Chapter 2
"Whatcha looking at, Hermione?" said Ginny. They were curled up in a corner of the common room, currently deserted for a Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff.
"College catalogs."
"Ooh, pass one over," said Ginny, and began to read.
"I didn't know you were interested in college," Hermione said. She didn't know why not, but the idea hadn't ever occured to her in connection with Ginny.
"I was when I thought about it a bit," she said. "I don't want to do what my mom did.... marry young, and wind up pinching Knuts all my life to feed too many kids. I want -nice- things. I want a nice job of my own to pay for them, and to have anyone else in my life on MY terms, not because I can't survive without them. College is how I do that. "
"Nice to know you'll pay your half of the rent," laughed Hermione, and the other girl smiled, but it was shadowed with a thought. Hermione looked a question at her, and Ginny voiced it.
"Do you ever wonder about life after school?"
"Well, yeah. I mean, next year's my last year. I -have- to think about it. I'm thinking that I'll probably do a major in either Alchemy or Arithmancy, and I've been thinking that Amergin, there at Oxford University, would be a good place... I'd have good resources both muggle and magical, and you know, there's some pretty well-regarded people there I could study with."
"...yeah...." Ginny said, eyes shadowed.
"I was thinking that I'll have my Apparation license then, and that would mean I could come back for visits...or you could come down for visits..."
Ginny smiled, and the shadow departed. Hermione realized, suddenly, that the fear was for their relationship.
"For what it's worth, Gin, I don't see why you can't try for your Apparation license just after your birthday in December your seventh year, as opposed to waiting to get out of school." "This is true...it's just annoying right now to be a year younger, you know?"
Hermione's face softened. "I'm not looking forward to leaving you either, love, you know that. But, you'll be busy, and that helps, we both know it. And at the end, we'll be together. "
"Yeah, I was thinking that this program for mediwitch training looked interesting..."
Hermione reached over and took it out of her hand. "This IS interesting," she said, reading the page describing the program. "And, you know, I think from what I've seen that if you're a mediwitch you can work nearly anywhere, and specialize in lots of areas."
Ginny nodded, face alight. "I've considered it for a while, actually."
"You'd be good at it...you don't panic in an emergency, and you're good at seeing what people really need."
"You think?" said Ginny, with some uncertainty. "I've been intending to go talk to Madam Pomfrey about it."
"She's really, really good, you know. Have you looked at the diplomas and certifications she's got?"
"Well, that's true of all of them, you know...I mean, for all Snape's a foul-tempered bastard, he IS good at making potions, and I bet if he wanted to leave here he could have a nice fat job in a moment. And I heard McGonagall turned down a really rich offer to come here and teach."
"It's not like we're being taught by people who couldn't cut it anywhere else," confirmed Hermione. "Of course, you will need to work with Snape more."
"Actually," said Ginny, "he doesn't bother me too much. We're not exactly going to be friends, or anything, but he does drop the snide remarks around me."
Hermione just looked at her girlfriend in shock. "Seriously?!"
"Well, I don't care whether or not he likes me. He's got information and training that I want, and I'll deal with the crap to get there. And the less I mind, the less bullshit about, "if you're capable of such a simple task" he spews."
Hermione was smiling, with a trace of surprise. "You know, I may try disengaging totally and see if it helps."
"Well, if you can get out of the machinations of my brother and his very best friend, " said Ginny. "Snape can't STAND Harry, and Ron just gets a side order of the same for being so loyal to him. Plus, Snape figured out what I've always known...Ron reacts really satisfactorily when teased. He turns red and gets angry quickly...highly entertaining."
Hermione laughed. "Have you told him?"
Ginny shot her a sardonic look. "You think he'll listen?"
There was silence in the room for a time, and then Hermione sighed, lost in thought. She had put the catalogs aside, and was looking off into space, eyes unfocused.
"What's wrong?" asked Ginny.
"Thinking about us, and my parents."
"Oh."
"I don't want to spend the summer the way I did the Easter holiday, and if I'm not getting regular owls from a guy Mother will be setting me up with the sons of her friends."
"Ick," said Ginny, nodding in comprehension. "And from what you've said, the sons are prats."
"Generally. Or gits who believe that a woman with my development," a hand gesture indicated Hermione's full breasts, "can't possibly have a mind or be choosy about her partners. I was damn near tempted to stun the last one."
"Ewwww. Yeah, that would be bad. Which leaves you with..."
"Telling them I'm gay." Hermione said. "And, if they believed it, they would leave me alone, this is true."
"If they believed it?"
Hermione laughed bitterly. "Well, from what I can tell, my father believes that people like us are deluded...all we need is the right man, in our case, to straighten us out. Consequently the pressure to go out with these 'nice men' would be heightened."
"And your mother?"
"I'd have to make love to you on the front step for her to not be able to ignore it or rationalize it away. She'd be all, 'well, perhaps I saw it wrong, because of course Hermione would NEVER do that...." unless it was too big to ignore."
"That's not going to be easy, either," said Ginny, brow furrowed in thought. "You could always come and stay with us...."
"Except I do have the social obligation of spending SOME time with my parents." Hermione pulled a sour face. "They did give birth to me, and raise me, and are supporting me."
"Hm. Yeah." There was a pause, and Ginny said, "Why don't you do what Harry does? He spends about two weeks with the Dursleys, and then owls Ron and comes over to the Burrow for the rest of the time. Fred and George just moved out....got their own place over the shop in Diagon Alley...and so Mum says the house feels empty. She'd be delighted...you know she likes you anyway."
"Yeah, I like your mum too," said Hermione with a smile. "I wish my mother was more like that. Unless I come up with a better plan between now and then, I'll do that."
"Oh, good," said Ginny. "I'll owl Mum tonight. Only, " she said, face turning mischievious, "we won't be able to do anything, unless you can manage to learn to be quieter. The walls of the Burrow are thin."
"ME?!" said Hermione, catching the spark of laughter in her girlfriend's eye. "I seem to remember someone I had to kiss so that she didn't scream loud enough to wake McGonagall when she..."
"Okay, okay, so maybe it's mutual," interrupted Ginny, face pink. "Um, I suppose we better work on Silencing Charms a bit more."
"That might be a good thought, yes..."
"Whatcha looking at, Hermione?" said Ginny. They were curled up in a corner of the common room, currently deserted for a Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff.
"College catalogs."
"Ooh, pass one over," said Ginny, and began to read.
"I didn't know you were interested in college," Hermione said. She didn't know why not, but the idea hadn't ever occured to her in connection with Ginny.
"I was when I thought about it a bit," she said. "I don't want to do what my mom did.... marry young, and wind up pinching Knuts all my life to feed too many kids. I want -nice- things. I want a nice job of my own to pay for them, and to have anyone else in my life on MY terms, not because I can't survive without them. College is how I do that. "
"Nice to know you'll pay your half of the rent," laughed Hermione, and the other girl smiled, but it was shadowed with a thought. Hermione looked a question at her, and Ginny voiced it.
"Do you ever wonder about life after school?"
"Well, yeah. I mean, next year's my last year. I -have- to think about it. I'm thinking that I'll probably do a major in either Alchemy or Arithmancy, and I've been thinking that Amergin, there at Oxford University, would be a good place... I'd have good resources both muggle and magical, and you know, there's some pretty well-regarded people there I could study with."
"...yeah...." Ginny said, eyes shadowed.
"I was thinking that I'll have my Apparation license then, and that would mean I could come back for visits...or you could come down for visits..."
Ginny smiled, and the shadow departed. Hermione realized, suddenly, that the fear was for their relationship.
"For what it's worth, Gin, I don't see why you can't try for your Apparation license just after your birthday in December your seventh year, as opposed to waiting to get out of school." "This is true...it's just annoying right now to be a year younger, you know?"
Hermione's face softened. "I'm not looking forward to leaving you either, love, you know that. But, you'll be busy, and that helps, we both know it. And at the end, we'll be together. "
"Yeah, I was thinking that this program for mediwitch training looked interesting..."
Hermione reached over and took it out of her hand. "This IS interesting," she said, reading the page describing the program. "And, you know, I think from what I've seen that if you're a mediwitch you can work nearly anywhere, and specialize in lots of areas."
Ginny nodded, face alight. "I've considered it for a while, actually."
"You'd be good at it...you don't panic in an emergency, and you're good at seeing what people really need."
"You think?" said Ginny, with some uncertainty. "I've been intending to go talk to Madam Pomfrey about it."
"She's really, really good, you know. Have you looked at the diplomas and certifications she's got?"
"Well, that's true of all of them, you know...I mean, for all Snape's a foul-tempered bastard, he IS good at making potions, and I bet if he wanted to leave here he could have a nice fat job in a moment. And I heard McGonagall turned down a really rich offer to come here and teach."
"It's not like we're being taught by people who couldn't cut it anywhere else," confirmed Hermione. "Of course, you will need to work with Snape more."
"Actually," said Ginny, "he doesn't bother me too much. We're not exactly going to be friends, or anything, but he does drop the snide remarks around me."
Hermione just looked at her girlfriend in shock. "Seriously?!"
"Well, I don't care whether or not he likes me. He's got information and training that I want, and I'll deal with the crap to get there. And the less I mind, the less bullshit about, "if you're capable of such a simple task" he spews."
Hermione was smiling, with a trace of surprise. "You know, I may try disengaging totally and see if it helps."
"Well, if you can get out of the machinations of my brother and his very best friend, " said Ginny. "Snape can't STAND Harry, and Ron just gets a side order of the same for being so loyal to him. Plus, Snape figured out what I've always known...Ron reacts really satisfactorily when teased. He turns red and gets angry quickly...highly entertaining."
Hermione laughed. "Have you told him?"
Ginny shot her a sardonic look. "You think he'll listen?"
There was silence in the room for a time, and then Hermione sighed, lost in thought. She had put the catalogs aside, and was looking off into space, eyes unfocused.
"What's wrong?" asked Ginny.
"Thinking about us, and my parents."
"Oh."
"I don't want to spend the summer the way I did the Easter holiday, and if I'm not getting regular owls from a guy Mother will be setting me up with the sons of her friends."
"Ick," said Ginny, nodding in comprehension. "And from what you've said, the sons are prats."
"Generally. Or gits who believe that a woman with my development," a hand gesture indicated Hermione's full breasts, "can't possibly have a mind or be choosy about her partners. I was damn near tempted to stun the last one."
"Ewwww. Yeah, that would be bad. Which leaves you with..."
"Telling them I'm gay." Hermione said. "And, if they believed it, they would leave me alone, this is true."
"If they believed it?"
Hermione laughed bitterly. "Well, from what I can tell, my father believes that people like us are deluded...all we need is the right man, in our case, to straighten us out. Consequently the pressure to go out with these 'nice men' would be heightened."
"And your mother?"
"I'd have to make love to you on the front step for her to not be able to ignore it or rationalize it away. She'd be all, 'well, perhaps I saw it wrong, because of course Hermione would NEVER do that...." unless it was too big to ignore."
"That's not going to be easy, either," said Ginny, brow furrowed in thought. "You could always come and stay with us...."
"Except I do have the social obligation of spending SOME time with my parents." Hermione pulled a sour face. "They did give birth to me, and raise me, and are supporting me."
"Hm. Yeah." There was a pause, and Ginny said, "Why don't you do what Harry does? He spends about two weeks with the Dursleys, and then owls Ron and comes over to the Burrow for the rest of the time. Fred and George just moved out....got their own place over the shop in Diagon Alley...and so Mum says the house feels empty. She'd be delighted...you know she likes you anyway."
"Yeah, I like your mum too," said Hermione with a smile. "I wish my mother was more like that. Unless I come up with a better plan between now and then, I'll do that."
"Oh, good," said Ginny. "I'll owl Mum tonight. Only, " she said, face turning mischievious, "we won't be able to do anything, unless you can manage to learn to be quieter. The walls of the Burrow are thin."
"ME?!" said Hermione, catching the spark of laughter in her girlfriend's eye. "I seem to remember someone I had to kiss so that she didn't scream loud enough to wake McGonagall when she..."
"Okay, okay, so maybe it's mutual," interrupted Ginny, face pink. "Um, I suppose we better work on Silencing Charms a bit more."
"That might be a good thought, yes..."