Hermione crept into the fifth year girls room by the light of her wand, crossing silently to her bed. She put her wand on the bedside table and pulled her pajamas from under her pillow. Quietly, she began to undress, lost in memories of the evening she had just spend with George.
"So, how'd it go?"
Hermione dropped her pajama top and spun around at the sound of Lavender's voice. Her wand-light flared and went out in her surprise.
"C'mon, how was it? Did you go someplace romantic? Did he like your new look?"
"Shhh..." hissed Hermione, gesturing towards Parvati's bed.
"Oh don't worry about her, she'd sleep through an earthquake," Lavender replied, although she did lower her voice slightly. "Besides, I think she fell asleep with her headphones on. The new album from that wizard boy band just came out. Parvati loves them, so she's been listening to it non-stop since it was delivered. But we're off the topic. How was your date?"
"Good grief, are you ever single-minded," said Hermione, struggling into her pajama top. "Give me a second to get my PJs on and I'll tell you. It was really... I just never knew George was such a romantic."
Lavender threw back her covers and climbed out of bed. Hermione heard her rustling around in her cosmetics drawer. When Hermione had wrapped herself in her robe, she turned to find Lavender standing by the foot of her bed, her hands full of bottles and jars with a towel over one arm. She looked at Lavender quizzically.
"Well, I know you wouldn't have thought to take off your make-up, and I figure that the washroom's way more private. Then you won't have to worry about Parvati waking up," Lavender explained.
Hermione grinned. "Sounds good to me. Although I'm not sure why you need that much stuff to wash my face," she said, gesturing at the collection of containers the other girl held.
"Do not ask, my child, for my secrets are both varied and mysterious," Lavender replied archly, in an attempt to mimic Professor Trelawney.
The two girls laughed quietly as they hurried from the room.
On the other side of the stairs in the boys dormitory, a loud and illicit game of Exploding Snap was taking place in the fifth years' room. Every time there was the slightest creak from outside the door, Neville would jerk guilty and glance at the door. As this happened for the twentieth time, Ron glared at his friend irritably.
"C'mon Neville, are you expecting McGonagall to be patrolling the halls at this hour. It's just gone eleven. Curfew's barely in effect. And technically, we aren't breaking it. Exactly."
"Well, they are," squeaked Neville, pointing at the other circle of players, where Ron's twin brothers were sitting with their friend Lee, the trio trying to convince Seamus to lay down one of his more rare wizard cards as a stake. "Plus, we're gambling. And that's definitely against the rules."
"Which rules?" asked Ron.
"I don't know," admitted Neville miserably, "but I'm sure it's against some rule. And I bet the punishment's really hard."
"Oh stop fussing, Neville," Ron ordered, throwing down a card to indicate that the argument was finished.
"So Ron," Harry asked, eager to move on from the subject of rule breaking, "how're you doing on the Charms essay?"
"Oh, pretty good," his friend replied. "Lavender helped me with a bunch of the research and I think I'm getting it pretty well."
"Lavender helped you?" Harry asked, surprised that he hadn't noticed this new development. "Why Lavender?"
"Well, Mione was off helping George, and Lav offered her help instead. Which was great, because she was pretty good with it. And," he added proudly, "she didn't call me a dimwit once."
"This is a big deal?" Harry asked.
"Well, yeah. Mione always calls me a dimwit, or a numbskull, or something else bad when I get things wrong. But Lav was really nice."
"Well, she's a nice girl," Harry pointed out, taking the opportunity to encourage Ron's opinion of Lavender. "And she's smart. And awfully pretty."
"Yeah, I guess," Ron agreed absently, focused on his cards. Suddenly he looked up. "Hey, wait. Are you interested in her, Harry?"
Harry gaped at his friend. The boy was completely clueless, he thought. Completely.
"No, Ron. I'm not interested in Lavender. She's not my type. So don't worry about that."
"Worry?" It was Ron's turn to stare confusedly at his friend. "I'm not worried. Just that I bet I could put a good word in for you if you liked. Because I'm working with her tomorrow on Herbology."
Harry tried to compose his face, hoping that Ron couldn't see the triumphant grin that wanted to break out. A second study date in as many days. This was great news. Now he just had to encourage a few romantic thoughts towards Lavender and Ron would be encoupled before he knew it.
"So George, how'd your date go tonight?"
Harry groaned as Lee's voice carried clearly across the room. Ron's head jerked around to stare at his brother. A silence fell as George blushed and muttered to his friend. Unfortunately, Lee didn't seem capable of the same quiet tone.
"I showed up? I didn't show up, I wasn't even sure where you were taking her... oooff"
"You shut up!" George repeated as Lee rubbed his newly bruised ribs. "Can't you see that my brother heard you?"
"Oh." Lee had the grace to look guilty. "Sorry man. I'll try to cover for it. Umm..."
Before he could blurt out some new ill-advised remark, Fred and George tackled him from either side and pinned him to the floor. They took turns whispering dire threats into their friend's ears while Harry desperately tried to distract Ron.
"So Ron, who's turn is it?" Harry asked nervously.
"What's Lee talking about?" Ron asked. "I thought that George was studying with Hermione tonight. That's not a date. Right Harry?"
"No, um, of course not," Harry replied. "George must have had another date afterwards. Y'know."
"No. I don't know. I didn't know that George was dating anyone. And he and Hermione came in right around the same time," Ron added suspiciously.
"That doesn't mean they're dating. It could just be... coincidence," Harry offered weakly.
"I suppose. I mean it's not like Hermione would go out on a date with George," Ron smirked.
"Yeah," agreed Harry with relief.
"Exactly. Hermione knows better than to date anyone else. I mean, it's not like she needs a boyfriend. She has us."
At this point Neville decided to join in. "But you guys aren't her boyfriends. You're just friends. That doesn't mean she wouldn't date somebody else."
Harry groaned and dropped his head into his hands. Ron didn't notice as his ears began to flame red.
"She doesn't need to date anyone. And if she did, it wouldn't be George, it'd be... someone else," he finished lamely.
"Look, Ron," Dean put in, as Harry shook his head and moaned quietly. "Hermione isn't going to be single forever. She's pretty and she's smart. And besides, this isn't her first boyfriend."
"She doesn't have a boyfriend!" Ron nearly yelled. Taking a deep breath, he continued. "And if she did, it wouldn't be George. They've got nothing in common."
The debate came to a sudden halt when the dormitory door flew open. Professor McGonagall stood in the doorway, her hair tucked up under a flannel red and gold sleeping cap, her eyes flashing with anger.
"What is going on here?" she demanded of the stunned students. "Why are you three," she glared at George, Fred, and Lee, "in this room. And why is there money and cards scattered across the floor. I wouldn't want to think that you are doing something so against the rules as gambling."
The boys hurried to pick up their cards and belongings while muttering various apologies and incoherent explanations. The three seventh year boys moved to the door, and Professor McGonagall glared at them for a few moments before moving to allow them to pass through the door. She stayed in the doorway until the fifth years had all moved towards their beds, and with a flick of her wand, she extinguished the candles that had lit the room.
"I hope that I won't see this kind of behavior again. I wouldn't like to be forced to deduct points from my own house."
And with that declaration, she swept from the room, tightly closing the door. The five boys exchanged glances then burst into relieved laughter.
"Oh, man," said Dean, "I thought we were in trouble for sure!"
"Yeah," agreed Ron. "I figured we'd be in detention with Snape for months from the look on her face."
"I'll bet George, Fred, and Lee aren't getting off so lightly," Seamus said, with a malicious grin on his face. "That'll teach them to try to get my Cecil Mugwort card."
The boys moved quickly through their bedtime preparations and within half an hour the room was dark and filled with the sound of Neville snoring. Still, Harry lay in bed, wide awake. His mind was running circles around the idea of Ron being so jealous of Hermione dating. This was what he had expected, but it was still not a comforting thought. Finally, he decided to see if his friend was also awake.
"Psstt... Ron," he whispered.
"Mmmph... what?" came Ron's grumpy voice from under his pile of blankets.
"Just wondering if you were asleep."
"Stupid question Harry," Ron whispered sarcastically. "Unless we're having a really coherent chat in one of my dreams."
"Sorry." Harry paused, trying to figure out how to broach the subject. "Well, since you're awake," Ron snorted, but Harry continued, "I was wondering what you meant by all that stuff you were saying about Hermione."
"What stuff?"
"Just all the things about her not dating, unless it was one of us."
"I never said Hermione should date one of us," Ron said, shocked. "I just meant that Hermione doesn't date."
"Well, neither do you or I," Harry pointed out. "But that doesn't mean that we never will."
"Are you sure you aren't interested in Lavender?" his friend asked.
"What? No!" Harry tried to get back on track. "What I mean is, why are you all upset at the thought of Hermione dating? Are you jealous?"
There. He'd said it. Maybe now they could get to the root of the problem. Or they could if Ron would stop laughing.
"Shut up, Ron. You'll have McGonagall back here in an instant," Harry muttered, trying to see if the other boys were still asleep.
"Sorry," Ron gasped between snorts of laughter. "Just, jealous. Me? Of Hermione dating? As if."
"Oh come off it Ron. You weren't exactly welcoming Krum into our lives with open arms. If that wasn't jealousy, I don't know what is."
"Look, yeah, last year, that made me jealous. But I don't think of Hermione that way. It was just, well... I don't really know. I guess that ..." he trailed off.
"You guess what?"
"Look, I don't know really. I just don't like the idea of Hermione dating, okay? I mean, if she started dating someone, she'd spend all her time with him, and all she'd ever want to talk about would be her boyfriend, and it wouldn't be like it is now. And that would suck."
"What, you think that Hermione dating would mean she wouldn't be our friend anymore?" Harry laughed quietly. "Ron, I don't really think we have to worry about that. I can't imagine Hermione letting anyone run her life that much. It's not like she'd turn into a different person when she got a boyfriend. That's not the way Mione is."
"Yeah, but she's our friend. And I don't want to have to... oh I don't know."
"Ron, are you saying that you don't want to have to share her with other people?" Harry asked. "Because that sounds a lot like jealousy. And besides, we do share her with other people anyway. I mean, she's friends with most of the people in our house. Are you jealous of them, of Lavender and Neville and your brothers?"
"Well, that's different, isn't it. That's just friends. But dating's different, right? She'll be all wrapped up in some guy and never have time for us. She won't be any fun anymore," Ron said morosely. "I can just see it. 'I can go help fight evil, guys. I have to paint my nails for my date with what's-his-face.' That would be awful... What?"
Harry was trying hard to muffle his laughter in his pillow, but when Ron snapped at him, he pulled his head up and spoke between gasps.
"Get real, Ron. You know Hermione as well as anyone. Can you honestly see her ever doing that. You're just making up excuses. I'd never do that if I found someone. I know you wouldn't either. And neither would Hermione. So stop being so paranoid and let go. I bet that you'll be surprised at how little her dating will affect how she is with us."
Ron seemed to accept this argument, at least, he stopped arguing and settled back against his pillows. Until suddenly he sat straight up in bed and stared at his friend.
"Wait a second. Do you mean that Hermione is dating someone, right now!?"
. . .
The next day, the common room was crowded with hyperactive Gryffindors. The weather outside was foul, which meant that all the pent up energy of the week wasn't going to find its release on the Quidditch pitch. Which didn't stop Lee, George, and Fred from re-enacting some of their favourite moves. This behavior lasted until the pillowcase full of clothes they had been using as a quaffle flew off course and hit Angelina in the back of the head. Lee and George immediately hid behind the couch, leaving Fred to face his girlfriend's wrath.
"C'mon Angelina," he whined, his hands outstretched. "It wasn't like it hit you very hard."
"Well, it wasn't as hard as I'm going hit you," she threatened.
"Angel, it was an accident," he crooned as she stalked closer to him.
"Yeah. Like coating my hair with blue glaze the other day was an accident."
"That was an accident. It was your eyes we were trying to make glaze. How was I supposed to know that bottle was hair goo?"
"By reading the label, doofus!" she raged, standing nose to nose with her quivering boyfriend.
"C'mon Angel. I apologized. And I'll apologize this time. Please forgive me. Please," he begged, trying to look pathetic.
Angelina glared up at him for another few seconds before bursting into gales of laughter. Their audience took a collective breath, knowing that violence had been averted for another day.
"Fine, Fred. I'll forgive you for the hair thing, and the pillow thing. But if you ever try that 'puppy dog' look on me again, I'll belt you so hard you'll be flying backwards for days."
"Ah, Angel," Fred said, wrapping his arms around his girlfriend's waist. "You know how that kind of talk excites me."
She slapped his chest, then stood on tiptoes to kiss his nose. "Shut up Weasley. You're setting a bad example for the children."
"Hey, George had better figure out his own technique. I have a feeling Hermione's a lot harder to talk down than you are."
Again everyone in the common room froze. Fred realized about three seconds too late exactly what he'd said. Angelina hit him on the chest again, this time somewhat harder. George stood from where he'd been crouched behind the couch and looked around the common room.
"Thank you, brother mine," he said in a hard voice. "If I ever need a Secret Keeper, I'll remember not to pick you. But you're safe from bodily harm today. They're not here."
Fred glanced quickly around the room and realized that what his brother said was true. Ron, Hermione, and Harry were nowhere to be seen. He sighed deeply and let go of Angelina.
"Sorry brother. I didn't really think..."
"Surprise surprise," interrupted George. "I ought to be used to it by now. So, everyone," he turned to address the rest of the room. "I guess you all know now. So it's not much of a secret."
"It wasn't much of a secret before," Seamus called from the corner of the room.
"Yeah," chimed in Parvati. "Maybe next time you'll want to stop staring at her every minute she's around."
"And give up the blushing when her name's brought up," added Ginny.
"Or perhaps stop..."
Whatever Lee was going to add was lost when George yelled incoherently and stomped from the room. The students in the common room stared after him for a few moments and then turned back to their previous conversations. Only a small group of fourth and fifth year students continued to discuss the topic of Hermione and George.
"So this is why Harry's been bugging Ron about girls so much?" Neville asked.
"Well, yeah, Neville," Dean replied. "What did you think it was? Some poll for the Daily Prophet?"
"Hey," Ginny cut in. "Don't be so hard on Neville. Harry could have been asking for all sorts of reasons. But the important question here is, what was Ron's response? I know my brother's pretty crazy about Hermione."
"I think Ron's going to be okay with idea," Seamus said after a pause. "It seems he's not so much jealous of who ever dates Hermione as he is freaked by the idea of Hermione dating. He'd probably be flipped if Harry started dating too. Y'know, breaking up the invincible threesome."
"So Ron's not interested in Hermione that way?" Lavender asked.
"Doesn't seem to be," Seamus answered. "More like he's jealous of the concept of a new person in their little group."
Lavender smiled to herself as discussion switched to the possible ways of letting Ron into the secret without him causing bodily harm. As the conversation moved around her, Lavender's distraction did not go unnoticed by one pair of interested eyes.
. . .
Harry was hurrying down the hallway by the Great Hall when he heard someone calling his name. He slowed, and when the person called out again, he stopped and turned. Rushing towards him was Parvati Patil, her hair flying around in a dark tangle as she turned her head this way and that.
"Are they with you?" she asked.
"Um... who?" Harry responded, confused.
"Y'know. Hermione and Ron. Are they around here somewhere?"
"No," he replied, still mystified. "I think Hermione's off to the library, and Ron had to meet Lavender in the Common Room. Why?"
"I wanted to talk to you."
"That doesn't make it any clearer, Parvati," Harry pointed out.
"No. I mean I wanted to talk to you alone. About them. C'mon, we have a lot to discuss."
Harry let the dark haired girl drag him by the arm into one of the classrooms along the corridor. He listened with amusement to her explanation of Fred's mistake in the common room, and George's shock at finding out his secret romance wasn't so secret. Parvati then went on to explain Lavender's reaction to Seamus's revelations regarding Ron. When she finally wrapped up her monologue, Harry was nodding appreciatively.
"So, Parvati. You seem to be thinking the same way I am. If we fix Ron and Lavender up, things will move more smoothly for Hermione and George. This is what you're thinking, right?"
"That's it exactly. And I figure we have a good chance of it working, since you say they're studying together as we speak."
"I'm hoping that's what's happening. We'll see. What we really need to do is force the issue a bit. With Fred's display this afternoon, it probably won't be that long before someone says something to Ron by mistake."
"Well, we could... I don't know... lock them in a broom closet or something."
"A broom closet, Parvati? Please. There's got to be a more subtle way of doing this." Harry sat on one of the front row desks. "Let's see. They're working on Herbology together, right?"
Parvati nodded. "Yes, which could involve them having to go out to the greenhouses at some point," she said thoughtfully.
"No, Parvati, we're not locking them into the greenhouse," Harry said exasperated.
"That's not what I meant, Harry," Parvati glared at him, then began pacing the short distance between the desks and the wall. "No, in the greenhouse Lavender's totally in her element. She's really good at all that stuff. So if they work together on that, he'll start to see her as brainy, which is like Hermione. And then she could offer to help with all his other school work as well. Isn't that how Hermione and George hooked up, by having conversations while studying?"
"Yeah. Yeah!" Harry nodded vigorously. "Exactly. So we just have to make sure that they end up working together on all sorts of things. Force them to pair up in Potions."
"Exactly," said Parvati. "That's another one she's good at. And Charms. I bet we could get them sitting together in Charms. It'll be the subtle version of locking them in a broom closet. And if they keep heading off to different places to work on projects, it will keep Ron clear of Fred's slips of the tongue. At least until he's ready to deal with them."
"Sounds perfect, Parvati. We'll make sure that Hermione knows to throw Ron at Lavender whenever he asks for help with homework. And you can encourage Lavender to take him to the library or where ever because, uh, the common room's too noisy or something."
"And let's try to get them together when we're in Hogsmeade next weekend. That'll help him see her in a totally non-school way as well."
Harry hopped off the desk and stopped Parvati in her tracks. "This is great, Parvati. Great. I'll go talk to George and Hermione immediately." He moved towards the door, then stopped and turned. "Do we want to let Lavender in on what we're planning, or just encourage her in the right direction?"
Parvati pretended to think for a moment, then grinned up at him. "Of course not. We match makers must work in complete secrecy. Never let the 'to be matched' in on the plans."
"I bow to your superior wisdom," Harry said, with a sweeping bow to illustrate his words.
"Shuddup Harry," replied Parvati, smacking him on the arm. "I have a feeling I'm years behind you in this field. C'mon. Let's go play cupid. While we're at it, I can think of some other people who could use a little encouragement."
The two students walked out of the room, laughing and talking, planning impossible and not so impossible matches as they went.
. . .
Hermione sat in the Gryffindor common room the Sunday after her first date with George. The weather outside had developed from a balmy spring into early summer, and while the students of Hogwarts ought to have been studying and preparing for their final exams, which were barely a month away, they were almost without exception all outside releasing their pent- up energy from being cooped up all winter. As she had been the day she first started working with George, Hermione was reveling in the peace and quiet of having the common room to herself. Unfortunately, she didn't seem to be able to concentrate on the stack of books and parchment on the table in front of her; her mind kept slipping back to Friday night and the wonderful time she had spent under the stars with George.
"Earth to Hermione!"
A voice broke her reverie, and Hermione looked up into the face of her friend Lavender. Lavender was dressed in her own personal version of the Hogwarts uniform, but with no tights under her skirt and a white tee-shirt instead of the blouse.
"Hey Mione," she continued, "a bunch of us are going for a hike along the lakeshore. Just to enjoy the weather, y'know? Wanna come with?"
"Umm..." Hermione stalled, glancing towards the window through which she could see the members of the Quidditch team playing some sort of game of monkey in the middle with a frustrated Angelina attempting to get the Quaffle.
"George is coming," Lavender added quickly, with a badly hidden grin. "We're going as soon as practice is over."
Hermione blushed slightly. "Uh, okay. Just let me get these books upstairs and I'll change into something more practical," she added gesturing at her long robes.
"Let me help," Lavender said, bending down to grab a stack of books. "I wanted to talk to you for a sec, anyway. Before we meet up with everyone else."
"Okay," Hermione agreed, looking at her friend questioningly.
Once they had collected all of Hermione's things and moved towards the stairs, Lavender broke the silence.
"Well, um, what I wanted to ask you was about Ron," she said. "I was wondering if he'd talked about me at all. Because we studied together Friday and yesterday and I thought we were getting along really well and I was hoping that maybe he'd said something about me and I figured since you were one of his best friends..."
"Woah, woah, slow down and take a breath, you're going to hyperventilate there," Hermione interrupted, smiling. "And the answer is, I've barely talked to Ron since Friday, except about school work. Maybe he's talked to Harry, you should ask him."
"Okay," Lavender sighed. "I was just hoping..." she trailed off, staring at her feet as they climbed the stairs.
"I know," Hermione said, and the other girl's head shot up. "Well, I figured you were interested in him. That maybe you liked him a little."
"Yeah, I do," Lavender confessed. "I mean, I know he's not a big brain or a famous hero or anything but he's funny, and pretty smart, plus he said some really nice things to me yesterday, really understanding things about what it's like to be on the sidelines."
"Plus he's cute, right?" Hermione added mischievously. "I must admit that there's something about red hair and freckles..."
Lavender grinned, then giggled as they entered their dormitory room.
"So speaking of red hair and freckles," she said moving to dump Hermione's books on a table, "exactly what's going on with you and George? You said that date the other night was pretty amazing, star gazing and everything. So are you guys serious?"
Hermione looked down at the clothes she had pulled from her trunk.
"I don't know. I mean, I know that I like him a fair bit, and I like spending time with him. But I don't know how he feels, whether he's serious or not. He's a Weasley Twin. Are they ever serious?"
"Oh I don't know," said Lavender, ignoring Hermione's attempt to joke her way out of the discussion. "Fred and Angelina have been an item for over a year now. And I think George is probably even more likely to make a serious commitment. I mean he hasn't dated anyone that I know of until now. I don't think he's taking this lightly."
"Well, I don't want to fuss about it too much," Hermione said, her voice muffled as she pulled a tee shirt over her head. "Some problems just can't be figured out, even with hours of thought. And boys are definitely in that category."
"Agreed," said Lavender with a laugh. "So let's go be confused. If you like, I'll distract Ron so you can sneak off with George for a while."
"Gosh, you're so selfless, what a sacrifice," mocked Hermione, grinning. "Well, if you think you could bring yourself to spending time with Ron, I'd appreciate it."
"No trouble," replied Lavender as the two girls headed down the stairs. "No trouble at all."
. . .
When Hermione and Lavender walked out onto the lawn, they were greeted by an amusing sight. The male members of the Gryffindor Quidditch team were gathered together in a struggling mass while their female counterparts flew above their heads shouting insults. The boys were unable to come up with any decent rebuttals as they had been tied in a large clump and gagged. Surrounding the unfortunate players was a crowd of Gryffindor students, laughing and contributing their own mockery. As they approached the group, Lavender called out:
"Parvati, what on earth is going on?"
The dark haired girl spun around and moved away from the crowd to her dorm mates.
"Well, Fred made a stupid remark about girls playing professional Quidditch," she explained. "So Angelina threw the Quaffle at him. He, being Fred, didn't wise up but said something even more stupid, so Angelina hexed him. Then George started to protest, something about women being overly emotional. So Katie hexed him. Then Harry and the other guys started protesting, which caused the girls to turn on them and eventually they all got tied up together, and someone, I think it was Katie, gagged them. It's been really funny, since the guys are being seriously mocked for being unable to out fly a simple hex."
"Well, we should probably get them out of that before someone gets in trouble," Hermione pointed out practically.
"I suppose," Parvati said, "but you have to admit, it's a sight to see."
"Well," Hermione said, attempting to still look serious, "It's a serious infraction... Ah whatever, they do look silly, don't they?"
"Absolutely ridiculous," agreed Lavender with a snort of laughter.
After a few minutes, the female players decided that their teammates had been humiliated enough and landed beside the red-faced boys. Before the girls ended their incantations, Angelina gave a short lecture about underestimating the abilities of girls and when the shamefaced boys all nodded in agreement, they were released. The crowd moved towards the Quidditch pitch so the team could store its gear, then broke into small groups, most of which headed in the direction of the lakeshore.
Harry waved to Hermione, but didn't move to greet her. Instead he grabbed Ron's arm and began talking about something Hermione couldn't hear. From Ron's response, though, it seemed to be a topic the red-head felt fairly passionate about. Within a minute, he was gesturing wildly and completely oblivious to anyone around him. Hermione caught Harry's eyes briefly and gave him the thumbs up. Just as she turned to enter Lavender and Parvati's discussion, she heard a voice from behind her.
"Hey Stargirl, wait up."
Lavender looked at Hermione with a small smile and then dragged Parvati away to join a group of fourth and fifth years. Hermione turned to face George with a grin on her face.
"So, is that the secret to keeping you quiet?" she asked as he fell in step beside her.
"Hey," he said defensively, "it was a misunderstanding."
"Oh really, Mr. Weasley? Parvati told me what happened, so don't play coy with me."
"It was all said in the heat of battle. I take no responsibility."
"Nice excuse, George," she said, grinning. "Temporary insanity. Although I'd argue the temporary..."
"Ouch," George said, grinning down at her. "Y'know that would hurt if I didn't know you were kidding."
"Who said I'm kidding?" she asked, then relented at the hurt expression on his face. "Just joking, really. I know you, George. You're not completely insane."
"Well thanks for that vote of confidence," he grumped.
At her snort, he looked down with a grin and reached for her hand, threading his fingers through hers.
"Anyway," he continued, "how are you? I didn't see you much yesterday."
"Oh, I'm good. I've been trying to get some advance school work done, but for some reason all I can think about is astronomy."
"Astronomy? I didn't think you were taking... Oh. Oh! Yeah, me too. Friday night was wonderful. You wanna do it again sometime soon?" he asked lightly, looking down at her.
"Yeah, I think I'd like that," she replied quietly, looking at her feet so he wouldn't see her blush. In doing so she missed the look of relief that crossed George's face.
"Well," he said after a few moments, "I know of this little cove a few minutes from here..."
"Oh can we?" Hermione asked eagerly. "I'd love to go back."
"I think it should be deserted," George said thoughtfully. "I don't have anything for a picnic, though."
"Well, that's okay. I'm sure I can survive without a sugar rush for a few hours."
"Ah, but can I?" he asked dramatically
"Scary thought, Weasley," Hermione said jokingly. "If I took away all your sugar d'you think you'd act... normal!?"
"Hey, ow! You're in a mood today, Mione."
"No. Or yes. I don't know. Maybe I've got spring fever today too."
"Okay, I'll buy that. As long as you promise that if you hurt me, you'll kiss it better."
"Absolutely," Hermione said, with a fake serious look on her face.
"In that case, I think you owe me three kisses already," he said, grinning down at her. "C'mon, let's get to the cove, I'm starting to feel weak from my injuries."
He turned off the path abruptly and pulled her after him. Lavender watched the couple head off towards the shore and sighed enviously. Quickly looking forward, she checked that Ron was still oblivious. It seemed that he had reached an impasse in his discussion with Harry and was staring straight ahead muttering and waving his arms. Fortunately, in his preoccupation he had completely missed George and Hermione's departure.
"C'mon Lavender," Parvati interrupted her friend's thoughts. "I need to talk to Harry for a moment. Let's try to catch up to them."
Allowing the other girl to tug her along the path, Lavender asked "Why do you need to talk to Harry? About what? Parvati?"
But before she could get answers, Parvati had released her arm and caught Harry's shoulder.
"Harry," she said, pulling him to a stop. "I need to talk to you about that project we were working on. Y'know, the, uh,..."
"The extra-curricular one?" Harry interrupted sharply as Parvati floundered.
"Yeah, that one," she agreed. "So can we talk? Now."
"Sure," he said curtly. Catching Ron staring at him, Harry continued. "Sorry Ron, we'll continue this discussion another time. Keep Lavender company, why don't you?" And he allowed himself to be dragged several steps away from his bewildered friend.
Lavender stared at Ron nervously. The red-headed boy seemed lost in thought.
"Shall we keep walking?" she finally asked to break the silence.
"Huh? Oh, yeah sure," Ron said distractedly. After a moment he burst out "Discussion. That wasn't a discussion. It was a bloody lecture! Grief, he's annoying sometimes!"
"Um, Ron?" Lavender interrupted. "Are you okay?"
"Oh, sorry Lavender." He seemed to finally realize who it was walking beside him. "Just Harry lecturing me on not being possessive of my friends. I'm not possessive! I mean really. Do you think I'm possessive?"
"Uh... I don't really know what you're talking about, Ron," Lavender hedged. "If you mean Hermione, well, yeah, I think you are little weird there. I mean, you're not even dating the girl, yet you growl at anyone who comes near her. Last year you completely freaked Victor Krum out, besides pissing off Padma by ignoring her at the ball. And then you never even asked her out."
"Hey," said Ron defensively, "I didn't ask for a lecture. I get those enough from Hermione and Harry."
"Well, you asked my opinion, didn't you? So I gave it to you." Lavender glared up at the red head. "If you didn't want to hear it, why ask?"
"Wait, why are you so mad?" he asked, confused.
"Because I don't like getting snapped at for stating my opinion. Why are you in such a bad mood about this?" she shot back.
"Because I don't..." he huffed for a moment. "Because... Oh I don't even know. Good grief." Ron laughed. "I'm sorry if I snapped at you Lavender. This isn't your problem."
"Well, it kinda is," Lavender said. Ron looked at her quizzically. "I mean," she continued quickly, "because Hermione's my friend and I don't want you messing up her chance at romance because you're being pointlessly possessive."
"Okay," Ron agreed slowly, "I get it. I think. But I'm not interested in her like that, she's just a friend."
"Well, we know that Ron," Lavender agreed, "but the problem is everyone thinks you'll make a big fuss if Hermione starts to date anyone, even though you're not interested, and that's why we're all on your case about it."
"Okay. So if I promise not to make a fuss, then people will get off my back, right?"
Lavender nodded, so Ron continued. "Well, I promise. You can be my witness. So that's that, right? Let's talk about something else. Like you."
"Um, me?" asked Lavender. "Why me? I'm not very interesting."
"Hey, let me be the judge of that," Ron said. "I don't know much about you at all, but I want to. Like, how'd you get so good at Herbology and Charms?"
"Oh I don't know," Lavender said with a shrug. "I don't think they're very difficult. And I like them, so that makes them easier."
"Okay then. Can you explain to me about those fertilizing charms we were learning last week, because they flew right over my head."
"Well, for one thing, they weren't fertilizing charms, they were simply a variation on engorgement charms to help a plant grow..."
As they strolled along the shoreline, Lavender happily lectured Ron on the Herbology lessons from the previous weeks. The couple were so engrossed in their conversation they never noticed their two best friends walking twenty paces behind them.
"So, that seemed to have worked out well," said Parvati smugly.
"Yeah, a miracle considering how un-subtle it was," Harry pointed out.
"Hey, don't get on my case about that. I needed to do something and there really wasn't much other choice."
"You two could have just joined us and then after a few minutes we could have wandered off and left them alone," he suggested.
"Yeah, and then they'd be asking all sorts of questions about us maybe being a couple or what was going on between us."
"We could have avoided that. And now they're going to wonder what this project is we're working on together."
"Hopefully, if they get along well enough, they won't even remember about the project at all."
"I hope so. If not, you're going to have to do some fast lying."
"C'mon Harry, I can do that. How d'you think I made it through so many divination lessons?"
Harry stared at Parvati, amazed. "You lie during those lessons? I thought you loved divination."
"Of course I love divination. But I don't have the right feel for a lot it," she admitted. "So most of the stuff I make up. About the only things I'm good at are the cards and tea leaves."
"But you and Lavender worship Professor Trelawney."
"I don't worship her. I just think that she can help me with my abilities. I mean, half of her stuff is crud anyway, isn't it?" Harry gaped at her she continued, "but I can't let her know I know that, or she'd never teach me. As far as I know, the only way she communicates with the future is in trances and that's not even a controllable gift. I plan on being better than that."
"Okay, this is stuff I never thought I'd hear from you," Harry admitted. "I thought you were..."
"An empty headed ditz who likes boys and rainbows and believes in crystal ball readings? Yeah, I like boys and clothes and make-up. So sue me. But I'm not a complete airhead."
"Well, I figured that," Harry said grumpily, "I just really thought you believed that divination stuff."
"Look at it this way," Parvati explained with mocking patience. "If I were a Muggle, I'd be a psychia-whatsit. One of the people who figure out people's minds and emotions. That's how I use the cards. That's why I like to make matches. I know I'm not a book genius like my sister or even someone with the sight. I just have this talent. So I do what I can to get training so I'll be really really good at it."
"Okay, okay," Harry said, putting his hands up in a gesture of surrender, "I give in. I never meant to upset you. Sorry."
"S'okay Harry. Just wanted to get that off my chest, I guess, make you understand." Parvati smiled up at him, then turned to look up the path. "The happy couple seems to be hitting it off."
Harry followed her gaze and saw Lavender speaking passionately, gesturing with her hands, while Ron stared down at her barely watching where he was going. The red headed boy had a mixture of amazement and confusion on his face.
"So," Parvati said, "Five knuts says he trips in the next two minutes."
Harry looked down at her mock serious face and burst into howls of laughter.
. . .
"What was that?" Hermione asked sitting up slightly, pulling away from George.
George reached up with the arm that had been cuddling her against his side and pulled her back down to lie on the blanket again.
"Nothing, Mione, just someone on the path above. They'll never see us from there unless they decided to go rock climbing."
"Okay. Just jumpy I guess." She snuggled against his side and turned her face to his. "Sorry about that. So where were we?"
George leaned over and placed a gentle kiss on the tip of her nose. "Nowhere we can't go back to later. I wanted to ask you something."
"Oh dear," Hermione said with a dramatic shudder, "You sound serious. Are you ill?"
George fended off the hand she'd moved towards his forehead, eventually capturing it in his and pulling it against his chest.
"No I'm not sick, Mione, just wondering something."
"Okay," she said warily, pulling her hand free and propping herself up on her elbows, "what?"
Rather than trying to pull her back down, George sat all the way up and turned to face the girl beside him.
"Well, I guess I wanted to ask what you thought us being together was. Does that sentence make any sense?"
"Not grammatically," Hermione teased gently, "but I know what you mean. You're wondering how serious I am about you, right?"
George nodded silently, then kept his head down, his eyes focused on the fingers of his right hand plucking at a loose thread in the blanket. Hermione watched him for a few moments then sat up and put her hand on his, stilling the restless movement.
"Um, George, I'm not really sure what to say here. I mean I like spending time with you. And I've had fun studying with you. And I like kissing you..." she trailed off.
"But?" George asked, trying to pull his hand out from under hers. "But you don't think of me that way? But you're really in love with my brother? But what?"
"Ah yes," Hermione sighed, "I'm madly in love with Percy."
George stopped trying to pull his hand away and stared into Hermione's laughing eyes.
"I'm kidding George," she pointed out, "I would have thought you of all people would have figured that out."
"Well, sorry," he said defensively, "but this isn't something I'm joking about."
"Okay, okay, I'm sorry," said Hermione. "I guess I'm just nervous. I've never really dated anyone, or thought about dating anyone before. Not seriously. But I think I am pretty serious about dating you."
George let out a deep sigh of relief and took Hermione's hands in his.
"I'm so glad you said that. I was really worried," he admitted. "I mean, I know that I'm not the serious type, but I feel like I care for you a lot, and that you understand me really well. More than most people, that's for sure. And I feel really comfortable with you, like I don't have to be all hyper and jokey if I don't want to and that you aren't going to freak out on me."
"I know what you mean," Hermione said, looking down at their joined hands. "I feel like I can be myself with you too. That you don't have all sorts of expectations for me to be perfect and always know what to do. And I really like that." She paused and then looked up. "I really like you."
Hermione watched George's eyes widen. He stared at her intently for a moment, then right before Hermione was about to look away from embarrassment, he leaned down and kissed her gently on the lips, his eyes on hers the entire time. Hermione blinked suddenly, the intensity of his gaze too much for her. As her eyes closed, George moved back, taking his lips from hers. They sat in silence for a moment.
"Wow," she said finally, "So I guess this is mutual, right?"
"Yeah," George agreed, squeezing her hands, "mutual admiration society happening right here." His voice became serious again. "Hermione, I don't want to sneak around anymore. I want to tell everyone that you're my girlfriend."
"And I want to let the world know that I'm dating George Weasley," she admitted.
"And why shouldn't I?" she asked suddenly. "If Ron doesn't like it, he can go jump in the lake. I don't want to hide this anymore. And I won't"
"Now there's the fiery fighter I fell for," George said admiringly before frowning. "Fiery fighter I fell for? That just sounds stupid. Too many "f's" I think. Bit of a tongue twister, as well. Let's see, um..."
"George, shut up," Hermione ordered. He looked up sheepishly.
"I like your compliments," she continued, "no matter how bizarre or tongue twist-y. Because they always come from the heart."
"Yeah, well, someday I'll get that filter between my brain and my mouth," George joked."
"Nah, don't bother," Hermione said affectionately, "I like you the way you are now, malapropisms and all."
"Mala-whats?"
"Never mind," Hermione said, shaking her head before cutting off George's next remark with a kiss.
George jokingly struggled for a moment, but when Hermione's hand came up to tangle in his hair, he stopped. Lifting his own hand to her cheek, he ran a finger along her jaw. Hermione shivered against his mouth and George stopped suddenly, pulling back with a question in his eyes.
"Cold?" he asked. "Or..."
"No, nothing like that," Hermione said, leaning in to kiss his neck beneath his right ear. "Just goose bumps," she whispered before nipping at his earlobe.
George shivered suddenly and turned his head to softly kiss the side of jaw, marking a trail down her neck and across her collar bone. Hermione's hands came up to clutch the back of his head as he placed kisses along the scooped neckline of her shirt, pausing occasionally to nip and suck at the base of her neck. George looked up as she let out a quiet moan.
"Like that?" he asked with a teasing smile.
"You're evil, George Weasley," she replied, pulling his head up so she could kiss him. "Absolutely evil," she whispered against his lips before deepening the kiss.