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Chapter Three: Cleaning, Snogging, Discussing
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The next morning was beautifully executed, Hermione had to admit. Ginny crept into Ron's room bright and early, around half six.
'Hermione,' she said quietly, 'wake up.'
When Hermione stirred, the first thing she saw was Harry, rubbing his eyes and yawning like an idiot. He was grumbling something about just wanting to go to bed, and threatening Ginny by saying, 'you better hope I'm able to get back to sleep, Gin.'
Hermione sat up and looked toward the window. Sun was creeping in through the shades. She turned her attention back to Ginny, who was already fully dressed.
'What is it?' she asked.
'You have to get up and come to breakfast with me, so Mum doesn't go looking for you and find you in Harry's bed,' the youngest Weasley explained.
Hermione imagined the many different scenarios, and the even more abundant conclusions, that could be drawn from Ron and Ginny's mum finding her like this.
Would she naturally assume that Harry had banished her here, so he could be with Ginny? Or would Mrs Weasley think that she and Ron had masterminded it all? Even funnier than that last one was the thought that the reason Hermione had spent the night in Harry's bed had something to do with a steamy love affair between her and the 'Chosen One', and that the rumors written by Rita Skeeter in their fourth year had been true.
'Oh, right,' she said, throwing the covers off of her and scrambling to her feet.
'Finally,' mumbled Harry, as he flopped down face-first onto his rightful bed.
Ginny rolled her eyes and him and threw a quick glance at her brother.
'Thanks for last night ...I didn't plan on us falling asleep,' said Ginny, but Hermione felt sure she was lying. 'I hope my brother wasn't too much of a prat about it.'
'No, no, he was lovely,' said Hermione. Once the words left her mouth, she wished she had used another adjective to describe Ron. Why couldn't she have just said "fine"? What in the world made her say "lovely"?
'Ron? Lovely?' Ginny gave a laugh of disbelief. 'Hermione, I thought you knew by now that it is next to impossible for those two words to appear in the same sentence.'
Hermione blushed, and looked away, hoping her friend would take pity on her and not mention anything else concerning the redhead sleeping but mere feet away.
The room fell into silence for a moment, before a muffled snore rang out. Ginny giggled and pointed to Harry.
Hermione stared at the boy incredulously. 'I take it Mr Potter found sleep rather easy to come by?'
'You think that's bad? At least the pillow is taking most of the damage this time. I slept beside that all night! I must have fallen asleep first, or else there's no way I would've let him stay,' Ginny laughed.
Hermione sniggered and sucked in a breath when she thought she heard footsteps approaching. After a few seconds of silence, both girls listening intently, Ginny shook her head, signalizing that she evidently thought the coast was clear. 'Well, shall we leave our boys alone, then?' asked Ginny.
She nodded, relishing the fact that Ginny had called them their boys. Ron was not Lavender's boy, he was hers. He had always been hers. It was just nice for that fact to finally get some recognition.
Wait – where did that come from? Did she really feel that way? Did she feel that Ron was her territory, and no other girl had any right to be trespassing? There had always been something between her and Ron, she wouldn't deny that ...but to go so far as to say she wanted Ron to be hers? That was definitely something new.
They had been best friends for ages. Sure, throughout that time, she had had the occasional thought about what it would feel like to be his girlfriend. Those thoughts were mostly centered on fifth and sixth year, of course, but Hermione thought they were perfectly normal for any male/female best friendship.
She had always known that Ron was funny and nice and, most of all, cute, but she never gave it any further thought until the Yule Ball incident. She remembered complaining to Ginny about him, saying that he was an overbearing prat. Ginny had just rolled her eyes and said, 'If you can't tell, he's bloody green with envy over that Krum fellow. I bet he's kicking himself for not asking you to the Ball when you were available.'
That had been the first time she had truly looked at Ron in an objective way. Once she thought there was a tiny chance that he might have feelings for her – feelings that went past the "friendship zone" – she was forced to re-evaluate her own feelings. Suddenly, the cute boy with dirt on his nose (for when she thought of Ron, Hermione had always conjured up the image of him on their first ride to Hogwarts) had become slightly taller, considerably cuter, and even more funny and nice.
The chance had been gradual, no doubt, but to Hermione, it seemed almost overnight. Ever since that moment, she began noticing more and more things that she liked about Ron. She liked the way his hair was getting to the length where it still fell into his eyes ...no matter how many times he brushed it away. She liked how loyal he was, always risking his neck for Harry. She melted at the way he said her name, the way he was so protective of his sister, the way he used the occasional bad word – even though she was offended, on some level, she had come to expect it from him, and would even go so far as to say it was part of his character. And she certainly liked his character.
She liked the way he thought she was brilliant, and the way he told her so all the time, even through simple gestures, instead of coming right out and saying the words. She liked the way he made her feel, the way he served as her inspiration when things got stressful or particularly nasty. She still, to this day, appreciated the way he backed her up when she suggested Harry be the leader of the DA. She enjoyed watching him get defensive about Quidditch, but enjoyed the sparkle in his eyes when he talked about the Chudley Cannons even more.
Most of all, she liked it when they rowed. Hermione was a passionate person. She cared deeply about things like S.P.E.W., things that Ron couldn't understand. And when they fought, they truly went at each other. They said terrible things, shouted at the top of their lungs, didn't speak for days. She'd never admit it, but it was part of the reason she felt so close to him ...so attracted to him.
When she finished showering and dressing, she went downstairs to the kitchen.
'...Yep. Hermione just had a bit of a lie in. She should be down soon,' explained Ginny. She, Charlie, Mr and Mrs Weasley were already up and about.
'Morning, all,' greeted Hermione. Mrs Weasley smiled at her from the stove. 'I take it the boys are still asleep?'
'Naturally,' Ginny laughed. 'Honestly, they don't wake up until Ron smells food.' Hermione read the Daily Prophet and chatted with the others for another half hour before Fred and George came downstairs. Mrs Weasley smiled at them and served breakfast.
'I know it's a little early to be eating,' she said, 'but we have a lot to do today. The wedding is happening very soon, and as it's to be held here, we'll be cleaning the inside of the house today.' The twins groaned in protest.
'Mum, that sounds lovely,' Fred began.
'Unfortunately, we're very busy today,' said George.
'What with the shop and all,' continued Fred.
'Business is booming, you see,' explained George.
'So we really can't stay long,' Fred concluded.
'Oh,' said Mrs Weasley. 'You boys are really doing well with that store of yours, then?' Fred and George nodded; their mouths were full of food. Mrs Weasley narrowed her eyes at them, waved her wand, and their food disappeared. 'Then perhaps you should feed yourselves.'
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'Bloody dirty trick that was,' Fred mumbled as he scrubbed the floors. Ginny laughed. As part of their punishment for saying some not-so-nice words at breakfast, they were forbidden by their mother to use magic while cleaning.
'You missed a spot,' she teased, pointing to a random part of the floor.
'Ginny!' her mother called. 'Stop bothering your brothers and get in here!'
'Yeah, go find Ron and bother him, instead,' ordered George.
Ginny stuck her tongue out at her brothers and skipped out of the room. She went up the stairs and into the sitting room. Inside were Hermione, Ron and Harry, looking around, and Mrs Weasley, enchanting the cloths to dust the tables and the carpets to float to the backyard and shake themselves out.
'Well, don't just stand there. Go upstairs and straighten up the kids' bedrooms. Two of you can go up into the attic, too,' instructed Mrs Weasley.
'Mum, why do we need to do this? It's not like the guests at the wedding will be inspecting our attic. I think our bedrooms are safe too, y'know,' groaned Ron.
'Okay, then,' Mrs Weasley began, 'don't think of it as preparing for the wedding. Think of it as cleaning the house that you all live in – for free – as a favour to your dear, sweet Mum.'
'Honestly, Mum, what are we? House elves?' Ron asked, earning him a slap on the arm from Hermione.
Ginny giggled silently at her brother's expression and lead the way up the stairs, trying to block out Hermione's ranting about S.P.E.W. They began in Fred and George's room, deciding that all four of them would need to work on it together before splitting off into groups. Hermione was exceptionally cautious, not wanting another black eye anytime soon. Ginny was on guard, hopefully looking to find anything that would alter her appearance, knowing that Phlegm would go ballistic if she was disfigured for the wedding. She chuckled to herself at the thought.
Ron and Hermione whipped out their wands while she and Harry sat on the bed, playing with Nosebleed Nougats, Fainting Fancies and Blood Blisterpods. They collectively decided that the Puking Pastilles wouldn't be the best choice to play around with, as it would only lead to a larger mess that Ron and Hermione would be forced to clean. Then again ...Ginny thought that was a smashing idea.
She looked up at Harry, who was now staring off into space, his brow furrowed. His deep, green eyes were fixated on a spot on the ceiling. He absentmindedly ran his tongue over his bottom lip. Ginny could hardly contain herself. The feelings she had for the boy in front of her were overwhelming.
She fancied Harry Potter, sure, but that didn't even begin to describe it. Perhaps, by the time the summer was over, she would love him. Even better, maybe he could love her back. The thought of Harry saying those three words, even now, made her heart beat a little bit faster.
Could it be that she already loved him? It was hard to sort out your feelings for someone when you're around them all day, everyday. She was in that in between stage, where you feelings are stronger than "like" but not quite "love". Maybe he was there, too?
She couldn't take it anymore. He was far too sexy for his own good. And the fact that he wasn't even trying to be only strengthened her attraction to him. She threw a glance over her shoulder at Hermione and her brother, neither of which were paying any attention to her. Smirking to herself, she put her hand on Harry's inner thigh. He broke out of his trance and his eyes darted from her to Ron and back again. She leaned forward, shifting her weight to her hand, and kissed him full on the lips.
He hesitated, obviously very aware that her brother was simply a few feet away from them, and liable to turn around at any minute. When Ginny finally felt him kiss her back, she pulled away a bit. He looked at her with a mixture of confusion and desire. She squeezed his thigh seductively before sitting back firmly on the bed, at which time Hermione turned around and gave them a questioning look after seeing Harry's flushed expression.
Ginny turned to look at her and shrugged, as if to say, 'I don't know what his problem is.' Hermione cast them a suspicious, disapproving look, then went back to cleaning.
Ginny turned back to Harry, who was grinning and shaking his head. She made a face at him and smirked, daring him to do something other than look at her like a bumbling idiot. He raised his eyebrows, rising to her challenge, but not before casting a final, fleeting glance at Ron. Ginny leaned forward and kissed him again. Harry grabbed her body and pulled her closer, so she was sitting in his lap.
What the hell Ron and Hermione could've been doing for them to not notice her and Harry snogging right in front of them, Ginny would never know. Maybe they were committing their own act of indiscretion?
Just as Ginny pushed him away and climbed off him, Ron turned around and gave the room the once-over. Satisfied with their cleaning attempts, he shrugged and put his wand back in his robes. Hermione followed suit, and motioned for Harry and Ginny to move, because they were done in the twins' room. The four friends wandered into the hall and looked at each other expectantly.
Ginny and Harry exchanged significant looks.
'Um, I guess I'll take the attic,' he mumbled before leaving the hallway.
Ginny waited until he was out of sight before she said, 'I think I'll go help him...the attic is a big job for one person.' Ignoring Hermione's attempts to catch her eye, she turned her back to them and followed the path Harry had taken moments ago, up to the attic of the Weasley house.
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Harry waited for what seemed like hours. He was almost positive that she wasn't coming, that Hermione had clued in and now the three of them were arguing about his relationship with Ginny.
He heard footsteps. It was Ron, he was sure of it. Ron was coming to kill him, all because he snogged his sister. It wasn't even his idea! She had orchestrated the whole thing ...he had accepted that breaking up meant no more snogging, but she didn't want that. He didn't want it either, mind you, but it was different because he wasn't going to do anything about it.
The first thing he saw was flaming red hair, but the rest of the body quickly appeared, and it was undoubtedly Ginny. She climbed the final few stairs and entered the dark, dusty attic, looking around for him. Harry darted out of his place, his teenage hormones getting the better of him, and pushed her against the wall, attacking her neck.
'That –' he kissed his way up to her face and across her jaw 'was –' he captured her lips, pressing her ever harder against the wall of the Weasley's attic 'cruel.'
Ginny's hands quickly found their way into his hair, pulling him closer, crushing their lips together. Harry was struggling to keep his cool – being like this with Ginny was a lot to take. He cupped her bottom, giving it an affectionate squeeze. She moaned in his mouth, her tongue working furiously against his own. Harry's stomach did a flop as she gave a small hop and locked her legs around his torso. She untangled one hand from his messy hair and ran it over his chest.
'Cruel, yes, but you liked it,' Ginny said breathlessly, their faces still inches apart.
'Damn right, I did,' agreed Harry. 'But still ...in front of your brother! What were you playing at?' If they had been caught (which Harry was surprised they hadn't been) there was no telling what Ron would have done. Probably hexed him into oblivion, and Harry didn't even have legal magic to defend himself.
Ginny shrugged. 'Dunno. I just really wanted to kiss you. Is that so bad?'
'No, it's not bad at all. But in front of your brother, who will literally murder me if he catches us, it definitely is.' He paused and sighed. 'Maybe we shouldn't be doing this. Like I said before –'
'No, I don't want to hear it. I haven't forgotten what you said back at the funeral, I know that you think it's too risky to be close to me,' said Ginny. 'But Harry, you're close to me now, and nobody's in danger.'
'I can't do it, I thought you understood that. I'm not the one I'm worried about here,' he said. 'If it was only me who could be hurt or put in danger, I wouldn't think twice about us. But I refuse to voluntarily give Voldemort a reason to target you. I care too much about you to let anyone do that.'
'You care about Ron and Hermione, but you aren't stopping them from being involved in this battle!' complained Ginny. 'Why can't you give me the same treatment?'
'Because you're different, Gin. They've been with me from day one, and I know they won't take no for an answer, no matter what,' Harry explained. 'They've already been exposed, they've been targeted and everybody knows that they're with me. The Death Eaters know who they are, and that they're both threats. You don't have that connection yet, they have no reason to want you dead, too. I can't have you involved.'
'Incase you haven't realized, I'm already involved. I've been involved since my first year at Hogwarts!' Ginny argued. 'I was down in that Chamber of Secrets, too, you know. I'm not afraid to say Voldemort's name ...he knows me personally by now, I expect. I was at the Department of Mysteries, I fought the Death Eaters, and they all know who I am. They know me, they know Neville, and they know Luna. It isn't your fault,' she reassured, 'but we're just as involved in this now as they are. I've faced Voldemort before, as Tom Riddle, and that's a lot more than I can say for my dear brother or Hermione. I made it out; I can make it out of this, too'
'First of all,' Harry began, 'the Chamber of Secrets? You're really including that in your argument? You were eleven and a bloody diary possessed you! You made it out, yes, but only because Ron and I went down there to save your arse. You were passed out on the floor when I found you ...you were hardly holding your own.' He tried to stay serious, but he couldn't help smiling. He had expected as much from her. He knew she was stubborn and that she would fight with him. When she conceded to his decision about why they had to break up, she was simply saving up her words for when they were alone and she could be loud without causing a scene, particularly if it meant ruining Dumbledore's funeral. 'And second, yeah, you were at the Department of Mysteries, but not because I wanted you there. I'm not saying you weren't useful, because you really were, but I still regret endangering you like that. You can't be sure the Death Eaters remember you from that night or, more importantly, that they would want you dead because of it. We just can't be together right now.'
Ginny laughed, and shook her head. She was angry, it was obvious, but she didn't pull away or tell him to put her down. She just stared at him, her face still inches from his, her legs wrapped tightly around him, arguing her point.
'I've idolized you since I can remember; I always knew, somehow, that I would meet you and you would fall for me,' she giggled. 'I had a mad crush on you all through Hogwarts, but you know that, of course. I only went out with Michael and Dean because I figured you'd never be interested. And then you were, and I finally got to date the famous Harry Potter – the "Chosen One" – the Boy Who Lived.' Harry frowned. Why did she say it like that? Was that all she cared about – after all they had been through? 'Only I didn't want the famous Harry Potter, the one who survived the Killing Curse when he was but a baby. I wanted you, Harry, the sweet boy who spends the summer at my house and hangs out with my obnoxious brother; the one who always stands up for what he believes in and tries to do the right thing, no matter how distorted his image of "the right thing" may be.' She smiled softly, her eyes sweeping over his features before resting on his eyes once more. 'That's all I ever wanted. I wanted you, not the hero who vanquished Voldemort as an infant. But you just couldn't figure out a way to separate those two.'
'What are you saying?' asked Harry, setting her down on her feet. Ginny sighed and put her hands on his shoulders, forcing eye contact again.
'Voldemort has done a lot to you ...so many terrible things,' she said calmly. 'He's taken so much away from you. He's taken your parents and your godfather; he's taken your privacy, your right to a normal life.' She narrowed her eyes at him. 'But if you let your obsession with him screw things up between us – if you let him take yet another thing away from you – then you aren't the wizard I thought you were.'
'Gin...' Harry began. He didn't want to get into this with her, not again. It was hard enough the first time, when he ended things. He couldn't do it again.
She gave him a defiant look. 'Give me one good reason,' she requested. 'One reason why we can't be together like we both want to be.'
'My parents are gone. I couldn't do anything to save them,' Harry said through gritted teeth. He wasn't angry at Ginny, he was angry with Voldemort – angrier than he had ever been before. He knew Ginny was right, but he couldn't let her know that. 'But I'll be damned if I let him take you away, when there is something I can do about it.' He sighed. 'You don't understand. It's much more complicated than you imagine it to be.'
'It's not complicated at all!' protested Ginny. 'You know what your problem is?'
Harry rolled his eyes. 'No, but I'm sure you're about to tell me.'
'Your problem,' she said, scowling at him, 'is that you always need to be the hero. And no matter how many times we tell you that, no matter how many times we insist that you aren't in this alone, you don't listen. You look at the world and think every little problem is yours to solve, when it isn't! Whether it's going protecting the Philosopher's Stone or going into Chamber of Secrets to "save my arse", you always need to save someone – even when they don't need to be saved, like in the Triwizard Tournament, like at the Department of Mysteries ...like now.' Her gestures were wild and her breathing was coming out in pants, but she had tears in her eyes and a soft, serene expression on her face. She was clearly having a battle inside herself, as to whether or not she should even be continuing this discussion. 'You aren't alone in this. You don't have to carry this burden. Why won't you let me help you fight?'
Harry didn't even flinch when she mentioned Sirius and the Department of Mysteries. If it were anyone else – Ron and Hermione included – he would have blown up and stormed off, but for some reason, it seemed okay when Ginny talked about it.
He walked away from her, his mind racing. He had to tell her. Maybe she'd finally understand, finally let up and respect his decision. He was scared of telling her though, scared that she would react badly.
'You want to know why?' he snapped, spinning around to face her again. She looked slightly taken aback, but nodded silently. 'The prophecy says that it can only be me. It says I'mthe one who has to do it. I'm the one who can do it. Not you, or Ron, or Hermione – me. It's up to me. So forgive me, but I don't see the urgency in dragging you into the middle of this when it doesn't concern you in the least!'
'It does concern me! I don't care if – wait – you heard the prophecy? I thought it smashed!'
'It did, but Dumbledore already knew what it said. He told me at the end of fifth year,' Harry admitted. Ginny raised her eyebrows. 'Basically, it said that Voldemort was to mark someone an equal –' he pointed to his forehead 'and that I apparently have a power that Voldemort doesn't, and it'll help me get rid of him. It said that neither can live while the other survives.'
Ginny gaped at him with wide eyes. The room was dead silent; neither of them uttered a word for several minutes.
'Neither can live while the other – so ...you have to kill him?'
'Yep,' Harry shrugged. 'Or he'll kill me.'
Ginny smiled. 'Then all the more reason for us to be with each other. Look, Harry, I'm not going to pretend that you defeating Voldemort will be a piece of cake, because we both know it'll be the hardest thing you ever do. But I believe in you, and I believe that if there is anyone who can do it, who can get rid of him, once and for all, it's you,' she said. 'Back at Hogwarts, you said you wished we had gotten together sooner and that we hadn't wasted so much time. Well we're wasting even more time now! I want to be with you now, not in a year, or ten, or twenty.' She walked over to him and took his hands in hers. 'The way I see it, we've got nothing to lose but each other.'
'You don't even know that it'll be me who survives,' he told her. 'Maybe I won't. Maybe Voldemort will live. Maybe, if we are open about us, and I die, he'll come after you. I won't be there to protect you if that happens,' he whispered.
'Did you ever stop to think that I don't need your protection? I may not be brave like you or brilliant like Hermione, but I'm rather tough in my own way,' she insisted. Her eyes glistened with fresh tears. 'And if that does happen – which, by the way, I refuse to believe that it will – then we'll have missed out on the opportunity to be together, permanently.'
'I guess, but –'
'No buts, Harry.' Ginny closed her eyes and took a deep breath, letting go of his hands. 'I really, really like you, but you and I both know that I'm not a patient girl. If you're asking me to wait for you, to wait until all this Voldemort business is over and done with, I'm sorry but I won't,' she concluded. 'It's now or never, and while I don't think I could quite handle you choosing the second option, I respect your right to pick it. I mean, maybe you no longer feel the same way –'
'You're bloody mad, if you believe that! I – I dunno what to say. Obviously, I feel the same about you, but ...' Harry sighed. 'Can we not talk about this now? How about you give me some time, to see if I can come up with something, and we'll talk about it at Bill and Fleur's wedding?'
Ginny looked down at the floor and nodded. 'I guess that's okay, then.'
'So,' proposed Harry, 'shall we get to cleaning?'
'We could,' Ginny smiled. 'Or ...'
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When Ron climbed into the attic, Hermione behind him, he found a rather strange sight before him. Harry and Ginny were quickly moving in opposite directions, both out of breath, both flushed slightly. Wow, he thought, they must be working really hard to clean the attic.
'Oh, hey,' said Ginny. 'We were just –' she looked around and pointed to a big, old wardrobe 'trying to move that.'
'Really?' asked Hermione, from behind him. Ron turned around to see her looking around wildly. 'This place doesn't look too clean. What have you been doing all this time? Ron and I have already finished tidying all the bedrooms, you know.' She shot his sister an accusing look.
'Well, unlike you two –' Harry looked from Hermione to Ron and back again 'we don't have the privilege of using magic to do our work.'
'That's right,' Ginny backed him up. 'Harry won't be of age for another week, and I won't even be sixteen until August.'
Ron sniggered. 'That's right, mate. Almost forgot you were just a silly little sixteen-year-old,' he said and Harry rolled his eyes.
'Ron, one again, you're as thick as ever,' Ginny muttered.
'Oh? And why is that?'
'No, I won't say. Let's not rehash that fight,' said Ginny. Ron folded his arms and stared blankly at her, urging her to continue. 'Harry might be a few months younger than you,' she explained, 'but he's far more accomplished. He's played on the Quidditch team since your first year –' she raised one finger 'he was Triwizard Champion –' she raised a second 'and he's snogged more girls,' she finished. 'So before you go making fun of him for only being sixteen, perhaps you should consider his experience in specific areas, versus yours.'
'Snogged more girls, has he?' Ron said, his ears turning a slight pink.
Ginny nodded. 'Yep.' Ron shot Harry the death glare, remembering the fact that he had snogged his baby sister – a lot.
'I've snogged just as many girls as him,' Ron boasted, standing a bit taller. Hermione gave him a sideways glance.
'Who, other than that cow Lavender?' asked his sister. Ron briefly wondered how he got into that discussion, before racking his brain for a name. Since they mostly likely weren't going to return to Hogwarts anytime soon, he could say whoever name he wanted, and they would never know if he was lying or not.
'Parvati,' he lied.
'Liar!' Hermione exclaimed.
'How would you know?'
'Because,' she began, 'I've shared a room with her and Lavender for six years now, and they talk about that sort of stuff all the time. Never once has your name been thrown into the mix – at least not by Parvati.' She smiled smugly, having effectively proven him wrong, like always. 'Well, except once when she asked me if we've ever –' She broke off and looked away.
Hermione just have Ron a brilliant idea. He looked over at Ginny and Harry (both were putting forth tremendous effort in trying to contain their laughter) and walked over to his bushy-haired friend. Putting one hand behind her head, he pulled her closer and crushed his lips against hers.
Hermione didn't seem too shocked; Ron assumed she had figured out his intentions when he started walking toward her, and for an instant, he was sure she kissed him back. She recovered after a few seconds – much too quickly for Ron's liking – and pulled away slightly. He was lost in her warm, chocolate brown eyes. He breathed in her scent – strawberries and something else, something he decided was purely Hermione. She opened her eyes and bit her lip in an act that, to Ron, seemed like she was trying to restrain herself from kissing him again. If that was truly the case, he wished she would just give into temptation and lose herself in him, like he was lost in her. Someone cleared their throat to their right, startling them both.
Smirking proudly, he turned to Harry, who was unsuccessfully trying to hide his grin, and Ginny, who was too shocked by her brother's boldness to do anything but stare, slack-jawed, at him.
'What d'you say, Gin? Are Harry and I about even now?'
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