Oh, don't even deny it. You know you do." Hermione considered this for a moment.

"Well…I wouldn't go so far as to say I fancy him…"

"Yeah, okay." They looked at each other for a moment before Ginny started laughing again. Hermione sighed, picked up her book, and pretended to read. When Ginny had stopped laughing and had regained her breath, Hermione said,

"So who do you like, Ginny?" Ginny pulled her famous skeptical face.

"Oh please, don't feign ignorance. I'm pretty sure the whole world knows who I fancy."

"Harry?"

"Yup."

"Hmmm. Well if you like him so much, why do you never talk to him?"

"Do you seriously think that it's my choice that I don't talk to Harry?" exclaimed Ginny. "I can't talk to him! I get too nervous. It's like every time I see those green eyes I freeze up, my tongue stops working, and I feel like I'll puke!"

"Lovely."

"I'm serious Hermione! Can you help me?" Now it was Hermione's turn to assume the skeptical expression.

"Me? You're asking me, the girl who didn't even know she fancied someone, to help you with your love life?" Ginny nodded. "Well actually, I'm probably a good person to help you. I've known Harry long enough that I know how he thinks; I know exactly what he would want in a girl."

"And what's that?"

"He would want someone that's natural and can act herself around him, and that doesn't care about his fame." Ginny pouted.

"But I can't act like myself around him! I try so hard, but I just can't! What do I do!?" Hermione thought for a moment.

"Do you want my honest advice?"

"Yes!"

"Okay, but I don't think you're going to like it." Ginny stared at her expectantly. "I think you should go out with some other guys."

"What!?"

"You heard me."

"But-but I fancy Harry. I'll never be able to like anyone else!"

"How do you know? You've never tried."

"Okay…So say I did go out with another guy. What would that do? How would that make Harry like me?"

"I think if you went out with another guy, and started liking him-to a certain degree- you might like Harry a little less, and you two might become friends. And then Harry will see how awesome you are, and he'll start to fancy you." Ginny was silent for so long that Hermione thought she had fallen asleep. But when she glanced over, she saw that Ginny was just deep in thought.

"Yeah…" she said slowly. "Yeah, you're right Hermione. Thanks a lot."

"You're welcome Ginny. And thank you too. Thank for helping me come to terms with feelings that I had been pushing away." Ginny nodded and stifled a yawn from beneath her hand. "Okay, we really need to get to bed now; I told your dad that we would go to bed early!"

The two girls crawled into bed and quickly feel asleep. Many times in the future would they be thankful for the friendship that had started that night.

So, did you like it? Did you hate it? Please let me know! PS, the next chapter is a late night conversation between Ron and Harry