Chrysalis
Hermione came out of the pleasant trance that she always fell into when writing about something she knew well, and took a deep breath. That took care of the Arithmancy assignment due on Tuesday, and....really, she found, she was tired. She looked at a clock, conveniently placed, and realized that wasn't surprising, considering that it was nearing midnight, and she'd had a long day. The thought made her grin, a memory-of-delight grin that wasn't her style at all, and would have surprised her friends if they'd seen it. She scooped her books back into their bag, and set off back to Gryffindor Tower.
There weren't many people still around; curfew was midnight on the weekends, and anyone still up would be back in their dorms and common rooms. She passed a couple stragglers, Hufflepuff from the house scarves wrapped around their necks, who were on their way up from a late stroll, hands clasped in a decorous fashion that wouldn't get them in trouble. The sight brought back memories of the afternoon. She laughed to herself as she climbed the staircase. It hadn't been what she expected.
Ginny Weasley. First a scrawny red-haired tagalong, and then the fourth in her and Ron and Harry's exploits, and the first real female friend that Hermione had had. In school she'd always been rather foreign to the other girls with her intelligence and dedication to her work and to the pursuit of knowledge, and that hadn't much changed when she came to Hogwarts. But Ginny was equally dedicated, if not perhaps possessed of the blinding leaps of intelligence Hermione had. She made up for it with hard work and a stubbornness that went with her hair, and their friendship had been nurtured at the same table in the library in silence just as much as it had been in companionship in the same House.
Ginny had been distant over the last year, and bitchy over the week she'd spent with the Weasleys before start of fall term. Hermione hadn't paid it much attention, wrapped up as she was in her own issues, and had muddled through fall term trying to date Seamus and pretend that she was just like the other girls. Seamus had seen through it, though. He'd shattered the illusion that she could fake it with a few compassionate words, and then, when she had hidden herself in her room to cry, Ginny had shattered the illusion that she didn't know what she wanted.
She knew now. She wanted Ginny, slender and possessed of sleek curves like a cat, and long soft red hair that had twined about them both earlier that day, passionate and firey in word and thought and deed. And now that the paper that Hermione had promised herself she'd write today was done....she had time to play. The thought made a soft warmth begin in her stomach, and she bounded up the last step and jauntily gave the password to the Fat Lady.
The common room was crowded and noisy tonight, filled with a discussion about the Quidditch match tomorrow, a loud game of Exploding Snap, and a game of wizard chess in which the spectators were making more noise than the players...apparently there was a bet on. She didn't notice. Her eyes were fixed on the slender figure in a large chair in the corner, reading a book and oblivious to the noise of the room. And somehow, Ginny chose that moment to look up, and the smile that lit her face was like sunlight for a moment before she dimmed it and cast a glance over to where Ron, oblivious to all but the next move, was scowling over his chess pieces and ignoring the comments of those watching him. Hermione walked over.
"Hey," she said.
"Hey, " said Ginny, color springing up in her cheeks involuntarily. "You, um, get everything written?"
"Ready to go for Tuesday morning."
They looked at each other for a moment, and then Ginny stood up, closing her book. "Let's go in your room, okay? I can't hear myself think out here."
Hermione led the way.
They sat down together on Hermione's bed, in lieu of a sofa, and Ginny darted a glance out of the corner of her eye at Hermione that sent them both into gales of laughter.
"You could be a little more formal, there, Hermione, you know, " she finally gasped out.
"Yeah, well, I didn't think a full kiss in the middle of everything was how you wanted to come out to the world!" Taking a deep breath, Ginny nodded. "We really should think about that.. I mean, I'm not good at pretending anything except, um, fascination with you." She blushed. "It's been hell, you know." "And I didn't know..." said Hermione, thoughtfully. "Amazing. But at least I figured it out now." The warm light of Ginny's smile answered that, and there was silence for a moment.
After a long moment of just looking at each other, a question occured to Hermione. "Are you gonna catch any flack from your folks?"
Ginny shook her head, with a grin. "I don't think so, considering that Bill's gay."
Hermione's jaw dropped. "BILL?!?"
"Yep," said Ginny, enjoying Hermione's shock. "He'd been dating this one guy he met in Egypt, but I think they broke up last summer, and I haven't heard anything about him having a new boyfriend yet. Mom and Dad are cool with it... they're big on Being Who You Are and stuff, and so beyond Percy being an ass about it, everyone else is cool with it."
Hermione snorted inelegantly. "Percy is an ass about EVERYTHING. Was he born with that broom handle up his ass, or what?"
"Always been like that since I can remember," Ginny said, idly playing with the tuft on the end of her braid, which she had draped over her shoulder. "No, the only thing I can think of is that I might get some flack from Mum just because of the whole "now she'll never get married and have grandbabies!" thing, but I intend to point out that I can have babies without -marrying- a guy, so it should be fine. " She paused, and then said, "How bad is it going to be for you, you think?"
Hermione's eyes went dark and remote, and she pulled her knees up and hugged them like a child. "I... God, I can't even imagine telling them I'm gay." She shivered, and went on in a strained voice. "When I go home, my mother's always telling me to get out and meet people. All my life, I was taking lessons and joining things not because I wanted to, but because I'd be playing with the right sort of kids and learning the right things. Every letter from home asks questions about who I'm dating, and if I am and I mention a name, they're all over me to find out who he is and is he from a good family...I hated to think about bringing any guy home or he'd get the third degree. And Father... well... he's really oldfashioned."
"Oh, like 'you haven't met the right man' sort of stuff?" said Ginny, moving over to slide an arm around Hermione's shoulders. The older girl sighed and leaned into the hug.
"They don't much hug, either, or talk about love and such. I'm glad we can talk."
"We've always been able to talk. Why should it change just because you and I are... Are we, um, you and I?" Ginny blushed red again, and Hermione smiled.
"If you want to be...I...well..." She trailed off in confusion that made Ginny feel both happy and a little worried.
"Um, can I tell you a story?" Ginny said. At Hermione's nod, she continued. "My mum and dad met at Hogwarts, you know... and they were in Gryffindor, same as us, and, well, mum and dad have both said that one day they just looked up at this friend of theirs and wham, they just knew this is it, this is the person they were going to marry and spend the rest of their lives with. They're always on all of us to date, but, you know... I'm a lot like my dad."
Hermione nodded, and looked shyly over at the other girl. "Me too....that was what I was trying to say, but I was thinking, it's too early to know..."
"No it's not," said Ginny, with a smile. "But let's promise that if things change for either of us, we talk about it, okay? Cause, you know, I don't want to lose you as a friend if we stop dating."
"I agree, " said Hermione. "So... I suppose we better tell Harry and Ron sooner rather than later, huh?"
"Probably. Otherwise we'll get yelled at and all that. Since Ron's my brother and all."
They giggled. Hermione looked at Ginny and said, in an elaborately casual tone, "You know, the party's still raging out there...."
"This is true. You know, I don't see how, even if I went to my dorm, I could sleep a wink for a couple hours at least."
"Hmm..." said Hermione. "I wonder if we could find anything to do while we wait for them to get tired?" The question was patently false, considering the light of sensual mischief in her face. "I think I've got an idea or two," Ginny said, tracing the curve of Hermione's ear, and seeing her shiver with pleasure and anticipation. She leaned over, bit the lobe gently, and whispered in her ear, "but I think we're both overdressed for it..."
Hermione took a deep breath to focus, grabbed her wand, and cast the fastest locking and silencing spells on her door that she'd ever performed.
Hermione came out of the pleasant trance that she always fell into when writing about something she knew well, and took a deep breath. That took care of the Arithmancy assignment due on Tuesday, and....really, she found, she was tired. She looked at a clock, conveniently placed, and realized that wasn't surprising, considering that it was nearing midnight, and she'd had a long day. The thought made her grin, a memory-of-delight grin that wasn't her style at all, and would have surprised her friends if they'd seen it. She scooped her books back into their bag, and set off back to Gryffindor Tower.
There weren't many people still around; curfew was midnight on the weekends, and anyone still up would be back in their dorms and common rooms. She passed a couple stragglers, Hufflepuff from the house scarves wrapped around their necks, who were on their way up from a late stroll, hands clasped in a decorous fashion that wouldn't get them in trouble. The sight brought back memories of the afternoon. She laughed to herself as she climbed the staircase. It hadn't been what she expected.
Ginny Weasley. First a scrawny red-haired tagalong, and then the fourth in her and Ron and Harry's exploits, and the first real female friend that Hermione had had. In school she'd always been rather foreign to the other girls with her intelligence and dedication to her work and to the pursuit of knowledge, and that hadn't much changed when she came to Hogwarts. But Ginny was equally dedicated, if not perhaps possessed of the blinding leaps of intelligence Hermione had. She made up for it with hard work and a stubbornness that went with her hair, and their friendship had been nurtured at the same table in the library in silence just as much as it had been in companionship in the same House.
Ginny had been distant over the last year, and bitchy over the week she'd spent with the Weasleys before start of fall term. Hermione hadn't paid it much attention, wrapped up as she was in her own issues, and had muddled through fall term trying to date Seamus and pretend that she was just like the other girls. Seamus had seen through it, though. He'd shattered the illusion that she could fake it with a few compassionate words, and then, when she had hidden herself in her room to cry, Ginny had shattered the illusion that she didn't know what she wanted.
She knew now. She wanted Ginny, slender and possessed of sleek curves like a cat, and long soft red hair that had twined about them both earlier that day, passionate and firey in word and thought and deed. And now that the paper that Hermione had promised herself she'd write today was done....she had time to play. The thought made a soft warmth begin in her stomach, and she bounded up the last step and jauntily gave the password to the Fat Lady.
The common room was crowded and noisy tonight, filled with a discussion about the Quidditch match tomorrow, a loud game of Exploding Snap, and a game of wizard chess in which the spectators were making more noise than the players...apparently there was a bet on. She didn't notice. Her eyes were fixed on the slender figure in a large chair in the corner, reading a book and oblivious to the noise of the room. And somehow, Ginny chose that moment to look up, and the smile that lit her face was like sunlight for a moment before she dimmed it and cast a glance over to where Ron, oblivious to all but the next move, was scowling over his chess pieces and ignoring the comments of those watching him. Hermione walked over.
"Hey," she said.
"Hey, " said Ginny, color springing up in her cheeks involuntarily. "You, um, get everything written?"
"Ready to go for Tuesday morning."
They looked at each other for a moment, and then Ginny stood up, closing her book. "Let's go in your room, okay? I can't hear myself think out here."
Hermione led the way.
They sat down together on Hermione's bed, in lieu of a sofa, and Ginny darted a glance out of the corner of her eye at Hermione that sent them both into gales of laughter.
"You could be a little more formal, there, Hermione, you know, " she finally gasped out.
"Yeah, well, I didn't think a full kiss in the middle of everything was how you wanted to come out to the world!" Taking a deep breath, Ginny nodded. "We really should think about that.. I mean, I'm not good at pretending anything except, um, fascination with you." She blushed. "It's been hell, you know." "And I didn't know..." said Hermione, thoughtfully. "Amazing. But at least I figured it out now." The warm light of Ginny's smile answered that, and there was silence for a moment.
After a long moment of just looking at each other, a question occured to Hermione. "Are you gonna catch any flack from your folks?"
Ginny shook her head, with a grin. "I don't think so, considering that Bill's gay."
Hermione's jaw dropped. "BILL?!?"
"Yep," said Ginny, enjoying Hermione's shock. "He'd been dating this one guy he met in Egypt, but I think they broke up last summer, and I haven't heard anything about him having a new boyfriend yet. Mom and Dad are cool with it... they're big on Being Who You Are and stuff, and so beyond Percy being an ass about it, everyone else is cool with it."
Hermione snorted inelegantly. "Percy is an ass about EVERYTHING. Was he born with that broom handle up his ass, or what?"
"Always been like that since I can remember," Ginny said, idly playing with the tuft on the end of her braid, which she had draped over her shoulder. "No, the only thing I can think of is that I might get some flack from Mum just because of the whole "now she'll never get married and have grandbabies!" thing, but I intend to point out that I can have babies without -marrying- a guy, so it should be fine. " She paused, and then said, "How bad is it going to be for you, you think?"
Hermione's eyes went dark and remote, and she pulled her knees up and hugged them like a child. "I... God, I can't even imagine telling them I'm gay." She shivered, and went on in a strained voice. "When I go home, my mother's always telling me to get out and meet people. All my life, I was taking lessons and joining things not because I wanted to, but because I'd be playing with the right sort of kids and learning the right things. Every letter from home asks questions about who I'm dating, and if I am and I mention a name, they're all over me to find out who he is and is he from a good family...I hated to think about bringing any guy home or he'd get the third degree. And Father... well... he's really oldfashioned."
"Oh, like 'you haven't met the right man' sort of stuff?" said Ginny, moving over to slide an arm around Hermione's shoulders. The older girl sighed and leaned into the hug.
"They don't much hug, either, or talk about love and such. I'm glad we can talk."
"We've always been able to talk. Why should it change just because you and I are... Are we, um, you and I?" Ginny blushed red again, and Hermione smiled.
"If you want to be...I...well..." She trailed off in confusion that made Ginny feel both happy and a little worried.
"Um, can I tell you a story?" Ginny said. At Hermione's nod, she continued. "My mum and dad met at Hogwarts, you know... and they were in Gryffindor, same as us, and, well, mum and dad have both said that one day they just looked up at this friend of theirs and wham, they just knew this is it, this is the person they were going to marry and spend the rest of their lives with. They're always on all of us to date, but, you know... I'm a lot like my dad."
Hermione nodded, and looked shyly over at the other girl. "Me too....that was what I was trying to say, but I was thinking, it's too early to know..."
"No it's not," said Ginny, with a smile. "But let's promise that if things change for either of us, we talk about it, okay? Cause, you know, I don't want to lose you as a friend if we stop dating."
"I agree, " said Hermione. "So... I suppose we better tell Harry and Ron sooner rather than later, huh?"
"Probably. Otherwise we'll get yelled at and all that. Since Ron's my brother and all."
They giggled. Hermione looked at Ginny and said, in an elaborately casual tone, "You know, the party's still raging out there...."
"This is true. You know, I don't see how, even if I went to my dorm, I could sleep a wink for a couple hours at least."
"Hmm..." said Hermione. "I wonder if we could find anything to do while we wait for them to get tired?" The question was patently false, considering the light of sensual mischief in her face. "I think I've got an idea or two," Ginny said, tracing the curve of Hermione's ear, and seeing her shiver with pleasure and anticipation. She leaned over, bit the lobe gently, and whispered in her ear, "but I think we're both overdressed for it..."
Hermione took a deep breath to focus, grabbed her wand, and cast the fastest locking and silencing spells on her door that she'd ever performed.