Sleepless Nights
Chapter Five: Night Before the O.W.L.s
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 instead.
Spoilers: None. Unless I'm psychic.
Hermione Granger was a wreck. Surrounded by stacks of open books, she was the only student left in the Hogwarts library. Of course, this was to be expected, as it was almost two o'clock in the morning. After a good deal of begging, Professor McGonagall had given her special permission to use the library after hours for the two weeks prior to the O.W.L.s. Even under normal circumstances, Hermione spent an extraordinary amount of time focusing on her studies. But with the first series of the most important wizarding tests of her academic career coming up, and with a strong desire to keep her thoughts on something other than Ginny Weasley, she'd flung herself into her textbooks like never before. Harry and Ron had eventually given up trying to convince her to take breaks once in awhile, although they had been very nice about bringing her food regularly, as she had recently given up going to meals.
She had also mostly given up sleeping, as every time she nodded off, she would awake with her heart pounding from some terrible anxiety dream. Hermione was constantly practicing various alertness charms to keep her eyes open and her mind on her work. All the other fifth years were giving her a wide berth, as she was usually quite jumpy, and talking to her about the O.W.L.s only seemed to make the other students nervous.
Aside from Harry and Ron, who had forbidden her to discuss the O.W.L.s with them, the only person brave enough to intrude on Hermione's frantic studying was Ginny. She would sit with her for hours in the library, asking her questions off of O.W.L. practice papers and working on various spells with her. Ginny's presence had a somewhat calming effect, as it was the only thing capable of distracting Hermione, even temporarily, from her schoolwork.
Hermione would be right in the middle of going over the twelve uses of dragon's blood, and suddenly find herself wondering if the color of Ginny's hair was more like a sunset or a candle flame. Ginny had grown almost as tall as Ron over the past year, and was in excellent shape from joining the Gryffindor Quidditch team. Hermione found herself quite unable to concentrate on the objectives of the goblin rebellions while secretly stealing glances at the several inches of Ginny's bare legs which were often visible beneath the hem of her school robes, which were quite small and tight on her now.
And Ginny had such an alluring smile, and such a quick mind, and such a great sense of humor… Hermione caught herself proceeding down this line of thought, and immediately redoubled her attempts to memorize the different magical properties of unicorn hair versus phoenix feathers.
Suddenly, there was a hand on her shoulder. Hermione shrieked and jumped out of her chair.
"Relax, Hermione, it's just me." Ginny said. "I can't believe you're still at it. I brought you some hot chocolate."
Hermione let out a deep breath. "Thanks, Ginny," she said weakly.
Ginny handed her the steaming mug of cocoa. "You really should get some rest, you know."
"I can't rest!" Hermione wailed. "The O.W.L.s are tomorrow!"
"Exactly," Ginny replied, "which is why you need your sleep."
Hermione gulped down the cocoa. "I can't sleep. I keep having dreams that Snape becomes the new headmaster and expels me right before the test starts. Or that I accidentally perform a memory charm on myself while I'm getting ready in the morning. Or that I forget to put my robes on and show up for the test naked."
Ginny smiled mischievously after hearing this last scenario, but her voice was full of concern as she said, "Hermione, you have to try and relax a bit. You've gotten the highest marks in the school ever since your first year here. You're going to do fine."
"As long as I keep studying," Hermione stated resolutely.
"Hermione, if you don't know it by now, you probably won't be able to learn it before tomorrow morning," Ginny tried to reason. "Come on, how long have you been in here, anyway?"
"Not long enough," Hermione answered. "I appreciate your concern and everything, Ginny, but I really do have a lot more reading to get through tonight."
"Oh come on, Hermione. At least take a break for a while. Let's take a walk. It'll help clear your mind."
"A walk?" Hermione asked incredulously. "Around the school in the middle of the night? Are you mad?"
"Well…" Ginny said cunningly, "I just thought you might want a chance to practice that invisibility charm that Percy missed on his O.W.L.s, but if you're not interested, I'll just go on back to bed now."
"You are being very sneaky, Virginia Weasley." Hermione smiled. "And you know I've been able to do that charm for months."
"Come on, Hermione. Don't make me use the Imperius Curse on you."
"You wouldn't risk prison just to make me take a break, would you?"
"No," Ginny said in an exasperated voice. "But I might use a very severe tickling charm."
"All right, all right," Hermione sighed. "I'll take a walk with you. A short walk, mind." And with that, she waved her wand in a circle around the two of them, and they promptly became invisible.
"Hermione, where are you?" Ginny whispered.
"Here." Hermione replied, reaching out her hands towards Ginny' s voice. She felt Ginny's shoulders and patted her way down to her hands, loving every second of the allowable contact. "Where do you want to walk to?"
"Out of the library, for starters," Ginny replied. She grasped Hermione's hand firmly. "Just follow me."
I would follow you anywhere, Hermione thought to herself. "Okay," she whispered to Ginny, as the younger girl pulled her towards the door.
A few quick turns, several staircases, and three alohomora charms later, they arrived at Ginny's destination.
"Ooh, the astronomy tower," Hermione said. "I haven't been up here since I tested out of this course during second year."
"It's such a beautiful night," Ginny said, as she led them out onto the deserted balcony. The stars were twinkling and a light breeze was gently blowing through the night air.
"I don't think anyone will see us up here," Hermione said, as she undid the invisibility charm. The feel of Ginny's hand pressed against hers was lovely, but Hermione had to remind herself that Ginny only thought of her as a friend.
Ginny let go of Hermione's hand, trying not to let her disappointment show. Hermione sat down, and Ginny sat down next to her. Hermione yawned and stretched her shoulders, one of which made a distinct popping noise.
"You've been studying much too hard," Ginny said sternly. "You ought to take better care of yourself."
"It's nothing," Hermione replied. "My shoulders always hurt a bit when I've been studying for a long time."
"Hmph," Ginny made a disapproving noise. Then a terrific idea occurred to her. "Let me give you a backrub," she suggested. Before Hermione had a chance to answer, Ginny was behind her, gently working on her neck muscles. Hermione groaned as kneaded her tired shoulders. As Ginny's hands slowly worked months worth of tension out of Hermione's back, the older girl groaned again and slumped forward to give Ginny better access. The feel of Ginny's hands methodically roaming over her exhausted muscles was almost more than Hermione could bear. Suddenly, as Ginny hit a particularly sensitive spot, Hermione burst into tears. Ginny's arms were around her at once.
"Hermione, what's the matter?" Ginny asked, surprised.
Hermione was crying too hard to form an answer, so Ginny just continued to hold her, one hand brushing the tears off her cheeks, one hand rubbing her back soothingly. She wanted to tell Hermione that whatever was bothering her, she would take care of her, and they could work it out together. Instead, she murmured comforting words about the O.W.L.s, and how Winky had overheard McGonagall saying the Hermione was the best student to come to Hogwarts in at least a century. Slowly, Hermione's sobs quieted down. Her head leaned heavily against Ginny's shoulder. Ginny stroked her hair. She thought back to the night of the Quidditch World Cup. "I told you once, Hermione, I think you're the most clever, kind, and beautiful witch I've ever met." She paused to see what Hermione would say to that. But Hermione had fallen fast asleep.
Ginny watched her for a few moments, then softly whispered a lightening charm that would allow her to carry Hermione back to Gryffindor Tower. She couldn't stand to wake Hermione up to perform the invisibility charm again. Maybe if the were caught wandering the corridors, they would get to serve detention together. But no one caught them.
Ginny opened the door to Hermione's room. She had her own room now that she was a prefect. There were piles of books and notebooks everywhere. Ginny made her way carefully across the floor, and deposited Hermione on the bed. Slowly, with a wave of her wand, she removed Hermione's shoes and socks. Another wave of her wand, and she transfigured the robes that Hermione had been wearing for the past week into a pair of fluffy pajamas. She pulled the covers of the bed down, and gently rolled Hermione beneath the sheets. She brought the blankets back up to tuck her in, and let her hands brush a stray bit of hair from Hermione's face. She stood there gazing at Hermione for a long time. Then she finally turned to leave.
"Ginny." Hermione whispered. Ginny turned, startled.
"Ginny," Hermione whispered again, "stay…"
It's probably just because she's been having bad dreams, Ginny told herself. Still, she rushed back to the bed and climbed in beside Hermione. She wrapped her arms around Hermione from behind and brushed her lips against her hair. "Shh…of course I'll stay," she whispered. But Hermione had already drifted back to sleep, a contented smile on her face.
Chapter Five: Night Before the O.W.L.s
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 instead.
Spoilers: None. Unless I'm psychic.
Hermione Granger was a wreck. Surrounded by stacks of open books, she was the only student left in the Hogwarts library. Of course, this was to be expected, as it was almost two o'clock in the morning. After a good deal of begging, Professor McGonagall had given her special permission to use the library after hours for the two weeks prior to the O.W.L.s. Even under normal circumstances, Hermione spent an extraordinary amount of time focusing on her studies. But with the first series of the most important wizarding tests of her academic career coming up, and with a strong desire to keep her thoughts on something other than Ginny Weasley, she'd flung herself into her textbooks like never before. Harry and Ron had eventually given up trying to convince her to take breaks once in awhile, although they had been very nice about bringing her food regularly, as she had recently given up going to meals.
She had also mostly given up sleeping, as every time she nodded off, she would awake with her heart pounding from some terrible anxiety dream. Hermione was constantly practicing various alertness charms to keep her eyes open and her mind on her work. All the other fifth years were giving her a wide berth, as she was usually quite jumpy, and talking to her about the O.W.L.s only seemed to make the other students nervous.
Aside from Harry and Ron, who had forbidden her to discuss the O.W.L.s with them, the only person brave enough to intrude on Hermione's frantic studying was Ginny. She would sit with her for hours in the library, asking her questions off of O.W.L. practice papers and working on various spells with her. Ginny's presence had a somewhat calming effect, as it was the only thing capable of distracting Hermione, even temporarily, from her schoolwork.
Hermione would be right in the middle of going over the twelve uses of dragon's blood, and suddenly find herself wondering if the color of Ginny's hair was more like a sunset or a candle flame. Ginny had grown almost as tall as Ron over the past year, and was in excellent shape from joining the Gryffindor Quidditch team. Hermione found herself quite unable to concentrate on the objectives of the goblin rebellions while secretly stealing glances at the several inches of Ginny's bare legs which were often visible beneath the hem of her school robes, which were quite small and tight on her now.
And Ginny had such an alluring smile, and such a quick mind, and such a great sense of humor… Hermione caught herself proceeding down this line of thought, and immediately redoubled her attempts to memorize the different magical properties of unicorn hair versus phoenix feathers.
Suddenly, there was a hand on her shoulder. Hermione shrieked and jumped out of her chair.
"Relax, Hermione, it's just me." Ginny said. "I can't believe you're still at it. I brought you some hot chocolate."
Hermione let out a deep breath. "Thanks, Ginny," she said weakly.
Ginny handed her the steaming mug of cocoa. "You really should get some rest, you know."
"I can't rest!" Hermione wailed. "The O.W.L.s are tomorrow!"
"Exactly," Ginny replied, "which is why you need your sleep."
Hermione gulped down the cocoa. "I can't sleep. I keep having dreams that Snape becomes the new headmaster and expels me right before the test starts. Or that I accidentally perform a memory charm on myself while I'm getting ready in the morning. Or that I forget to put my robes on and show up for the test naked."
Ginny smiled mischievously after hearing this last scenario, but her voice was full of concern as she said, "Hermione, you have to try and relax a bit. You've gotten the highest marks in the school ever since your first year here. You're going to do fine."
"As long as I keep studying," Hermione stated resolutely.
"Hermione, if you don't know it by now, you probably won't be able to learn it before tomorrow morning," Ginny tried to reason. "Come on, how long have you been in here, anyway?"
"Not long enough," Hermione answered. "I appreciate your concern and everything, Ginny, but I really do have a lot more reading to get through tonight."
"Oh come on, Hermione. At least take a break for a while. Let's take a walk. It'll help clear your mind."
"A walk?" Hermione asked incredulously. "Around the school in the middle of the night? Are you mad?"
"Well…" Ginny said cunningly, "I just thought you might want a chance to practice that invisibility charm that Percy missed on his O.W.L.s, but if you're not interested, I'll just go on back to bed now."
"You are being very sneaky, Virginia Weasley." Hermione smiled. "And you know I've been able to do that charm for months."
"Come on, Hermione. Don't make me use the Imperius Curse on you."
"You wouldn't risk prison just to make me take a break, would you?"
"No," Ginny said in an exasperated voice. "But I might use a very severe tickling charm."
"All right, all right," Hermione sighed. "I'll take a walk with you. A short walk, mind." And with that, she waved her wand in a circle around the two of them, and they promptly became invisible.
"Hermione, where are you?" Ginny whispered.
"Here." Hermione replied, reaching out her hands towards Ginny' s voice. She felt Ginny's shoulders and patted her way down to her hands, loving every second of the allowable contact. "Where do you want to walk to?"
"Out of the library, for starters," Ginny replied. She grasped Hermione's hand firmly. "Just follow me."
I would follow you anywhere, Hermione thought to herself. "Okay," she whispered to Ginny, as the younger girl pulled her towards the door.
A few quick turns, several staircases, and three alohomora charms later, they arrived at Ginny's destination.
"Ooh, the astronomy tower," Hermione said. "I haven't been up here since I tested out of this course during second year."
"It's such a beautiful night," Ginny said, as she led them out onto the deserted balcony. The stars were twinkling and a light breeze was gently blowing through the night air.
"I don't think anyone will see us up here," Hermione said, as she undid the invisibility charm. The feel of Ginny's hand pressed against hers was lovely, but Hermione had to remind herself that Ginny only thought of her as a friend.
Ginny let go of Hermione's hand, trying not to let her disappointment show. Hermione sat down, and Ginny sat down next to her. Hermione yawned and stretched her shoulders, one of which made a distinct popping noise.
"You've been studying much too hard," Ginny said sternly. "You ought to take better care of yourself."
"It's nothing," Hermione replied. "My shoulders always hurt a bit when I've been studying for a long time."
"Hmph," Ginny made a disapproving noise. Then a terrific idea occurred to her. "Let me give you a backrub," she suggested. Before Hermione had a chance to answer, Ginny was behind her, gently working on her neck muscles. Hermione groaned as kneaded her tired shoulders. As Ginny's hands slowly worked months worth of tension out of Hermione's back, the older girl groaned again and slumped forward to give Ginny better access. The feel of Ginny's hands methodically roaming over her exhausted muscles was almost more than Hermione could bear. Suddenly, as Ginny hit a particularly sensitive spot, Hermione burst into tears. Ginny's arms were around her at once.
"Hermione, what's the matter?" Ginny asked, surprised.
Hermione was crying too hard to form an answer, so Ginny just continued to hold her, one hand brushing the tears off her cheeks, one hand rubbing her back soothingly. She wanted to tell Hermione that whatever was bothering her, she would take care of her, and they could work it out together. Instead, she murmured comforting words about the O.W.L.s, and how Winky had overheard McGonagall saying the Hermione was the best student to come to Hogwarts in at least a century. Slowly, Hermione's sobs quieted down. Her head leaned heavily against Ginny's shoulder. Ginny stroked her hair. She thought back to the night of the Quidditch World Cup. "I told you once, Hermione, I think you're the most clever, kind, and beautiful witch I've ever met." She paused to see what Hermione would say to that. But Hermione had fallen fast asleep.
Ginny watched her for a few moments, then softly whispered a lightening charm that would allow her to carry Hermione back to Gryffindor Tower. She couldn't stand to wake Hermione up to perform the invisibility charm again. Maybe if the were caught wandering the corridors, they would get to serve detention together. But no one caught them.
Ginny opened the door to Hermione's room. She had her own room now that she was a prefect. There were piles of books and notebooks everywhere. Ginny made her way carefully across the floor, and deposited Hermione on the bed. Slowly, with a wave of her wand, she removed Hermione's shoes and socks. Another wave of her wand, and she transfigured the robes that Hermione had been wearing for the past week into a pair of fluffy pajamas. She pulled the covers of the bed down, and gently rolled Hermione beneath the sheets. She brought the blankets back up to tuck her in, and let her hands brush a stray bit of hair from Hermione's face. She stood there gazing at Hermione for a long time. Then she finally turned to leave.
"Ginny." Hermione whispered. Ginny turned, startled.
"Ginny," Hermione whispered again, "stay…"
It's probably just because she's been having bad dreams, Ginny told herself. Still, she rushed back to the bed and climbed in beside Hermione. She wrapped her arms around Hermione from behind and brushed her lips against her hair. "Shh…of course I'll stay," she whispered. But Hermione had already drifted back to sleep, a contented smile on her face.