-two months after the start of term-
"I'm going to Zonkos," said Ron, "you know, scout the competition and all that. Coming, Harry? Gin?"
"Where's Hermione?" asked Harry.
"Off with Finnegan probably trying to find somewhere to snog," said Ron with a snort.
Ginny felt her heart twist painfully at that. "Wait and watch," her brother had said at the beginning of fall. Well, it was pretty clear. If she was dating Seamus, whose legendary-among-the-Gryffindors fondness for sex and everything leading up to it was exceeded only by his equally well- known good heart, any pass Ginny made would be laughed down. She knew that. Not as easy to just get over it, though, she thought miserably, letting her brother and their friend sweep her along in their wake. Her heart hurt, a literal, physical pain in her chest.
"Hey, guys, I'll wait for you out here," she said, at the door of the joke shop. She had no real desire to go in there at the moment, not being in the mood for jokes. Besides, it was a nice day, for late fall, warm enough to be out, but with an invigorating bite to the air. The trees were blazing with color, and the sky a lovely blue, and cloudless. And, in addition, she could people watch.
The streets of Hogsmeade were filled with students, walking, laughing, talking. She let it all blend around her as she sat on the step and looked. A slightly stressed voice caught her ear.
"No, not "later". We're going to settle this NOW, Hermione."
She heard Hermione sigh, and looked across the street to where a large tree grew. Seamus had just dragged Hermione behind it for what scant privacy that offered.
Ginny had slipped across the street, pretending to be in contemplation of a storefront. After all, Hermione was her friend, and she should know, so as to be able to help her later...yes, that was right.... "Okay, all right. What's wrong?"
"Don't ask me that, Hermione. We both know. This isn't working."
"I...." She fell silent, and Seamus spoke again.
"I'm not going to yell at you, Hermione," he said, in an amazingly kind voice. "But it's like dating...my best friend. There's no spark, and it's on your end, not mine, because you're a lovely girl who I'd be delighted to have pay attention to me any day. Let's be honest."
"Honest." Hermione's comment was bitter. "All honesty ever gets me is losing friends."
"Hey," said Seamus, and hugged her. "I don't want to stop being your friend. I just want to stop the farce of us dating. You deserve better."
She sighed. "I... yeah."
His voice dropped another degree, and Ginny couldn't hear what he said. But it dissolved Hermione into tears, and that took some doing. He hugged her again. "I'll walk you back..."
"N-No, no," she said, pulling herself under control. "I...think I'd like to be alone just now."
And she set out back toward the road to the castle.
The boys were coming out of Zonko's, and waved to her. "Hey! You know, old Zonko still doesn't have anything nearly as funny as what Fred and George came up with this year. They're gonna..."
"Hey, guys, I'm gonna walk back up to the school, okay? I'm getting tired."
"Not coming down with something, are ya?" asked Ron, looking at her with concern.
"I don't know...but anyway, I've got some work to do, and if I am gonna be sick I'd rather have it done."
"Okay, well, see you later, " her brother said, and he and Harry sauntered off down the street. Ginny started walking fast. She wanted to get back quick.
Hermione had gone in her room...she was a prefect this year, after all... and the door was rigidly and firmly shut.
Ginny paused, and bit her lip. And then she knocked.
There was a pause before Hermione opened the door, and although she didn't have tears on her cheeks, her eyes were red. "Hey, Ginny, you're back early too, something wrong?" This is going to take some delicacy, Ginny thought. She'd been running over things in her head as she walked back up here, and she still wasn't any closer to knowing what had hurt Hermione this badly. "Yeah, kind of."
"Come in and we'll talk about it," Hermione offered, automatically, shutting the door behind her and absently setting a silencing ward on it. Ginny perched on her desk chair, and Hermione took the bed.
"So...what's going on?" Hermione asked, and Ginny could see her shoving the pain down and away, using this problem, someone else's problem, to distract her, shifting into Big Sister/Prefect mode.
"My best friend is having problems," Ginny said, looking her in the eye, "and I don't want her to be alone."
Hermione's face fell. "Ginny, I..."
"I was looking in the window of the book store," Ginny said, and watched as Hermione flushed. "I heard what. I didn't hear why. But whatever the why is is big enough to make you cry, and you shouldn't have to cry alone."
"I...." Hermione sighed. "Some things I'll have to work out on my own, before I can talk about them, " she said. "It's....personal."
And suddenly Ginny realized. Her mind filled in the bit of the conversation she hadn't heard, and it clicked. Oh, did it click. Whoa.
* "I'm not going to yell at you, Hermione. But it's like dating...my best friend.
There's no spark, and it's on your end, not mine, because you're a lovely girl who I'd be delighted to have pay attention to me any day. Let's be honest."
"Honest. All honesty ever gets me is losing people."
"I don't want to stop being your friend. I just want to stop the farce of us dating. You deserve better."
"I... yeah."
"You don't even like guys, do you? I could tell when you kissed me. No spark, no zip, no zing. Why are you even trying?"
*
She -knew-. And she looked at the older girl, head bowed, tense and shaking, and in the silence Hermione raised her head and met her eyes, and in the silence between them something happened without words. But it made Ginny rise, and walk over to the bed, and sit down beside Hermione, and when they embraced it was as easy and natural as breathing.
They drew back, and looked at each other, and Ginny suddenly understood what her brother had told her, for all the wild pain and longing she knew well was suddenly in Hermione's face, all the pain she herself had felt for months and months, and all she could do was say, "It's all right, I know, it's all right", and kiss her.
And their kiss was soft, and compassionate, but it lit a fire in Hermione's eyes, and in Ginny's belly, and all she could think was, No questions. This is it, better than I thought... And the next kiss was less sweet, and more charged with desire, and Ginny moved her hand up to cradle Hermione's head, running her fingers through that soft hair as she'd wanted to do for so long, and felt the other girl shiver. Oh, yeah, this is it... good thing she locked the door.... and suddenly they were falling over on the bed, and pushing clothes aside, and gasping at the heat and the softness and the amazing feeling of another woman's hands on their skin.
Neither one of them knew what they were doing, really. That didn't seem to matter. It worked out all right as they went along.
"I guess he was right," Hermione said, meditatively. They were naked on her bed, Ginny in her arms, the echoes of pleasure running over their skin like a distant thunderstorm.
"Right about what?" Ginny asked, and twisted so as to be able to see her face.
"He said I didn't like guys."
"So why were you trying?"
She felt a sigh under her ear, and stroked one hand down Hermione's bare arm, for comfort.
"My family isn't...they're very..."
"They're not going to take it well, huh?"
"No, probably not."
They both sighed.
"You know," said Ginny finally, "you don't have to solve that problem right now. And by my stomach, it's about dinner time and if we don't show someone will come looking for us...."
Hermione snorted with laughter. "Yeah, I really don't want anyone walking in on this!" She sat up with a sigh of regret, as did Ginny, and they began the problem of finding exactly where their clothes had gone. But, considering that both of them had a smile that wouldn't go away, Ginny wasn't worried at all.
at dinner that night
"Hey, Gin," her brother said around a mouthful of food. He swallowed and continued. "Are you feeling better now?"
"Yes, I am," she said, reaching for a roll. "In fact, I haven't felt this good for a long time."
Next to her, Hermione managed not to swallow the wrong way just in time, and Ginny grinned. This year was going to be better than the last, for sure.
Author's Note: The story does continue: this is the first of seven. I will post what I can here; the last two of the series, which deal with various issues arising from sexuality, are in their entirety at a different site. Feedback is, as always appreciated; this is my first fanfiction. Thanks for those already recieved-- as you see, I added a slash warning. Series continues here with "Chrysalis".
"I'm going to Zonkos," said Ron, "you know, scout the competition and all that. Coming, Harry? Gin?"
"Where's Hermione?" asked Harry.
"Off with Finnegan probably trying to find somewhere to snog," said Ron with a snort.
Ginny felt her heart twist painfully at that. "Wait and watch," her brother had said at the beginning of fall. Well, it was pretty clear. If she was dating Seamus, whose legendary-among-the-Gryffindors fondness for sex and everything leading up to it was exceeded only by his equally well- known good heart, any pass Ginny made would be laughed down. She knew that. Not as easy to just get over it, though, she thought miserably, letting her brother and their friend sweep her along in their wake. Her heart hurt, a literal, physical pain in her chest.
"Hey, guys, I'll wait for you out here," she said, at the door of the joke shop. She had no real desire to go in there at the moment, not being in the mood for jokes. Besides, it was a nice day, for late fall, warm enough to be out, but with an invigorating bite to the air. The trees were blazing with color, and the sky a lovely blue, and cloudless. And, in addition, she could people watch.
The streets of Hogsmeade were filled with students, walking, laughing, talking. She let it all blend around her as she sat on the step and looked. A slightly stressed voice caught her ear.
"No, not "later". We're going to settle this NOW, Hermione."
She heard Hermione sigh, and looked across the street to where a large tree grew. Seamus had just dragged Hermione behind it for what scant privacy that offered.
Ginny had slipped across the street, pretending to be in contemplation of a storefront. After all, Hermione was her friend, and she should know, so as to be able to help her later...yes, that was right.... "Okay, all right. What's wrong?"
"Don't ask me that, Hermione. We both know. This isn't working."
"I...." She fell silent, and Seamus spoke again.
"I'm not going to yell at you, Hermione," he said, in an amazingly kind voice. "But it's like dating...my best friend. There's no spark, and it's on your end, not mine, because you're a lovely girl who I'd be delighted to have pay attention to me any day. Let's be honest."
"Honest." Hermione's comment was bitter. "All honesty ever gets me is losing friends."
"Hey," said Seamus, and hugged her. "I don't want to stop being your friend. I just want to stop the farce of us dating. You deserve better."
She sighed. "I... yeah."
His voice dropped another degree, and Ginny couldn't hear what he said. But it dissolved Hermione into tears, and that took some doing. He hugged her again. "I'll walk you back..."
"N-No, no," she said, pulling herself under control. "I...think I'd like to be alone just now."
And she set out back toward the road to the castle.
The boys were coming out of Zonko's, and waved to her. "Hey! You know, old Zonko still doesn't have anything nearly as funny as what Fred and George came up with this year. They're gonna..."
"Hey, guys, I'm gonna walk back up to the school, okay? I'm getting tired."
"Not coming down with something, are ya?" asked Ron, looking at her with concern.
"I don't know...but anyway, I've got some work to do, and if I am gonna be sick I'd rather have it done."
"Okay, well, see you later, " her brother said, and he and Harry sauntered off down the street. Ginny started walking fast. She wanted to get back quick.
Hermione had gone in her room...she was a prefect this year, after all... and the door was rigidly and firmly shut.
Ginny paused, and bit her lip. And then she knocked.
There was a pause before Hermione opened the door, and although she didn't have tears on her cheeks, her eyes were red. "Hey, Ginny, you're back early too, something wrong?" This is going to take some delicacy, Ginny thought. She'd been running over things in her head as she walked back up here, and she still wasn't any closer to knowing what had hurt Hermione this badly. "Yeah, kind of."
"Come in and we'll talk about it," Hermione offered, automatically, shutting the door behind her and absently setting a silencing ward on it. Ginny perched on her desk chair, and Hermione took the bed.
"So...what's going on?" Hermione asked, and Ginny could see her shoving the pain down and away, using this problem, someone else's problem, to distract her, shifting into Big Sister/Prefect mode.
"My best friend is having problems," Ginny said, looking her in the eye, "and I don't want her to be alone."
Hermione's face fell. "Ginny, I..."
"I was looking in the window of the book store," Ginny said, and watched as Hermione flushed. "I heard what. I didn't hear why. But whatever the why is is big enough to make you cry, and you shouldn't have to cry alone."
"I...." Hermione sighed. "Some things I'll have to work out on my own, before I can talk about them, " she said. "It's....personal."
And suddenly Ginny realized. Her mind filled in the bit of the conversation she hadn't heard, and it clicked. Oh, did it click. Whoa.
* "I'm not going to yell at you, Hermione. But it's like dating...my best friend.
There's no spark, and it's on your end, not mine, because you're a lovely girl who I'd be delighted to have pay attention to me any day. Let's be honest."
"Honest. All honesty ever gets me is losing people."
"I don't want to stop being your friend. I just want to stop the farce of us dating. You deserve better."
"I... yeah."
"You don't even like guys, do you? I could tell when you kissed me. No spark, no zip, no zing. Why are you even trying?"
*
She -knew-. And she looked at the older girl, head bowed, tense and shaking, and in the silence Hermione raised her head and met her eyes, and in the silence between them something happened without words. But it made Ginny rise, and walk over to the bed, and sit down beside Hermione, and when they embraced it was as easy and natural as breathing.
They drew back, and looked at each other, and Ginny suddenly understood what her brother had told her, for all the wild pain and longing she knew well was suddenly in Hermione's face, all the pain she herself had felt for months and months, and all she could do was say, "It's all right, I know, it's all right", and kiss her.
And their kiss was soft, and compassionate, but it lit a fire in Hermione's eyes, and in Ginny's belly, and all she could think was, No questions. This is it, better than I thought... And the next kiss was less sweet, and more charged with desire, and Ginny moved her hand up to cradle Hermione's head, running her fingers through that soft hair as she'd wanted to do for so long, and felt the other girl shiver. Oh, yeah, this is it... good thing she locked the door.... and suddenly they were falling over on the bed, and pushing clothes aside, and gasping at the heat and the softness and the amazing feeling of another woman's hands on their skin.
Neither one of them knew what they were doing, really. That didn't seem to matter. It worked out all right as they went along.
"I guess he was right," Hermione said, meditatively. They were naked on her bed, Ginny in her arms, the echoes of pleasure running over their skin like a distant thunderstorm.
"Right about what?" Ginny asked, and twisted so as to be able to see her face.
"He said I didn't like guys."
"So why were you trying?"
She felt a sigh under her ear, and stroked one hand down Hermione's bare arm, for comfort.
"My family isn't...they're very..."
"They're not going to take it well, huh?"
"No, probably not."
They both sighed.
"You know," said Ginny finally, "you don't have to solve that problem right now. And by my stomach, it's about dinner time and if we don't show someone will come looking for us...."
Hermione snorted with laughter. "Yeah, I really don't want anyone walking in on this!" She sat up with a sigh of regret, as did Ginny, and they began the problem of finding exactly where their clothes had gone. But, considering that both of them had a smile that wouldn't go away, Ginny wasn't worried at all.
at dinner that night
"Hey, Gin," her brother said around a mouthful of food. He swallowed and continued. "Are you feeling better now?"
"Yes, I am," she said, reaching for a roll. "In fact, I haven't felt this good for a long time."
Next to her, Hermione managed not to swallow the wrong way just in time, and Ginny grinned. This year was going to be better than the last, for sure.
Author's Note: The story does continue: this is the first of seven. I will post what I can here; the last two of the series, which deal with various issues arising from sexuality, are in their entirety at a different site. Feedback is, as always appreciated; this is my first fanfiction. Thanks for those already recieved-- as you see, I added a slash warning. Series continues here with "Chrysalis".