Disclaimer- Nope, still don't own it. When I take over the world, though…

Hermione's Hero

Chapter 3: The Beach Party

"Come on, hurry up!" Ron called irritably on Saturday morning. They were supposed to have left five minutes ago, but the girls were holding them up.

"Give us five minutes," Ginny called back from behind the closed door of her bedroom. They had found bathing suits, but had refused to show the guys, saying that it was a surprise.

"We'll give you three!" Fred told them. The twins, Ron, and Harry were all standing in the hallway outside of Ginny's room, waiting for she and Hermione to get ready, and they were getting impatient.

A moment later, Hermione said, "Okay, we're ready!" The door opened and the two girls came out, smiling. Harry tried his hardest to look upset, but when Ginny gave him her patent puppy dog eyes he practically melted. He slung his arm around her shoulder, kissing her cheek.

"You know, it's about time, we were going to leave without you," Ron told Hermione, and she gaped at him angrily until she saw the 'I'm just joking' grin on his face. She slapped his arm playfully, and he jokingly cowered down. "Ow, you Amazon! I now feel almost sorry for Malfoy right after you slapped him," Ron teased, making Hermione glare at him.

"You slapped Malfoy?" George asked her in amazement.

"Well, he was asking for it," Hermione said defensively. Fred and George got to their knees and bowed.

"Dear Queen, we worship you!" Fred joked. "Always thought that little git deserved some kind of a blow." Hermione was now a lovely shade of deep red, looking everywhere but at the two boys who were now kissing her feet.

"I thought we were late," Ginny remarked, saving Hermione from the joking adoration.

"Right, let's go," Fred said, standing up. They walked to the Weasley's new car, which they had bought a few weeks prior to the end of the last school term. They put all of their bags and things in the trunk, Hermione and Ginny's taking up surprisingly more room than the four boys put together. Fred took the driver's seat, with George in the passenger's, and Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny climbed in back. They drove for about ten minutes, when Fred suddenly pulled off the road. He and George turned around to look at the four in the back seat, and Fred asked, "I don't suppose any of you would be against us getting there a bit earlier than expected, right?"

"What do you mean? Are you trying to take a dangerous shortcut, or something?" Ginny asked apprehensively.

"Nothing like that, dear sister," George assured her, "But Dad did happen to add a few… extra features to the car."

"Such as?" Ron asked.

"Oh, just the usual. Shape booster, invisibility, cough*flying*cough. You know, the usual," Fred said casually.

In the backseat, Ron, Hermione, Harry, and Ginny looked at each other skeptically for a moment, then smiled and nodded, "Go ahead."

"Okay, here we go!" George said. He pushed the button for invisibility, and Fred opened a special compartment. He tapped it once with his wand, and the car suddenly launched up into the air. They arrived at Angelina's party about a half-hour before they had expected to, and were surprised to see quite so many guests already. They pulled down and took off the invisibility spell, parking with a bunch of other cars. They grabbed their things from the trunk and hurried over to everyone.

"There you are!" Angelina called as she spotted them. Fred kissed her quickly, then glared at his snickering brothers, turning back to his girlfriend.

"Hey, I'm so glad to see you! How have you been?" he asked.

"I've been great," she replied, and turned to talk to the rest of them as well, "Okay, the changing tents are over there, girls on the right, boys on the left. There's plenty of food and drinks over there, and there'll be music once my dad gets the spells right."

"Okay, let's go get changed. Could you guys put out our chairs and stuff?" Hermione asked excitedly, grabbing Ginny's hand. The boys were all already in their suits; they had just put on shirts to go with them. Fred wandered off with Angelina, leaving the others behind. They laid out the chairs and towels they had brought, and sat back for a moment.

A few moments later, George asked, "Ah, isn't this the life? Just kicking back on the beach, looking at girls." He was eyeing a group of sixth year girls who were playing volleyball, not as interested in the outcome of the game as the girls who were playing it.

"It sure is," Ron told him, looking over to where his brother's gaze was fixated.

Harry snorted, and looked over to the changing tents, hoping Ginny would come out soon. He saw an unfamiliar, yet beautiful girl exiting them. She was dressed in a black halterkini, with a see-through black wrap around her waist. She was wearing dark sunglasses, and her hair, which was pulled up in a clip, was reflecting the sunlight brightly. "Who is that?" he asked the other guys. She looked familiar, but he couldn't put his finger on who it was.

"Whoa, whoever she is, she looks really good," George said, stunned. The girl was approaching them, and Harry was very curious to see who it was. He was perfectly happy with only looking at Ginny, but he really wanted to know who it was. He had the sneaking suspicion that he knew her.

"Hey guys," the girl said in a very familiar voice.

"Hermione!?!" Ron asked.

"That would be me," she said as she took off her sunglasses. She twirled around, and asked, "What do you think?"

"Uh, very nice," George told her, busying himself with a bottle of sunblock. Hermione blushed very slightly, looking down at the ground.

"Yeah, you look great, Mione," Ron told her. She smiled at them, then settled herself down in her chair while putting back on her sunglasses, leaning back to get some sun. Harry looked back towards the changing tents, and saw Ginny. She was wearing a light purple bikini, with a dark wrap around her own waist.

"Hey, you look great," he told her, kissing her cheek. She settled down in her chair beside Hermione's, opting to get sun as well.

"Would you get me a drink, Harry?" Ginny asked sweetly.

"Yeah, sure," he told her, "Anyone else want one?"

"I'd take something," Hermione said, peering up at him from behind her sunglasses.

"Me too," Ron told him. Harry was beginning to wish he hadn't asked.

"I'll give you a hand, Harry," George offered, standing up. They walked over to the drinks, grabbing five of them between them both.

"Thanks," Ginny said as Harry handed her a drink. He sat back down by her, sipping his own drink. George handed one to Hermione, and she blushed as she thanked him. After a while, George left with Fred and Lee to torment the seventh year girls, and Harry and Ron went off to hang out with Seamus, Dean, and Neville.

When they were alone, Ginny asked, "So what was that when George gave you that drink?"

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked her.

"You blushed. Do you fancy him or something?" Ginny asked.

"What? No!" Hermione said quickly. "Well, maybe a little," she added, and Ginny barely caught it.

Ginny giggled, and said, "You know, I think he fancies you a bit, as well."

"Oh, yeah, I'm really sure," Hermione said sarcastically.

"No, seriously, I think he does," Ginny assured her, "He has been acting strangely with you, and he has been staring at you when you aren't looking. I mean, I know how my brother acts around girls that he likes, and he was definitely acting that way around you."

"Do you think…?" Hermione asked, staring off into space. "Never mind."

"So, do you want to go in the water for a bit?" Ginny asked.

"Yeah, let's do that," Hermione said, standing up. They left behind their things and headed for the water, pointing out cute guys.

******

Later that afternoon, the music had gotten going, and Hermione really wanted to dance. They were playing all kinds of music, including some of her favorite muggle songs. Ginny had even convinced Harry to dance a slow song with her a few minutes ago, and Hermione really wished someone would ask her. Ron was off with Harry and Ginny, getting food, and she half-smiled at a redheaded someone who walked over to her.

"Hey, what's up?" George asked as he sat down by her. He had put a shirt back on with his swimming trunks, but he had left it unbuttoned. "Odd," she thought to herself, "He didn't burn today. With that fair skin, who'd've thought that was possible."

"I'm bored," Hermione informed him, sighing loudly.

"You wouldn't want to dance, would you?" he asked her suddenly. He extended his hand to her, and she smiled as she accepted. She had put a pair of Capri pants on, but hadn't bothered to change into a shirt, leaving her halterkini top on, which, she thought, was a great outfit to dance in. They walked over towards the music where everyone was dancing, and Hermione heard one of her favorite muggle songs starting up. It was "Hey Baby" from No Doubt, and she smiled even more. They began to move quickly to the beat, and she was quite surprised by how well he danced. "You really do fancy him, huh?" asked a voice in her head.

******

"Hey, look at that," Ginny said as she, Harry, and Ron walked back towards their chairs and towels. A circle of people had formed around a couple who were dancing, and from the reaction of the crowd, they were doing it quite well. "Come on, let's go check it out," she told them, walking over towards the music. They edged their way into the crowd, and stared open mouthed at the dancers.

"That's George and Hermione," Ron said, shocked.

"Wow, they're incredible!" Ginny gaped as she watched her brother and friend dance quite impressively, and very close together.

"I didn't think Hermione could dance that well," Harry informed them. When the song ended a few moments later, the crowd burst into applause, making Hermione and George go red from more than just dancing; they had been so into dancing that they hadn't noticed the other people. They worked their way out of the crowd as the next song started. Harry, Ron, and Ginny followed the two of them off to their chairs, still gaping at the sight of their dancing.

"You guys were unbelievable," Ron said, looking at them with a look of astonished awe. Harry and Ginny nodded in agreement.

"Well, I did have an excellent dance partner," George informed them, smiling at Hermione.

"Thanks for the dance, George. They'll probably want an encore later," Hermione joked, sitting down.

"I think we can oblige them. I've got to go talk to Lee, but I'll check with you guys later," George said, walking off and waving goodbye.

"Wow, where on earth did you learn to dance like that?" Harry asked, amazed.

"I just learned it. I mean, it isn't that hard to move with the music," she told them, shrugging. She sat down on her chair, lying back in the sun.

"Well, that was so cool," Ginny told her, sitting down in her own chair. "I mean, I knew that George could dance, but I never imagined that you'd be that good."

"Well, I'm glad for the vote of confidence," Hermione told them, rolling her eyes and putting on her sunglasses.

"No offense, Mione. It's just that you were really good, and surpassed all of our expectations," Harry assured her.

"Okay, no harm done," she told them, smiling, "Anyway, that was fun."

"It looked it," Ginny said. "Do you want to dance, Harry?"

"Sorry, Gin, but I don't dance," Harry informed her sheepishly.

"What, not even for me?" Ginny asked, batting her eyelashes and looking at him sweetly.

"Especially not for you. It was hard enough slow dancing. Honestly, I don't want to embarrass myself in front of such a wonderful girlfriend," he told her, grinning.

"Right, well, I'd tell you two to get a room, but then I'd have to kill you, Harry," Ron said, interrupting the now kissing couple.

"Sorry, Ron," Ginny said, putting her sunglasses on. Hermione struggled to keep back the laughter at the look on Ron's face, but was very unsuccessful.

******

George approached the group of his friends very quietly, knowing they were all going to start badgering him about the dance with Hermione. He thought correctly, as they began as soon as they saw him.

"That was incredible, George!" Katie said as he sat down.

"Yeah, when did you learn to dance so good?" Fred asked.

"Same time you did, only I was blessed with a bit of coordination," George told his sibling sarcastically.

"Hey, I have plenty of coordination, right Angelina?" Fred asked with false indignation. Angelina looked quickly towards the other side of the room, pretending she hadn't heard him.

"Ooh, even your girlfriend thinks you dance horribly," Lee said, earning him a kick under the table from Fred.

"You two were pretty close out there," Fred informed his brother with a suggestive wink.

"Oh, we were just dancing!" George told them, rolling his eyes, "Honestly, you really should grow up."

"Hey, I'm two minutes older than you," Fred informed him, raising his head to look dignified.

"Okay, well, it was just a dance," George said in a tone that showed them that he wanted to end the conversation. Luckily, the group picked that up, going back to the topic of Angelina and Alicia trying to get Fred and Lee to dance with them. George turned his attention to his thoughts, recalling the dance with as much detail as possible. "Okay," he thought to himself, "I know what I'm going to do."

******

"Wow, isn't the sunset incredible?" Ginny asked. Hermione was sitting with her, Harry, and Ron, just watching the water and sunset. She was thinking about the dance she'd shared with George, and was really wishing that he'd ask her to do it again. "He is a really good dancer," she thought, remembering the grace, style, and rhythm he'd had. She was just recalling some of the better details when a person approached them. "Speak of the devil," Hermione muttered under her breath as she saw that the new person was none other than George.

"Hey, guys, what's up?" he asked, looking out over the beautiful reds, oranges, and pinks of the setting sun.

"Not much," Ron told him, leaning back on his towel.

"Did you need something?" Hermione asked.

"Yeah, I just wanted to see if you wanted to take a walk with me, Mione," he told her.

She thought about it for about a millisecond, then answered, "Sure. That sounds fun."

"Great," he said, offering her a hand to help her stand up. Ginny looked at her with an encouraging grin, and Hermione smiled back at her. They walked a little way away, sitting down on some rocks that were pretty far away from the party. They looked out over the sunset, and Hermione thought of how romantic it was. "Oh, shut up," she told herself.

"So, um, great sunset, huh?" he asked her, sounding slightly nervous, "Really beautiful."

"Yeah, it sure is," she told him, not looking at him. If she had, she would have noticed that he wasn't looking over the water when he said the last part.

"Hermione, there's something I need to ask you," he said a moment later, very abruptly.

"What is it, George?" she asked, turning to look at him. He wouldn't meet her eyes, looking anywhere else.

"Well, um…I, oh…," he began nervously, then said quickly, "I really like you as more than just a friend and I want to know if maybe you'd like to go out sometime."

She stared at him, not saying anything, and finally smiled. "Yeah, I'd like that," she told him, "And I, um, I like you too."

"Really?" he asked nervously, finally meeting her gaze. She felt a jolt when his eyes met hers, one that sent shivers up and down her spine.

"Yeah," she told him, smiling sheepishly. Their gazes locked once again, and Hermione leaned forward, feeling very foolish for such a cliché moment. He did so as well, and Hermione closed her eyes as their lips met in a light kiss. The electricity of his eyes on hers was nothing compared to the voltage of their lips touching. They broke away quickly, looking at each other once more. Hermione wanted to once again feel that sensation, and she could see in his eyes that he wanted to, as well. Their faces were only a couple of inches apart from each other, and she closed her eyes again as they closed the distance. The second was even better, as they were expecting it more. This one was slower, longer, and she felt his lips move to deepen the kiss. It was quite welcome, and she felt bereft when they had to break away a few moments later for oxygen.

"Well, now I know what they mean when they say a sunset is really romantic," George told her, looking back to the water. They sat there for a few minutes, then finally decided to head back when it was mainly dark at 8:45. They were to leave at 9:00, anyway, so they figured they should go help get everything back into the car. They held hands as they walked, and she snuck little glances at him whenever she could. His crimson hair was blowing slightly in the breeze, giving him a very dashing look. George wore his hair a bit shorter than Fred, and Hermione had always thought it made him look more mature. They discussed their plans, and decided to go out on Tuesday night at 7:00.

When they got back, they helped load up the car, and Hermione was very grateful that Harry, Ron, and Fred hadn't seen them holding hands. Ginny had noticed, however, and smiled knowingly. Hermione took up her previous seat between Ginny and Ron, thinking about the kiss she had shared a while before with George. She smiled to herself as she remembered it in vivid detail, every part of it flashing pleasantly in her mind. Next to her on the seat, Ron was staring out the window blankly, and Ginny was curled up against Harry, both of them happily asleep. She looked up front, at George driving and Fred navigating, as they had decided to change posts. Hermione could feel herself beginning to doze as they floated through the clouds, but managed to stay awake the entire way. She helped carry all of their things inside, she lazily climbed the stairs to Ginny's room, falling asleep as soon as her head hit the pillows, filled with dreams of a wonderful, red-headed knight in swimming trunks.

******

(A/N- How was that one? Like the kiss? I know, the dancing was a bit rushed, but I just couldn't wait to get to the juicy kissing scenes! Please let me know what you think by reviewing! You guys rock!

Thanx to my reviewers- Dazedpanda, heath, Ginny Weasley, elijahsbaby1981, and Lil' Baby! You guys rock!