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Chapter 3 - Adventures in Clubbing

Harry and Ginny had left to go find themselves something to eat which left Ron and Hermione time alone in the motel's pool. It had been an hour since the pair had gone and getting awfully quiet. Ron was swimming lesiurely while Hermione had made herself comfortable on a stretched out beach chair with her eyes closed attempting to soak up some sun. Ron came up from under the water at the edge of the pool closest to where Hermione lay. His eyes instantly locked in on her bare legs. He never noticed her legs to look so lean before now. Maybe it was those socks? I don't see how they bare to wear those horrid things. Ron's gaze traveled up from her legs to her tummy which only showed the faintest traces of abs. As he kept going, he come to her chest. His ears reddened a bit at the thought of staring at her breasts then a bit more at the thought of her actually catching him doing so. Slowly moving up, he stared at her face - almost breathless at the sight. Her eyes were closed giving her a peaceful look and her damp hair - that was usually a bushy brown - now framed her face in almost perfect ringlets. The sun gave her body a subtle raidance from where he was sitting and she looked at an angel in his eyes.

Hermione's eyes fluttered open slightly when she let herself utter a slight moan as she shifted in her seat. Ron's face suddenly turned a scarlet red and he pushed off the wall of the pool and started backstroking to the opposite end. She sat up for a moment as she watched him swim away. Was he staring at me? For a moment a small smile played on her lips at the thought but vanished almost as suddenly as it had appeared. Nah.. who would stare at this body. Mentally groaning, she sank back onto her chair and closed her eyes again.

"Ron, stop moving!"

"Well stop touching it and maybe I wouldn't move so much!"

Ron and Hermione decided to come in after she pointed out how red he was getting. He thought it was nothing until he looked in the mirror. Now, she was attempting to place a cool, damp washcloth on the back of his neck. His entire back was a light shade of red as well as the rest of his body. The sun had given him a nasty sunburn all over his body and everytime she tried to put the rag on his neck, he would inch away from her.

"Yeah, well if you had put some sunblock on before you decided to toast yourself under the sun, maybe you wouldn't be in this situation."

"And for the tenth time, what is sunblock!"

He moved again as she tried to help him. Growing tired of this, she rolled her eyes and lightly smacked the back of his neck as an attempt to get him to stop being such a prat. He let out a painful yelp and clenched the bed comforter in his fists.

"Bloody hell, Hermione, have you gone mental!"

"Well, if you would STOP MOVING!" She lifted herself off the bed and made her way to a suitcase in the corner. "Maybe I have something in my luggage." Digging through her things, she came to a green bottle in the mix with her lotions. "Here! Found it."

Twisting off the top, Hermione sat back down on the bed and squeezed a small handful out. "Ok, this might be a little cold." She spread a small amount over his right shoulder blade causing him to shudder as a chill from the cold substance shot up his spine.

"What is that?" he asked as she began to apply it over the rest of his back.

"Oh, just aloe," she said, thoughtful for a moment. "My mum always put it on me whenever I got a sunburn from the beach. I always carry it with me, you know, just in case." Her hands slid lower down his back and he felt his stomach flutter with excitement as well as other places. He closed his eyes and let himself give into the feel of her petite hands on his skin. They worked their way up and down his back sending tingles of pleasure throughout his body. They sat like this for another minute until she poked him.

"Ron?"

"Hmm," he replied, only now breaking out of his trance.

"Did you hear me?" she asked, slightly annoyed. "I said I'm done. You can finish the rest." She tossed him the bottle of aloe and hopped off the bed. "I'm going to go take a shower. You remember how to work the telly, right?"

He nodded, relunctly, and watched her close the bathroom door behind her.

The next two days were uneventful. The four of them usually spent most of the time in the pool until one of them would get hungry and they'd all walk to the McDonald's a few blocks down. Sitting at their usual table today, Ron and Harry slid into the booth opposite of Hermione and Ginny with a tray of food. Four drinks were spread out on the table already since the girls had decided to get the drinks while Harry and Ron waited for the food.

"You know, if we keep eating here everyday, we're gonna get fat," said Ginny as she took her hamburger and container of fries off the tray. "I work hard to keep my figure."

Ron's face twisted with a grim expression. "Ginny, don't talk like that when we're trying to eat." The images of his sister's figure were enough to make him lose his appetite.

"Oh shut up, Ron," Ginny retorted, rolling her eyes.

The meal continued in silence until Harry piped in with his mouth still half full of chewed up bits of cheeseburger. "Did we tell you guys about the party?"

"What party?" Ron and Hermione both asked in turn; Ron more curious than Hermione now.

"Well," Harry said after swallowing his food. "When Ginny and I were walking today, we saw a sign on a store window. There's a party at this teen club nearby. Something about a last bash before school. It looked like fun. Anyways, it's tonight." Ron seemed to glow at the idea and Ginny was smiling for ear to ear. All three of them looked at her suddenly, as if waiting for her approval.

"I- I don't know...," Hermione stuttered, almost dropping the fry out of her hand but remained quite composed. "I mean, I don't have anything..."

"...to wear?" Ginny asked, cutting her off. "Don't worry, you can borrow something of mine."

"Er, fine, I guess." Clubs weren't really Hermione's place of expertise but seeing the hopeful expressions on the other three's faces were enough to make anyone give in. She didn't want to ruin their evening. She just hoped she didn't embarass herself.

"Ginny, it's too small," Hermione moaned in protest as she examined the light blue tank top Ginny handed her. Both of them were walking around the room in their bras and underwear trying to figure out what to wear. Ginny had sent the boys out to go wait for the cab they called a few minutes ago so they could get ready in peace. Ginny had been digging through her tops with no luck of finding something Hermione would actually like or wear and was getting quite annoyed.

"Fine," Ginny sighed. "Here, try this one on then." She tossed her a slinky black halter top and Hermione pulled on over her bra and glanced at her reflection in the mirror.

"What do you think?" Hermione asked, turning around to face Ginny. The material was sewed together in a way that it dipped and clung in all the right areas but still left something to the imagination.

"Hot, but youmight want tolose the bra."

"What? Why?"

Ginny rolled her eyes and smirked mischieviously. "Well, unless you want to go parading it around for everyone to see, but then again, that's your choice." Hermione felt a blush creep up her cheeks before moving to take it off. She later settled with a pair of dark denim jeans, a pair of her own black heels, and some silver hoops she borrowed from Ginny. Ginny was dressed long before she was wearing a light pink tank over a white one and a green skirt with green heels to match. While Ginny left her straight red locks of hair down after doing her make-up, Hermione opted to pin hers up with a clip. When they heard Harry yell that their cab was there, they quickly grabbed their purses and headed outside to where Ron and Harry were waiting for them. Ron's eyes practically bulged out their sockets at the sight of his sister's outfit - or lack of it for a term.

"What in Merlin's name are you doing?" he yelled, his temperature rising and face growing red, "You cannot think you are going out in public when you're barely even have a layer of clothing on."

"Actually, Ron," she injected cooly. "I have two." She pointed to the double layer tank top she had on which only persisted to anger him even more. Of course, Ginny knew this but it was fun to play at her brother's over protective nature.

"Oh, you two, give it a rest," Hermione said, rolling her eyes. Ron's attention switched from his sister's to Hermione's. His jaw almost unhinged at the sight of her. The moonlight danced brilliantly off the fabric of her top giving her a subtle glow. Trindels of curly brown hair framed her face perfectly. Before he could say something, she rounded towards the cab on her heel and climbed in, everyone else following suit. Ginny and Harry exchanged a look after this and she was happy that her brother's attention was off her outfit for the moment so she could actually enjoy this evening.

Arriving at the club, they didn't have school IDs to present to the bouncers but they relunctly let them in when they checked their regular ID cards. As they walked in, they were immediately hit with flashy lights reflecting off their surroundings from the packed dance floor. The different colors scattered wildly in play with the upbeat tempo of the music. It was oddly beautiful but almost revolting for Hermione at the same time. The four of them stuck together and made their way over to a nearby table on the edge of the club. The lighting there was dimmer and they could, at least hear their own thoughts.

Almost as soon as they sat down, a group of guys passed by, one of them flashing a flirtatious grin Hermione's way. He was tall, medium build with dark hair and eyes to match. A slight blush crept up Hermione's face and she didn't know how else to react other than to just smile back. Breaking away from his pack, he made his way over to the table where she was sitting.

"Wanna dance?" he asked over the music. She wasn't sure what to do and looked at Ginny who gave her a reassuring smile and pushed her to get up. Why not? she thought to herself. If I don't live it up now, I may never get the chance.

"Er, sure."

Sliding out the booth seats, she stood up allowing his arm to slink around her waist and lead her over to the dance floor. Ron's eyes - unbeknowest to him - had turned to slits as he watched Hermione leave with boiling amounts of jealously. Ugh. why do I feel like this? It's not like I should care. I mean, it's only Hermione, right?

He didn't lead her too far into the crowd - as it was practically packed - before they started dancing. Feeling how close his body was to hers, she tried to ignore it and just enjoy herself. Hermione wasn't exactly as experienced as most the girls her age were with boys. She could feel his hands running up the length of her waist and hips from behind her causing her to squirm a bit out of his way but it was nearly impossible. His hands circled her waist and pulled her closer to him. She could feel his pelvic bone beneath his jeans moving against the flesh of her lower back that had been revealed as her shirt inched it's way up from the top of her jeans. Pushing herself away, Hermione spun around to face him and hoped this would put more distance between them. That only caused him to wrap his arm around her waist bringing her closer. Flustered and frustrated, she pushed him away all together and left the dance floor with a huff.

Hermione could feel his presence behind her as she made her way back to the table. Halfway there, she felt someone grab her by the arm and forcefully stop her. Spinning around, their eyes met; his showed barely any emotion besides that of anger and maybe... pain.

"Let me go!" Hermione exclaimed over the music, trying to pull her arm out of his grasp.

"What is your problem?" he asked in a low growl. "I thought we were dancing."

"I said," Hermione's voice lowered to match his tone, "let me go."

"You heard what she said," came a familair voice behind her, "Let her go."

Spinning around, Hermione caught a glimpse of Ron standing behind her. His eyes were intense and lit with a fury burning from within. A rush of relief came over her before she felt a twinge of anxiety in her stomach. She knew Ron couldn't always control his temper. Hermione prayed she didn't get him into more than he could handle. He was only about 3 inches taller than the other guy but wasn't built as big.

"I don't think this is any of your business, carrot top," the stranger said; his voice becoming eerily calm. "We were just talking, right?" He immediately tightened his hold on her arm and she winced slightly. Ron's face was turning an obvious shade of scarlet.

"I don't think she wants to talk to you." He glanced down at Hermione. The concern in his face was evident even over all the rage that she knew was building. Ron grasped her hand and attempted to pull her away - as if it were that easy.

"Oh yeah," he retorted. "Well, why don't we let her decide?" He looked oddly confident as she said that.

"Fine," Ron growled. "Hermione, do you want to come with me or stay here with him?"

Hermione tugged her arm away from the other guy and stared at him with a look that said 'I-am-not-one-to-mess-with'. "Why would I want to stay here?" He let go of her arm relunctly, allowing her to follow Ron back to the table. She didn't dare look back, afraid he'd follow her or worse.

As soon as they got back to the table, she noticed that Harry and Ginny were gone. Glancing around the club, she saw them getting a drink that the bar closest to the entrance. That meant her and Ron would be alone for a while. It wasn't like they had never been together without anyone else's company before because they had. It was just the dimly lit booth they were sitting at felt more intimate in a way. They sat there in silence for a few seconds before they both realized their hands were still together in one another's. Blushing furiously, they let go and stared at the table.

"Uhm, Ron," she started not sure of what to say in the uncomfortable silence. "Thanks. You know, back there. I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't showed up." Hermione looked up at Ron as she finished. She saw his ears grow red and he shrugged.

"Don't mention it," he said in a low voice. "I didn't think you should have been dancing with him in the first place."

"Really?" she asked with a curious tone, letting her face inch closer to his as if to read his face as he talked. "Why is that?"

Their eyes met in that in that instant, and if Ron felt anything like she did, she knew she wouldn't be getting that answer right away. She could almost feel his breath against her face. It made her shiver in anticipation as she stared into his eyes. Those beautiful blue eyes. The eyes she had lost herself in time and time before.

"Because, I- I...," Ron stammered as he gazed down into the depths of her brown eyes, almost losing himself the way she already had. "Because I..."

His voice trailed off before they had a loud bang ring out from the opposite side of the club causing them to immediately pull apart, both wide eyed and panicing as they saw a crowd of kids making a run for the exits. They both slid out the booth as fast as they could, almost getting lost in the mix. Hermione grabbed a hold of Ron's wrist to keep them from getting separated. As soon as they got outside, Ron broke into a run causing Hermione to follow him down the block. She let go of his wrist as they stopped in front of a closed restaurant.

"What the bloody hell was that?" he asked Hermione, leaning against the brick wall to catch his breath. She collapsed against wall too; her heart racing.

"A gunshot, I think," she said, ignoring his puzzled expression. "Oh no!"

"What? What is it!"

"Harry and Ginny! We need to find them!"

Hermione broke into a light sprint with Ron following close behind. She couldn't run nearly as fast as she intended with her heels. Bloody shoes. I knew I should have worn flats. They arrived at the club where there was a large crowd surrounding the entrance as well as an ambulance and several police cars.

"Oh god, please no," Hermionewhimperedaloudas she watched the ambulance wheeling out on a stretcher. "Harry! Ginny!"

"Right behind you," she heard a female squeak from behind her and Ron. Spinning around, she laid eyes on her weary pair of friends.

"I was so worried!" She took turns in hugging both of them, making sure it was really them and not just her mind playing a nasty trick on her. It was far from the life and death situations they faced before, but without any known healers nearby and their lack of magic, it was just as scary to her.

"Hermione," Ron said with comforting tone, touching a hand to her shoulder as if giving her the signal to stop smothering them to death. She sighed and moved back to Ron's side.

"Why don't we go?"Harry said; him and Ron leading the others away from the chaotic scene.

"I can call for a taxi."Hermione pulled out her cell phone from her purse and called the operator for a connection to the nearest cab. It was far too late for either Ron or Ginny to question the device she was using. They had all had a long night. The only thing any one of them wanted to do was get a good night's sleep.

A/N: Wow, that's the most I've written in a long time it seems. Please review!