The Harry Potter books and their characters belong to J.K. Rowling, not to me. No copyright infringement is intended or implied.
Thank you very much to SabineLaGrande for beta help.
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Hermione and Ginny were lying cuddled on Hermione's bed, alert for the sound of anyone returning early from the walk the other seventh-year Gryffindor girls had taken. There were various spells and precautions they took at other times, and there were girls they could probably trust not to tell. But right now was just about touching and kissing, and murmuring in each other's ears.
Ginny brushed her lips over Hermione's cheek. "Would it be easier or harder for us to be together, if we were Muggles?" she asked.
"Muggles?" said Hermione. "I never thought about it. About the same, really, these days. Why?"
Ginny shrugged. "I don't know. I always wondered. What it was like."
"What it was like to have a Muggle girlfriend?" asked Hermione, with a feigned look of jealousy.
"No! What it was like to be a Muggle!"
"Why would you wonder that? You know as much about it as anyone, and it's nothing special," said her companion dismissively.
"Well my dad's fascinated enough with it," said Ginny.
"And I love him for it, Ginny. But Muggles are just... like wizards, but without magic."
Ginny looked at her curiously. "So you really think that's the only difference?"
Hermione tickled her stomach gently. "No, I guess not. That's why they have Muggle Studies, but... there's the same mix of good and bad in most of the people. Just more technology."
"That's the stuff my dad likes."
Hermione rolled her eyes. "It's like pornography to your dad."
Ginny sat up and hit her playfully with a pillow. "Don't you dare say pornography and my dad in the same sentence. I'll be ill!"
"I just mean he loves it because it's forbidden. And because he doesn't see it often enough."
The red-haired girl lay down again in her girlfriend's arms. "But all witches and wizards wonder. I mean all the ones without Muggle parents. What it would be like."
"What do you think it would be like, Ginny?"
"I don't know. I think maybe I'd be more free," said the younger girl.
"But your mum and dad doesn't push you much, do they? I mean I know you're the only girl, but your brothers pretty much did what they wanted to when they left school. Some of them did what they wanted to while they were still at school."
"I'm luckier than some from pure-blooded families; that's for sure. But I still think about it. What it would be like not to be witch and have to learn all this magic."
Hermione nodded and brushed a hand through Ginny's red hair. "Think of all the things you couldn't do."
"Of course I think of that!" said Ginny fiercely. "I'm not really saying I would trade!"
She took a few breaths and spoke again.
"Muggles aren't afraid of You-Know-Who all the time."
Hermione looked serious. "But if he isn't defeated then Muggles may have as much to fear as anyone."
"I know," replied Ginny. "But they don't know, so they're not afraid. Headmaster Dumbledore has the whole Order keeping an eye on the news and no one's seeing much of anything."
"It's better to know, and to be able to do something about it, don't you think?"
"I hope so," said Ginny almost weakly. "I've worked so hard at being strong all these years, to prove what happened didn't break me." Hermione was one of the only people Ginny every mentioned the Chamber to anymore.
"And just to be someone people could look up to. I hope it wasn't for nothing."
Hermione drew her close and kissed her gently. "I think you're strong. And I'll try to help you stay that way."
Ginny returned the kiss, then lay her head on her companion's shoulder. "I'll help you, too," she said.
Hermione nodded. "That's good, I can use it."
They lay together in silence, careful not to fall asleep, then slowly got up.
By the time the other girls opened the door, they were sitting up on the bed and Hermione was helping Ginny with her Herbology homework. If anyone guessed that the book had just been opened, they said nothing, because a Gryffindor knew better than anyone that people should take their strength where they could.