Chapter 7: Truth and Dare
A/N: Here at long last is Chapter 7. I didn't mean this to take so long, but I just couldn't get it right, so I put it aside for a while and finally it hit me what was missing. Trust me, this is a lot better than the first draft. Thanks to EVERYONE who is reading this and letting me know. It really keeps me motivated to finish this story, which is going to be longer than I originally intended.
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Later that morning, Hermione still had Ron following her around, eager to do anything for her after that kiss; he had even agreed to study with her in the library. Her relationship with Ron was… unusual to say the least. They knew they were together, although they hadn't made a verbal commitment, and the rest of the school knew they were together. Yet they'd never dated, not formally, not 'Hermione will go out with me' kind of date. Yet they were always together; she couldn't imagine not being with him and she knew, even though he'd never said it, that he felt the same way. It was just like they were meant to be and no silly words were needed. Soul mates her mother had told her, and Hermione knew that was it. Ron's family seemed to know that they were meant to be with one another. Truth be told, she was a bit nervous about Ron's family at first when it was clear her relationship with Ron had gone beyond 'just friends'. The Weasleys were a pureblood wizard family and she was… a mudblood. They hadn't said anything and seemed genuinely pleased to see her during the summer holidays.
She was pondering her relationship with Ron, her hand in his as they walked down the hall toward the library, when they were waylaid by a group of Slytherin students. At the head of the snake, as usual, was Malfoy. Hermione knew this wasn't going to be a pleasant exchange of words, however, the first words out of Malfoy's mouth surprised even her, and she felt her face heat.
"So what does big brother think about Harry Potter shagging his precious little sister," Malfoy said with malicious glee.
"That's ridiculous," she said immediately. "Come on, Ron." Ron didn't budge.
"What are you babbling about?" Ron said, eyes narrowed, suspicious. Hermione inwardly moaned.
"Wouldn't you know he'd be the last to hear, typical Weasley. Dimmer than the dungeons." Malfoy cupped a hand to his ear. "Listen. Doesn't this sound familiar, maybe coming from your sister's room at night?" He nudged Crabbe with his elbow.
"Ohhh Harry!" Crabbe moaned in a falsetto voice. "Ohhhhh Harry."
Malfoy made pumping motions with his hips and the small Slytherin crowd around Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle laughed.
"You bastard!" Understanding dawned over Ron's face. "Shut your dirty gob!"
Hermione had never seen Ron this angry; his face was so red and hot that he looked ready to burst. He growled like an angry badger, pulled his wand leapt at Crabbe. Hermione stepped in front of Ron, in front of the tip of his wand and hid her own anger for Ron's sake.
"That's a dirty lie. Take it back, Malfoy!" Ron shouted, trying to raise his wand over Hermione who kept getting in the way.
"Ohhh Harry," Crabbe moaned again.
Hermione pushed Ron's wand tip down. She was a Prefect, and couldn't be seen fighting although this was the first time since she slapped Malfoy those few years ago that she felt like doing it again, and harder this time.
"Ignore him. Don't fight him," she whispered to Ron. He was crazed with anger and wouldn't look at her. She held his face between her thumb and fingers and made him look down at her. "He's saying this to get a rise out of you and it's working. He's winning. You know Harry wouldn't be… uh… Ginny wouldn't… well you know."
"No, I don't know," Ron growled.
"Well you should trust your best friend and your sister more than that!"
Hermione heaved an internal sigh of relief when Ron relaxed and with a violent shrug threw off the hands that held him. "Yeah, you're right, Hermione. I should know better not to believe anything this tosser says."
The students parted as Professor McGonagall walked through. "Is there a problem?" she asked, one eyebrow lifted high. She looked at Ron's still angry face and then Malfoy's sullen expression. Even Malfoy wouldn't challenge a professor. "You wouldn't be thinking about fighting again, Mr. Malfoy? Mr. Weasley? Wouldn't you say you're in enough trouble?"
"Uh, yes Professor McGonagall," Malfoy finally muttered under her penetrating stare. "We were just talking."
"Very good then. Miss Granger, I would like your assistance with some first year homework papers if you please. And Mr. Weasley, you could help."
So much for studying, Hermione thought, but nodded to the professor request. They followed the professor down the hall, but when she turned and looked back over her shoulder, Malfoy began with the hip pumping motions again. Ron's face set into an angry scrunchy look and he grumbled under his breath. Hermione only hoped Professor McGonagall couldn't hear.
* * * *
"…And the doors to the dining hall swung open and Harry appears," Parvati was saying. She fanned her face with one hand. "Ohh, you should have seen him! He stalked in like an avenging demon."
Ginny couldn't speak. This was much more than anything she could have imagined.
Lavender shivered dramatically. "It was terrible," she said
"One look at his face and all those old rumors about Harry being the heir of Slytherin and a dark wizard and all that just came back to most of us. At least to me. Gave me a fright! I choked on my meat pie," Parvati said. "Of course at first, none of us knew what he was about, so I thought he was going to curse us all until he went to the Slytherin table. At that point I actually felt a little sorry for Malfoy."
"Having known Harry for so long, it's hard to imagine him fighting You-Know-Who, but after last night, it's not hard to imagine. Not any more" Lavender said in a conspiratorial whisper. "We all know he's been taking those secret advance DADA with Professor Black all this year, I don't know about you, but I wonder what they do."
Ginny did too. Harry never talked about it though and no one had the nerve to ask. Especially seeing him after some of the lessons, he looked shaken and sometimes scared. Even Ron wouldn't broach the subject of what went on in those lessons.
"Loud and clear I heard Malfoy asked Harry how his girlfriend was doing--that's you--and Harry told them to leave you alone," Lavender continued.
"It was more than that," Parvati corrected, looking irritated that her story was interrupted. "He threaten to break both of Malfoy's arms if he even came near you."
"Harry said that!" Ginny squeaked, big-eyed.
"And then Malfoy called you a slag--," Lavender said before Parvati interrupted.
Ginny's mouth fell open.
"—It was that point Harry went nutters," Parvati continued. "I thought he was going to kill the lot of Slytherins. Ron, of course, was in the thick of it, but that's not surprising knowing your brother."
Ginny wasn't surprised either, Ron was always one to eschew his wand if his fists got the job done.
"One thing led to another and before anyone could guess, food started flying," Lavender said. "Just about everyone was involved at that point."
"I got a bowl of mash in my hair," Parvati said and held up one of her dark locks. "It took me forever to wash it out."
"I heard Sirius gave Harry and Ron detention." Lavender sniffed. "It's not like they don't deserve it. The dining hall was a mess."
"A total brawl," Parvati said like she disapproved, yet a sparkle of delight lit her dark eyes. "I'm certain it will go down in Hogwart's History."
Ginny couldn't speak; she didn't know what to say! Why hadn't Harry told her this? Voldemort no longer had anything to fear from Harry Potter because she was going to kill him—strangle him with her bare hands. Transform him into a bug, a lowly stinkbug, and squish him under her feet. Parvati finally snapped her mouth shut and harrumphed loudly.
"Really, Ginny!" Parvati said and planted a hand on her hip. "Harry hasn't told you all this yet?"
"Ah, well, he hasn't had a chance to an uh… say anything."
"Harry was so infuriated that you were hurt, he accused Crabbe and Goyle of sending that Bludger after you on purpose. Why would they do that?"
Ginny knew but she wasn't telling. She couldn't tell.
"I don't know why you and Harry have been so secretive about your relationship. You know, I saw all this happening the other day when Lavender and I were in Divination. I did a card reading while thinking of Harry." Parvati stopped at this and cleared her throat as if she'd said too much. "And well… it said Harry has a secret, and linked with other cards, well, I knew this secret was female." She looked pleased with herself. Ginny kept her mouth shut. Like Hermione, she found Divination silly.
It was then the door to Sirius's classroom opened and Harry walked out, apprehension in every line of his body. Ginny didn't know whether to hug him or kick him in the ass; truth was she wanted to do both. Instead an uncharacteristic daring welled up inside Ginny. Time to teach Mr. oh-so-famous Harry Potter a lesson.
"There you are," she cooed sweetly. She walked up to him and linked her arm with him. That Parvati and Lavender were observing with such interest bolstered her courage. Harry looked too thunderstruck to say anything. "Parvati was just telling me how you defended me last night. That's so sweet of you."
Ginny wrapped a hand around his neck, her fingers brushing his dark hair at the nape of his neck and pulled his face down to hers.