This is a slightly revised version of the chapter I posted a few days ago. Rill of Fantasia, thanks for helping me keep them in-character.

Setting: Beginning of Chapter 25, "The Seer Overheard." Harry and Ginny are going out.

Let's Talk About Boys

Hermione was studying in the library when Harry walked in. He didn't notice her, instead walking over to where Ginny was studying with some other fifth years. A quiet conversation later, Ginny and Harry were leaving the library holding hands.

Hermione shook her head. This was entirely unacceptable.

xxxxx

The next day, Hermione caught up to Ginny in the corridors after Ancient Runes.

"Hey, Ginny, do you have a minute?"

"Actually, I'm about to go eat lunch. Want to join me?"

Hermione nodded.

"Good. I wanted to talk to you."

"Me, too."

They looked at each other and grinned.

"You've talked to Harry today, haven't you?" Hermione asked.

"Yes, I have. And please, Hermione, stop scaring my boyfriend."

"I didn't scare him," Hermione protested.

"Trust me, you did. He'll be looking over his shoulder until my exams are over."

"It's for your benefit, Ginny. You need the study time."

"You're something else, you know that?"

"If by 'something else' you mean an amazing girl concerned about her friend, then yes, I did know that."

"I thought as much."

They reached the Great Hall and sat down at the end of Gryffindor's table. Ginny filled Hermione in on all the school gossip as they dug in.

"No, that can't be true," Hermione said. "There's no way Padma and Parvati are fighting over Seamus."

"Well, it's more believable that the passionate affair between Colin and Luna."

"I think that one is actually possible."

"You're kidding me."

"No, I'm not," Hermione said. "It's more possible than the agreement between Zacharias and Malfoy, at least."

"Ah, yes," Ginny nodded, "the one where they both agree not to bleach their hair blonder than the other."

"That's the one."

"Where do they come up with these?"

Hermione shrugged. "Did Romilda Vane really ask you if Harry has a hippogriff tattooed on his chest?"

"'Fraid so."

"He doesn't, right?"

"How would I know?" Ginny asked innocently.

"Trust me, I don't want to know how you know."

Ginny laughed.

"And you didn't really tell her Ron's got a Pygmy Puff, right?"

"Don't like me spreading rumors about your boyfriend, Hermione?"

"Don't calling him that. We're not official."

"Not yet, at least," Ginny said.

"Besides, he hasn't got a Pygmy Puff anywhere."

"Just how do you know that, Hermione?"

Hermione turned bright red.

"Oh, my God, I was only joking. You don't actually—you guys haven't really… I mean, um—"

"Ginny!" Hermione hissed. "Please, please be quiet."

"Be quiet, Hermione? You want me to be quiet? You and Ron—"

"Talked about the fact that he doesn't have a Pygmy Puff anywhere, Ginny," Hermione broke in quickly. "Talk, that's it."

"Oh." Ginny gave a shaky laugh. "Okay. Sorry about the freak-out."

"Merlin, Ginny, we've hardly even kissed. Trust me, it'll be awhile."

"When are you going to tell Harry?"

"When there's something to tell."

"There's something to tell now, though. You both know you fancy each other."

"We already had this discussion, Ginny. I told you, we're moving slowly. We don't want to mess anything up."

"I still think you should tell Harry," Ginny said. "I hate keeping this from him."

"I know, Ginny, and I'm sorry. I shouldn't have put you in the middle like this."

Ginny sighed. "You promise you'll tell him as soon as you're are official? The second Ron finally asks you out?"

"Of course," Hermione said. "We could never block Harry out like that."

They returned to their food.

"I'm sorry, Hermione, I have to ask," Ginny said as she dug into her treacle tart. "Why did you turn so red when I asked about the Pygmy Puff thing?"

"No reason."

"You're a terrible liar, Hermione. What aren't you telling me?"

Hermione sighed. There's no way she was getting out of this; Ginny was as stubborn as Ron. "Promise you won't laugh?"

"Ooh, what did you do?"

"Do you promise, Ginny?" she repeated.

"Oh, fine. I promise."

"Well, the day you told us about the rumor, remember how you and Harry disappeared in the afternoon?"

Ginny smiled dreamily.

"I'll take that as a yes, then," Hermione said. "And please, don't elaborate."

Ginny blushed slightly. "So, what happened?"

"Well, Ron stammered for a bit about how he would never get a tattoo, and that it just wasn't him, and that he wouldn't ever grow his hair long or get anything pierced, and that he wasn't at all that kind of guy." A small part of her brain yelled at Hermione to be quiet, but her mouth no longer appeared under her control. She blamed Ron.

"Did he?"

"Yes. It was kind of cute, actually."

"Ew." Ginny set her fork down and stared forlornly at the food she could no longer eat.

"For you maybe. Anyway, I finally got him to calm down and asked him why he was telling me all this."

"You mean you didn't know?" Ginny asked.

"Not helping, Ginny."

"Sorry. Do continue."

"I will, thank you," Hermione said primly, though privately she was wondering why she didn't grab at that chance to flounce out of the Hall and abandon the conversation. "I asked him why he was telling me this, and he said he thought I would be angry if he ever did anything 'rebellious.'"

"Wouldn't you?"

"Um… no?"

"Hermione," Ginny gasped. "Are you a closet rebel?"

"You promised you wouldn't laugh," Hermione warned.

"I'm not laughing. I'm in shock."

"Well, you're reacting better than Ron did."

"Oh, sweet Merlin." Ginny bit back a laugh. "That must have been priceless. What happened?"

Hermione took a bite of her bread and butter.

Ginny waited.

Hermione poured herself some pumpkin juice.

"You're not getting away with this," Ginny said. "You can't just tell half a story. What happened with Ron?"

Hermione grimaced and put her cup down in defeat. "I told him he can do whatever he wants to his own body, and that it wasn't my place to tell him what to do."

"Bet that surprised him," Ginny said.

"It did. I'm not that bossy, am I?"

"Of course not."

Hermione suspected Ginny was humoring her, but let it slide. "Anyway, he asked me what I would do if he ever got a tattoo, so I asked him what he would do if I ever got one."

"I… I don't even know what to say to that."

"Neither did Ron. He gaped at me for a good three minutes. It was remarkably similar to the expression on your face right now, actually."

"Was it?"

"Well, not exactly, but close," Hermione said absently.

"Do I want to know how it was different?" Ginny asked.

"Er, probably not." She blushed.

"Yeah, I thought so."

Now thoroughly embarrassed, Hermione resumed eating. "Can we change the topic, please?"

"To what?"

"I don't know." Hermione took a drink of pumpkin juice. "Did you ever ask Harry what made him kiss you after the game that day?"

"Yeah, I did, but he didn't really answer me."

"What'd he say?" Hermione asked.

"That it had seemed like a good idea, so he did."

"Well, Harry has always had a way with words."

"Shut up. At least my boyfriend is brave enough to kiss me."

"I repeat, he's not my boyfriend."

"Not yet, you mean," Ginny said.

"And besides," Hermione said, "Ron has kissed me. We just like to be a little more private."

"Too private, if you ask me," Ginny muttered.

"Well, no one did."

"Calm down, Hermione. I know why you aren't telling anyone."

"Because there's nothing to tell," Hermione said.

"It's amazing, really, the amount of denial you and Ron have wrapped yourselves in."

"You're sure Harry doesn't know?"

"Positive," Ginny said. "And I still think he should."

Hermione worried her hands. "You may be right."

"What?"

"You may be right," Hermione said softly. "I hate keeping secrets. It never ends well."

"Secrets don't make friends," Ginny agreed.

Hermione laughed. "No, they don't."

"Hermione, if you and Ron are as non-serious as you say you are, what's the harm in telling Harry?"

"I don't know," Hermione whined. "It's just… Ron and I took so long to get this far—and we're not even that far—and I don't want to mess it up. I can't risk it."

"Telling me didn't mess it up," Ginny said. "Why should telling Harry be any different?"

"I wasn't supposed to tell you, either. We weren't going to tell anyone, but I just couldn't keep quiet about it. I truly don't know how Ron's keeping his mouth shut. Are you sure Harry doesn't know?"

"Boys are different, Hermione. Trust me, Harry's clueless."

"I almost wish he suspected something. Then it would be more like a game, and not this big secret."

"I can drop hints," Ginny offered.

"No, that's okay. He needs to hear it from us."

"So you'll tell him?" Ginny asked hopefully.

"As soon as it's official."

"And when's that going to be? Exactly how long are you going to drag this out?"

"It'll be awhile."

Ginny nodded. "I was afraid of that."

Hermione shrugged. "What can you do?"

"Snog in public after a Quidditch game?"

"We'll call that Plan B."

They both laughed and resumed eating.

They were picking at unwanted food when Ginny took a deep breath. "Um, Hermione, I don't want to kill the mood or anything, but do you think Harry will ever tell me what his big secret is?"

"He still hasn't explained anything?" Hermione asked sadly.

Ginny shook her head.

"I'm not going to tell you, Ginny."

"I know," Ginny sighed. "I'm not asking you to. I just… Harry will tell me eventually, right?"

"I would think so," Hermione said slowly. "But it could be awhile. He took his time telling Ron and me."

"Really?"

Hermione nodded. It was almost true.

"Is it wrong that that makes me feel better?"

"No, it's not."

"Good," Ginny said.

"Have you asked him to tell you?"

"Not directly," Ginny answered. "I want him to offer the information."

"Be patient."

"That doesn't come naturally to me."

"I'm sorry," Hermione said.

"It's not your fault."

"I know. But I'm still sorry."

"Me, too, Hermione," Ginny sighed. "Me, too."

"Well, I know what you can do while you're being patient."

"What's that?" Ginny asked warily.

"Study for your exams."

"I knew you were going to say that. I knew it."

"What? You need to do well on them," Hermione said.

"I know."

"Don't let Harry distract you."

"Have you been talking to Mum?" Ginny asked. "That what she keeps saying."

"Oh, good, you decided to tell her?"

Ginny nodded. "I, unlike you, am not a fan of secrets."

Hermione sighed. "I don't like them, either. Sometimes they're just unavoidable."

"But that's what so frustrating, Hermione," Ginny exclaimed. "They are avoidable. You should tell Harry everything, and he should tell me everything."

"We will, eventually.

Ginny gave up. "C'mon, let's go to class." She gathered her books and stood up.

"Actually, I'm going to meet Ron in the library," Hermione said as she prepared to leave.

"Really? Well, have fun studying."

"Ha, ha. We're working on a Potions essay, Ginny. That's it."

"If you say so."

"I do."

Ginny grinned wickedly.

"Oh, like you're so innocent," Hermione said as they crossed the Great Hall. "You're going to spend half of your class thinking about Harry."

"Probably." She paused. "I can't wait."

"You're impossible, Ginny."

"No, I'm just not in denial. You should join me."

Hermione shook her head. "Go to class. And please, pay attention."

Ginny laughed (this did not comfort Hermione) and they went their separate ways.

xxxxx

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