Sorry for not updating sooner, I'll try not to become one of those authors I hate who doesn't update soon enough, but there's been a lot going on recently. Enjoy :)
Hermione flung her arms around Ginny, knocking her half off-balance and causing her to drop her broom, which sent a clatter reverberating through the still-empty passageway. At first Ginny was slightly taken aback, but realising that, in fact, she was not being assaulted by some unruly fan, soon began to hug Hermione back. Hermione sighed with relief as she lay her chin on Ginny's shoulder, who could almost feel the pent-up tension draining from the other girl's body. They stayed together for a while, not doing anything, not really thinking about anything, just both enjoying the comfort – but that's the thing about real friends, isn't it? You don't need to talk to a true friend all the time, there are no awkward silences to fill, you just need their company.
Hermione drew back, lifting her arms up a little, but leaving them slumped over Ginny's shoulders, crossed on her back so that her thumbs still touched in the middle. She looked at Ginny's face, then traced her hands slowly upwards through Ginny's hair and placed them gently either side of it, framing it with her fingers. Ginny's face was radiating a soft glow from the exercise, and her pale skin was lit up, the warmth of her cheeks flowing into Hermione's hands. Hermione nudged away a little strand of red hair with her index finger and then, quizzically, looked into her glowing eyes. "What is it?" she asked quietly.
Hermione knew Ginny well enough to tell that something was wrong. Ginny knew her friend well enough to see that there was no point hiding it from her.
"Oh, well, it's just that… Harry's got himself detention from Umbridge for who knows how long," she began, "so couldn't play today, or ever by the look of it, unless she disappears, that'd be nice. Anyway, he said that I could be seeker for the final, which he obviously thought was extremely generous of him, even though he didn't really have any other option, did he? So I had to accept and come across really happy. But I have my own problems too! I mean I like Harry a lot, you know that, but sometimes he can be really immature, getting himself in trouble and completely forgetting about others."
All the while Hermione nodded her acquiescence.
"It's not that I don't like Quidditch, or that I'm not at all happy that we won or anything. But with Umbridge in charge, Snape's been on my case non-stop, and sometimes I just get so fed up with boys confusing things."
Ginny's warm breath brushed lightly on Hermione's cheek, but she didn't mind, and observed the feeling as it became fainter and calmer. Hermione just loved being around her. In fact, just as Hermione's presence instantly calmed Ginny down, Ginny's presence made Hermione forget about all those niggling worries. Hermione let the smell of grass and leather and Ginny's delicate perfume absorb her as she continued to look at Ginny's face, somehow conveying her understanding of the other girl's problems through her gaze.
Uncharacteristically for Hermione, she had become completely oblivious to her surroundings, and it took a polite smirk from Ginny to break her stare and return her to normal. As Hermione dropped her left hand, leaving her right forearm lingering on Ginny's shoulder, with her hand pressed onto her back, just below the neck, then letting that drop to her side too, the relative tranquillity of the passageway was encroached upon by the ever-growing noise of the crowd. Ginny gently pushed Hermione's back and swivelled round herself to stand against the wall and let Ron's entourage pass.
A throng of Gryffindors and supporters had somehow found their way down from the stands and onto the pitch, and were now flooding off it via the players' exit, chanting and shouting as they walked. And hoisted up on high like the banner of a proud and victorious nation was Ron, who was obviously thoroughly enjoying the attention. He winked at Hermione as sailed by, and she smirked and waved back, probably saying something congratulatory, although her voice was carried off too by the crowd.
"Ron said he'll talk to us at the party this evening, if we were going, so I said I'd check with you," explained Hermione without needing to be asked.
"Oh, I can't go, I have a potions test tomorrow that I haven't revised for because of the match. Snape's already got me twice for late work," replied Ginny, with a sort of downcast, puppy-dog look to Hermione.
Hermione became noticeably less animated but then had a brilliant idea and offered to help Ginny with her work.
"Awww…you'd do that for me? But you deserve to go to the party."
"You know it's not really my scene, and besides, I like spending time with you. What have they got that's better than what you're offering me. Books, audible conversation, incredibly attractive company…"
Ginny laughed, and flicked her hair seductively in a 'let's go' gesture, before slipping away from the crowd. Ron and his human raft, as if chasing the remnants of the mostly spent day, headed west towards the rapidly setting sun, now a golden-red halo just above the horizon, and the front gates of the castle. Ginny trod the shortest path over the grass in the direction of the dormitories, following her shadow back towards the rear entrance.
As the two girls approached the imposing gates a wind began to pick up, sweeping across the open expanse that lay exposed in front of the castle, its icy hands now closing round them as the frost slowly penetrated through their thin robes as if they weren't even there. Stepping off the grass and onto the cobbled pathway beneath the arch of the gatehouse though, the wind died down as quickly as it had started, until soon it was only a quiet breeze through the leaves of the Whomping Willow. As they made their way through the gatehouse, the only voices to be heard were those of the walls, echoing back their footsteps with a muffled impartiality.
Hermione followed Ginny absent-mindedly, across the stone court-yard, into some unlit passageway, through a dark wooden door (which was kindly held open for her) with a black metal grating at around face height, nestled into the side of the corridor, up a steep spiral staircase enclosed by cold grey-brick walls and the occasional glowing lantern, down another dark passage that only lasted a few hundred feet, and through another deep-set door with a dull iron knocker in the shape of an eagle's head, it's eyes staring maliciously at her as she entered the room.
Thanks for reading this far, things are really going to kick-off next chapter, so once again I implore you to bear-with. I hope you like how it's going so far, as ever REVIEW, doesn't matter what you say, I am open to well-founded criticism (or praise :-))
