Sleepless Nights
Chapter Two: Prelude to the Yule Ball
Disclaimer: Hermione and Ginny et al belong to J.K. Rowling. I am just writing for them temporarily, as she seems to be giving them a longish break. This story is fluff and will contain much girl/girl angst, romantic affection, and eventually f/f action, so if this is not your thing, there are lots of other stories out there and I recommend you go read one of them.
Spoilers: Goblet of Fire
Ginny Weasley was sitting in the Gryffindor common room, chewing on the end of her quill and scratching out the final paragraph of her History of Magic essay. The room was quite deserted, except for the Creavy brothers chatting away at one of the study tables, and Lavender and Parvati giggling in two chairs by the fire. Suddenly, the portrait hole flew open, and Hermione ran into the room. Ginny looked up in mild alarm. Hermione was rushing towards her, her impossibly heavy bag of books swinging dangerously on her shoulder. She swerved around the Creavys, narrowly missing Dennis with her bag. Parvati and Lavender had stopped their conversation, and were watching Hermione with evident interest.
"Hermione, what on Earth…" Ginny began as soon as Hermione was near enough to hear.
Hermione was too out of breath to say anything. Instead, she grabbed Ginny's hand and dragged her towards the stairs to the Girl's Dormitories. Ginny's heart was pounding strangely, partly as a response to Hermione's mysterious sense of urgency, partly from the feeling of Hermione's hand clutching her own. "Hermione!" she said as they headed up the stairs, "What's happened? Is something wrong?"
They reached the door to the Third Year's room first, and Hermione flung open the door to Ginny's room, threw her bag down on the floor, and collapsed onto the nearest bed.
Ginny looked in amazement at the twenty-odd books that had cascaded out onto the floor. With a wave of her wand, she gathered them back into Hermione's bag. Another flick of her wand, and she conjured a glass of pumpkin juice which she offered to the still inarticulate Hermione.
Hermione gulped it down gratefully, and then looked up at Ginny wide-eyed. "You'll never believe what's just happened."
"They found whoever put Harry's name into the Goblet of Fire?" Ginny guessed, thinking of the most exciting development that could work Hermione into such a state.
"No," Hermione said breathlessly. "Viktor Krum just asked me to the Yule Ball!"
Ginny's stomach somersaulted. She stared at Hermione, who appeared very disheveled. Her hair was flying in all directions, and her eyes were unusually bright. She looked wildly attractive. "That…that's amazing!" Ginny managed to stammer. "What did you say?"
"I told him I'd meet him in the library after dinner to give him my answer!" Hermione replied. "I mean, I know he's a really famous Quidditch player and the Durmstrang Champion, and I'm really flattered that he asked me, but I don't know him at all." She paused and looked straight into Ginny's eyes. "What do you think I should do?"
Ginny, although feeling very uncharitable towards world famous Quidditch players at the moment, sat down beside Hermione and said, "Well, he obviously has good taste and good sense, since he asked you to be his partner. Better sense than my brother, or Harry, for that matter. But if you really want to go with someone you know, Lavender said that Neville is going to ask you tomorrow."
"I just can't believe he asked me. I mean, what if it's all some cruel joke or something? He has a fan club of twittering girls who follow him around, for goodness sake, why would he ask me?" Hermione asked.
Ginny put her hand over Hermione's again, and once again felt her heart start to beat a little faster. "Because he's smart enough to know that you're worth more than a gaggle full of twittering girls." She took a deep breath. "I think you should go with him. Really."
Hermione's own pulse was still rather rapid, partly because of her long run from the library to Gryffindor Tower, partly because of the feel of Ginny's hands on her own. But Ginny was telling her to go with Viktor.
Of course she is. Hermione thought to herself angrily. She was just exhausted and scared the night of the World Cup. She didn't mean anything by what she said.
Hermione forced herself to smile. "Thanks, Ginny." She stood up and patted her hair back into its usual well-ordered state of bushiness. "I think I'll go tell him straight away." She paused to straighten her robes in the mirror. She caught a glimpse of Ginny still sitting on the bed, looking slightly forlorn. She's probably just sad because Harry hasn't asked her to the ball yet, Hermione thought. And I don't know why he hasn't. She's so lovely… Hermione forced herself not to continue that particular train of thought.
Turning around, Hermione headed for the door. But taking one last look at Ginny sitting on the bed, Hermione couldn't help herself. She went over to the younger girl and pulled her into a very sudden hug. "Thanks again, Ginny," she whispered, and then kissed her very lightly but lingeringly on the cheek, just an inch or so away from her mouth. She kept her arms around Ginny for a few more moments, then rose and walked out the door as quickly as she had come.
Ginny was left sitting on the bed, her cheek tingling where Hermione's lips had brushed it, with only her confused thoughts and an empty glass of pumpkin juice for company.
Chapter Two: Prelude to the Yule Ball
Disclaimer: Hermione and Ginny et al belong to J.K. Rowling. I am just writing for them temporarily, as she seems to be giving them a longish break. This story is fluff and will contain much girl/girl angst, romantic affection, and eventually f/f action, so if this is not your thing, there are lots of other stories out there and I recommend you go read one of them.
Spoilers: Goblet of Fire
Ginny Weasley was sitting in the Gryffindor common room, chewing on the end of her quill and scratching out the final paragraph of her History of Magic essay. The room was quite deserted, except for the Creavy brothers chatting away at one of the study tables, and Lavender and Parvati giggling in two chairs by the fire. Suddenly, the portrait hole flew open, and Hermione ran into the room. Ginny looked up in mild alarm. Hermione was rushing towards her, her impossibly heavy bag of books swinging dangerously on her shoulder. She swerved around the Creavys, narrowly missing Dennis with her bag. Parvati and Lavender had stopped their conversation, and were watching Hermione with evident interest.
"Hermione, what on Earth…" Ginny began as soon as Hermione was near enough to hear.
Hermione was too out of breath to say anything. Instead, she grabbed Ginny's hand and dragged her towards the stairs to the Girl's Dormitories. Ginny's heart was pounding strangely, partly as a response to Hermione's mysterious sense of urgency, partly from the feeling of Hermione's hand clutching her own. "Hermione!" she said as they headed up the stairs, "What's happened? Is something wrong?"
They reached the door to the Third Year's room first, and Hermione flung open the door to Ginny's room, threw her bag down on the floor, and collapsed onto the nearest bed.
Ginny looked in amazement at the twenty-odd books that had cascaded out onto the floor. With a wave of her wand, she gathered them back into Hermione's bag. Another flick of her wand, and she conjured a glass of pumpkin juice which she offered to the still inarticulate Hermione.
Hermione gulped it down gratefully, and then looked up at Ginny wide-eyed. "You'll never believe what's just happened."
"They found whoever put Harry's name into the Goblet of Fire?" Ginny guessed, thinking of the most exciting development that could work Hermione into such a state.
"No," Hermione said breathlessly. "Viktor Krum just asked me to the Yule Ball!"
Ginny's stomach somersaulted. She stared at Hermione, who appeared very disheveled. Her hair was flying in all directions, and her eyes were unusually bright. She looked wildly attractive. "That…that's amazing!" Ginny managed to stammer. "What did you say?"
"I told him I'd meet him in the library after dinner to give him my answer!" Hermione replied. "I mean, I know he's a really famous Quidditch player and the Durmstrang Champion, and I'm really flattered that he asked me, but I don't know him at all." She paused and looked straight into Ginny's eyes. "What do you think I should do?"
Ginny, although feeling very uncharitable towards world famous Quidditch players at the moment, sat down beside Hermione and said, "Well, he obviously has good taste and good sense, since he asked you to be his partner. Better sense than my brother, or Harry, for that matter. But if you really want to go with someone you know, Lavender said that Neville is going to ask you tomorrow."
"I just can't believe he asked me. I mean, what if it's all some cruel joke or something? He has a fan club of twittering girls who follow him around, for goodness sake, why would he ask me?" Hermione asked.
Ginny put her hand over Hermione's again, and once again felt her heart start to beat a little faster. "Because he's smart enough to know that you're worth more than a gaggle full of twittering girls." She took a deep breath. "I think you should go with him. Really."
Hermione's own pulse was still rather rapid, partly because of her long run from the library to Gryffindor Tower, partly because of the feel of Ginny's hands on her own. But Ginny was telling her to go with Viktor.
Of course she is. Hermione thought to herself angrily. She was just exhausted and scared the night of the World Cup. She didn't mean anything by what she said.
Hermione forced herself to smile. "Thanks, Ginny." She stood up and patted her hair back into its usual well-ordered state of bushiness. "I think I'll go tell him straight away." She paused to straighten her robes in the mirror. She caught a glimpse of Ginny still sitting on the bed, looking slightly forlorn. She's probably just sad because Harry hasn't asked her to the ball yet, Hermione thought. And I don't know why he hasn't. She's so lovely… Hermione forced herself not to continue that particular train of thought.
Turning around, Hermione headed for the door. But taking one last look at Ginny sitting on the bed, Hermione couldn't help herself. She went over to the younger girl and pulled her into a very sudden hug. "Thanks again, Ginny," she whispered, and then kissed her very lightly but lingeringly on the cheek, just an inch or so away from her mouth. She kept her arms around Ginny for a few more moments, then rose and walked out the door as quickly as she had come.
Ginny was left sitting on the bed, her cheek tingling where Hermione's lips had brushed it, with only her confused thoughts and an empty glass of pumpkin juice for company.