Secrets

Chapter 31

Haley J. The Bat

Hermione woke up the next morning in blissful ignorance. She had forgotten about Valentine's Day and Ron's lack of knowledge. She might have gone on further into the day in that ignorance . . . If her two roommates weren't so loud about gushing over their gifts, that is.

"Oh, Lavender, how darling! What else does it sing?"

"Look! I think it's been enchanted to sing whatever song I wish. Isn't it lovely? I'll have to properly thank Seamus on our date tonight."

"My bouquet of roses looks pretty pathetic next to that. For Dean's sake, let's hope that he does something spectacular for me later on tonight." A fierce giggle from both girls filled the room.

"You know he will," Lavender started to say. "He's--"

What he was, Hermione never found out. Irritated by the girls intruding her sleep, Hermione threw her curtains to the side to send her room mates her favorite death glare. It was the only one she found that could shut Ron up.

"Hermione!" Parvati cried out. She rushed to Hermione. "What did Ron get you for Valentine's Day?"

"I'll be it's something wonderful," Lavender said jealously, since you two are engaged."

Hermione tried to hide her embarrassment. She couldn't let them know that her git of a boyfriend had forgotten the most romantic day of the year. "He has a surprise planned for later," Hermione said coolly. She tried to shut her curtains. "If you'll excuse me, I need to get ready for school."

"We'll leave you alone only if you promise to give us full details of what he does for you," Lavender said quickly.

"We'll see," Hermione said curtly. She flicked her wand, and the curtains flew shut despite Parvati's firm grip.

Hermione said a few curse words in her head silently to depict how angry she was. Somebody was going to pay.

Hermione slipped her night gown over her head and stood in front of her full length mirror. Her stomach was protruding more and more each day. She turned to the side, casting a nervous glance at her curtains. She was sure if Lavender and Parvati could manage to get through the spell, they would just assume she was getting fat. They'd spread vicious rumors about her at the worst.

Hermione flayed one hand out over the roundest part of her belly. She felt the baby kick energetically in response, and a small smile spread over her face. The smile quickly turned bittersweet. This was going to be her last, her only, chance to enjoy a Valentine's Day with her boyfriend just as a teenager. In another three and a half months, she would have to give up her childhood for the next eighteen years. And that was at the least.

Ron could at least be decent enough to remember this one silly day. A silly day that she really could care less about. Almost.

* * * * *

"Nothing about today strikes you as odd?" Harry ventured as he sat in shock on his bed. How could someone be so dense?

Ron was digging around the clothes piled around his bed on the floor, looking for socks. "Oh, yes, something strikes me as odd." He pulled one sock up in triumph. Then he shot Harry a look. "Your behavior for one thing. I don't see why you have this sudden fixation with Mondays. Particularly today."

Harry shook his head sadly. He was starting to think that Ron really knew what was going on, but wouldn't tell until the last minutes of the day. Then he'd shout surprise and have them all for thinking he was so stupid.

The said thing was, Harry was ninety-nine percent positive it wouldn't happen quite that way. He had known Ron for nearly seven years, and Ron couldn't easily hide secrets.

Ron was ready after a few more minutes of searching. He finally turned up another sock. He didn't seem to mind that his two socks didn't match. Harry was glad that Ron's robes were long enough to cover the bright, obvious colors. He liked Ron and all, but the socks were too much.

Ron and Harry went down to the common room. They both sat down in front of the never-ending fire to wait for Hermione and Ginny, as they did every morning. They were starting to get antsy with waiting when Ginny finally came down to the common room.

For Harry, at least, time seemed to stand still. For some reason Ginny looked particularly stunning. He had a good notion that this had to do with the fact that he had finally made up his mind about her last night. She must have sensed the change too, because her feet slowed in coming down the stairs as she locked eyes with Harry. Their moment might have ended as beautifully as the movies, but:

"Oh, bloody hell, will you two stop making bloody eyes at each other? It's disgusting." Ron rolled his eyes. "Quit the childishness and go have a snog for Merlin's sake!"

Harry's head snapped to Ron in shock. He felt his cheeks heat up. "That's not exactly how it is," he attempted to protest, mumbling.

"Gin, where's Hermione?" Ron asked impatiently, ignoring Harry.

Ginny shrugged. "Dunno. She's not in her room though." She looked at Ron in a pitying way that made him uncomfortable.

"Did I do something again?" Ron cursed. "It's those hormones, isn't it? I don't mean to rush things, but I wish that kid would come out already."

"Yes, four months early. I'm sure it will be a healthy baby," Ginny said sarcastically. She yanked on Ron's hair. "Are you two eating breakfast?"

"Hermione's not up there?" Ron asked suspiciously.

"Nope. I'm the last one out of there," Ginny supplied. "You could go up there and check, if you want. Harry and I will save you a bit of toast."

Ron looked conflicted for a moment: food or Hermione. In the end, food one. He figured if Hermione was having morning sickness or something he didn't want to be a part of it. His role had come in the beginning, and he had been quite happy completing it. There wasn't anything he could do about Hermione's misery. Except get her food from the kitchens. That was about all he was good for anymore.

* * * * *

It was several hours later, and Hermione was angrily sitting on her bed, arms crossed tightly and scowl on face. The last class, Potions, had just gotten over with. She didn't want to go for dinner, and the child inside of her seemed to be too afraid to protest. She couldn't believe anyone could be so stupid! She always knew Ron was dense. Who wouldn't notice? She just couldn't believe how stupid he could be. Her thoughts were racing; she was trying to decide which punishment to use on him. Several she had thought up were quite painful, and she was beginning to think she should use them all.

She was up there for quite a long time, though she wasn't sure for exactly how much. Then Ginny appeared at the door of her dormitories. Ginny gave Hermione a half smile in greeting.

"How could he?" Hermione sputtered. "Of all . . . I can hardly . . . What an imbecile!"

"I agree," Ginny said softly. She walked to Hermione's bed and sat down. She put her arm around the older girl for comfort. "You could just tell him, you know. Obviously this means a lot to you."

"More than I thought it would." Hermione felt tears begin to form. She quickly brushed them away. "Stupid pregnant hormones!"

Ginny looked at her in surprise. "I thought you said you didn't get hormones."

Hermione glared. "I don't, so shut it, Ginny." Her gaze narrowed further as she studied Ginny. "You're looking guilty. Did Harry ask you someplace?"

Ginny blushed and looked away. She hadn't wanted to rub salt in Hermione's wounds. "Kind of. We're just going to the Astronomy Tower."

Hermione snorted. "If you think you can get in there tonight, you're in for a big surprise."

"We're going the smaller Astronomy Tower. The one that people think is neglected. It's not, and I know a spell to get through locked doors. Fred and George were kind enough to teach it to me." She saw that Hermione was starting to cry again, and she squeezed the older girl's shoulder. "Listen, Hermione, he'll come to. He's probably planning some big surprise."

Hermione snorted.

"Doubtful, I know," Ginny admitted. She stood up. "I have to go get ready. If you're going to swallow your pride, go tell Ron that he'd better do something nice for you or you'll kill him."

"I shouldn't have to tell him; he should know," Hermione stressed.

Ginny rolled her eyes as soon as she left the dormitory. In her opinion, Hermione was acting like a git. If she had a boyfriend like Ron, gross, she'd definitely tell him what she was thinking. She'd give him hell if he ever forgot Valentine's Day. She just didn't understand Hermione sometimes.

Hermione stood up restlessly. She looked at her wristwatch. It was pointing to 'Getting Late'. She sighed. A slight rumble in her stomach made her decide what to do. She grabbed her wand from her nightstand and headed to the kitchens. She was going to have a feast in celebration of a horrible day.

* * * * *

Harry smiled nervously at Ginny as they made their way down the hallway. His heart was thudding slightly even though they'd done this a thousand times over. Maybe this time they'd get it right.

"Is this the door?" Ginny asked, stopping suddenly to point to a bit of wall.

Harry consulted his map. He nodded. "Yeah, I think so." He squinted his eyes to see the tiny print scrolling onto the map. "Okay. Look for a faded blue bow in the wall paper."

They both scanned the wall. Then Ginny pointed out a very faint shape of a bow. "When they say faded, they mean faded," she muttered.

Harry pushed it with his pinky while reciting the planets in order: "Er . . . Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune, Pluto. Was that right?"

"I think so," Ginny replied, pointing to the wall. It was moved to the side like a sliding door. When there was just enough space to fit a person inside, they slipped in one by one. The wall shut behind them. Ginny jumped. "How do we open it again to get back out?"

"It will open automatically for us. It's only complicated to get in," Harry replied. "Lumos!" His wand lit up the darkness, and he took Ginny's hand. "Come on, let's go up these stairs."

"I don't know about this," Ginny said slowly. "Hogwarts is a pretty shady place if you ask me."

Harry smiled slightly and continued to drag her up the stairs.

They reached the top easily. This was the old Astronomy Tower. Upon the discovery of the farther planets, the school had built a new, bigger one, the one that was still used to that day. The steps in this one were only half those in the one that Harry had to walk for Divination.

At the top, Ginny gasped slightly, taken aback. There was a blanket in the middle of the floor with a bowl of grapes and a bottle of wine. There were candles all around the edges of the circular room. She had expected it to be dusty and shabby. She turned around and threw her arms around Harry. "It's wonderful!" she squealed into his neck.

Harry couldn't help smiling as he patted her back gingerly. "Thanks."

Ginny pulled away. "I thought you hadn't been up here before," she said suspiciously.

"I haven't. Doby did this for us," Harry admitted. He blushed slightly.

Ginny kissed him quickly on the lips. "I'm glad."

Ginny started to lean closer for another kiss, but Harry pulled back slightly. He took his wand out of his pocket and flicked it to the left to turn on the WWN. Soft music filled the room, and Ginny grinned. Harry replaced his wand and hooked his hands around her waist to move slowly to the tune.

Ginny closed her eyes as she rested her head on his shoulder. This was different from before. Instead of wanting desperate kisses and touching, she was glad just to be in his arms, even if they were just dancing.

Harry was having similar thoughts. He stopped their dance and led her to the blanket to sit down. He poured them both a glass of wine.

"Where did you get that?" Ginny asked as she accepted her glass.

Harry shrugged. "I'm of age now, and Doby would do anything for me." He smiled shyly. "I thought wine would set the mood."

"It does," Ginny said quickly. She took a small sip from the wine to test it out. The liquid was sweet and smooth. She had been prepared for the grimy beer of Bill's that she'd once snuck a sip of. She took another gulp of her wine and set the glass down. She reached for the bowl of grapes and popped one in her mouth. "Very romantic," she complimented.

Harry blushed again. "Thanks," he mumbled. He took the bowl from her. "That isn't how you eat these though. Let me show you." He picked up a cluster of grapes and held them in front of Ginny. She got the point and reached with her mouth to pop one of the juice fruits off the stem. Just as her teeth were about to sink in, Harry pulled the fruit from her. She looked at him in surprise. Then she saw the glint in his eyes. She giggled as she leaned at them again, then pretended not to know what he was leading her closer and closer to.

At last, Harry dropped the grapes and brought his hand behind Ginny's head. She came willingly, and they kissed again. This time it was softer and slower than ever before. Ginny felt like every piece of her body was slowly melting. Her eyes were closed when she pulled away. "This is almost like . . ." she trailed off. Then her eyes snapped open. Harry was blushing. "Harry! Where you reading one of my romance novels?"

Harry bit his lip. "Er . . ."

"You were!"

Harry looked prepared to be yelled at.

Ginny's eyes softened. "That's so sweet," she murmured. She leaned towards him and kissed him again. Harry seemed surprised at first, but he quickly warmed to her lips.

"That's where I got the idea for this," Harry whispered when they parted for breath. "Do you like it?" He pretended to be nonchalant about her reaction.

"I love it," Ginny said softly. She reached for him again, eager to continue with the snogging.

* * * * *

Ron didn't understand why everybody was gone. Most people left in twos as soon as the evening began to set it. He'd seen Hermione spring down the stairs determinedly. He'd tried to talk to her, but she ignored him. He would have followed her, but she looked pretty angry. He wasn't in the mood to deal with that. So instead he finished up his homework for that day. Then he got out his and Harry's sets of chess to play solo with. The other team did a lot better without Harry directed them, but Ron still won.

Ron was just about to start another game when the painting entrance swung open again. He heard some whispered words, then the sound of snogging. He rolled his eyes. This was weird. Everybody seemed to be coming in the same way. He thought hard. Had they been given an aphrodisiac in Potions or something?

When he heard the couple about to embark through the room, he quickly looked down. His ears were turning red. He didn't want whomever it was to think he was eavesdropping or anything.

"Ron!"

Ron looked up sharply to see Ginny and Harry coming in, their arms around each other. Harry dropped his arm from Ginny's waist and back up a few feet, looking at Ron in fear.

Ron merely smiled. "So you two finally . . .?"

"Not that it's any of your business," Ginny snapped.

Ron rolled his eyes. "What is with everyone together? I've seen more people snogging this evening than I ever wanted to. And Hermione stormed off earlier. I was kind of hoping whatever was in the air would affect her too."

Ginny and Harry stared at him dumbly. Ron stared back, feeling like he was missing out on something.

"It's bloody Valentine's Day, you fool!"

Ron looked down to see his Queen yelling at him. The words were just starting to register. He jumped up from the couch. "It's Valentine's Day?" he demanded.

"Finally," Harry muttered. "I've been trying to tell you for days."

"Then why didn't you say anything? I might have remembered had you used more obvious hints. Perhaps a, 'Hey, mate, Valentine's is tomorrow,' or something to that effect!" Ron all but roared.

Ginny laughed. "Git," she said plainly.

"This is not the time," Ron snapped. He ran a hand through his hair. "Damn."

"If I were you, I'd go find Hermione." Ginny looked at the clock above the fireplace. "You still have three moments."

Ron glared at the clock. How was he supposed to know exactly how long a moment was in its opinion? Then he remembered something. "I don't even know where she is."

"Think awful hard, Ron," Harry said encouragingly.

Ron snapped his fingers. "The kitchens!" He stood still for a moment.

"Run!" Ginny barked out. Ron needed no more encouragement. He was out of the common room in two seconds.

Ginny laughed hard again, clutching at her stomach. Harry joined in with her. When they were done, they both muttered, "git," together. Then the smiled at one and other and went up to sleep. Both had pleasant dreams of the evening they'd shared together.

* * * * *

AN: I hope you enjoyed the chapter! I know that Harry and Ginny are getting to be a pill for everyone, so I figured I'd might as well end their 'will they, won't they' crap. If you think it's fake, whatever. Thanks for all of your reviews!

~Haley