Chapter 13

Hermione cursed and whipped out her wand.

"Lumos!" She mentally berated herself. She knew what lurked in this forest at night. The sun was setting now, and she had lost track of time, while she was collecting plants. Tripping over a vine she cried out, and she lost her footing sliding down a steep embankment.

"Pull yourself together, Granger. You've been here before. You know what to expect." She was giving herself a motivational speech, trying to keep focused on getting out of the forest. She stopped when she heard a noise behind her. Readying her wand, she turned around, peering into the quickly fading light. When she didn't see anything she kept moving.

The Forest seemed to get thicker as she went further on, and soon she realized she was lost. She would have given anything for Harry's map right about then. Stopping at a stream to get a drink, she froze when she heard leaves behind her rustle. She whipped around, wand raised. She cautiously moved towards the sound.

As she moved closer she felt her heart get heavy. Her mind filled with depressing thoughts, and she was eventually forced to stop, shortly before she broke into tears. Her mind was racing. She knew what this was. She forced herself to gather her thoughts. Blocking out the rest of the world around her, she withdrew into her own mind.

Happy thoughts. Harry and Ron and her on the train, when they had all met for the first time. The day she got her Hogwarts acceptance letter. The first time she got an O. The day she got an N on her NEWTS. The darkness swirled around her, threatening to engulf her. She cried out, sinking to the ground, pain and sadness flowing through her. Looking up, she saw them. At least twenty Dementors, circling above her, one by one swooping down, trying to get closer to her.

No! She wasn't going out like this. She summoned more thoughts. Summers at the Burrow, long red hair, pale skin, freckles, gold and scarlet streaking through the air, a smiling face and sparkling hazel eyes. One of the dementors hovered above her, skeletal hand reaching for her throat. The blackness engulfed her, and with her last breath she spoke four words.

"I love you, Ginny."

A flash of light blinded her and she gasped for breath. She fell forward onto her hands, coughing as the light intensified, surrounding her. She looked up, and through squinted eyes she saw a stag and….. an otter? Looking around she saw Harry and Ginny rushing to her side. Harry whipped his wand around, casting the stag at dementors, keeping them at bay. Ginny raced to Hermione, helping her to her feet.

"Hermione! Are you ok?" Ginny embraced the brunette, tears spilling from her eyes. Hermione clutched Ginny to her, before backing away.

"Ginny, how did you guys find me?" She could have sworn that the red-head didn't know she was out her. She had hidden herself so carefully.

"You're more predictable than you think, Hermione." Ginny smiled, releasing her grip on the brunette, before turning around and directing the otter at more Dementors. "Harry needs our help!" Hermione nodded. Closing her eye she focused on the feeling of Ginny's arms around her and out of her wand burst another silver otter. She swirled her wand, directing the otter into the fray. Together the three friends succeeded in banishing the Dementors, and Harry rushed up to the girls.

"Are you both ok? You're not hurt are you?"

Hermione and Ginny locked eyes with each other, neither one breaking their gaze.

"You're sure? Bloody Merlin, I didn't think Dementors would be out this far, so soon. We really need to get going."

"We're fine, Harry. Why don't we head back up to the castle. We need to finish getting ready for tonight, and I think…." Hermione trailed off as she had her breath stolen away by the look in Ginny's eyes. Ginny picked up where she left off.

"….Hermione and I have something to talk about."

As they drew closer to the castle, Ginny and Hermione trailed a bit further behind Harry, both stealing glances at the other. Harry didn't mind, walking ahead with a gigantic grin on his face.

He led them up to the common room, where he turned to face them.

"The others are getting things ready for us to leave. We're meeting in Hogsmead at the Hog's Head in one hour." He looked at the two witches, but they barely glanced at him, so entranced they were with each other.

"Right." Ginny cut off the response.

"We'll be there." Hermione gaze deeply into Ginny's eyes.

Harry smiled and left them alone.

Ginny went to stand directly in front of Hermione. Hermione looked in her eyes, and shivered at what she saw. Love. Pure and unabashed. Her heart began pounding as Ginny reached out to brush her knuckles against Hermione's cheek. Hermione leaned into the caress, closing her eyes.

"I thought we had lost you, when we came to the clearing. You were lying there…..and you looked so scared and cold…..and….." she trailed off, turning away, towards the fire, rubbing her hands together. Hermione approached behind her, and slowly wrapped her arms around Ginny. Ginny stiffened a bit, unsure as to what was happening.

Hermione backed off, quickly releasing her hands, but was stopped by a hand on her arm.

"Don't walk away. I think I've done enough of that for both of us."

Ginny had turned to face her. She had tears in her eyes. "I almost lost you, Hermione!" She started to shake. Hermione, worried about her friend, led her to a chair and sat her down, kneeling in front of her. Ginny's resolve broke and she sobbed, weeping away the anguish of the past events. Hermione reached for Ginny's hand. "I almost…lost….you."

Hermione heart broke. "Shhh, now. You'll never have to worry about losing me again." Rising quickly she sat down on Ginny's lap and wrapped her arms around the redhead's neck. Ginny quieted, tilting her head up to look into Hermione's eyes.

"W-wha-" Hermione placed a finger on Ginny's lips.

"I've spent too long running from this." She brought her lips gently to Ginny's and she nearly moaned at the first contact. Ginny was soft. Her lips were like velvet, smooth and warm. She tasted slightly spicy and, as Hermione inhaled, she noticed that Ginny smelt slightly of cinnamon and patchouli. Hermione reached up to tangle her hands in Ginny's fiery red locks, pressing their bodies closer together. She felt herself responding to being so intimately entwined with the red-head, and she lost herself in the feeling.

Ginny was shocked, to say the least. But that shock was quickly replaced with arousal as she wrapped her arms around Hermione's waist. The brunette tasted like vanilla, and Ginny's mind swam as she inhaled the scent of parchment and ink, the smell causing her hormones to go crazy. She wrapped her arms around Hermione tighter, and moaned as she felt the warmth from Hermione's body seep into her own. She felt her body starting to respond and she backed way from the kiss.

Hermione drew back, slightly breathless and lips puffy, to look Ginny in the eye.

"G-ginny?" She looked frightened. "Oh, gods I've g-gotten it wrong!" She went to get up, when she felt the arms around her pull her closer.

"Hermione, from the way I was reacting, I can definitely say, you didn't get that wrong." She looked to her arms which were still around the brunette. Hermione blushed slightly, and then she felt a twinge in her stomach. Blushing she worked her way out of Ginny's embrace.

"Hermione? E-everything ok?" Hermione was sitting up rigidly, looking at Ginny, with something akin to lust and frustration. Ginny suddenly realized what was going on and she blushed.

"I was that good, eh?" She laughed nervously. When Hermione buried her face in her hands, Ginny broke out into full on laughter. "Oh, I was just joking Hermione." She reached for Hermione's hand.

Hermione looked at Ginny, smiling at the feeling of the warm, soft hand in her own.

"So…"she trailed off. "Does this mean you like me too?"

Ginny giggled, and raised her other hand to caress Hermione's cheek.

"I more than like you Hermione. I've been in love with you since that night you first touched my cheek after I came back from Quidditch." Hermione felt the breath go out of her. She hadn't wanted to reveal the depth of her feelings to Ginny just yet, worrying that it might scare her off. But Ginny had just blasted through that barrier as if it were a stone wall she had cast Reducto on.

"I love you too, Ginny." She smiled as she thought back to what Harry had said. Love would get them through this war. She shouldn't be afraid to reveal her feelings, not when there was so much despair and hate around them. She settled down and snuggled against her girlfriend. She played that word over in her mind. Never in a million years did she expect that she would be able to finally call Ginny her girlfriend. She wrapped her arms around Ginny and hugged the red head tighter, smiling when Ginny returned the embrace.

"Can we just stay like this for tonight?" Ginny asked.

"We have to get our things and meet Harry and the others in an hour." Hermione reminded her. Ginny frowned, but then sighed and started to get up.

"You're right, we should probably start getting ready. The others will be waiting for us." Her mind trailed off…..the others….Ron. She paled slightly.

Hermione, who was already gathering their things, looked at Ginny and when she saw her face change, rushed to her side, wrapping her arms around her.

"Ginny? What is it? What's wrong?" Hermione looked at her with worried eyes. Ginny looked back.

"Wh-What do we tell Ron?" Hermione backed away, lowering her arms. She hadn't though of that. Ron. Her ex-boyfriend. Her now girlfriends' brother. She frowned.

"We'll have to figure something out as we go along." She looked at Ginny, grasping her hand tightly. "Don't worry, love. Ron might be stubborn, but he'll come around. It might just take some time." Ginny nodded and the two girls continued to get ready. Hermione raced around packing last minute things that Ginny was certain they would never need, and Ginny gladly helped her.

Hermione and Ginny were the last to arrive at the Hogs Head. They had had some trouble when they ran into Professor Sprout, walking along the edge of the greenhouses. She wanted to know where the two were going at this late hour of the night, and Ginny froze, trying to think of an answer. Luckily, Neville came along, and was able to distract the professor, spouting something about baby Acromantulas eating all of the wormroot plants in greenhouse 6. He winked at them as they left, and smiled when he saw them entwine their hands as they ran. At least there was some bright spark amongst all of the darkness.