Disclaimer: Do you know what date it is today? My last month as, ah this is so not fair. When I was 16 I felt (never you mind!) and now… ah let's just skip all that shall we and get to the disclaimer? Blah blah blah I ain't jkr…

Hermione's POV (The night before)

"Hello." Mrs Weasley hugs me briefly.

"Hello back." I dust myself off. Traveling this way is still rather unsettling. Perhaps it's the giant tropical butterflies in my stomach. Your presence in this house, it makes the air thick. A small pop behind me and Gin's dad is there, picking up my cat cage and my trunk.

"I'll go and store these until tomorrow then. Feed him as well." I feel so strange. They have not only orchestrated my arrival, they both seem to believe that it was the right thing to do. No wonder Ginny feels so guilty. Her parents are actively trying to make her happy, seemingly without a thought to how the other party in this is going to react. There must be a reason, something I can't see. Gin's mum often goes off half cocked but she wouldn't hurt her son deliberately. I must find out. I know Ron well enough to know he cares for me but… Would he walk through fire for you? Does he make you feel like you're incandescent, like you held a star in your hand when you were with him? Does he look at you with grey-blue eyes that hold a universe of love and need?

To the first; almost certainly, must be a Weasley trait, fire walking. But the rest? No no and no, and I am sorry, so very sorry. Nevertheless Ginny and I, together we were fire and air. Sparks and explosions. And fire can't exist without fuel. Namely Air.

The distant water has flowed through and around me

Hasn't put out the fire

Earth from my birth has covered and in the dark surrounds me

Not smothered this desire

I am, am I

The air on which these words float

The messages of hope

 So do you wanna know?

Is it the flames that feed, do they consume my air

Or is it the fire that fuels me?

"Don't stand about looking so uncomfortable Hermione. Gin's in the bath, would you like a drink?" Out of my dreaming.

"Please." She busies herself with a cool glass and a plate of nibbles. I sit at the table like a naughty schoolgirl, head low. Mrs Weasley sits by me.

"You're probably wondering why we wanted to bring you here." I laugh a little.

"I am, actually, I feel quite odd about it. Your daughter loves me, and I used to be with your son. It's hard to take in all at once." She pats my hand.

"I know my love."

"But it's not just that Mrs Weasley; I feel terrible that you've had to make this choice between them. Over me."

"Oh Hermione, it wasn't a choice, don't you see that?" Um, not really? I don't know how to explain to her how bad I suddenly feel. She must've felt like this for years, but worse. Oh god Gin.

"It's a weird situation to be in." I stammer eventually.

"It is that." She sighs as Mr Weasley returns and plops himself down.

"I mean, I would never have thought you'd want to speak to me again, let alone getting me here like this." Both of them start to protest loudly.

"No, No Hermione, why would you think that?" I decide to be brutally honest with them.

"Why do you think?" Raise an eyebrow "and not just because of what happened. In my fourth year at school, you stopped speaking to me, when you thought I'd been cheating on someone I was never, have never been interested in. So now that I seem to feel something for Gin, and not for Ron, well gee can you blame me for expecting serious fallout?" Her mum looks like she's having kittens.

"Hermione. Perhaps I should explain this past week to you."

"Go on." And she tells me about it, how they found out; how Percy heard her thundering past his door, and came down to see what was up, how he then told them all he'd known for months. Of the things she said at this very table, and on Christmas day.

"And in the end Hermione it was a hard thing to do, to write that letter to you; but then it came down to one thing that occurred to me after she'd left. Like you, I'd never expected that to happen, however when we heard, I realized I knew too."

"You did?" She nods

"It felt right, as strange as that sounds." She laughs, chiding herself softly "How perceptive I thought I was, I certainly missed something very, very big in Gin's life."

"Just because it feels right doesn't make it right though Mrs Weasley. We'd all be getting away with murder if that was true." Must I pick, pick, pick, like I do?

Gin's dad speaks for the first time, "But she loves you. We all know it. I think I've known for as long as she has."

"Arthur! You never mentioned that!" Kittens again. This family and bombshells, damn they seem to go hand in hand.

"Hey," I hold up my hand "Don't start arguing on my account." Oh I love being ignored.

"Can't a father see something in his only daughter? Something I held to myself because I didn't want to hurt her?" It's unspoken, the rest of it, because I didn't want her to get hurt?

He takes a biscuit, "I'm not saying I hoped it would never eventuate mind, but I wanted to shield her from the pain I knew she was causing herself. And I didn't know how. So maybe now I do." Mrs Weasley settles, still grumbling about not being told though. We all look up at the gurgle coming from above. He stands and pulls out my chair.

"That, I believe is your cue my dear." Clasps a hand on my shoulder in understanding.

"I love each and every one of my children equally Hermione, don't think I'm favouring Ginny. I suppose, at the end of the day you do have to be cruel to be kind sometimes."

Her mum pipes in "It's like nothing I've ever felt before, I couldn't have guessed at that depth and as much as I love my son, I know he doesn't. Not like that."

"So go, and tell her how you feel." Mr Weasley ushers me to the stairs. You want me to do that when I don't even know yet? I wasn't frightened before? I am now. One foot is lead and the other floating as I ascend; resolute but still shitting myself.

They say in this life

There are, two fools of a kind

There are those who love

And there are those who pay love no mind

Now I'm looking at you

And you're looking back at me

And there's nothing in between us

But what we both believe

So won't you tell me, why are you waiting?

When you already know it's yours for the taking

Only you can change the way you live

Ginny's POV (present)

Open my eyes slowly, it's almost six. Definitely wasn't a dream then. Her weight shifts against me, look down. God, I'm so happy. Kisses on my neckline.

"It's not against the law to feel like this so early in the morning?"

"I'm still finding it hard to believe you're here."

"Was it worth it Gin? Like your mum said? Worth the pain?" I pull her head up to me and share another of those delicious kisses.  "Hermione I…" And I want to say it, because I need her to know I do. Aaah not yet. No. "Anything's worth how I feel right now." A half baked excuse for what I should have said.

She's looking at me knowingly. "It's ok. I understand." Strokes my hair "Really?"

"More than you could imagine." She burrows her face into my shoulder blade.

"Imaginings… Gin, you've made me question so much about myself, about who I am. That first day apart honestly I paced the whole house, trying to sort out what the whole thing meant."

"Sometimes there aren't any magic answers Hermione. I felt like that at first. Sometimes it just is what it is"

"That's what I'm trying to say. I kept thinking, how could I be gay and not have even had an inkling before? But when you first touched me it was overwhelming, how right it was, I nearly spontaneously combusted."

"Heheh I was pretty sure you did actually, especially when I…" She clamps a hand over my mouth.

"Don't even start on that, unless you want to break your promise." Well I do baby, pretty enthusiastically in fact.

"Sorry."

"When I heard how all you'd been doing was crying it just swept away all the uncertainties. I decided that it didn't matter about labels or whatever the hell I might have thought before. You were real to me, your pain felt like mine, so everything else became only a shadow."

She gets up slowly, walks over to the mirror and brushes her hair, studying me in the faint light of reflection.

"So, as you said on Christmas day, I guess we are rolling with it aren't we?"

She smiles, clearly quite pleased with herself. I'm conscious of this being one of my life's defining moments, awestruck by its significance. She wants to be part of my world.  Hang on a minute, how'd she know I said that? I walk up after her.

"Herm is there nothing my mother did not tell you about?" A shrug.

"Well you were in the bath for an eternity Gin. What were we supposed to do? The three of us ate biscuits and talked about things. Stop worrying and kiss me."

"Ok," But there's still the need for caution, for warnings. I want to shelter her from what's to come. "Are you ready though? Because this has nearly been too easy, and it won't always be so." Hermione turns and puts her arms around my shoulders.

"I know that Gin."

"Particularly when Ron finds out." She sighs and kisses my cheek.

"Baby I know, and it's not what's important. We are."

"We are?"

"Yes. Honestly woman if you haven't figured that out by now…" She doesn't get the chance to finish, perhaps because I'm covering her mouth hungrily, my hands gripping and pulling that majestic ass closer, undulating in perfect sync with her light rhythmic thrusting against me. We fit together. Who would have thought it?

"Gin,"

"Kinda' busy kissing you right now Herm,"

"Whew I can feel that," We break apart, breathing heavily "But I judge that's most likely your mum knocking on the door." Oh shit. And it's funny, I can't help it, I'm giggling as I go to open up. God only knows what we look like, probably as if there are broken promises littering the floor. Thankfully mum doesn't seem to notice, and after exchanging hushed morning pleasantries we follow her downstairs.

"Got the sandwiches?" She's standing in front of the fire, her trunks and cat having appeared miraculously from goodness knows where, and pats her rucksack.

"Right here, thank your mum again for me." Who has disappeared rather tactfully, allowing us to exchange goodbyes with some degree of privacy.

"Stuff to read?"

"Only about a week's worth of undone studying," Her fingers trace my arm "You are one major distraction Miss Weasley, you know that?"

"A good one, I hope."

"Indeed. Hey Gin? I've made another decision."

"Mmmn?"

"Yes," She holds my fingers "I've decided that in addition to not wanting to say goodnight to you, I also don't ever want to say goodbye." Oh man, it almost undoes me. I look down.

"You have no idea how crazy about you I am." And it's enough for now.

"Oh I wouldn't be so sure of that Gin, You see…" She smooches the tip of my nose "I think that I might be just a little bit smitten with you too." I sigh from the absolute bottom of my being and hope she understands what I meant by it.

"So give me another kiss and I'll see you soon ok?"

"Alright." I comply "See you then." Hermione gathers the trunks and walks into the fire, shouting her destination. The devastating numbness of loss not diminished by the knowledge that we'll be together again in a few short hours. I stare into the flames, unbelievably tempted to grab a handful of powder and follow, but I collect myself and start to get the biggest breakfast possible ready, joined wordlessly by mum before long. I don't let her help at first, pull her into the largest hug I can muster. "Thank you."

"My baby, you're happy?"

"Happy?" What an understatement "I guess I am." In such a low dark voice the whole kitchen reverberates with the shockwaves of that fervor.

"Well," Mum studies my face "I'm glad for you that she seems to feel that way too."

"No, not yet mum, she can't, it's way too quick. I mean I want her to, but not before time."

"Oh Gin, she didn't say she did, but she does. I can see it."

"Mum you often see what you want to see." She picks up a side of bacon.

"And you, Ginny, often pick everything to death when you don't need to. The two of you should be together. I'm amazed it took me this long to realize it as well." And knowing you mum, a little annoyed that you didn't either.

"And me," My Father's laughing voice behind us. "I know I'm a bit slow on the uptake, but really…"

"Dad!" I run into his embrace. His hands in my hair. "God dad I love you. Thank you so much." They're exchanging what I'd call a significant look here. What's the deal?

"Ok dad what aren't you telling me?" He grins over at mum, positively delighted with himself for some reason, and as he explains I get why mum looks kinda' grouchy, happy, but grouchy.

Ha he beat you to it for once. Heheheh…

First Lyrics from 'fuel' another flamegrrl special. So again the whole touchy die warning thing ok? Geez I've written a whole bloody album, I'm telling you. And there's plenty more that fit this fic; looks like the madness isn't ending yet…

Second ones from 'the way you live' from the album 'ghost nation' by hunters and collectors

Thanks Blake, exactly what I was thinking. I had to live with that 'whole plot' for years, last thing I wanna do is rehash it all. I'm really appreciating your views and support mate.

I don't know when I'll be able to post again; I've only got one day off this week and functions coming out of the proverbial. I'll do my best, probably about 5 days or do. Many apologies, I just don't like to post unless I've done some heavy editing and time is not my friend right now. Bloody work.