Chapter Two: Is this Really Happening?

~Author's Note~ :   Okay, a while ago I uploaded what was going to be chapter two.  It was a piece of shit chapter that I just threw together so that I would have something to post.  It wasn't heading towards where I wanted this fic to go, so I took it down and wrote this one.  It took longer than expected, but I'm a lot happier with this one, and I hope you are too.  Please Read and Review, you have no idea how much more motivation a person has to do something if they know people like what they're doing. ;-)  And thanks to everyone who read/reviewed my last chapter.   

The next day turned out to be little better than the previous.  With the exception of an owl arriving from Harry, it had been an uneventful day.  When dinner time rolled around, the only ones in the house were Mrs. Weasley, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny.  Everyone else was busy doing something involving the next meeting of the Order. 

Hermione couldn't help but smile as she listened to Mrs. Weasley fuss over how Professor Dumbledore didn't let the group come back to HQ for dinner. 

"Could've at least let me take them something.  Too risky he says.  I'll tell you what's risky, it's them not having food in their stomachs," she was saying.  Trying not to smile became even harder for Hermione as she watched Ginny roll her eyes and mock her mother from behind her back, extremely over exaggerating it.  Unexpectedly, Mrs. Weasley turned around to where Ginny was standing.  If it weren't for her quick reflexes, Ginny surely would have been caught.  When Mrs. Weasley had started to turned around, Ginny had had one hand on her hip and the other out in front of her pointing as her mother had been doing.  As soon as she saw her mother begin to turn however, she grabbed a tea towel that was directly below her hand and pretended to be wiping the counter with it.  "Oh Ginny, I do appreciate the help dear, but you really ought to be eating your dinner before it gets too cold," she said gently as she took the towel and wiped the counters off herself. 

Holding her breath and her laughter, Ginny smiled at her mother and went to the table to eat.  Soon, Mrs. Weasley walked out of the room to answer the door bell and the three teenagers dissolved into fits of laugher.

"Can you imagine mum's reaction if she had turned around and seen her precious baby mocking her?"  Ron joked.

"Can't even begin to think about it!"  Ginny laughed back.

"Who was at the door?"  Hermione asked very loud and suddenly to let the other two know that Mrs. Weasley had walked back in the room.

"Mundungus," Mrs. Weasley answered with disgust.  "Wanted to know if he could store some 'items' here.  Humph," she snorted.

When they finished eating their dinners, the three went their own ways; Ron to his room to write Harry back, and Hermione and Ginny to theirs.  Hermione was doing homework again and Ginny was pretending to read a book.  Ginny was so absorbed in her "book" that when Hermione started talking, she hardly noticed.  Hermione had to call her name three times to finally get her attention.  Ears tingeing pink with the guilt of her thoughts, Ginny coughed a little and looked up as an answer.

"Good book?" Hermione teased.

"Yes.  It's…interesting,"

"I'll bet.  You've been on that same spot for quite a while now," Hermione observed.

"Oh."  Ginny answered feeling dumb and turning the page. 

"So…what were you really thinking about?"  the older girl asked her. 

"…Do you like my brother?"  Ginny asked in replace of an answer.  Seeming a bit taken a back, Hermione didn't speak for a few seconds. 

"Ron?"  she asked. 

"Duh!  Yes Ron.  Who else?"  Ginny joked sarcastically, causing Hermione to smile despite of herself.  'Is this really happening?' she kept asking herself. 

"Like how?"  she asked, still smiling. 

"You know how…"

"Yeah," Hermione admitted.  "Well…I…I think I do…I don't exactly know…"

"How can you not know?"

"It's so confusing with him.  Sometimes I could just grab him and strangle him to death.  Other times, I feel like I could hold him and never let him go," Hermione answered her honestly.  Ginny felt a wave of nausea sweep her as Hermione spoke, but she made herself smile and act normal. 

"You know he feels the same, right?"  Ginny heard herself saying. 'What are you doing?' she was inwardly screaming at herself.  Another awkward silence seeped in before Hermione spoke again. 

"How-" Hermione began, but was cut off.

"How do I know?" Ginny finished for her.  Hermione nodded a yes.  "I'm his little sister.  It's my job to snoop," she told Hermione with a smile on her face.  Ginny didn't know how much longer she could hold the smile.  She felt as if her soul was draining out now that she knew how Hermione really felt.  Ginny wanted desperately to be with Hermione, but even more than that, she wanted to see Hermione happy, and she would do all with in her power to see to it that she did.  Even if it meant she wouldn't have her to herself.  As long as Hermione was happy that was all that mattered and Ginny would try to be happy with her; for her.  But that meant that she couldn't really be happy for herself.  Ginny's mind fluttered back to reality and she become conscious of the fact that Hermione still hadn't said anything back, she was just sitting there smiling.  Ginny flashed her another grin before walked towards the door.

"Where are you going?"  Hermione asked her suspiciously as she walked.

"To talk to my brother," Ginny answered simply.      

"You can't!"  Hermione squeaked.

"Sure I can," Ginny told her.

"He's going to think I'm-"

"No he won't," Ginny cut her off again.  "He doesn't do much thinking." She added with a wink as she opened the door and walked out of it.  Ginny hardly realized what she was doing until she found herself standing outside her youngest older brother's bedroom door with a thousand and one things racing through her mind.  'Is this really happening?  What am I doing?  Have I completely lost my mind?  This is crazy.  Why am I trying to help them get together?  Duh, to make Hermione happy.  But I could just go back down and tell her he said no.  No, that wouldn't be right.  It'd probably hurt her too.  I don't want to hurt her; I want her to be happy.  But it hurts me.  Oh well, it doesn't really matter as long as she's happy.'  Ginny thought in all of about three seconds and though she had reassured herself that this is what she needed to do, what she wanted to do, she still had to force herself to knock on his door.  'Run away, run before he comes out.  Go just go.  Tell Hermione he said no.  Leave.  Go.  Run!' she was thinking as Ron came to the door.  "Too late" she sighed as the door opened.

"What?"  Ron asked confused.

"Oh.  Sorry.  Talking to the picture," Ginny lied, making herself smile. 

"What did you need?" he asked impatiently.

"Uh, can we talk?" she asked him.

"Sure, I guess so," he answered slowly, opening his door wider as an invitation.  "Come on in,"  Ten minutes later, she found herself escorting a nervous Hermione to Ron's room.  With a few more minutes of coaxing the two, she had Ron and Hermione sitting on the bed together holding hands, fingers entwined as the talked. 

Putting on a false smile, Ginny stepped out of the room and walked like a soulless zombie to the room that she and Hermione shared.  Once inside, she shut the door and slumped against it, sliding down onto the floor with her head between her knees crying.  She had done it; she had gotten her brother together with the love of her life.  She knew that any hope she had ever had of Hermione and her getting together was now shattered.  Ginny stayed in that same position for a long time, letting her tears flow freely until she heard footsteps and voices drawing closer to the door. 

Not wanting to be seen or talked to, Ginny hopped up and sprinted quietly to her bed and when Hermione walked in, she pretended to be asleep.  For the first time in a long time, Ginny didn't want Hermione to notice her; didn't want Hermione to talk to her.  But as usual, the exact opposite of what Ginny wanted happened.  Hermione walked right over to her bed and sat down beside her nudging her.

"Ginny?" she asked gently.

"Hmm?" Ginny asked without even opening her eyes which she knew were bloodshot from crying. 

"Thank you," Hermione told her, giving her a sisterly hug.

"No problem," Ginny said, using all of her will to keep her voice from cracking.  Ginny was thankful that Hermione said no more that night because she knew if she had to talk again, she would start crying.  Then Hermione would definitely know something was wrong and Ginny would have to make up yet another lie to cover up how she felt for her best friend.  Ginny watched silently as Hermione changed into her night clothes and crawled into her own bed, falling asleep in no time.  Ginny however was awake for several hours more.  Why did everything hiding in her mind have to come out at night?  In the end, she cried herself to sleep.