Tending to Him
Chapter 7: The Friends
Hermione looked up at me and smiled briefly, laughing at my suggestion to visit the chicken coup as we talk about our problems. Whew. Good. She was easing up to me again.
"What? You have a better suggestion? The garden with the gnomes? I think not," I joked. She giggled slightly as I leaned against a pen and crossed my arms over my chest.
"So you want me to spend more time with you? Here I am."
"Yeah, there you are," she laughed right before one of the pens broke and I collapsed down with all of the chickens, which made her laugh more. I rubbed my head and then chuckled along with her as I sat up next to her. The chickens were going wild. I placed the pen back up, trying not to notice the dent in it.
"Well, how's your cut? I haven't checked on it in a while," she said as she began to unbutton the top few buttons. I felt my face heat up again like it hadn't in a few days. It felt embarrassing, but also good. She didn't notice, though. She checked my cut, and found just a scar there. She pressed on it lightly.
"That doesn't hurt, does it?" she wondered. I shook my head.
"Have you found it hurting at all recently?" I shook my head again.
"Well good," she said. I don't think she noticed, but her hands were set on the closed button on my shirt. I felt her fingers slightly moved back and forth against my skin. When I looked down at them and then at her, she smiled slightly. After a few seconds of staring into her eyes, I began to heat up again and I looked away and took her hands off of my shirt. Then I adjusted so that she wasn't sitting higher than I was anymore. She rolled her eyes and chuckled.
"You know what I think you are, Ron?" she asked. I raised my eyebrows as a response. She then bent over the little wire fence and picked up a chicken and held it at me. I laughed at it softly, but the chicken squawked unnaturally awkwardly, and I jumped at that and stopped laughing immediately as if the chicken was my mother. She giggled and placed the chicken back in the pen and then faced me again. I opened my mouth to say something, but I halted once I heard something outside.
"What's that?" she asked, hearing it as well. I didn't answer, but I offered her a hand. She took it and then we both walked outside the coup. Four brooms with riders on them had come upon the field outside of my house. They looked toward the two of us.
"Hey, Ron, Hermione!" a familiar voice called, and I made it out to be Seamus. Beside him were the others, Dean, Neville, and Luna. Then, they four of them looked down at something in between the two of us. We followed their eyes and noticed our hands were still joined. We immediately separated.
After a few moments of silence, and them smirking at the two of us, we walked over to them and began to walk to the burrow.
"I thought you guys…" Neville started.
"We still are," Hermione answered straight away.
"It doesn't like that," Dean said and chuckled mischievously.
Hermione's Point of View
"Where's everyone else? Harry and Ginny?" Luna asked as she walked besides Neville and Seamus.
"They're inside," I answered.
"But probably in different rooms," Ron adjoined. "They haven't really spoken to each other ever since we got here."
"It's so obvious how they feel about each other though," Seamus muttered as we entered the house. Everyone nodded.
"Hey, I kind of forgot to ask this earlier," I started, "but why are you guys here?"
"It's summer," Dean replied. "Why not?"
"Besides, what else are you guys doing? I mean honestly, besides what you were doing in there," Seamus teased and gestured towards the chicken coup.
"We were just talking," Ron answered.
"In a chicken coup," he said again.
"I told you it was weird to talk in a chicken coup," I whispered to Ron.
"When?" he defended and chuckled. I nudged him slightly. He laughed.
"Harry, Ginny, come down here!" he called up to the two. Harry was the first to come down, and after a minute passed of him being reunited with his friends, Ginny came down as well. She smiled when she saw everyone and then immediately greeted each one.
"What are all you guys doing here?" Harry wondered after Ginny had said, "Hi," to all of them.
"We just wanted to visit," Dean said and glanced over at Ginny, smiling. This made me... hesitant.
"So…it's about eleven," Neville started.
"Why, thank you for informing us of that important knowledge," Ginny said sarcastically.
"He didn't finish," Seamus said.
"He brought something," Luna added. "A bottle."
At first, by the look Ron gave me, we both thought that it was just Luna being Luna, about to say something about a "magical bottle." However, Neville took out a bottle from his back pocket and held it out.
Mine, Ron, Harry's eyes went wide.
"Neville!" I shrieked quietly.
"No, Hermione, don't ruin our fun again!" he pouted. I crossed my arms as everyone chuckled.
"Once we finish it," Dean started, "we'll play a game. You know what game I'm talking about?"
"Neville," Ginny laughed. "I didn't know you could be so bad."
Ron went wide-eyed and he mumbled, "If my mum finds out-"
"Ron!" I interrupted, "do I have to go all the way to the chicken coup again, put a chicken in your face, have you jump like a little girl, put it back, and walk all the way back here because you're afraid of what your mum will say?"
Everyone was frozen looking at me.
"…What?" I wondered.
"Well, Ron," Seamus started, "it seems as though Hermione isn't even going to spoil our fun. Will you?"
Ron sighed, giving in, and he shook his head.
"What's all this?" we all heard a voice say from behind us. Neville immediately placed the bottle of firewhisky behind his back as we all turned to Arthur Weasley.
"Oh, dad," Ginny started, "Seamus, Neville, Luna, and Dean came down for a visit."
"Oh, okay," Arthur said. "I wish I would've heard sooner. Your mother and I were going to go out to this festival and not be back for a while-"
"Oh, it's alright," I stepped in, surprisingly. "You go right ahead. I'll keep these blokes under control."
"Well, if Hermione says it's alright, then alright," Mr. Weasley said and began to walk out of the door. "We'll be back by eleven thirty or so."
The eight of us then stood listening for the engine of the flying car to turn on. Once it did, and once we heard the sound travel away, we all smirked at each other, except for Harry.
"Er…I think I'm going to pass," he said and headed up the stairs until Neville and Seamus caught him.
"Oh, no you don't, buddy," they said. "It's all of us or nothing."
"Uh…" Harry said again and cringed as they lead him to the circle we had made on the floor of the living room, moving the furniture back father apart.
"Wait!" Dean realized. "We're missing one VERY important part of firewhisky and game-ness! Where's you brother?"
"I'm right here," we heard George say powerfully from the living room entrance. He sat down beside Seamus and an uncertain Harry. He looked across to me and I smiled shortly before turning back to George.
"I can't believe you guys forgot about me," he said and pretended to cry.
"We didn't," Dean replied. "I called you didn't I?"
"So, what are we doing first?" Luna wondered.
"Okay," Dean started. "Someone spins, and the person who it lands on has to take a sip-"
"And answer a truth question unless the person says they want a dare!" Seamus finished.
"Exactly!" Dean exclaimed. "So, who's up first?"
"Did you really have to ask that question?" George laughed. My heart started to pound as the game began, and I was afraid Ron could hear it next to me.
The bottle twirled round and around, slowing down when it came to Dean…Luna…Neville…Ginny.
"Oh, Merlin," Ginny whined. "Why him?"
George smirked devilishly rubbing his hands together.
"I hoped it would land on you, baby sister," he cackled as he watched Ginny open the bottle and take a sip of the drink.
"Okay, lets get this over with," Ginny sighed and closed her eyes momentarily.
"Mmm…alright. I have one. Maybe you'd prefer the dare instead-" George taunted.
"No way," intruded Ginny. "Not falling for it."
"Okay…it's your choice. Are you ready?"
Ginny exhaled long and slow before she nodded.
"Who was a better kisser: Harry or Dean?"
Ginny's eyes went wide, as did Harry and Dean's. But that wasn't all.
"And why."
"Oh, kill me!" Ginny whispered to the ceiling. Everyone was chuckling, looking at Ginny in anticipation.
"Can I leave now?" Harry wondered, beginning to get up, but Seamus pulled him back down and laughed. Ginny noticed this, and she then went into a thinking stage, as I suspected, and when she did this, so did I.
"Not yet. I'm anxious to hear this one," he said.
"Um…well," Ginny began. Everyone was leaning in towards her.
"Can I answer this later?" Ginny wondered.
"Bloody hell, no!" George answered immediately. "Now!"
"Okay! Okay!" she sighed. I could see she was struggling. Then, she looked towards me. I shrugged, not knowing what to do to reassure her. She looked back at everyone, and then down at her hands in her lap.
"Llllll," she whispered almost inaudibly.
"Sorry?" George asked. "I didn't quite understand you Miss-"
"Dean! OKAY? Dean!" Everyone roared with laughter while Harry sat with his mouth agape and while Dean was getting pats on the back.
Harry then stood up.
"Oh, really? Well fine, then, Ms. Ginny Weasley," Harry said jokingly, but I could sense an edge to it. Then, he exited the room and walked out quickly. I had half a mind to follow him, but Ginny was already doing that. Hmm…was Ginny planning this?
Ron's Point of View
"That. Is. Disgusting," I said and had an "ew" look on my face. Hermione laughed.
"But now, I guess I have to go get them," I sighed and stood up.
"I'll come too," Hermione said.
"Wait, you can't leave now!" Luna called after us.
"We're just going to get them," Hermione responded. "We'll be right back."
We walked out of the house, and followed the voice of Ginny calling Harry's name. I put my pointer finger up to my mouth telling Hermione to keep quiet. We snuck around the house and looked around the corner off to the gnome garden.
"Harry!" Ginny called one last time.
"Ginny!" Harry responded. "Haven't talked to you in a while."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means exactly what I said," Harry replied. Sensing that a fight was coming on, Hermione and I walked out from behind the corner and to the garden where the two were standing yelling at each other.
"Hey, guys? Should we go back to the game?" I suggested.
"Don't blame this on me!" Ginny shouted back to Harry, ignoring me.
"Oh, I'm not," Harry replied, just as loud. "I'm just upset that you kept avoiding me the whole time I've been here!"
"Don't yell at my sister!" I shot out at Harry, even though he seemed to not have heard me at all.
"Me avoiding you? You were avoiding me!" Ginny spat back at my best mate.
"And you think Dean is a better kisser than me? Fine."
"I don't think that Harry, you know I don't." Ginny was becoming more at ease.
"Then why'd you say it? Why'd you cause all that trouble?" Harry roared back at her, and I knew Ginny's anger rose again.
"So I couldn't actually TALK TO YOU!" she shouted back at him as her face began to burn.
"Just to talk to me Ginny?"
"Yes! Just to talk to you!"
"Well, we've talked enough!" Harry spat at her between his teeth, and before I knew it, I was in a very awkward situation…even more awkward because Hermione was standing right next to me.
The two were tight in each other's arms snogging outrageously and passionately.
"…Don't touch my sister that way!" I said, even though they were still probably blocking out the sound of my voice.
"Don't touch my best friend that way!" Hermione said to Ginny, looking disgusted. I held back a laugh.
"Come on! Let's go, guys," I commanded everyone, but they stayed in the exact same position they were in. Ginny was off the ground now.
"Okay, I've had enough of this," I said to Hermione after another few moments of staring at the two with a disturbing look on my face. Hermione agreed and walked back with me to the house again.
"Where did the two blokes go?" George teased as we entered the circle again.
"…Snog fest," I whispered, and before him, or Dean especially, could say anything more, I asked, "Who's turn is it to spin?"
"Well it would've been Ginny's," Seamus said, "but now I guess the only fair way is for George to spin it, and whoever it lands on, spins it."
We all accepted that way of picking who will spin next. George twirled the bottle, and it landed on Neville, which ended up getting a few chuckles.
Neville looked up at everyone hesitantly, but turned the bottle rapidly. It landed on me.
Hermione's Point of View
I laughed, knowing Ron was thankful inside for getting Neville out of everyone else here.
Neville stuttered before he begun, most likely trying to think of something a bit extreme, but finally asked, "What do you think about the most? And you know what I'm relating this question to. Also, what do you think about doing with this so called 'thing you think about most'?"
…What?
Everybody was staring at Neville as if they had just seen Merlin come before them and granted them long lasting life because of their hair.
I gazed at Neville just as they did.
I bit my lower lip (unaware I had done so) and looked at Ron. He was staring at Neville also, but then he looked down at me. When he noticed that I was looking back, he quickly snapped his head forward again.
"Well, Ron?" Dean spoke up, "if you don't answer soon, we're going to assume that little motion right there was something."
I saw Ron glance at his older brother, who waved his eyebrows with a devilish smirk on his lips, and then at me.
"Well assume all you want," Ron finally answered.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Neville demanded. "We're not done here! Answer!"
Luna, who had not spoken up hardly the whole time, asked, "Is there something going on between you two? Something we don't know about? My dad once told me if one doesn't answer right away to a question like 'Do you love her,' and then looks at who he or she loves, it's as good as saying 'yes.'"
A/N: ooOOOHHhh! Sort of cliffhanger-ish. Well, which truth question did y'all like best? I know my answer (heheh). Well, anyways, that chapter would've been LONG if I had posted the last one with this one. Whew! Next chapter coming soon!
