***DISCLAIMER*** I do not own Harry Potter nor anything affiliated with it,
JK Rowling and Warner Bros. do. I am not attempting to make a profit, just
have fun writing!
A/N: No more pesky little symbols in place of quotation marks. : - ) So I reposted. Enjoy!
Hermione - Hogwarts ~ Hmm, there might be another little love connection but the focus of this one is definitely just Ron and Hermione. But just wait!!! The other two long fan fics I have planned WILL feature other relationships; I know that so far I've only had Ron and Hermione, but I am going to branch out. ; - ) And if you've read what I've written carefully, you should be able to figure out some of the stuff I'm planning to write. Also, don't forget that I did say that Lavender and Seamus are dating!
Kang ~ Haha, you only think I'm predictable.
Tnturner4 ~ Thanks! I'm going to have it finished within a week or two. ; - ) Read some of the other stuff I've written if you want more R/H!!!
Tears from the Moon ~ Isn't it great getting into the character's heads? With Ron, I figured I had to put some sort of transition in to explain how he went from mediocre grades to ones good enough to make him an Auror later. Glad you like the story so far!
l.l. ~ Well, Hermione is traditional b/c I'm traditional and I like it that way. Real romance CAN happen in the modern world, you just have to find the right person. Just because we don't live in the past doesn't mean that our ideas of romance have to change. Just a thought ; - ) Glad you like "How Many Ways" though!!!
Ron Weasly ~ Wow, thank you! I'm glad you think I have a balance; I was scared that it was too fluffy.
Pawprints ~ My fellow Marauder : - ) thank you for reviewing! I'm so glad that you like it so far and that you are having fun reading it! I miss you too!!! I'm sure just as much, if not more, as you miss me! Flames will be back in town Aug 26 I believe, so we should make plans for something that weekend! Love ya ~ Wings
David Ken ~ I'm so glad that you like the story so far, and your comment on the pacing was especially appreciated! Thank you!
Thanks also to: TheSweetestThing, fredngeorgegirl, Allison, she-who-can-be- named-but-prefers-not-to-be, and ice princess. I appreciated your reviews and I'm glad to know you are reading! Enjoy the next chapter!
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Chase After Me
Chapter 3 ~ Stuck in the Middle
By AmericanAngel
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Ginny Weasley hated letting people down. She never wanted to be the one who made someone else upset, or who made someone else cry. She would usually get someone else to do it, or she would just live with it, but she knew that she could do neither in this situation, which only made it harder.
Looking back, she knew she had never really loved Dean. So why was this so hard? Why was it so hard to break up with a guy she didn't even like?
She sighed, *It's because I feel like such an awful person*
Slowly and reluctantly she walked down the stairs into the Gryffindor common room. Her shoes felt as though they were made of lead as she took the stairs one at a time, breathing slowly and deliberately as she took each step. She saw her brother sitting by the fire talking to Harry and she saw Hermione studying near the pair. On the opposite side of the room, she saw Seamus and Lavender whispering about something, Lavender grinning and giggling to Seamus' words. She saw Neville studying at a table nearby, most likely spells and incantations for D.A.
Finally, she saw Dean Thomas sitting on the floor against a wall reading his Transfiguration book. She paused to watch him in a shadow where he could not see hear; she saw his dark eyes carefully scan the page and watched the glimmers of confusion but also determination across his face as he practiced with an invisible wand and whispered the correct words to himself.
*He really is something* she thought to herself, but all she felt was admiration, no tingle rose up her spine like Hermione had described to her when she was attempting to explain her feelings for Ron and what happened when she saw him.
She sighed again, it was time. She had put off the confrontation for far too long. Deliberately, her expression changed. Her chin was set and she had the faintest hint of a smile, even though she was being torn apart inside. She strode over to her boyfriend and knelt down on her knees so that she was looking into the dark pools of wonderment before she began to speak.
"Good morning, Dean," she told him brightly, "How did you sleep?"
He smiled, took her hand, and kissed it before replying, "Quite well; I've been sleeping remarkably better now that Harry can control that mind of his."
Ginny laughed at Dean's remark, but her laughter was cut short as she remembered the purpose of the conversation.
Dean noticed the sudden cut-off of her laughter, "Ginny? Are you alright?"
She almost felt tears sting her eyes, but looked down soon enough so that Dean would not notice them, "There's something we need to talk about, Dean, something important."
His mind sparked to attention and he raised her chin with his hand to meet his eye, "What is it? Please tell me."
Ginny took a deep breath again and Dean took her hands gently, "Ginny, what's wrong? You know you can tell me."
She nodded, "Dean, I haven't been completely honest, and I can't keep doing that to you."
A flicker of hurt passed through his features, "What are you talking about? You aren't dating someone else, are you?"
She shook her head, "No, no, nothing like that. I haven't been unfaithful to you."
He laughed slightly and took his hands from hers, "Well, then, what is it?!"
Her voice was so quiet that he wasn't sure if he had heard her correctly, "I don't think we should go out anymore."
Dean straightened against the wall, "What?"
Ginny spoke a little louder, "We can't go out anymore."
His voice shook as he replied, "Why not? What's wrong with me, what's wrong with us? What's . . ."
Ginny groaned and broke in, "No, Dean. You aren't the issue, it's . . ."
Dean rolled his eyes and sank down again, "Oh, you're just going to give me the 'It's not you, it's me' response and be done with it, are you?"
The tears threatened behind Ginny's eyes again, but she looked down and blinked so that he would not notice, "No, Dean. That's not what I'm doing at all. You need to understand something."
He raised his eyebrows, "I have to understand something? What?"
She sighed and closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and then opened them again, "I've been lying to you. I never really liked you as more than a friend, but I felt like I needed to go out with someone to be happy, I guess. I mean, I liked Harry, and then I went out with Michael because I wanted to feel the same way and then I chose you and now, I don't know. I just don't want to lie to myself, or to anyone else, anymore. Especially not you, because you are my friend, and I want to keep you as a friend, although I'm not sure if that is going to be possible."
Dean sputtered as he tried to get the words out of his mouth and for a moment he just sat there staring into Ginny's eyes, then continued, "So it's all been a lie? None of it was real?"
Ginny shook her head a little, "No, Dean, some of it was real. I do like you! And you are a wonderful person, I really do believe that. The problem is that as much as I admire and respect you and cherish our friendship, I don't like you as more than a friend. Does that make sense?"
Dean nodded, staring off into space. He shook his head a little and blinked to focus his eyes, in which Ginny could see hurt and disappointment. He leaned forward, setting her heart beating faster and faster, but paused about an inch away from her lips. Ginny could see him visibly melt and sink down closer to the floor before sitting up again and kissing her on the cheek.
"You're a beautiful girl, Ginny, but I won't force you to be my girlfriend. I'm not that kind of person. However, I do want you to know that whoever you end up with is going to be a lucky bloke," Dean kissed her hand again, then picked up his Transfiguration book and walked steadily towards the dormitory. Ginny sat there for a few moments, then stood and went down to breakfast.
* * *
Hermione noticed that Dean seemed a bit subdued during Herbology, Charms, and History of Magic that day. Assuming that Ginny had taken her advice, Hermione sought her out after dinner. She knocked on the door of the fifth year girls' dormitory and waited for a response. Ginny opened the door and gave Hermione a smile.
"Evening, Hermione. How are you?" Ginny asked her friend as she gestured for her to come inside.
Hermione walked in and gave her friend a hug, taking Ginny by surprise, "I'm pretty good, but how are you?! I noticed Dean seemed a bit, well, not like himself today. He was very quiet and kept giving your brother dirty looks. Did you break up with him?"
Ginny looked down, and then slowly nodded before leading Hermione over to sit on her bed, "Yes, this morning I found him in the common room before breakfast, and I told him that we had to break up because I didn't want to lie to him anymore."
Hermione could see that Ginny was upset, but not completely distraught, "So, are you alright? Feeling empty at all?"
Ginny pondered this for a moment, and then responded, "I was at first, but it feels good almost. Like, I can focus on other things for a while. And if some other relationship happens to spring itself, so be it."
Hermione smiled, "That's good, Ginny. I'm glad you got yourself out of that situation, and that you are ready to move on."
Ginny smiled slyly, "So, how about you? Anything new happen on your front?"
Hermione blushed furiously, "No, Ginny, of course not. Nothing is going to happen for a while, if at all. I don't even think he likes me."
Ginny rolled her eyes, "Of course he likes you, can't you see it? He's so jealous of you and he's always protecting you from potential harm."
Hermione smiled dreamily, "I know, whenever I mention Viktor's name he becomes defensive, and he's protected me from Malfoy about a million times."
She snapped out of her trance to see Ginny giving her an amused expression, "Of course, you know, those things don't mean your brother loves me. Well, I'm one of his two best friends you know, and friends do that sort of thing for one another."
Ginny laughed inwardly, "Alright, Hermione, believe what you will."
"Well, I better get to packing," Hermione said suddenly, "I'm not staying for Christmas."
Ginny raised an eyebrow, "How? Aren't we required to stay because it's so dangerous?" Some of the teachers had made a fuss about making sure the students remained at Hogwarts for the holidays so they would be safe from Voldemort and the Death Eaters, and most were staying, however it was not required.
Hermione shook her head, "I'm going home to see my Mum and Dad, just in case. I'll be alright. The students who are leaving each have a Secret Keeper to make sure they can't be tracked, in fact, Dumbledore is going to be my Secret Keeper."
Ginny nodded, "Well, good luck. I'll be hoping nothing happens to you."
Hermione hugged her friend for the second time that night, "Nothing will happen, Ginny. I'll be back here good as new in January. Get some rest, you look very tired."
Ginny agreed and the pair of girls said good night. Ginny waited until she heard Hermione's footsteps on the stairs up to her dorm before quietly exiting her own and heading down to the common room.
She scanned the room quickly looking for the tell-tale sign of . . . black, messy hair. She finally found Harry sitting with Ron by the fire, a small model of a Quidditch field before them.
"Hi Harry, Ron," Ginny said as she sat down next to the pair.
"Ginny, what the heck did you do to Dean?" Ron asked her in horror.
She shrugged, "I broke up with him. I really shouldn't have been dating him in the first place, I didn't really like him. I guess I just wanted to feel special and have someone to date. Anyway, that's not why I need to talk to you. Actually, I only need to talk to you, Harry."
Ron looked hurt, "You can't talk to your own brother? What, are you in love with him now?"
Ginny laughed and winked, "Wait your turn, Ron. I just need to talk to Harry right now."
Ron nodded and went up to the sixth year boys' dormitory.
Harry turned from the miniature Quidditch field to the red-head and said, "What is going on, Ginny?"
Ginny gave him a mischievous smile and spoke in a quiet voice, "Has Ron ever mentioned anything to you about liking Hermione?"
Harry's eyes widened, "Yeah, he did just yesterday. He said he had just realized it; how did you know?"
Ginny shrugged, "It's not that hard to figure out, Harry. I've suspected it for a long time, but my suspicions have now been confirmed. Does he plan to do anything about it?"
Harry shook his head, "No, the bloke is too scared that she doesn't return his feelings. I don't know what to tell him. He doesn't want to take the chance that she may not like him, so he isn't going to do anything at all."
She gave him another grin and he responded in turn, "What's this all about, anyway?"
"I was talking to Hermione last night," she replied, "And a few things happened. First, I realized that dating Dean was probably the worst thing I could have been doing because I didn't like him as more than a friend; I was essentially lying to the poor chap. Second, I asked Hermione a question which had been bugging me for some time. I asked her if she liked Ron."
Harry's emerald eyes widened, "What did she say?"
Ginny grinned, "Well, at first she flatly denied it. Then, she came to see the light. Actually, she knew all along and was only trying to hide it from me. It's really very obvious when you look for the correct signs. But you see, she's too afraid to tell Ron how she feels as well. She doesn't think he returns her feelings."
Harry groaned, "Oh, how I hate being the middle man."
Ginny gave him a look, "Not necessarily. We can do this another way."
Harry raised an eyebrow, "Oh? Enlighten me."
Ginny smiled, "I thought you'd never ask."
* * *
Hermione stood by the doors of the Great Hall with her luggage in the line of students awaiting Portkeys to their destinations. Both Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall were checking the students off on a list and enabling the Fidelius Charm where appropriate. Most students were being placed in the care of a relative rather than one of the staff, but there were Muggle-borns like Hermione who had no magical relatives and so needed a different person to be their Secret Keeper. Ron, Harry, and Ginny waited in line with Hermione for it to be her turn to be placed under the charm and then transported to her home.
Ginny sighed, "I wish you could send us owls to tell us about your vacation, Hermione."
Hermione smiled, "Don't worry about me. Christmas will be over before you know it and I'll be back here once again. Take care of yourself, your brother, and Harry."
Ginny nodded, "I will," and the pair embraced one another.
Harry turned to Hermione, "Happy Christmas. I wish you all the best, and we will see you when you get back."
Hermione smiled at Harry, "Happy Christmas to you too, Harry. See you in a bit." She shared a hug with him as well, although it was much longer than the one she had shared with Ginny.
Finally, she turned to Ron, "Well, Ron, I'll see you after Christmas?"
He grinned at her, "I wouldn't miss it for the world."
She smiled and reached to hug him, however, in addition to his warm embrace, he placed a light, soft kiss on her cheek, something he had never done before.
"Be safe, Hermione," he whispered in her ear.
She pulled him tighter to herself, "I will be, I promise."
Ron, Ginny, and Harry stepped back from the line and watched Dumbledore place the charm on Hermione. She was then handed a gold ring with a red stone.
Ron heard Dumbledore tell her, "Hermione, this ring will take you to your home two minutes from now. It is also scheduled to bring you back here on December 31. If you need to return at any time between then and now, place it on your right hand ring finger and press down on the stone. You, and anyone touching you, will be transported to my office. Understand?"
Hermione nodded and Dumbledore smiled. She turned and waved goodbye to her friends once more, blowing them all a light kiss. Thirty seconds later, she was gone.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Review!!! Alright, we are officially halfway through this thing. Let me know what you think and if you have any questions; I'll attempt to accommodate you!
Hope y'all are having a lovely summer wherever you are and that the sun is shining on your days. : - ) I know it's shining on mine.
~AmericanAngel
A/N: No more pesky little symbols in place of quotation marks. : - ) So I reposted. Enjoy!
Hermione - Hogwarts ~ Hmm, there might be another little love connection but the focus of this one is definitely just Ron and Hermione. But just wait!!! The other two long fan fics I have planned WILL feature other relationships; I know that so far I've only had Ron and Hermione, but I am going to branch out. ; - ) And if you've read what I've written carefully, you should be able to figure out some of the stuff I'm planning to write. Also, don't forget that I did say that Lavender and Seamus are dating!
Kang ~ Haha, you only think I'm predictable.
Tnturner4 ~ Thanks! I'm going to have it finished within a week or two. ; - ) Read some of the other stuff I've written if you want more R/H!!!
Tears from the Moon ~ Isn't it great getting into the character's heads? With Ron, I figured I had to put some sort of transition in to explain how he went from mediocre grades to ones good enough to make him an Auror later. Glad you like the story so far!
l.l. ~ Well, Hermione is traditional b/c I'm traditional and I like it that way. Real romance CAN happen in the modern world, you just have to find the right person. Just because we don't live in the past doesn't mean that our ideas of romance have to change. Just a thought ; - ) Glad you like "How Many Ways" though!!!
Ron Weasly ~ Wow, thank you! I'm glad you think I have a balance; I was scared that it was too fluffy.
Pawprints ~ My fellow Marauder : - ) thank you for reviewing! I'm so glad that you like it so far and that you are having fun reading it! I miss you too!!! I'm sure just as much, if not more, as you miss me! Flames will be back in town Aug 26 I believe, so we should make plans for something that weekend! Love ya ~ Wings
David Ken ~ I'm so glad that you like the story so far, and your comment on the pacing was especially appreciated! Thank you!
Thanks also to: TheSweetestThing, fredngeorgegirl, Allison, she-who-can-be- named-but-prefers-not-to-be, and ice princess. I appreciated your reviews and I'm glad to know you are reading! Enjoy the next chapter!
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Chase After Me
Chapter 3 ~ Stuck in the Middle
By AmericanAngel
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Ginny Weasley hated letting people down. She never wanted to be the one who made someone else upset, or who made someone else cry. She would usually get someone else to do it, or she would just live with it, but she knew that she could do neither in this situation, which only made it harder.
Looking back, she knew she had never really loved Dean. So why was this so hard? Why was it so hard to break up with a guy she didn't even like?
She sighed, *It's because I feel like such an awful person*
Slowly and reluctantly she walked down the stairs into the Gryffindor common room. Her shoes felt as though they were made of lead as she took the stairs one at a time, breathing slowly and deliberately as she took each step. She saw her brother sitting by the fire talking to Harry and she saw Hermione studying near the pair. On the opposite side of the room, she saw Seamus and Lavender whispering about something, Lavender grinning and giggling to Seamus' words. She saw Neville studying at a table nearby, most likely spells and incantations for D.A.
Finally, she saw Dean Thomas sitting on the floor against a wall reading his Transfiguration book. She paused to watch him in a shadow where he could not see hear; she saw his dark eyes carefully scan the page and watched the glimmers of confusion but also determination across his face as he practiced with an invisible wand and whispered the correct words to himself.
*He really is something* she thought to herself, but all she felt was admiration, no tingle rose up her spine like Hermione had described to her when she was attempting to explain her feelings for Ron and what happened when she saw him.
She sighed again, it was time. She had put off the confrontation for far too long. Deliberately, her expression changed. Her chin was set and she had the faintest hint of a smile, even though she was being torn apart inside. She strode over to her boyfriend and knelt down on her knees so that she was looking into the dark pools of wonderment before she began to speak.
"Good morning, Dean," she told him brightly, "How did you sleep?"
He smiled, took her hand, and kissed it before replying, "Quite well; I've been sleeping remarkably better now that Harry can control that mind of his."
Ginny laughed at Dean's remark, but her laughter was cut short as she remembered the purpose of the conversation.
Dean noticed the sudden cut-off of her laughter, "Ginny? Are you alright?"
She almost felt tears sting her eyes, but looked down soon enough so that Dean would not notice them, "There's something we need to talk about, Dean, something important."
His mind sparked to attention and he raised her chin with his hand to meet his eye, "What is it? Please tell me."
Ginny took a deep breath again and Dean took her hands gently, "Ginny, what's wrong? You know you can tell me."
She nodded, "Dean, I haven't been completely honest, and I can't keep doing that to you."
A flicker of hurt passed through his features, "What are you talking about? You aren't dating someone else, are you?"
She shook her head, "No, no, nothing like that. I haven't been unfaithful to you."
He laughed slightly and took his hands from hers, "Well, then, what is it?!"
Her voice was so quiet that he wasn't sure if he had heard her correctly, "I don't think we should go out anymore."
Dean straightened against the wall, "What?"
Ginny spoke a little louder, "We can't go out anymore."
His voice shook as he replied, "Why not? What's wrong with me, what's wrong with us? What's . . ."
Ginny groaned and broke in, "No, Dean. You aren't the issue, it's . . ."
Dean rolled his eyes and sank down again, "Oh, you're just going to give me the 'It's not you, it's me' response and be done with it, are you?"
The tears threatened behind Ginny's eyes again, but she looked down and blinked so that he would not notice, "No, Dean. That's not what I'm doing at all. You need to understand something."
He raised his eyebrows, "I have to understand something? What?"
She sighed and closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and then opened them again, "I've been lying to you. I never really liked you as more than a friend, but I felt like I needed to go out with someone to be happy, I guess. I mean, I liked Harry, and then I went out with Michael because I wanted to feel the same way and then I chose you and now, I don't know. I just don't want to lie to myself, or to anyone else, anymore. Especially not you, because you are my friend, and I want to keep you as a friend, although I'm not sure if that is going to be possible."
Dean sputtered as he tried to get the words out of his mouth and for a moment he just sat there staring into Ginny's eyes, then continued, "So it's all been a lie? None of it was real?"
Ginny shook her head a little, "No, Dean, some of it was real. I do like you! And you are a wonderful person, I really do believe that. The problem is that as much as I admire and respect you and cherish our friendship, I don't like you as more than a friend. Does that make sense?"
Dean nodded, staring off into space. He shook his head a little and blinked to focus his eyes, in which Ginny could see hurt and disappointment. He leaned forward, setting her heart beating faster and faster, but paused about an inch away from her lips. Ginny could see him visibly melt and sink down closer to the floor before sitting up again and kissing her on the cheek.
"You're a beautiful girl, Ginny, but I won't force you to be my girlfriend. I'm not that kind of person. However, I do want you to know that whoever you end up with is going to be a lucky bloke," Dean kissed her hand again, then picked up his Transfiguration book and walked steadily towards the dormitory. Ginny sat there for a few moments, then stood and went down to breakfast.
* * *
Hermione noticed that Dean seemed a bit subdued during Herbology, Charms, and History of Magic that day. Assuming that Ginny had taken her advice, Hermione sought her out after dinner. She knocked on the door of the fifth year girls' dormitory and waited for a response. Ginny opened the door and gave Hermione a smile.
"Evening, Hermione. How are you?" Ginny asked her friend as she gestured for her to come inside.
Hermione walked in and gave her friend a hug, taking Ginny by surprise, "I'm pretty good, but how are you?! I noticed Dean seemed a bit, well, not like himself today. He was very quiet and kept giving your brother dirty looks. Did you break up with him?"
Ginny looked down, and then slowly nodded before leading Hermione over to sit on her bed, "Yes, this morning I found him in the common room before breakfast, and I told him that we had to break up because I didn't want to lie to him anymore."
Hermione could see that Ginny was upset, but not completely distraught, "So, are you alright? Feeling empty at all?"
Ginny pondered this for a moment, and then responded, "I was at first, but it feels good almost. Like, I can focus on other things for a while. And if some other relationship happens to spring itself, so be it."
Hermione smiled, "That's good, Ginny. I'm glad you got yourself out of that situation, and that you are ready to move on."
Ginny smiled slyly, "So, how about you? Anything new happen on your front?"
Hermione blushed furiously, "No, Ginny, of course not. Nothing is going to happen for a while, if at all. I don't even think he likes me."
Ginny rolled her eyes, "Of course he likes you, can't you see it? He's so jealous of you and he's always protecting you from potential harm."
Hermione smiled dreamily, "I know, whenever I mention Viktor's name he becomes defensive, and he's protected me from Malfoy about a million times."
She snapped out of her trance to see Ginny giving her an amused expression, "Of course, you know, those things don't mean your brother loves me. Well, I'm one of his two best friends you know, and friends do that sort of thing for one another."
Ginny laughed inwardly, "Alright, Hermione, believe what you will."
"Well, I better get to packing," Hermione said suddenly, "I'm not staying for Christmas."
Ginny raised an eyebrow, "How? Aren't we required to stay because it's so dangerous?" Some of the teachers had made a fuss about making sure the students remained at Hogwarts for the holidays so they would be safe from Voldemort and the Death Eaters, and most were staying, however it was not required.
Hermione shook her head, "I'm going home to see my Mum and Dad, just in case. I'll be alright. The students who are leaving each have a Secret Keeper to make sure they can't be tracked, in fact, Dumbledore is going to be my Secret Keeper."
Ginny nodded, "Well, good luck. I'll be hoping nothing happens to you."
Hermione hugged her friend for the second time that night, "Nothing will happen, Ginny. I'll be back here good as new in January. Get some rest, you look very tired."
Ginny agreed and the pair of girls said good night. Ginny waited until she heard Hermione's footsteps on the stairs up to her dorm before quietly exiting her own and heading down to the common room.
She scanned the room quickly looking for the tell-tale sign of . . . black, messy hair. She finally found Harry sitting with Ron by the fire, a small model of a Quidditch field before them.
"Hi Harry, Ron," Ginny said as she sat down next to the pair.
"Ginny, what the heck did you do to Dean?" Ron asked her in horror.
She shrugged, "I broke up with him. I really shouldn't have been dating him in the first place, I didn't really like him. I guess I just wanted to feel special and have someone to date. Anyway, that's not why I need to talk to you. Actually, I only need to talk to you, Harry."
Ron looked hurt, "You can't talk to your own brother? What, are you in love with him now?"
Ginny laughed and winked, "Wait your turn, Ron. I just need to talk to Harry right now."
Ron nodded and went up to the sixth year boys' dormitory.
Harry turned from the miniature Quidditch field to the red-head and said, "What is going on, Ginny?"
Ginny gave him a mischievous smile and spoke in a quiet voice, "Has Ron ever mentioned anything to you about liking Hermione?"
Harry's eyes widened, "Yeah, he did just yesterday. He said he had just realized it; how did you know?"
Ginny shrugged, "It's not that hard to figure out, Harry. I've suspected it for a long time, but my suspicions have now been confirmed. Does he plan to do anything about it?"
Harry shook his head, "No, the bloke is too scared that she doesn't return his feelings. I don't know what to tell him. He doesn't want to take the chance that she may not like him, so he isn't going to do anything at all."
She gave him another grin and he responded in turn, "What's this all about, anyway?"
"I was talking to Hermione last night," she replied, "And a few things happened. First, I realized that dating Dean was probably the worst thing I could have been doing because I didn't like him as more than a friend; I was essentially lying to the poor chap. Second, I asked Hermione a question which had been bugging me for some time. I asked her if she liked Ron."
Harry's emerald eyes widened, "What did she say?"
Ginny grinned, "Well, at first she flatly denied it. Then, she came to see the light. Actually, she knew all along and was only trying to hide it from me. It's really very obvious when you look for the correct signs. But you see, she's too afraid to tell Ron how she feels as well. She doesn't think he returns her feelings."
Harry groaned, "Oh, how I hate being the middle man."
Ginny gave him a look, "Not necessarily. We can do this another way."
Harry raised an eyebrow, "Oh? Enlighten me."
Ginny smiled, "I thought you'd never ask."
* * *
Hermione stood by the doors of the Great Hall with her luggage in the line of students awaiting Portkeys to their destinations. Both Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall were checking the students off on a list and enabling the Fidelius Charm where appropriate. Most students were being placed in the care of a relative rather than one of the staff, but there were Muggle-borns like Hermione who had no magical relatives and so needed a different person to be their Secret Keeper. Ron, Harry, and Ginny waited in line with Hermione for it to be her turn to be placed under the charm and then transported to her home.
Ginny sighed, "I wish you could send us owls to tell us about your vacation, Hermione."
Hermione smiled, "Don't worry about me. Christmas will be over before you know it and I'll be back here once again. Take care of yourself, your brother, and Harry."
Ginny nodded, "I will," and the pair embraced one another.
Harry turned to Hermione, "Happy Christmas. I wish you all the best, and we will see you when you get back."
Hermione smiled at Harry, "Happy Christmas to you too, Harry. See you in a bit." She shared a hug with him as well, although it was much longer than the one she had shared with Ginny.
Finally, she turned to Ron, "Well, Ron, I'll see you after Christmas?"
He grinned at her, "I wouldn't miss it for the world."
She smiled and reached to hug him, however, in addition to his warm embrace, he placed a light, soft kiss on her cheek, something he had never done before.
"Be safe, Hermione," he whispered in her ear.
She pulled him tighter to herself, "I will be, I promise."
Ron, Ginny, and Harry stepped back from the line and watched Dumbledore place the charm on Hermione. She was then handed a gold ring with a red stone.
Ron heard Dumbledore tell her, "Hermione, this ring will take you to your home two minutes from now. It is also scheduled to bring you back here on December 31. If you need to return at any time between then and now, place it on your right hand ring finger and press down on the stone. You, and anyone touching you, will be transported to my office. Understand?"
Hermione nodded and Dumbledore smiled. She turned and waved goodbye to her friends once more, blowing them all a light kiss. Thirty seconds later, she was gone.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Review!!! Alright, we are officially halfway through this thing. Let me know what you think and if you have any questions; I'll attempt to accommodate you!
Hope y'all are having a lovely summer wherever you are and that the sun is shining on your days. : - ) I know it's shining on mine.
~AmericanAngel
