Glisten, voice, simmer - for the School of Prompts Challenge at HPFC. 1.2: 500 words
Hermione/Ginny
"Hermione?" Ginny whispered. "Are you awake?"
Hermione murmured something from her bed, and Ginny tried to contain herself to allow her friend to sleep.
Seconds ticked past, and Ginny felt her panic levels rising. There was something hidden in the darkness, she was certain. If that wasn't scary enough, she got it in her head that she could hear the slithering of scales across the floor. She was scared to strain her eyes, though, lest she catch a shimmer of light reflecting from the glistening snake from her nightmares.
A cold sweat covered her, and she pulled her blankets up to her chin.
Rustling sounded out, and suddenly the wind picked up outside the window. Ginny felt her heart jump into her throat.
"Hermione!" The shout escaped her, unbidden. As Hermione sat upright on the bed across from Ginny's, relief flooded through her.
"Are you okay?" The question was slow, weighed down by sleep, but Hermione's concern was real. That soothed Ginny immensely, but she was still shaky and frightened.
"I had a nightmare," she explained in a hushed tone. "I-There was the basilisk, and then... I-"
Hermione's arms were wrapped around her before Ginny even had a chance to ask for any kind of comfort. Somehow, Hermione just knew. Her voice was low, soothing as she whispered little phrases, and Ginny melted into Hermione's warm embrace. They adjusted their positions so that they could be as close as possible, Hermione holding her tightly and in just the way Ginny needed. Her heart beat wildly, and she was sure Hermione could feel it.
As the fear subsided, there was something else simmering inside Ginny, low in her stomach. She was perfectly content to lay there, cradled against Hermione's breast, but she ached to forget her dreams and distract herself with something more active.
Slowly, as Hermione disentangled their limbs, Ginny started to get a clearer picture of what she wanted. Longing coursed through her in the dead of the night, something she would never dare show if she hadn't already displayed every vulnerability she had. Her next request was one that she could never make in the light of day.
"Stay with me," she whispered, pleading.
Hermione nodded, no complaint to leave her lips.
Ginny's eyes fixed on those lips, then, and sat up to be level with Hermione. They sat, rather awkwardly, propped up against Ginny's pillows. Neither of them moved to a sleeping position. There was energy flowing between them that took Ginny's breath away. The darkness around them was suddenly a gift, and Ginny hoped Hermione wouldn't ask about the blush that had risen to her cheeks if she managed to see it.
Her hands shook, and she gripped the covers to steady herself.
Ginny's stomach flipped. "Hermione, would it be okay if-"
Clearly, Ginny herself had been missing something in the darkness, because Hermione closed the distance between them without even asking for clarification. Their lips met between them, and Ginny felt such a heady rush of warmth and security that she couldn't stop her small sound of appreciation.
