A/N: Finally, an update! Sorry for the wait! I hope everyone had a lovely holiday. It was great to be home for two weeks and I can't say I'm glad to be back in -20 degree weather, lol. I would have posted this chapter sooner but while building my new machine, I was the unfortunate recipient of a bad motherboard and the BIOS crashed. Luckily I hadn't disassembled this computer yet so I was able to get back online while I'm waiting for the new parts. Anyway, I'm not sure how much more there will be to this story. I feel like I'm coming to a point of closure with the girls getting things out in the open soon. If I decide to make things a bit steamier, I'll up the rating to "M" with the next chapter, though I've never written any sort of love scene and would no doubt butcher it into tiny little pieces. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! And now after that long author's note, I present to you chapter 10. :)
It had been several days and Ginny was avoiding Hermione like the plague. Every time the brunette saw her friend in the corridors or on the grounds, Ginny always managed to slip away before she could catch up. Hermione desperately wanted to talk to the redhead – no, she needed to talk to her. After having a few days to replay their last interlude over and over in her mind, Hermione came to the conclusion that Ginny was acting far too rationally to be under the influence of the love potion anymore. According to her library research, individuals under the influence of love potions tend to act aggressively with very little self-control. It had started out like that, with Ginny wantonly throwing herself at Hermione, but then began to fade into something different. The redhead's recent behavior was more subdued, albeit no less seductive, and the sudden lack of attention from her left Hermione feeling at a loss.
An unexpected thump on her right shoulder brought Hermione out of her thoughts and back into the present. Everyone was making their way to the quidditch pitch for the Hufflepuff vs. Gryffindor match. The match was going to be a close one. Hufflepuff was performing well this year but Gryffindor, as usual, was a force to be reckoned with. The crowd funneling down to the pitch was already stirring with excitement. Hermione lightly massaged her assaulted shoulder and shot an icy glare at the pack of first years that had bumped into her.
Hermione made her way to the Gryffindor box and took a seat at the front. She wanted to make sure she had a good view of Ginny. She missed seeing her friend and the thought of the redhead in that form fitting quidditch uniform made Hermione's mouth water. The absence of Ginny's affections had left the brunette with a very unfulfilled feeling, and with only a temporary relief found by revisiting the memories of their shared kisses, Hermione was worked up into a near frenzy. A flush crept across her face as she peered down over the edge of the box. The teams were forming up around Madam Hooch in preparation for the quaffle toss. She immediately spotted Ginny, her silky red hair pulled back into a ponytail and her face slightly pink from the exertion of the team's warm-up routine. Ginny was absolutely gorgeous in Hermione's eyes.
Finally, the whistle sounded and the quaffle was tossed into the air. Hermione's eyes locked onto Ginny's form as she zoomed around the pitch, weaving between opponents. She was an amazing flyer, graceful and quick. The brunette couldn't help but stare in wonder as she watched. She couldn't understand why she had never seen Ginny in this light before. They had been friends since Ginny's first year, after the basilisk incident. At first she was just being nice to Ron's little sister but it didn't take long for their friendship to evolve and eventually become best friends. Now, after the whole love potion mess, Hermione wasn't sure she would ever be able to go back to being just Ginny's friend. She needed more now. She'd had a taste of Ginny and didn't want to stop there. It was madness. And to think, it all started with a little pink box. That pink box turned into a Pandora's Box, unleashing a chaos that sent Hermione on a journey into unfamiliar and exciting new territory. She hated that box in the beginning but now she thankful for it and the opportunities it had presented to her.
A large roar erupted from the crowd and everyone around Hermione jumped to their feet. Hermione looked around in a daze. She could have sworn the game had just started. Checking her watch, she realized that she was so wrapped up in her thoughts and study of Ginny, she completely missed the entire game. The scoreboard showed 280-130, in Gryffindor's favor, no doubt thanks to a skillful job of catching the snitch by Harry. After a few victory laps, the players landed and made their way toward the locker rooms. Hermione waited for the rest of her fellow Gryffindors to filter out of the stands before she made her way down.
Instead of following the other students back to the castle, she turned the other direction and headed toward the locker rooms. If she was going to corner Ginny, this was as good a time as any. The redhead was the only female player on the team this year so she was guaranteed to be alone in the locker room. Hermione's heart quickened with every step. She could feel her palms start to sweat slightly beneath her gloves. As she reached the door to the girl's locker room, Harry came out from the boy's side.
"Hey Hermione!" said Harry. "Great game, wasn't it?"
She gave an awkward smile, unnerved by the interruption to her plan. "Um, yeah," she stammered, "great game, Harry."
Harry frowned. "Are you alright Hermione?" he asked. "You look a bit pale. Are you feeling ok?"
"I'm fine Harry," she lied. "I just needed to talk to Ginny."
"Oh, well she should still be in there," he said.
"Thanks," the brunette replied as she reached out to open the door. It was now or never.
"Hey, Hermione?" he asked. "I just want you to know that whatever happens, we'll still be friends. Whatever you decide to do is ok with me."
She turned to Harry with tears forming in her eyes. "Thanks, Harry. You're a great friend, you know that?" The brunette gave him a small smile and then opened the door and slipped inside.
It was steamy in the locker room. The sound of running water could be heard in the distance. This was it, Hermione thought. The moment of truth. She began to pace back and forth as she waited, growing increasingly nervous at the prospect of coming face to face with Ginny wearing next to nothing. Merlin, if she walked out into the room naked, Hermione was going to melt into a puddle right there on the spot and all would be lost. She had to keep her cool. After a few minutes, the sound of the water stopped. The ensuing silence was deafening to Hermione. Her heartbeat was pounding in her ears, echoing inside her brain.
Ginny rounded the corner from the showers, one towel wrapped around her head, another wrapped around her body, and stopped dead in her tracks. To her surprise, Hermione was standing across the room staring at her. The redhead was caught completely off guard by the sight of her best friend. She had done so well avoiding the brunette the last couple of days. She knew Hermione had been trying to track her down but had managed to stay out of reach until now.
Hermione opened her mouth several times to speak but then promptly closed it again, not sure of what to stay. She took a deep breath and finally managed to squeak out, "Ginny, we need to talk."