A/N: Sorry guys! I was going to post this last weekend, but I went out of town to go to my uncle's graduation (He's such a nerd! He majored in aeronautical engineering and minored in physics, but I love him, since he's only five years my elder and I grew up three blocks from him, meaning I basically saw him as the big brother I never had. We used to walk to elementary school together! Anyway, rant about my uncle is over.) on Saturday and ended up staying with family for Memorial Day and I forgot my laptop, thinking 'Why would I need that?' and totally forgetting that I need it to update!
So anyways, here is the next chapter. Not my favorite, but necessary. Next chapter will be Draco again, and that's going to be fun. Want to tell me what you think?
"She's so annoying!" I whined, throwing my head back to rest on my propped up pillow. My first week back at the Burrow had been more enjoyable than I anticipated. Perhaps I wouldn't miss my parents and Emily all that much after all.
"I don't understand how Bill can live with it," Ginny grumbled, disappointed with her arguably favorite brother and his choice of bride. "I thought he was beyond the superficial beauty crap."
"He's still male," I pointed out. Ginny and I shared a look full of annoyance towards the testosterone-pumped population at large.
"Thank Merlin Dean doesn't overly act like that," Ginny remarked.
"Like what?" I inquired, sitting up a tad more straight at the mention of my friend's latest boyfriend.
"All obsessed with a girl's looks and distracted by whatever blonde bimbo with a big rack walks by," Ginny explained, rolling her eyes. "Unlike some red-headed brother of mine."
"Bill doesn't look at anyone but Fleur," I argued, sticking up for the man, even if I didn't understand his taste in women.
"I meant Ron," Ginny said with a wide grin, finding it further amusing when I groaned in understanding and agreement. Then the red-head turned serious. "But I know. I think Bill truly cares for her."
"Yeah," I agreed solemnly, thoughts twisting into how caring the couple had acted towards each other.
"I hope whoever I marry will treat me like that," Ginny commented lightly, eyes slightly glazing over with dreams of the future.
"Think it'll be Dean?" I questioned, flipping onto my stomach to hold my pillow beneath my chin.
"Nah," the other girl replied honestly. "I like him and all, but I…"
When Ginny started biting the inside of her lip, body still as a statue as her expression gained a touch of sadness, I knew where her thoughts had gone.
Although the red-head would deny it, I had always suspected that Ginny's crush on Harry had never completely faded away. Occasionally I would spot the younger girl glancing wistfully at my best friend or smiling softly when his sleepy self stumbled down the staircase for breakfast. For some reason though, Ginny developed the idea that Harry would never like her in such a manner, or that her feelings made him uncomfortable. Although I was sure that Harry was a bit nervous and unsure how to respond to having his best friend's little sister crushing on him, I wasn't as sure that the story ended there. Over the years, Harry had gotten to know Ginny on a level more personal than Little Sister of my Best Friend, and I would daresay the two would be good friends even if Ron was out of the picture.
Maybe it was that very space that Ginny allowed herself from Harry that let their friendship bloom, I didn't know, but every once in a while, the thought would pass through my brain that Ginny still seemed to be acting. Sometimes it was easier to spot, like when the red-head felt needy or alone or was stuck in one of her Harry daydreams, but most of the time – I had to admit – the girl knew how to keep up a façade.
"How are the two of you doing?" I asked softly, wondering how my friend could be a relationship with someone when her heart belonged to another boy.
"Oh, don't get me wrong, we're doing good and all," Ginny assured me. "And I really do like Dean. He's nice to me, nice to look at, and I think he really cares for me, and he's a good kisser! But…"
"You don't like him the way you like Harry?" I finished. Immediately, Ginny's eyes, wide with surprise, shot up to meet mine, proving to me that I was right.
"What? I… no. Hermione, I don't feel that way about Harry anymore," Ginny insisted, not sounding very sure of herself as her face earned a red tint.
"Then why don't you think you'll stay with Dean?" I inquired, wishing my friend would admit this to herself.
"I… I just do!" Ginny exclaimed, tone portraying some frustration now. "He's just not… Not my everything. But that doesn't mean I'm holding out for Harry, Hermione! I'm over him, I've been over him for a long time. I don't even think about him like…"
As the red-head's voice broke, gaze getting lost somewhere beyond my shoulder, I smiled sadly at my friend.
"You don't need to convince me, Gin," I told her gently. Unspoken was my opinion that she probably needed to convince herself.
"Just… please don't bring that up, Hermione. You don't know what you're talking about anyway," Ginny grumbled, hugging her pillow close to her chest.
Suddenly, the face I had spent the past week trying to forget flashed before my eyes. The pointed chin, peroxide blond hair, and cloudy grey eyes seemed so real, I almost wanted to reach out and stroke his pale cheek. Almost, but not quite. I had to forget about him, about what had happened. Nevertheless, I knew that I understood what Ginny felt trying to suppress an attraction and even feelings towards someone out of reach.
Except not really. Surely Ginny's feelings towards Harry ran a lot deeper than my own towards a certain Slytherin idiot. Harry and Ginny were true friends, with a relationship based on years of kindness and smiles. My temporary and foolish infatuation with Dra—Malfoy was overshadowed by years of enmity and cruelty. Yes, my… thing with Draco was just that, just an infatuation. Just a random, ultimately meaningless fling I uncharacteristically jumped into after seeing him playful with Eric and upset over his mum and honestly gentle towards me…
"Have you had your eye on anyone lately?" the red-head asked, plastering a fake grin on her face in an effort to quickly switch the subject. With Draco (I meant, Malfoy. Malfoy, Malfoy, Malfoy.) already present in my mind as she spoke, the connection drew immediately, bringing a harsh blush to my cheeks.
"What? No," I responded hurriedly, avoiding her eyes.
"Oh! So there is someone!" Ginny exclaimed, her smile genuinely amused now.
"No, there isn't," I rebutted, shaking my head at her. "I just said there wasn't!"
"But you said it too quickly. And you turned red," Ginny pointed out, eyes twinkling with mirth. "C'mon, Hermione. You can tell me."
"There's nothing to tell," I told her calmly, taking in a few deep breaths. As long as I acted in control, maybe I could convince her. Shoddy liar I was, I really didn't want to revert to flat-out lies.
"Is it someone I know?" Ginny asked, finding way too much entertainment in my unease. "Or maybe it's some Muggle Mystery Man you met over the summer."
"There's no Muggle Mystery Man!" I insisted shrilly, all calmness fleeing from the vicinity as the pink flush returned to my face.
"So it is a Muggle Mystery Man!" Ginny deducted. "Thank Merlin. I've thought for the longest time you were going to pursue that brother of mine."
"I… there's no Muggle Mystery Man," I repeated, not as loudly this time but with an even redder face, I'm sure. My skin felt like it was burning. "And I don't pursue anyone!"
"Fine, fine. Pursue was a bad word choice on my part," Ginny admitted. "But you can't get on my case for merely pointing out the way you've acted towards Ron since forever."
"I… I have not," I responded proudly, knowing on some level that I was downright lying. For a while, I had these unexplainable feelings for my ginger-haired best friend. They really didn't make sense, since we bickered over little things and he was disgusting and had no manners and didn't care about schoolwork, but that's why they were unexplainable. Even just a few months ago, I could have foolishly mistaken them for love, I suppose, but after considering the speed at which my daydreams of a certain redhead were replaced with those starring a certain blond, I knew I couldn't have that strong of feelings towards Ron.
Still, I could not deny my attraction to him and the fact that I used to… well, fancy him. Ginny knew likewise and starting laughing heartily.
"You so have," she argued, bringing a pout to my face. "The two of you have been skirting around each other for years."
"It has not been that long," I retorted, rolling my eyes. Back in our first year, I could barely stand him. And that was only five years ago! Not even!
"Whatever," Ginny dismissed, waving her hand. "Tell me about your Muggle Mystery Man!"
"Ginny!" I scolded.
"Did you meet him through… what's your Muggle friend's name again?" she asked, eyebrows meeting in confusion as she tried to think.
"Emily," I filled in automatically. "But I'm telling you, there's no Muggle Mystery Man."
Though… technically, I did meet someone, and it was through Emily. But I was pretty sure that Malfoy wouldn't appreciate being called a Muggle, and my red-headed friend actually did know him, so he wasn't a mystery. I kind of had to admit he was a man. Boy. Man-boy? Well, male, anyway.
"You didn't meet anybody over the past few weeks?" she questioned, dropping her shoulders with an exaggerated sigh. "Way to be boring, Hermione."
The idea popped into my brain that if Ginny knew about Dr—Malfoy, she would definitely not categorize those past few weeks of my life as boring.
"No, I met some new friends," I informed her, not liking lying to my friend. I could half-lie, half-tell the truth. Did it count as telling the truth if you were still partially lying? "Emily introduced me to her boyfriend, Eric—"
"Joy," Ginny commented drily. "You got to be the third wheel all summer long."
"It wasn't that bad," I insisted, remembering how Emily and Eric had specifically not wanted Draco and I to feel that way about them being a couple and hidden their relationship for a while.
"Now you know how Harry must feel with you and Ron around!" Ginny exclaimed teasingly, eyes bright with mischief.
"Oh, lay off!" I demanded lightly, thumping her in the head with my pillow. Immediately she retaliated, leading to an impromptu pillow fight full of squealing and laughter.
Just like Ginny wrote in her letter, life at the Burrow was busy, but lonely. Although I would have classified Ginny as one of my closer female friends – especially those exclusively from the wizarding world – I found myself growing even closer to the redhead when we were each other's only steady companions. That were girls. That were our age and not either of our mothers. Occasionally Tonks would drop by, but she seemed depressed all the time. Her hair was uncharacteristically a dull brown and long enough to flow drearily around her body when she moved. Watching her made me want to sigh.
Other than Tonks, very few women visited the Weasley home and stayed for longer than a quick report. Sometimes a few members of the Order would stay for dinner, but the faces most frequently seen around the table were all male.
And Fleur did not count.
In fact, she was probably the topic over which Ginny and I bonded the most. Even Mrs. Weasley would grumble about her future daughter-in-law. Ron, of course, adored having Fleur around, a fact which bothered both Ginny and myself more than I would care to admit.
Nevertheless, it was pleasant to have such a friendship with Ginny. At Hogwarts, I spent most of my time with my studies or with Harry and Ron. I hardly ever even saw the other girls my year, including those in the Gryffindor House. Unfortuantely for me, my very first year saw the pairing off of the other four classmates I shared my dormitory with. Lavender and Parvati were much too girlie for my taste, obsessing about make-up and school drama and talking about boys for hours upon hours; Janelle and Sophia were good friends with some boy from Ravenclaw and spent most of their time who-knows-where with him and… Lisa Turpin, I believe. Although I would sometimes talk with them, we weren't exactly good friends. But they were always willing to listen, even though I often didn't want to spill my innermost thoughts and feelings to a couple of girls I didn't know all too well. I won't deny the fact that it did happen a number of times, mostly about my frustrations with either of the boys. In return, they would share with me the drama among their group of four.
But those spontaneous discussions didn't develop into strong friendships, so I enjoyed bonding with Ginny over the summer. Ron and I also spent a lot of time together in the past week, but I was still slightly annoyed by his obsession with Fleur. Nevertheless, I supposed that was part of what made him Ron, one of my closest friends whom I cared for very much.
However, after my late night chat with Ginny, I became a bit more nervous around my ginger giant of a friend. Perhaps it was the fact that I knew I had fancied Ron previously and was – on some level at least – still a bit attracted to him that had me worried. What if Ron thought I still liked him like that? I would always toss aside that thought though, remembering that Ron never seemed to understand that I ever liked him like that. Thick dunce.
Still, I skirted around him for a couple of days, not wanting to unintentionally show too much affection of the wrong sort. Ginny's winks and suggestive eyebrow-raising certainly did not help me calm down. Harry's arrival, I hoped, would even things out again. With Harry present, the four of us could just be a group of friends, like usual. I only had to wait a few more days. A few more days, and I would have peace.
Unless…Unless Harry and Ginny started acting all couple-y, which would lead to extreme badness. With those two paired off, Ron and I would also, automatically, be stuck in a pair. What I didn't want was a repeat of the Eric/Emily and Draco/me situation. As much fun as I had, I had no desire whatsoever to get involved with Ron. Not now. Not with my emotions all jumbled. And definitely not with dreams of Dr—Malfoy featuring every night.
For the first time in my entire life, I thanked Merlin for Dean Thomas.
