DISCLAIMER-I don't own any HP characters or ideas
Of New Years Eve and Filibuster Fireworks
She stepped out of the car and gazed up at the complex with bated breath.
This was the wizarding party that she had been anticipating for
months...this was the day that she was going to tell him how she truly
felt. As the clock struck midnight and began the new year. Then why was
her stomach housing the world's most acrobatic butterflies?
Hermione turned and said her goodbyes to her parents, once again turning
to face the large building. She could heard the orchestra music floating
in and out her ears like soft bells or whistles...the sounds seemed to
entice her and urge her to join the fun and merry-making.
"Oi! Hermi!"
She turned and saw Harry jogging up to her, dressed in a full black tux.
She grinned and elbowed him gently in the arm. "How are you?" she
whispered. She hadn't seen him in two years, since they'd graduated from
Hogwarts.
"I'm great," he offered. Then he gave into all emotions and swept her
into a dashing hug, spinning her through the air with her feet off the
ground. She giggled and requested he put her down.
"If it isn't for the lovebirds."
Harry set Hermione on the ground gently and the two turned. "Draco
Malfoy," Harry hissed. Hermione grabbed his arm warningly, letting him
know that she would not help him if he decided to attack Malfoy.
"Harry Potter," Draco Malfoy agreed.
"Me Tarzan, you Jane, let be," a voice said merrily from behind them.
George Weasley strolled up, glancing at Malfoy. "What seems to be the
problem, Harry? Is this dirtbag harassing you?"
Harry and Hermione exchanged looks and looked back at Malfoy, dressed up
all nice in a black tux. The wizarding world had decided to make this
look as Muggle-based as possible, seeing as this complex was right in
view of wandering eyes.
"Nope," said Harry softly. He held out an arm. "Shall we dance, my dear?"
Hermione laughed and stumbled on her heels as they walked in through the
doors. "Wow," she breathed, gazing up at all the decorations and party
favors. She clutched Harry's arm excitedly, watching the dancers. "I
wanna dance, Harry, I wanna dance!"
"Now hold your horses," Harry laughed. "There are other people who wanna
see you."
"Who else could possibly want to --"
"Harry! Who's your beautiful date?" a red-head asked, strolling up and
using Harry's shoulder as an armrest for his elbow. He grinned at
Hermione. "Howdy, m'lady. Who might you be?"
Hermione decided to play along, shooting Harry a warning glance. She
turned back to Ron. "My name is Jenevive Pinwater." She held out a hand
politely, and the red-head gave her fingers a short kiss. He grinned.
"Well, you looked like someone else I knew."
"Oh?" she pressed, allowing him to lead her onto the dancefloor. She gave
Harry a grin, and Harry rolled his eyes good-naturedly back at her,
mouthing 'good luck.' On the dancefloor, he took her into his arms. ~*~
"Care to dance?"
Harry turned and saw a petite red-headed girl, who looked exceedingly
familiar, but could not possibly be anyone else than Ginny Weasley. He
grinned. "Sure."
Ginny nervously curled one arm around his neck and clasped the opposite
hand in his, and they began elegantly to waltz.
"I love the waltz," she breathed with a passionate grin.
"You seem as though you love to dance, as well," Harry agreed, well-aware
of how Ginny felt about him. But in her presence, he always forgot and
treated her with the normal respects of a friend.
"Yes. I'm learning a Muggle dance right now," she explained.
Harry smiled. "What's that?"
"Ballet."
"Beautiful," he agreed. "Make sure you let me know when you'll be on
stage, and I'll be front row and center, cheering for you."
Ginny blushed. ~*~
"Positively predictable."
"Saw it coming from a mile away."
"I was ready to bet my entire Filibuster's Fireworks on them getting
together."
Angelina, Katie, and Alicia laughed and elbowed their dates.
"You really knew the entire time?" Alicia asked skeptically.
Lee grinned at her. "Of course we did! Watch them. They're perfect for
each other."
Katie cocked her head. "Now that you mention it, you're rather correct.
Watch the way they look into one another's eyes as they dance. They're in
love."
"You didn't need to inform us. He is our brother," George said. "And she
is a long-time friend."
"Hermione Weasley. Sounds just right," Angelina pictured with a contented
sigh.
Alicia and Katie had similar expressions on their faces. "I love
romance."
"Oi, it kinda makes me sick," Lee responded.
"Ugh, men could never appreciate true love," Katie declared.
"I'm wounded!" Lee replied, clutching at his chest as though he'd been
stabbed through the heart.
Katie good-naturedly hit his shoulder and laughed along with him.
"Oi, mates, look," said Fred, gesturing across the dancefloor. "Malfoy!
Who's up for some long-awaited mischief?"
"Must you really ask, dear brother?" George agreed with a grin. "You in,
Jordan?"
"Absolutely," Lee voiced. The three laughed evily and made their way
across the room.
"Men," Angelina sighed. "You want to freshen up, girls?"
"All right," they agreed. As the three men made their way in one
direction to create trouble, the three women made their way in the other
to create beauty.
They walked into the Muggle bathroom, immediately taking makeup from
their handbags.
"I can't believe those three! One minute they say that they saw Ron and
Hermione coming from miles away, but the next, say it's revolting,"
Alicia commented, amused. She began to reapply a fuschia shade of
lipstick to her pale but full lips. She checked her appearance to make
sure it was all right. Her burgandy curls fell down her back in waves
that reached the bottom of her shoulder blades. Her eyes were shadowed
with a white glitter to match her gown, and her green eyes stared back at
her.
"Yeah, but they're men, what else could you possibly expect?" Katie
agreed. She had dirty blond hair that she had elegantly fixed into a high
bun of coils and curls. She had hazel eyes that were now carefully
watching her friend.
"Kate's right, Alicia. They only want to have a bit of fun. They're still
teenagers," agreed Angelina, a very beautiful African American witch with
long black hair that had been pulled back into a very slick ponytail of
curls. Her chocolate brown eyes sparkled at her own joke.
"They certainly act like it at times!" Alicia responded. They all laughed
in mockery of their dates. ~*~
Fred, George, and Lee threaded through the dancers, dancing like morons
to look discreet. They spotted Malfoy and Pansy over by the refreshments
table. Malfoy slowly turned his head towards them.
"Down!" Fred hissed, pulling both of them behind the table before
Malfoy's eyes could find them. He turned away, unphased.
The three crawled under the table and laid on their stomachs to peek out
from under the buttom of the table cloth.
"Got the Filibuster's?" Lee whispered to George.
"Yeah, somewhere in my pocket..." he responded, standing to retrieve them
from his pants. He hit his head on the table. "Ow!" he cried.
"Shh!" Fred commanded, hitting his brother in the ribs. "Rule number one
to logic: never stand up under a table. Especially a table covered in
refreshments."
"Oi, shuddup," George commented. He fished into his pockets again, and
this time, pulled out a brand new box of them. He grinned. "Now the real
fun starts, boys."
"Hey lemme do it," Lee pleaded, grabbing the package and opening it. He
pulled one out and climbed out from underneath the table casually,
beckoning to the twins. They both followed his lead, their hands shoved
in their pockets, whistling innocently.
"Now," Fred hissed.
Lee tapped the firework gently with his wand and sniggered as it began to
sputter and fizz. He tossed it into the punchbowl, where Malfoy was
pouring a drink for his date, Pansy Parkinson.
"Yes, my dad paid for this suit. It cost eighty galleons."
"Really?" Pansy asked curiously, curling her arm through his and staring
at him with a stupid smile on her face.
"Any time now...C'mon..." George muttered beneath his breath.
Suddenly, the punchbowl exploded, drenching both Draco and Pansy in the
sticky red beverage. Pansy screamed and began to cry, whining that her
dress was ruined, and ran off to the girls' bathroom. Draco stood in
shock.
"My eighty galleon suit!" he gasped, and then shoved the remains of the
punchbowl off the table as though it was its fault, and stomped off to
the mens room.
The twins and Lee doubled over, howling with laughter. It didn't take
long for the guests to realize who had set off the firework. Not that
many of them cared. Most cheered.
"Oh, man," whispered Ginny worriedly. "I hope they're okay."
Harry was struggling not to snicker. "I don't."
Ginny pierced him with a scolding look, making her look dangerously close
to her mother. "Harry, it might have hurt them! I'm sure those clothes
cost lots of money!"
"Yeah, but both of their families are loaded, they could pay for a
thousand "eighty-galleon" tuxedos and who-knows-how-much gowns."
Ginny sighed.
"You have to admit...It was great seeing Malfoy's face!" Harry declared,
and before he could stop himself, let the laughter break through. He
doubled over with giggles.
"Harry!" Ginny said. She sighed again. "I'm going to go see if Pansy's
okay." With that, she stomped off the dancefloor.
"Oh dear," said Hermione from her place in Ron's arms.
"That was great!" he announced, acting much like Harry himself. Hermione
rolled her eyes. It was so apparant that the two were best friends.
"But it probably upset them," she insisted.
"They'll get over it."
"Ron! Honestly!" she stated, before she could stop herself. She covered
her mouth. She had said it in the exact same tone she used to use with
him in their Hogwarts days.
He stopped laughing and turned to her. "What'd you say?"
"Nothing," she lied. "I'm thirsty, let's get some punch," she offered
quickly.
"What punch?" he said sarcastically, indicating the scorched table and
red liquid dripping down the side of it. He began laughing hysterically
all over again.
She sighed.
"Did you hear that?" Angelina asked, placing her compact in her purse.
"Yeah," replied Katie. "Sounded like a scream."
Seconds after, Pansy Parkinson burst into the girls' room, shoving the
three out of the way, running into a stall, where she slammed the door
and continued to sob.
Angelina, Katie, and Alicia all stared. "Okay," Alicia said, as if
nothing had happened. "Let's get back to our dates before they blow up
the party, too."
On their way out they passed Ginny, who looked worried.
"Are you all right?" Katie asked her, concerned.
"Yes, but is Pansy?" Ginny questioned.
"Do I look like I care?" Katie replied with a laugh. The three girls left
the bathroom, leaving Ginny all alone with Pansy. She slowly walked over
to the stall where Draco's date was crying.
"Pansy?" she asked carefully. "Are you all right?"
"Go away, Weasley," she spat through sobs.
"I...I realize that you're upset," Ginny continued, ignoring Pansy's
remark. "Your dress was probably--a lot of money."
"Like you'd understand?" Pansy said sarcastically. "Your family is as
poor as poor can be."
Ginny was glad that the family temper that controlled Ron didn't run
through her veins as well, as she easily opened the stall door. Pansy was
sitting cross-legged on the down toilet seat, wiping away her tears. "Did
you come in here to harass me, or what?" she demanded.
"No," Ginny replied. "I wanted to see if you were okay."
Pansy felt a slight pang of guilt for her insult but tried her best to
keep up the cruel cover. "I'll be fine if you go away."
"My brothers are idiots," Ginny said, once again ignoring Pansy's
request. She leaned against the stall. "They get kicks out of making
other people unhappy. But so you know, they weren't aiming for you, they
were aiming for Draco. He said some pretty rude stuff to Harry earlier,
apparantly, and George and Fred wanted to get him back."
Pansy looked up at her, curious as to the extent of the girl's kindness.
She nearly kicked herself for what she said next. "Thanks."
Ginny grinned. Her smile was contagious because it spread to Pansy's face
as well. "You're welcome."
"Nearly midnight," spoke Ron outside on the dancefloor. "Where's my
sister? Thought she'd die for the chance to snog with Harry at the New
Year."
"Ginny went into the bathroom," Hermione slipped again. She covered her
mouth. Ron glanced at her out of the corner of his eyes, but decided to
ignore it. He spotted Ginny and Pansy come out of the bathroom moments
later and grinned.
"There we go. Now we're all present," he stated.
"Ten, nine, eight--" the room began. Ginny rushed over to Harry.
Harry looked at her worriedly. "Are you all right?" he asked her,
deciding that he'd curse Pansy if she did or said something to hurt her.
"Five, four..."
"Yes, I'm fine, Harry. Don't worry."
"But I do worry," he said.
She stared at him for a moment.
"Two, one, Happy New Year!" the room shouted. Couples joined together for
the big midnight kiss.
"Harry?" Ginny questioned as he was leaning towards her. Their lips
touched softly but briefly, and he pulled away, smiling. She smiled back.
Ron had pulled Hermione into his arms and kissed her full on the lips.
When he pulled back, he grinned at her surprised expression.
"W-Wow," she murmured, slightly dazed. She swore she saw thousands of
Filibuster Fireworks when she kissed him.
"Thanks," he laughed.
Hermione felt her face flush. "I--I'd better go. It was a pleasure
meeting you R--Mr. Weasley." She began to hurry away quickly.
"I had a great time, Hermione," he called after her. She paused and
turned to look at him. He laughed.
"Did you?--Are you?--You--"
"Yeah, I knew the whole time, 'Mione," he replied. "Do you really think
I'd kiss a complete stranger?"
Hermione turned this over in her mind. "Yes," she said jokingly.
He laughed slightly. "Well, I wouldn't. It was a kiss meant strictly for
you."
Hermione gave a meek smile. "It was a magical one," she breathed.
"Yeah," he agreed, his humorous tone and laughing expression gone. "It
was."
She slowly walked back towards him, and mutually, they came in for
another kiss. This time, Hermione enjoyed it more because she knew that
he was aware of who she was, that she was Hermione Granger, and not
Jenevive Pinwater. Around them, they were hardly aware of the confetti
and balloons that were falling down from the ceiling.
"Oi! Why are we always right?" Fred cried, elbowing George and Lee and
pointing to Hermione and Ron.
"Don't know, dear brother," George replied.
"How romantic," Katie said happily.
Ginny and Harry watched them, as well.
"Well gee," Harry said simply. "It's about damn time."
Of New Years Eve and Filibuster Fireworks
She stepped out of the car and gazed up at the complex with bated breath.
This was the wizarding party that she had been anticipating for
months...this was the day that she was going to tell him how she truly
felt. As the clock struck midnight and began the new year. Then why was
her stomach housing the world's most acrobatic butterflies?
Hermione turned and said her goodbyes to her parents, once again turning
to face the large building. She could heard the orchestra music floating
in and out her ears like soft bells or whistles...the sounds seemed to
entice her and urge her to join the fun and merry-making.
"Oi! Hermi!"
She turned and saw Harry jogging up to her, dressed in a full black tux.
She grinned and elbowed him gently in the arm. "How are you?" she
whispered. She hadn't seen him in two years, since they'd graduated from
Hogwarts.
"I'm great," he offered. Then he gave into all emotions and swept her
into a dashing hug, spinning her through the air with her feet off the
ground. She giggled and requested he put her down.
"If it isn't for the lovebirds."
Harry set Hermione on the ground gently and the two turned. "Draco
Malfoy," Harry hissed. Hermione grabbed his arm warningly, letting him
know that she would not help him if he decided to attack Malfoy.
"Harry Potter," Draco Malfoy agreed.
"Me Tarzan, you Jane, let be," a voice said merrily from behind them.
George Weasley strolled up, glancing at Malfoy. "What seems to be the
problem, Harry? Is this dirtbag harassing you?"
Harry and Hermione exchanged looks and looked back at Malfoy, dressed up
all nice in a black tux. The wizarding world had decided to make this
look as Muggle-based as possible, seeing as this complex was right in
view of wandering eyes.
"Nope," said Harry softly. He held out an arm. "Shall we dance, my dear?"
Hermione laughed and stumbled on her heels as they walked in through the
doors. "Wow," she breathed, gazing up at all the decorations and party
favors. She clutched Harry's arm excitedly, watching the dancers. "I
wanna dance, Harry, I wanna dance!"
"Now hold your horses," Harry laughed. "There are other people who wanna
see you."
"Who else could possibly want to --"
"Harry! Who's your beautiful date?" a red-head asked, strolling up and
using Harry's shoulder as an armrest for his elbow. He grinned at
Hermione. "Howdy, m'lady. Who might you be?"
Hermione decided to play along, shooting Harry a warning glance. She
turned back to Ron. "My name is Jenevive Pinwater." She held out a hand
politely, and the red-head gave her fingers a short kiss. He grinned.
"Well, you looked like someone else I knew."
"Oh?" she pressed, allowing him to lead her onto the dancefloor. She gave
Harry a grin, and Harry rolled his eyes good-naturedly back at her,
mouthing 'good luck.' On the dancefloor, he took her into his arms. ~*~
"Care to dance?"
Harry turned and saw a petite red-headed girl, who looked exceedingly
familiar, but could not possibly be anyone else than Ginny Weasley. He
grinned. "Sure."
Ginny nervously curled one arm around his neck and clasped the opposite
hand in his, and they began elegantly to waltz.
"I love the waltz," she breathed with a passionate grin.
"You seem as though you love to dance, as well," Harry agreed, well-aware
of how Ginny felt about him. But in her presence, he always forgot and
treated her with the normal respects of a friend.
"Yes. I'm learning a Muggle dance right now," she explained.
Harry smiled. "What's that?"
"Ballet."
"Beautiful," he agreed. "Make sure you let me know when you'll be on
stage, and I'll be front row and center, cheering for you."
Ginny blushed. ~*~
"Positively predictable."
"Saw it coming from a mile away."
"I was ready to bet my entire Filibuster's Fireworks on them getting
together."
Angelina, Katie, and Alicia laughed and elbowed their dates.
"You really knew the entire time?" Alicia asked skeptically.
Lee grinned at her. "Of course we did! Watch them. They're perfect for
each other."
Katie cocked her head. "Now that you mention it, you're rather correct.
Watch the way they look into one another's eyes as they dance. They're in
love."
"You didn't need to inform us. He is our brother," George said. "And she
is a long-time friend."
"Hermione Weasley. Sounds just right," Angelina pictured with a contented
sigh.
Alicia and Katie had similar expressions on their faces. "I love
romance."
"Oi, it kinda makes me sick," Lee responded.
"Ugh, men could never appreciate true love," Katie declared.
"I'm wounded!" Lee replied, clutching at his chest as though he'd been
stabbed through the heart.
Katie good-naturedly hit his shoulder and laughed along with him.
"Oi, mates, look," said Fred, gesturing across the dancefloor. "Malfoy!
Who's up for some long-awaited mischief?"
"Must you really ask, dear brother?" George agreed with a grin. "You in,
Jordan?"
"Absolutely," Lee voiced. The three laughed evily and made their way
across the room.
"Men," Angelina sighed. "You want to freshen up, girls?"
"All right," they agreed. As the three men made their way in one
direction to create trouble, the three women made their way in the other
to create beauty.
They walked into the Muggle bathroom, immediately taking makeup from
their handbags.
"I can't believe those three! One minute they say that they saw Ron and
Hermione coming from miles away, but the next, say it's revolting,"
Alicia commented, amused. She began to reapply a fuschia shade of
lipstick to her pale but full lips. She checked her appearance to make
sure it was all right. Her burgandy curls fell down her back in waves
that reached the bottom of her shoulder blades. Her eyes were shadowed
with a white glitter to match her gown, and her green eyes stared back at
her.
"Yeah, but they're men, what else could you possibly expect?" Katie
agreed. She had dirty blond hair that she had elegantly fixed into a high
bun of coils and curls. She had hazel eyes that were now carefully
watching her friend.
"Kate's right, Alicia. They only want to have a bit of fun. They're still
teenagers," agreed Angelina, a very beautiful African American witch with
long black hair that had been pulled back into a very slick ponytail of
curls. Her chocolate brown eyes sparkled at her own joke.
"They certainly act like it at times!" Alicia responded. They all laughed
in mockery of their dates. ~*~
Fred, George, and Lee threaded through the dancers, dancing like morons
to look discreet. They spotted Malfoy and Pansy over by the refreshments
table. Malfoy slowly turned his head towards them.
"Down!" Fred hissed, pulling both of them behind the table before
Malfoy's eyes could find them. He turned away, unphased.
The three crawled under the table and laid on their stomachs to peek out
from under the buttom of the table cloth.
"Got the Filibuster's?" Lee whispered to George.
"Yeah, somewhere in my pocket..." he responded, standing to retrieve them
from his pants. He hit his head on the table. "Ow!" he cried.
"Shh!" Fred commanded, hitting his brother in the ribs. "Rule number one
to logic: never stand up under a table. Especially a table covered in
refreshments."
"Oi, shuddup," George commented. He fished into his pockets again, and
this time, pulled out a brand new box of them. He grinned. "Now the real
fun starts, boys."
"Hey lemme do it," Lee pleaded, grabbing the package and opening it. He
pulled one out and climbed out from underneath the table casually,
beckoning to the twins. They both followed his lead, their hands shoved
in their pockets, whistling innocently.
"Now," Fred hissed.
Lee tapped the firework gently with his wand and sniggered as it began to
sputter and fizz. He tossed it into the punchbowl, where Malfoy was
pouring a drink for his date, Pansy Parkinson.
"Yes, my dad paid for this suit. It cost eighty galleons."
"Really?" Pansy asked curiously, curling her arm through his and staring
at him with a stupid smile on her face.
"Any time now...C'mon..." George muttered beneath his breath.
Suddenly, the punchbowl exploded, drenching both Draco and Pansy in the
sticky red beverage. Pansy screamed and began to cry, whining that her
dress was ruined, and ran off to the girls' bathroom. Draco stood in
shock.
"My eighty galleon suit!" he gasped, and then shoved the remains of the
punchbowl off the table as though it was its fault, and stomped off to
the mens room.
The twins and Lee doubled over, howling with laughter. It didn't take
long for the guests to realize who had set off the firework. Not that
many of them cared. Most cheered.
"Oh, man," whispered Ginny worriedly. "I hope they're okay."
Harry was struggling not to snicker. "I don't."
Ginny pierced him with a scolding look, making her look dangerously close
to her mother. "Harry, it might have hurt them! I'm sure those clothes
cost lots of money!"
"Yeah, but both of their families are loaded, they could pay for a
thousand "eighty-galleon" tuxedos and who-knows-how-much gowns."
Ginny sighed.
"You have to admit...It was great seeing Malfoy's face!" Harry declared,
and before he could stop himself, let the laughter break through. He
doubled over with giggles.
"Harry!" Ginny said. She sighed again. "I'm going to go see if Pansy's
okay." With that, she stomped off the dancefloor.
"Oh dear," said Hermione from her place in Ron's arms.
"That was great!" he announced, acting much like Harry himself. Hermione
rolled her eyes. It was so apparant that the two were best friends.
"But it probably upset them," she insisted.
"They'll get over it."
"Ron! Honestly!" she stated, before she could stop herself. She covered
her mouth. She had said it in the exact same tone she used to use with
him in their Hogwarts days.
He stopped laughing and turned to her. "What'd you say?"
"Nothing," she lied. "I'm thirsty, let's get some punch," she offered
quickly.
"What punch?" he said sarcastically, indicating the scorched table and
red liquid dripping down the side of it. He began laughing hysterically
all over again.
She sighed.
"Did you hear that?" Angelina asked, placing her compact in her purse.
"Yeah," replied Katie. "Sounded like a scream."
Seconds after, Pansy Parkinson burst into the girls' room, shoving the
three out of the way, running into a stall, where she slammed the door
and continued to sob.
Angelina, Katie, and Alicia all stared. "Okay," Alicia said, as if
nothing had happened. "Let's get back to our dates before they blow up
the party, too."
On their way out they passed Ginny, who looked worried.
"Are you all right?" Katie asked her, concerned.
"Yes, but is Pansy?" Ginny questioned.
"Do I look like I care?" Katie replied with a laugh. The three girls left
the bathroom, leaving Ginny all alone with Pansy. She slowly walked over
to the stall where Draco's date was crying.
"Pansy?" she asked carefully. "Are you all right?"
"Go away, Weasley," she spat through sobs.
"I...I realize that you're upset," Ginny continued, ignoring Pansy's
remark. "Your dress was probably--a lot of money."
"Like you'd understand?" Pansy said sarcastically. "Your family is as
poor as poor can be."
Ginny was glad that the family temper that controlled Ron didn't run
through her veins as well, as she easily opened the stall door. Pansy was
sitting cross-legged on the down toilet seat, wiping away her tears. "Did
you come in here to harass me, or what?" she demanded.
"No," Ginny replied. "I wanted to see if you were okay."
Pansy felt a slight pang of guilt for her insult but tried her best to
keep up the cruel cover. "I'll be fine if you go away."
"My brothers are idiots," Ginny said, once again ignoring Pansy's
request. She leaned against the stall. "They get kicks out of making
other people unhappy. But so you know, they weren't aiming for you, they
were aiming for Draco. He said some pretty rude stuff to Harry earlier,
apparantly, and George and Fred wanted to get him back."
Pansy looked up at her, curious as to the extent of the girl's kindness.
She nearly kicked herself for what she said next. "Thanks."
Ginny grinned. Her smile was contagious because it spread to Pansy's face
as well. "You're welcome."
"Nearly midnight," spoke Ron outside on the dancefloor. "Where's my
sister? Thought she'd die for the chance to snog with Harry at the New
Year."
"Ginny went into the bathroom," Hermione slipped again. She covered her
mouth. Ron glanced at her out of the corner of his eyes, but decided to
ignore it. He spotted Ginny and Pansy come out of the bathroom moments
later and grinned.
"There we go. Now we're all present," he stated.
"Ten, nine, eight--" the room began. Ginny rushed over to Harry.
Harry looked at her worriedly. "Are you all right?" he asked her,
deciding that he'd curse Pansy if she did or said something to hurt her.
"Five, four..."
"Yes, I'm fine, Harry. Don't worry."
"But I do worry," he said.
She stared at him for a moment.
"Two, one, Happy New Year!" the room shouted. Couples joined together for
the big midnight kiss.
"Harry?" Ginny questioned as he was leaning towards her. Their lips
touched softly but briefly, and he pulled away, smiling. She smiled back.
Ron had pulled Hermione into his arms and kissed her full on the lips.
When he pulled back, he grinned at her surprised expression.
"W-Wow," she murmured, slightly dazed. She swore she saw thousands of
Filibuster Fireworks when she kissed him.
"Thanks," he laughed.
Hermione felt her face flush. "I--I'd better go. It was a pleasure
meeting you R--Mr. Weasley." She began to hurry away quickly.
"I had a great time, Hermione," he called after her. She paused and
turned to look at him. He laughed.
"Did you?--Are you?--You--"
"Yeah, I knew the whole time, 'Mione," he replied. "Do you really think
I'd kiss a complete stranger?"
Hermione turned this over in her mind. "Yes," she said jokingly.
He laughed slightly. "Well, I wouldn't. It was a kiss meant strictly for
you."
Hermione gave a meek smile. "It was a magical one," she breathed.
"Yeah," he agreed, his humorous tone and laughing expression gone. "It
was."
She slowly walked back towards him, and mutually, they came in for
another kiss. This time, Hermione enjoyed it more because she knew that
he was aware of who she was, that she was Hermione Granger, and not
Jenevive Pinwater. Around them, they were hardly aware of the confetti
and balloons that were falling down from the ceiling.
"Oi! Why are we always right?" Fred cried, elbowing George and Lee and
pointing to Hermione and Ron.
"Don't know, dear brother," George replied.
"How romantic," Katie said happily.
Ginny and Harry watched them, as well.
"Well gee," Harry said simply. "It's about damn time."