Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. No really, I'm serious!
A/N: Takes place during 6th year but nothing is really the same as in the book. Harry and Ginny get together in the same way(he kisses her after a game) but this happens earlier in the year I believe. And bear with my sense of humor, if you can call it that, since this is simply suppose to be for fun with no real plan so far.
A Flame
I can't say that it was love but I was certainly enjoying snogging Ginny. Ever since I lost control and kissed her(in front of Gryffindor House, I might add) we've been an "item." It's great to feel like a normal teenager for once, I've got a girlfriend and can snog her whenever I want without worrying about some psychotic Dark Lord.
Ginny is everything I could've hope for in a girlfriend; she's...ahem...pretty(ask any guy and get their descriptive words), she's athletic, fiery(though I dread the day I'm the one she's angry with), a great kisser, intoxicating... and she's mine! Yep, life was good.
People didn't seem to be surprised that we ended up together but some seemed to be...well, as said by them, 'I didn't think you two'd last this long, honestly. I mean, I knew you'd get together but-I don't know, I just didn't think you'd last.' I've thanked my roommates(namely Seamus, Dean, and I suspect Neville) profusely for their faith in my ability to keep up a relationship longer than a couple weeks. I've tried asking them why they thought we wouldn't last, but I never got a real answer. I thanked them again.
Their doubt had been eating away at me for a few days now and, for some reason, I couldn't shake this odd feeling. I needed to know why. And I finally had my chance to force it out of one of them! Usually they were in a group, greater numbers equal greater power, but now, now Neville was on his lonesome in our dorm. He will crack like a dried up twig! Now I'm sounding like a psychopath too...I wonder if that was how Tommy came to be Voldemort, his friends doubting his relationsh-Merlin Harry! You're mental!
I shook my head as if I could rattle everything into place as I approached Neville.
"Hey, Neville," I said cheerfully.
Neville jumped off the bed he had been sitting on and spun around to face me.
"Harry!" He let out a breath of relief. "Don't do that, you know how jumpy I am!"
"Sorry my dear friend, I must have forgotten," I grinned at him.
His eyes narrowed as he took a step away from me. My grin didn't falter.
"W-what?" he stammered.
"Oh, nothing really." I shrugged and waited a moment. "I just wanted to talk."
"Talk? About what?" He was definitely on guard.
I shrugged again and nonchalantly said, "Relationships, say...Ginny's and mine?"
Realization dawned as his eyes widen and he started to fidget. I knew he was on their side!
"Er-I don't think that I'm, well, the person to talk to. I mean, I don't have any experience with that sorta stuff...you know that," he tripped, stumbled, and fell over his words. He was inching his way towards the door.
"Yes, well maybe that'll be of some help," I stated as I moved so he couldn't get pass, the beds and myself forming a barrier. He noticed.
"Uh, Harry, I can't-I mean, I don't know...er...I don't think I would be much help with any...problems."
"Oh there are no problems but that seems to be the problem."
"What? Harry, I-"
"Neville, come on, just tell me. I don't see the big deal, I just want to know what you guys are thinking," I watched him as I spoke. He was avoiding my eyes and wringing his hands. "Why don't you want to tell me?"
"Well I don't want to cause anything...between you and Ginny I mean. If you guys have a good relationship I don't want to plant anything in your head..."
Plant in my head? What is it already! "Don't worry about that, just tell me."
"Erm, well it's actually an odd thing..." What wasn't odd anymore, I wondered. "You see it's just that she's more...er, lively, she's always very energetic...she always needs to be doing something..." He paused to judge my expression which I suspect to be expectant, he wasn't making much sense. "Well the thing is, I figured-we figured you'd want something, someone, more subdued. You know, can be lively an active but also likes to be quiet and...still, relaxed. Erm...this may sound odd but I figured you'd, well after what you've been through, I figured you'd want to settle down and have a normal, quiet life as soon a possible."
"I do but what does that have to do with anything?" I asked as I sat down on a bed, arms crossed over my chest. I was getting irritated, he better start making sense.
He hesitantly followed suit and sat down on the opposite bed. "Well, do you think you could settle down with Ginny...I-I mean not in years but as soon as possible?"
"Of course I could! Why wouldn't I be able to!?" I realized that I was now gripping the edge of the bed tightly as if to prevent myself from launching up and out of the room. I studied him with confusion and annoyance and noticed that he didn't seem to believe my answer and was waiting for me to rethink it. What was there to rethink? I could settle down with Ginny. If we keep going the way we were, I didn't see why not.
"Harry, could Ginny?"
His quiet words struck me, these words meant something different. Could Ginny settle down with me? Yes, she could. 'As soon as possible?' Neville's earlier question sounded in my head. Yes, she could... I began to think about Ginny and how Neville was right about how lively she was. Would she be able to settle down right after Hogwarts? Yes...I think so. I knew she wanted to do so much and was capable of much and I realized that she wouldn't be as willing to settle for a quiet life so early in her life. She-
"I don't think that really matters though. I mean, if you guys do want to be together than you'll figure things out and figure out a way to make both of you happy... And it's not like you have to end up marrying your first girlfriend, well, first real girlfriend," Neville interrupted my thoughts with somewhat comforting words.
Yeah, it wasn't set in stone that we'd end up together forever and if we did, well we would figure everything out. I smiled slightly as I felt relief wash over me, the anxiety that I didn't know I was having ebbed away.
"But-" Great, now what? "there is more to a relationship than snogging," Neville stated, he seemed to be gaining more confidence. I seemed to be losing confidence.
"What do you mean by that?" I asked, my grip on the bed causing my fingers to ache.
"Do you and Ginny ever talk about things? Besides Quidditch and her family?"
"Well-"
"Do you ever just say kind things to each other?"
"I-"
"Do you ever go for a walk around the lake just to be with one another without anyone else, no snogging sessions along the way? Have you ever comforted each other? Have you ever just cuddled?" Neville rambled off the questions and I felt as though each were condemning me further.
I was in shock. Neville having such knowledge about relationships? Was it possible? Could he be right? I couldn't say a thing as I stared at him. Surprisingly, he retained his confidence.
Finally, I blinked several times and spoke, "Those things aren't needed in a new relationship. I mean, me and Ginny have only been going out... a couple... months..." No. No, we should be at that stage. I can't believe it!
Neville simply raised his eyebrows and shrugged as if to say 'Whatever you say.' Brilliant! Thanks Neville! Now I'm completely confused! I thought I had a good relationship and you strike it down!
I did force him to tell me though. And he said he didn't want to cause any trouble. Plus, this could probably help Ginny's and my relationship... Yeah!
"Thank you, Neville!" I exclaimed as I jumped up and ran from the room in search of Ginny.
I'll find Ginny and prove that, well, we can have a-er-mature relationship! Yes, that's it!
I stumbled down into the common room and grinned as I saw Ginny talking, rather animatedly, with some friends on the couch. I walked up behind her and leaned over the back of the couch and softly kissed her temple. She giggled and turned to me, smiling brightly.
"Harry, if you're going to kiss me, kiss me properly!" With that she kissed me full on the lips. I didn't mind but I came down here for a reason.
I gently pulled away. At seeing her confusion, I beamed to reassure her that nothing was wrong. At least I didn't think anything was wrong.
"You look lovely," I complimented and a round of giggles circled through her group of friends.
"Why thank you!" she replied enthusiastically.
"Want to go for a walk? Around the lake?" I asked, I was going to prove that we could go for a walk without the need to snog to keep us entertained. We would talk, yes, we'd talk.
Another giggle. "Harry, it's almost curfew!" she countered though I could tell that she really didn't care about curfew.
"Oh we'll be back in time. Come on." I motioned for her to follow me and she bid farewell to her giggling friends and joined me, grasping my hand.
I grinned down at her. This'll prove it.
Vs. Warmth
I collapsed on the couch in the common room a few minutes after curfew. It didn't mean a thing. It proves nothing. Sure we didn't talk much, I tried, really, but she didn't seem too interested in talking. Every time I'd ask a question she'd answer it in the most simple way, shrug, or answer with the question of 'Why?' After awhile I even tried to talk about the things we usually talked about, Quidditch and her family but she wasn't too interested in that either. She kept trying to snog me, not that I minded-actually, yes. Yes, I minded! I was trying to talk to her and all she could think of was kissing me!
I was fuming. My brilliant roommates and their brilliant doubts. Brilliant Neville and his brilliant relationship ideals. Brilliant me and my brilliant, aching hands! I realized that not only had I been gripping the edge of a bed in the dorm room, but also my free hand was clenched in a fist as I walked with Ginny, and now one hand was in a fist on my thigh while the other was gripping the corner of a pillow.
Footsteps on the stairs caught my attention as I turned, hoping it wasn't Ginny. Hoping it was no one. Actually, I hoped it was-
"Hermione!" That's scary. Maybe I can just hope that my relationship problems, too new to be healthy, would disappear.
She laughed softly and my aching hands relinquished their grasp. "Very good, Harry. Do you think that deserves some house points?"
I grinned as she descended the rest of the stairs and continued towards me. "Any points would be helpful, Merlin only knows what excuses Snape will come up with to deduct more."
She laughed again as she sat down on the opposite side of the couch to half-lay down, bringing her feet to rest on the cushion a few inches away from where I was sitting. I casually grabbed her feet and set them on my lap, it was a common position for us.
"Yes, well I don't believe that it'll help much to award you any points. He'd surely find out about it and deduct twice as much."
I chuckled, it wasn't often that she would openly joke about a teacher and I enjoyed being the one to bring it out of her.
"So why are you up? You're not having nightmares again, are you?" worry was evident in her voice as she spoke and even clearer in her eyes.
"No. No nightmares," I quickly replied as I absentmindedly traced patterns on her feet.
She looked relieved but concern was still in her eyes. "What is it then?"
I averted my eyes to watch my hands move over her feet. "It's just...Did you think that me and Ginny would last this long?" I turned back to her and saw shock spring up in her revealing eyes.
She didn't answer for a few moments before speaking, "This long? What do you mean? You've only been going out a couple months or so. What's going on?"
I noted that she didn't really answer my question. "Do you think that Ginny is too lively for me? Do you think that our relationship is too...immature for how long we've been together?"
She was quiet again for awhile. "Immature in what way?"
No answer again. Merlin she's just trying to avoid telling me the same as Neville!
"We don't-er-talk about too much really, we don't cuddle, we don't spend time with each other just to be together minus the snogging, and...stuff like that."
She seemed to ponder this before speaking, "Well, maybe you're just making up for all the time you've lost to just be a normal, hormonal teenager." She didn't look like she believed herself, or was it her keeping up a business-like appearance? Then she sat up, drawing her feet off my lap to sit cross-legged as she watched me. Her features softened slightly into a more...sincere Hermione. "Look, Harry, I don't know what's best for you. No one does except for you. Only you know what's best for you. My parents told me that almost every day when I was growing up and I took it to heart. So you have to decide if Ginny is too 'lively' for you or if your relationship is too immature and you have to do something about it if you don't like the answer."
I stared into her eyes and soaked in her words. I have to decide.
"I tried to just talk to her as we took a walk but she didn't want to, no matter what topic I tried." I looked down at my empty hands in my lap and sighed.
She took on of my hands and I looked up to her. She was smiling at me sadly. "I didn't know that type of thing bothered you."
I didn't either. I never noticed before, so why did it bother me now? I frowned as I figured that Neville was right, he planted something in my head.
I felt her gently stroking my hand and looked down to our hands entwined. Something clicked in the back of my head but the information hadn't reached my conscious thoughts yet and I sat trying to bring it forward but it was like trying to remember the name of a neighbor from your childhood that you never fully knew. I sighed again and let my head fall back against the couch.
"I didn't either, 'til recently," I murmured.
She gave a squeeze to my hand and rubbed my shoulder consolingly. "You'll figure it out, Harry," she stated and placed a soft kiss on my cheek, as was routine these days. Standing up, she gazed down at me for a moment and I lifted my head to gaze back. "You'll find the warmth you seek in that flame of a girl." She grinned and affectionately ran her fingers through my hair as she walked past me to the stairs and disappeared.
Then it struck me. It didn't bother me before because I already had it, everything, only it was Hermione that offered the talks, comfort, company, kind words, and cuddles. Ginny was the flame; Hermione, the warmth. I had both but when I realized that it wasn't all coming from Ginny, my girlfriend, I tried to find what I was sure was there, sure I had felt before, but it turned out to be Hermione, she held the warmth that a single flame couldn't produce.
That's what it was. Ginny was a flame, a single flame. Hermione was warmth, all around warmth. With Ginny I felt a flickering, a burning, a...desire. With Hermione I felt a constant, comforting, comfortable, warmth. I had been happy with it split between the two but now that I knew...I don't think I could bare it.
I was going to have a headache in the morning and a hell of a day tomorrow, but one last thought presented itself as I made my way up to bed: I wanted fire.
A/N: There you have it. Another story started with many others waiting to be continued. I hope you enjoyed it.
The basic idea of this is that every chapter, everything, will be based off of something relating to fire. This didn't turn out as I first imagined but I didn't have a plan to start with so...
