Wow! Look! I think my muse came back, although she seems rather flighty...I need to fill you in on a few things in this next chapter of the story. First of all, I have skipped several months ahead, and it may seem like a lot of Harry/Ginny romance, but hopefully you will be able to see how a romance between the two is needed to bring the trio back together again...anyways, read, and understand...Oh! Wait! I need to explain Hermione first. You may think that she is OOC in this chapter, but really she's not. If you think about it, Hermione is not the type of girl to get depressed. She also isn't influenced by others easily, but she does have just as much anger as anyone else. So...she needed a way to vent it. She will still be responsible, and probably regain more of it in the next chapter, but she needed to do something relatively harmless to let her vent and to let her cut loose a little...Enjoy!!!
The Messenger and the Dragon
Chapter Seven: Of Elves, Reunion, and a Brave little Weasley
*Hermione's POV*
She felt his body next to her. She felt his warmth. She stretched, and sighed happily like a big, fat, lazy cat. It was early December. She got up and went over to the window. Winter had worked his magic, laying claim to the land around them, pointy, menacing icicles hanging from various ledges and a blanket of snow enveloping the ground. She looked back to him. He had fallen over in the overstuffed chair they had been sharing, looking comical with a too-big, pointy elf hat on his head, covering his eyes, and all of his silvery-blonde hair. He held the elves slippers in his hands, and was clutching a big red and green blanket also.
She knew she should wake him up. Dumbledore would not be pleased to see the two of them together in HIS chair in the Great Hall. She glanced at the clock on the wall before remembering that it was magical and therefore just said, "time for all good children to wake up". Well, he certainly wasn't good. In fact, neither was she. If anyone found out what they had done last night...well, the least that would happen would be getting another detention. Hermione shook her head and sat down in McGonnagal's chair, wondering what had happened to the good little student she used to be. Technically she still was a good student (She and Draco were now tied for top of the class, mainly because they did all of their homework together), but she was also a fabulous prankster. She supposed this had happened at the beginning of October when both Ron and Harry were still refusing to talk to her and Fred and George had taken pity on her and let her spend more time with them, rather than alone in a corner of the common room moping.
She had practically been forced into helping them with their first masterpiece prank of that year. She had been shocked when she realized that she was loving every moment of it. She loved the looks on peoples faces, she even loved to watch McGonnagal yell. She loved the way her face turned purple. The way Snape's turned a sickly green. The grin that always appeared on Draco's.
The two of them had spent as much time as possible together, but at first that had been very little because they had had to try to ease everyone into the idea. They had been friends, but soon realized that, first of all, it just wasn't something people would ease into, and second of all, they couldn't stand pretending any longer. It was late October when that had happened. She started spending less time with Fred and George, who both understood, and actually took a liking to Draco (mainly because he had contributed several of the winning ideas to their masterpiece pranks-they liked the way he thought), and more time with Draco. This, unfortunately, pushed Harry and Ron farther away. They had become really unreasonable about the whole thing. Harry had started dating Cho, Ginny had become rather depressed, and Ron had started spending a lot of time with Hagrid. Their little trio had started to disappear at an alarming rate.
Hermione shoved the more dismal thoughts to the back of her mind, and brought forth, instead, that first real day of their romance. It had been October 27th, and a Hogsmeade trip. That day Ron had been in the Infirmary with a rare bout of the flu, and Harry had gone off with Cho. Hermione found to her delight that she got to spend the whole day with Draco. After they had visited every shop they could have possibly wanted to, she had led him towards the cave beyond the Shrieking Shack where she had met Sirius in dog form the previous year. It took about five minutes. They just couldn't keep up the façade when no one was around to observe. They wanted the other. They had scooted closer to the other, both sitting in absolute silence. Hermione had noticed how warm and yellow the cave was. It was like the deepest part of a forest on a warm autumn day. Slowly they had reached out for the others' hand, but once they had grasped it an electric shock swept through their bodies, making them shake. It was the most pleasant pain they had ever experienced. She had the sensation of actually being able to *feel* his thoughts. They fell to the other, grasping onto each other in a rough and long held back embrace. The warmth of the room seemed to reach an electrifying degree, until she could no longer decipher whether the room was warm or cool.
Their mouths had somehow found the others', and having met never wanted to part. She felt both incredible ecstasy and monumental calm, like a vortex within herself. She knew that the two were opposites and yet they were one. After they were almost purple from lack of breath they pulled away, and sat facing the other, staring. They held the others' face in their hands, and were close enough to feel each others' breath, to touch noses, to stare cross-eyed at the other. She couldn't say how long they had stayed like that, probably not long at all, yet it was like an eternity. Then they had gotten up and run all the way back to Hogwarts, into a large, fiery, orange, setting sun.
Snapping out of pleasant reverie, she got up and gently woke him. He woke up smiling. She watched him stretch, and then he pulled her into a sort of dance around the entire Hall. He pulled off the hat and threw it in a random direction. She pulled off the little elf ears that were still attached to her own. He threw the slippers. They ran, together, out of the Hall, giggling. Last night they had taken a secret passage out of the castle, towards Hogsmeade. Then they had caught the Knight Bus, and gone to London. They went to Diagon Alley, and disguised themselves as two elves. Then they had gone back to the Leaky Cauldron, and played a game of poker with about seven elves, and listened to talk about Rudolph, who was suffering through a cold, and kept flashing his nose on and off every time he sneezed. Around three they had had one last butterbeer, and chatted with Madame Rosmerta, who was trying to get Christmas secrets out of them. No one suspected that they were actually Hogwarts students. They got back to the Great Hall by four, and collapsed in Dumbledore's chair. Luckily, today was a Saturday.
He gave her a short kiss, and they headed their separate ways, towards their different houses.
Hermione braced herself. What if someone was up? What would they think? She figured she would just have to explain to Lavender and Parvati...however, as she stepped through the portrait hole, she found Ron sitting in one of the armchairs, in his pajamas, waiting for her.
"Where have you been?" His face looked pale and strained.
"I-I...uh, I've been...places..."
"Hermione! What's gotten into you? You're so...different!"
"Don't lecture me, Ron! Maybe I wouldn't be 'so different' if my friends hadn't abandoned me!"
"Abandoned you? I never abandoned you! You abandoned me!"
"What? You wouldn't even hear me out!"
Harry came down the stairs at that moment. He came hopping down, skipping two at a time. He had a bouquet of red roses in one hand. He grinned at Ron and didn't even acknowledge Hermione. Then he was out the portrait hole and down the corridor.
"See? That is not the result of me abandoning him..."
"Harry's being a Cho-absorbed git. Ignore him."
Hermione grinned at this, and sat down next to Ron. "So...um, what have you been up to these past few...months?"
"I've spent a lot of time with Hagrid. Spent a lot of time training for Quidditch. I'm gonna vie for a place on the team. Maybe even reserve Seeker. Harry may need it, since he's been so preoccupied lately, plus, he could never play against Cho. She would whop him. I guess I haven't done much, really. Listened to Ginny go on and on about the fabulous Harry Potter and how she would like to strangle him-after she kissed him, that is."
"So, you and Harry haven't even seen much of each other, then?"
"No. I can't stand Cho. She's such an idiot! Although, from what I hear, she's good at kissing. Harry's obsessed."
"No kidding. I warned him. Right before he stopped talking to me...but, hell, he wouldn't listen, now would he? Plus, to him, it probably looks like I'm the idiot here."
"I still don't see what you see. I still think Malfoy's scum. I can't stand him. And what happened to you?"
"Well, without you or Harry, your brothers got me hooked on pranks...I guess I needed to keep myself occupied, and schoolwork wasn't enough. Plus, I hooked Draco on them...and we've become quite a team. Half the things your brothers are getting blamed for is our doing!!!"
"Last night?"
"We snuck into Diagon Alley. Pretended to be elves. Learned about how Rudolf has a cold..."
"How?!"
"We caught the Knight Bus in Hogsmeade!"
"Wow, Hermione, you could get expelled for that!"
"I know...but no one recognized us...luckily."
They sat in silence for a few minutes, before Hermione said, "Ron, we've really fallen apart. There are things in my life that I love. But I'm faced with the fact that right now, a lot of those things are missing. I don't feel like I should have to choose between my best friends and my boyfriend. I don't expect you to get along, but I was expecting you all to still be my friends..."
"I was, too, Hermione. I guess everything was just too sudden. I mean, I know that Harry and I weren't talking to you, but it looked like you and Draco were just friends. Then...bam! I think I can respect the fact that its your choice, though, and we can get on with being friends...but, 'Mione, this whole prank thing of yours really confuses me..."
Hermione enveloped Ron in a rough, friendly hug, and they both found themselves laughing and crying, having missed each other immensely, as good friends often do, and having gotten over all the pride in the way.
"I guess I just realized that while my studies are important to me, my life was terribly unbalanced. It was all work and no play. So I've made a goal for myself. I have to pull one prank a week. I'm doing this weeks tonight, if you wanna help. Of course, Draco will be there too, but I promise we won't kiss or anything mushy like that in front of you..."
Ron raised his eyebrows at her. "What sort of prank?"
"Well...we're actually just doing a variation of a muggle prank...we're doing it to Cho..."
"'Mione, Harry'll never forgive you!"
"Oh, gosh darn, you're right!" Hermione giggled. "Maybe we should be a little nicer, then..."
"I have an idea. Harry will love you for this, but Cho will probably be embarrassed."
"Hmmm?"
"Well, the other day I came across a spell that basically makes the person you put it on feel that they have to go kiss a designated person at that exact moment..."
"So if we put it on Cho in the middle of the night she would jump up and run across the school and into your dorm and kiss Harry passionately?"
"Basically..."
"Ooh! This'll be perfect!" They grinned at each other, and then headed up to their separate dorms to get ready for the day.
***
*Ginny's POV*
Ginny sat idly at the breakfast table. She had given up on trying to make her hair look beautiful, on trying to hide any imperfections on her face, on trying to please the male gender in the least. Because, you see, there was only one specimen of the male gender that Ginny cared about, and that specimen was taken.
Taken by a beautiful, older girl. Ginny new that she just didn't have a chance.
Harry was smitten with Cho. To the extent that even Ginny had to admit that he was being a jerk.
She was sitting alone that morning. Colin was off talking to some Hufflepuff girl, Ron was finally talking to Hermione again, and, of course, Harry was at the Ravenclaw table. She thought about going and bothering Fred and George, but they seemed a little preoccupied with a few girls.
She decided to just spend the morning people watching. Hermione and Ron were talking excitedly over something, much the way Fred and George talked about their pranks. She watched as Malfoy came sauntering over. She noticed her brothers' back straighten up, and then watched a very shocking thing. Ron held his hand out to Malfoy. And Malfoy took it, shook it, SMILED and sat down next to Hermione. What was the world coming to?!
Ginny noticed with satisfaction that even Harry had noticed this event, and that he was storming over towards them. She saw Cho idly trying to get him back while simultaneously flirting with a Ravenclaw boy. Then Ginny's heart skipped a beat. Harry was heading towards *her*, not towards her brother! She tried in vain to look a little prettier, and mentally cursed herself for not bothering this morning. When he went back over to Cho, she would look like a Goddess.
"Hey Ginny."
"Hey." It came out like a squeak.
"Whatcha up to?"
"Um...not much...I guess I'm just people watching, Harry."
"Oh. Yeah. What happened with Ron and Hermione? Why did he shake hands with Malfoy?"
"Harry, I think they're friends again..." Ginny gathered her strength. If she couldn't have him, then she would lecture him till he felt like hiding underground, or something like that. "And I think that you're being really immature. I understand that you like Cho and all, that's painfully obvious, but the truth is, Hermione and Ron are your BEST FRIENDS. I guess I would side with you normally, except that I can't help remembering the second night you two were ignoring her. Y'know why? Because she came to me crying, wondering especially how YOU couldn't understand. Why you were suddenly acting like a chauvinistic male. I can't answer that question. But let me tell you something, Harry." Ginny stood up, "I have liked you since I was TEN FUCKING YEARS OLD. And I've had good reasons. You were always polite, and kind, thankful, brave. I'm not seeing any of those qualities in you now. Quite frankly, Harry Potter, you disappoint me." Then Ginny turned on her heel and stormed out of the Great Hall. Fred and George were clapping, and several other people were cheering and whistling.
*Harry's POV*
Harry felt like crawling under the table and hiding. He felt like such an idiot. He felt...he felt, for the first time in his life, ASHAMED to be Harry Potter. He looked over at Cho. She was completely immersed in flirting with some stupid Ravenclaw. Hermione had been right, she was an idiot. She was a beautiful idiot...but an idiot, all the same.
Well, let the Ravenclaw git have her. He didn't give a damn. But maybe he should end things nice and proper so that he wouldn't have anyone else yelling at him for the things he's done wrong. The truth was, he was obsessed with Cho's appearance. He probably always would be. But Ginny...Ginny had just shown him why it was she had been put into Gryffindor. She was brave, and strong, and...unbearably truthful. And she was, in her own way, beautiful. Not beautiful like Cho. It wasn't superficial in the least. It was natural, it was like a glow that just radiated from her.
Harry walked over to Cho. She looked up at him, with a disinterested smile on her face, looking like she was expecting to reel her toy in again. How wrong she was.
"Hey. Whatever your name is" He was directing this at the Ravenclaw guy, who he thought was named David something. "you can have her. Cho, this just isn't working out. I know you want out, and I've realized that, hell, so do I. So, um, bye, and...good luck." He clapped them both on the back, and walked away, out of the Great Hall, towards the Gryffindor Common room, where he prayed Ginny would be.
*Ginny's POV*
Once out of sight, Ginny ran, sobbing, towards her dorm. Sure they had cheered, but she hadn't wanted cheers. She had wanted friends. It hurt her to say all that to Harry. It hurt so bad. She never wanted to make him feel bad. A small voice in the back of her head kept on reminding her that he was being a complete git. She knew that someone had to say it. She knew she had had to. But, well, now she had probably completely wrecked her chances with him. Now, he would probably hate her. She could see it all now. That night, him and Cho sitting together, her on his lap, laughing at stupid little Ginny Weasley. What fun.
Ginny whispered the password, and went inside. She ran up to her dorm, and threw herself on her bed, drawing the curtains tightly around herself. Then she began to sob her little heart out.
*Harry's POV*
He ran, panting, and reached the common room. He practically shouted the password, and jumped inside. She wasn't in the common room. He heard...oh, God, he heard sobs...Ginny Weasley was crying. Harry never could handle a crying girl. He never had a clue what to do. But he had to comfort her. He had to...because he had been an inexcusable ass.
Taking a deep breath, he slowly walked up towards her dorm. He pushed open the door, and mentally cursed when it let out a little squeaky groan. The sobbing paused, and then she was poking her head out of her bed curtains.
"Why-what are you...where's Cho?"
Harry took a few steps forward. "She's, uh, with some guy named David, now, I think. Ginny...I'm really sorry."
"What for? It's not your fault. There's nothing you can do about it."
"No. Not for you liking me. For being a complete ass. Sorry."
"Oh, well, I guess you should be..." she let out a little smile, and wiped her eyes. He handed her a tissue and she blew her nose in a most unladylike fashion. "I'm not much like Cho, now am I? I suppose you've forgotten what most girls are like. Sorry, that was mean..."
"But truthful..."
"Why are you here? Why couldn't you just let me be? Why did you have to come and play Heroic Harry just when I thought maybe I could at least lesson the amount that I liked you?"
Harry didn't know what to say to this. So he commenced to staring at the carpet. It was red, with little golden stripes throughout it.
"I-I dunno, Ginny. I guess...well, to thank you. I needed someone to slap me across the face like that. I know that it took a lot of courage, especially for you, so...thanks."
"Yeah, but tonight you'll be back with Cho and laughing about me. That's the way it always works, isn't it, Harry?"
"No, Ginny, I won't be. Because I-I told her it was over. And I think I'm finally realizing that Hermione was right. That I just hadn't really woken up. That Cho was an idiot...and you...well..."
"Let me finish for you. I'm Ron's little sister. You can't think of me any other way. How the hell does me beating the crap out of you change that?"
"I don't know, Ginny. I don't know..."
"Wait...Harry?"
He looked up. She looked so fragile. He just wanted to hold her and hug her...
"Yeah?"
"You...do you..."
Harry grinned. Yes, he liked her. Of course he liked her. He felt like he was seeing clearly for the first time in, well, ever. He was seeing, for the first time, Ginny Weasley, NOT Ron's little sister.
***
*Ginny's POV*
God she liked Harry. She supposed she always would. But now he was going beyond mean. He was pretending to like her. Smiling like that, looking at her like that, apologizing, acting like Harry had a year ago. But he had changed. She wasn't sure she could accept this. She was just too damn afraid that it was a lie.
So she sighed, and tried to get him to tell the truth. "Harry, what are you playing at? Please, just go on with your life and quit causing me pain. It's unnecessary, and it isn't funny. Well, maybe Cho thinks it is..."
Harry sure was doing a good job of acting. Now he looked genuinely hurt. When on earth did he learn to lie so well? A small thought niggled loose in the back of her mind. What if he wasn't lying?
"Ginny, I don't know what you're talking about. I would never want to hurt you!"
"Never? Then just go back to being Cho's boyfriend and stop making me get all hung up over you!"
Harry took a step backwards. "Ginny, Ginny, Ginny..."
What was this? What if?
"Hmmm?"
"Ginny...I'm sorry. I really, really am. I never wanted to hurt you. I just never realized you were...something more than Ron's little sister...but you are..."
"Now you're getting somewhere, Harry." Now she was being sarcastic.
"I just don't understand why you're being so mean. I mean, you keep saying, or implying, that you like me, but yet you can't say a single nice thing to me! You can't stand the fact that ITHINKI'MINLOVEWITHYOU!"
"W-what?"
Harry was now pacing around the room, running his hands through his hair, and mumbling to himself. He looked so...so happily Harry-ish. He looked like the boy who visited the Burrow. He looked like the boy who saved her when he was in second year. He looked...like Harry before Cho. Harry with Cho had looked cool, and almost mean. He would sometimes remind her of Draco Malfoy, who was suddenly a whole lot nicer.
"Do you? Harry, please, don't let this be some big joke..."
"Wha-why would it be? Have I really been that much of an ass? God..."
"You just haven't cared very much, Harry..."
"So...you were just saying all that stuff to keep me from hurting you? You didn't really mean it?"
"No...I guess not. But...how do I know you really like me and aren't just...just..."
Harry plopped down next to her. He turned and faced her. "Wanna be friends first?"
"No! Er...I mean...um...well, I want to be friends, but..." Ginny cleared her throat.
*Harry's POV*
Harry started laughing. He grinned and tousled her hair. Cho never would've let him do that. Ginny seemed to like it. She was much more his type, really. He had acted so different because he hadn't wanted Cho to lose interest. Which, of course, she had.
"So...um..." Ginny looked like she was trying really hard not to turn bright red. She wasn't succeeding, though.
"Well. How do I prove to you that Cho is the past, and that all I want is you?"
Ginny got a huge grin on her face. "Kiss me."
Kiss her? How would that prove? But he wanted to...she looked really cute, leaning forward, her lips puckered up...He leant forward, and placed his hand on her back to support her. He started to kiss her. His lips started to tingle, and it moved down throughout his whole body. He felt like he was finally doing something *right*.
*Ginny's POV*
He leant forward and kissed her. It was just how she had imagined it, only a thousand times better. But Ginny had strength, right? And her plan wasn't finished, right? One more lesson to teach him...
She abruptly pulled away, way sooner than either would have liked, and said, "Now try to catch me." And before he knew what had happened, she was out the door, out of the Gryffindor tower, and down several flights of stairs. Harry Potter would have to learn that Ginny Weasley would not be had that easy, even if she was in love with you...
Thanks to all reviewers!!! Please continue to review, you know I love it, you know your reviews are what I thrive on! Tell me what you think of my little changes and twists and additions...tell me if you like this new, braver Hermione or if you want more of the other girl...