Disclaimer: I get no money for this. I wish I did. I could use it. All money and fame and fan worship go to JK Rowling. Tsk, some people get all the luck… *sniff*
Hmm… sorry for any strange formatting in this chapter, fanfic.net is being weird and uncooperative…
*******
The smell of fresh coffee drifted lazily up the stairs, waking the pretty blonde. Yawning, she rolled over and prodded the bundle of blankets and bushy brown hair beside her.
"Mmm?" Hermione mumbled.
"Wake up miss sunshine!" Kalea whispered brightly. "It's breakfast time—do you want the shower first? I don't mind going down in my PJs…" she added slyly.
"Uhm… sure, I guess…" she replied numbly, sitting up.
"Hermione, your eyes are all red—are you ok? You don't have pink eye, do you?"
"Oh—uh…no, I just…got some dust in my eye yesterday…" she replied, avoiding Kalea's gaze. Before she could ask her anymore questions, Hermione grabbed a towel and went in the bathroom, quickly shutting the door.
"Ooohkay, then…" Kalea said as the bathroom lock clicked. Something's up with that girl, she'd decided, after she hadn't returned from *freshening up* the night before. Hearing bacon sizzling downstairs, she stood and pulled on her robe, making sure to brush her hair and wipe off yesterday's eye make up before going to breakfast.
Breathing a sigh of relief, Hermione turned on the light and looked in the mirror. She looked like hell, her eyes bloodshot and puffy, her hair a tangled mess. Ron's words game back to her, echoing in her mind: "I don't like Hermione, so you two can just shut up! I don't like Hermione, so you two can just shut up! I don't like Hermione…" they repeated over and over, like a broken record.
"It's no wonder he doesn't like me, she thought, glaring at her reflection and turning on the shower. "I'm nothing compared to Lavender, Parvati, or even Kalea! Cursing, she threw her pajamas on the floor and stepped under the viciously hot water. "But I don't care--of COURSE he shouldn't like me, I have a bloody boyfriend, that I'm bloody well happy with! He's smar--well, he's handso--well, he's sincere, he loves me and I love him! Disgusted with her emotions in spite of all reason, she took a few deep breaths, letting the fiery hot spray pummel her, purifying her from the hurt and frustration of her love life.
*****
The room smelled like… coconuts, Harry decided, as he tip toed inside. Well, something tropical at least—definitely better than whatever smell plagued his and Ron's room. He smiled—girls always seemed to smell good, even if it was just their shampoo. He quickly scanned the room for signs of life—the bathroom door was shut, the shower raging. And…there she was. Snoring lightly, Ginny lay tangled up in her sheets, crimson hair sparkling in the morning sunlight. He smiled—she'd probably be embarrassed at being seen like this, but he couldn't think of anything more beautiful. He quietly sat on the bed beside her and gently stroked her face. Her eyes fluttered—she was dreaming. Leaning down, he lightly pressed his lips to hers, taking in her sweetness.
"Harry?" she whispered, surprised as he pulled back.
"Good morning, love." He smiled and kissed her forehead.
"What are you doing here? Where are the girls?"
"Hermione's in the shower and Kalea's downstairs. You're missing breakfast, you know…"
"Oh Merlin, look at me, I'm a mess!" she blushed and ducked under the covers.
Laughing, Harry pulled them down. "Ginny, you're not a mess. You're as lovely as the sunrise and as unpredictable as the storm. If I didn't have you, I'd…mourn?"
Ginny burst out laughing, and replied in a sugary voice, "Oh Harry, your eyes are as green as a fresh pickled toad!" she giggled and stretched, rolling on to her back. Grinning, he leaned down and kissed her again. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she pulled him closer and opened her mouth, surrendering to his warmth. "Not a bad way to wake up," she thought to herself, as he moved down, kissing her jaw…then her neck. Harry trailed kisses to her collar bone and back up to the honey sweetness of her soft, pouty lips, careful not to leave any marks on her smooth skin. She kissed him back with a fervor that made him wonder just what she'd been dreaming about before…raking her fingers through his spiky hair, she flecked her tongue across his lips, radiating hundreds of tiny chills through his body. He sucked lightly on her bottom lip, eliciting a small moan as she soaked in his gentle romancing. Suddenly a loud crack sounded through the room, making the couple jump.
"What was that??" Harry asked, heart pounding. He could just picture Fred or George or—worse, Ron—finding them in this *compromising* position. Ginny sat up, flushed. Another crash—from the bathroom. Relieved, the redhead smiled.
"It's Hermione…listen, the shower's off..."
"Yeah…let's go down to breakfast before she comes out."
"Alright…" she stood and quickly pulled her hair up. "Oh, Harry?" she called, approaching him by the door.
"Yeah?"
She grabbed his face and kissed him deeply, leaving him breathless. "Thanks for the wake up call." Winking evilly, she turned and trotted down the steps, leaving him grinning stupidly in the hall.
*****
Hermione stooped to pick up the picture and the pieces of its frame from the floor. Stupid thing, she muttered, glaring at the now annoyed faces of Ginny and some of the girls from her year, standing in front of Honeydukes. There was one she didn't quite recognize—a very pretty one with long, black curly hair and bright greyish blue eyes. She was going between scowling at Hermione and laughing at Ginny and the others for being so upset. Her thick winter robe bore the Ravenclaw house seal, her blue scarf protecting her from the snow falling merrily around them. Still irritated at having knocked it down, Hermione set the picture on the sink and dried herself off—accidentally knocking the shampoo, conditioner and various soaps into the tub. She rolled her eyes and put them in their place. "Honestly, Hermione," she scolded herself, "What is the big deal? You don't like him and he doesn't like you. Thank Merlin—you should be relieved! After all, the last thing you need is some complicated love triangle right before your N.E.W.T.S…" Not convinced, she sighed, pushed open the door and peeked out.
The room was empty, the door wide open. Stepping carefully over the clothes strewn around the floor, she poked her head into the hall and, hearing the girls' voices downstairs, turned around and gently closed the door. Tossing her towel on the bed, she stretched—there was something so refreshing about wandering around naked. It was so…natural, she decided. Standing in front of the mirror, she grabbed her brush and ran it through her long chestnut curls. "I really should cut this mop before school starts," she decided. A bird twittered outside—it was a beautiful day…perfect for a picnic or a leisurely afternoon of reading in the garden. Water trickled down her back, sending shivers down her spine. She'd decided to do her best to forget this whole thing about Ron. Viktor was her man, after all, and even if he wasn't the brightest or hottest thing to cross the wire lately, she was mature enough to see beyond the superficial and into his sweet spirit.
Her heart froze as the doorknob rattled—she turned just in time to see the door opening, a fleck of red slightly visible in the hall. She quickly dove behind the bed and crawled underneath it, praying there wasn't anything gross down there with her. Holding her breath, she watched a pair of feet in hole-filled socks shuffle into the room. A dresser drawer creaked open and a deep male voice whispered a spell. "What in Merlin's name is going on?" she wondered. She was dying to say something, but remembered her nakedness and remained silent. She watched as the closet door opened and heard the spell repeated there—what was he doing? The feet returned to the hall, the door closing quietly behind them, once again leaving Hermione alone in the bedroom. Quickly crawling out from under the bed, she rushed to the door and, poking her head out, watched as George hopped up the stairs to his room.
*****
"Ah, finally dear—I was just telling everyone that we need to go to Diagon Alley this afternoon so you can pick up your supplies while I run some other errands." Mrs. Weasley smiled, handing Hermione her Hogwarts letter. She sat at the empty seat between Ginny and Ron, looking suspiciously at George. He glanced up and, meeting her gaze, shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Grabbing another pancake, he turned away from her, occupying himself with spreading butter and jam over it.
"So we'll be leaving in about an hour," she continued, "I'll just Apparate, do what I need to do—I'll leave you money and you lot can Floo—then we'll meet at three by Flourish & Blotts, alright?"
"Sure, Mum, Flourish & Blotts, gotcha…" Ron replied.
"And you two—" the plump woman began, turning on Fred and George, eyes narrowed. "Don't even think of getting into any trouble—and no hanging about that joke supplies shop, what's it called? Zonko's?"
"It's Wonko's, Mum… Zonko's is in Hogsmeade." George replied, rolling his eyes. Honestly, what made her think they'd get into trouble? Did they ever…ok, bad question. But really…
Suddenly Hermione shrieked—she looked up at them, grinning madly, eyes brimming with tears.
"What is it, 'Mione??" Harry asked, startled. Unable to reply, she handed him her Hogwarts letter. He read aloud:
"Dear Miss Granger,
Due to your previous exemplary performance, excellent marks and more than satisfactory completion of your Prefect duties, I, and all the staff of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, are proud to announce that you have been selected as this year's Head Girl. Congratulations.
Please note that the new school year will begin once again on September 1st. The Hogwarts Express will depart from King's Cross station, platform nine and three-quarters, at eleven o'clock. Precisely one hour after leaving, please report to the first car to meet the Head Boy and give the Prefects their instructions.
Once again, congratulations. We expect you to perform famously in this honourable position. A list of books for this next year is also enclosed.
Yours sincerely,
Professor McGonagall
Deputy Headmistress"
"Excellent!!" Ron exclaimed, patting the glowing brunette on the back.
"Oh Hermione, I'm so happy for you!! Congratulations!!" Ginny squealed, hugging her friend.
"That's marvelous—oh we MUST celebrate! I'll make a special dinner! What's your favourite food, dear?" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed, ecstatic.
"Wonder who's Head Boy, eh?" Fred mused, as Kalea examined the Head Girl badge.
"Probably that Malfoy git—he's got perfect grades and enough money to pay anyone off…"
"Ron! I don't care how he acts, you shouldn't call him that. And you know perfectly well Dumbledore is above accepting bribes." His mother tutted before going to get ready for the day.
"Yeah, yeah…" he muttered, opening his own letter.
"Well, I'm gonna go… shower. Congrats, Hermione, really." Kalea smiled brightly and hopped up, glancing quickly at Fred before disappearing upstairs.
After a pause, Fred stretched and said "Umm.. that's probably a good idea, you know, to shower before going out…" he smiled awkwardly before bounding up the stairs after her. Once he was out of earshot, someone snorted and everyone lost it, erupting into laughter.
"Discreet, those two, eh?" George snickered.
"Good thing Mum wasn't here to see that…"
"At least you didn't walk IN on them!! Yesterday I walked in the kitchen and there they were, practically inside each other's clothes!" Ginny exclaimed, a disgusted look on her face. Harry snarked his milk, spraying Hermione and half the table.
"Eeewww, you're gonna pay for that one, Potter!" she cried, grabbing a handful of grits (made especially for Kalea) and throwing them on him.
"Food fight!!" Ron yelled as Harry retaliated, smacking her in the face with a pancake. The next few minutes were all out war as various breakfast items flew across the room, spattering all over the floor and each other's faces.
"WHAT is going on here?!?" Mr. Weasley's voice thundered over the racket.
"Oh…erm.. Hi, Dad…" Ginny said as the room fell silent, sticking her egg-covered head out from under the table. "We're…having a food fight…"
"A food fight, eh? Well, who started it?" Hermione sheepishly stood up, Harry by her side, each covered in assorted unidentifiable foods.
"I…I started it, Sir…" she replied quietly.
"We started it, actually…" Harry spoke up.
"I'm soo sorry though, I don't know what came over me! I promise I'll clean up the whole room—" Hermione gushed, eyes wide.
"Oh no, please, carry on…" Arthur grinned, surprised at the culprit. "I was just curious as to who started the fight. It would seem that after all this time, our boys are finally having an influence on you—though I'm not sure that's a good thing…" he commented, eyes twinkling. "But don't let Molly find you all like this, or you will be in trouble." Chuckling, he grabbed his briefcase. "Well, I'm off to work. Cheerio!" and with that, he Disapparated. The room was quiet for a minute—no one quite sure what to say.
"I…guess we should clean up…then…" Hermione said, bending down to pick up a couple strips of greasy bacon from the floor. A lone tart flew through the air, hitting and sticking to her bum. She turned, and, as it slowly slid down her pants, glared at the one who threw it. Dare glinting in his eyes, George grabbed another tart and prepared to fire when suddenly he was slammed to the floor, completely winded. Ron, Harry and Ginny gaped in shock, then burst out whistling and laughing as Hermione stood from sudden, yet effective her tackle.
"Awww, whatsa matter Georgie-Porgie? Get beat up by a girl?" Ron asked, thrilled at having a chance to tease his brother. "She should definitely go out for beater…" he thought to himself, grinning in awe, before turning to mock his brother some more.
"She's…strong…" George grunted, sprawled out on his back.
"Yeah, probably because of all those books she's always carrying around…" Harry smiled. Turning to her, he asked, "No, but really—who are you, and what have you done with our Hermione?" Slightly pink, she opened her mouth to answer, but was interrupted.
"Be careful, Harry, she might bite…" Ron smirked, starting to clean up again.
"Relax, everyone," George said, recovering from the shock and standing up. "She just finally gave in—no one can resist my natural boyish charm, and she had to have me—in some form or other…" He grinned proudly, though his heart was pounding. "Hermione, love, if you want me that much, all you have to do is ask…"
"Hm…remind me of that when we're the last two people on the planet, alright, 'love'?" She winked at him and continued cleaning up, blushing at the approving laughter and applause of her friends. What had gotten into her, anyway? Honestly, tackling him like that… Well, he WAS asking for it, she reasoned. But still…this was so completely unlike her! And yet…it was SO much fun… she laughed, remembering the night they'd pranked the boys. This was definitely Kalea's fault. She'd have to thank her later. Who knew she had it in her? But really, I'm Head Girl, I have to set an example…I'm HEAD GIRL!! She giggled to herself, oblivious to the conversation of the others—she'd been hoping, and working hard…and now she was finally in the same league as Gwendolynne Baërs, the first Hogwarts Head Girl. On top of that, she had to get serious and start studying for N.E.W.T.S. once they got their books. She only had nine months left to prepare. NINE MONTHS?? Hermione's heart dropped—that wasn't a lot—she had to work out a schedule for how much studying she'd need to do, beginning tonight. Wiping up one more glop of jelly, she washed her hands and, grabbing her school letter and badge (yay!), ran upstairs.
Ginny and Ron had begun rolling muffins down the length of the table, racing. George, though seeming slightly distracted, was acting as judge and commentator. Ginny, from the looks of it, was winning. The dark haired boy laughed as he watched his girlfriend cheer the muffin on, then perform an…*interesting* victory dance as her biscuit rolled off the table first.
Harry grabbed the Hogwarts letters and cleaned them off as best he could, taking special care of the badges. Both Ginny and Ron had been selected as Prefects once again, and he couldn't help but feel a twang of jealousy. He'd been a good student, too—well, as good as Ron, anyway… But Dumbledore was right. They couldn't afford for Harry to have more information than he already did, what with Voldemort being able to get into his mind. But now that he'd been defeated…Harry sighed. Apparently you were chosen as a prefect during your fifth year or not at all. Ah well, it was no big deal—he just had more time to devote to pranks and Quidditch…and Ginny. Spirit rising at the thought of the surprises and things he could plan for his girl, he too finished cleaning and headed up for a shower.
*****
An hour later, the dining room was (relatively) clean and the six teenagers stood in front of the fire, ready to Floo to Diagon Alley. Mrs. Weasley had left early, something about needing to find a special blood stain removing spell.
"Ready to go?" Fred asked, grabbing a handful of floo powder from the mantel.
"I still can't believe you guys had a food fight without me!" Kalea whined.
"Hey, it's not our fault you were too busy *showering*…" George retorted, making her blush.
"Honestly.." Ginny rolled her eyes and stepped into the fireplace.
Once they'd all arrived in Diagon Alley, they set off for Quality Quidditch Supplies to check out the newest arrivals. Ron had read something in The Chudley Cannons Biweekly Magazine about a recently released prototype broom.
"Look!" Hermione exclaimed, pointing to the left.
"What, what, do you see it? Where is it?" Ron asked, bounding to her and following her gaze.
"No, Ron—it's better than a broom!"
"BETTER than a BROOM?" eyes wide, he could hardly wait for whatever it was she was seeing.
"Yeah, look, it's right over there!" She grinned, excited. She'd waited ALL of summer vacation for this and now she was dying to go inside.
"What are you talking about, 'Mione?" He asked, confused. The others had continued on, leaving them alone in the crowd.
"That—over there—O'Dell's Book Nook!" Beaming, she grabbed his arm and dragged him inside.
"…O'Dell's Book Nook? Hermione, you got me all excited about…this?" He looked around him, shocked at the state of the store. It looked a bit like his room, really—except that it was full of books. They lined two stories of walls and bookshelves, lay spread out over tables and chairs, counters and desk tops. Big, puffy, dark green chairs had been placed randomly throughout the dark, narrow room, and candlelight sparkled merrily on the walls. It was a cozy room, really, once you got used to all the books—and that distinct 'old book' smell. Glancing at his companion, he wasn't surprised to see her eyes wide and jaw slightly dropped. Closing his own mouth, he looked around once more, then commented, "This is…some place."
"Are you kidding? This is THE place—I found it a year or two ago, Christmas shopping. Every time I come in here, I can't help but stare—it's as though O'Dell reached into my dreams and materialized them with this store." She breathed, glowing.
"Uhm…sure, Hermione…" Ron shifted uncomfortably and glanced outside. "Look, I'm gonna go on to Quality Quidditch Supplies, alright?"
"Uh huh…" she responded absently, approaching on the shelves, fingering a particularly thick, gold lettered book.
Rolling his eyes, Ron turned around and stepped outside the shop. Hermione might have become more playful, but she was still the same girl at heart, he thought as he blinked, readjusting to the bright sunlight. Rubbing his eyes, he banged into something solid, knocking it to the ground.
"Merlin!" the young woman exclaimed, standing up and wiping herself off.
"I'm so sorry," he quickly stooped down to help her pick up her things. "I didn't see—" Glancing up, he found himself face to face with a beautiful dark haired girl, her grey blue eyes staring back at him in surprise and anger.
"Jessica?"
"Ron!" With a furious glare, she slapped him across the face.
****
A/N: Yeah yeah yeah, it's been forever, I know. I'd actually started to miss my fic… but I've been SO busy lately—and kind of hard up for ideas. Oh well, I think I've lost most of you with the huge delay—I apologize, and hope you're still out there! *sniff* PLEASE review, alright? For those of you that I haven't lost, thanks for your suggestions and comments! =)
Btw, for those of you who don't know this…I completely revamped the last chapter, un-killing Krum and whatever. It's totally different. If you haven't read it, do so or you won't know what's going on here, ok?
Hope you enjoyed this nice, long chapter that I wrote while I was supposed to be writing my Russian Lit term paper!