Happiness
Chapter Six - Catch the Sun
Disclaimer: All J.K.s. Draco's mine, but I'm keeping him at home and I haven't let him out to play in this chapter. Maybe in the next one though…
A/N: This will probably be the last part I post for a little while because, as any English readers will realise, my GCSE exams start in under a week. These are the most important exams I have taken in my life so far, so I'll be completely occupied with them for a few weeks. However, rest assures that this is NOT the last part of the series. I will be continuing it as soon as I have time. Still not much big Hermione/Ginny action, but I promise there'll be loads more in the next part!.
Catch the sun, before it's gone / Here it comes, up in smoke and gone / Catch the sun, it never comes / Cry in the sand, lost in the fire ~ Catch the Sun, Doves
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Hermione sat on Ginny's bed, her knees tucked into her chest, chewing the end of a rather scruffy looking quill thoughtfully. She dipped the quill into a pot of ink and began to write. After a few lines, she stopped, re-read what she had written, and proceeded to crumple up the parchment and toss it in the general direction of the bin. She pulled another piece of parchment towards her and looked up as Ginny entered the room, wrapped in a bathrobe and toweling her hair dry.
"Still can't think what to say to them?" the redheaded girl asked with a sympathetic frown. "I wouldn't if it was my parents. Speaking of whom, we need to decide what we're going to tell them about you being here. They'll be home in a few minutes."
"How about the truth?" Hermione replied, beginning to write again. There was a long silence from Ginny. Hermione looked up and saw the fear in her girlfriend's eyes. She sighed. "You're going to have to tell them sometime, you know. Why not now? There's no time like the present."
"I'm just not ready yet. I mean, what if they react like your parents?" Ginny's lower lip trembled endearingly. "I just couldn't bear it if…Well, you know."
"They won't," said Hermione firmly. "I've known your parents since I was eleven, and I know they won't."
"I don't know…"
"Look, Ginny, it's up to you, but I think this is the best possible time to tell them. I mean, you're going back to Hogwarts tomorrow, that'll give them time to get over the initial shock. What's the worst that could happen?"
"Well…I do hate lying to them. And maybe my brothers'd stop teasing me about not having a boyfriend yet…" Ginny's face took on a determined expression. "Yes! I'm going to tell them tonight!"
"Good for you!" Hermione hugged Ginny exuberantly. From downstairs came the sound of a key turning in the front door.
Ginny got to her feet. "Now or never, I suppose," she said nervously.
"You'll be fine, and I'll be with you the whole time." There was just time for a hurried kiss before they ran downstairs.
"Mum, Dad, I need to talk to you, it's important," Ginny said in a rush as they entered the kitchen.
"Hold your horses, I'm sure it can wait until we've unpacked the shopping," Arthur laughed.
"You can give me a hand Gin," said Molly, who then did a double take as she turned and saw Hermione standing awkwardly in the doorway. "Hello Hermione, dear! What a surprise! What are you doing here?"
"We'll explain after we've unpacked the shopping," Ginny cut in smoothly. "It's kind of connected to what I want to tell you."
Molly gave her a puzzled look, but went on with unpacking without another query. If only my parents were like that, Hermione thought, stacking cans of baked beans in a cupboard. She smiled at Ginny, but the other girl looked away, tapping her foot nervously. Hermione felt a flutter in her own stomach, as though it was her own parents she was going to tell, not Ginny's. When they had finished, Ginny led her parents in to the living room, called Fred and George down from their room and Percy from his.
"Shouldn't Ron be here too?" asked Fred.
"He kind of already knows," Ginny said. Hermione gripped her hand protectively. Ginny took a deep, shaky breath and continued. "I suppose I'd better start with why Hermione's turned up in the middle of the night. Fred and George know part of this, but not the whole story. You see, her parents were going to stop her going to Hogwarts next term…" she tailed off at Molly and Arthur's simultaneous shocked gasps.
"Why on earth not?"
"I'm getting to that," Ginny said irritatedly. "Can you just let me get this out?"
"Sorry dear. Of course."
"Well, they were going to stop her because of…because of something she was doing that they didn't approve of. Something that they thought they could stop her doing if she didn't go back. Something that involves me." Ginny paused expectantly.
"I-I'm afraid I don't quite understand," said Molly worriedly. "Are you two in some sort of trouble?"
Ginny gulped. "Not really, no. Um… you know that Hermione and I have been very good friends for a while now? Well we're not any more," the Weasleys exchanged puzzled looks as Ginny paused again to breathe. "You see, we're more…more than that now. We're, well, I…I'm gay."
There was a collective intake of breath and an awkward silence fell over the room. Hermione looked at Ginny, who was staring at her feet. No one spoke for many long dragging minutes. Hermione could hear her own breathing, unnaturally loud in her ears as she stared round at the shocked faces of Ginny's family. Ginny herself seemed turned to stone. A statue of a girl, alone despite Hermione's supportive hand.
Suddenly, Percy got to his feet, walked across the room and wrapped his arms around Ginny. "It's OK," Hermione heard him say softly before she stepped away. He held Ginny tightly in his arms as her shoulders began to shake, tears streaming down her face and onto his shoulder.
He stood like that for a moment, before turning angrily to the rest of the family. "Well?" he said, a challenge in his voice, "Don't just sit there!"
Molly's face broke into a watery smile. "Did you think we would mind?" she asked gently. "We're your family Ginny. We love you no matter what, as long as you're happy."
At that, Ginny rushed over to her mother and flung herself into her arms. Arthur, Percy, Fred and George crowded around, comforting and supportive. Hermione stood in the corner of the room, quiet and unobtrusive, watching them through a haze of emotion. She didn't realise she was crying until her tear began to soak through her T-shirt. She was happy for Ginny, she was. It was just that…Why couldn't her own parents have reacted this way? As much as she hated herself for thinking so selfishly, it just didn't seem fair.
It took a good ten minutes before Molly came to her senses and saw Hermione standing there, tears flooding down her crumpled face. Immediately her mothering instincts kicked in, she went over to the crying girl and gave her a hug. "And that's why your parents aren't letting you go back to Hogwarts, isn't it dear? Because of you and Ginny?" she said.
Hermione nodded mutely.
"You do realise we're going to have to tell them you're here, don't you?"
Hermione nodded again. "Please don't let them take me back there," she whispered hoarsely. "Please. I have to take my exams!"
"Don't worry 'Mione!" piped in Fred.
"We worked bloody hard to get you here, and we're not going to let you go now!" George added.
"Of course you'll be able to take your exams," Molly said, all bustling efficiency once more. "Now lets get you a nice hot drink and we'll have a good old girlie chat in the kitchen, hmmm? Arthur, dear, could you get hold of Mr. and Mrs. Granger for me?"
Ginny and Hermione glanced at each other, stifling giggles, then followed her out of the room.
***
"Hermione," Arthur Weasley's voice floated through from the living room. "Your parents are here."
Hermione looked up from her second mug of coffee and met Ginny's eyes across the table. "They're here," she whispered. "They're here. What do I do?"
"Stay calm," Ginny advised. "Don't panic and don't fly off the handle. I'll be with you the whole time."
"We all will," Molly added.
Hermione got heavily to her feet and walked out of the room. Just outside the living room, she stopped and gave Ginny a quick kiss. "Just in case they stop me seeing you again," she murmured, staring at the door as though the guillotine awaited her on the other side of it. She glanced at Molly and Ginny with a kind of desperate prayer, then walked into the room.
As soon as Hermione entered the room, Dr Anna Granger felt her heart jump up from her shoes. The woman leapt to her feet and threw her arms around her daughter. "We were so worried!" she cried. "You just disappeared, no note, no nothing. How could you do that to us Hermione?"
Hermione stood stiffly, feeling her mothers arms around her, but not able to respond. She stepped back. "Hello Mother. Father."
"Look, Hermione," her father said hurriedly. "We know we may have over reacted a little, but it was just a bit of a shock. Why don't you come home with us now and we can talk things out over the next few days?"
Hermione steeled herself. "I'm not coming home, father. The new term at Hogwarts begins tomorrow. I have my NEWTs to think about."
Her mother breathed in sharply. "I see," she said, "that we're not going to change your mind on this one. Very well, you may go back to that school, seeing as it is only for one more term. But do come home with us for tonight."
"I'd rather not," Hermione said coolly. "I'll come home in the summer holidays mother, but not before."
Anna Granger faltered. "But…but…"
Hermione's father stepped in. "If that's how you feel Hermione, then so be it. But don't expect us to be forgive you yet for what you did to us by running away like that."
"Don't expect you to forgive me for it?" Hermione laughed incredulously. "That's what you want isn't it? You want me to come running back to you, begging your forgiveness? Forget it! You deserved all you got." She could not bring herself to look either of her parents in the eyes, so she fixed her gaze on the floor. "Goodbye," she said. "I'll see you in the summer."
"Hermione!" her mother sounded shocked. "How dare you speak to us like that! We're your parents!"
"Yes," Hermione agreed, an edge of sadness in her voice. "You're my parents. You're supposed to accept me for who I am, not try to stamp it out of me."
"Look, Hermione, we do love you, you know…"
Hermione sighed. "Are you sure? Do you love the real me, or the one in your heads? The brainy little girl who'll one day grow up and get married and have children of her own, or the one who's standing here now, the one who wants you to accept her for who she is? Being gay is a part of who I am, and unless you accept that, then you don't really love me at all." She looked up, and suddenly found that she could look at them after all. Her mother began to cry quietly.
"It's just so hard," she said. "We had such hopes for your future…"
"Why does that have to change?" Hermione demanded. "Why is anything any different, just because I have a girlfriend instead of a boyfriend? I'm still me."
"You don't understand," her mother sounded desperate. "You were going to do everything that I never did. I wanted you to have the perfect white wedding, to the perfect husband, then a perfect honeymoon…I was going to help you choose your wedding dress…"
Hermione felt tears start in her own eyes. "That can still happen," she said, her voice almost a whisper. "Lots of people have gay weddings these days and I promise to include you both in everything. I need you both you support me. There'll be so many people who think that what I'm doing is sick and wrong, and I need you to help me through that."
Mr. And Mrs Granger looked at each other, then at their daughter. "You'll just have to give us some time, Hermione," her father told her. "Its hard to come to terms with. We can't give our full approval now, because it's such a shock. But yes, we will let you see Ginny." Mrs. Granger nodded her consent.
"Thank you. I hope you'll eventually realise that I'm still me, no matter what," Hermione said, giving each of them a brief hug and following them to the door. "I'll see you in the summer then."
They left.
Hermione sank down onto her knees in the dark hallway and was tactfully left alone to cry.
