AN; Hey, everyone! Gee, it's been a while since the last update. Sorry about that. I've just had a lot of stuff going on, I'm in my last year of compulsory education, there's a lot of work... you know, the usual. Anyway, hope you enjoy the chapter! Remember to review, but be constructive, always and forever.

Chapter 4 - Confessions and Conscience

Though the seconds that passed gradually evolved into minutes, time was trivial to Hermione now – it was no longer a fact proven by her growing older, but a ludicrous concept that absolutely could not be real. She was convinced that time didn't exist. If time did exist, why would it have halted right now, just because she and Harry's lips were locked together? The only things that could possibly be were the warmth of his breath, the hand caressing her hair, the strength of his hold around her waist…

Hermione gave a squeal of astonishment, breaking the kiss, when Harry tumbled onto his back and pulled her down on top of him. For a moment, they stared into each other, beaming wildly. The sheet of red hair that belonged to Ginny fell down and formed a veil over Harry and Hermione's heads – it was almost like it was concealing them from sight from the rest of the world. The rest of the world no longer mattered to either of them, anyway.

"Ginny… I love you… so, so much…" Harry breathed, coiling an arm around her back and pushing her face closer to his. Though his green eyes vanished behind his eyelids and his lips puckered, Hermione's eyes had become glassy, and she was staring at Harry without really seeing him. The crackling of the nearby jar of bluebell flames and the whistling of the wind outside was drowned out by the echo that only she could hear.

Ginny… I love you… so, so much…

A fresh wave of guilt broke over Hermione, and she felt dead weight form in the pit of her stomach. It seemed to have only dawned on her that what she was doing went against… well, everything she knew to be right. Not only was she hoodwinking Harry in order to seduce him, essentially making him seem like a fool, but she was trying to steal him away from the person whom she had come to trust even more than Harry and Ron, and had become the closest thing that she had ever had to a sister – Ginny.

Hermione's conscience continued to chip away at her control over her emotions, and she tore her eyes away from Harry's awaiting lips as a memory drifted into her mind's eye. An image of Ginny, her cheeks colored with a rosy tint, with the edges of her mouth only slightly upturned, while her sheet of beautiful red hair danced elegantly in the wind which was gusting in through the open window. The sense of awkwardness was still fresh in Hermione's mind, even though the event had taken place over three years ago.

-Scene Change GO-

"He doesn't seem to know I exist half the time…" Ginny confessed, "I just really want him to like me, you know? It's just… I don't really know what to do…" Hermione gave her friend an encouraging smile at this, though it really hadn't been appropriate given the situation. Ginny was visibly upset by how Harry didn't like her back. She wasn't looking for sympathy – she was looking for advice.

"Well, you're Ron's sister. He's bound to spend a lot more time with you sooner or later," Hermione explained to her, "It's really just a matter of patience."

"Seriously, patience?" Ginny grimaced, "You've seen how he looks at that Cho Chang person. He barely even knows her but he's still… Hermione, if I keep being patient, than I'm going to be waiting forever. 'Cause… to be honest, I think Harry could get any girl he wanted. I mean, he's got the whole 'Boy Who Lived' thing going for him…"

"Well, if you're going to look at it that way…" Hermione responded. Hermione scratched her chin, trying to come up with a plan. She then beamed, and snapped her fingers in inspiration. She'd come up with a plan that she was sure Ginny would still commend her on for years to come. "Ginny, you should start going out with other guys."

The look on Ginny's face was priceless. Her brown eyes opened so wide they bugged out a little, her freckle-dotted blush deepened, her mouth hung open – she looked like a cartoon.

"Hermione, are you seriously suggesting…?"

"Look, you can't spend your whole childhood chasing after one person. These are the best years of your life, Ginny, and you can't waste them like that. And besides…" Hermione's tones became hushed, and she gave her companion a wink, "time apart makes the heart grow fonder, right?"

-Memory Over-

Hermione gave an almighty sob, breaking out of her memory, but the inspired and adoring eyes of Ginny still lingering in the back of her mind. Harry made a confused sound underneath her, and placed a comforting hand on her forearm. She snatched it away, swiftly and suddenly, as though Harry's touch had burned her.

"Umm… are you okay?" Harry asked, his tone curious but his voice shaking with concern. Hermione glanced down at Harry, her bottom lip trembling, and she felt an emotion that she had seldom felt when looking at Harry.

Fear.

"Get away from me!" Hermione screeched, leaping off of the bed. She mistimed her landing, as she still hadn't mastered the use of Ginny's frame, and tripped over, slamming against a nearby wooden cabinet. She felt a twinge of pain from the shoulder that had smashed against the wood, but this was drowned out by the fear.

This was the worst thing that she had ever done. How would everyone react? How would Harry react when he found out Hermione had made a fool out of him? How would Ron react, should he ever return? How would the rest of the Weasley family react? She'd been on rough terms with Mrs. Weasley a few years before, and it hadn't been pleasant. Most of all, what about Ginny? Ginny, who had done so much for Hermione…

-Scene Change GO-

"Okay, Hermione, I can tell that you're absolutely dying to tell someone. Now tell me; who are you going to the ball with?" Hermione was struck by the feeling of embarrassment that she always felt whenever anyone asked her this. She frowned at Ginny, clasping her hands together behind her back. On one hand, she really didn't want to tell people, because she wanted to avoid publicity. However, Ginny really seemed to have her number; there was another part of her that wanted to tell at least someone, because she was so excited about who her date was.

"… Promise you won't tell anyone?" Hermione asked quietly. Ginny gave a very confident smirk, something that she wouldn't have given anyone a few years ago. Hermione had to admit, she had really grown, not just in body but in confidence too.

"If anyone else finds out, I'll snap my Cleansweep into matchsticks!" Hermione tilted her head to the side, giving the redhead an 'I-know-exactly-what-you're-about-to-say-and-you-are-a-knob-for-it' sort of look.

"I thought you didn't have a broomstick, and that you always steal your brother's brooms?"

"Okay, fine, I'll snap one of their Cleansweeps. Just as long as a Cleansweep gets broken, I'm off the hook, okay?" Ginny grinned. Hermione chuckled – she knew Ginny would say something like that. Hermione took a quick look down both sides of the corridor. There wasn't anyone who would be able to overhear them, so Hermione took a deep breath and bit the bullet.

"Krum." Ginny gasped and clapped her hands over her mouth, and Hermione smiled in embarrassment; though, it was the kind of embarrassment you get when someone commends you for getting good marks in an exam. The nice kind.

"Whoa-ho-ho, Hermione, that's way too good to be true! How did it happen?"

"Well… I was in the library, doing some work… and he was in there as well… and then he just sort of came over and asked me…!" Hermione explained, very briefly. She wondered if Ginny would be satisfied with this lackluster anecdote, but she continued to smile ecstatically and then, without warning, pulled Hermione into a hug.

"I'm so happy for you," Ginny said into Hermione's shoulder, her voice muffled against her uniform, "but you know… Ron's probably going to ask you at some point." Hermione considered this. It was true, Ron would probably use Hermione as a last resort option, because they were only friends, but still… she couldn't shake the feeling that Ron would still be upset about her going with Krum, even if she was only a backup.

"Yeah, I know," Hermione replied, nodding into her friends shoulder.

"What're you going to do?" Hermione paused again to consider her answer.

"Whatever happens, happens. And… and he's going to have to learn to deal with that. I'm not going to just be a backup girl for him forever, and… he's going to have to learn to deal with that." She finished lamely, grimacing at how she had repeated the last part. The fact was, it did feel a little cruel to do this sort of thing to Ron.

"Remember, Hermione… time apart makes the heart grow fonder, right?" Ginny reminded her. Hermione's heart seemed to skip a beat. Even after the many months, Ginny could still remember the exact words Hermione had said to her…

Truly, Ginny was a friend like no other.

-Memory Over-

"What's going on…?" Harry asked, concerned and scared, as he approached the quivering form of Hermione, his hand stretched out towards her. Hermione shut her eyes tight and violently shook her head. There was no going back from what she had done. She had to escape, just until she turned back into Hermione again, then she could come back… but the guilt would still be there… and the guilt seemed to grow with every approaching step that Harry took.

"Stupefy!" Hermione screeched, whipping her wand out from the elastic in her tights and sending a jet of red light vaguely in Harry's direction. Harry dodged it unnecessarily, as it still would have missed him by a foot had he stood still; Hermione hadn't intended for it to hit him anyway. She just wanted to create a diversion so that she could make a break for it. Following up on this, she sprinted towards the mouth of the tent, and into the darkness outside, the moon and stars overhead the only source of light that could be seen for miles.

Hermione assumed that she mustn't have long left as Ginny – perhaps somewhere between three and five minutes to get to a safe place, then return inconspicuously. In short, it was a completely impossible situation. Hermione felt a bead of sweat trickle down her face in panic, and her eyes darted from left to right, trying to figure out how to lose her pursuer the quickest…

"Hermione."

She had made to run, but she stumbled when she heard this one word spoken from the somewhere at the tent's mouth. The dreaded sense of acceptance settled in Hermione's stomach, vanquishing the sickening guilt. There was no reason to feel guilty anymore. In a few short moments, she was going to get her just desserts. Shivering, she slowly turned to face Harry. He was staring straight at Hermione, his face deadpan and his eyes hidden by the sheen glinting off of his glasses due to the light of the moon.

"How… how did you k-know?" Hermione asked, her voice shaking. Harry took a few steps closer; coming to a stop by the log he had sat on, staring at the Marauders Map, just a few hours ago.

"One, you're wearing the cardigan that you found with my dirty washing earlier," Harry explained, and Hermione's heart sank. She'd just thrown on whatever clean clothes she could find, she hadn't even taken notice of which clothes they were. She didn't even notice that she'd been cleaning that cardigan not long before.

"A-and two…?" she asked. Her voice wouldn't stop shaking. She was sure Harry's wrath would be unlike anything she had ever seen before.

"Ginny wouldn't call what we're on a 'quest'," Harry explained, "I thought the cardigan might be a coincidence, because lots of girls wear the same brand names, but that clinched it. Hermione…"

"I'm really sorry Harry!" Hermione wailed, dropping to her knees. She felt her hair receding, her facial features contorting. Her time was up. "The only reason I did it was to make you happy! You were talking about giving up, you seemed so lost, and… Ginny seemed to be the only thing keeping you going! P-please, j-just… don't hate me!"

She screamed the last words. Harry seemed unfazed. Instead, he took gradual steps, slowly crossing the breach between the two teens. Hermione curled herself up, sobbing, tears beginning to roll down her cheeks. Every rustle of the grass was like a chime of her death-clock. Her life would surely be over when the rustling became loudest… and there it was, the final chime… the light of the moon was eclipsed by the form of Harry standing over her. She heard him kneel down.

He smashed his lips into hers.

Hermione stared in astonishment at him for a moment, yet quickly became comfortable and closed her eyes, kissing him back. The wind gave an immense howl, whistling through their ears and tussling with their hair, yet they remained motionless.

The moment seemed far too perfect.

AN; Yeah, again, not happy with this. This one didn't get a lot of proofreading, I was trying to get it finished today but it's been so darn hot and you know what that's like and I'll shush now. Anyway, this one did have a bit more of the 'Friendship' element, which we haven't seen so much of I guess... let's see how this goes, because next one's going to be the final chapter. And it'll be up soon, because I want to finish a less-than-10,000 word fic in less than a month...