Four Wishing Stars
By Corynth
"Hmmmm," said Ginny, "How about this?"
She held up a skimpy blue dress. Hermione, sitting on Ginny's bed, sighed loudly, and flopped back, bouncing on the mattress.
"Mmkay," said Ginny," hanging the dress back up in her closet, "take that as a no."
Hermione sat up.
"I don't have a figure to fit into that dress! And even if I did, I'm not trying to seduce him into saying yes, I want him love me for me."
Ginny continued flipping through dresses. "Not that easy."
"What?" asked Hermione.
Ginny abandoned the clothes and sat down next to Hermione.
"I said it's not that easy. You have to make Ron realize that he loves you! He's such a boy, he's not going to realize it on his own!"
Hermione considered her.
"I don't think he's stupid, Ginny," she said, "I think he might have reached a decision, whether it be in my favor or not, about how he feels about me."
Ginny rolled her eyes.
"We're talking about Ron here, Herm."
"Ginny. I know darn well who we're talking about."
"Well I was just saying-"
"I know what you were saying, too."
"Hermione!"
"What?"
"Can I interrupt this little love fest?"
Ginny and Hermione looked up at the door. Harry was leaning against the frame, grinning.
Ginny rolled her eyes. "Please do."
"Ron likes your yellow dress, Ginny."
Ginny looked at him, puzzled.
"Yeah, I know, he's told me that before. What... Oh... I get it."
Harry was nodding vigorously and winking.
"What's going on?" asked Hermione, who might have sensed that Ginny and Harry had been conversing in private, making sure that the little meeting between Ron and Hermione went well. Ginny's had been trying to act all day as thought she didn't know Ron loved Hermione just as much as she loved him. She fully believed that Hermione would be happier if she found out on her own.
"Nothing," said Harry and Ginny together. Harry left without saying anything
more. Ginny smiled goofily after him.
"Ginny, can we focus on me?"
Ginny turned back to Hermione.
"Sorry, honey," she said. "Now. You are wearing the yellow dress and that is final. No, no ifs, ands, buts, or any other comments, contradictions, questions, etc."
She pulled her yellow dress out of the closet and tossed it at Hermione.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Ron nervously plucked at his nice shirt. "What if she says she doesn't love me, and our friendship ends up being ruined altogether?"
"She won't," said Harry firmly, "Now. Go. It's 11:57."
Ron took a deep breath and walked out of his room and down the stairs.
"Do I look alright?"
Ginny gave Hermione a quick and careful hug, so as not rumple Hermione's dress.
"Hermi, you look great."
Hermione shivered. "I have never been more nervous in my life!"
Ginny pushed her gently through the door.
"It's going to be fine!" she assured Hermione, "Just tell him how you feel!"
With that she closed the door in Hermione's face, so that Hermione couldn't decide to back out.
Hermione took a deep breath and walked slowly down the stairs. To keep herself from bursting into tears with nervousness, she recited the steps she was taking in her head.
Down one flight, down another. Living room. Kitchen. Back door. Open the back door. Hermione Granger, open that door! Opening back door. Yard. More Yard. Fence. Ron.
"Ron!"
She said it a bit too loudly, simply because of nerves, but from the look on Ron's face, Hermione could see he felt the same way she did: scared.
In the doorway, Ginny was leaning partway into the yard. She wasn't just going to listen to Hermione's description second hand. She wanted to see this for herself.
"Guess I'm not the only spy in this house," whispered someone from behind Ginny. She spun around and smiled.
"What'd I miss?" asked Harry, still in a whisper.
Ginny shook her head. "Nothing." She grabbed Harry by the arm and dragged him over to the door. She moved over so that he could squeeze next to her and they both leaned over to get a good view of Ron and Hermione.
Hermione leaned against the fence to steady herself. She was seriously worried that she was going to fall forward and into Ron. It wasn't like she would have minded that, but how could she know how Ron would react?
Hermione wasn't saying anything, so Ron tried to compliment her.
"You look nice, Mione."
Hermione looked at him.
"What did you call me?"
"Hermione."
Hermione smiled. "No you didn't. You called me Mione."
Ron could have killed himself. Had he really called her Mione? He only called Hermione that in his head, never, ever, to her face.
"Well, I..." he trailed off, not really sure what to say. "Hey, didn't you want to talk to me?"
Hermione took a deep breath. Okay, speech time.
"Ron," she began.... And then she stopped. Oh no. She couldn't remember the rest. Ron... Ron...Ron what?
Suddenly she started speaking, pushed merely by her heart, spilling words that were the only ones to express how she was feeling.
"Ron, I realized a while ago that you mean more to me than anything, and what with You-Know-Who back in power, anything can happen, and I don't want to lose you, and I'm so scared, and we could be ripped apart at any moment, and I just wanted to tell you so you would know and I could clear my conscious, because if I don't tell you this Ron, I'm never going to be able to live with my self, and, and... you are just so much to me, my best friend in the whole world, and... And I love you!"
And she burst into tears.
Without wasting a moment, Ron fought his way through all his reservations, he left his fear and his dignity behind, he grabbed her and pulled her to him, held her tight against him, and he kissed her as hard as he could.
Ginny found that she was crying.
Harry looked at her.
"Hey," he said," snaking an arm around her shoulders, "What's the matter?"
Ginny looked at him. What was the matter? Was she just overwhelmed with the sweetness of Hermione's kiss, and her good fortune? Or was she jealous, craving that Harry would take her in his arms and kiss her like that?
"I love you," Ginny whispered the words that had grown inside her for so long. After they were out of her mouth, she regretted them immediately, but Harry just smiled.
"What?" he said, "I don't get a run on sentence?"
Ginny found herself laughing, and Harry was laughing too, and they were leaning against each other in fitful gales of laughter, and then they were kissing.
As the moon shone over the four of them, four stars twinkled, in response to four wishes.