Chapter 1
A/N: pre HBP at the moment, will change in a few minutes.
"Harry! Ron!" screamed Hermione Granger, rushing to catch up with her best friends. "Meet me in the common room in, like, ten minutes. I need to tell you something, but I want Ginny to be there too."
"Alright, Hermy." Ron said. "See you in ten." He and Harry laughed, like they always did when they were teasing Hermione.
Harry noticed Ron staring at their friend as she ran towards Ginny. "Hey, Lover boy, won't Luna be jealous?"
"Shut up. You know I can't stand Loony Luna."
"That doesn't mean she's not into you"
They reached the common room, gave the fat lady the password, and saw Hermione and Ginny sitting in a corner. They went to sit by the girls.
"What's the urgent news, her-my-own-ninny?" Ron asked.
"I've thought and thought about this, and decided I couldn't stand to have Harry lose Sirius. I decided that if I tried hard enough, I could get him to come back"
"Yeah, right Herm. No spell can reawaken the dead; did this school teach you nothing?" Ginny retorted.
"Hold on, I'll be right back," said Hermione.
Ron noticed that Harry hadn't said anything. "You don't believe she can actually do this, do you?" he asked his friend.
"No, of course not. I was just thinking about how great it would be to have him back."
Hermione returned with something they all recognized, but had not seen in several years. "A time turner," said Harry, with a 150 watt smile. "Brilliant, Herm, possessively brilliant!" He stood up and gave his best friend a hug. Hermione smiled. Then he hugged Ron, and somehow got Ron and Hermione hugging. He winked at Ron behind Hermione's back. Then he hugged Ginny. She held on longer than the other two combined. Harry smiled and wondered if she still had a crush on him. "Nah," he thought. Then he recognized a feeling he used to get whenever he was around Cho Chang. Wait a minute, he thought to himself. Do I like Ginny? He had always thought of her as the crusher and him as the crushee. What if he liked his best friend's sister? Would Ron laugh at him? Would he be supportive? Harry didn't know. Heck, he didn't even know if he liked the girl.
"Now," Hermione said. "Only two people can go on this. Harry, you are a must, but if you go, I don't have to since we already have someone who knows the ropes. Ron, I think you should stay here with me. That leaves you Ginny. Go on. But, remember UMNBS. You must not be seen."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, Herm," said Harry. He smiled at Ginny. "Let's go." He took the time turner from Hermy. He put it around their necks. They were so close he could have kissed her. But, of course, he didn't. Harry sent Ginny and himself back, back to two months ago.
"Let's get this done quick. Time travel creeps me out" said Ginny.
When they re- arrived at their own time, they did a victory dance. Harry kissed Ginny's cheek, meaning at first to only have it be a friendly kiss, like Hermione had given to Harry and Ron on so many occasions. But it turned out to be so much more than that. Ginny blushed to a bright crimson color. Harry bit his lip. Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! He thought. Why hadn't he just hugged her? I mean, yeah he liked her, but what if she didn't like him back? Too late now.
"Is all that only worth a kiss on the cheek? Honestly, the least to be expected is on the lips," Ginny said flirtatiously. Then deciding that Harry would stand there in shock until the summer if she didn't do something, she stood on the tips of her toes as she pressed her lips against his gently. She was pleasantly surprised when he deepened the kiss.
"Harry, you just made my life way better."
"Glad I did."
Hermione and Ron clapped, causing Ginny to shoot off her mouth. "Your turn, then. Go on. Kiss her, Ron. She likes you, and you like her. Kiss Hermione. Quit beating around the bush." Hermione giggled nervously.
"Promise you won't slap me?" Ron asked, and Hermione nodded slowly, and Ron leaned in, giving Hermione her first kiss from a boy.
Ron quickly darted off to the boy's dorm. He was scared to death at what she would think of him now, causing Hermione to think he didn't like her.
later that night-----
"Oh Hermione, we're so sorry about that git. It will be okay," soothed Lexi and Lena, a set of muggle-born twins in her year. Hermione was reminded of one of her favorite muggle songs, and started to sing.
"If there's a prize for rotten judgment,
I guess I've already won that.
No man is worth the aggravation.
That's ancient history,
Been there,
Done that."
The twins picked up where she left off.
"Who'd ya think you're kidding?
He's the earth and heaven to ya!
Try to keep it hidden, honey we can see right through ya!
Girl ya can't conceal it,
We know how you're feelin', who you're thinking of!"
"No chance, no way, I won't say it, no no," Hermione sang
"You swoon, you sigh,
Why deny it, uh oh?" Lexi replied in song
"It's too...cliché.
I won't say I'm in love,
(Oooooh ooooh oooh)" Hermione belted out.
"I thought my heart had learned its lesson.
It feels so good when ya start out,
My head is screaming "get a grip, girl!"
"Unless you're dying to cry your heart out!" Ooooh oooh"
"You keep on denying,
Who you are and how you're feelin'.
Baby, we're not lying, hone we saw ya hit the ceiling!
Face it like a grown up!
When ya gonna own up that ya got, got, got it bad?" Lena and Lexi sang as one.
"Whoa,
No chance, no way, I won't say it, no no."
"Give up, give in
Check the grin, you're in love!" Lena retorted.
"Your doing flips read our lips your in love." Lexi joined in.
"You're way off base,
I won't say it.
Get off my case,
I won't say it.
No chance, no way, I won't say it, no no," Hermione continued with a grin.
"Give up, give in,
Check the grin, you're in love!"
"The scene won't play,
I won't say I'm in love," Hermione was laughing now.
"Your doing flips read our lips your in love!"
You're way off base,
I won't say it!"
"Girl, don't be proud, it's ok, you're in love," Lena said.
"No chance, no way, I won't say it, no no."
"Give up, give in.
Check the grin, you're in love!"
"The scene won't play.
I won't say I'm in love.
Ooooooh
At least out loud
I won't say I'm in...love
Sha la la la la la... (Sigh)" Hermione finished with a bow. It wasn't very often that she got "girly," but when she did, she went all out.
(the next day)------------
"Hey, er, Harry!" Ginny called. "Get over here! I need to talk to you!"
Harry walked over to where she was sitting in the common room.
"Do you have anything you'd like you ask me?" she questioned with a flirty grin.
"Like what? Do you want me to include you in my letter to Sirius?"
"Harry, don't be a prat. You can't kiss me, and then pretend that it never happened. Either ask me out or tell me it was an accident. Put me out of all this misery. Don't torture me, please!"
"Well, er, um…" Harry said, and then rushed "gwitmtonehomsdtp?"
"Sorry, didn't quite catch that last bit."
Harry bit his lip before trying again. "Ginny, will you go with me to the next Hogesmeade trip?"
Ginny reached up and pulled his head near hers. She gently took his face in her hands, and kissed his cheek before whispering in his ear. "Take that as a yes." Just as Harry began to pull her close, Hermione walked in.
"I need you guys to do me a favor," Hermione said sweetly.
"What is it, Herm?" Ginny asked. "It really better not have to do with S.P.E.W. If it does, you are screwed."
"Oh, no, it doesn't." Hermione replied. "I want to know how Ron feels about me, and why he ran away yesterday, right when I was about to tell him how I feel!"
"Well that's easy!" Harry said with a grin. "He's in bloody love with you! He thought you would hate his guts! He doesn't want everything to be awkward. He wanted for you to love him, but if he could only get you to love him as in I-love-you-like-a-brother, or I-love-you-because-you-are-my-best-friend love, he was okay with it. He loves you so much that it hurts him to keep it a secret, but he dealt it, not wanting anything to happen at your expense."
Ron walked in through the portrait hole. "Hey, 'Mione."
------------------------------
But then Ginny brought herself back to reality. A silly daydream that had formed in her head before her 5th year, that's all it was. That was over. Now, Lupin had been killed by Snape, Tonks had been killed by Narcissa Malfoy, Harry had just finished off the last of the Horcruxes, and Hermione lie in St. Mungo's, fighting to say alive just one more day. The final battle would be ending any minute from now, and all she could do was wait at the end of Herm's bed, wondering.
"Hermione, he will come out alive, won't he? Then he can come back to Hogwarts, right? If he comes back next year, will we have classes together? 'Cuz, if the last year he finished was his 6th, and I just finished my 6th, then we would, right?"
"Ginny, I'm sure he'll be fine, and that we will all come back to Hogwarts and be in the same year. I'm also sure of something else concerning Harry."
"What?"
"That once Harry is back, you guys will defiantly hook back up."
"I hope-," but she never got to finish that sentence. Hagrid ran in, with Ron at his heels, and Harry on his shoulders, smiling like there was no tomorrow. Harry screamed from pure joy and ran to Hermione, and grasped her hand.
"It's all okay now, 'Mione." He said softly. "It's all safe, and Voldemort's dead. We can live without fear, and you can survive without wondering if Voldemort will cause you a relapse." He turned to hug Ginny and held her tight. "Forgive me for being a prat?" Harry asked her in the faintest of whispers. "Take me back? Let me hold you, protect you, love you and make you my reason to survive?"
"How could I not? I've dreamt of you coming back to me every night since we broke up, and I would do anything that would make you happy."
"When I was battling Voldemort, and I was about to cast the last spell that I would ever need to cast on him, all I could think of was you. I wanted to hold you in my arms again, kiss you again, and hear you make at least one more witty comment. I wanted for you to live a free life, without looking over your shoulder, wondering if you were about to be attacked by Voldemort. Most of all, I wanted you to know that I love you."
Ginny buried her face in his shoulder. "I still didn't give up on you, even after you and I broke up. I kept on hoping."
"I never dreamt I could feel like I feel when I'm around you. It's better than the phoenix's song." Harry tugged on a lock of her hair. "You're different from other girls."
"Hmm? How's that?" Ginny asked.
"You're perfect. You are starting to intimidate me, Miss Weasley."
"My life could only be perfect if my name was Mrs. Potter. That's the only thing that is wrong."
"That tiny detail? That can be fixed. But for now, don't talk. Just let me hold you. Let me completely relax for the first time in a year." At that all they did for the next five minutes was stand there, wrapped in each other's arms, only interested in the other's touch. Several minutes, they broke apart and sat on the bed next to Hermione's.
"Ginny, thank god you took him back," Ron said with a grin. "The entire time we were gone, it was 'do you think she still likes me?' or 'she needs to know I love her. What if I die and she never finds out?' Heck, he told his father's grave that 'he's going to marry another red-head.' If I have to hear how pretty your hair is one more time, I'm going to explode!"
"Well, it is just so shin-" Harry started to say, before he got cut off by Ron screaming "I CAN'T HEAR YOU!" at the top of his lungs.
Ginny noticed the shadowy black and purple half-circles under Harry and Ron's eyes. "You two both need to get some sleep." Ron sat down on Ginny's other side, and yawned. She put a pillow on her lap and patted it. Ron rested his head in her lap, much to Harry's surprise.
"Uh, mate, she put that there for me. You know, since I'm in love with her?" Harry said.
"Oh, oops!" Ron replied, sitting straight up, letting Harry relax his head on his girlfriend's lap. None of them noticed that Hermione was shedding silent tears until Ron rushed over to her and started to wipe them off her face. "Herm, what's wrong?" he asked.
"I'm just glad that neither of you died. Harry's alright, you're alright, I'm just so happy that I got to see you both alive just one more time. We are all here, together and safe, and that's all that I could ask of."
"Hermione, don't cry. Please, I don't care what you do, but don't cry." Ron said with a pleading look.
"She's happy-crying, you prat!" Ginny shot back defensively. Ron looked confused, but didn't press the matter. He held her in his arms, and she cried into his chest.
"Hermione, this is the only good part about you and your crying. I get to hold you and make it better. I could really get used to this."
"Or you could stop torturing me, and ask me out!" Hermione shot back.
"What! Hold up! You want me to ask you out? Since when? I was sure that you would turn me down, you only like smart people!
"Wrong! Ron, I know you have feelings for me, so admit it!" Hermione, now sitting up, raised her voice.
"Shhhh, relax, baby- I mean Herm." Ron pushed her back down. "I know I like you, you know I like you, what's the problem?"