¤*~ Chapter 11. Ooh, that last chapter was a bit…racy, if ya ask me. Oh well. This story was much too clean in the first place. Hehe, thank you guys for your reviews. I just have one complaint- don't flame the story when you haven't read the whole thing. I noticed that a lot of you didn't even finish the story, and then you ask questions which I already answered in later chapters.

Hey, I just noticed that this story gets more dramatic with every chapter! Oo, tantalizing! =) jk

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"Hermione, look at this! Have you ever seen one of these?" Ron was haphazardly balancing on a slick brown rock, peering into a lively tidepool. Several small, transparent fish flitted away from his roaming finger. A fiddler crab scuttled across the sandy bottom of the pool, and colorful shells collected in between the cracks of the rocks. Two young teenagers were carefully crawling in what Calista and her friends called "the Jetty": a hook-like collaboration of large brown rocks that protruded into the Pacific Ocean. Some rocks were dangerously slippery, while others were covered with sharp, menacing barnacles. Tidepools dotted the part of the Jetty near the shore, while further out breakers crashed against the invading rocks. Hermione leaned over a nearby barnacle-scaled rock to peer at Ron.

"What? I can't see it." From her perspective, it was hard for Hermione to view the contents of the tidepool.

Ron looked over his shoulder to see Hermione gazing curiously back at him with her honey-brown eyes. 'God, she looks good in a swimsuit,' he thought as he surveyed her somewhat pale, thin frame. "Climb over that rock and come look." He returned to poking at the poor fish.

Hermione frowned. Surveying the barnacle-laden rock, she figured that she probably couldn't climb over it without seriously cutting herself. "No. I'm going to hurt myself. I'm just going to go around through the back." She slowly picked her way through the back of the Jetty and arrived next to Ron. Squatting beside him, she ran her index finger through the shallow waters of the tidepool.

Without looking up, Ron asked, "How do you feel about Harry and Ginny?"

"I'm glad. They both are very happy." Hermione turned to face Ron. "I think I know how you feel."

Ron chuckled softly. "How could you not know…the way I acted when I first found out was-"

Hermione cut him off. "-scary. Very scary. But I have to admit, you reacted calmer than I thought you would. You didn't hit anybody or throw anything."

Ron looked up and returned Hermione's quiet gaze. "Now that I think about it…I'd rather have it be Harry than anybody else. I can trust him to take care of her."

Hermione smiled softly. "You're right. He'd never try to take advantage of her. Oy, at least it wasn't Malfoy."

Ron laughed. "I'd have a heart attack." He paused, then added, "Maybe I should go apologize for yelling at him."

Hermione beamed and gave Ron an awkward hug; anything otherwise and she would be in danger of slipping. "You've really matured, Ron." They picked themselves up and clambered among the increasingly barnacle-laden rocks toward the beach. Just as they almost reached the dry white sand, Ron heard somebody cry out behind him. He whirled around to see Hermione laying slightly bloody and tangled in between two sharp barnacled rocks. He gasped and rushed towards her, offering his arms for assistance. She crumpled against him, letting out a loud, harsh sob. Her once pristine arms and legs were now badly lacerated with thin bloody streaks caused by the small barnacles. Instantly Ron felt like her savior; he lovingly picked her up and proceeded to carry her towards the main lifeguard tower.

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Calista squealed and splashed Harry with the freezing cold salt water. They bounded about the waves, screaming and splashing and diving. Harry fell backwards into the icy waves, dragging Calista with him. She tossed her wet blond curls and threw a handful of dripping sand at Harry. He reciprocated the action, slamming the muddy substance against her face.

Ginny contemptuously watched the two playing in the breakers from her spot in the dry white sand. She and Sandra were laying on their towels in hopes for a tan. "Doesn't that bother you?" she asked Sandra.

"Not really…well he's not MY boyfriend, so I wouldn't be one to speak."

Ginny bit her lip. "Well if he we WAS, what would you do?"

Sandra paused. "I'd probably go distract him or something. I mean, I guess I'd be jealous…but Calista doesn't mean any harm, she's just the flirtatious type. I'm sure she isn't purposefully trying to "reel him in" or anything."

Ginny sat up and removed her sunglasses. "What do you mean? Should I say something? What should I say?"

"Gosh, you're uptight about this. Really, you've got nothing to worry about…but if you're really freaked out you can call him over here or something. Or go play with them."

"Well…I don't want to get all cold and wet."

"And salty and disgusting-"

"-and have sticky, nappy hair-

"-and have sand in your bikini-"

"-and have smelly kelp stuck onto my skin-" At this last comment the two girls burst into laughter.

"So I guess you're not going to go to him?" asked Sandra with a smile.

"No…Maybe I'll just call him over…" Ginny replaced her sunglasses and laid back on her elbows. "HARRY!"



Harry whirled around to see a quite blurry Ginny beckoning to him from the shore. 'I need my glasses' he thought inattentively. "Calista, I've got to go see what Ginny wants." Calista stood up out of the waves and absentmindedly pulled at the straps of her bikini top. "Sure Harry, I'll go see what that Hermione-girl is up to." They struggled to leave the grasp of the pulling waves and trudged up the shore.



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Hermione wiped salty tears from her rouge cheeks. "I'm sorry, Ron. I'm such a wimp." She winced suddenly as a lifeguard pressed an antiseptic wipe to her bloodied leg.



"It's quite alright, really. You were pretty badly scraped back there." Ron noticed that he had been holding her hand. For an instant he thought of dropping it, but decided that he liked it there. The lifeguard finished applying bandages to her arms, legs, and stomach, and sent the two on their way.



"Thanks for coming with me." Hermione and Ron were heading towards Ginny and Sandra.



"You're welcome. Are you positive you're alright?"

"I am. Blimey, you care loads about me, don't you?" Hermione immediately regretted this bold question.

Ron was somewhat startled, and he blushed. "I…I told you how I felt back at the airport." He nervously scratched his neck and stared at his feet.

"I know…" The silence was oppressive. Finally Hermione continued, "You're such a great chap, Ron…it's just that I'm a bit confused right now. I mean…I think you knew when I fancied Harry, but…but now I find out that he fancies your sister, and I- I just don't know what to think. I obviously can no longer be enamored with him, and my feelings for you are cloudy right now." At that Hermione bravely stood on tip-toe and kissed Ron on the cheek. "Wait for me, Ron…I know I'll probably fall in love with you sooner or later, no matter what happens."

Ron was speechless. He rubbed his cheek, and a grin slowly spread across his freckled face. "I will. I really will, Hermione, I promise," he answered giddily. The two finally arrived at the head of Ginny's towel just as Harry was jogging up the beach. Sandra had already gotten up and left to meet Calista near where Mike was surfing. Ginny gasped and suppressed a eager smile when she saw Harry standing dripping wet in front of her, in all his panting, muscle-bound, green-eyed glory.

"Hullo Ginny, Ron, Her-HERMIONE! WHAT HAPPENED?" Harry anxiously inspected her intensely bandaged limbs with an edge of despair. At last he regarded her with a severely worried expression. His mouth hung slightly open, waiting for her response.

"I fell on some rocks that had barnacles on them, and I got a bit scraped-"

"A BIT scraped? You look like a mummy with all those bandages!" Harry was genuinely worried about his best friend.

Hermione smiled softly and touched his shoulder. "No need to worry, I'm fine now."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive."

Defeated, Harry sighed and sat in the white, powdery sand next to Ginny's red towel. Ron and Hermione shared Sandra's abandoned green towel. Ron watched disgusted as Harry kissed Ginny affectionately.

"Could you NOT do that when I'm around?" Harry and Ginny turned around to notice Ron staring at them and looking utterly repulsed.

Instead of snapping, Harry cooly answered, "You're going to have to get used to it once Ginny and I get married." Ginny brightened at the thought of a marriage.

Ron rolled his eyes and stubbornly stood up. He brushed off any sand remaining on his boardshorts and walked away. Hermione diligently followed.

"It'll take him a while to get used to us," said Ginny as she began to pull her hair back into a ponytail.

Harry lightly grabbed her hands and removed them from her silky red hair. "Don't put your hair up. It's pretty."

Ginny regarded Harry seriously and asked, "Do you still think about…you know…that thing?"

Harry paused. "Sometimes. Not that much anymore."

"Don't ever try it, Harry. Ever. I'll kill you if you do."

"You wouldn't need to," said Harry with a dry chuckle.

Ginny didn't laugh. "Suicide is a serious thing, and-"

"Ginny, I told you I don't think about that anymore." Harry picked distractedly at a seashell.

Ginny rested her head on Harry's salty, wet shoulder. Particles of kelp still lingered on his browning skin. "I'm just so worried, Harry. You…you mean a lot to me." Ginny blushed as she said this.

Harry looked down at her and grinned. "Aww…you're so cute." Ginny began to speak up indignantly but Harry silenced her with a kiss.

"If you weren't such a good kisser I'd slap you for that," joked Ginny. "But seriously, I don't want you to hurt yourself. And I definitely don't want you to…"she trailed off uneasily.

"Die?" Harry sighed and pulled her closer to him. "Thanks for caring about me." Ginny sighed and relaxed against his warmth. She began to quietly sing:

You are my sunshine

My only sunshine

You make me happy

When skies are gray

You'll never know, dear

How much I love you

So please don't take

My sunshine away

Suddenly a low, melodic reverberation grew deep inside his chest and startled Ginny. Harry quietly joined her song. After two verses, Harry sighed contentedly and remarked, "This is the perfect time for that song."

"I like it when you sing," commented Ginny. Harry smiled.

"What would you like me to sing for you?"

"Anything."

Harry paused, then asked, "Want to hear a song I made up?"

Surprised, Ginny asked, "You've made up songs?"

It was Harry's turn to blush. "There's a lot you don't know about me."

Ginny smiled. "I'd love to hear a song."

"Want to hear one about you? Well, I wrote it a few nights ago so it still needs work and-"

Ginny cut him off. She was beaming proudly. "You wrote a song about me?"

Harry began to sing in a clear, angelic voice.

I know a girl who's down the hall

She would never give me a call

I try to speak, but find I can't…

She always walks so quickly by

All I can manage is a "hi"

But she doesn't respond at all…

Is she blushing out love

Or do I deserve a shove

…Am I just yearning for a dream?

When the last heavenly note died, Harry glanced down to notice Ginny gazing at him and looking quite enamored. Before he could breathe a word she dragged him behind the restrooms and passionately kissed him. Harry broke off, breathing hard. "What was that for?" he asked, astonished at her sudden bravery.

"Shut up and kiss me," she hissed as he pinned her against the wall.