45.

Hermione:

I love you.

"Don't eat all the crisps Ron!" Ginny exclaimed.

In response, he grabbed another handful from the bag and popped it into his mouth. His sister jumped on him, pushing him as she snatched the bag of potato chips from his hands. Ignoring the commotion further away Pansy was talking to Luna; they had moved closer to the edge of the cliff to get a better look at the ocean.

"She's so beautiful" thought Hermione, who had stayed in her place, sitting close to the rest. Pansy looked radiant today. It's not that other days she didn't look like that, but today... her hair and dress moved with the wind melting with the sea in the background, so she seemed part of the landscape, and to that was added her relaxed air and her huge smile while chatting with Luna.

"Sometimes I still find it weird to see you so... stunned," Harry said, bursting her bubble.

"Harry Potter," Hermione scolded him, with a mixture of shame and anger at being caught like this.

"I'm sorry! But I can't help but think about it. Seeing you in love is weird."

"Weird," she repeated, raising her eyebrow.

"Not weird, the other kind of weird. I mean... Don't look at me like that! It's just that you were always more focused than Ron and I, so... Does it still surprise me? Seeing you pining for someone else, like... Most girls in love?"

Hermione lowered her head, stifling a laugh with her hand. Harry was red to the ears. It always amused her to get Harry and Ron this flustered, like they had screwed up in front of their mothers and not their best friend. It was irritating at times too, of course. That she was more mature in general didn't make her any less young and idiotic than they were, especially when she got angry or scared of her insecurities; the only substantial difference that she had with her friends and the majority of adolescents her age was that she studied hard and although she sometimes broke the rules, she respected them, worried and was very scared by the consequences of not following them.

"I don't think you're the one to point out anything to me," Hermione said, raising her nose arrogantly, but smiling in a kind way that contradicted the gesture. "You spit out your pumpkin juice for Cho Chang. It wasn't your smartest move at all."

"Well well! I take it back, it wasn't necessary to take out the dirty laundry to get revenge." Harry laughed, still very red.

"Good I like it."

"But I've also been thinking... that you have a type."

"Sorry?"

"Come on, Hermione," Ron teased her, who had stopped fighting with his sister to sit close to Hermione and Harry. "You know it's true."

"Well, I don't know what they're talking about," she said flatly, focusing on the fire in front of them.

"Krum," they both clarified at the same time.

"Whatever Ginny told you..."

"We thought about it," Ron muttered. "Your best friends also talk and think about you from time to time, strange as it may seem…"

"Shut up Ronald, you know I don't think that."

Hermione turned her head to avoid seeing them, trying to look annoyed, and failing because of the smile that escaped her because Ron pushed her shoulder gently, so that she would pay attention to them again.

"Do you want to know what your type is like?" Harry asked, a twinkle in his eyes that showed mischief behind his kind tone.

"Surprise me," Hermione conceded skeptically.

"Black hair," Harry began as he punched in the number of the features with his fingers.

"How observant, guys."

"Thug face," Ron added, and Harry held up a second finger.

"Well, that's debatable...

"Black and blacker in clothes. Very sober style overall," Harry said, ignoring Hermione's complaints.

"Grumpy," Ron continued.

"Distant look."

"Face of hatred towards the world."

"Direct. Too direct."

"Sit at the Slytherin table..."

"That feature is stupid Ron. It's not even one, Viktor wasn't a Slytherin," Hermione corrected.

"He sat there!" The aforementioned defended himself.

"Popular and you find out they like to be in libraries," Harry said, already with nine fingers up.

Hermione gasped, indignant. Pansy and Viktor were not alike!

"In conclusion, a mixture of bad boy-mystery who usually gets people's attention and is deep down a nerd," Ron explained, looking very pleased when Hermione slapped him on the arm with an open hand.

"You are unbearable."

"You love us," Harry said.

Hermione crossed her arms, while muttering yes, she did love them, even if they were stupid boys. They seemed happy with her answer, but she wasn't happy. Pansy and Viktor don't...! No, no so much. Right? Her friends were just looking to tease her. Viktor and Pansy had many differences, such as that he was quite taciturn while Pansy tended to look even more elegant for her young age.

But... it was true that both had that evil and mysterious air, that they drew people's attention, getting quite popular and... that she had found herself disarmed when she saw them with a book in their hand. Hell, she hated that Ron and Harry were right.

She looked back at Pansy, who was pointing at something quite serious, while Luna was shaking her head vehemently, getting Pansy to cross her arms and look up at the sky, as if to say "Oh my God." Hermione found herself smiling again at the image.

"Looks like we won't have to go to the sea," Harry said, "if Hermione keeps drooling like this..."

"I guess I have to give up my illusions of Hermione finding out that Pansy is an idiot and leaving her?" Ron joked.

"Pansy is wonderful," Hermione said without thinking.

"Should I inflate a life preserver, just in case?"

"Shut up Harry." Hermione's cheeks reddened. Her friends were exaggerating.

"Whatever!" Ron snapped, wrapping his arm around Hermione's shoulders. "They look good together, I admit it."

"I can't believe it," Harry said, raising his eyebrows. "Are you serious Ron?"

"They talk about books together... What could be better for Hermione?"

"You have a point," Harry agreed.

"And Pansy is actually cute, more than anything when she's not being an angry jerk," Ron muttered thoughtfully. "How did you get the attention of someone like that?"

"I can't believe you said that," Hermione said, stunned, unable to get angry at the rather insulting ending.

"And she's sexy," Ginny said, popping up, sitting across from her, near her feet. When she noticed all three of them looking at her as if her brain had fallen out of her head, she snorted. "What? It's not like I'm going to admit it in front of her, or under torture, but I have eyes... and the fucking idiot is hot."

"Well, that's not how I expected this conversation to go, no doubt," Hermione stopped her.

"I mean, did you see her bikini?"

Of course Hermione had seen that. More than she was willing to admit publicly, in fact.

"I've been swimming with her. I know what I'm talking about," Ginny continued, moving her eyebrows up and down.

"Well, well, Pansy, she's attractive, great observation," Hermione snapped.

"Are you pissed off?" Ginny asked, as a smile spread across her face.

"What? No."

"Hermione Granger, it bothers you that I looked at your girlfriend like that!"

"Of course not. I know you don't see her 'like that'."

"I don't believe you, your face is very obvious."

"No, it's not…"

"Yes, it's obvious," said Harry and Ron, cutting off her words.

Hermione looked down at the ground, uncomfortable. She hadn't been jealous, that was stupid. Plus, it was Ginny they were talking about! She knew objectively that this was impossible.

"I won't steal her from you, I would have a date with the Hogwarts giant squid before I did with her."

She rolled her eyes at the mockery, but that didn't seem to make Ginny any less proud of herself.

"What were you talking about?" Said a dreamy voice.

Hermione, who was still trying to kill Ginny with her gaze (while she, on the contrary, was laughing), managed to answer:

"Nothing Luna, just..." To Ginny's sneer, she blurted out, "Even though Ginevra says a squid is sexier than Pansy, we all know it's not like that."

"Good to know," said... Pansy.

Hermione tensed, starting to turn red as Ginny threw herself to the ground to laugh at the top of her lungs.

"Okay, yes. We all know that," Luna concluded, unconcerned, as she looked curiously at Ginny squirming like the viper she always was in the background.

"People," Isa called. "Do you think we should go now? We could go get something to eat until it's time."

"Finally!" Rachel exclaimed, standing up. "The day was great, but I'm more of a concert girl than a beach girl."

The teens settled in, taking care to put out the fire well before leaving. They made their way through the plants, but before she started down the sand dunes, Hermione felt a tug on her clothes, so she stopped her stride and turned.

"Just to clarify... Am I sexy for you?"

"Of course you were going to ask that," Hermione muttered, Pansy wasn't going to forget that detail.

"I knew I chose well, my bikini fit me to death."

"Well, now we know that you do think you're sexy."

"Just me?" She asked with a sly smile, which was widened when Hermione shrugged in response. "Hermione…"

"You're sexy," she whispered.

"I'm sorry, what did you say?"

"You heard right, idiot."

Pansy laughed out loud. Yes, she had heard right.

. . .

She tried not to make eye contact with Aurora because she was still fidgeting a bit. After she found out that Pansy and Hermione had sex, they met again on other days, as she visited the Parkinson's apartment several more times in the summer so far. Surprisingly, Aurora didn't act weird or make her feel like she had done something wrong, rather the opposite: she had cornered her one day to apologize, telling her that she just wanted to make Pansy uncomfortable, but that Hermione shouldn't worry about anything as long as she was responsible with their actions. It was, in fact, thanks to her and her insistence on "not doing stupid things" that Pansy had some safe sex potions stored in one of her drawers. Hermione was surprised to realize that, as minors, the spells Angelina taught her had their complications outside of Hogwarts. I mean, how could I perform them if they were forbidden to use magic! She felt stupid for not having asked her earlier. But that was why Saint Mungo's had "free protections for minors." It was a potion that took around ten minutes to take effect, thus preventing the spread of diseases without the need to use magic.

But regardless of Pansy's mother's approval (which she preferred not to think too much about to avoid dying of embarrassment), she felt rather sorry just to think that Aurora knew what they did, so she found it better to keep avoiding her gaze. Aurora, however, was not very focused on Hermione today, Xenophilius had her full attention, and the woman seemed more than ready to be the new Sirius Black of England. She had to hold back laughing at the surreal nature of the situation, especially when Pansy and Luna were talking quietly again, really comfortable with each other.

In the end the adults had returned to the beach, at Aurora's insistence, to make sure everything was okay. It seemed that Pansy's mother truly felt committed to the parents who trusted her to care for them all. In fact, Hermione was curious that it was Aurora and not Molly Weasley who was here today, and she had a slight suspicion as to why: Pansy. Maybe her girlfriend wasn't aware of this detail at all, but it was painfully obvious to Hermione that Aurora was trying to show that she was better, that she was okay and that she could take care of everything, which was surely a consequence of Pansy and her belief that they would get better and better, they would be a happy family again. Hermione had no doubt that this would be the case, she could tell, especially since Aurora stopped drinking; She seemed much more focused on reality, more concerned with Pansy and being a good example for her.

It turned out, too, that Aurora also had a talent for cajoling members of the Weasley family, since Ginny was now near kneeling at her feet. Why? Well... Aurora was a bloody genius. Even Hermione was tempted to follow Ginny's example and worship her; her skill with enchantments narrowly missed dropping her jaw. She had had few complications to make everyone "presentable", using an enchantment to make the space invisible so she could avoid prying eyes, and others to remove the sand, fix her hair and clean any traces of dirt that may have existed. And then, of course, she showed off even more, showing off an extensive wardrobe that appeared out of nowhere. Hermione suspected that it was a spell similar to that of an expandable bag, since it broke the logic of space; It essentially looked like a closet, but when opened it revealed a huge room, with long corridors with hanging clothes. It was very similar to a warehouse or a large clothing store.

"You never even let me see it!" Pansy was outraged.

"You shouldn't see it," Aurora said. "Actually, I'll get in trouble if Fernández finds out that I still have access to this."

"Are you stealing?" Pansy asked then, her eyes wide.

"Borrowing," she corrected. "It's from my second cousin's clothing, he's not going to denounce me with the aurors. Besides it's more complicated since he is still in Colombia, the laws for international issues are crap. Or is it in Mexico now?" She mused, missing the point of the conversation. "Since he divorced Paula, he has never stayed long in his country. I think he was unfaithful, the idiot. He is lucky that I am not around, I would have sided with Paula without a doubt, since he was a teenager he was terrible at maintaining serious relationships."

"I guess stealing from a stupid cheater is okay?" Rachel said, trying not to laugh.

"Not really. Just because someone is a bad person doesn't mean we can violate their property," Sophie said.

"Look at that dress!" Ginny yelled, jumping up to the wardrobe. "I'm dead? I feel dead... But from envy! Look at this. And that one over there! Please Hermione, tell me that stealing is okay."

"Why are you asking me?" Said Hermione. "And no, it is not."

"If you thought it's okay, my mom would think the same..." Ginny fantasized.

"Weasley, don't drool on the silk, please," Pansy teased her.

"Your mother won't find out Ginny, you have my word." Choose what you want. All of you, grab what you want. You have to take advantage when a witch from the world of fashion opens a closet for you," Aurora said, looking very proud and amused by her own joke.

"What kind of mother are you?" Pansy asked, her arms crossed.

"What kind of teenagers are you who gets moralistic instead of dressing up for a party?" She snapped back.

"How wonderful, Auri!" Xenophilius praised, as he sniffed at the clothes.

"Mrs. Parkinson," Luna called her. "I don't want to get involved too much, but I don't get it: Why don't you work as a model, if you still have contacts?"

"Such innocence," sighed Aurora. "Because I'm old, clearly."

All the teenagers looked at her then, even Luna's father, who widened his eyes, becoming more bulging than they normally were. Pansy didn't seem shocked, most likely she had already had a similar conversation with her mother.

"Well, I certainly don't want to sound like Fred and George," Ginny began, dumbfounded, "but you know... you are..." She waved her hands, pointing to Aurora's entire body in an exaggerated way.

Hermione almost laughed when she saw Pansy wrinkle her nose in disgust.

"I know, I know, I'm the most beautiful woman in this damned country," she said, dismissing it with her hand. "But most of us female models work until we are twenty-five, then we are too old for the industry. I didn't study to be a designer either, I just know how to show off on a catwalk."

"Ridiculous! As if age takes away someone's charm," Xenophilius was outraged. "I insist, The Quibbler would be happy to have you."

"Not forgetting how sexist it is," Hermione added, unable to contain herself. "Male models tend to have a higher age range. It's an unhealthy demand, to make women look twenty years old forever. Thin as a stick, tall... Did you see that they even tend to prefer that they have white skin? As if that alone could be considered beautiful…"

"Yeah, yeah," Ron stopped her. "You have already made it clear to us thousands of times that the whole of society is wrong."

"I didn't make it clear enough if most of the people in the world are still classist, xenophobic, homophobic, transphobic, macho… And I could go on!"

"Quite a fighter, eh?" Aurora pointed out with a smile as she looked at Pansy, who snorted, ignoring the question.

"Can we get dressed now? I have several things I would like to try," Ginny said, who seemed physically unable to move away from the wardrobe.

Everyone began to search the hallways. Ginny came and went, always with several hangers in hand. Pansy looked at everything much calmer, but just as fascinated (after all, she admitted that it was something she wanted to see but never could). Hermione was feeling a bit overwhelmed, not knowing where to start.

"I don't know if there's anything I could use, I don't..." Neville stammered, embarrassed. It seemed like she wasn't the only one overwhelmed here.

"Why?" Asked Harry, who was close to him.

"Just look at me," he whispered. "I'm not... it's…"

"You are very handsome, you will surely find something that fits you well," Luna said, poking her head out of the clothes. Neville winced in shock.

"But... the sizes," the boy lowered his head, not wanting to give up. His words sounded so sharp and unsure that most didn't even hear them.

"Up front are the little ones," Aurora said, appearing out of nowhere, also scaring Neville. "Neville, right?" She continued, with a sympathetic smile.

"Yes, Mrs. Parkinson," he murmured. He looked like a frightened animal, cowering in on itself.

"My weight worried me a lot, too," she said. "As Hermione rightly said, fashion often puts inhuman things in our heads." Aurora glanced at her when she named her, causing Hermione to smile shyly.

"But you are... You look good. You were a model," Neville tried uncomfortably.

"Yes, and although I have never gained weight in my life, at work they made me crazy many times. I love fashion and modeling, seriously, but I know how hard it is when something doesn't fit you. They always gave us very tight clothes because it was to be expected that a model could fit in them. But there were times when they didn't fit me and I felt really bad about it. I know I'm thin and I'm not even close to understanding you Neville, but I do know what the desperation of not wanting to eat is, wanting to be thinner. And you know what? They will always tell you that you should lose more weight, that if you were a little thinner you'd look better... and it is pure nonsense. Ignore it, seriously. You are not an object that they can say what things they can fix about you, what could be changed or how you could be better... You are fine as you are like that. Clothing is an object, and it can be adapted to you. Never think that it must be the other way around."

Neville's eyes were wide open, genuinely surprised, but you could tell that in his silence he was processing everything.

"Something similar happens to me with my dysphoria," Isa confessed, with their soft voice, looking anywhere but someone's eyes. "Sometimes it's hard for them to tell me things like 'hey, isn't that very feminine for you?', Because according to everyone I have a man's body. Or even when I buy clothes and there is something from the women's section that I like, but that are too small for me, especially for the shoulders... They make you feel that you should have a different, more "normal" body. I know it's not about weight, but... I understand that it hurts. It hurts me sometimes too."

"Is that why you're not looking for anything, Isa?" Asked Aurora.

"Oh no, actually I'll get dressed before I go on stage, I have my things packed there, so... I guess it doesn't make sense for me to look for something here."

"You won't regret it? On the left side there are some outfits that I think would look spectacular on you. Even if not, you could try them on while others choose."

"I wouldn't want to abuse…"

"In the row along the left wall, in section ten, maybe eleven? Search, have fun," she interrupted, and then looked at Neville, resting her hand on his shoulder. "And you, come with me. I'll make you feel more handsome than any model you've ever seen, trust me."

The boy walked away with Aurora, babbling excuses, but unable to avoid being dragged by her.

"Your mother is pretty cool," Harry commented.

"She is," Hermione seconded.

"Whatever," Pansy murmured, trying not to show the smile on her face. "Since my mom is dressing Neville. How about some help, Hermione? I found several things that I would love to see you in."

"Good luck," Harry scoffed, beginning to walk away with something he had chosen to try on.

"Pansy, I..."

"Do you have something in mind?"

"Yes. I do."

"Liar," she snorted. "Come on, let's go to the locker room. You should cooperate, you know that I will not be ashamed to go into your dressing room and force you to put on the clothes I want."

"I can choose on my own," she complained.

"I know! You will go to the concert with whatever you want at the end. But I plan to have fun with the process."

"But…"

"Come on, please, for me."

"Fine! She relented, crossing her arms. But I won't wear any short skirts no matter what you say."

"So bikinis are out of the question?"

"I can't wear that for the party!"

"I know, but I was left with the desire after your scam on the beach…"

"You are the worst. And no, I won't wear any of that. Your mother is here, for heaven's sake!"

"How boring," she complained, sticking her tongue out at her before pacing the aisles grabbing different pieces of clothing. When she selected a fifth hanger, Hermione sighed. This would take a while.

. . .

It was finally late enough for them to go to the concert. Everyone was very excited, and the adults had agreed that they could all go there together unattended, but again, in case of any problem, they would give notice. In general, they weren't very worried, they just wanted to be in the same city in case of the worst: that someone was an idiot and drank much more than necessary, that they lost their money, that someone got hurt, or similar things. It was better if they were a few streets away rather than miles away without knowing anything.

Isa smiled, for the first time since she met them, with pride when they approached one of the guards at the door who with a quick salute let them all in, without having to queue (which was very long and they could well have been out until the middle of the night waiting).

The way the magical and the muggle were mixed on Chalkwell Beach had Hermione fascinated. Most magical things here had disillusionment spells so that Muggles would always see, rather than what was actually there, a shop that they would never dream of wanting to enter. Hermione considered it a brilliant diversion and didn't understand why it wasn't used more, instead of making entire sectors exclusively for wizards.

The place they entered had a style that reminded her a bit of the aesthetics of the Hogwarts dungeons, as they went down several stairs and the walls were gray and rocky, even in the gloom. But unlike the castle, there were quite a few violet, pink and yellow neon lights here, which were enchanted and moved as if they had a life of their own along the walls, forming in a place some word like "Welcome" and then meandering and in the opposite wall form a quirky, caricatured drawing of known bands or drinks. There were also several candles hung on the walls, giving a warm light that contrasted very well with the darker areas.

She felt a hand caress her lower back and glanced sideways, seeing that just as she imagined, it was Pansy who was doing it. She enjoyed the feeling, which was mixed with the excitement and uncertainty for this new place, which was already beginning to fill up. Now Hermione wondered if Ginny wasn't over the top and maybe they were in front of someone who could really achieve fame. It was quite impressive, considering that Isa hadn't finished Hogwarts yet.

"This is so cool," Rachel said, looking around.

"I like the lights," said Luna, who was walking looking up and miraculously hadn't stumbled yet.

"I'll go backstage," Isa said. "If you want you can join me, the rest of the band is there. But... after we play we will go down, so you can see them later if you prefer to explore around here."

"Backstage!" Sophie decided.

"It's boring..." Pansy pointed out.

"Sophie and I will go," Rachel said. "Anyone else?"

"I'd love to see Zuri, so I'll join," Ginny replied.

"I would love to see if there is some kind of concentration of magical creatures in particular behind the scenes. I don't see it as impossible, there is a lot of energy and tension there," added Luna.

They left then, leaving Neville, Harry, Ron, Hermione and Pansy, but not before saying that the meeting point for all would be near the stairs, in the area with tables. It didn't take long for the boys to want to go to the bar to see if they looked old enough to order alcohol. Hermione didn't try to break their illusion, so she didn't tell them that they were sure to detect age through wands and that they should wait for Isa or one of their friends to give them a hand.

"I never heard Isa's band play. I don't even know the name, now that I think about it," Hermione said. Pansy chuckled at her observation. "Have you heard them?"

"A couple of times, yes, in rehearsals. Draco helps them, he's friends with Chris, so he hangs out with the band."

"But... Isa and their friends don't seem to me…"

"Like idiotic supremacists?" She finished for her. "They are not. I think it is like when you talk about the policies of the Ministry? Sometimes with friends, or with not very close acquaintances, you pretend not to know some things or avoid some topics. And anyway, none of the gang is Muggle-born... Draco can't get too picky whether he wants to or not."

"And are they good?"

"They play well, yes. Isa's voice is very special."

"Pardon? Is Isa a vocalist? I thought they played guitar." Hermione couldn't hide her surprise. Isa was one of the most insecure and shy people she knew, but on stage did they sing without fear?

"Both."

She reached for Pansy's hand, playing with her fingers, while she thought.

"And what will we do until they play?" Hermione finished asking.

"Dancing, of course."

"Oh, do you dance?" She feigned surprise.

"Yes, funny girl. And you dance too. Unless you sent a fake copy of yourself to last year's dance to match Krum, you can't escape me."

"What makes you think I don't want to?" She asked, smiling confidently. That seemed to throw Pansy off balance, as she pouted uncomfortably.

"You're a bookworm. You know: hide in the corners, socialize little."

"You do know what a girl wants to hear..."

"Mice are... cute?"

"Don't clarify, it's getting worse..." she joked, as she pulled Pansy's hand into the crowd who were dancing near the stage.

Since Pansy was taller, it was natural for her hands to get tangled around her neck. Hermione liked being able to feel Pansy's hair on her fingers, it was always very soft and it became addicting to stroke it. She wasn't sure what song was playing through the speakers, because when she left muggle music she got pretty lost. But she liked the song, and her company even more. Pansy had circled her waist, pulling her closer. Hermione noticed that the perfume Pansy was wearing today was different than usual, and she had no idea where she got it from, but she loved it.

They moved calmly, following the rhythm, as each seemed engrossed in her own thoughts. They didn't have to wait long before spotlights caught everyone's attention in the spacious room. On stage, Isa stood front and center. Chris was to their right, on bass, and Zuri in the background, sitting at the drums. There was a boy that Hermione, when she met him, was surprised to find that he was from Gryffindor, and was in charge of the keyboard. A second guitarist was on Isa's free side, to their right, but she didn't know her except by name, and she knew she was another Slytherin.

"Hello everyone, we are Troubled Waters! We are happy to be able to play here, and I imagine everyone is having a great time too. No?"

There was a knock of glasses coming from the tables, and also several whistles and shouts of things that were not understood. Hermione couldn't have said anything even if she wanted to. Isa looked... like someone else. She suspected that these clothes weren't what they had originally intended, and that in fact, Aurora had gotten her way. They wore a mix between feminine and masculine garments, and they were beautiful: a shiny shirt, made of silk perhaps, together with a jacket that squared their shoulders and at the same time made their waist shine, and finally, their shoes that broke with everything, very military style. They also wore a bit of makeup around their eyes and on their lips. Isa looked according to the place, which was so eccentric, so novel...

When the music started, Hermione had her second surprise. First, because Isa no longer hunched their shoulders, nor did they escape the eyes of others. It was as if on stage they were disguising themself as a character that they seemed to adore. But they also sang very well, too well actually, and the instruments were not far behind. Were they really just teenagers? They were... truly talented. And now it was obvious that they were not touring various cities in the country for nothing. She turned to look at Pansy, wanting to express with her eyes how impressed and happy she was, and then she felt her stomach twist and the air catch in her throat.

Pansy had a smile that was going to be her undoing. Well, many things about her were already her undoing. She couldn't deny how much she liked her lopsided smile, or that distant look, which was amplified when she was lost in thought. But this? From her position she could see her face perfectly, which was centered on the stage in front of her. Her green eyes mixed with the violet of the lights, so alive, and as always, a little lost, far from everything. Her smile, a calm but happy one, finished off the set. Pansy was a mismatch between the great euphoria, the fast and loud movements in the background, the energetic music, the fleeting lights that changed and moved. Hermione had never gotten drunk, but... she was feeling pretty dizzy right now, because Pansy looked beautiful and she didn't even have to look at the rest of her to know for sure. Her body, of course, was a great distraction when they went downstairs to enter the bar, since she had opted for black leather pants, matching heels that made her even taller, and a black shirt that was transparent and let her see a top that... Okay, now Hermione's eyes had lowered. Damn, Pansy was beautiful. And still she wanted to go back to her face, her eyes, her mouth... she couldn't imagine getting bored of it.

The music was playing, and it didn't really matter. It didn't matter what the lyrics said or what the rhythm was. The band seemed almost far away. She stretched her arm, searching Pansy's cheek, connecting glances. She stood on tiptoe and brought her nose close to hers, still looking at her. Pansy then lowered her head, as Hermione closed the gap. Actually, she wasn't even sure she heard any sound anymore.

Sometimes being so close to her girlfriend felt like running nonstop, because her lungs stung just the same. Even if she wasn't gasping for air, even though she was breathing normally, she felt like she was lacking air. It almost hurt, but actually, it didn't at all, it felt really good. She didn't even need to go deep, just kiss her like this, slow, hungry, pressing her lips hard, brushing the surface... Hermione felt drunk, no doubt.

Then, much later in the evening, she felt a bit drunk on alcohol as well. But not so much, either, she could never be entirely irresponsible. She had fun with her friends, they all looked gorgeous thanks to Aurora, who had fun using them as her personal mini-models. Ron, for example, couldn't cope, happy that three girls spoke to him. Harry looked more flustered because a couple also offered to dance, but he didn't dare. Ginny was the life of the party, she danced with everyone except Ron since she considered that "incestuous" and disgusting just for the simple fact of seeing his face. But taking her away? Luna, Isa, Neville, Zuri, a Harry dead of shame who tripped over his own feet... and even Pansy (who knows how, they ended up competing with each other to see who danced better).

In the end, at one point, Pansy told Hermione to go outside instead of sitting at some table, as she wanted some fresh air. She assured her that they would not go beyond the street in front and that they would re-enter, so she agreed to her request.

She hadn't realized, until she came out, how warm she had felt inside the building. Between the alcohol, dancing and the fact that it was a closed space, even with several open windows and a ventilation spell that kept it quite cool, it was true that at times it became overwhelming. There was hardly anyone outside, the guards looked at them when they passed near them, but said nothing as they smoked and talked to each other. Pansy guided her, tugging at her hand. They crossed the street, which was not occupied by a single miserable car, until they came to a railing at the opposite end. Both leaned there, while they saw the dark sea and the moon above, white and resplendent. The place was very well located, getting a very nice view from being in front of the beach.

"I danced better than Ginny, right?"

"I don't like lying to you…"

"And that is, in fact, a lie!" Pansy laughed. "You always lie to me, liar."

"And you're always annoying," she complained, hitting her with her elbow, so softly that she might as well not have.

A pleasant silence settled as they listened to the waves crash against some rocks. There was something about the coolness of the sea that could be felt in the air, and it forced her to relax, to enjoy the pleasant chill of summer. Hermione looked down, to where her hand was entwined with Pansy's, and froze to notice that she still had her girlfriend's ring on. She had forgotten! And it seemed to be... that Pansy had too?

"Your ring," she remarked.

"Hm?"

"You didn't ask for it back."

"Well, it's here, I'm not worried," she replied, raising her hand, and consequently Hermione's as well, to show off the ring in question.

"But…"

"There's no rush," she said, giving her a reassuring smile. "If you're the one wearing it, I'm not worried about it. You would give it back to me sooner or later."

Hermione blushed at her blind faith, and released her hand, causing Pansy to raise an eyebrow. She removed the ring, ignoring the other's confusion, and reached for her girlfriend's hand again. She adjusted her middle finger, extending it so that she could easily slide the ring over it. Once she settled it in place, she gave Pansy a cheery smile as she leaned down to kiss her cheek. Hermione was flattered, but the ring looked a thousand times better on Pansy.

"I like that you always wear it, because it is the flower of your name."

"What?" She was taken aback.

"Don't tell me you didn't know what the ring engraving is..."

"I know! Of course I know it. But you are not supposed to know."

"I'm a bookworm. You think I didn't do my research?"

"Are you saying you investigated which flower was the one on my ring engraving? That's... kind of stalking. And cute. Very you, that's for sure. Of course Hermione Granger would seek answers to even the simplest things."

"You are so unbearable."

"And wonderful," she emphasized.

"And wonderful," she murmured, grimacing. "Pansies, wild thought…" she said after a while of silence, staring out to sea. "I don't think a name really defines someone as they are chosen before you are born and it is not possible to predict what you will be like. But your name... Don't you think it's accurate? There are many meanings of that flower, even in mythology, they say that Zeus turned a woman into that flower, or Hera did, it depends on the version.

I insist that I don't think a name defines anything. A flower is nothing more than a flower, and its meanings are just what we give them, so they don't really mean anything. But... ignoring that, if we pretend it's true, they say that flower means nostalgia. I think it is something that looks good on you, you always have that look, even since you were a child, as if... you were very far away, deep down. Like the sea, now that I think about it! And if we give more thought to 'wild thinking', it sounds like a synonym. The sea is unpredictable and fierce, as well as calm and thoughtful." A smile spread across her face, enjoying the sound of the waves even more. "It is a somewhat sad flower in reality, quite related to reflection, death, loss... the end of winter that gives way to spring, the one that resists the cold until the heat arrives."

"I like the simpler explanation, actually," Pansy said. Even in the moonlight alone, the pink on her cheeks was noticeable.

Hermione looked at her curiously. Something in her heart fluttered, at the foolishness of thinking of Pansy researching flower meanings. And to say indirectly that she knew about it: she knew, read about all this, and still did not interrupt her.

"The flower has different colors... purple, white, orange..." Pansy explained. "The violet means modesty, the white color purity, the orange... something like first love encounters, and three colors together call to the memory. Well, there are more colors actually. But it is closely related to nostalgic thoughts of love, even if it is one that is not shared."

"It's as if you made it deeper. No? Observing love, thinking about...?"

"It also speaks of eternal love towards the being that originated life."

"If your mother heard you..." she teased, earning herself a slightly threatening look.

"Or more simply: lasting love," she whispered, and Hermione was almost afraid of losing what she was saying to her in the water, washed away by the waves. "With the good and the bad."

"A beautiful name, in conclusion."

"Maybe I should look into your name. I only know about mine because Parkinsons have a curious relationship with flowers."

"Narcisso," Hermione remembered, but didn't say. Instead, she moved closer to Pansy, snuggling into her shoulder.

"Then another day you can tell me about your family. And another day we can research my name, I'll pretend I don't know anything so you have to think." Hermione felt Pansy flinch, laughing.

"And later?"

"I do not know. Research on Mrs. Pest? I still don't know what species it is. I'd like to know more about muggle colleges, too."

"Sounds like we'll have a lot to do together."

Hermione nodded, distracted by the way Pansy stroked her wrist and forearm, so soft it almost tickled her.

"I love you," Pansy whispered, but this time Hermione was no longer afraid that the waves would steal her words.

Notes. Curiosity # 6:
Already in this chapter, and those that follow, the "I love you" is already a "te amo". Definitive declaration of love in Spanish. Already very very very serious.(?