Chapter 3: Phase Two Begins
The five couples (George and Angelina were together, but didn't want to get married with every one else) had decided that the Hermione Lavender situation should be a little bit more gradual. So they made sure to have Lavender present at the duel, and they carefully planned all of the events that were to take place between Lavender and Hermione from then on.
So, at Harry's instruction Lavender ran at Ron from behind squealing "Won Won!" as she jumped onto his back. The force of her jump knocked Ron and Hermione (who had been snogging a second before) to the ground. She then pulled Ron up and kissed him full on the mouth. He hit her with a stunning spell and she fell over unconscious.
"I can't believe she just did that!" said Ginny, trying her best to sound outraged.
"She was bang out of order!" agreed Harry. Both he and Ginny were trying very hard not to laugh and give the game away.
Hermione seemed to be in a state of shock. Ron, who was waving a hand in front of her face said, "Hermione, can you hear me? Hermione, are you okay?"
She seemed to come back to herself and stood up as she said, "I'm fine," though she was avoiding eye contact with him.
"Hermione, look at me!" he said, and when she did not look up he grabbed her chin and said firmly, "Hermione I love you, and a surprise attack from Lavender isn't going to change that."
She looked into his eyes for a minute, and something she found there seemed to reassure her, because she nodded and kissed him.
After a minute or two of Ron and Hermione snogging Ginny cleared her throat and said, "What are we going to do about her?" she asked, pointing at Lavender.
"You reckon we should tell Seamus?" asked Ron, "I mean, they are getting married, and I think he has a right to know, I just, I don't want him to hate me."
"He won't hate you," said Harry, "Come on, everyone's over at our place."
"When you say everyone," asked Hermione, "who do you mean?"
"We mean," said Ginny, "Seamus, Dean, Parvarti, George, Angelina, Neville, and Luna."
"Oh, okay, but why didn't they come to the duel?" asked Hermione.
"No one but Lavender wanted to, they didn't want to pressure, you," said Ginny, looking at Ron.
"Oh, okay then. Let's go," said Ron, and with that he and Hermione dissapperated.
Harry walked over and reversed all of the curses on Krum while Ginny revived Lavender. Krum left after wishing them good luck, but Lavender stayed behind.
"Are you ready for phase two?" asked Ginny.
"Yes," said Lavender, "Lets' go."
All three then dissapperated.
They appeared in Harry and Ginny's living room, where everyone was questioning Ron and Hermione about the duel, while Seamus sat in a corner looking dejected. When he saw Lavender he said, "How could you?"
The entire room went quiet.
"Please," Lavender whimpered, "Let me explain!"
Seamus stormed out of the room, and Lavender followed. They had decided to stage the fight where no one could see it, because, it was easier to sound like you were crying that to actually produce fake tears.
The entire room ran to the door and tried put their ears to it, while each making sure that Ron and Hermione could hear perfectly.
"Save it Lavender! This isn't something you can just take back!"
"Seamus LISTEN!!! I didn't mean too, I just—"
"You just what? You just decided that since Ron was taken and you had to settle that you'd have your final thrill? You just decided that even though I wasn't what you wanted you would marry me, while snogging one of my best friends behind my back?"
"Seamus, please! I love you! I—"
"You don't love me! I don't know what you feel for me but this isn't love. If you didn't want to go out with me you could have just said so! Why did you let it get this far?"
"Seamus, you don't know what you're saying!"
"Yes, Lav, I do, we're over, for good."
There was a loud crack and the door was pulled open. All the people who had been leaning in fell onto Seamus, who looked like he was ready to die.
"And you," he said, pointing at Ron in dire accusation, "How could you go and snog my fiancée? I can't believe that Hermione has forgiven you so quickly!"
"I didn't snog her!" said Ron indignantly, "she snogged me, and I stunned her."
Seamus slumped, "I guess I was looking for someone other than myself to blame."
"This isn't your fault Seamus," said Luna. The entire group had scripted this, to make sure that Ron and Hermione came off with the right impression.
"Then whose fault is it? If I had been a better boyfriend, a better fiancé, none of this would have happened," said Seamus.
"Seamus," said Dean, putting a hand on his best friend's shoulder, "we all thought she loved you, this isn't your fault.
"I have to go and make sure she's getting her stuff out of the apartment," Seamus mumbled, and with that he dissapperated.
"Well," said Hermione, "I think we'd better go."
After she and Ron dissapperated the entire room burst into laughter.
Neville apparated to Seamus and Lavender's apartment and brought them back.
When they appeared the entire room was shouting praises at them.
"Amazingly done!"
"Bloody brilliant!"
"Oscar worthy!"
After a while everyone settled down into seats as they began to discuss their next move.
"I reckon," said Angelina, "we should give them a couple days for the 'break up' to sink in."
"I agree," said Parvarti, "we can all go out to dinner, except for Lavender, and Seamus can mope around a bit."
"Brilliant," said Harry, "and then, we can we can have Lavender start showing up at things, and we'll all pretend we have forgiven her, except Seamus obviously."
They spent hours going over the details of their plan, before finally everyone apparated back home.
"That was a long day," said Ginny, she was seated next to Harry on the couch, her head on his shoulder.
"But, a very successful one, wouldn't you say?"
"Yeah, it was. Ready for tomorrow?"
"Definitely."
After a few minutes she and Harry went upstairs to bed, thinking about what the next day would bring.
---To be Continued---