Disclaimer: I figure you are all smart enough to realize that I'm not J.K. Rowling and therefore don't own any of her characters… =)
A/N: Thanks SO much for taking my extremely subtle hint and reviewing!! I got up this morning, expecting my normal one or two emails and found I had 19 review notices! *dances* I hope the second chapter is up to your expectations… *nervous* *breaks down in sobs* I can't take the pressure, it's too much, *sob* *sniff*… j/k! Keep reviewing! =)
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"There you are, dear! I'm so glad you could make it!" Mrs. Weasley opened the door and pulled her visitor into a tight hug.
"Mum, let go of her before she suffocates!" Hermione was released from Mrs. Weasley's death grip to see Ginny standing just inside the hall. She picked up her things and walked inside.
"Here, let's take your stuff up to my room…" Ginny smiled as she led the way up the rickety stair case. When she opened the door, Hermione gasped. The once baby pink walls were now a spongy dark blue and the floor had been recarpeted. Enchanted glow in the dark stars twinkled on her ceiling, and her old twin bed had been replaced by a cute double, covered with fuzzy pillows and a deep blue comforter.
"You got your room remodeled! But…"
"It was a birthday present from some of the girls in my year… They knew how much I hated the way my room was before and got together to give me enough money to redo it."
"That was so sweet!" Hermione dropped her things on the floor and plopped down on the bed. "It looks great—YOU look great! You've changed a lot over the summer!"
"So I didn't look great before?" Ginny sniffed, pretending to be offended.
"I didn't say that…but now that you mention it…" She laughed as she dodged the pillow that was aimed for her head. Trying to sound as casual as possible, she continued, "Where's Ron?"
"Oh, Mum sent him and Charlie to Diagon Alley to pick up some new cleaning product she read about…I think she was trying to get Charlie out of the house—he's been pretty depressed since he broke up with Amanda."
"Amanda? Who's she?"
For the next two hours, the friends talked about everything from guys to parents to school, stopping only when they heard a knock at the door.
"Come in…" Ginny called.
"Hey, I heard you were up here, Hermione…" Ron opened the door and stepped inside.
"Ron!" she jumped up and hugged him tightly. "I've missed you, how are you??" He held her close for a minute, then answered. "I'm great—and you?"
"I'm fine…just really glad to be here. You look really good—have you been working out?" She blushed at her own daring and wiped a stray hair out of her eyes as they pulled apart.
"Yeah, actually, just getting ready for the upcoming Quidditch season." He smiled.
"Is Harry here yet?" Ginny interrupted. She could only take so much of watching her brother and her friend staring googly eyed at each other.
"Oh, right, that's why I came up here in the first place." Ron grinned sheepishly, "Dad is about to leave now, and wanted to know if you were gonna go with him to pick Harry up or not."
Turning a fierce shade of scarlet, Ginny replied 'Aren't you going?"
"No," he rolled his eyes, "Mum has MUCH better plans for me. She wants me to de-gnome the garden before he gets here. Hermione can go, though, if she wants."
"Nah—I should unpack; I'll probably take a nap too—I doubt we'll be sleeping much tonight." She grinned at Ginny, who giggled. They both knew they'd be up talking all night like they always did—they'd discovered that the best inside jokes are made at three a.m.
Looking from one girl to the other, Ron shook his head. "Dad's leaving soon, Gin, so hurry up." Then he closed the door and went downstairs.
Hermione smiled and sat back on the bed, completely unaware that she was being watched.
"You're pathetic, you know…" Ginny spoke as she began rummaging through her dresser.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean the way you ogle over my brother like that—and now you're sitting in a happy daze, and all just because he said 'hello'."
"I don't ogle over your brother!" she claimed, as Ginny pulled a black tank-top and her favorite low-cut, flared cargo jeans from her drawer and began to change.
"Oh come on, you know you like him…That's not a bad thing." She continued when she saw the confused look on Hermione's face.
"Actually, it kind of is—I'm still with Viktor, remember??" She sighed, frustrated at her uncommon confusion.
"I'd forgotten about that…" Ginny admitted. They were quiet as the red head completed her look with silver dangly earrings, a simple necklace and a thin bracelet. The black tank-top contrasted with her long ruby layers and accentuated her thin, yet curvy figure. Hermione continued to watch as Ginny slipped into her black sandals, realizing exactly what she was doing. She was dressing for Harry—but casually enough that he wouldn't realize it, or anything else for that matter, other than her stunning summer beauty. 'Brilliant', Hermione thought, and smiled. After spraying herself with her favorite perfume (Sweet Temptations), she turned to her guest.
"Alright, I'm out of here…Make yourself at home, ok? I cleared out a drawer for you, so you can unpack." She grinned as she walked to the door.
"Thanks, have fun." Hermione lay on the bed for a minute, listening to Ginny's footsteps echo down the hall. Then she sat up and began to unpack.
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The late afternoon sun spilled in through the window and her stomach began to growl. Hermione stood up from the bed, reminded of her hunger, brushed her hair and headed downstairs for a snack. Seeing no one, she made her way to the kitchen. The house was unusually quiet, she thought, as she opened the pantry. Finding nothing of interest, she closed it and turned around, crashing into a tall, muscular torso.
"God, you scared me! Where did you come from? I didn't hear you come in…" she panted, looking up at Ron.
"Sorry—I was outside and got a little…thirsty." He smiled and his eyes seemed to explore her every curve. Finally they landed on her sweet, pouty pink lips. She blushed lightly under his gaze, then tried to walk past him. Before she could, however, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her back.
"Ron, what—" she was interrupted by his lips gently caressing hers. He put his strong arms around her waist, pulling her closer. Quickly recovering from the shock ('kiss now, ask later!', she thought to herself), she put her arms around his neck and deepened the kiss. Her lips parted and his tongue entered her mouth, exploring every corner of it. Finally they pulled apart and she buried her head in his neck, taking in his sweet scent. Quietly, he whispered "I love you, 'Mione."
Suddenly the door banged behind them and they jumped, quickly releasing each other, and turned around.
"Viktor!" She gasped as she saw her boyfriend at the door.
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A/N: Muahahahaha! Remember, as my dear editor/friend/comrade-in-arms and resident madwoman says, "that's the great thing about writing stories like this –cause you can end it on a cliffhanger and as much as your readers want to kill you - they can't cause then they'd NEVER KNOW what'll happen next." So….please don't kill me!! I promise you won't regret it! Hehe, I'll update ASAP.
Recommendation: Read Flute Kahlan Solo Fel's stories—they're great so far!
twinsRus87: You've just given me a great idea for another story—sort of a background thing on Hermione and Viktor! Hehe, this'll be fun…but yeah, the trio is starting its 6th year at Hogwarts and Hermione and Viktor met in two years before—but have they really been together all that time? You'll have to see… *wink, wink*
everyone, about the anonymous reviewer thing: thanks so much for pointing that out!! I just got started on here yesterday and didn't even realize that was enabled. I disabled it now, so everyone can review (I need all the help I can get!). Thanks again!!! =)
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